Bloggers Bash 'Dr. Doom'

Blogophile Tracks Hottest Stories In Cyberspace

(CBS) 
Apples And Oranges No More

The decades-long rivalry between Apple computers and Microsoft has rested on the fact that you couldn’t use Windows on an Apple computer. Now, that is all about to change and no one is happier than bloggers (aside from, I presume, Apple stock holders). Apple announced Wednesday that it would offer users of its latest models a simple way to run the Microsoft Windows operating system as well as its own, through software called Boot Camp.

The move was greeted with cheers from loyal Apple enthusiasts who rallied around their computers even before Apple became cool again, thanks to the iPod.

Boot Camp has won over Digital Hobbit, for one. "For the most part, this sounds like a pretty good deal to me," he blogs. "I don’t own a Mac, but I am pretty certain that my next computer (Notebook or Desktop) will be a Mac, and this feature adds extra confidence to first time Mac users that they will be able to continue to run their Windows applications."

And in music to Apple’s ears, Dave at Dave’s Rants writes, "So I finally cracked and ordered a MacBook Pro, I had been planning on waiting for the next revision but the release of boot camp and the fact that some bugs have been fixed made my decision easier. Now the next pain — actually paying for it!"

But Gavin Shearer reads between the lines. "Boot Camp is basically nine months of free marketing for Apple," Gavin writes. “Between now and January the public is going to hear nothing except 'Macs can run Windows!' from the popular press, the blogosphere, and their geek friends. And guess what? By the time Christmas rolls around, a lot of those people who are in the market for a new PC are (finally) going to consider an Apple computer instead of one from HP, Dell, Toshiba or Sony."

South Park Vs. The World

South Park is well-known for its off-beat, non-conformist satire, and even won a Peabody award this past week for it. But last Wednesday’s show take on the cartoon riots was perhaps its most daring…and many bloggers couldn’t have been happier.

The episode focuses on panic caused by a decision by Fox's "The Family Guy" to air an episode where the Prophet Mohammed makes a cameo appearance…and well, being animated, he would be a cartoon. Everyone fears a repeat of the violent response to the Danish cartoons, so Fox decides to censor Mohammed. For now. The show's second part airs tonight, and the decision is not final.

For the most part, bloggers praised the show's creators and writers as courageous for taking on a sensitive topic.

The Right Hand of God writes, “I know the show is generally crude and filthy (though hilarious), but the point remains that the writers are among the most brilliant and non-partisan writers in television today. One of the few shows that actually does rip on everyone, instead of just picking on one group (usually the right/religious right)."

Count John Noonan at The Officers’ Club as another fan. "Sometimes it takes an unlikely hero like South Park to step up and put things into perspective," John writes. And Boogusby also praises the show's courage. "I've been thrilled with South Park since the beginning. Most people act as if Matt and Trey (the creators), really don't have opinions on anything, that they just make fun of everything and everyone. This seems true to most people, but I think they clearly have opinions...They are one of the last voices on Television who will speak up against anything," Boogusby writes.

A blogger at Onegoodmove sees last week’s episode as a public service mission of sorts, calling it “South Park at its best, discussing the important questions raised by the Danish Cartoon controversy and doing it in a humorous way.”


And The Blooker Goes To...

It was only a matter of time. The winners of the first annual Blooker Prize have been announced. The prize is for books based on blogs and it's awarded by a "print on demand" book publisher.

The Blooker folks say scores of blooks have already been published, both by traditional publishers and self-publishers, and their contest offers "fresh evidence that the oft-touted rumor of the death of books is greatly exaggerated." Check out the winners here.