Tag: Things Having Nothing to do with Anything

Fun With Cell Phone Carriers

In the United States we have four cell phone providers to choose from; Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. OK, there are a few other smaller games in town but being able to sign up for them is generally region dependent and in most cases you’re stuck with one of the big four. If you ask four different people what carrier is the best you’re likely to get four different answers. This is because each service provider has ups and downs. As I’m heading out of the country for the first time in my life I decided to check what my options were for communications.

Currently I have a line with Sprint and another line with AT&T. Sprint, being a CMDA carrier, has almost no coverage outside of the country. Thankfully AT&T is a GSM carrier so I can actually use my phone outside the country. For those planning on leaving the country and planning to use their AT&T (or T-Mobile) phone let me give you some advice: get a roaming voice, data, and text plan. The rate for international roaming is fucking insane without these packages so put them on before you head out. Even with the international roaming packages the prices are still insane but not as insane. Of course if you’re going to be out of the country for some time, or frequently visit a county, I’d advise you to get an unlocked phone and a SIM card in your destination country from one of that region’s local carriers (as I’m only going to be out of the country for a few days this didn’t make sense for me).

Many people outright hate AT&T and previously Sprint was held with with absolute lowest regards. Funny enough I’ve had great service with both so I can’t really complain. Not fitting the usual mold of customers who are dissatisfied with their carriers I thought it would be fun to write up my guide of United States wireless carrier (also I needed a canned post since I’m not around to post material, bear with me).

Verizon: Verizon currently enjoys the position of most beloved carrier in the United States (according to anecdotal evidence obtained by me). There are a lot of reasons for this including their great coverage, established LTE network, and vast selection of phones. On the other hand they are a CDMA carrier meaning your phone is unlikely to work outside of the United States and when you are in the United States the cost of your service is bloody high. Verizon also charges you based on the amount of data you use meaning those using 5GB are going to be paying more than those who use 2GB.

AT&T: Your soul will get you service but they also demand periodic blood sacrifices to maintain that service. What I’m trying to say is that AT&T, like Verizon, is expensive and the cost of data is based on use. As a small data user (I average 200MB a month) this hasn’t harmed me but I know people who like to stream Netflix to their phone and those people are going to feel the pain on AT&T. Being a GSM provider you can actually use your phone outside of the United States… for a price. AT&T also enjoys a very good selection of phones, namely because it is a GSM network and thus phones made for other countries can function.

Sprint: Minus the wide coverage Sprint is very similar to Verizon for a much lesser price. Sprint subscribers can also roam on Verizon’s network when Sprint coverage isn’t available, although you’ll get your line cancelled if you use it on Verizon’s network too much. Once again you’ll be on a CDMA network meaning your phone is unlikely to work if you leave the country but considering the fact that you get unlimited data for a fair price the advantages can outweigh the negatives quickly for most living in this country. Sprint’s phone selection was pretty pitiful but has been greatly improving.

T-Mobile: The smallest carrier of the four but also the one with the cheapest overall plans. While T-Mobile doesn’t charge you based on the mount of data you use they start throttling you when you’ve used more than 5GB. This is a good middle ground between Verizon and AT&T’s method and Sprint’s. Once again you’re dealing with a GSM carrier so you can use your phones outside of the United States… for a price. Unfortunately T-Mobile and AT&T use different bands for their 3G coverage meaning phones made for AT&T will not function nominally on T-Mobile and vise versa. T-Mobile customers can roam on AT&T’s network but without the benefit of 3G data speeds. T-Mobile’s selection of phones is also great being a GSM provider and all.

I didn’t mention coverage simply because that’s entirely region dependent. In the Twin Cities region I have great AT&T and Sprint coverage but in Southeastern Minnesota, where I’m originally from, I have barely any Sprint coverage and no AT&T coverage. Everybody I’ve talked to seems to have a similar experience where one carrier enjoys exceedingly good coverage in their area while others experience little or no coverage at all. This is something you will have to research before signing up for a service provider.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Joyous Festivus, or whatever else you celebrate on this day. Hell have a good Sunday if you’re entirely atheist. Frankly I don’t care, it’s that day of the year where people at least pretend they like their family and wish to spread joy and peace throughout the world. For the kids out there I hope Odin graces you with presents and for the adults I hope you survive the yearly get together with your family.

Either way have a great day!

My Favorite Meme Hits the Streets of Minneapolis

My favorite Internet meme has hit the streets of Minneapolis. When I was out and about Sunday evening I encountered the following pictured graffiti on the west staircase on the north side of the 3rd Street bridge:

While I don’t approve of graffiti I must say this is one of the few times I’ve seen graffiti used to express something of value (usually I only see people spray painting their names or the name of their gang on street signs).

