Feb 01

Ignorance, Part II

Blog, Misc Comments Off

Firstly, I’d like to apologise. If you’ve read freshbytes before, you would have realised that I’m actually sick of people who want an iPhone just because everyone else has one – those people that think it’s just a matter of popping into their local iPhone reseller, handing over some plastic, and then popping in their old sim card and off they go, all without any knowledge of iPhone plans, data charges, iTunes connectivity, or anything like that.

In actual fact, though, there are plenty of people who will walk into a store and buy their iPhones, and then walk out again. Just like those people that walk into a store, ask for “this, this, and this”, deny you of any other add-on packages, deals, hand over the cash, and walk out again. For now, I’d like to term these people “decisives”. They know exactly what they want (as well as what they don’t), and are always more than happy to shop wherever they like.

In days gone by, I would have mistakenly taken these decisives as “impulsives” – those people that buy things that are cool, in, or just any gadget that is a “must have”. They’re the ones that follow the crowd, go with the flow, and buy things on impulse.

However, the difference between the two couldn’t be more marked – the decisives are those that have done their research, and in the case of the iPhone example, they’re the ones that know exactly what they’re getting into when they embark on their iPhone journey. They’re the ones that have read every review, talked about the pros and cons online and with friends, and actually gone into a store and tried it out for themselves in-store. When they’re finally happy with their choice, they walk in, buy it, and walk out. Done deal.

I guess it’s my fault.

I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to recognise the two – when you think about it, it’s kinda hard to tell the difference without pressing further, ‘cos with either sale, you’re not doing much talking. It’s more of a customer-based thing, and I’m more than happy to let them do the leading. Sure, I’ll mention things like AppleCare, our excellent Service centres, and the fact that we’re the largest Apple reseller in the world (apart from Apple themselves), but in the end (if they’re the decisive customer I make them out to be), then they’ve already made their decision; they already know what they want, and what they don’t.

Sometimes I can be an ignorant fool – but hey, that’s life, and sometimes, just sometimes, you just have to deal with it.

So deal with it, and stick any comments you have down below.

Note: Benny is yes, still on holidays. Once again, this post was brought to you care of WordPress’ excellent publishing tools, which allow Benny to write stuff, and then set it to publish it in the future.

written by Benny Ling \\ tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Aug 04

Because, dear reader, there is definitely a difference. Let’s start with a definition:

Confidence, noun
1. freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities;
2. a feeling of trust (in someone or something);
Source: WordNet

Arrogance, noun
1. overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors
Source: WordNet

It’s one thing to be confident, but another thing entirely to be arrogant.

Confidence is all about knowing what your limits are. Arrogance is not. If you’re arrogant, you’ll then push yourself past your limit, and FAIL miserably.

Confidence is all about knowing where to draw the line. Arrogance is not. If you’re arrogant, you’ll take it too far and FAIL disappointingly.

Confidence is all about knowing when to say “I’m not entirely sure – but I can find out for you.” Arrogance is not. You’ll lead someone on a wild goose chase, and from there, FAIL massively.

So you see, there is a difference between confidence and arrogance. If you’re confident, you’ll drink at a party, but won’t get totally smashed and wake up in the morning feeling like someone has tried to preform brain surgery with a blunt knife. Mr Arrogant, however, would drink far more than he can handle, and wake up in the morning wanting to die.

If you’re still unsure about the difference, please try and err on the side of caution; don’t go all out to see what it feels like to be Mr Arrogant. Stay on the safe side, just in case you regret it later.

There’ll be another post sometime today… check back soonish.

That’s it, comments below.

written by Benny Ling \\ tags: , , , ,

May 11

There’s this joke among geeks…

It goes along the lines of a [proud] geek wearing a t-shirt that says something along the lines of “Keep out of direct sunlight“, or “The sun is trying to kill me!” – with the latter being modeled by Jawapro/Headless Moron at a recent 18th – congrats Martin.

Obviously, the joke plays on the fact that geeks are usually people that stay indoors for long periods of time, don’t have a varied social life, and all that kind of stuff.

The thing is – geeks are people too! Just like that little old lady walking across the street, like those bogans who are very clearly stoned and walking in the middle of the road of a busy highway, and exactly like those people who serve you at the Coles checkout, they all deserve your respect like any other people you might come across in the street. Oh, well maybe not the bogans…

The point is, you can’t go around abusing people just because they look different to you, smell different, taste different, talk different, or can’t sing as well as you can. What you’ve got to realise is that you’re unique, but the problem is that everyone else is as well… Until you accept the fact that people are different to you, you won’t be able to stop judging them over the most petty things you can possibly think of – how they talk, how they walk, how they look everyday at school, the list goes on…

The fact that you’re reading this post right now is testament to the ingenuity of the human race, regardless of colour, race, religion, monetary status, or any other method that we size each other up by, and yet strive so hard to achieve.

The fact of the matter is – we’re all different, so you better get used to it. The sooner, the better!

written by Benny Ling \\ tags: , ,