Miscellaneous « Robot Claw

Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category

When Verizon Told Me How Much An iPhone Upgrade Cost, I Told Them To ‘Saugen auf da Bein eines Hundes’!

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Since I apparently am not eligible for an upgrade, it would cost me $650 to switch my Droid phone for an iPhone when they are released next month.

I calmly explained to the Verizon monkey that this is actually more expensive than if I canceled my current contract outright, paid the early termination fee ($300), then signed up for a brand new contract and choose an iPhone ($200). In an act of stunning genius, his only response was “Smartphones are expensive.”

So what about the ‘early upgrade plan’. Since my contract is one year old on February 8, surely I could take advantage of that plan (which I got when I signed my current contract) to upgrade to an iPhone for a one-time fee of $20?

Well, the problem is Verizon canceled the early upgrade plan entirely on January 16. Only the most cynical person would suppose this date had anything to do with the iPhone launch 2 weeks later…

In short, looks like I’ll be waiting till Feb 2012 for my iPhone.

At least I’ll get an iPhone 5 then 🙂

(BTW to JAF, since our contracts are essentially identical, I’m pretty sure all the above applies to you as well.)

Posted in Miscellaneous, Otaku, Tech | Comments Closed

Yes Please

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

Just learned that the three Kim Newman Dracula novels (Anno Dracula, The Bloody Red Baron and Dracula Cha Cha Cha) are being reprinted. Here’s the cover of the first one:

Even better yet, each book will contain a series of ‘extras’ in the form of additional novellas. Anno Dracula contains two such novellas, each of which ‘fill in the blanks’ in the series. Even even better yet, one of the novella in this first reprint stars no less than Richard Jeperson! (Not to be confused with my own alter ego)

I’m so intrigued, since Richard J already appears (albeit very briefly) as an alternate dimension form of himself in the Anno Dracula novels. Will the new novella contain this version, or another?

But even, even, EVEN better – a fourth novel in the series has been announced! To be released in 2012, the fourth will be set in America and is called ‘Johnny Alucard’. Apparently it will feature a whole slew of alternate-USA celebrities and fictional characters including such people (?) as Buffy, Vampirella and even Elvira.

And lastly – directed to AW – you must immediately go and read the wiki entry on Life’s Lottery, specifically the ‘non interactive’ section. To say my jaw hit the floor is an understatement…

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The Impossible Dream

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

It started in Sydney, when my departing plane was delayed by two and a half hours due to a ‘malfunction’ (never fully explained to us). Boo to United for poorly informing us, since at one point (on the board) the flight was described as ‘cancelled’.

That’s how I feel right now, +1 day after finally getting back here, jet-lagged and very tired. I just finished the most essential class-related work, and am going to go rest soon.

Upon our late arrival in Los Angeles the plane departing for Chicago was delayed as well (due to ice in Chicago). This meant I was able to make the connection, although even then it was known the Albany one had no chance.

I think that goat will remember me for ever. “Never”, did he think, “did I think a human would ever pick me up!”. And for that simple act he came to love me 🙂

United put me in a hotel in Chicago. A spiffy one, better than anything I’d probably pay for myself. And yet it was lost on me for I had no clean clothes and simply washed what I had in the shower and went straight to bed. Only I didn’t sleep, just playing DS all through the night and drying my clothes with the hair dryer.

Even now, +3 days from leaving Oz, do I recall the delicious taste of grilled – always fresh, not frozen – chicken sandwiches. Many things change in life, but that memory will remain always.

The flight from Chicago the next day was similarly delayed. As it turns out our first plane broke, and we had to wait over 3 hours for a replacement. Then we were detained further still. I spent almost 5 hours seated on planes just yesterday, and only 80 minutes of that was actually in the air. When I finally got home to Albany, I almost thanked God.

I must make a correction – I inaccurately described these guys as Rosella numerous times on this blog. They are in fact a different type of Parrot – a Rainbow Lorikeet. I originally described them as both in the video, thinking the two names were synonymous but they are in fact different birds (google Rosella to see how equally beautiful they are). At any rate check out this guys plumage.

If any bird described to be called Rainbow surely this is the one 🙂

Posted in Family, Miscellaneous, Pets | Comments Closed

Last Day

Sunday, January 16th, 2011

I got up bright and early yesterday and went into the city to catch a ferry to Manly. I have done this on each of my last four trips to Australia, and it seems to have become a tradition. I love the ferry trip, so it hardly bothered me that it was raining:

I was on an early ferry and it was almost abandoned. The gigantic ship was a bit eerie with so few on board. I wandered all over enjoying the trip from many different railings (upstairs and down).

The rain was less at Manly beach, more like a pervasive sprinkle. The surf was powerful and unwelcoming, with no flags erected for swimmers. Only surfers were braving the water:

Despite the lack of swimmers, it was a crowded place even at 9:30 am. There were hundreds of people along the stretch of the beach, walking, running or eating at cafes. I walked halfway down the beach to the north before the rain picked up, and then walked all the way to the south and half way along the coastal walk toward cabbage tree. It was a relaxing walk, with a strong breeze helping to overcome the heat (even present in the overcast weather).

At the point where the corso meets the boardwalk, a pagoda is decorated with images of the sand-art of a famous sand sculptor who lived in Manly during the 1930s. He would create lavish sculptures – often even painting them – and charge admission for people to see them. He also sold postcards, and these are now the only evidence of his talent. Which was – to say the least – significant:

I was spend the middle of the day shopping for last minute gifts in the city, then spend the afternoon watching a superb cricket game with Adam. During this period (watching the cricket) I drunk 4 440ml bottles of Solo, and ate a generous amount of lollies. I ate pies for dinner. It was a good afternoon.

But on the ferry back to Sydney from Manly I took the following self portrait:

As you can see I was in a good mood (I love exploring Sydney by myself) but I am also very, very tired. 2.5 weeks of non-stop exertion has more than caught up on me and it is now time for a vacation!

Unfortunately today I return home, and tomorrow I must spend most of the day preparing for work. I haven’t even begun to write the lecture I will be giving less than 48 hours from now!

So I am packing now for the trip, and doing my best to ignore the fact that it will all end quite abruptly and I will be thrown back into the school year. Australia has been fantastic, but like every vacation, it has ended too soon 🙂

Posted in Family, Miscellaneous | Comments Closed

Yes, More Gamebooks

Saturday, January 15th, 2011

Today was a mix of used bookstores, Japanese stores and bootleg Korean DVD shops. It was also swelteringly hot and humid, and by mid afternoon both Adam and I had “a touch of the sun”. This led to zombification in his apartment around 3 pm 🙂

Here’s some graffiti spotted in Chippendale:

It’s a wall on which stencils were permitted to be used by permission of the owner (Bernard, this is not too far from where you used to work). Look closely at some of the remarkable stencil graffiti on display. My favourite was this guy: