I think that if anyone in our society can be said to have a superpower, it's justin timberlake. granted he isn't faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound (that we know of). but no matter what he says, does, sings, or wears, he's able to effortlessly convince the public at large that that's the right thing--the fashionable thing--to do. he could bring victorian lace collars back into vogue easily. he could recite dadaist sound poetry and end up in the top 40. he could gain 100 pounds and people the world over would start scarfing twinkies to catch up.

I'm not putting it down. I'm part of the public at large, too.

the information in this post is over two years old, but as it has only now come to my attention it may be new to you as well. sit up and pay attention, class, as this is marginally more interesting than my usual drivel:

I'm a pc user. I am neither proud of that fact nor ashamed of it. I know many mac users. that's their scene, that's okay. I don't want any of them to get offended by what I have to say, because I'm only targeting a small percentage of mac users here. small, but just annoying enough to warrant this little rant.

I'm speaking of the "mac cultists." you know the type. their wee white earbuds are always in, their clothes and hair tend to be fashionably rumpled, and they plaster white apple stickers on most of their personal belongings--particularly the back windows of their vw jettas. it's not just consumer electronics, it permeates their very being. these folks like to crow about mac superiority, bill gates being the devil, and so on and so forth. taking every opportunity to give their poor slob friends o/s envy. for this crowd, the macintosh apple seems to have become the new generation's version of the peace sign: a symbol of individuality, intelligence, and an implied suggestion of screwing the system and loving it.

first off, do you remember this commercial?

I know I do; I remember it well. like many people, I was afraid that it signified the death knell of file sharing. the golden age of free napster was kaput, the feds were cracking down, and we had all better mind our ps and qs.

and only now have I learned that, although the threats weren't empty, we were all getting royally mind fucked.

now watch this and, if you will, read the brief comments that follow the video on the same page (yes, the whole shebang is hosted by mac itself, which makes the whole sitch even more bizarre).

all this may not resonate with you very much. it really hits home with me, though, since I not only remember the tv spot well but was also affected by it in the exact way that pepsi, mac, and the riaa intended. I watch the second clip and think of all those irritating recent mac commercials. you know, the ones with the young hipster verbally squaring off against the stuffy guy in the suit?

wake up, mac nuts. you may consider yourselves party to the lesser of two evils where microsoft is concerned, and maybe you're right. but the apple ain't ambrosia, steve jobs ain't the messiah, and you're not half as rebellious as you'd like to believe.