[employment: assistant or associate prof. of info graphics]

*ASSISTANT OR ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN INFORMATION GRAPHICS AND DATA VISUALIZATION*

*Working title/rank:*  Assistant or Associate Professor in Information
Graphics and Data Visualization

*Type of appointment:* Tenure-track faculty

*Position category:* Tenure-track faculty

*Department or school:* Journalism/Mass Communication

*Application deadline:* Open until filled (Applications will begin to be
reviewed on January 15, 2010)

*Proposed start date:* July 1, 2010

*Position summary*

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is searching for an outstanding assistant or associate professor specializing in information graphics and data visualization.  The successful applicant will teach courses in information graphics and visualization, which includes cartography and statistical representation, 3D design, animated graphic storytelling and other appropriate courses over time. All of the school’s graphic design courses are taught in our state-of-the-art Macintosh labs.  The successful candidate will teach a 2/2 course load and perform other customary duties of a faculty member in the school’s research tenure track: research, advising, service and teaching/advising students at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

*Education requirements*

A Ph.D. in journalism/mass communication or a relevant related field is required.  ABD will be considered with a firm anticipated completion date.

*Experience and qualifications*

   - Preferred 7 years of full-time professional experience as an informational graphic artist/specialist.
   - Entrepreneurial and/or freelance work experience.
   - An outstanding, international award-winning professional portfolio that includes print and online journalistic work.
   - Proficiency in appropriate software including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and a 3D software program such as Maya or Lightwave.  Working knowledge of Flash and Dreamweaver. Proficiency in programming languages such as ActionScript and R.
   - A well-defined research agenda that addresses pertinent issues in information visualization and new technologies.
   - Ability to be an outstanding teacher.



*Special instructions*

Go to *http://jobs.unc.edu/1002162* <http://jobs.unc.edu/1002162> to apply.
Please submit a letter, vitae, names and contact information of least three references and a link to online portfolio materials. Supporting documents including course syllabi and other materials will be helpful in selecting finalists and should be submitted as electronic attachments to the application when possible.  Any other materials may be mailed to: 
Jo Bass
Assistant to the Dean
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
UNC-Chapel Hill
Campus Box 3365
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3365








Note: The amazing image is from Aaron Koblin who has compiled flight pattern data from the FAA for the United States and most of North America. He calls the work "Flight Curves."

[journal of community informatics: new issue]

Vol 5, No 1 (2009)

Table of Contents

Editorial

Editorial: Building the Broadband Economy from the Bottom Up: A Community Informatics Approach to BB and Economic Development	HTML
Michael Gurstein

Points of View

Moving Community Informatics Research Forward	Abstract HTML
Aldo de Moor

Articles

Community Inquiry and Collaborative Practice: The iLabs of Paseo Boricua	Abstract HTML
Ann Peterson Bishop, Bertram (Chip) C. Bruce

Assessing the geodemographics of the People's Network in public libraries in Shropshire.	Abstract HTML
Adrian Oliver Barlow

The role of Social Entrepreneurs in Deploying ICTs for Youth and Community Development in South Africa	Abstract HTML
Chijioke J Evoh

The Effect of Formal and Informal Social Capital on Diffusion of Wireless Encryption Practices: A longitudinal case study	Abstract HTML
Sorin Adam Matei

ICTs and Community Participation: An Indicative Framework	Abstract HTML
Dhanaraj Thakur

Notes from the field

Communities, Technologies and Participation: Notes from C&T 2009	Abstract HTML
Joe McCarthy

Reports

Role of ICTs in Indian Rural Communities	Abstract HTML
Siriginidi Subba Rao

[bacteria rule: organic computing]

Some interesting developments in organic computing noted in a recent article from the Journal of Biological Engineering:

Background

The Hamiltonian Path Problem asks whether there is a route in a directed graph from a beginning node to an ending node, visiting each node exactly once. The Hamiltonian Path Problem is NP complete, achieving surprising computational complexity with modest increases in size. This challenge has inspired researchers to broaden the definition of a computer. DNA computers have been developed that solve NP complete problems. Bacterial computers can be programmed by constructing genetic circuits to execute an algorithm that is responsive to the environment and whose result can be observed. Each bacterium can examine a solution to a mathematical problem and billions of them can explore billions of possible solutions. Bacterial computers can be automated, made responsive to selection, and reproduce themselves so that more processing capacity is applied to problems over time.

