Wandering Neuron

Comcast, I will always hate you.

2009-01-25T09:19:00.002-06:00

Well, I haven't posted in a while, so I might as well post a little ditty about Comcast because it seems that they at least read the blog here. Funny, I get more of a reaction from Comcast on this blog than their vapid customer service.

Here in Chicago we've had an ongoing bout with lousy Comcast service as exhibited in a thread at DSLReports. Now, I've experienced this for about 18 months now maybe more. Maybe less. And have had many dealings with Comcast's customer service, none of them rectifying the problem. So, finally, last night I had to call again, because it is ridiculous to pay them and get lousy service. Now, the first person I talked to was pleasant and after sorting out some administrative data that Comcast still hasn't been able to get right after about three years (like my frikin' address), she credited me a week and forwarded me to "home networking" explaining that they were going to be able to troubleshoot my problems (she actually was able to figure out that I knew what power-cycling my modem was, and that I actually knew how to use a router...refreshing).

Well, the next individual who picks up the phone isn't from 'round these parts. Which I don't really have a problem with, it's when they start reading the script and beginning all over again, and obviously don't have a clue when it comes to what the situation is to begin with before they start throwing out suggestions: "Sir, it's your router." No. It's not. Same thing happens without the router. "Oh, well, then it's your cable modem." No. It's not. It's my third cable modem. "Oh..." What a complete waste of time. It doesn't help that this is pretty much a known problem in Chicago, and that my neighbors have the same problem. No. Not at all.

And now we come to ComcastCares who keep posting comments on my blog. I'm glad you guys are reading this, but stop surfing the internet for Comcast hate mail and fix your Chicago issues. Oh, and get some decent customer service. It amazes me how the one contact companies have with their customers inevitably makes you want to get rid of that company.

The Shield Finale

2008-12-02T18:13:00.003-06:00

I've had a week to digest the finale of The Shield and to read some critics's take on it. I agree with some, disagree with others. I suppose a halmark of great televsion is that it is provocative. I know some people can't watch The Shield, they find the characters distasteful. I think that's what makes them so enticing (and it doesn't hurt that the acting is excellent...Michael Chiklis deserves something). I couldn't stand Forest Whitaker's Kavanaugh, but he was an excellent character. How many shows today make you really hate their characters?

I've talked about the comparison between Vic Mackey and Tony Soprano. I think that the title of Most Evil goes to Vic. There's just no way Tony could ever top what Vic did to Ronnie. But, having said that, Vic used Ronnie just like he's used everyone else. The one good thing you could say about Vic is that when it came down to a choice between making imaginary charges against his wife go away and Ronnie's immunity, he chose his family. Not really sure that makes it any better, Ronnie's going to jail for the rest of his life.

A couple of things I took away from the finale of The Shield. There's that whole scene where Vic finally rips the camera off the wall in the interrogation room. No more of this subtle unplugging it every time he's going to beat a confession out of someone. And when he's looking into it, is he looking at Claudette? Or everyone out there interested in keeping Vic from his own devices? I see that image of Vic staring out of the monitor and just think how much he must hate a witness he can't convince to change their story.

I also can't help but think that, at the end of The Shield, how it began. It didn't start with Vic bursting onto the scene as the corrupt and brutal strike team leader. No. That's where his confession starts, with the death of Terry Krowley, but that can't be the start of his descent. By the end of the series the writers have given Vic reasons for doing what he does: autistic kids, keeping clear of the impending Krowley investigations, settling up with the Armenians, etc, etc. But those things weren't around at the beginning. He's far to complicated to just be evil (not that we don't get a glimpse of that from time to time).

Then there's Vic's punishment: cubicle hell. Fitting to a degree, but did we ever really get the feeling that Vic is in love with the streets? He found bad guys, made them pay, literally sometimes. But I think it's more his love for the art of the deal. Vic was always at his finest brokering a way out of a situation he had jumped into in both feet. Not with a gun (although sometimes it was helpful) but with threats and promises. Of course, threats get you nowhere without backing them up, and certainly Vic had a body count. But, for Vic, death was almost always a byproduct of a bad deal.

At the very end, Vic takes his gun out of a strongbox, puts it in the back of his pants, and smirks that little I'm not finished smirk and walks out. Of course he has a plan. If we've learned any one thing from the last five years, Vic always had a plan. But what could that plan be?

Turkey Day Confessional The Third

2008-11-27T08:49:00.002-06:00

My third Thanksgiving post and commemorating my second year of saying
so much about so little. Well, not for the last few months, but
that's for a good reason.

Alright. So, I have a problem. I'm not spending Thanksgiving with my
family this year and blogging about my present surroundings has been
ruled out due to a NDA with a nasty retribution clause. What is one
to do?

My familiy is currently honoring the hallowed, time-honored tradition,
of recalls when the Pilgrims called up the local restaurant and had
the turkey and all the fixings delivered ready to eat, which I also
believe involved the use of a microwave brought over on the Mayflower
specifically to reheat soup at 9am.

