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MAC @ 40 CYBERSAFARI

If there was ever a technology mistress, it would be Apple. Apple Macintosh. You all know her. She came onto the scene as a cute and spunky rebel. She became the IT GIRL for geeks. She grew up to be a sleek and powerful siren drawing in technophiles. In some areas, she has become a cult queen. But there were bumps and grinds to where she is now, a cool 40 years old.

One man can make a difference. Steve Jobs imprinted his own soul into developing Apple computers. He was a micromanager in the wild west of early retail computing. Computers were only used for NASA, governments and university researchers. It had no practical application to average office workers or students. Until, Jobs and his peers brought it to the people's desktop.

It could replace the bulky typewriters and onion-skin carbon copies. It could store files on floppy disks instead of large manila folders or boxes. When it got to the point of reaching out beyond the desktop on the WWW, it was a means of communicating to anyone in the world. Today, we take for granted what computers do for us. Our work desk is dominated by a computer. Its software is your daily work flow. Your pocket or purse contains a portable telephone which has morphed into a handheld computer with the same accessibility and power of your office laptop.

Apple created its own techno-sphere to insure its products quality and functionality remained excellent (since people were paying premium prices over Windows or Android products). Reliability turned into utility. Utility turned into second nature. In another generation, infants will be born holding a hand-held computer.

We do not think enough people sit back and reflect on the major change in life and society that computers have had on us. Just as early Apple Macintoshes were temptresses, her children are now standard devices in the modern world. Audio, visual, art, animation, networking, creativity, file creation and management, privacy, security, functionality, and retail on-line distribution. If the Industrial Revolution took the world out of the agricultural based society into modern business, what will the Computer Revolution be known for? It seems to have pushed our industrial society into the path of bio-mechanical humanity. Either we merge with machine technology or allow machine technology to think and act for us.

As Engadget noted, Apple released its first new platform in almost a decade, the Vision Pro. It is a wildly expensive standalone device with some uncertainty if the AV/VR market will take traction. If that happens, we might see a Vision device that runs Mac apps natively, instead of just viewing them. Apple has long held the belief that its platforms should stand on their own so, perhaps, in 10 years about how spatial computing was the next thing to move the Mac forward.

The Apple Mac has always been a sleek and sexy piece of technology. We have literally grown up using Apple products for almost its entire run. We have kept the faith because Apple products are reliable, strong and do not break down. Granted, we do not like some of the feature directions of late, and the removal of ports that are highly useful in an office or creative setting, but overall Apple continues to pioneer new ways to make our computing life easier. Happy birthday Mac.

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THE HOSPICE OF TV COMMENTARY

When was the last time you watched an over-the-air local TV channel? In the U.S., you had to purchase one of those digital converters (which did not work well). It has probably been years since you had to turn one on when your basic cable went out. But that life-support is quickly creeping into the last strongholds of cable TV. Cord cutters took a huge hunk of revenue from the big players. But even cord cutters are fed up with even higher fees for high speed internet access and monthly fees for streaming services. The closest thing to the old TV is probably YouTube or TikTok videos. They are basically free to watch (just some annoying short ads), they don't require a lot of mental attention and can be consumed like a bag of potato chips.

The only thing that kept traditional TV networks and cable channels relevant is live sports programming and breaking news events (like wars, elections and celebrity deaths). But those foundations are being eroded away.

Peacock, the streaming service, paid a whopping $110 million to exclusively broadcast ONE NFL playoff game. ONE. Fans outside the teams local markets were livid about the prospect paying another subscription fee to watch their team in a play-off game. Of course, the NFL and its owners are greedy as hell so a $110 million fee is like a winning lottery ticket. But it really made no sense for Peacock. It probably cost $120 million to acquire and produce the telecast. For the network to break even, it really needed to get 20 million new subscribers to its service. It did not. The total viewership, including local TV broadcasts, was 21 million. But even as a lost leader promotion, streaming services are looking to purchase new sets of eye-balls for their regular programs.

But even that pales compared to Netflix's latest gamble. It paid WWE $5 billion for wrestling programming. One, is wrestling that popular anymore for tween boys and man-children? WWE's main programs have bounced from cable channel to cable channel, presumably because the ratings/revenue did not meet the licensing costs. For $5 billion, is Netflix and/or its viewers looking forward to the return of the ancient Roman Colosseum?

The new kids on the entertainment block will have something to learn. Sports can be a brutal TV business. Just last year, two regional sports systems for baseball teams on the West Coast went under during the middle of the season leaving local fans without televised games. MLB rushed in to give those fans a discounted streaming package but that life preserver ended with the season. RSNs have the built in problem of smaller fan bases and seasonal calendars to fill. RSNs are just not profitable as they were a decade ago. Even team owned RSNs are thinking about shutting down and crawling back to local TV stations to show their games. But local TV stations, the over-the-air and basic cable channels, got out of the business because they were losing money on every game.

