Oddly Zen

The first computer I ever used was an Apple IIe. So began my love affair with computers. I would eventually settle as a die-hard PC/Windows user (after a brief stint with the Mac in school, when we used them to layout the newspaper), having taught myself how to program and bend bytecode to my will — all thanks to Gates and the Redmond Posse.

I was eventually seduced by .NET and started making good money as a government contractor-analyst. I heard the commercials — ‘Think Different.’ Well, I was always a rebel-renegade — at least in my own head, but why switch? I was just happy enough.

Then, thanks to Dell, a factory in Indonesia, and some Act of God — long story, just trust me that it wasn’t pretty — I was in need of a computer, low on disposable income and mad as hell. A friend offered her laptop for my usage. I graciously accepted her offer, even though it was only a MacBook Pro. (I didn’t need to do anything seriously hardcore with it anyway, just surf the web and get email and I knew it should be able to handle this…)

Well, imagine my surprise when this baby did much more than that — it danced, it sang, it blew my PC away. I could do everything I dreamed of doing on my PC/Windows box, but even better, on the MacBook Pro and in OS X. Just better. More intuitively. More beautifully. I finally felt like I was home, somewhere I deserved to be and some place that deserved me.

From that article about Mac people:

People who prefer Apple’s Macintosh computers over PCs have long been thought to be on the artsy, hip end of the personality spectrum — and now a study proves that “Mac people” indeed are more liberal and open-minded than average folks.

I’d tend to agree. I know my Mac friends are more ‘liberal and open-minded’ than my PC friends. They always have been. And I was always the weirdo in my PC circle. I was the cool one. Which brings me to this point:

According to Mindset Media, people who purchase Macs fall into what the branding company calls the “Openness 5” personality category — which means they are more liberal, less modest and more assured of their own superiority than the population at large.

Ahem. I guess that might describe me…

After a bit more research into what is considered ‘Openness to Experience’, I found the following list about people who fit into this category that described me, or at lease my self-image, near perfectly:

• I am full of ideas.
• I am quick to understand things.
• I have a rich vocabulary.
• I have a vivid imagination.
• I have excellent ideas.
• I spend time reflecting on things.
• I use difficult words.

Does this sound familiar to you — do you fit into this category? If so, I’d be willing to bet you use a Mac. If not, you are probably like how I was. A reluctant PC user. If so, come on over to our side. It’s cooler here. You’ll better fit in.

I’m a MAC. Are you?

—Mark Allen Coates, aka OddlyZen