Angels

"We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another"
--Luciano de Crescenzo

Listen...

"Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf."
- American Indian Proverb

Problems With Blackberry 8830 Verizon Edition

I have an 8830 "world edition" blackberry smartphone from Verizon wireless and I have to note a few things I wish could be improved.

* There's a GPS built into the device, but VZ disabled it so you can't use it because Verizon wants you to pay an extra $20/month for their Navigation service. That stinks.

* The 8830 seems to have a severe memory management problem, dumping txts and email, phone and call logs without warning, a few times a week.

* Having no camera is bad enough, but not able to receive Picture messages without using the web browser is kinda dumb.

* Other devices allow YouTube and streaming video/audio but not so on the 8830, presumably so you'll sign up for "vCast".

* More of an "I wish" for Verizon itself, the fact that I can't use just the data plan (or the phone+texting without data plan is pretty ludicrous. Its just money, after all, but while going with Verizon may mean great cellular service (reception) it also means a hefty bite from your wallet each month.

Hopefully, Verizon won't leave 8830 users behind as they roll out software for the Pearl, Storm and other new Blackberries.

Will the Super-IM App for Blackberry Please Stand?

My Blackberry does some amazing things.

Really.

I've said before that it's the fastest, most reliable, and most versatile handheld communication tool I have ever used.

Combined with Blackberry Enterprise Server and Exchange, and the mind becomes dizzy in hyper-connected communicado geekness.

Windows Mobile bites. (Really). Palm is out of the limelight. iPhone is sexy, sure, but its best for music, movies, games, finding where you parked, or calculating the tip.

When it comes to mobile productivity, Blackberry isn't as hot as Apple's favorite beauty-queen daughter (iPhone). It's more like a homely, plain worker who knows how to work, and simply gets it right, all the time.

But, there's still one area GLARING for attention: COMBINED, SIMPLE INSTANT MESSAGING.

Blackberry already has I.M. apps both for their own BB Messenger and look-alikes for Yahoo, MSN, Gtalk and others. But the age-old dilemma still exists when trying to live simultaneously on multiple messenger networks (let alone if you have multiple logins for one network thanks to multiple business/professional connections).

The only ways to login in several places requires shady, 3rd party app downloads where bugs & errors run rampant, and you cross your fingers that the russian text you read on the author's website didn't translate to "Whitepaper: How to steal everything sacred from dumb blackberry users."

Here is my plea, Blackberry: You kill at communication apps. Srsly. Every productivity hack knows this. When will you go the last mile and give us an instant messenger client that works across multiple networks, with one installation? I have many email addresses and txt/pin messages that all show up under one inbox... Is this too different?

If you won't do it, please tell me when somebody does!

Your Only Purpose

Left to itself, a grape plant will always favor new growth over more grapes.

That's why the vinedresser cuts away unnecessary shoots, no matter how vigorous...

Because a vineyard's only purpose is... Grapes.

[Secrets of the Vine, p. 59]

Conversation With A Six Year-old

[My daughter said she wasn't feeling well when it was time for her to go to Sunday School today. I checked in with her mid-way through class to see how she was feeling. This is approximately how the conversation went]

Me: "Feeling ok?"
K: "Yeah, lots better."
Me: "Good. We should hang out."
K: "...and, play 'tackle time'?"
Me: "Sure! Awesome."
K: (thinking hard)... "But... we should play at home, 'cause that wouldn't be very reverent to do at church."

Oh No

Oh, no.

 

I just deleted an email that was forwarded to everyone in West Virgina, everyone in the Mountain time zone, and all employees of Nabisco...

 

It's my undestanding that Bill Gates himself received this email on his top-secret GMAIL account and was so astonished at, that he promised to pay everyone who reads it $1.00 and also would pay $1.00 for everyone they forward it on to (since they have a new software they just launched that tracks such things).  Bernie Madoff got the email on his Verizon Wireless Web-enabled phone and immediately forwarded it to everyone in New York, claiming it was bea sure-fire moneymaker.

