So, I phoned O2 this morning to talk about handset upgrades.
O2 do not do the Nokia N97, and, I'm told, probably never will. Also, the data tariff I'm on at the moment is an ancient one that no longer exists - if I want any hand-set upgrade, I'll need a new tariff, and given my calling habits, it'll be more expensive while not giving me anything extra that I'd actually use.
They did point me at the latest in the O2 XDA range with a suggestion that I take a look and see if there's anything I fancy.
Two potential problems: it's BIG, bigger than my current PDA (and that's already a little uncomfortable to hold up to my ear for calls), and it's potentially very expensive. The nice lady on the helpline suggested £500 or so. Ouch.
The Nokia has a better camera (but I have a camera), and the screen is a little smaller than I'd hoped for: I wanted to go up, not down. It has a radio. The sat-nav fucntions look better. Price? About £500 sim-free from Nokia, prices with contracts from free upwards.
Now I'm very happy with the O2 tariff I've got - but it looks like I don't get to keep that anyway. I think the next question is to find a provider who get decent reception in our office, because O2 is abysmal there (as are many others), and who do cheap data, especially when abroad. But the Nokia or the Flint? Dunno. I think I need to try both out.
Anyone need an Arisia '09 volunteer shirt in ladies' large? I'm getting rid of most of my t-shirts, since I so rarely wear them. I'm sad to relinquish my Arisia '09 volunteer shirt, but since I must, I would like it to go to an Arisian home. Anyone want it? It's a ladies' fitted tee in "babydoll" style, size L (fits maybe size 8-10?), powder blue with dark blue sleeves. Leave a comment if you're interested.
PLEASE NOTE: This offer is only open to people who worked enough hours at Arisia '09 to earn a shirt, and who either didn't get a shirt in their preferred size or would like a spare.
"New" story out Actually I wrote this one a while ago, "commissioned" for the Tentacles 2007 con-book (which never appeared), and potentially going to be used by other hard-copy fund-raisers that never appeared either. The WhiteWall group is trying to tidy up our partially-finished work, so doing the final polish on this and releasing it into the wild is the start of my contribution.
Way way back, we were asked to show Kallyr and other leaders making mistakes. I don't think I write her very Mary-Sue in the first place, but she certainly isn't this time. Early Whitewall siege, Tatius has taken over command of the Lunar side, and the tone is changing from fairly light-hearted raids to more serious (and lethal) warfare. Some people catch on to this faster than others.
The Cove is a new documentary that exposes the horrific flipside of Flipper. Shot in the historic town of Taiji, Japan -- which is the birthplace of modern day whaling methods -- the film follows activist Ric O'Barry in his crusade to save the 2,000+ dolphins that are captured and/or slaughtered in a remote cove there each year.
Before O'Barry became an activist, he was an unwitting beneficiary of the dolphin trade. A one-time dolphin trainer (the mammals are closely related to whales), O'Barry first made a name for himself in the 1960s working on the Flipper TV series. "I feel somewhat responsible because it was the Flipper TV series that created this multi-billion dollar industry," says O'Barry, who older and wiser is appalled at the idea of dolphins in captivity in zoos and amusement parks around the globe. He now works for the Earth Island Institute, trying to save these wondrous creatures from this fate -- and worse.
His undercover work at the cove, exposing the atrocious practices of the Japanese fishing industry, caught the attention of former National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos, who directed the movie about O'Barry's work at the cove. Using high-tech hidden surveillance equipment, the duo were able to capture the covert activities at the well-guarded cove, that had – up until now – been hidden from world view. Even the Japanese dolphin industry it seems is aware that it must remain concealed if it is to continue.
At the end of the film, O'Barry storms the International Whaling Commission with footage from the cove that convinces many to disengage from the corrupt organization which sets whaling quotas which are intertwined with the issue of tolerance for Japan’s dolphin trade. For O'Barry, giving interviews in support of the film is the next step towards exposing the practices of those in the dolphin trade who are happy to perpetrate unmentionable cruelty and ply mercury laden dolphin flesh that in truth is too toxic for human consumption.
Click HERE for SuicideGirls' exclusive interview with Ric O'Barry.
More medical news Got the rest of the test results. No cancer, no significant infections. That's a big phew! On the other side of the coin, the pain getting worse, to the point that standing upright is no longer an option.
I'm out of work the rest of this week after this shift. I am on clear fluids only the rest of today, and after 6am I am to have nothing except enough water to swallow my pills. Doctor will call me in the morning. He's looking at a laproscopic procedure to just take a look at what is going on.
I may not be posting tomorrow, but brute_farce will more than likely post an update on his journal.
More from my favorite political columnist and voice of extreme reason, FearTheReaper:
It’s really quite interesting to watch the Democrats throw it all away. This time, they seem to think blowing the chance at decent health care reform will aid them in future elections. Or perhaps they have taken so much money from the health care industry that they don’t give a shit. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Fixing health care is the biggest problem facing our country. If we don’t do something drastic, it will completely destroy our economy in the years to come. As it is, we’re in bad shape. Democrats, specifically Senate Democrats, have decided to help the poor insurance industry out as much as possible. Es no bueno.
