Hammerblog

I’m not a full-fledged member of the Cult of Mac, but I do have a Powerbook G4 that I really like, and bought an iPod way before the little device captured the cultural zeitgeist with its scroll wheel and tiny white earbuds. Call me a Mac fan, if you will–a guy who likes OS X better than Windoze XP, but wouldn’t chain you to a radiator and make you renounce Bill Gates and all his evil ways.

That said, what’s up with these crazy people who hate the iPod just because it’s so popular? I got news for you guys–it’s a pretty damned useful gadget. Not only does it move the workouts along faster (recommended music: AC/DC’s High Voltage, great for long runs), it’s pretty handy for backing up files, photos, contacts, you name it. Sure, some folks might get a little carried away in their affections–but short of proposing marriage to the thing and raising a family of little iPod Shuffles, where’s the harm in that?

I guess it all goes back to some counterculture ideal, where anything mainstream must, by its definition, be bad. Granted, in many circumstances this is true (witness the rise and fall of parachute pants*, roller disco and the Spice Girls)–but for the most part, these self-appointed guardians of chic really need to give it a rest. If you don’t like iPods, don’t buy one. Let the rest of us groove in peace, eh?

I think I feel a harmonic convergence coming on.

*Full disclosure: I did wear parachute pants once, and have yet to recover from the experience.