iPhone iRony 2

Howard G. has a long and winding account of some new-adopters' experiences w/the iPhone. Frankly, I'm an ITP alum as well, and, while I learned a bit about getting devices to do what they're supposed to do (and what they're not supposed to do), I was a little disappointed in the enthusiasm on the ITP list. If I'm not permitted to write software for this computer/phone, I'm not really interested in it until someone writes a compiler for it and/or figures out how to get something going on it.

As far as 'how-many-ITPers-does-it-take-to-activate-an-iPhone' goes, I'm amazed at how well this worked for Apple and Cingular. I mean, imagine getting this integration work done? Who the hell wants to make a deal w/ubergeek Jobs? And, once you do, then what happens? If the $17.50/hr snotty macweenies that man the counter in the retail stores are called 'geniuses', what do they call the ones that show up at the meetings w/the Cingular techs? Applegodswhoeatallothergods? And what were they wearing when they showed up? Black hemp jodhpurs and invisible x-ray spectacles? If it were me, I'd pass on those meetings... just send me your technical brief and I'll email you a response in 3-4 business days.

the 4th? Feh.

We are still at war dying and spending billions so that the Bush family and friends can continue their legacy of wealth. Little Bush has appointed judges to the supreme court who are now tilting things considerably more conservatively and against civil rights, I might add... which is neither conservative nor liberal, just anti-human. He also has now appointed himself 'judge', commuting a jail sentence for his friend, Scooter. At the same time, dozens of citizens of various countries have been rotting in prison for up to 6 years without being charged and without any sense of process for legal trial or justice. Privacy, expression, and the right to travel freely about the US and internationally has been curtailed. Private wealth and the greed to grow it further is once again weighing heavily on regular folks. This time, it's manipulation of mortgage securities by Bear Stearns and who knows who else. This could impact many people's ability to buy and sell their homes. What exactly is there to celebrate?

Happy 4th of July. I would suggest that we all eat a Scooter Pie, but don't bother. We already did.

iPhone iRony

Congratulations. You just bought an iPhone.

Okay, so, I'm not that old, but, I'm old enough to remember that telephone exchanges used to have names so you could remember the first 2 letters of your phone number. Mine was "Mohawk" (MO4). Aside from this. The whole iPhone nonsense is funny. There were people scrambling... nay, waiting for days to pay $600 for a phone. A phone that costs you ~$100+/mnth to run. Okay, so, value over the course of one year is equal to what... a luxurious 4 day weekend excursion to Paris? Or a decent used car? Or a really nice bicycle (or 2 very good ones)? Instead, you've purchased yet another EMF-emitting, battery-powered thing that allows anyone to remotely play a song in your pocket? So much for being green... and please don't forget to turn it off before yoga class, ok?

I hearken back to a story an old curmudgeonly boss told me once. He said, "Eric, what if I told you that I invented a device that would allow any asshole with a quarter to make a bell ring in your house. Would you want that device? And then, what if I told you that this invention was going to make me a wealthy man and that it would spawn one of the greatest monopolies since Standard Oil. Would you believe me?"

Yes, dear friends. That invention is the telephone. Okay, perhaps I'm being a curmudgeon myself here... but seriously. How about this... apparently you need to use iTunes to activate your new iPhone. Okay, so, let's say you went out and bought a new fancy microwave/convection/conventional oven. You get it professionally installed. But it doesn't work? It powers on, but, an hour later, the turkey meatloaf is still raw and cold. You call up customer service, and they say, "Okay, I've heard this one before. Try this... please plug your oven into your surround-sound receiver, and switch the receiver to AUX."

Curmudgeon? Bad consumer? Fine. But, if I'm not being a good consumer, you're a stunner, nay, a wild-eyed throw-your-money-at-the-hip-geek devotee. And, let me know if you find a good PT for that new repetitive motion disorder you've got from that stretchy-expandy gesture you have to teach yourself now.

The price of IKEA furniture

ok. so maybe I should learn to expect 2 to 3 trips to IKEA to get a functional piece of furniture that doesn't have the cheap veneers coming off of it. Do they have any quality control whatsoever? So, at least with this latest purchase they actually had the piece in stock in all colors/finishes. I was stunned when I heard this from the IKEA terminal drone. I guess it was too good to be true... the reason why they were all stocked up is because the boxes in the warehouse were filled with particle board covered with veneers that were applied with turkey spit. I think I'd rather deal w/the inventory issues.