But that's their thing, they aren't alone in that tradition, and where
the food comes from is probably not as important as the company or the
sufficient supply of wine. So I mostly jest, and I admit I miss the
9am call for soup reheating. But new things, new traditions, etc.

Mostly I miss labradors flocking around the dinner table. They're
like little Whos from Whosville who don't realize the Grinch won't be
shoveling turkey into them.

Rumors of my demise

2008-11-12T18:53:00.002-06:00

Greatly exaggerated. I had, for a moment, contemplated ceasing blogging. Or, maybe, blogging less. Let's face it, blogging is pretty self-aggrandizing, even if I do claim I do it just to write. And I do like to write, and I make myself laugh. But then, a lot starts happening in life and the self-aggrandizing part isn't necessary, but can I really not take the five minutes that I would otherwise be playing Fallout 3 and type a few words for a few fans? See, self-aggrandizing. Well, why the hell not?

And now, do I busy myself catching up on all the stuff I didn't blog about? The Chicago marathon, my sister's wedding, the election, my success with cold fusion? No, I don't think so. I think we'll just drive on where we left off and carry on 'til dawn.

That's it for now. Just the dip of a toe to see how the water is. More soon.

Debate

2008-10-07T21:21:00.001-05:00

I am of the opinion that McCain was all over Obama in this evening's debate. Just sayin.

One Week!

2008-10-05T18:59:00.003-05:00

One week from today I should be done with my first Chicago Marathon. I am excited and a little anxious. I don't necessarily care what my time is, I just want to finish. That's it. Next year, I'll worry about times.

And this morning there was the Bucktown 5k. A fun run. It wasn't far, but pfft, I wasn't happy with how I felt during the run. I've dismissed it. It doesn't do any good to dwell on such things, especially when most runs, like the marathon, tend to be largely psychological.

As far as the politics go, I could care less. The whole McCain/Obama/Palin/Biden thing is just killing me. I could not be less impressed with any of them. I think there are a lot of Dems out there who are incredibly excited about Obama, but have no idea why other than it counts as a vote against some conservative policy and the current administration. But, what does Obama actually have a plan for? A policy? I don't think they have any idea. And then there's the McCain supporters. I can think of only one word for them: begrudgingly.

In other news, my Comcast internet connectivity is the worst it has ever been. I'm sort of resigned to this crap until I can get AT&T DSL or Verizon FiOS. I've had no connection, whatsoever in the evenings for the last several days. I imagine it has to do with the fact that Comcast can't handle the traffic that's being generated by the baseball playoffs. Why I am paying for that, I have no idea. And, to call them just so they can send an idiot-tech out to tell me it's fine, that's crap.

Speaking of baseball, how about those Cubs? Unbelieveable. Really. How do you get swept in three games when you are the best team in baseball? Not to take anything away from the Dodger's. They played impressive ball, and the Cubs stunk. I don't think I am a huge Cubs fan, but I'd like to see them pull it off sometime. I think the better the Cubs are during the season, the worst the heart break at the end. There are fathers out there, life-long Cubs fans, telling their sons not to follow their team. No, no, I'm sure they'd rather be Pirates fans instead. There's no dissappointment if you have no expectations.

Sorry about the infrequent postings lately. I think I post more when I am not content with my everyday life. Things have been pretty damn good lately so I find myself with less to bitch about. Even Comcast can't keep me angry. I'm just going to deal with them when I can. I do need to keep up with the blogging from the 'writing is good' standpoint though.

Whoa

2008-09-20T13:39:00.002-05:00

It has been well over a month since my last post, which is pretty much a huge no-no when it comes to blogging. I haven't had a lot to say in the last month, because, well, I haven't had a lot to say. A lot has happened in that month: political conventions, stock market shenanigans, and well, I don't know, other stuff.

I'm in the middle of training for the marathon, which probably also keeps me occupied. Running 18 miles during the week, and then 20 on the weekend (okay, this Sunday is my first 20-miler) is something of a time-sync. You don't really realize how much time you spend running until, one-day, you're a mile into a 6-miler and your iPod is out of power. That's funny, I swear I plugged it in last week. Yeah, it's getting a lot of use. So far, so good though. No IT band problems, or stuff like that.

It's my first marathon, so anybody with more than a couple under their belt will be less than impressed by my musings. But, something I've known for a while now, running is a tremendously psychological experience. The one truth about running is that there will be pain. Now, you take steps to limit the pain: good shoes that fit, eating/hydrating, body glide. But there will be pain. So, at some point, it's all about managing it. But what a tremendous lesson that can prove to be too.

So far it has been a tremendous experience, let's see how I feel after 26.2.

More Symaningans

2008-08-16T13:50:00.002-05:00

For those of you keeping track, I contacted Symantec on July 28 to refund $63.74. I received an email telling me, today, that I would receive a refund of $51.99 in the next 14 days. My response was somewhat curt, stating that I expected the refund to equal the original charge.

