Got roped into a meeting with some Apple representatives today. There were no surfboarding dogs nor excessive usage of hipster slang. Very relieved.

A staff member here is developing a new program to increase high school students’ interest in technology. The program is also intended to increase our reputation as a “high tech” organisation. He decided using Apple products to deliver the program was the best way to go about this.

My experiences with Apple staff tend to result in me feeling like I’ve spent the last thirty minutes talking to Mormons about the latest in underpants technology. We have different perspectives and priorities. You might be able to choose zips in seven different colours, I remark, but do these iDaks really need multi-touch?

Self-violating rainbow underpants aside, normally my interactions with Apple staff involve speaking to frighteningly fervent marketing minions. Today was a pleasant exception. No one said ‘dynamic’ unless they were talking about IPs, no one said ‘funky’ even when shoes were removed. I was actually able to have a useful conversation with their technician and their Business Guy about the project requirements. It was pleasantly lacking in gyrating silhouettes.

All in all, a pretty good meeting.

The part I particularly enjoyed, however, was when the technician twigged to the fact that I was the resident coding simian. From that point on we entered into the language of technicians everywhere, exchanging glances when the subject of deadlines was broached, reversing polarities, hacking gibsons, swapping signet code-rings at the door while performing the ancient handshake of D’frag to seal the deal. If they had gotten us working on the servers today one of us would surely have ejected the warp core by now.

What.

No we totally do that. That’s how web development works.

You just don’t understand technology.

Yeah.

That’s what I thought.

At any rate, what could have been yet another shoe-shuffle with the ol’ PR parade turned out to be a rather productive chat. It was enjoyable seeing that the personality-branding hadn’t made it all the way down to the technicians. Good people.

Not that there’s nothing wrong with rainbow underpants. Some of my best friends are rainbow underpants.

Actually, rainbow underpants are my only friends.

Sad face.