Choose Your Poison

When I was younger, the first computer I have gotten my hands on was an old Macintosh computer. Admittedly I was not aware of the existence of other computer hardware or software, I was very young and I guess I just wasn't interested in such things. After a while my youthful energy lost interest in computers until my sister got a iMac G3 for when she went to University. Living in the country meant that internet wasn't readily available and I think that cut me off from that part of the world for a rather large portion of my life. I don't think I really actually dived into internet culture until I myself left for my first year of University.
Although the computers my family have purchased were mostly made by Apple, I never really considered myself attached to that particular brand. I think I made the jump over to Microsoft in 2001, when Windows XP was released, my high school computer teacher liked to use XP for her courses. Interestingly my high school has multiple computer labs running both Windows and OSX depending on which computer lab you walked into. I'm not sure if this is the norm for high schools everywhere since I rarely ventured out of my own high school. So by the time I Graduated I was well versed in how to use both operating systems, which makes me rather indifferent over which one I use.
I never really realized how polarized people are over which OS they chose to use, and I find myself in the middle, both indifferent and curious over both of them. Since graduating high school, I have been using XP, then upgraded to Vista and Windows 7. I recently installed OSX into my netbook just to bring everything full-circle, seeing as how I began my computer facination with Apple. Now I have Windows 7 and OSX running, each one on a different laptop on my desk, and to be honest, I don't see why people are polarized. In the end, they are both productivity and entertainment tools, and I personally think that to get the most out of the technology revolution, you must use and enjoy both of them.
Fanboys have their tastes and I think it's stupid to worship and stirctly adhere to one specific brand. From what I seen in forums and and other message boards, Fanboys are not very kind people, they sort of remind me of religious zealots. I wonder when Apple or Window's fanboys will start harassing people on the streets just like how Jehova's Witnesses or Mormons do. Relax guys, they are just computers, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are not Gods so stop worshipping them and start thinking for yourselves again. You must excuse me now, for I hear the siren-call of Linux, so I guess I'll go out and drop another $400 on a netbook to see what all the commotion is about with the adorable Penguin.

On Finding Happiness. (here's a hint: It's been there all along)

Happiness is the most sought after of emotions to achieve in a person's life. Whenever you ask someone what they want in life, the answer is most commonly "happiness". Being happy isn't always possible, and when it is achieved, I find that it is a fleeting emotion. I find that I am more comfortable with my station in life rather than flat out happy. I don't even think that I would even want to feel happiness for a sustained amount of time, because it's tiring being chipper all the time. Even though happiness is so sought after, I noticed that people are increasingly less happy and less patient with every little thing in life.
Today's society is a technology-driven society that seems to be having a negative effect on people's emotional health. Take, for example, and airplane: People don't seem to see how amazing it is, all they do is complain about the service, the food, the lack of room, etc. Don't they understand that they are sitting on a chair in THE SKY???!! cell phones,HDTV, blue tooth headphones, even computer mice, are all amazing devices if you stop to think about them. Yet it all seems to be lost on people, nobody is happy and yet we're surrounded by these incredible devices that make better and easier.
I recently learned that with our technological advances in how we live, allow us to enjoy the productivity of 1200 people. That's with washing machines, water purifiers, ovens, email, furnaces, and lighting in our homes. Think about it, we are essentially living like royalty, even in low-income homes, yet nobody is happy. If you're unwilling to be happy (and yes it is up to the individual whether to be happy or not) than at least be comfortable, just think about it.