Seriously, what is wrong with this company? I swear, I will never, ever, ever purchase another Symantec product as long as I live. It will be six weeks by the time they refund my money, and even then it probably won't be the full amount. This is criminal on their part. I mean it. I think they've actually tried to steal money from me.

Let's review: Symantec. Worst. Company. Ever.

Alright, moving on. In my last post I mentioned that the NBA-players at the olympics weren't the best we had to offer. Well, I think I misspoke. I think there's some extremely talented folks on that team. I think, perhaps, basketball shouldn't be an Olympic sport. Neither should badmitton though. Oh, and here's my new favorite: trampoline. How is that a sport?! And it's an a qualifier? Pfft. As if it could get less important.

A new company I hate: Symantec

2008-08-12T03:50:00.003-05:00

I am going to take a break from hating Comcast for a week. While I am delighted they're apparently reading my blog, I'd rather they were helping customers. But, then again, it doesn't take too long to tell someone you are going to send someone out to their house and you'll charge them if it's their problem. Brilliant.

No, today we talk about Symantec. I'll give this to Comcast: at least their customer support people are in the United States. For Symantec, that's right, India.

So, a couple months ag o I was done with Norton 360 for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it wasn't for me. I thought it was adequate for what it was, but there were better solutions. I discarded the program and thought nothing of it. Then, about two months ago, I received an email from Norton stating that if I did not take certain steps, I would be automatically charged for a one-year renewal.

First, let me tell you what a pathetic, horrible, business practice it is to automatically charge someone a year post-purchase for another year of anti-virus subscriptions. To just assume that you can charge a credit card that has been maintained by your company is a bit ridiculous. But, they gave notification in this case, for all the good it did me.

I followed the necessary steps, to the letter, to not have my credit card charged. I even emailed Symantec's customer support and made clear to them that I did not want to be charged. No, thank you. I do not want a brandy, warm milk, or Ovaltine. I do not want to give money to Symantec for a product I am not using.

Imagine my consternation on July 28, 2008 when I saw a $60.00 charge from Symantec on my credit card bill. What. The. Fuck.

Well, I immediatley contacted their crack customer service people. I was told that this was a "mistake" and that it had been happening to other people. Oh, and that they were trying to find out "why it happened." Here's a clew chief: you guys suck. That's why it happened.

Anyway, I was promised a refund within the week. The guy, from India even called me to ask me if I had received my refund, three times. No. No refund. Oh, well, it should be in there. No, it's not. Oh, well, it takes another day. No refund.

So, a week goes by and I am getting very, very pissed off and contemplating all sorts of action: contesting my credit card, police reports, complaints to the Attorney General. And, how about a blog post? Oh, yeah.

Well, I write customer service, again, because I am not going to wait 30 minutes on hold just to talk to someone I can't understand who is reading a computer screen. This time I am told the following:

Discussion Thread
------------------------------

---------------------------------
Response (Raja Manikandan) - 08/12/2008 12:00 AM
Welcome back Eric,

Thank you for your response and details.

We are unable to process the refund at this time. However, I have escalated it to our refund team. Our team is working on this, and we will contact you shortly with a resolution.

We ask that you bear with us, and we also apologize for inconvenience this has caused.

Thank you for your patience.

If we can be of further assistance, please contact us.

Regards,

Raja Manikandan
Norton Support

Weeks later and Symantec is still jerking my chain. Sadly, I will probably have to do all of the things I listed above. What Symantec has done here is pretty much theft. After being explicitely told that they were not to charge my credit card (and asked why the hell they even still had it on file, which I would have never agreed to had I known) they did it anyway. That's stealing, folks.

So, let's review: Symantec = Bad. If you buy something from them, which I would encourage you to not do, just be forewarned that you may be partaking of a gift that keeps on giving. And honestly, their product isn't worth this amount of bullshit. Just remember that when you see Norton Antivirus on sale at CostCo. Symantec, knowing this, has just decided to steal money from money because they know I won't buy another one of their products. Ever.

And just to be fair, a company called PC Tools did the same, exact thing to me. They, however, after one email, were able to refund my money within 24 hours. That's a decent company and I would consider doing business with them again. PC Tools = Good. Symantec = Bad.

Please, tip your waitress.

More Comcast Suckage

2008-08-07T20:14:00.004-05:00

Yeah yeah yeah. I don't post for a while and then I do and I bitch about Comcast. What else is new?

So, the latest, is the same problem: slow downloads in the PM, and intermittent service. This time, I emailed their customer service. Why? Because I am tired of waiting to talk to them on the phone only to be told that they have to send a "technician" out.

Let's define the word "technician" insofar as it applies to the guy that Comcast is going to send out. Their "technician" is a guy in a beat up van who is preprogrammed to do the following: show up during a four-hour window (in my case, the last time one showed up, late), check the connections, replace a connection, run a speed-test on the computer, and, as long as numbers come back on the screen, proclaim there to be no problem.

The last "technician" that came out did a speed test. He read the result, 1,600 kbit/sec and told me I was luck to be getting 16 megabytes a second. I just shook my head and thanked him for my time. Because, you know, that was the guy who could fix a packet-loss problem.

