Mac cloner tells Steve Jobs to take that

The “that” is a clone that’s a helluva lot cheaper than a Genuine Mac™.

Psystar has started shipping the unauthorized clones. (Mac hasn’t had an authorized clone in what, 15 years? As to whether that was a smart business move either then in the short-term or for the long term is still an open book.)

Psystar is calling it an “open clone” and not a Mac clone, to be precise, and this is how the company is doing that:

The company claims it will ship either with a choice of preinstalled operating systems that includes Ubuntu Linux 8.04, Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Apple’s Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

Ubuntu is free. Vista or XP costs an extra $150, while Leopard costs an additional $155, according to Psystar's Web site.

Psystar says its Mac clones cost about one-quarter of what Apple-branded systems go for. The company charges that Apple marks up the cost of the hardware on which its operating systems ride by as much as 80 percent.

I don’t doubt that at all, because you’re buying the brand name of Genuine Mac™. That’s as in Genuine Mac™ being abbreviated to GM (and, of course, the Mark of Excellence).
But, the magnificent, although not municifent, Steve Jobs, certainly won’t take this one lying down:

One version of Psystar's Open Computer features Apple's Leopard operating system ported onto generic PC hardware that includes an Intel Core 2 Duo processor at 2.66 GHz, a 250-GB hard drive, and an Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT graphics card.

The system is priced at $804.99. A similar Apple-branded computer would cost more than $2,000.

The problem: Apple’s end user license agreement expressly forbids installation or sales of its operating systems on third-party hardware.

Psystar changed the name of its Mac clone from OpenMac to Open Computer last week — perhaps in response to anticipated legal pressure from Apple. “The name ‘Open’ has been selected to reflect the fact that ANY consumer operating system can be installed and run on it,” said Psystar.

I say, bring the lawsuit on, especially if Psystar has some third party to go its legal bills.

Is Al Gore an enviro-hypocrite?

It’s a fine line between dodging conservative bullets about “nanny state paternalism” on the one hand, and giving a pass to jet-setters, on the other.

It’s arguable that Gore is falling too much to the second side, though.

When we point out that David Beckham has recently been given the dubious title of having the worst carbon footprint in history — clocking up enough air miles to fly to the moon and owning 15 gas-guzzling cars, Mr Gore shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

He knows what is coming next.

When asked what he would say to the football icon — a hero to millions — about his impact on the environment, Gore refuses to be drawn.

He gives a huge belly-laugh at the notion that Posh and Becks could invest in an environmentally-friendly hybrid car such as a Toyota Prius.

He careful considers his answer before saying: “I don’t think that’s my place. I don’t want to get into personally criticising anyone.”

It’s a charge that has been levied against Obama in the past. And, we know who owns Great Britain’s Sun.

Rupert Murdoch could be more honest and just write an op-ed instead of this type of journalism, right?

Well, on the other hand, shouldn’t Gore be preaching to the unelected rich and famous as well as the elected? Whether they should be or not, we expect athletes, and actors and such, to be role models. And, whether we want them to be or not, they often become some sort of polestar to adults, not just children.

So, yes, if Al Gore thinks global warning is that serious (as I do), and he thinks it serious enough to scold George W. Bush, he should scold David Beckham, too.

If adversity brings out the best in us …

Then (ignoring the philosophical question of a divinity who couldn’t make each of us the “Platonic ideal” from the start), why don’t we have all adversity, all the time?

This stimulating thought is brought to you by that deep-thinking philosopher, Texas Sen. John Cornyn, by noting “adversity always brings out the best in Texans” in his most recent newspaper column.

Be all the criminal you can be

Time to update that old Army commercial. Sexual assault? Not a problem. Manslaughter? You’re in.

Nine people with sex crimes convictions and six with manslaughter or vehicular homicide convictions got into the Army and Marines last year.

Now, yes, that’s a piddling amount of the 180,000 people the two services recruit, but it is above zero. Of course, the coming recession may change that.

The Army can instead recruit house and vehicle arsonists.

Will food crisis lower opposition to GMO agriculture

Tentative answer: quite possibly .

Japan and South Korea have started using GMO corn products, for example. Soda manufacturers and others say they can’t afford the extra cost of conventional corn any more. Since 75 percent of U.S. corn is now GMO, they have little option.

Even in Europe, the drumbeat is rising for the European Union to open the doors, on the farmer/rancher side; consumer sentiment has still shifted little, though.

That hot new medical study may not have been written by a doctor

Instead, somebody at Merck may have ghostwritten it.

That’s right, Big Pharma has not only been peddling free drug samples to doctors, it’s also been shilling out pre-made research papers, just waiting for a friendly signature.

“It almost calls into question all legitimate research that’s been conducted by the pharmaceutical industry with the academic physician,” said Dr. Joseph S. Ross, whose article, written with colleagues, was published in JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association.

JAMA was burned by one ghostwritten column, in 2002.