Brand loyalty

Recently I decided to buy a Mac mini to use as a media PC and file server rather than build my own PC or get a Dell. The choice was made easier with the mini having been updated two weeks prior to purchase and with Boxee being available (and originally) for the Mac.

The tipping factor in choosing the Mac mini over a custom or pre-built PC for me was Apple the brand—Mac OS X the operating system was a big plus too, but Ubuntu is also good. I trust Apple to provide me a quality product and support it better than Dell would support a PC.

After that, I realized how much brands do actually matter to me. I don’t believe I like Apple products because they are cool (I’ve been using a Mac since before the second coming of Steve Jobs), but because they work the way I expect them to work. Also, the consistency between upgrades or even between other products is a feature that I like (Airport Express/Mac/iTunes/iPhone interaction).

I’m not quite sure what builds brand loyalty, I’m obviously loyal to some (Apple, Canon, Subaru) while I just have a preference for others (Nautica jeans, Kershaw/Shun knives, Denon audio equipment). I think it depends on:

• The product’s build quality
• The product is unique in how it interacts or functions
• The company firmly stands behind the product
• The product reflects the company’s ideas
• The company’s ideas reflect in other products
• The company tries to be competitive feature-wise in all products

I also think brand loyalty increases more as the time you are required to spend with the product increases. I’m more loyal to Apple, Canon and Subaru, because I spend a lot of time on my laptop, taking pictures and driving (and working on the car). If all these things are met positively, then I don’t see why someone wouldn’t stick with a certain brand.

Guitar parts

Here is a list of places I go to for parts for my guitars and why I placed an order (what I bought) at each place.

• Guitar Electronics — CTS pots and a CRL five-way switch for my Strat.
• Mojo Musical Supply — Blender pot and replacement transformer for my amp.
• Guitar Fetish — Solid steel tremolo block like the Callaham block.
• Mouser Electronics — Various electronics like capacitors.
• The Tube Store — Tubes.
• Stewart MacDonald — Everything else. Also, Trade Secrets, their newsletter, is always an interesting Email.

You could go to any one of those sites and probably get everything you need, but I wanted to shop around and test the waters. Some sites carry brands that others do not and some might have better deals than others too. Also, if you are planning on placing a big order, it’s good to have done business with a site before so you have a benchmark of shipping and customer service.

Exam structures

Grades were posted today, and I’m happy with mine. I stressed out about the exams because most were short answer/essay, and I have a hard time with those.

I’m better at recognizing than reproducing an answer. I can ace multiple choice exams but struggle with the essay exams because as I see the possible answers, a picture of my notes pop in my head and that jogs my memory. However, I know some friends who are the opposite and would prefer short answer/essay because, while writing they seem to get in “the zone” and their memory is jogged.

To each his own.

Fresh start

With the school semester over, I’m going to focus on getting organized in the physical world and in the digital world. This Web site, Loaded Thoughts, will be where I’ll post updates on my progress and process as well as other random things you would find on a tumblog.

I also have quite a few Django-based Web site projects lined up and will post details about the projects here and details about development and design at another blog I’m revamping, ./foo/bars.log.