Meet the MacTalkers
tdm911 and mwot

Good evening and welcome to another edition of Meet the MacTalkers! This week we have the pleasure of hearing from forum members tdm911 and mwot. Thanks to both members for taking the time to complete the questions and give an insight into who they are.

tdm911

What does your username and avatar mean?
My user name is my initials and 911, which is my favourite car of all time. I was looking for the shortest domain name I could find and came up with this rather than a random string of 6 characters.

My avatar is taken from the liner notes of OK Computer. I used to go by the name injektilo* on forums and this pic is where I got the name from.

Occupation?
I run a managed services distributor, specialising in email and web security. It's great fun and a constant challenge.

Location?
Geelong, Victoria. Sure, it's not Melbourne, but I only live a 5 minute walk from the waterfront and the city and didn't have to donate a kidney to buy the place! To be honest I actually love Geelong! It has almost everything I need and is only a 45 minute trip to Melbourne for anything else.

What's your poison?
I love Belgium beers, in particular Leffe Blonde and Duvel. I love Tanqueray 10 Gin and like a nice Shiraz or Sav Blanc. I love making cocktails, so I have a nicely stocked bar.

One strange fact about yourself?
I have a higher PM count on MacTalk than I do post count. I just realised that and thought it kind of unique. Sorry I couldn't come up with anything more interesting.... Umm, I can juggle Diabolos. Haven't met many people who know what they are, let alone juggle them!

When, where and how did you realise Mac is the way to go?
After owning a bunch of iPods I played with a mates MBP last year. I was sold straight away! It's been a process of PC reduction and Mac expansion ever since. I'm a classic case of PC person turned Apple fan thanks to the iPod and iPhone.

What's in your Dock?
Firefox, Safari, iTunes, iPhoto, Skitch, VMware, VLC, Transmit, Transmission, iChat, Skype, Syspref, Tweetie, An Apple script for telnet, Last.fm

Worst OS X application you have used?
I had mixed results with SwitchResX, though I believe that's probably down to user error!

If you ever met Steve Jobs, what is one question you'd love to ask, but wouldn't be able to bring yourself to do so?
Mate, sort this whole Beatles thing out, ok?

Favourite 'Steve Moment'?
I don't have a YouTube link, but this is such a classic Steve quote: (from wiki) In 1983, Steve Jobs lured John Sculley away from Pepsi-Cola to serve as Apple's CEO, asking, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water to children, or do you want a chance to change the world?"

This sums up Steve Jobs in one sentence. So does him getting Regis McKenna on board for marketing in the early days of Apple.

Jobs or Woz, who's your favourite?
Jobs. I'm more sales than technical, so Jobs' wizardry with creating and then reviving Apple astounds me. I've read a couple of biographies on him and his devotion to perfection impresses and inspires me.

Who will be Steve's successor?
The fact that Apple hasn't missed a beat with Tim Cook at the helm says a lot for his future prospects at running the company.

What is your dream Apple Product?
An AppleTV that wasn't locked down. Out of the box it would be able to stream media from a NAS, iTunes server etc, accept all formats and be upgradeable for future formats. Basically a hacked AppleTV, but genuine and without having to resort to apps like Boxee etc

Worst Apple product you've used?
I don't really like the previous Apple keyboard, with the clicky keys. I'm clutching at straws here though.

Your first Mac?
G4 Mac Mini 1.25GHz

What Macs are you using currently?
Aluminium MB 2.0GHz, G4 Mac Mini 1.25GHz

The terminal & the Mac ideology: Yay or Nay?
I'm not scared of the terminal, though I don't really use it to dig into the internals of OS X. I use it a lot for telnet, nslookup, dig, ping etc though.

What Mac related websites/forums/podcasts do you frequent?
MacTalk is the only site I visit. I have 9 to 5 Mac, Crazy Apple Rumors site, Daring Fireball and MacRumors in my RSS

One thing you could add to OS X?
I'd like a simpler way to flick through photos on remote shares or directories from within Finder. i.e. photos not in iPhoto. There's probably an easier way to browse them and I just don't realise, but it's not obvious to me.