So, I send an email. The first response I get back is this:

Dear Eric,

We apologize for the inconvenience you've experienced.

I understand that it can be frustrating when your Comcast High-Speed
Internet service does not seem to be operating to standard. There are a
number of possible causes for the sudden drop in download times and Web
page access rates, including*:

1. Lack of memory, such as insufficient RAM, or low available hard
drive (disk) space
2. Size of the host server
3. Full tracking files on the hard drive

LACK OF MEMORY
One cause of perceived slow speeds is lack of memory, such as
insufficient RAM, or low available hard drive (disk) space. If you are
running other programs in the background when connected to Comcast and
the Internet, they may be taking up additional resources needed for
sufficient speeds. If you have more than one browser installed, or are
running more than one browser, this can also take up additional memory.
Our suggestion is to close some of these programs and then proceed.

SIZE OF THE HOST SERVER

The capacity of individual host servers across the Internet will impact
your ability to transfer data. Larger servers with higher processing
speeds will provide faster downloads. Once you leave the Comcast
network, you will be limited by the capacity of the server that manages
the information you are requesting.

CHECKING THE TRACKING FILES (Cache and History)

While browsing the Internet, your computer uses cache and history files
to store specific information about a Web page on your hard drive. These
files enable the browser to find the same pages more quickly when you
access them later.

The cache file stores page information for quick retrieval; a cached
page is accessed more easily than the original page; frequent updates by
the browser ensure you are getting the most recent version.

The history file stores a running list of the sites you have visited in
a given time period. Please remember each time you access a new page,
new information is added to your hard drive that uses valuable space.
Therefore, the cache and history files should be cleared on a regular
basis--daily, if you visit a number of pages. Allowing information to
accumulate in these files will slow your download speed.

If you are not sure how to clear your cache, history, and cookies, I
have included the link to our help site that contains the instructions
with helpful, easy-to-understand illustrations.

Please click on this link to view the detailed instructions clearing
your cache and cookies with graphical illustrations:

http://faq.comcast.net/faq/answer.jsp?name=17896&cat=Browser&subcategory=Internet%20Explorer&CM.src=esupm

To improve the overall performance of your computer, I would suggest you
follow the link I provided below. There are a few different things you
can check, and test on your computer.

http://faq.comcast.net/faq/answer.jsp?name=18159&cat=Computer%20Setup&subcategory=1&CM.src=esupm

If after your Internet Explorer has been reset, cache, history, and
cookies cleared, and you have checked all the items located on the
previous page, please send us an e-mail or chat message to a customer
care specialist for further troubleshooting. To make this session as
quick as possible for you, I suggest you have the answers to as many of
the questions listed below as possible:

1. Have the slow speeds occurred before?
2. Have you been to these sites before?
3. What other services, if any, have you attempted to access, such as
FTP, E-mail, Chat, or other?
4. Does this problem affect your mail or newsgroups?
5. Do the slow speeds occur on a daily basis? If so, have you noticed a
pattern to this, such as, does it happen at the same time of day, and if
so, at what time?
6. What days and times has this problem occurred otherwise?
7. What are the transfer rates you have seen in general?
8. Has this affected only one site, or multiple sites? If it is
multiple sites, what are the names or URL's of these sites?
9. Do you have any ping results or trace routes to the sites that are
slow on a regular basis?

To eliminate any additional hardware, it will also be best if you
disconnect any networking equipment you have, and ensure your computer
is connected directly to your cable modem. After you have completed
that, you will want to End Task on all programs you have open. In
Windows that would include what is in the system tray next to the clock
on the Start Bar. In the Macintosh Operating System, you would want to
close all open windows under the Windows selection on the file bar.
After you only have the Operating System running then you'll want to run
a few tests.

If you are having issues accessing one site, please ping and trace to
that site. Also run a ping to your default gateway. This will give us an
indication of where the problem is occurring. You can reply with the
results of these tests or you can chat with one of our Online Customer
Support Specialists 24 hour a day, 7 days a week at

http://www.comcastsupport.com/chat

If you need instruction on how to run any of these tests, please let us
know and we will send those instructions to you.

*Please note: In addition to the above mentioned items, the connection
you choose (Ethernet/NIC vs. USB) can also have an effect on your
Internet connection speeds. Ethernet is the preferred connection for
prime Comcast High-Speed Internet connection speeds. Connecting via a
USB cable may limit your broadband connection speeds.

Thank you for choosing Comcast.

Sincerely,

Glory C
Comcast Customer Care Specialist

It was very nice they got back to me quickly. 10 points for that. For completely ignoring my problem and sending me the generic, crappy-ass, doesn't even apply to me response: -1,000. I wasn't happy, so I wrote back and asked, politely, that they look into the problem further. The response to that was:

Dear Eric,

After reviewing your e-mail and run a system check in your account, I
see that your issues have not been resolved. To further assist you with
this concern, I believe it is necessary to send a technician to your
home.

