My wife has a friend that she has known since the fourth grade. This
friend, Mandy, also married a Ben. She also has two kids. She also
understands the value of passion and family. We are staying at her home, and my daughter is trying to sleep in the
bedroom of her daughter. They have been trying for 2 hours now. With
different rewards and promises (both good and bad), we have tried to
get them both to be still and let their bodies be at rest. Their bodies have other ideas. They want nothing more than to take the
clothes out of the drawers and make it known that they are awake. As I
type, they are clicking their tongues to one another because we have
forbidden them from talking. I still have hope that they will resolve
this and simply let one of them have the last word. At the moment it
doesn’t seem likely. I feel this way now about Google and Apple. Their current selves
(post-Jobs’ return) are the spawn of those that have known each other
for a long time. They are seemingly forced into the same bed, whether
they want to be there or not. They keep telling one another that this
is the last jab and that they are civil to one another, but there they
are the next minute whooping one another up into another frenzy. These two companies have so much in common and they could actually
rest up for the fight that is oncoming from those that are coming up
after them (their younger siblings, in both cases). Instead, they are
choosing to wear one another out and not think about how little energy
or stamina they will really have by the morning. It is midnight for my daughter’s biological clock and I think that she
has finally gone down for the count. I don’t suspect that Apple or
Google have any such cutoff. They will continue to poke and prod one
another, stealing each others’ toys until no one is happy about what
they have. The rivalry for control of tomorrow will have many
casualties, not the least of which is a total lack of sleep for those
who are on looking. We buy products and make reassurances that this is
the last time we will choose between their interests. We always end up
tucking one or the other in, though. We just need some sleep sometimes
but reason isn’t high on their priority list. Perhaps, I can squeeze in a quick wink now. Maybe.
friend, Mandy, also married a Ben. She also has two kids. She also
understands the value of passion and family. We are staying at her home, and my daughter is trying to sleep in the
bedroom of her daughter. They have been trying for 2 hours now. With
different rewards and promises (both good and bad), we have tried to
get them both to be still and let their bodies be at rest. Their bodies have other ideas. They want nothing more than to take the
clothes out of the drawers and make it known that they are awake. As I
type, they are clicking their tongues to one another because we have
forbidden them from talking. I still have hope that they will resolve
this and simply let one of them have the last word. At the moment it
doesn’t seem likely. I feel this way now about Google and Apple. Their current selves
(post-Jobs’ return) are the spawn of those that have known each other
for a long time. They are seemingly forced into the same bed, whether
they want to be there or not. They keep telling one another that this
is the last jab and that they are civil to one another, but there they
are the next minute whooping one another up into another frenzy. These two companies have so much in common and they could actually
rest up for the fight that is oncoming from those that are coming up
after them (their younger siblings, in both cases). Instead, they are
choosing to wear one another out and not think about how little energy
or stamina they will really have by the morning. It is midnight for my daughter’s biological clock and I think that she
has finally gone down for the count. I don’t suspect that Apple or
Google have any such cutoff. They will continue to poke and prod one
another, stealing each others’ toys until no one is happy about what
they have. The rivalry for control of tomorrow will have many
casualties, not the least of which is a total lack of sleep for those
who are on looking. We buy products and make reassurances that this is
the last time we will choose between their interests. We always end up
tucking one or the other in, though. We just need some sleep sometimes
but reason isn’t high on their priority list. Perhaps, I can squeeze in a quick wink now. Maybe.