It’s Not a Stack, It’s a Queue

In computer science a stack is a data structure that follows a first in, last out order. That is to say stacks work like magazines in firearms, the first round you place into the magazine is the last one that feeds into the firearm. The opposite of this is a queue, which follows a first in, first out order. An example of a queue is when you get in line at a restaurant, the first person in the line is the first person to get service. This is why the British refer to lines as queues for those who are curious.

During the complete wastes of time general assemblies at Occupy Minneapolis speakers are asked to go into the stack. What they call a stack is actually a queue though and this drives the computer scientist in me up a wall. Here’s a tip for those of you in the occupation movement, stop calling the speaking queue a stack. Incorrectly using terminology does not reflect well on the perceived intelligence of your movement.

Conversations with Madmen at Occupy Minneapolis

Although I’ve stated several times that a majority of the people at the occupation in Minneapolis are very nice there are also some absolute crazies hanging out amongst the crowds. Since I found myself in the area again I decided to stop by the Hennepin County Government Plaza and see if anything was happening. Needless to say there wasn’t anything happening so I decided to talk to a couple of the occupiers. I did have a couple interesting conversations but two people really struck me as being bat shit crazy.

The first crazy was a violent revolutionary. OK, that title is misleading because this guy was all talk and no walk meaning he wasn’t really violent, but he was advocating violent revolution. I will attempt to paraphrase my conversation with him. A group of occupiers were discussing tactics and this bozo, whom I’ll call Moe for lack of a real name, said we should be taking to the streets with molotov cocktails. According to Moe if they could get 1,000 people to start rioting the government would have no option other than collapsing… or something like that. What really struck me as moronic was when he brought up guillotines. I’m not sure what the recent obsession with guillotines is but it seems some people think lobbing off enough heads will eventually lead to positive change. At that point I raised the obvious question, how did he plan on overthrowing the government and murdering people when a large portion of the populace is armed and the state would simply call in the National Guard. He had no actual answer other than saying if there were 1,000 people rioting the state would have no choice but to list to the rioters. Obviously this bright bulb has spent a lot of time constructing his cunning plan. Either way I just want to make it clear that anybody setting up a guillotine in Minnesota with the intent of lobbig of peoples’ heads is going to be dealing with one really upset Minnesotan with a .308 rifle. This very upset Minnesotan will be shooting every asshole who attempts to operate the guillotine to kill another. Now that I think about it I’m sure there will be more than one Minnesotan involved in this dissuasion strategy.

The other crazy, whom we’ll call Curly, wasn’t malicious but simply stupid. I won’t waste your time paraphrasing the entire conversation which involved some kind of government conspiracy to engineer a stupid germ that will wipe out all people who haven’t received the immunization and other theories on the same level. Instead I’m going to concentrate on Curly’s idiocy in the field of economics and science. Curly is an advocate in ceasing all mineral extraction effective immediately. When he said this I pointed out the bloody obvious and asked him what we’re supposed to do without minerals as our entire society and technology base is dependent on extracted resources. After a brief stare of dumbfoundedness Curly asked what do we need minerals for. I pointed at the building around us, the watch on my write, the cell phone in my pocket, and the very tables the Occupy Minnesota food was sitting on. Then I brought up the fact that without minerals we could no longer build medical technology that saves untold numbers of lives every year. This is where Curly’s lack of basic knowledge came out as he said we have stem cells which can cure any and all ailments. I asked him how we were supposed to access and harness stem cells without advanced medical technology made possible by the minerals we extract and he was unable to answer. At that point I simply walked away less I receive brain damage from the statements he was making.

Somebody is boud to ask why I focused on the negative conversations instead of the positive ones. The answer is simple, the positive conversations don’t make for interesting reading so I’m not motivated to write them down on this blog. This post also serves as a reminder that there are some absolutely insane individuals out there who would love to see those they disagree with disarmed so they could start lobbing off heads with a guillotine.

More Delusions of Grandeur

The occupiers in Oakland, California were evicted a couple of days ago by the police. Say what you will about the eviction, I’m not here to talk about that. What I want to discuss is the plan put forth by some of the Oakland occupiers to take back the park:

We propose a city wide general strike and we propose we invite all students to walk out of school. Instead of workers going to work and students going to school, the people will converge on downtown Oakland to shut down the city.

All banks and corporations should close down for the day or we will march on them.

