We know what you've been thinking: if Steve delivered his "the personal computer is not dead / the personal computer as digital hub" keynote on the 9th, and Bill Gates made his suspiciously similar "the personal computer is not dead / the personal computer as digital core" speech this past Monday, just where the heck is Mike Dell? Mike, as we are all painfully aware, is afflicted with one big honkin' case of Steveitis; the man is obsessed, to occasionally dangerous degrees. If anyone should be ripping off Steve's last keynote, it's Mr. Dell-- but so far, nothing.

Fear not, true believers! Faithful viewer Pastor Mac reveals the truth: Mike has been trying really hard to ape Steve's sentiments in public ever since the Expo, but he was evidently having some trouble getting anyone to listen. We hear that CNN never returned his calls, MSNBC eventually changed its phone numbers, and Business Week went so far as to take out a restraining order. It was at that point that Mike resorted to talking about digital hubs to people waiting in line at various fast food restaurants. After getting really tired of hearing Dell yammer on endlessly about the PC's continued viability as the integrating center of the modern consumer's digital lifestyle, the guy working the counter at Mike's local Taco Bell finally suggested that he tell it to somebody overseas. That's when Mike caught a jet to London.

Yes, according to The Register, Mike finally found a willing audience on the other side of the pond, and he was finally free to expound on how "the PC will remain central to people's lives" and how it can assume the role as "the center of an entertainment system." And while The Register's coverage might sting a bit (being called "not a visionary by any stretch of the imagination" can't be too enabling of Mike's Steve complex), at least he finally got to strut some of Steve's moves in front of a crowd-- and with the press present, no less. We have to admit it: his endearing antics have sort of grown on us over the years, so we're actually glad he's doing what makes him happy, bless his sick little heart.