Results

We programmed bacteria with a genetic circuit that enables them to evaluate all possible paths in a directed graph in order to find a Hamiltonian path. We encoded a three node directed graph as DNA segments that were autonomously shuffled randomly inside bacteria by a Hin/hixC recombination system we previously adapted from Salmonella typhimurium for use in Escherichia coli. We represented nodes in the graph as linked halves of two different genes encoding red or green fluorescent proteins. Bacterial populations displayed phenotypes that reflected random ordering of edges in the graph. Individual bacterial clones that found a Hamiltonian path reported their success by fluorescing both red and green, resulting in yellow colonies. We used DNA sequencing to verify that the yellow phenotype resulted from genotypes that represented Hamiltonian path solutions, demonstrating that our bacterial computer functioned as expected.

Conclusions

We successfully designed, constructed, and tested a bacterial computer capable of finding a Hamiltonian path in a three node directed graph. This proof-of-concept experiment demonstrates that bacterial computing is a new way to address NP-complete problems using the inherent advantages of genetic systems. The results of our experiments also validate synthetic biology as a valuable approach to biological engineering. We designed and constructed basic parts, devices, and systems using synthetic biology principles of standardization and abstraction.

Another article of interest published in January in New Scientist on organic computing is here.

[influence of new media]

[computer human interaction conference: australia]

OZCHI 2009 – Design: Open 24/7

21st Annual Conference of the Australian Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group (CHISIG) of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia (HFESA)

23 – 27 November 2009, The University of Melbourne, Australia

http://www.ozchi.org/

Paper submission site now open: http://precisionconference.com/~ozchi

OZCHI is Australia’s leading forum for research and development in all areas of Human-Computer Interaction. OZCHI attracts an international community of practitioners, researchers, academics and students from a wide range of disciplines including user experience designers, information architects, software engineers, human factors experts, information systems analysts, and social scientists.

The main conference will be from Wed 25 to Fri 27 Nov 2009, and will be preceded by two days of Workshops, Tutorials and a Doctoral Consortium on Mon 23 and Tue 24 Nov 2009.OZCHI will take place back-to-back with HFESA 2009: http://www.hfesaconference.org.au/ scheduled to run from 22-25 Nov 2009. The venue for both conferences is the ICT building of the University of Melbourne, 111 Barry St, Parkville.

The keynote speakers for this year's OZCHI conference:

• Bill Moggridge, Co-founder of IDEO.com
• Patrick Hofmann, Head of User Experience, Google Australia
• Yvonne Rogers, Director, Pervasive Interaction Lab, Open University, UK

Important Dates

Long papers, and workshop & tutorial proposals
19 Jun 2009: EXTENDED SUBMISSION DEADLINE
14 Aug 2009: Notification of acceptance
28 Aug 2009: Camera ready papers deadline

Short papers, industry case studies, demos & posters, workshop papers, and doctoral consortium
28 Aug 2009: Submission deadline
25 Sep 2009: Notification of acceptance
02 Oct 2009: Camera ready papers deadline

Conference Theme

The 2009 conference theme is Design: Open 24/7. Accessibility, inclusivity and dissolving boundaries are core to the Open 24/7 theme for the design of human interaction with and through digital technologies. The integration of digital technologies into our everyday life allows for a seamless transitioning between open and closed, work and leisure, public and private. Open implies participation and collaboration across traditional borders between individuals, organisations and disciplines. OZCHI 2009 provides a forum to discuss all aspects of openness, open borders, open participation, open source and open architecture. Theme-related submissions may address these topics:

• Open always-on real-time ubiquitous and pervasive designs
• Open design and universality versus situatedness, contextualisation and personalisation
• Open source for design – design for open source
• Open mind – new ideas, concepts and approaches from outside HCI
• Beyond open – never closed: design for escapism

Conference Topics

Submissions in all areas of HCI are encouraged. In addition, we particularly invite authors to address any of the following topics:

• Augmented Reality
• Context and Location Awareness
• Education and HCI
• Health Care and HCI
• Innovative Design Methodologies
• Smart Service Delivery
• Sustainability
• Universal Usability and Accessibility
• Urban Informatics
• Tangible User Interfaces
• Visualisation Techniques
• Working across Cultures

Read more about the paper/workshop submission process and conference here.

