I Hate Headline Baiting

Yesterday, I saw this article (don't read too much of it if you click it) and I was curious. Part of me wanted to be tentatively excited. I should have known...

I hate cell phone companies and their business practices with the fury of a thousand suns. I have always had problems finding cell phones. The phones I was interested in were always tied to different carriers. I wouldn't have my current phone if not for cell phones being locked to providers, since I hate Apple's business practices too. I wanted to try out an Android phone, but AT&T doesn't have any, and unlocked phones cost WAY too much.

So, I read this article. My cynicism temporarily disappeared, which unfortunately allowed me to elevate my hopes, which were dashed again. The article pretty much spent however many words on asking a question; will a net neutrality bill result in cell phone exclusivity being illegal? Now that I have my cynicism back, my guess is no.

How Not to Run a Business

I'm angry. It's 1:00 AM and I'm angry. I can't sleep, and the cause? The big three. It amazes me that I get so angry. It also amazes me the ways in which a company will spite its valued consumers.

First up, we have a pair of companies who have formed what might as well be known as an unholy alliance. I expect the wall of flame any day. I am, of course, talking about Apple and AT&T, and the infamous iPhone. With the 3G iPhones, AT&T is now not providing ANY text messages. First of all, providing text messages costs next to nothing. Second, with an iPhone specific data plan, which previously provided 200 text messages for the 2G iPhone, consumers must now pay $10/month more and sacrifice their text messages. Why?!?!? It's arbitrary. I know AT&T is now taking a hit on the iPhone due to subsidy. However, if they want to regain the costs, they might actually consider making THEIR CONSUMERS HAPPY, and maintaining that income. Even Microsoft wouldn't sacrifice this kind of backward compatibility. Apple probably also has something to do with it behind the scenes. You've seen the way they do business...

And then, as usual, there's Microsoft, which rounds out a bad evening. I was fuming from my iPhone/AT&T fiasco earlier this evening, and was looking forward to relaxing and taking out my frustrations on a bunch of zombies. So, I booted Windows 7, and suddenly my microphone no longer worked. Why? It worked before! The short answer is that I don't know, and what always seems to be the quickest solution is to reinstall Windows. I now have the release candidate installed. Let's hope that solves something. We'll see sometime soon.

We return to now. It's 1:00 AM, and I'm angry. Where does this leave me? I don't know. How do you resolve issues like these. I can solve the Microsoft problem, and it's the least of the three. I've installed Windows so many times that I'm numb to the experience now. But how do I obtain what I want from AT&T and Apple? How can you convince a huge company with a lot of customers that they should be treating their customers better? I leave you with this probably unsolvable conundrum, calmer somewhat now that I've shot frickin' lightning bolts from my hands.

A Few Random Bits of Car

First off, GM is going under; bankruptcy. Among the companies under GM's umbrella, Saturn, Pontiac, and Hummer are going to be no more. I think everybody was expecting Pontiac to go away. I personally don't think they've made anything good in a long time.

I'm glad Hummer will be gone. The environment is breathing a sigh of relief today. The American car companies who don't seem to care about increasing fuel economy and decreasing emissions are damaged or no more.

I was a bit surprised about Saturn, though. As far as I know, they make pretty fuel efficient and light cars, but that's just from memory. Things may have changed recently. It's possible they just weren't popular.

In any case, perhaps GM will start listening to the people who would like to buy American cars, but actually want the companies to care about them. I feel sorry for all of the people this puts out of work, though. It's a shame that so many hard-working people will be jobless, and I know it's hard to find a job these days.

On another note, AT&T has just made driving more dangerous. I'm sure this was meant for people in the back seat, but still, my spider sense is tingling.

Are we really that addicted to TV that we need to watch it on the go? Can we really not miss our shows? Does it really bother us that much? I'm glad I do things like play soccer and climb. It makes me feel like I defy the status quo. It adds to my feeling of uniqueness among people in this country.

Off my soapbox now. Maybe I'll get lucky. Maybe this will be a good reboot/awakening for Americans, and maybe nobody will care to pay AT&T for their new service. One can hope.

If You Bend Me, Do I Not Charge?

This is brilliant! I want one. I'd buy it just to support use of the inherent underlying technology.

It's an awesome cell phone! I don't even know what the phone's capabilities are, but it's awesome! All I do know is that it's kinetically charged. What's it mean? "Hey, my phones running low on battery. Hold on a sec..." followed by the protagonist violently folding his phone repeatedly to charge it.

The screen bends, the keys are OK with the bending. I have to wonder what kind of actual electronics are in it, but guess what! They bend! Three cheers for Kyocera!

Don't Panic

It's amazing that nobody thought of it earlier. Or maybe somebody did (probably), but I never ran across it, and it probably wasn't free.

The application is called HearPlanet Free, and it is a tour guide application for iPhone. What more do you need to know? Go somewhere, download tour content, and hear what you should do. I think that's pretty cool.

I have only one condition. It has to say "Don't Panic" somewhere within.