Click HERE to read FearTheRepaer's summary of the various sick options the Democrats are seriously considering.
T service on the Fourth The MBTA is prepared for the 04 July festivities with an increase in service for the thousands of people traveling to the Esplanade. Along with more service, MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas announced that bus, subway and commuter rail fares will not be collected from 10:30 pm to the end of service on 04 July.
Encouraging folks to take the T on 04 July, Grabauskas shared the T’s plan. “As in past years, we are increasing service throughout the system; and to ensure customers get to their destination safely and on time, T personnel and Transit Police officers will be deployed throughout the system assisting customers,” said Grabauskas. “Get the most up to date information on T service to the Esplanade at http://mbta.com/ or call the T’s Customer Service Centre at 1617 222 3200.”
Below is the MBTA’s operating schedule for Saturday 04 July. ( Read more... )
Current Music: Lily Allen - It's Not Fair (Absolute Radio)
WoW stuff So since I was under orders to stay off my feet, I played a bit of WoW this weekend. I hit lvl 69 yesterday, just before brute_farce hit 70 with his character Thoght. The guild was having a race to 70, and the guild messge of the day said the next level 70 would get epic riding. Thoght was it, so he wins. I tried though.
I did come to realize that when it comes to games I am nowhere near as competitive as brute_farce. I mean, I am somewhat competitive, but he has no problems burying me in the sand when it comes to winning something. I, on the other hand, am far more likely to help everyone around me before getting there myself. Shortly after reaching this conclusion, I logged out of WoW. I don't want it to be a competition when I play. I want it to be fun. I want to set realistic goals for myself, not be in the levelling race. It's probably why I don't have a lvl 80 yet.
Worst Road System In Massachusetts I made a post to Facebook yesterday saying that Chicopee was the worst road system in the commonwealth. Of course, this was inspired by having a great deal of trouble finding a road which was only two turns off of Memorial Drive. The correct way to get there was to go down the road that said "Dead End" then turn right. (Dead End means no side roads, by the way)
In the comments, people offered a few other nominations for worst roads in the commonwealth. Salem/Danvers/Peabody and Holyoke were suggested. Fitchburg and Boston are also worth mentioning.
Salem and area certainly makes a good effort at being worst roads in the state. There are many narrow, one way streets, which can make it somewhat difficult to get to places on back roads. On other hand, the system of main roads is pretty easy to navigate. I have also found that parking is relatively easy to find. It also helps that the system of main roads in that area is fairly straight forward. Most of the main roads are pretty straight or at least well signed.
Holyoke doesn't make a very good effort to get the worst roads prize. Holyoke was one of the first planned cities in America, so it is laid out on an easy to follow grid system. The comment offered that one way streets through bad neighborhoods was panic inducing. I have spent quite a bit of time in Holyoke. I have been through most of the neighborhoods and have never had any trouble. There are gangs in Holyoke, but they mostly leave outsiders alone. So, since the roads themselves are actually pretty easy to navigate, Holyoke is not in the running.
Fitchburg can be tricky to get around, especially because it is not near the highway. The only way in and out is through a series of convoluted secondary roads. The roads look like a pile of Pick-Up Sticks, with numerous 150 degree turns.
Boston, of course, is very hard to get around, but the roads are mostly somewhat grid like and one is usually able to follow the main roads. There are also large landmarks that one can use to navigate.
As for Chicopee, I have been lost in Chicopee many many times. Many of these times I have had a map in my hand at the time and have not been able to translate what I see on the map into what is going on on the roads. Intersections are slightly offset so that what looks like it should be straight is actually a turn. Even the main roads, with the exception of Memorial Drive, are very difficult to follow. Through streets are marked as dead ends while dead ends are not marked at all.
But here is the kicker that puts Chicopee over the top. Numbered routes are not marked properly. The purpose of numbered routes is to allow people to travel longer distances without complex directions (e.g. 116N->47N->63N->2W->128N->114S takes you to Salem, 100 miles away), but this only works if there are signs telling you how to follow the routes. Route 141 in Chicopee takes a turn at an intersection where you can go right, left, or straight, and there is not a sign in sight.
Thus, after years of travel, I consider Chicopee to have the worst road system in Massachusetts.
Brandon Online Ever wondered what it sounds like (not the voice, just the manner) to play an online game with Brandon? Check out the first 4 mins of this VERY NOT SAFE FOR WORK video.
It's part of a series called Arby 'n' the Chief, a Halo based comedy animation series. I think it is absolutely HILARIOUS, because when they discuss online games, Master Chief reminds me of Brandon and Arby reminds me of Unimag.
In the above clip, the kid online sounds more like Brandon (whereas normally I liken him to Master Chief), so it isn't typical (and you won't appreciate the rest of the video out of context, so don't bother with that).