Size of your iTunes library (number of tracks)?
7153 songs, 52.7 days, 33.25GB All ripped from my CD collection. I can't bring myself to buy from iTunes yet. I won't pay $16.99 for a digital download when I can pay $20 for the CD, with artwork and often a bonus CD, DVD etc. And there is the discount CD's at $10 etc! I'm old fashioned like this. Can't wait for an iTunes subscription service.

Do you own an iPhone? What are your thoughts on the device?
Bought a 3G and a 3GS on launch days! I refuse to believe their are any other smart phones on the market. Sure, if you just want to make calls, buy a Nokia. Anything else? iPhone. It's just awesome. I've played with WinMo and BlackBerry and I couldn't even rate them in the same league.

If applicable, what does your other half think of your interest in Macs?
My wife didn't care to much at first, but slowly started using my MB more and her laptop less. Now wants one for herself, so I'm keeping an eye on the for sale threads!

Apart from Macs what are your other hobbies and interests?
I'm a huge music fan, I play Legend of the Red Dragon daily (reminiscing about my teens years on BBS's), love Lego, AFL, Cricket, Football, twitter, making cocktails with my friends and Singstar!

How long have you kept your mobile number for?
I almost lost it today in fact, when joining up with Telstra! I've had it since 2000 and it's 3 lots of double numbers, so it's preeeeety!

Do you use or have protection for your Mac?
I'll be buying APP for my unibody MB, if that counts! I don't run any A/V though. I practise safe surfing!

Favourite tech presentation stuff ups?
Well, this is just too perfect for words:


Is the future Intel?
Absolutely. It helps ex-PC people like myself move over easily by still offering Windows for legacy apps. There is no doubt in my mind this has helped Apple grow their market share to where it is today. It would be a difficult move to go away from Intel now. Also, as their market share increases, their ability to ditch legacy software will be made much harder.

When did you join MacTalk and why?
I was looking for a Mac Mini, so was reading the For Sale forums. After I got one, I stayed for the forums!

Best memory from the forums?
Decryption destroying the forums was pretty funny. I can just imagine the sinking feeling when he realised they were gone. I've had that feeling (admittedly on a lower scale) and it's epic!

If you could run MacTalk for a day, what would you do?
Stop all moderating and let anarchy break out. See if the server overloads and explodes into a fireball of flame wars!

Finally, which one member do you want to see interviewed next week?
Emerson. He's a cool guy!

mwot

What does your username and avatar mean?
being an acronym, it could mean a number of things: Man Working On Twitter, Man With Out Trousers ... and a few worse ones besides. but it is much more boring than that: during uni i always made a big issue with one of my tutors re: the spelling of my name - it shouldn't have been spelt that way, ever, according to her; it was an abomination. she eventually referred to me on all correspondence, marked essays, etc. with the acronymn mwot - simply, Mathew With One T. ingenius, i know, but it came in handy for online handles and i now use it just about everywhere.

the avatar is just something random - i change it maybe 2-3 times year. the current one is a bowling ten-pin painted to resemble Steve Jobs that is currently sitting outside the front of Apple HQ - thought that apt for this site. this avatar just says i'm blending in with the Apple crowd; if i wanted to stand out more, i'd still have one of my more unique / personal avatars that i've had previously.

Occupation?
a freelance writer by night and by passion, helping small businesses and non-profits to communicate the benefits / importance of their products and services to existing and potential clients, predominantly through electronic media and social marketing.

by day, a boring business analyst with a niche specialty in the fuels industry.

Location?
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. i've seen my fair share of the SE Suburbs and can find my way around it blindfolded - the north and west of Melbourne, however, freak me out. i don't like going there without the company of friends. the muscley types ... who own bats studded with nails and wear sunnies at night.

What's your poison?
lately, apple martinis and lemon margaritas. i have 2x $250 martini glasses for the occasion. gorgeous to drink from when chilled; and sweeter when snuggled up to the wife on the sofa.

i'm glad i'm not a Baptist

One strange fact about yourself?
the spelling of my first name was a typographical error on my birth certificate, hence my username and what it stands for: Mathew With One T (mwot). don't know why it wasn't corrected then, but i see no point worrying about it now.