Olympic Tech Envy

By now you realize I'm technologically inclined. I don't know why I am so fond of technology. It's not as though I'm one to like things just because other people do. If I did, then I'd be into things like reality television and the Motorola RAZR. I'm not. Granted, I own a RAZR, but I hate it. I purchased one not realizing its shortcomings. But I digress.

I have spent the weekend in tech envy. My family has the means to spend a bit. At least more than I do. My brother and my mom just bought iPhones. I got to play with them, and now I very desperately want one. I'm sitting here willing Dave to purchase his 3G iPhone quickly so that I can inherit (for a moderate fee) his old one. It's a phone and a PDA, but worlds better. It's fun.

I'm also sitting here watching the olympics on my parents' LCD HDTV. I don't really know why I want an LCD TV. It's not like I watch a lot of TV, I think. I mean I do, but we have a decent TV. This is a want that I can't explain.

One of the bigger pangs I've had this weekend, though, is due to my brother's car. He has a Subaru sTi. I didn't realize just how unbelievably awesome the car is until I drove it yesterday. It's a nice feeling, when pressing the accelerator, having your head pressed into the back of the driver's seat, hearing the turbo kick in, and just taking off. I realized afterward that it wasn't the tires that were squeaky, but rather my driving. The car's got enough torque to leave some of the tire rubber on the road surface. Now if only Subaru could figure out a way to get that going with better fuel economy, I'd be in business...

I also think I am too fond of the ellipse, but that's a thought to be explored at another time.

Desultory :-)

A whole host of strangeness...

First off, from the "things I wish I knew when I was learning what to eat" department, we have watermelon makes you horny. :-) 'Nuff said.

Then, a story that we all probably knew deep down, and that shows you the treachery of Cell phone companies, AT&T’s Text Messages Cost $1,310 per Megabyte. I always knew they were up to no good. And with their recent lack of desire to yield at all to a loyal customer on iPhone deals, they can go screw themselves. Maybe I'll send them text messages. It's a shame that they really don't see much of the cost from texting. Just poor little old consumer people.

Finally, in the "draperies department," solar curtains. I want some. This is the kind of stuff I want to see more used in the world. "Quick, it's sunny out, close the curtains so I can power all the toys I can buy by saving money on electricity."

The end.

Used 2G iPhone Goodness

For those who want proof of that you can activate a used 2G iPhone (since the 3G version is due out in 10 days), I got this email from AT&T support...

Thank you for taking the time to e-mail AT&T regarding how to add a used iPhone to your line with your sim card, and how to add the data plan for $20.00. I am happy to help you with your inquiry.

To activate a used iPhone on your line, please contact customer service at 1-800-331-0500 for assistance. A new sim card may be required, and the $20.00 iPhone data plan can be added to the account at the time of activation.

[...]

So, I might be getting an iPhone! I'm just glad to have proof positive that I can get the cheaper data plan. If the 3G plan was still $20, I might actually shell out the un-subsidized price for it.

Cellular Hell

I'm compelled to wax cellular due to a huge number of independently occurring but related events. It all began with a rain storm...

It was a decent day to begin with. We were at a climbing class at Great Falls, VA. Then, following lunch, the skies opened and spilled the heavens to the grounds, and my cell phone (which was protected, or so I thought, in my bag), bit the mud. I'd say it bit the dust, but it rained so much that I think no dust was left anywhere. So, my phone got a little wet during this monsoon and died a slow and painful death. Weak! It wasn't even that wet. It is a Samsung A737. Rather, it was; now it's just a useless plastic shell not suitable for anything other than reminding me to check myself into a mental institution if I purchase Samsung electronics anytime in the even remotely near future. I am now stuck using my Motorola RAZR, which is no treat either. Remember, I bought a new cell phone, which means I wanted one so badly that I was willing to commit two more years of my life to AT&T to get one. It's like leasing your soul to the devil, really. Argh...

Then, a few months later, just to stick it to me where it hurts, the 3G iPhone emerges. It's no secret that I have wanted an iPhone. Of course, a couple months after I purchase the crap-tastic Samsung A737, Apple finally decides to both release this iPhone and subsidize its cost. Damn. They would. So now I learn that with my new 2-year AT&T contract, I could have myself a brand-spanking new iPhone. I couldn't be lucky enough to have all this timing work out. Surely Apple wouldn't subsidize the cost when they didn't for the first iPhone. Yeah, right. Oh, and along with the new iPhone also comes the extra ethical question of whether you'll spend $30 US instead of $20 US for the unlimited data plan. Pretty much the last thing I want to do is give more money to a company that doesn't provide me an adequate service. Granted, part of this blame goes to my cell phone (the RAZR) since it's antenna is MISERABLE, but AT&T has had its share of jabs to my ribs, as well as to the girl's and my wallets. I had just reached the point where I would break down and pay $20/month for the iPhone. Now I don't know whether $30 is worth it. I really don't like service contracts. Plus, it's a phone! I mean, how much of The Tubes is really conveniently available on a mobile platform? More everyday, probably, but is it enough to warrant $30/month? My sources says "Outlook not so good," and I (for once!) am not talking about a Microsoft product.

