Please Don't Help "Ultimate" Mac Switcher

Sometimes, a cause just seems so frivolous that you can't believe anyone could possibly give to it.

A few weeks ago, I got contacted by Stefan, a college student in Texas who wants to be "The Ultimate Switcher" from PC to Mac.

Now, exactly why Stefan qualifies as the ultimate switcher, I couldn't possibly tell you (He owns a ThinkPad? His name is Stefan?). I blew him off completely when he first contacted me, because, well, he's a guy who's trying to get a new 20" iMac for free off of a bunch of strangers.

Well, Stefan got back in touch yesterday, and not everyone is as hard-hearted as me.

The premise was simple enough, I told people my hardships: full time college student and waiter at a local restaurant using a 450 MHz IBM ThinkPad. I wanted to become a switcher due to my experiences with OS X, and a few of my long time friends taking the plunge themselves.

Quite the hardships, there. Regardless, he now says he has raised more than $900, entirely from solicited donations to his wholly non-charitable cause.

Who is giving him this money? Is the cause of adding literally a single Mac user to the platform more important than giving to worthy causes?

Please don't help this guy, whom I really can't blame for his optimistic effort. But he's already got the money to buy a brand-new high-end Mac mini duo right now.

Instead, here's a great way to reach a huge group of people at once and make them Mac-lovers for life. Donors Choose is a wonderful Web site where teachers can ask for books, technology and other supplies their school districts won't pay for.

The teacher I've selected works in a Brooklyn school district with 93 percent economically disadvantaged students. I'll let her tell the rest about her third-grade class's needs.

As an extension of their learning I decided to have the kids write a play on Jon Scieszka's "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs." I videotaped their efforts and then got the idea to teach my kids how to make a movie using Imovie software. The problem is that our school has a somewhat out-dated lab and the computers we have do not have the Imovie software on them.

She's looking for a 20" Intel iMac at a cost under $1,700, just like Stefan. Unlike Stefan, no one has sent her one penny yet. I'm going to make a donation later today, and I hope you'll join me in doing so.