Big Apple

This blog is written on a mixture of iPhone and MacBook Air. In the early 1990s the then Precentor of the Cathedral, Mgr Philip Whitmore, had the foresight to set up a network of computers in the Cathedral to enable staff to communicate more effectively. He chose Apple Macs to do this and the result put the Cathedral way ahead of most businesses at the time, in particular through the use of a shared calendar called Now-Up-To-Date, which is still in use.

Unfortunately when the Diocese built its new administrative centre, Vaughan House, it didn't take into account the already existing network in the Cathedral, and instead set up a system based on Windows computers. For many years the two systems existed side by side, not communicating very well. About four years ago the Clergy at the Cathedral succumbed to pressure (wrongly, in my opinion) to change over to Windows PCs, so now it is just the music department which flies the Mac flag - but we do so aggressively! Ironically, at the same time as the Clergy changed systems, new Macs were emerging which communicated properly with PCs, and of course there are now many web based applications which work cross-platform, such as google docs.

I find working on a beautifully constructed and aesthetically pleasing machine such as a Mac makes me enjoy my work more, and as a result I work more effectively. The extra cost of Macs can be written off by the fact that they last much longer than PCs; a laptop which I bought in 2003 (pre-Intel) is still working smoothly and has seen several operating system upgrades. It still looks good too.

The choristers have been curious to know if I'm buying the new iPhone 4S which was released this morning. The answer is no, as I'm in contract until December. But I did visit the Apple store on Fifth Avenue to have a look and saw this tribute to Steve Jobs outside:

The quote in post-its reads, "While some see them as the crazy ones we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."

This blog is about high-quality Catholic music, so I'll finish by tying this post in through this quote from Umberto Eco in 1994:

"The fact is that the world is divided between users of the Macintosh computer and users of MS-DOS compatible computers. I am firmly of the opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant. Indeed, the Macintosh is counter-reformist and has been influenced by the ratio studiorum of the Jesuits. It is cheerful, friendly, conciliatory; it tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach -- if not the kingdom of Heaven -- the moment in which their document is printed. It is catechistic: The essence of revelation is dealt with via simple formulae and sumptuous icons. Everyone has a right to salvation.

DOS is Protestant, or even Calvinistic. It allows free interpretation of scripture, demands difficult personal decisions, imposes a subtle hermeneutics upon the user, and takes for granted the idea that not all can achieve salvation. To make the system work you need to interpret the program yourself: Far away from the baroque community of revelers, the user is closed within the loneliness of his own inner torment.

You may object that, with the passage to Windows, the DOS universe has come to resemble more closely the counter-reformist tolerance of the Macintosh. It's true: Windows represents an Anglican-style schism, big ceremonies in the cathedral, but there is always the possibility of a return to DOS to change things in accordance with bizarre decisions: When it comes down to it, you can decide to ordain women and gays if you want to."