When, where and how did you realise Mac is the way to go?
i joined the Mac clique with an iMac G3 DV in 2000. my PC something or rather died - i would have gotten another PC (even though i had had enough of Windows - i remember considering Linux at the time) but my brother-in-law talked me into getting a Mac by telling me that it could also run Windows if I needed it. liar. VirtualPC did crap all. i put down a cool $3k+ for my iMac G3 500mHz and instantly hated OS 9. but after some time with my purchase, i found the way of Mac to be less troublesome than the PC and it ridded me of an unhealthy and immature addiction to PC gaming. i especially loved the all-in-one concept of the iMac - the thing was so easy to setup.

then OS X came along and - BOOM! - i was hooked forever. Windows could never compare to the sweet GUI goodness and stability that is Mac OS X.

What's in your Dock?
Finder | Sys Prefs |Thunderbird | Evernote | Ventrilo | iTunes | Tooble | iPhoto | Flikr Uploader | Skitch | Corel Painter X | Canvas 8 | Mac The Ripper | Handbrake | VLC | Fairmount | RipIt | Audio Hijack Pro | Sound Studio | Adium | Cyber Duck | Skype | iChat | Sugar Sync | Toast | Firefox | Safari | Mail | iCal | Address Book | Quicken | OmniOutliner Pro | Text Edit | Text Wrangler | World of Goo | Excel | Word | Powerpoint

Worst OS X application you have used?
nothing really sticks out in my memory that i'd say was utter drivel. if it is drivel it usually doesn't last that long on my Mac to make a lasting impression on me. oh, hold on - Office 2008. it's a stinker. i've gone back to Office 2004 and am giving OpenOffice a go - it's pretty good and not as sluggish, though has a few features missing (like some shortcuts).

If you ever met Steve Jobs, what is one question you'd love to ask, but wouldn't be able to bring yourself to do so?
is the success and what you've achieved been worth the enemies you've made and the relationships you've soured along the way? would you have done anything any different?

Favourite 'Steve Moment'?
given my intense love / hate relationship with my first Mac OS experience of OS 9, the eulogy for OS 9 at the 2002 WWDC that Steve delivered was priceless and i could relate to it easily - i was looking forward to a better future with OS X.


Jobs or Woz, who's your favourite?
Jobs. marketing is interesting and he's a visionary and i respect men with vision as they're passionate and get things done - men without vision perish.

Jobs reminds me of the fridge magnet my wife stuck on the fridge: those who think that it can't be done ought to get out of the way of those who are doing it.

Who will be Steve's successor?
pfft. don't ask me. you can't replace Jobs, but i'd like to see who Apple appoint. Apple-life after Jobs will be interesting; he will leave a powerful legacy, so let's see what becomes of it.

What is your dream Apple Product?
i'm not the visionary here. my needs are simple and i'll look to what's available. having said that, there is one small thing: a Mighty-Mouse that has no flaws. one that is wireless, but weighs nicely in the hand (unlike the current one which is too heavy for my liking) and one that would tell me - somehow - when the battery charge was low.

Worst Apple product you've used?
the hockey-puck mouse has always been laughable.

Your first Mac?
iMac G3 DV SE 500mHZ. i still have it. when i got burgled a few weeks ago and had the Macbook stolen, then a day after that the iMac G5 went in for repair (PSU gave out), i pulled the G3 out of the box and fired it up. ah ... fond memories. amazing that i could still surf the net on a machine that is almost 9 years old without any noticeable loss in performance on most sites.

What Macs are you using currently?
just the iMac G5 now that's repaired and back on the desk and while we're waiting for our insurer to progress our claim to have the Macbook replaced.

The terminal & the Mac ideology: Yay or Nay?
i'm not that geeky. the terminal sounds awfully geeky. so, um ... let's go the Mac ideology. sounds funky. and political.

What Mac related websites/forums/podcasts do you frequent?
Mactalk almost daily; these others only very occasionally: Mac Rumours, Cult of Mac, TUAW, Engadget.

with all the other (non-tech related) podcasts i listen to i don't have time for the sultry voices of Anthony and Co. - sorry chaps. i know you're crushed, but you'll get over it.