[going paperless = a tidier desk]

Time for some procrastinating after all my work today...by procrastinating I erm...mean work. Because, everyone knows that tidying up one's work area is really part of the job description and...a tidy desk means more work gets done which has nothing to do with procrastination...


1) What do I do with the myriad of business cards I've collected from conferences, meetings, interviews and general travels (you'd be surprised who one can meet on the train out of London). Ah ha. I'll send my clutter cards over to shoeboxed and because it is now mashed with evernote, it means I'll be able to folksonomize all my cards...hey, tagging business cards, that'll make them way more searchable.

2) Next, looking around I see my desk has a lovely collection of receipts; train tickets, that ever-necessary coffee in the morning from the station shop, museum tickets etc...I think my receipts or pixily will be able to help. Interesting with my receipts, seems that they're partnering with shops so that receipts begin as digital copies rather than paper in the first place. This is how pixily works:

3) Ok. So papers on my desk are disappearing...but what about all those wires. Ugh, mouse wire, keyboard wire, web cam wire, camera cable, power cord, external hard drive cable, speaker wires, headset cables, printer, scanner...the list goes on. I think I'll be ordering the nice blue cable turtle from, hurrah, a uk company. So this doesn't really help me use less paper...but it does help with the digital tidying.

4) Some fiction books that I won't read again, an unopened box of Christmas crackers (don't ask) and some photo frames are going to my local freecycle site. Most already off to good homes.

5) Of course, what desk would be complete without a few old mobiles scattered around? With all my important information (i.e. my memory) in my snazzy pink blackberry, I can send my old mobiles to envirofone and even make a bit of cash in the process.

6) Online banking means no more silly paper statements messing up my lovely and now visible desk!

7) I'll be using remindr to, wait for it, remind me to do things like return those pesky library books that have been sitting on my desk, all used and ready for the bookshelf. I can also use remindr when little kitty needs to be combed (trying to keep fur balls at bay), bring in the laundry, return that dvd or pay the newspaper bill...I can get reminders to my mobile, via twitter, e-mail or gtalk. Excellent stuff.

8) Instead and jotting notes while I talk on the 'phone, I'll add my scribblings directly to a google doc or perhaps if I'm driving, I'll add my voice notes (hands-free of course) as a memo to spinvox.

9) So I'm addicted to my lovely pink leather filofax (how old school, I know) and I get a good overview of my time because I can flick though pages and see weeks and months at a glance. However, a useful online tool is google's calendar where I can let friends and family add their info too so it becomes more like a community calendar. There's an app. for my blackberry too so I can sync the two, perfect.

10) Though most of my communication is done online, there are times when I need to send physical post. Handily, the Royal Mail now lets me buy stamps online which I can then print out. So, no more books of stamps sliding to hide indefinitely under my keyboard.

11) Those cds that I used to love now sound soooo 2001...I'll be sending them to music magpie. They also accept dvds and games.

That's so much better now...

[ioct now accepting master's applications for next academic year]

The IOCT is now accepting applications for master's in Creative Technologies (both MA and MSc) for the upcoming academic year, 2009-2010.



Are you:

• a technologist with a creative dimension?
• an artist working with technologies?
• a designer with programming skills?

or someone with other cross/transdisciplinary interests?

The IOCT Masters in Creative Technologies is unique, groundbreaking and innovative. Delivered by the Institute of Creative Technologies, the course is run in partnership with the Faculties of Art & Design, Humanities and Technology.

The programme crosses traditional disciplines and boundaries and is designed to support students in developing and strengthening their individual creative technologies research and practice, enable them to work at the convergence of the e-sciences, arts and humanities subjects.

Students taking the MA/MSc Creative Technologies will be from a wide range of backgrounds and interested in developing multidisciplinary knowledge and skills in the production of digital media and products.

See the programme site for further details: www.ioct.dmu.ac.uk/masters.html

[interdisciplinary research & digital culture]

An interesting position for someone with a ph.d in digital culture or with wider experience in recent developments in cultural studies. It's only for a year but seems as though there's possibility for renewal:

Interdisciplinary Research Fellow in Digital Culture

The Cultures of the Digital Economy Research Institute

Faculty of Arts, Law, and Social Sciences

Ref: 6109

Based in Cambridge

Fixed term contract for one year in the first instance

£29,704 - £34,435 p.a.

