I just got a Macbook, something I swore I’d never do. It’s lighter, cheaper, faster, and easier to use than my PC–so why wouldn’t I? And honestly, if Apple stock wasn’t obscenely overvalued due to the iPhone, I’d load up on the stock too. The generation that is in college now is switching over to Macs–and not because they’re douchey hipsters, but because they’ve been presented with no viable alternative. i don’t think we’ll see them stay at 10% for much longer.

I was thinking about it, and with the exception of Word and Winamp there wasn’t a single application that I used that wasn’t either web-based or totally unimportant. I grabbed a Mac license for Word off a friend so I’m set. And even then, I use Google Docs now, so it wasn’t a huge deal if that hadn’t come together. Which is why I think you’ll see a lot less brand-loyalty when people start getting new computers. Even after 2 days, I’m hooked on all the features. I was also looking into Privacy filters for MacBooks so if I was ever out I knew my work would be safe, as no one would be able to see what I was doing.

Speaking of which, as a person who has never had a Mac before, what do I need to know? What are some programs I MUST get? Any good shortcuts? Underrated tips etc?

Two must-read books for PR/Web people:

Reveille for Radicals andRules for Radicals by Saul D. Alinsky

You wouldn’t think that an activist’s handbook for organizing labor unions and social justice movements would have much resonance in Web 2.0 but it does–more than any contemporary book I’ve read in a while. Alinsky was all about utilizing communities and how an outsider can never truly work efficiently with one. The point then is very similar to what they’re calling PR 2.0, which is to no longer be an outside. The key, he says, is to become familiar and accepted by the community you’re working with.

This is where most PR people and organizers fail. They look at communities as collections of inferior people who they can manipulate into consuming their product. That’s not going to fly any more, the Diggs or Myspaces are too powerful. Why would DailyKos take the scraps some newspaper throws at him when he has a daily audience comparable in size? Why would a blogger respond to some canned email I send him–when he has plenty of real users who give genuine tips to him all day long?

No competent general would ever fight on land he has not familiarized himself with. Alinsky asserts that in organizing, the group’s “traditions are the terrain.” To do your job properly, you MUST acclimate to group and not the other way around. The traditional press release then is dead. The personalized email filled with anecdotes, proof of readership and a meaningful connection is the new way.

Brian Solis of PR 2.0 has written about this extensively. But his basic point is very similar to Alinsky’s. You cannot afford to be an outsider unless your only goal is cheap and temporary stimulus. Why bother? Why not just buy advertising? I would assert that in the future, when you apply for jobs in PR and management, the most important part of your resume will not be your job experience but what communities you’re a part of. What audience can you bring to the client? How quickly can you learn and be accepted into a new environment? So when you dick around on the internet, keep that in mind–the forums you post on or Myspace groups you belong to, those don’t have to be just distractions, they can be priceless assets for a career.

Yesterday I went out to the driving range and hit balls for a couple hours. As I was doing it–and listening to my ipod–I realized why I like it so much.

It gives you the ability to immediately correct your mistakes and institute improvement.

I’ve always been solid with the seven iron. It’s been my club since I started as a little kid. So I always start there, and work my way downwards. As I start regularly hitting with the 7, I move to the 6. Then after the 6 is mastered, I move to the 5. All the way down to the woods. This allows you to progressively implement improvement and ratchet up success. In track in high school, my favorite workout was pyramids. Normally, 200–>400–>600–>800–>1200–>1600 and then back down again. I see this as sort of an equivalent, only with one small change: When I start to lose that momentum, I immediately turn back to the seven and start over.

In this way it becomes a comfort club, or a chorus that you turn to for guidance. You can quickly regain form and composure instead of going further and further off track. Since golf is all about calmness and the fluidity that follows it, this works perfectly.

Within that cycle as well, I always like to set back after each mistake and run through practice swings. Always turn inwards, breathe and regather. Which is how you–or at least I–should look at life. When you start to lose control, when you feel is slip from your grasp, step back and envision what you need to do. Running through it once as practice, often makes all the difference. Got to stop the slide.

But on a bigger level, I like to progress and learn via the same pyramid-like system. First, begin with comfort and control. Then venture slightly outwards in unknown areas. Each time you feel the grip loosen, return once more and until it’s back. You’ll notice, as I do at the range, that your mean score is higher each time. Success is absorbed and becomes natural. Fingerspitzengefuhl.

Of course, there are always benefits to running fast and hard and loose. Chaos and speed can be an asset. But this is how I like to learn and explore. It instills self-discipline and prevents irreversible errors.