Ah, chaos theory. Somewhere in Africa yesterday, a butterfly flapped its wings. Here in Vancouver last night, I bought The Drivers’ “Tears on Your Anorak” and Squeeze’s greatest hits from the iTunes Music Store.

A short while later, that very purchase turned one Alex Ostrovsky of West Bloomfield, Michigan into a minor celebrity. Instead of being just the guy who bought the 999,999,979th song from iTunes, which he would have been had I not made my purchase, he bought song number one billion.

And instead of being the proud owner of a Coldplay song, he’s now the proud owner of a Coldplay song, a 20-inch iMac, ten video iPods and a $10,000 iTunes gift card. Plus Apple is naming a new Julliard scholarship after him.

I’m not trying to suggest he owes me, the man who made this all possible, a thing. Whether he sends me one of those iPods, or better yet that iMac, is of course entirely up to him. It’s not like the entire blogging world is watching and judging him.

I think I’ll go downstairs and wait for the UPS guy now.

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