Desperate Freelancer

The 6 month leave of Steve Jobs for medical reasons has set the high-tech media, newpapers, magazines and blogs, on fire.

Analysis and conjectures about the impact of his departure, whether be it temporary or definitive, are flourishing on the net like mushrooms in September. What will Apple become without its charismatic leader ? Can it survive ?

I am not myself a good analyst nor forecaster of what could a company turn into. I am not at all in the business stuff, and I am not an Apple or Jobs specialist. I am just a consumer, an old geek, that sometimes buy the Cupertino firm's products.

But I would like to bring a few points to the debate, with that "wisdom" of mine, pragmatic and uncompromising experience of an old man, full of idiotic certitudes and blurred knowledge.

1. Apple's junkies fear to lose their hero

Many geeks are identifying with Jobs. He is the rebel that dared to fight against the "evil" Microsoft, the creative that invented so much great products they couldn't stop worshiping, the charismatic leader who can be as seductive as he can be vindicative. Jobs is the perfect incarnation of the personality the normal geek wants to be.

Jobs is a hero to many. Would he retire from the scene definitively, they would lose their icon.

If it wasn't Steve Jobs at the head of Apple, it wouldn't have been such a mess about its departure. No other CEO of any other firm is so tightly associated with its company. I believe all the media firestorm would be a soft breeze in comparison if H Lee Scott, the boss of Walmart, was suddenly kidnapped by people from Alpha Centauri.

Would these geeks that are fond of Apple products will stop buying ? I guess not. A little less, but what else can they spend money in nowadays ?

Ok, they can buy a Wii and doom their elbow.

2. The financial market has shown little concern in the end

As you can see on the chart above, the announcement of Job's medical leave had no real impact on Apple's shares in the end. Yet, the 14th of January and the next days, you can observe a wide fall (about 10%) but the share quickly recovered, as financial dudes and investors regain trust seeing that everything was finally under control.

As my banker says : "when the shares are ok, everything is ok".

So, why worry.. if the most "easy-to-worry" people in the world, ie the shareholders, aren't afraid, why should we fear for the future of Apple Inc ?

3. Tim Cook is "as bad as" Steve Jobs

Jobs is not as good a CEO as many people say he is. He is, for example, well known to be harsh to his teams, and he is even cited as an example of supposed asshole, in the No asshole rule book.

He is said to be coleric and sometimes despotic. Many apple employees have complained about his style of management.

Tim Cook, who took the interim, seems to be built in the same vein. Fortune has published an interesting portrait of the actual COO of Apple, describying him as no more human as Steve Jobs. He is said to be cold, hard working and very demanding.

So, if the success of Apple can be explained by the tough character of its founder, I guess another "tyrannic" leader could be the good option for the firm.

For the moment, let him try to imitate the original :

4. Many companies have survived theirs founders

Yet many haven't. But in most cases, when it comes to companies of that size, they frequently survive.. and thrive.

In most cases, big companies are founded by visionary, nonconformist, charismatic, genius leaders. Then they get off the boat for some reason, and are later replaced by normal executives, that haven't generally the same aura as their founder, but make pretty good money too.

It's the way things works since the beginning of Capitalism and I guess it's not going to change before a while.

5. Barack Obama has a blackberry

Obama, the new US president, is also a charismatic and visionary character; Yet he doesn't have an Iphone.

Is it a sign ? Can we forecast from it something about Apple's destiny ?

Let's speculate a bit, would you...

I can hardly believe what I have done last week. I created an account on a dating website and I decided to start flirting with the few ladies of my age range I could find.

Awesome. I felt rejuvenated for a short time.

Until I saw the result of my search request : a pack of old, desperate, eager bigots, all in their late sixties, which ugly hair styles and awful aprons.

I felt in the doldrums again.

Yet, of course, there were also on this website a bunch of pretty juvenile and refreshing beauties, but I instantaneously knew that all odds will be again me. So I resigned myself to dig deep into my "selection" to find the pearl among the garbage.

And so I did.

Her name was Rosalie.

Let me introduce her to you, fellow readers :

- She has only ten teeth left.

- She has her left hip replaced by a prosthesis in plastic.

- Her bladder is not so well either.

- She has been married 3 times, and buried all husbands in the same graveyard (more convenient for the yearly visit, she said)

- She snores at night, and burp after a hearty meal.

- She sometimes forgot who you are and who she is talking with. That could lead to surrealistic conversations (and even to have a police officer jumping in to intervene)

- She can hit you in the back with her umbrella if you happen to say something inappropriate (I still have some scrapes that would testify for me)

Believe or not, but we did chat on the website for at least 3 hours. Like kids of the new generation, we told each other every secret we have. We flirted like teenagers, I asked for a date and then we met in an old tea room.

Tea room, where we ruined any reputation we had left, by drinking 4 bottles of wine till they were obliged to force us out.

what a great thing !

Dudes, I'm in Love.

As many other things finishing by "ism", I don't like environmentalism. It's not that I do not feel concerned about Earth, animal, flowers and stuffs. I DO NOT feel concerned about Earth, animals, flowers and stuffs. It's a fact. But it's not the reason why I don't like environmentalism and their next-door gurus.