To make this process easier for you, you will need to contact us in our
live chat forum to setup your technician visit. One of our Online
Customer Support Specialist will be happy to assist you with scheduling
a service call. You can visit us at your convenience 24 hours a day, 7
days a week at:

http://www.comcastsupport.com/chat

If you are unable to get connected, or stay connected to the internet
you can call our phone support at 1-800-266-2278

If the technician onsite determines that the issue is not related to the
Comcast High-Speed Internet service or equipment, you may be charged for
the service call. When the technician arrives at your home, I suggest
you ask them any questions you have about the possibility of a charge,
since they will have a better indication of what the issue is.

Thank you for choosing Comcast.

Sincerely,

Maria F
Comcast Customer Care Specialist

Better. There's the admission that there is a problem. But then more BS. I can almost feel the complete and total lack of caring from the Comcast Customer Care Specialist. SPECIALIST? Must be similar to a technician. But what I love about this response is this: if we send someone out and it's not a Comcast problem we'll charge you. Really? Can I charge Comcast for the day of work I missed when their technician didn't show up? And, if the technician does show up, what's he gonna do that's somehow different than the last time? This is all very similar to my reply to to Ms. Maria F.

You know, if you're on the fence about Comcast, proceed carefully. If they weren't the only show in town, I'd bail on them in a second. Verizon...AT&T...where are you? Lay fiber quicker!!!!

Dr. Horrible

2008-07-20T21:10:00.002-05:00

Okay, won't bore you with my weekend trivialities of running, coffee, and general adventuring. But I do want to bring Dr. Horrible to your attention (which most folks know about by now). Anyway, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is, well, a musical chronicling the rise of Dr. Horrible. I laughed, I cried, I changed career paths. And, yes, it's Doogie Howser. To me, Act 2 is my favorite. Although, there are parts of Act 3 that are swell too.

I've also been drooling all over the Watchmen trailer:

Amd that's the weekend.

Pandora

2008-07-16T22:35:00.003-05:00

I want to take this opportunity to plug Pandora Radio. This is good stuff. Plug in the name of a song, or band you like, and it will play similar music. Most of the bands I've plugged in have a lot of different, similar stuff. Except Muse. Muse has a lot of, well, Muse being played. Guess it's a unique sound.

Market forces

2008-07-16T22:18:00.002-05:00

I feel like I should rail on congress for a little while. There's this whole "we should drill everywhere!" thing. And it's kind of irritating me. Oh, I'm no fan of the caribou and I don't think they need that much oil. But here's the thing: we're on the cusp of something great here in terms of energy policy.

Super-high gas prices suck. And I'm not a fan of spending $70 dollars to fill up a Honda Accord. But, here's the thing, in the last two or three months, there's been a huge amount of perceptible movement towards alternative energy and fuels. People were actually looking for ways to use gasoline more sensibly! GM announced they were ending production of Hummers. Bikes were becoming popular. And then, well, today, oil prices fell, the President ended the executive order banning offshore drilling. Ah, cheap gas is just around the corner.

I say no. I'm actually, I can't frickin' believe this, siding with Nancy Pelosi on this one. No more drilling. Not because we don't need the oil, no, it's because we do.

We have a problem. We're addicted to oil. We need to quit it cold turkey because there doesn't seem to be an incremental way to do it otherwise. And, here's the kicker, the less we'll need oil, the cheaper it will be, and the more enticing OPEC will try to make it.

Oh, it's going to suck. People are going to suffer, things are going to get more expensive, and there's going to be a lag to get alternatively fueled products out there. But, there's no motivation to do it unless people are willing to use them. For people to be willing to use them, gas has to be an unacceptable option. At $4.00 + a gallon, that's about right. That starts making high speed, electric, trains look good as a means of transportation, doesn't it?

Auto makers, in order to survive are already pushing alternative vehicles out, electric ones too. To handle the load of those vehicles on the national grid will require some massive investment in that infrastructure, and the construction of modern nuclear plants (and perhaps fusion plants in the next decade or two).

In the last couple months, the market has done more for alternative fuels than the Bush administration, and the Clinton administration, in the last 16 years. 16 years!!!

Oh, what else is evil about oil? Imagine a world where oil wasn't a big deal? How important would the Middle East be then? Exactly. Take a hike guys.

We're jonesing right now. If oil gets cheap we're going right back on it. So close....

iPhone Odyssey

2008-07-11T22:20:00.002-05:00

Yes yes. New iPhones for everyone. I'm sorry, but I've come to rely on the little bugger, a little to much.

Anyway, let me answer a question right up front: did I have to get an iPhone 3G today? The answer, most decidedly, is no. No I did not. Only a fool waits in line for six hours. And a fool, today, I was.