The reality is that with each passing year, there are more and more non-sports competition for young viewers. A $40 video game can give a kid 200 hours of game play (which is the equivalent of 70 baseball games which would cost $20/month or more). And a gamer gets more action per minute than a sports event.

There is only so much money one can get out of a TV watching turnip.

Traditional TV is in an entertainment nursing home with the vast majority of its programming being old reruns from past generations. Even the streaming channels have touting reruns of shows like Friends to keep subscribers from opting out.

We have not seen a detailed study that has looked at this premise: what do people under 30 find entertaining? Even if there was a consensus answer, it may not be worth while - - - like panning for gold on Lake Michigan.

cyberbarf

LOVE IN THE 2020s OBSERVATIONS

Love and relationships are still quite complicated and at times confusing in the 2020s. Social media has not helped smooth the road for potential couples. Reality TV dating shows continue to extract the worst in the people.

A fitness influencer, 18, is getting trolled by netizens for dating a 66-year old man. It is really no one else business but since she had put it out there, the snarky sharks sense blood in the SNS waters. Everyone on the net seems to have the entitlement to criticize, rate and comment on anyone's relationship like it was sports watching. As we commented last month, Taylor Swift has made her fortune on releasing break-up songs because that is what she does best.

A UK company, Foxy AI, has created a busty blonde model called Lexi Love. Lexi sexts lonely men. And she must be pretty good at it, since the Daily Mail (UK) reported she is making $360,000 per year from her services.

Spangler Candy Co. makes the seasonal Sweethearts candy. Those are those heart shaped Valentine's Day treats with the short sweet messages like “I love you, ”or “Be my Valentine.” To cater to Gen-Z, the company has sold out of its Situationship Boxes, little candies imprinted with mixed messages and blurry nothings to mimick “which are as blurry as your relationship,” according to a spokesman. As Fox Business reported, a situationship is defined as a not established or informal romantic or sexual relationship.

But what advice can we give? Well, back in 2013, Real News Komix SHOW HACK (No. 2) gave some Love Advice:

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FOUND BUT NOT LOST ON THE INTERNET

Nature can be wild. Like the wild west. In Uruguay, an angry anteater tries to stop cattle from grazing near an ant hill. It is a pretty bold move from the undersized guy. We don't think cattle would seem to follow directions of a furry crossing walk guard.

Source: Daily Mail (UK)

Awww... nostalgia. Remember those old plastic Rock Em Sock Em Robot games? Violent childhoods . . . who can forget. But a creative person decided that it would be fun to take that old concept to build a balloon jousting game. We do like the pointy needles but to up the danger factor, why not scale up and use Jarts?

Source: facebook

Beauty pageants are in the eye of the beholder. Major controversy erupted when the new 2024 Miss Japan was crowned. She is a naturalized Japanese citizen who was adopted from Ukraine as a young child. Apparently, she met the qualifications to enter the pageant. And apparently, the judges felt she best represented their country in the world pageant. But Japanese public reaction has been highly negative since she is not "Japanese." It seems like a controversy without a sound basis for a country whose birth rate is falling fast and married women are getting more divorces after 20 years of marriage.

Source: various websites

The return of the AI-generated image of Pope Francis has the Pope himself taking a stand, reported Reuters. In a message for the 58th World Day of Social Communications, Francis said, “We need but think of the long-standing problem of disinformation in the form of fake news, which today can employ 'deepfakes,' namely the creation and diffusion of images that appear perfectly plausible but false.” He also remarked “The technology of simulation behind these programs can be useful in certain specific fields, but it becomes perverse when it distorts our relationship with others and with reality.” Religion may be believing in the unseen in reality, but the religious leader does not believe in A.I. as it distorts his reality.

Source: ars Technica

The story notes that in 1965, artist Andy Warhol's IT GIRL friend ditched pants to wear tight tights as a fashion statement. Fashion has always been about being bold and breaking boundaries. But now, a New York stylist has decided this winter the no pants look is the way to go. The reason? She hates wearing pants. OK . . . . there are alternatives to not wearing pants, yes? Like shirts, or shorts? But no, commando panties seems to be the attire for work, running errands at the grocery store and probably for those boring parent-teacher conferences.

Source: Wall Street Journal

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THE WHETHER REPORT

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STATUS

Question: Whether early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire have too much media power to affect the viability of campaigns?

* Educated Guess

* Possible

* Probable

* Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

* Doubtful

* Vapor Dream

Question: Whether Netflix's push into live sports programming will materially affect existing cable channel operators or other streaming services?

* Educated Guess

* Possible

* Probable

* Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

* Doubtful

* Vapor Dream

Question: Whether the benefits and incorporation of language-bot A.I. is nothing more than technology snake oil?

* Educated Guess

* Possible

* Probable

* Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

* Doubtful

* Vapor Dream

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