Fads and trends part 2

To continue my previous post about fads and trends, there are certain number of fashions which I find ridiculous to exist and even more ludicrous that anybody follows them.

1. The iPhone phenomenon

It first began with the iPod and now the latest must-have gadget is the iPhone. People are constantly taking it out in front of friends and fiddling with the poxy thing. Probably half of the people I know own iPhones and I always see them updating their Facebook status with them.


I don't see why people have to use them all the time. I don't feel the need to be constantly in contact with the internet. Anything that comes up on the internet that I urgently need; such as emails, can usually wait until I get home. It cost a ridiculous amount to buy and with restricted service plan that seems to be provided in every country in the world, it adds more charges to your wallet. People tend to forget that there are similar phones out there, including the HTC and the Google phone that has just come out. Some of these have better functions over the iPhone. People really need to shop around.

With that said, I do feel guilty when I get out my iPod Touch. It looks similar to an iPhone, only thinner. It has the same capabilities, apart from the phone and camera functions. I do constantly fiddle with my iPod Touch but I find it a good device to replace my previous mp3 player and it has good games on it to occupy me when I am on-call or travelling on public transport. Plus the fact it came free with my MacBook Pro is an added advantage, which leads me on to the next fad I hate.


2. Being a slave to Microsoft Windows


Around 90% of people use Microsoft Windows. People always encounter problems with Windows, but never think of doing something about it. Firstly they can change the operating system. Linux and Mac OS are far superior operating systems which can be adapted to easily. They also have the added advantage of never suffering from attacks from viruses, trojan horses or worms.

I have had my MacBook Pro for about three months. Apart from a few minor slow downs and some adapatation, I don't have any problems with working on Mac OS X. I'm rather glad I switched to Apple since it is much faster and much more user friendly. Heck is so much faster on startup, I stopped switching my laptop on and going to the toilet as I used to with my old laptop since it took so bloody long to load up.

I think people only use Windows because everybody else uses it. They fear the incompatibility, especially when they need to present a Microsoft Powerpoint presentation or require reading a Microsoft Word document. People tend to forget that there is a Microsoft Office for Mac. Even though it is adequate, there are still some compatibility issues (due to Microsoft, not due to Apple). I'm rather glad I freed myself of the Microsoft dependency and want to avoid giving Bill Gates anymore money in the future.

3. The Mini Cooper

The Mini Cooper, when it came out at the beginning of the millenium, used to be cool. It was a great modern reinvention of a classic. However it has gradually become uncool over the years because just too many people have bought it. There are so many good cars out there.

The same idea applies to anybody who buys a Mercedes/BMW/Lexus, just because it is an expensive car. I hate those people who use the car as an image status rather than a fine piece of automotive engineering. These are the people who constantly buy the newest car, changing their vehicle every two years. Thankfully there is an upside to this - it allows us less mortals to buy good reasonably new cars at affordable prices.

4. Glory supporters

These are bandwagon jumpers who tend to support any footbal team that is successful. They tend to switch allegiances faster than Katie Price can publish an autobiography. In recent years these so called football fans switch from Chelsea to Manchester United to Barcelona to Real Madrid. They say they are fans of football but true football fans stick with their team thick or thin.

At first I'm guilty of being a glory supporter. I first started supporting Arsenal in 1990-1991 because they won the title that season. I have no local affinity to the club, having never lived in the Highbury area. Since then I have supported Arsenal even through the bleak black years in the mid-nineties, when George Graham was involved in the bung scandal, when Nayim was lucky to lob David Seaman in the 1996 Cup Winners' Cup final and in the past few years when we haven't won a trophy in four years. But I'm still supporting Arsenal, because they are my club.

Other fads and trends I hate
- Switching your mobile phone every two years to the 'latest' model when you clearly don't use 90% of the functions on the phone.
- Wearing designer clothes because they're designer clothes.
- Playing also those Facebook applications when real life beckons.

Please don't turn to sheep - be a lion instead.