Again, it's not that I had to have it today. I could have waited three days, walked into the Apple Store, bought it, and walked out in about 30 minutes. No. It's more to do with the challenge. And, honestly, I had fun. I met some great people and had some laughs. Let's talk about that:

I started this morning about 7:30am. I decided that I would sneak into the local AT&T store, grab an iPhone, and be home by 9am. This plan went out the window as I crested the bridge over the Chicago river at Fullerton, and saw the line which was about four store fronts long at the mini-mall there. After a brief: "Am I really going to do this today" moment, I got in line. I waited there for about 15 minutes until one of the fine AT&T representatives walked down the line. She was asked how many iPhones they had in stock. Her response? "I'm not allowed to tell you."

Really? How about you do a quick count and don't waste my time. Oh, I knew that she meant. And she also said: "Don't worry, you can order it at the store if we run out..." I'm not waiting in line for a couple hours to order the damn thing. I can come back in two days.

No. Hell no. I left and headed to the Apple Store.

Now, first, I passed the AT&T store on Grand. The atmosphere felt a little like armageddon, there was desperation in the air. But, walked passed another 100+foot line to the Apple Store. I wasn't sure what I was going to find when I got there, I was hoping they'd have their shit together though.

First, I saw the store, then I saw some umbrellas out front, and lastly, the line. It went two and a half blocks down the side of the store. I posted myself at the end of the line at 9am, hoping it would move quickly.

Eventually, AT&T regfugees began to arrive. They told tales of only 50 iPhones per store, and hours of waiting for nothing. A lady came by saying that one AT&T store had told them they were all out of iPhones, sending people fleeing, only to re-announce later that they had, in fact, miscounted and there were some left.

The Apple Store line barely moved. They were letting 20 or so people in at a time to get iPhones, although it turned out to be more of a 4, or 6, or whatever, arrangement. Some Apple employees came down the line and answered questions about rate plans, or showing off the new iPhone. Then they brough water bottles out. The California Pizza place began sending employees out with menus, offering 20% off and free delivery (which was actually the poor girl wandering up and down the line yelling a name). Other companies came by and gave up free iced tea and other stuff.

At one point, Greenpeace tried to make the line work for them. Didn't happen. The guy was heckled and both he, and his binder full of polar bear pictures, were sent packing.

Far more comforting, however, was the somewhat routine arrival of FedEx Freight trucks which we all assumed were packed with iPhones (the employees kept telling us there was no danger of them running out). So, we had that going for us.

Another interesting thing. People walking by the line openly expressed their dissaproval. From the smirking shake of the head, to the outright laughter. I must have been wearing my "Hey! Ask me why I am standing in the line!" shirt, because I got asked about a dozen people by, mostly, old ladies. The most telling was a woman with an easter European accent who merely shook her head when I explained to her what an iPhone was. I can only imagine that, at some point, in her past a line like the one I was standing in was probably for something a bit more important than lining Steve Jobs pockets.

Yes. I said it was ridiculous.

Anyway, at 2:30pm I got to the front door. And you know what was inside? Another line! Followed by a que, followed by, finally, getting to the point where it was you and an employee, and a computer. You got your iPhone, they got in touch with AT&T and you were set. Oh, except for my corporate discount which I wasn't getting (iPhone's don't qualify for the discount). When the Apple guy saw it on the account he told me I had to either go to the AT&T Store to purchase it, or call them and get it taken off. So, I'm sitting there, having waited almost 6 hours, with the damn thing in front of me, and a discount that I wasn't getting is keeping me from activating it. Now, it could have been much, much worse. But the short version is I called AT&T, they removed the discount, and it took about four minutes. But for a minute there, I thought I was going to have to commit homocide.

And now, I have a shiney new iPhone 3G. And I waited 6 hours in line for it. I can't say I regret it. It was a pretty fun experience all said and told. And in the future, where iPhones are concerned, I have also learned my lesson: Apple Store, or nothing.

Twittering the iPhone line.

2008-07-11T09:43:00.000-05:00

We're Twittering. Click the link on the right for Twitter.

And now, an Apple plug

2008-07-09T12:55:00.003-05:00

On this, almost the eve of the new release of the 3G iPhone, I feel as though I should plug Apple (for the iPhone, and the iPhone only).

You see, here's the deal. As you can read below my iPhone had some issues (let's ignore the cause of the issues at the moment, and just submit that mistakes were made). Well, I took the bricked iPhone to the iPod bar, at the Apple Store, and explained my problem. The guy looked at the phone, and promptly replaced it (albeit, probably, with a reconditioned iPhone, but it looks new to me). I went home. I synced it. It's as if nothing ever happened.

Who lives the iPod bar? Now, of course, while I was there I was peppering the guy with questions about 3G iPhones like: "how many are you getting?", "is there an easier way to get myself set up to have it activated in-store?", etc. He of course said: "Oh, I don't know anything about that stuff."

Oh, I'm sure he's totally in the dark.

So, hopefully on Friday it will be two new iPhones in one week! And I think I'll be hitting the AT&T store for my 3G. It's just easier than dealing with the rif-raf at the Apple Store in downtown Chicago.

Situation normal

2008-07-09T07:40:00.002-05:00

And we're back. Nothing to see here. Move on.

