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It's been a while since I've updated, and now that I'm back from my one-month vacation, I promise that there will be some more (interesting) updates again, soon. I just have to get back on track with everything, first...

What I have been up to, however, is becoming a bit of, well, an Apple-whore. It's a temporary frenzy, I can assure you, but it's not passed quite yet. Give me another week or two, then I'll be normal again.

What's this "Apple-whore" talk, you wonder? Well, in short, as my IRC buddies can easily verify for you, I'm completely in love with Apple right now. I won't ramble on about that, though, just know that my immense joys about Apple, Macs, OS X and its applications, has been so abundant that they will annoy you if you are not, like me, crazy about Apple.

So that's that. I've gotten myself a 15" Powerbook (despite plenty of good reason not to buy a powerbook yet), an iSight camera and a Mighty Mouse. So far, I've never been happier with such computer purchases before, but I found myself to be one of many customers whose Mighty Mouse stopped scrolling down. All other directions work fine, still. However, down is the most vital one - by far - so it's kind of a drag. On monday I'm calling Apple's Tech Support about it, because I'm pretty sure this is a flaw in the mouse itself, and not a software / driver issue.

That aside, though, I've been enjoying my Powerbook an awful lot, so much even that I've not touched my normal desktop PC (with 2 monitors) since returning from my USA trip. I'm exploring a new OS (to me) and I guess it's bringing out the adventurer inside of me. A result of that, however, is that I've come into a situation where I'm horribly behind on the goings-on of the Web Standards world. More on that later.

Ignoring my Powerbook for a moment, though, I've become very interested in market analysts' estimates and predictions, these days. Why? Not just because I'm an Apple-whore, but also because Apple is doing very interesting things, and speculations are going in every conceivable direction. Personally, I think some of the bits that I've read tonight may be quite accurate portrayals of what Apple's true plans really are: to dominate the entire media life of consumers, in short. So far, they're getting there, I'd say. If the new video iPod, iMac G5 and Apple Remote are any indication of what is yet to come (as a result of these new products becoming very, very successful), then I'd say that competitors are going to be very hard-pressed to ever see their market shares take a bit out of Apple's, which is still growing steadily.

Sure, Google and Comcast are trying to buy a share of AOL, which is expected to be an act of self-preservation on Google's side, but I am starting to feel that Google is entirely overhyped in every sense, these days. They're planning some major things, undoubtedly, but a WiFi network around the Bay Area isn't of much use to me.

Now, what also (obviously) interests me is the Web. And my god, a lot has happened since I've made my Switch:

• Clear: left, a new web agency, has launched. Formed by three amazing talents that go by the names of Andy Budd, Richard Rutter and Jeremy Keith, all of whom you really should know if you want to be a good web designer slash developer, this new company will surely bring us many great things.
• Oh, and they already are: d.Construct, a grassroots Web 2.0-focused conference in Brighton. Already sold out, in only half an hour! Good lord! Thankfully I'm one of the lucky ones who'll be there.
• Web Essentials '05 took place, and while I haven't had a chance (or any time, for that matter) to read the reports yet, I've been told by Molly that it was unbelievably awesome. Excellent, good thing I was having a great time myself or I'd have been really sad for missing out on it.
• An open letter to the WaSP is stirring up a lot of interesting things, something I'd have a lot to say about if I could allow myself the time...
• Anne is still wrong - but only as far as his predictions about me go.
• I've come to use Safari as my default browser, and notice - more so than before - what a terrible state my site design is in, thanks to the Live Redesign. I'll fix it soon, I promise. I'll make it a lot better, really! (it's embarrassing the way it is now, really...)

There's so much more going on, I'm sure, but it's time for me to call it a night.

In my last post, I said there would be something cool "this" week. Well, it's been well over a week and said cool stuff still hasn't been posted, but it is done and ready for posting, now, so you'll see it appear somewhere on sunday, for sure. And this time, for real.

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