 

Also, the person who sent it to the person who sent it to the person who sent it to the person who sent it to the person who sent it to me knew of a person who knew of a person who knew of a person who knew of a person who got a mysterious check co-signed by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and for $9,346.98 three weeks and two days after he forwarded this very same email to everybody in his address book (which happens to be the same week he rescued the Mrs. Fields' cookie recipe from being stolen, and single-handedly supressed a violent vigilante uprising in Nigeria through helping their Minister of Foreign Aid to escape the country through a small wire-transfer of $17,346.22).

 

The problem is, the President of Argentina apparently got this very same email (it has been circulating for THAT LONG) and called it "junk", then his son died eight days later!! "Of course, this is a hoax," I thought, until I was stunned to learn that The son of former Argentina president Carlos Menem was, indeed, killed in a helicopter accident in 1995. WOW. I don't know anybody that was using email in 1995 except russian hackers, Al Gore, and Strongbad. Also, upon further research, I have learned that a lot of famous people's parents must have deleted this email too because a lot of them have died, too.

 

If you have anything you never told me, that you have to get off your chest, now is the time... because my days, it appears, are numbered.

Bread Lines Spotted in California

Fox News reports that bread lines have begun popping up in California.

Many say a depression doesn't have to be great, that the economy can sink into a milder depression. The Salvation Army says it's happening now, and in San Diego County, people are standing in line outside a Salvation Army waiting for donated bread.

Salvation Army director of communications Suzi Woodruff Lacey said they are seeing people from all walks of life: "white collar, blue collar, people who have lost their jobs, people who are in danger of losing their homes."

Bread lines were regularly seen in the 1930s during the Great Depression, when unemployment peaked at more than 25 percent and the stock market lost 90 percent of its value. Today, California's unemployment rate hit 8.4 percent.

BUYER BEWARE Baymont Inn, Salt Lake City Doubles Price, Attempts Fruadulent Charges

Consumerist reports a scary incident occurring at The Baymont Inn in Salt Lake City (2080 West North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT):

 

Snip: "The Baymont Inn in Salt Lake City quoted Ryan a price of $739 for his stay, but when he arrived, the hotel manager claimed the rate was $1,400. The manager refused to lower the price, even after a desk clerk verified that Ryan had been offered the $739 rate. The manager finally relented after telling Ryan that the hotel would recoup the loss by taking the difference out of the clerk's salary. Two days after Ryan checked out, he discovered that the manager had tried to charge over $2,000 to his credit card.

 

They quoted me $739 plus tax on four occasions by three employees before I arrived. When I went to check out they tried to charge me $1400 almost double what the told me the price would be. When I said that is unfair... the manager than began to demean me as not being smart enough to be worth his time because I was a lowly mechanical engineer not a computer science major.

 

The employee (Sloan) that originally quoted $739 was right there and told the manager that I was telling the truth.

 

The manager (Mohammed) then told me I was a lying and that he would not honor what his employees told me. During this time he was very hostile to me and tried to guilt me into paying the $1400 by telling me he was going to take it out of the employees (Sloan's) pay.

 

...

 

I  just want to warn people not to stay at this hotel. I also will not be staying at any Baymont Inn / Windham Hotel owned property again. This is not how I wanted to spend the last morning of my ski trip."

How Are You Treating Mobile Users?

"91% of the planet keep the mobile phone within arm's reach 24/7. It is literally the last thing we look at before we go to sleep and again the first thing we see when we wake up." - Morgan Stanley Report

Bold move

Saw an "earn extra income" flier on one of the Porche's here at work. LOL.

Higher

"Although I would like the world to change, it helps me to appreciate those nights and those dreams.

"But my friend, I'd sacrifice all those nights if I could make the earth and my dreams the same.

"The only difference is to let love replace all our hate."

Higher, Creed

Foreclosure? Everybodys doing it.

There have been more than 250,000 foreclosures in the US for the last four months in a row.

Economic freefall?

"The US economy lost 20,000 a day [in January, 2009]" - marketplace.org

Proud to be American?

Something tells me the demand for Statue of Liberty Costumes is up right now.

Between those and the cheesy Quicken commercials with the stuffy, money-green, "dead presidents" cracking tired tax jokes like "your deduction needs a diaper change" I'm super proud of my American-ness these days.