Sad day

2008-07-07T22:15:00.003-05:00

My iPhone is tits up. I jail broke it. There, I admit it (I didn't unlock it, I am perfectly happy with AT&T). Well, I went to restore it with the anticipation of the new ones being released, and poof! It's stuck with the apple symbol on the start-up screen. I'm going through a little bit of withdrawal. I'm actually going to be near the Apple store tomorrow, so maybe I'll see if the folks at the Genius Bar will help me out despite my antics.

I have the shakes.

On the flip side, I guess this makes my Friday purchasing decision all that much easier.

Chicago 2035

2008-07-06T19:43:00.002-05:00

I'm watching I Robot with Will Smith right now, and it makes me sad. Why sad? In the first five minutes we are introduced to Chicago in 2035, and what an image it is! There are monorails zipping in and out, mega sky-scrapers, subterranean mega-highways, and robots! Oh! The robots! And, no more lake, or the river. I think they dried up or something. It's apparently not too hot, Will Smith spends most of the movie wearing a leather coat.

Now, for the sadness. There's no way that's Chicago in 2035. No. Frickin'. Way.

First, let's just look at the robots. And we'll even assume that they're technically possible 28 years from now. Which, given the advancements in this sort of thing in the last 10 years is achievable. The problem isn't technical, it's political. The movie shows robots taking out the trash, walking dogs, delivering FedEx packages (oh, the product placements!) and a host of other work. Yeah, I see technological progress on that front coming to a screeching halt as soon as someone realizes that they won't have a job because C-3PO is going to do it for him (or her), cheaper, without complaining, on time, and efficiently. Well, I assume efficiently.

We already have a huge fight in this country over out-sourcing and "undocumented laborers." Can you imagine the furor when robots start taking out the trash? Forget those are city jobs, well-paying city jobs, or that there's definitely a union involved, but there's an Alderman who is going to need votes, and they're going to want to provide jobs.

I guess my point is, the future looks nothing like what is imagined in I Robot. Not because it's technically not possible but because it is going to be limited by politics and social issues. No, I'm thinking Philip K. Dick and Ridley Scott had it right in Blade Runner. No robots...er...androids, allowed on the planet, dreary used up places here with people trying to get off planet. Of course, that movie portrayed the world of 1997.

And now, the news

2008-07-05T14:24:00.005-05:00

Well, violence is up in Chicago, and where do we go from here? The many shootings across the city will, of course, be an impediment to the Olympics coming to Chicago, but maybe that's a good thing. We can't get out shit straight now, with a draconian ban on firearms, and a pretty large police force. It's embarrassing actually. Between Daley and Stroger, and the rest, it seems like their ruining Chicago. Oh, how much longer will people be happy with the tulips every April when there are shootings in the Loop and 10.25% sales tax? Oh, no worries though, I suppose you only have to worry about approval ratings if elections were to actually matter.

Yep, I'm a little frustrated with the situation. And the sooner everyone else in Chicago is, the better. I know it's hard to believe with the "Chicago way" and all, but you can vote these folks out of office. The problem is that there are just so many apathetic people out there when it comes to politics who believe they are powerless. And individually, maybe they are. But you get public sentiment going, and who knows. Certainly, Chicago is an incredibly diverse city, rarely voting in an consistent way, which plays right into the hands Lord Daley, He Who Shall Not Be Named and Stroger (he's more a Peter Pettigrew). Oh, Lord help me. I just compared Chicago politicicans to evil Harry Potter characters.

But, let's move on from the shootings, the CTA failures, the high taxes, and the misappropriations of funding. It's all good. I'm 90% certain we're not getting the Olympics. That's just my opinion, but if you read the papers, I don't know how we could.

I've finished my little trilogy of The First Law. Book three, The Last Argument of Kings was good. I thoroughly enjoyed the books. I liked the characters, I liked the stories. It may have gotten just a little long in the tooth, and it's obvious who Abercrombie's favorite character is by the end of the book (mine too, but I was partial to others at the beginning). Some of the other characters could have had their tales wrapped up a little neater too. But, it leaves the way open for more books. Which I would whole-heartedly pursue.

The books are fantasy. But they're light on the magic and the monsters. It's a world where magic is rare, and dying; the stuff of ancient times and legend. So, it's not your typical, annoying, romp through elf-invested magical hippy forests in search of the blood-emerald of the seven-titted gorgon. Which is good.

And now on to bigger and better things. Yes, The Yiddish Policeman's Society is still there. And I have to read it. But first: Apocalypse How: Turn the End Times into the Best Times! My kind of book. And on that note, I'm a little mystified. While looking for that book, in the humor section, I almost picked up Zombie Haiku, which, as you can imagine, is a book of zombie haikus. I did not. It was $10, and you know what, I can write zombie haikus. Watch:

keep gas in your tank
tomorrow they come for you
the mall will be safe

it was just a scratch
i woke up starving today
eating brains is fun

leftovers everywhere
we waste too much food today
fingers still have meat

So, why would I pay $10 for that!? But wait. It's well presented and some of the haikus are well done. I had to convince myself not to buy it. It was made easier by the fact that next to it is a series of books that consists solely of people taking pictures of their cats with things on their heads, or wearing things. Oh, that's money well spent right there.