One last thing, Master Chief makes fun of people by making the sound of his "roflcopter"... It goes "soi soi soi soi soi". He has the voice of "Microsoft Sam", available via your Control Panel. Go there, type that in and hear the most ODD sound ever made by the voice facility on your PC.
NexusCorp Wants You There are three awesome events coming up this Fall: MaulCon II, Zombie Nexus, and SciFact. These events do not run themselves, and we need your help to make them happen.
In the Hampshire Mall, there is a large and empty storefront. When looking for a place to host a game convention, I realized that it would be an awesome place to game, as it looks like the kind of place you would hide from zombies after the apocalypse. It's also awesome because it is right next to a food court, a game store, and anything else you might need to buy during a game con.
MaulCon I got 45 attendees, and we are hoping to double that for the second one. Our main strategy for doing so is not scheduling it during a school break. Additionally, we will be working with the great folks at JiffyCon to bring a full indie game track to MaulCon, making MaulCon bigger and better and exposing the awesomeness that is indie games to a wider audience.
In terms of volunteers MaulCon needs... GMs GMs recruiters Registration Staff Publicity A Vendor Liaison Food Zombies and more
Furthermore, you can make a few bucks by selling registrations for us online. Just click the link below to set yourself through Eventbee as an affiliate. You will get $2 for each $10 pre-reg purchased through you. Pretty good wages for one little link.
Zombie Nexus Saturday, October 25th, 2009 UMass Campus Center Auditorium
When the zombie apocalypse comes, preparation will make the difference between survival and being the main course in a zombie buffet. At NexusCorp, we take the safety of the community very seriously, and that is why we are organizing Zombie Nexus, to provide you of the community the knowledge that you will need to survive long enough to repopulate the Earth after zombies destroy civiliation as we know it.
Zombie Nexus will feature workshops on survival techniques, discussions on zombie films and literature, and artists. Zombie Nexus will have make up artists who can teach you to convincingly dress like a zombie, allowing you to safely hide in a crowd of brain-hungry undead. Zombie related role playing and board games will be played to advance your training in theoretical zombie survival techniques.
We are also working on getting an author or two, but, as they all live in the woods surrounded by survival supplies and shotguns, we are having a little trouble reaching them.
Zombie Nexus needs the following staff and participation... Registration Vendor Liaison Presenter Coordinator Publicity Ops Coordinator Presenters/performers (zombie survival, HvZ, and anything else of zombie interest) and more
The affiliate program is also available for this event, but the reg rate cannot be set until we confirm the special guests. The commission rate will be $1-$4 per attendee. SciFact November, Date TBD Location TBD
Cutting edge science. Developments in the world of knowledge. That's what SciFact is about. Modeled on a sci-fi convention, SciFact is an event where people involved in or at knowledgeable about the world of science and technology will present on various hard science topics in a way that is accessible to common science geeks.
We are still working on finding a proper affordable venue for the event, but we are aiming to having it in mid-November.
In addition to the panels, there are also plans to get some science related entertainment for Friday and Saturday evenings of the event: perhaps science related filkers, games, improv or some such.
SciFact needs the following staff and participants... Presenter Recruitment, Scheduling, and Wrangling Publicity Registration Presenters (anyone who is wise the in the ways of science) and more
Affiliate program also available.
Current Location:home Current Mood: excited Tags:nexuscorp
Michael Jackson and the News of the Day There are two ways that one can think of Michael Jackson. He can be a pedophile who can sing, or he can be a musical pioneer who had some issue with kids when got older and went the rest of the way off the deep end. In some ways, it is unfortunate that he did not die years earlier. Had he, he would only be remembered for the way in which he changed music, and specifically how he changed music videos.
On Jamin' 94.5 yesterday, they were talking about him and pointed out that most musicians performing today are in some way influenced by Michael Jackson. Thriller was the first video that was really cinematic, and many have followed that innovation.
In his later years, he did go quite a ways off the deep end. This likely has something to do with the fact that he never had a childhood. He was performing nationally from the time he was 5. His parents actually gave him hormones to keep his voice from changing and thus lose them their golden goose. This is not a recipe for a stable individual. In spite of this, he was able to do great things in music.
We don't really know what happened in later years at his ranch. Indeed he did enjoy the company of children, but this could be because of the loss of his own childhood. Was there a sexual element to it? We don't know. We do know that some people realized that they had something that looked questionable involving a man with a great deal of money and they thought they might have the chance to get at some of that money.
I have also been following the story of Mark Sanford and the continuing collapse of the Republican party. Perhaps they would do well to invest in some meditation or hypnotherapy or at least some porn. The party is literally fucking itself off the stage of power and respectability. Of course, I don't so much take issue with extramarital activities, but I do take issue with these activities being conducted in secret and destroying families, and I especially take issue with them being conducted by men who proclaim their family values from the highest mountain tops.
If only it were not for gay marriage, these various philandering Republicans might have been able to keep it in their pants.
Reminds me of a bumper sticker: "Worry about your own damned family."
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