One thing you could add to OS X?
a desktop sweeper utility. my wife is in the habit of constantly saving stuff to the desktop and i can't stand the constant clutter. Safari clippings, PDFs, Word docs, Excel files, you name it - she'll very quickly fill up the iMac's 20" gorgeous screen with a carpet of icons. i'd love a program that periodically sweeps by and sorts everything into pre-defined folders by document type and that sends her an email or system alert telling her what has been moved where and how long ago she viewed / downloaded / saved the file, recommending which ones she could potentially delete.

that would define awesome for me.

Size of your iTunes library (number of tracks)?
3390 tracks, 20 days continuous play, 63.33GB. that's ... 8+ mins per track on avg?

Do you own an iPhone? What are your thoughts on the device?
oh, yeah. i got the 3G on day one, although i didn't intend to. only when my colleagues gave me a pestering at work did i sneak out and try my luck. i missed a meeting i had with my boss that morning while i was waiting in line for the iPhone. 45 mins later - bingo.

only thing was, i couldn't go home that evening and show the wife my new toy without getting her one. so i gifted that one to her. she loved it instantly and i secretly coveted it for 6 months before i couldn't stand it any longer.

just before Christmas last year, another colleague of mine waltzed into the office brandishing her new iPhone that she got the night before. that was the last straw. i ducked out of the office to see if i could score myself a free upgrade and within the next 30 mins you couldn't wipe the grin from my face for the remainder of the day.

love ma iPhonez.

yes, i know: the cool is not my own - i borrow my cool from Apple.

If applicable, what does your other half think of your interest in Macs?
when i got the iMac G3, the things came in huge boxes. excitedly, both my wife and i took off to the city reseller to pick it up. when i discovered that the behemoth of a box would not fit into the boot of the car, nor in the back seat of the family sedan, i told my wife she'd have to sit at the back while i strap the iMac into the front passenger seat and push the seat back.

since then, while she loves her iPhone and adores the iMac G5, any hint of my being fond of our Apple gear more than i am fond of her will result in the removal of the said Apple gear into the street.

lesson: it's nice when your spouse shares your passion for quality computing, but she loves to make known her place in the household more than she loves Apple and i had better give her that!

Apart from Macs what are your other hobbies and interests?
Reading and writing (philosophy, theology, logic, social issues), penning the occasional poem, blogging and ten-pin bowling. the wife and kids are in there somewhere, too.

How long have you kept your mobile number for?
i didn't get a mobile phone until about 8 years ago. so since then. and i've never enjoyed using a mobile phone until the iPhone was released - they were always so ungainly and anti-intuitive to operate.

Do you use or have protection for your Mac?
i have a Bitlothic sleeve for my Macbook - of course, i no longer have the Macbook to put inside it. also had InvisiShield(?) scratch-proof film on the Macbook, mainly to keep the wrist-areas from discolouring.

Favourite tech presentation stuff ups?
the demoing of Windows Vista's Speech Recognition sw:


how much of that is true and how much of it was edited by the media for additional effect, who can tell? but it sure is funny.

Is the future Intel?
another pfft. so long as the Mac OS X experience goes from strength to strength what do i, as a normal prosumer, really care?

When did you join MacTalk and why?
Feb 2005. after 5 years of the iMac G3, it was time for an upgrade. i was researching when the new iMac G5s would likely be released. i got so much helpful info from the community at the time that i've stuck around since and learnt that MTAU can be an engaging, sometimes volatile but never dull, environment.

Best memory from the forums?
any discussion involving oddturtle and/or MissionMan with a number of other well-known users on the forums where the topics of discussion is either politics or religion or both.

bring a stick and your packet of marshmallows. these guys speak their minds and don't mind the ample flak that comes back - they handle it well.

If you could run MacTalk for a day, what would you do?
i'd bring out my big stick of conservatism and liberally roll it out, no exceptions, just for laughs. you bunch of leftist elites :P

Finally, which one member do you want to see interviewed next week?Dubhousing sounds like he has an interesting background - don't see him much around MTAU nowadays but i think he still posts from time to time.

Originally Posted by OziMac

Mwot, can we have an explanation for the kid sticking out their tongue?

good memory! i think that was my very first avatar on these forums.

as to who the kid was, well ...