Join us as we enter an exciting new phase of our development. Our ambition is to be recognised as a truly 21st century university, fully relevant to the changing needs of students, staff and employers. With our energy, enthusiasm and ambition matched by our friendliness and approachability, Anglia Ruskin University is a great place to be.

You will join the interdisciplinary team of the Cultures of the Digital Economy Research Institute, a project housed within the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences. The Institute involves colleagues working in media theory, humanities computing, digital music and video, fine arts, video games, serious gaming and digital text, yet also has an important scientific contribution from colleagues involved with design and technology, audio engineering and computer design and animation.

The Interdisciplinary Fellow in Digital Culture is expected to take a key role in the Institute's activities. You must be familiar with state-of-the-art experimental, theoretical and practical issues in cultural theory, arts and the emerging sciences of digital culture. You are expected to have advanced IT skills and a knowledge of the field(s) of interactivity in sound and/or digital image would be an advantage. The Fellow will typically engage in personal research and publishing in the field of digital culture and collaborative research initiatives that bring together the different strands of the Research Institute.

The project commences in March 2009, or as soon as possible thereafter.
For further information please contact Prof Eugene Giddens, on 0845 196 2965 or eugene.giddens@anglia.ac.uk

Closing Date: 06 March 2009 (12 noon)

It is anticipated interviews will take place on 20 March 2009

CVs will only be accepted if accompanied by a completed University Application form.

Further details are available from telephone 0845 196 4740 (24 hours). E-mail jobs@anglia.ac.uk or visit on-line at www.anglia.ac.uk/hr/jobs

We value diversity at Anglia Ruskin University and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

[socio-technical summer residency: US scholars only]

Such a shame that this amazing opportunity is only open to PhD students, post-docs and pre-tenure scholars at US institutions... If you're one of them, you'll definitely be interested in this call for participation:

2009 Summer Research Institute for the Science of Socio-Technical Systems: 11-15 June, 2009
At Syracuse University's Minnowbrook Conference Center, Blue Mountain Lake, NY

Application screening begins 2 March, 2009

Eligibility: Doctoral students, Post-doctoral scholars and pre-tenure faculty at US-based institutions.

Notification: Late March, 2009 Cost: Most will be covered for accepted participants

Background
---------------
A science of socio-technical systems is emerging from research in the fields of HCI, social computing, social informatics, CSCW, sociology of computing, and other domains. The Consortium for the Science of Socio-Technical Systems (CSST) is a new organization devoted to advancing research on socio-technical systems. Building on the success of the 2008 Summer Research Institute, the CSST will, again, be hosting a summer research institute for advanced doctoral students and pre-tenure faculty in summer, 2009. A primary goal of the institute is to build a new cohort of faculty and graduate students who are interested in research on the design and interplay of technology and humans at the level of individuals, groups, organizations, and larger communities.

Examples of this kind of work include research on:
* new forms of organizing (e.g., virtual organizations, massive online activities)
* social computing (e.g., online communities, social network sites);
* distributed work (e.g., collaboratories, virtual teams and organizations);
* new technologies (e.g., recommender systems, prediction markets, ubiquitous computing);
* novel forms of production (e.g., open source software, Wikipedia);
* new forms of expression and entertainment (e.g., blogs, wikis, massive multiplayer online role-playing games);
* information and communication technologies for developing regions (e.g., cell phone-based applications to assist economic development, infrastructure development for local economic action).

Institute faculty
-------------------
With funding from the NSF, the institute will bring together a faculty of distinguished scholars in the domain of socio-technical systems with up to 30 campers, drawn from among advanced doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows, and pre-tenure faculty conducting research on socio-technical systems.

Steve Sawyer, Syracuse University, Director Tom Finholt, University of Michigan, Co-Director Mark Ackerman, University of Michigan Bill Dutton, Oxford University Jonathan Grudin, Microsoft Corporation C. Suzanne Iacono, National Science Foundation Wendy Kellogg, IBM Wayne Lutters, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Tony Salvador, Intel Corporation Suzanne Weisband, University of Arizona

Institute goals
-----------------
The goals of the institute are to:
* Expand on and strengthen connections among the cohort of researchers in this area, and build on the network of relations formed through the 2008 Summer Research Institute.
* Guide the work of the new researchers by having experts in socio-technical systems research give advice.
* Provide encouragement and support for the selection of socio-technical systems research topics.
* Illustrate the interrelationship and diversity of the field of socio-technical systems research.