Yes yes. All this complaining about reading things I could write has spurred me on. I've started writing, again, but a different thing. I have a decent start. We'll see where it goes. I'm a little worried about being too successful and making bushels of money.

Oh! One more current events irony. So, there is (or was) a new wax sculpture of Adolf Hitler that was put on display in a German museum. It's creepy. Well, within hours of opening a man ripped its head off. Where was this guy in 1938?

More guns! Bad!

2008-07-04T11:32:00.001-05:00

Just in case you forgot. Guns are still illegal in Chicago.

Post of the taste

2008-07-01T22:01:00.002-05:00

Taste of Chicago. One of the bigger Chicago events that occurs every year with something like 3.2 million people passing through the week long event. If you aren't familiar, let me fill you in. Every year the city of Chicago hosts a feeding frenzy in Grant Park. Columbus Drive is shut down, and something like 70 booths of restaurants are set up. In order to buy food though, you don't use cash. You buy tickets. So, for $8 you get 12 tickets. A sandwich will run you 8-9 tickets (about $6, which isn't horrible).

There's a couple problems, as far as I can tell with Taste of Chicago. First, it's open. You don't pay admission, or have to buy tickets. You can walk through the area. Well, okay, so it may be a park, but there are bunch of kids, riff-raff, and ne'er-do-wells that would be eliminated if they made you buy tickets as a form of admission. If you aren't there to eat (and you might be going to see music at one end or the other) then you might be there to make trouble. Which I think some folks were. Don't get me wrong. If you are leaving the Taste with tickets and a homeless guy asks you for a couple, sure as heck I'd rather see him get tickets that were going to be thrown out. I can't help it, I'm authoritarian.

But my bigger problem with the Taste is it's sort of far too commercialized. There's only a couple small mom-and-pop type restaurants and the rest are larger, well-established chains from Chicago. Why? Because Chicago charges them a bit I think. I would rather see unheard of restaurants that need the publicity in the city than Eli's Chessecake. Not that it's bad chessecake, it's not, but I know about them, and so does anybody else in the world who walks through a supermarket.

Guns! Guns! Guns!

2008-06-26T21:28:00.002-05:00

The Supreme Court finally decided a 2nd Amendment case. Which is good. And, I'm even slightly pleased with the decision. There was even some analysis. That's far more than just about every circuit court decision dealing with the 2nd Amendment since 1939. But the decision only directly relates to the DC gun ban, and within that ban, to pistols.

Within 15 minutes of the decision, two organizations sued the city of Chicago and Mayor Daley to challenge the Chicago gun ban. Mayor Daley had this to say about the decision. Well, once again, I'll just say that guns are already illegal in Chicago. So, I'm a little confused how things like this, this, this, this, this, and this, keep happening.

I guess my point here is that let's have a little intellectual honesty. Even if guns are illegal, gun crimes are going to occur. A large proportion of what a gun ban does is keep guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens who could be using them for self-defense. I would think the Mayor would see this as a wonderful opportunity to establish another Chicago income stream by taxing the hell out of gun ownership.

And remember kids, an armed society is a polite society.

Video

2008-06-18T17:17:00.004-05:00

Oh, I'm feeling lazy. Let's post some videos.

First up, Boba Fett dances, and he's pretty gosh-darn good...

via videosift.com

This one is all about the "thump." Sorry, it's funny.

And, Meet the Sniper. You might have had to play Team Fortress 2 though.

via videosift.com

Biking in Chicago

2008-06-15T20:48:00.003-05:00

I biked a couple times in Chicago, last summer. You know, a couple miles down to the lake shore and back. I learned one very important lesson: there are so many ways to die. Biking in any city can be an exercise in survival. But, when your city has proclaimed itself "biker friendly." Well, it's just lulling you into a false sense of security.

Recently, in Chicago, there's been a spate of biking deaths, and, with a surge in gas prices, more and more editorials in the newspapers about whether it's time to start biking as a primary means of transportation. Maybe. Maybe not.

I'm not sure that biking will ever become a primary form of movement around a city. Especially not Chicago. If you're driving a car around Chicago, you've got it pretty good. There's generally parking, and traffic is something relegated to certain times and places. So, there's that.

But as per the recent biking related fatalities: it's always sad. And there's even recent laws that increase the fines and punishments for drivers where bikers are concerned. That's all well and good, but there's a problem of bikers not following traffic laws, too.

If you're a biker, and you share the street with cars you need to follow the same rules. That means stop at stop signs and red lights. You don't get to the best of both worlds when you're on a bike, and you are probably taking a huge risk if you try to be both pedestrian and biker. Now, I'm not saying that's a cure for having some idiot open their car door in your path because they didn't bother checking their mirror. But every time I've read the paper recently about how driver's are to blame for some of these accidents, I'm usually watching a biker blow a stop sign on a major street the next day.

A little too soap boxish for me. But, there, I said it.