The worst?

PC Word: 25 Worst Tech Products

Here’s yet another “Worst of Tech” category that attempts to make fun of the technology from a few years ago by comparing it to that of today. There are some good products on here that I utilized quite a bit back in the day. Among them:

2. RealPlayer. C’mon. You’re bashing RealPlayer just because you couldn’t get the thing to work? I used it all the time in lieu of MediaPlayer, and it was just fine for me. In fact, I used it just up until I got iTunes a few months ago.

3. Microsoft Windows ME. True, it wasn’t much of an improvement over Win98, but I never had problems with it the entire three years I ran a machine with it.

15. Iomega Zip drive. Again, PCWorld is just bashing the product because it fails when compared to today’s standards. When we were running out of 3.5″ floppy drive space, or when we were getting tired of swapping them in the drive every time we tried to install something, it came in quite handy. I still have a zip drive on a stand-alone audio recorder that I occasionally use, and I have never had any of the problems with it that they’re describing here.

Also, I have a tough time bashing a 1989 Mac portable just because it weighed a little more than you would have liked. I think the real reason we didn’t see it very much is because nobody had the six G’s to plunk down for it.

To be fair, PCWorld put the Stinker of all Stinkers, AOL, at the top of the list. I never used it, but I’ve heard horror stories…I also agree with their “wearable” DVD player and the 1999 ‘free’ PC’s.

Mark Lee of Third Day

Mark Lee, guitarist extraordinaire of Third Day fame, runs his own TypePad blog, called “This Guy Falls Down”. The name is actually a play on words that nods to a great song of theirs, “Sky Falls Down”. Instead of just writing about what’s going on with the band, touring dates, upcoming studio work, etc… he focuses on popular culture in his own sphere of influence, in and out of the realm of Christianity. He also posts an intriguing list of books that he reads and music that he listens to. Diverse musicians such as John Mayer and the Blind Boys of Alabama share space with authors Anne Rice and CS Lewis.

Mark Lee is a bona fide rock star. However, it’s his objective look at popular culture, and not his signature guitar riffs, that make this blog well worth reading.