How to apply
----------------
The application process requires two parts:

1. A 300 word response to this question:
*How does your research advance our scientific understanding of socio-technical systems?
* A few references, particularly if they are not to your own work, may be helpful but are not required.

2. Your current curriculum vitae (as PDF or in a Word or WordPerfect format).
Please send this response as an attachment in a common word processor format or as PDF of an email with the email subject being CSST'09 application to csst2009@syr.edu.


For further information please visit si.umich.edu/csstinstitute.

[employment: multidisciplinary post doc]

Oxford Internet Institute

University of Oxford

RESEARCH STAFF GRADE 8 (£36,532 to £43,622 p.a.)

We are seeking a Research Fellow to complement our multidisciplinary team undertaking research into the societal implications of the Internet and related information and communications technologies. This Fellowship offers post doctoral researchers of outstanding promise or distinction an opportunity to pursue advanced research within this field.

Our preference is for candidates with a strong theoretical and/or methodological background in computer science, law or one of the following social science disciplines: communication, information, media studies, economics, political science, social psychology or sociology; and with an interest in research which will complement one of the OII's current research areas.

These concern the role of the Internet and ICTs in: everyday life and work; government and democracy; research and learning; shaping the Internet; and issues of theory and policy that cut across these settings. Applications from those with a track record of multi-disciplinary research on the societal implications of the Internet and/or related policy issues who have doctorates in other relevant disciplines will also be welcomed.

Based in the heart of Oxford, this post is available from October 2009 for two years in the first instance with the possibility of renewal thereafter.

How to apply

Grade 8 Fellow Application Pack (pdf, 100kb)

Further information, including details of how to apply, may be obtained from Nicola McVay, Administrative Officer, Oxford Internet Institute, 1 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3JS, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1865 212330; email: recruit@oii.ox.ac.uk

Applications must reach the Institute by 12:00 noon on Wednesday 25 February 2009. It is expected that interviews will be held on Tuesday 10 March 2009.

Research Fellow (Grade 7)

RESEARCH STAFF GRADE 7 (£28,839 to £35,469 p.a.)

We are seeking a Research Fellow to complement our multidisciplinary team undertaking research into the societal implications of the Internet and related information and communications technologies. This Fellowship offers post doctoral researchers of outstanding promise an opportunity to pursue advanced research within this field.

Our preference is for candidates with a strong theoretical and/or methodological background in computer science, law or one of the social sciences, including communication, information, media studies, economics, political science, social psychology or sociology; and with an interest in research which will complement one of the OII's current research areas.

These concern the role of the Internet and ICTs in: everyday life and work; government and democracy; research and learning; shaping the Internet; and issues of theory and policy that cut across these settings. Applications from those with a track record of multi-disciplinary research on the societal implications of the Internet and/or related policy issues who have doctorates in other relevant disciplines will also be welcomed.

Based in the heart of Oxford, this post is available from October 2009 for two years in the first instance with the possibility of renewal thereafter.

How to apply

Grade 7 Fellow Application Pack (pdf, 100kb)

Further information, including details of how to apply, may be obtained from Nicola McVay, Administrative Officer, Oxford Internet Institute, 1 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3JS, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1865 212330; email: recruit@oii.ox.ac.uk

Applications must reach the Institute by 12:00 noon on Wednesday 25 February 2009. It is expected that interviews will be held on Tuesday 10 March 2009.

[computer humour]

[i want one of those...]

the dell xps one....nice....


The Wall Street Journal says this:

"Something interesting is going on at Dell. The Texas personal-computer behemoth, long associated with boxy, boring machines, has started emphasizing industrial design. And the company, which in recent years seemed to care only about corporate customers, techies and hard-core gamers, appears once again interested in average, mainstream consumers who value simplicity.

The most tangible example of this new approach is Dell's XPS One desktop -- an elegant, handsome, cleverly designed one-piece computer. If it didn't have the Dell logo on it, the XPS One might be mistaken for a product of the PC industry's design leaders, Apple or Sony.