A glimpse of hope then emerged with Android. That's right! Google is coming out with a cell phone software platform. It's Linux-based, and some of it is even Open Source Software. That's awesome. This could be intriguing. I wonder how this platform will do on battery consumption. It's also interesting because it looks like Nokia might try to fight back by buying and open sourcing parts of the Symbian OS, another major cell phone operating system. Let the mobile OS wars begin! I'll be happy to provide my input if somebody wants to provide me the hardware. No problem at all...

Finally, as a a motivator for my diatribe, this article on Forbes on hating your cell phone company. It starts off by saying (I'm loosely paraphrasing) that most people hate their phone companies, particularly in the customer service department. The part that excites me about this article, though, is the following quote:

Another big step: Most operators have plans to open up their networks by the end of the year to a plethora of phone manufacturers, allowing customers to keep their mobile device even if they switch carriers. So you might be able to use that cool, new phone you got at a discount for signing a service contract with T-Mobile, for instance, on AT&T's network.

That's a big thing, because I've been pissed in the past that I couldn't purchase phones that meet my needs because they were locked to another provider, and purchasing one that was unlocked would cost me our house or first born. Rumplestiltskin has got to be behind at least one cell phone company.

So what does this all mean in the long run? It means that (and this is all speculative) the cell phone companies may open up a bit and that there may be a major mobile OS-war that I hope will lead to good, competitive, inspired ideas for cell phones. It means I'm going to have to buy another cell phone before any of this happens. It hopefully means that more of said Tubes could be made available for mobile platforms, and that it may be fun to own a capable phone. Will it be the best of times for mobile providers and companies? Is the endless griping from the consumers they claim to care about actually making them see that they don't care? I hope so.
Read more...

A Good Solid Jolt to My Expectations

Wednesday began as a day of fear, continued as a day of extreme happiness, and ended in solid confusion and concern with happy undertones from mid-day. The final portion will be left as an exercise for the reader, unlike the first two, which will be explained in very uncertain terms...

Wednesday was promotion feedback day. I just started my program, so my expectations were dismally low. I've also had a bit of emotional roughness in the beginning of my program, so sometimes getting anything done felt as though I had to pound my way through the brick wall of beaurocracy with a 50 pound weight on my chest and no will to pull through. I've since gotten better. Fortunately, I also learned that my perseverence paid off. I got promoted this year, and I got good bonus because I was among the good writeups my wonderful boss (you know who you are) wrote for interns in our office. So, by about lunch, I could float pretty much anywhere in Maryland I wanted. The rest of the day happened, confused me greatly, concerned me, and continues to, but I'm still happy about the promotion and the bonus. Life is never only one thing at once, is it? That's what multi-tasking is for. Otherwise we'd all run single-task operating systems. I can't help it; I'm a geek who climbs.

So, with my newfound monetary increase, the 64-bit machine I talked about awhile ago my actually come to fruition. I'm excited. I want to order it now, but I should probably wait until I see the bonus. I'm also going to have to think about a new cell phone since my BRAND NEW one bit the dust because it GOT A LITTLE WET! Do me a favor; don't buy Samsung electronics. You'll be happier in the long run. I haven't had one in recent memory that hasn't had major problems. Microwave? Check. Cell phone? Check. Sanity? Double check. Samsung is to me as Ford is to my parents; eternally and unerringly wretched.

Stimulating the Economy, One Obsession at a Time

It's a shame. I'm sure I could stimulate the economy like a fiend if the government wanted to give me more than $600. I could burn through twice that easily. If I had my way, I'd immediately go out and put together a 64-bit machine (all priced out already) so that I could mess around with virtualization, Mac OS X, and Compiz Fusion, among other things.

In the middle of that, I'd take a break and go out to buy some ropes for an outdoor climbing setup. I'm just dying to spend time outside climbing on real rock.

On the way back from that, I'd go out and by one of the impending 3G iPhones. I really dislike AT&T, but then I really dislike all cell phone providers and phone developers, so it's just a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils, or rather the option that affords me the most fun. If I can't find a phone with a good battery life that I can sync with my Mac for an affordable, I might as well go all out and play with a new toy.

Oh, yeah, then I'd order a Mac Mini with a touch screen LCD and make a car PC, complete with GPS, radio, and an HSDPA data connection for completely mobility. :-) That'd get me Leopard, too, which would be very not bad.

Instead, I have to prevent myself from spending compulsively. I'll probably just choose one from my list when the check arrives. Maybe two, depending. It'll likely be the computer, since I just have so much trouble justifying giving AT&T any more money, and I dislike subscriptions pretty intensely. It pretty much seems these days like subscriptions entail ever-increasing costs and ever-decreasing customer care and service. Comcast blows. AT&T blows. Insurance is a pain in the ass, since you pay somebody to cover your ass and have to fight with them when something goes wrong.

Enough complaining. Time to return to the mold of being a good consumer.