I don't get the whole iPad 3 craze.

[sudopod]

126. There was an argument?

I just want to see what makes people who feel like you do tick. The mere implication that anyone could have a device that moots the need for an Apple product makes some folks fly off the handle.

Do you think this is the behavior of a rational person?

This is in the same class of behavior exhibited by my redneck kinfolk who will come to blows over car manufacturers, and it's equally odd (and therefore fascinating). Personally, I think it has to do with the evolution of marketing into what is effectively applied psychology. On bad days, I tend to think of it more as "weaponized memetics."

If you ever need to burn and hour or two on a rainy day and like BBC documentaries, I highly recommend this. It is a story about the merger of marketing and psychology that began early last century, and I think it offers a sensible explanation of some of the problems our society is faced with today, including a disturbing fixation on the material. It's called "The Century Of The Self" This link is to part one: Happiness Machines (not referring to Apple, lol). I especially like the last episode, which examines how these techniques are applied to political campaigns, such as how the legends of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were built from nothing.

I'm sorry if I'm coming off badly, but it just seems so weird, like watching teenagers fight the Playstation vs XBawks war and seeing them actually get mad about it. It's hard not to stir a little.