Environmentalism is a "clear conscience" movement. Environmentalists are mainly extremists that don't see further than a packaged newspaper and TV spoon-fed ideology.

They are fast to draw harsh words, quick to condemn and brisk to throw you their truth to the face.

But, in most cases, they aren't doing themselves what they advocate for, and in most cases, they even do worse, without knowing it.

Let me give you some examples of the paradoxes of environmentalists :

Environmentalists will prone for the selective sorting out of wastes. They will do so. Nice isn't it ? Paper with paper/ Glass with glass and so on.. That's what we do in France in some cities. Ok that's better for recycling. It's a good action of everyday life you can do for the environment.. blabla.. and Environmentalists are the guy who can pollute your head for hours with this kind of "little action" you can do.. but few of them will stop consuming, buying a lot of stuff. Few of them will be able to refuse to have a car, a Wii, an iPod, a DVD player, a TV with plasma screen, and few won't go buy regularly beauty creams, 5 pairs of shoes a year, ready meals, and tons and tons of stuffs that would made recycling a good joke.

Another example ? Environmentalists are the dudes that will drive 10 km more to get what we call here "bio food" that is to say food and goods organically produced (without chemicals and all). 10 more km of gazoline and exhaust fumes for a pair of organic radish. Great isn't it ?

I am not talking about the dudes who don't have a fridge, who are going to work on bicycles even when it's freezing like in the north pole, who are darning again and again their 20 years old sweater. They are the nuts part of environmentalism but in a way, those dudes are coherent. It's the "common environmentalist" I hate. The one who will try to teach you a lesson every time he speaks but who will never really change his way of living.

The one who will tell you about important it is to preserve the beauty of the Planet while wearing the latest pair of Nike.

They declare themselves environmentalists because it's "cool" to be one of them.

The reason I don't like Environmentalism is because it's a movement for people who talk but don't act. A movement for people who "pretend" but don't really commit themselves (apart from the few nuts guys living in wood huts)

Though, I must sometimes admit that they can do brillant things for their cause and the preservation of Earth in general.

Some of them can be subtle and set up really good things to get people informed about the society we live in and the damages it does to the environment.

Sometimes their speeches and ideas can be subtle, clear, well-explained. They can go into a needed complexity and not into over-simplification, or stupid aggressive reactions based on do/don't childish program.

That's the case with "The story of Stuff", a 20 minutes flash movie about the life cycle of products in our consumer society and about the hidden parts of consumption, production and disposal systems.

This video is a nice example of how environmentalists can be as well clever and pedagogue, as well honest and realistic. How they can have humor and yet commitment. How they can go further than the traditional blah blah about morale responsibility and "little actions" that we are served every other day.

That film won't get me reconciled with environmentalism, but maybe it can give you some hint of how you can become one without falling into a stupid sheep-minded behavior.

Watch it. You will learn something anyway.

The teaser :

The whole thing : The story of Stuff

2009 has come. At last.

Last year, I told you about some resolutions I took. Of course, I followed none of them.

I won't play the game this year. Instead, I would like to give you some insights about the resolutions YOU should take.

Because, you are being on the fritz dudes... I can tell. Say what you may, but I didn't send the hell on over the planet with that financial crisis. YOU did.

In the same time, I would be glad to send you my best wishes for the new year. Sharing a bit of all the good feelings (yerk) I have and receive every day with my "community" as the say on the web.

Half resolutions, half wishes, here are my recommendations for 2009. Take it as you can, or dump it away :

1. Earn more than you spend

Not everyone do that and apparently among the wisest financial gurus we have on this planet, some are not capable of following such a simple rule. So all I could do, in this period of hard times to come, is wishing and recommending you to reduce your spendings and try to increase a little bit your wages.

Selling unnecessary stuffs (like your subprime corrupted assets for example) on Ebay is a good option.

2. Take care of your closest friends

Among all valuable things you can have in life, they are the most precious. So I wish you can moderate your natural stupidity and over boosted ego infatuated with yourself to accept more from your friends and give more to them.

3. Become someone of value

Rather than a man of wealth or success. I wish you all to become good people, that deserve praise and respect, rather than successful yuppies that deserve envy and suspicion.

In the end, we will all be equal. So think about the footsteps you want to leave behind.

4. Get a fair deal between work and leisure time

I wish you would avoid to follow the same path I did, scarifying all to unfulfilling jobs. Negotiate spare time to do something worth (see point 2 if you can't get a clue what is worth for you).

Retirement (if you get one) will provide you no free time if your mind is as empty your address book.

5. Have fun every time you can

I wish you can make your duties a joy and get the more fun you can in everything you undertake. Life is smooth for whom everyday stuffs are pleasant to do.

6. Get the best food you can

I know it can sounds dumb. But, man, we are what we eat. Example ? Last week end, I desperately ate a crappy burger for having no better within reach... I felt like a pickle all day long. See what I mean ?

I am not a diet specialist (and don't want to be) but I recommend and wish you so much to get something delicious in your mouth the more often you can.

7. Avoid computer's addiction and geek attitude

It would be clever to speak to your golden fish than to spend hours on-line like you do. As a web junky myself, I can tell that heaven and hell are just a clic away.

There were all my wishes for you for 2009. Be wise, and generous to give me yours if some of my words had had some echo sometimes in your stubborn minds.