While we are calling for a general strike, we are also calling for much more. People who organize out of their neighborhoods, schools, community organizations, affinity groups, workplaces and families are encouraged to self organize in a way that allows them to participate in shutting down the city in whatever manner they are comfortable with and capable of.

Ah yes, the call for general strike has begun. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a general strike consider yourself lucky. A general strike is a method, usually associated with collectivists, where change is obtained by everybody simply refusing to show up for work.

People participating in general strikes obviously lose money for the day and may lose their job. Needless to say the risk of participating in a general strike is high and the potential reward is oftentimes low in comparison. Those who were evicted from the park are now asking everybody to potentially risk being fired in an attempt to reclaim the park. With the way the post is written I almost think the author believes a great number of people will join his cry to join the general strike. The author actually believes this strike has a chance of shutting down the city and frankly this belief is assine.

These occupations do not have the support of a majority of the population. Because of this believing a call for a general strike by the occupiers can grind the city to a halt is delusional at best.

Fear of Police and the Collectivist Mentality

In my previous posted I promised a followup post describing an observation I made at the OccupyMN event. Namely that there is a high level of paranoia amongst occupiers that other occupiers may be government plants or informants. I find this mentality fascinating and I’m not sure if this is due to the occupiers living in a police state already or if it’s a side effect of the collectivist mentality. I’m leaning towards the latter as the same mentality doesn’t seem to run through various tea party gathers.

Saying such concerns is a potential side effect of collectivist thinking is a rather bold statement without some explanation. If you look at the history of collectivist societies such as the Soviet Union, China, North Korea, or Cambodia under Pol Pot you’ll notice they always end up becoming police states at some point. Part of this is because collectivism requires members of the society to think alike. As soon as you have members whom with to diverge from the collectivist society norms problems rise up. Most collectivist societies started indoctrinating children at a very young at and either arrested dissidents as enemies of the people or just outright killed them. This type of atmosphere breeds paranoia as everybody is told to watch everybody else. When your government is telling you to spy on your neighbor and visa versa the only outcome and be extreme paranoia.

During the OccupyMN meetings I’ve attended I’ve noticed many accusations being thrown around proclaiming another occupier as a police informant or government plant. Hell I’ve been accused of being a plant, although that’s kind of funny because if I’m a plant I’m a pretty poor one (the way I dress when I go to the OccupyMN event makes me stick out like a sore thumb). One lady to left the tent committee meeting in a huff Friday night was instantly accused of going to the police. I’ve also noticed a couple of occupiers informing others to watch so-and-so because he or she is likely a snitch. These accusations seem to be tossed at anybody who isn’t willing to perfectly conform to the “collective.” I’d be shocked if a secret committee hasn’t been established to weed out snitches and plants.

In a collectivist society the most destructive accusation that can be made is usually one of non-conformity. Collectivists fear being ostracized from society and fear people not part of the collective infiltrating and propagandizing against the collective. Therefore accusing somebody of being a snitch would be an accusation that the target isn’t a member of the collective. The accusation could be seen as incredibly destructive by members of the collective and a good way to silence those who disagree with you.

This will be something I’ll invest some more time into researching.

For Delayed Release

EDIT: 2011-10-07 14:39: I was informed by Mr. Rothman that my assumptions in regards to this rant were entirely incorrect. I’ll leave the post up to a testament to my ignorance but feel free to disregard the mess of text below.

On many of these occupy[x] ([x] being any location) websites the posts often start with, “For immediate release.” What the fuck is the purpose of throwing that in there? If you’re posting something on your website it’s been released.

Throwing “for immediate release” at the beginning of a post publicly available for all on the Internet to read seems like an attempt to look professional but without knowing what the fuck you’re doing. I bet the kid writing these posts is thinking, “I should say this is for immediate release otherwise people might think I meant to release this in a couple of hours and messed up.” The phrase “for immediate release” is usually for internal use and notifies an editor that the article is of a time critical manner and should be released immediately.

For instance if a school bus full of children was set ablaze and pushed over a cliff onto a retirement home which was built right next to an animal shelter that specialized in cute kittens and puppies the editor would say the accompanying story was to be released immediately. The immediately released article would normally not contain the words “for immediate release” though. If you want people to take your movement seriously then you’re going to need to sound better than a bunch of high school children with bad attitudes. There has to be at least one grammar nazi in your organization, pass all articles to that person for review before throwing them up on your website.

Yes, I realize this gripe is minor and ultimately pointless but it bugs me and this site is my personal ranting platform at times.