Monetize everything!

(You might as well, because I am... But you likely didn't notice given how "cleverly" I've positioned ads on this website!)

Unexpress Checkout

Point-of-Sale systems hate me.

I try to do my duty as a consumer and deal with the anti-care, "self-checkout" robots, built mysteriously similar to "one-armed bandit" style casino games.

... Except, at casinos, there's a chance you might get money back.

My most-awkward problem with any transaction these days is navigating the credit-card scanner/pin-number-entry/would-you-like-to-donate-$2-to-the-march-of-dimes/please-swipe-your-card-at-any-time teminals.

First, I swipe the card too soon (though it says to swipe anytime).

Then I press the wrong button to declare a credit transaction, not debit one (so I have to start over).

Then, I decline the offer for a donation or enrollment in some "loyalty" program.

Finally, I have to successfully find the "OK" button to authorize the amount to be charged (which I usually get wrong because I've said "no" to everything else I've been asked (or pitched) in the preceeding 5 minute transaction.

And then I can sign the receipt, apologize to the 9 people in line behind me, and leave.

Quickly.

Superbowl Commercials

I have always respected smart, super-witty commercials that tell a good/funny/serious story without resorting to sex/money/violence/shock to get their point across.

Apparently, I don't watch enough "regular TV" because the commercials airing right now during the Superbowl use all of the latter to get attention, but fail to deliver any of the former.

Easy Tonight

You were wrong
You were right
You are gone... Tonight

You were free
So alive
You were wrong
You were right

You were down
You could see
You wore hearts for me

You were sharp
Sharp as knives
You were wrong
You were right

Shot down said you never had the chance
Took a ride on a suicide romance
Could have sworn there was somebody home
To facilitate the great unknown
Woman, I aint going to meet you anywhere
Dont know where Im going yet
But I sure am getting there

Shotgun fire anybody home
I got two dimes in the telephone
Alright
Its not easy tonight

--
"Easy Tonight" by Five for Fighting

Wisconsin is Colder Than You

65 above zero:
Floridians turn on the heat.
People in Wisconsin plant gardens.

60 above zero:
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Wisconsin sunbathe.

50 above zero:
Italian & English cars won't start.
People in Wisconsin drive with the windows down.

40 above zero:
Georgians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats.
People in Wisconsin throw on a flannel shirt.

35 above zero:
New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Wisconsin have the last cookout before it gets cold.

20 above Zero
People in Miami all die.
Wisconsinites close the windows.

Zero:
Californians fly away to Mexico .
People in Wisconsin get out their winter coats.

10 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Wisconsin are selling cookies door to door.

20 below zero:
Washington DC runs out of hot air.
People in Wisconsin let the dogs sleep indoors.

30 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Wisconsinites get upset because they can't start the Snowblower.

40 below zero:
ALL atomic motion stops.
People in Wisconsin start saying...'Cold enough fer ya?'

50 below zero:
You know what freezes over.
Wisconsin public schools will open 2 hours late

Razor Blades

Price of razor blades makes me think Gillette isn't in a recession.

Unemployment High

589,000 people applied for first-time unemployment benefits this week, a 26 year high.

More Connections

People who want to network (p) is inversely proportional to the state of the Economy (e).

Unfortunately.

Inauguration Day

Interestingly, I can't think of a single inaguration I've ever watched live.

I'm sure I saw them in school, but I just don't remember them.

Today, as I'm watching this, its interesting, while I'm here at work around 30 or 40 coworkers, its interesting that the one singular thing I can think of right now is that I should be huddling my children with me today, making sure they know, if anything else, how truly remarkable this day is.

God Bless America.

Currently 5 degrees.

It was 9 degrees when I left home 20 minutes ago.

Welcome to Inversionville :(

Defroster is having hardly any effect on any of the ice coating my car.

Hey, Capital One

What's no longer in my wallet?

YOU.

... And anybody else who changes their terms behind my back, charges additional or annual fees--or keeps their fees the same for reduced service.

In this economy? Do you really think I'm not watching you, and willing in a HEARTBEAT to move my loyalty ($$) to someone who want to parter with ME?

YoumussbethinkinI'mcrazy.