i agree -- but i think that 70% or more of the target population look at those ads and identify with justin long, because they don't really know who either dude is. actually, people are more likely to recognize justin long from his film and tv work.

and all the mcsweeney's-reading-NPR-listening neo-yintelligentsia already have macs.

ps, did i even know who john hodgman was 6 months ago? not a whit, not before he was "the deranged millionnaire" on TMBG's "Venue Songs" DVD. this dude just exploded all over the place. it's like he was a nerdy little secret that got out suddenly and with great fury.

i had no idea who the "mac guy" was until marco mentioned his name. i still don't recognize him.

You have a point, jbg, but the Slate writer was an example of a "neo-intelligentsia" without a Mac.

I first saw Hodgman's crazy ways in I think 2000, when he emceed Neal Pollack's first book tour stop at the Coolidge Corner theater. (Yes, Eggers, et al. were all there.) Then he like incubated for 5 years and suddenly became a massive pop culture figure. Good for him.

fyi, the term i'm trying to coin is "neo-yintelligentsia." the 'y' wasn't a typo -- it stands for "young" or "youth," as in the 'y' in "yuppy."