Like Apple's iconic iMac, the XPS One looks like it's simply a sleek, flat-panel monitor. The guts of the computer have been stuffed into the back of the screen.

But this new Dell is no mere iMac clone. It makes its own style statement, even though it shares the same 20-inch widescreen display and a similar Intel dual-core processor with the base-model iMac. Where the iMac is squarish and silver, the XPS One is all black and rectangular, with speakers attached to the sides and a wide glass base. It looks more like a small TV set than a computer and, in fact, comes with a built-in TV tuner.

In my tests, I found the XPS One to be much better designed and equipped than Gateway's iMac competitor, also called the One. In fact, the Dell XPS One is the first Windows all-in-one desktop I've tested that I believe matches or exceeds the iMac in hardware design. That's no small feat, especially coming from Dell."

[i was hacked: part deux]

S l o w l y as I come to grips with the whole *thing* I'm patting myself on the shoulder for taking screen shots (including of the source code) of the hacker communicating with me (before he crashed it). As soon as I figured out what was going on I thought I'd google to see if anyone had published information on dealing with this kind of a hack. As I googled the thief spoke...

[spare cycles?]

The Awesome Power of Spare Cycles

In physics, the greatest (theoretical) latent power in the universe is dark energy, waiting only for us to find a way to tap it (and to prove it actually exists; in the meantime it powers fictional superheroes). In people, the equivalent is "spare cycles"--the human potential that isn't tapped by our jobs, which for most of us is a lot of it. People wonder how Wikipedia magically arose from nothing, and how 50 million bloggers suddenly appeared, almost all of them writing for free. Who knew there was so much untapped energy all around us, just waiting for a catalyst to become productive? But of course there was. People are bored, and they'd rather not be. The guy playing Solitaire on his laptop at the airport? Spare cycles. Multiply it times a million.
I am at this moment, somewhat randomly, in the Salisbury (MD) regional airport. It is tiny airport like thousands of others across the country. But, like all the others, it has to meet standard TSA security standards. There is a flight (which I am on) at 2:30 pm. It is the only flight out of this airport for the past hour. There will not be another flight out of this airport for another hour. Yet we need our full TSA apparatus. That includes the local police, who are represented by a sheriff.
I'm watching him right now. He's in his room, labeled "Sheriff". Young guy. He's watching a movie on a portable DVD player. That's fine--he won't be needed for another half hour. But of course "needed" isn't quite the right word. "Required" is closer to it. He will be required by policy to stand by, gun in holster, while I take my laptop out of my nerd backpack. He may, fingers crossed, go his entire career without a terrorist going through that security checkpoint. He may indeed never unholster that gun in the line of duty.
That sheriff is watching a movie because he has spare cycles. Spare cycles are the most powerful fuel on the planet. It's what Web 2.0 is made up of. User generated content? Spare cycles. Open source? Spare cycles. MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Second Life? Spare cycles. They're the Soylent Green of the web.
In the next issue of Wired we've got a great story about a woman who cyberstalked the lead singer of Linkin Park. She correctly guessed the password to his cellphone account. The rest was easy. She was a technician at a secure military facility, the Sandia National Labs. When eventually confronted, she explained that her job only took her half an hour a day. The rest was spare cycles. She used them to stalk the lead singer of Linkin Park.
Web 2.0 is such a phenomena because we're underused elsewhere. Bored at work, bored at home. We've got spare cycles and they're finally finding an outlet. Tap that and you've tapped an energy source that rivals anything in human history. Solitaire Players of the World Unite!

Posted at The Long Tail

[presidential computing?]

"Hillary Clinton is a PC, Barack Obama is a Mac."

- Michael Gove (he is conservative mp for Surrey Heath after all....)


I know there are some hard-core pc (as in ibm-type) vs mac debates out there and certainly, macs are goregeous (not too sure about Obama though!) but dells are catching up quickly in the style stakes.
Here is a fun pro-pc blog post by Mike Rundle citing some things that pcs do better (yes, better) than macs:

• Window Resizing (I also have a mac book pro and the auto window sizing can be a pain)

Menubar Interaction

• Microsoft Office

Now, what is Gove trying to suggest, that looks are more important the performance? Hrm....