why i still won’t be getting an iphone 2010.06.14

its been a while since i had to interact with a utility company in the united states, so i was unprepared when i went shopping for internet service for our apartment in san francisco. after checking out the two most common options, i decided to roll the dice with at&t since they are working out for me back at home and the “liveperson” support rep said he could hook me up with the twelve-month promotional pricing even though i only was going to keep the service three months (i said unprepared but not naive – here is a portion of my the transcript i saved).

Roderick: You can get the fastest DSL for just $24.95, rebate on modem or wireless gateway and I can also offer you $100 reward card for ordering the service with Home Phone. You can order the basic Home phone and the fastest speed internet for just around $33 without any term commitments.

Roderick: How does that sound to you ?

You: perfect

so, when friday rolled around and the confirmation email they told me to expect on thursday hadn’t arrived i gave at&t a call.

i got the usual (see this and this):

due to extremely high call volume you may experience longer than normal wait times.

the friendly voice response system suggested i’d get more immediate service from their web site, so i tried.

oh, guess that must be “unusual” too…

so, after enjoying 65 minutes of “unusual” wait time i finally got to a human. i was told my application for internet service had been denied because i wouldn’t share my social security number with at&t. they didn’t call me on the phone number they required, they didn’t write me at the email address they required.

if i wanted service i would have to give them my credit card and pre-pay for my service. after noting this was a bit ridiculous given that i was already a customer of theirs in another state i agreed to prepay for the service. but next, they wouldn’t honor the promotional pricing i had been guaranteed from the “liveperson” rep i had talked with earlier, transcript or not.

the call center actually recommended the best way to resolve the pricing issue was to visit the website that was defunct at the time.

obviously i canceled my order and will be reviewing alternative service providers when i get back home.

i have anxiously awaited an iphone i could enjoy without the penalty of at&t’s horrible data network, but version four not only didn’t introduce new carriers, at&t is now capping bandwidth usage.

bad data service, exorbitant pricing and customer service only a monopoly could get away are the perfect storm to keep even this apple fan boy away from the latest version of the iphone.

life in the fast lane 2010.06.11

it may sound like a small deal, but one of my favorite things about living in a large city is that folks know to stand on the right and walk on the right when riding conveyors or escalators.

…but not settled 2010.06.09

it may take a day or two to get our feet on the ground here in california. as i mentioned yesterday, our lodging wasn’t exactly ready for us to move in. so instead of unpacking luggage and registering our kids for summer camps we thoughtfully composed a letter to our landlord and debated the efficacy of saying unkempt or calling out each pubic hair we found littering the bathroom.

arrived 2010.06.08

we’ve arrived in san francisco and spent our first night in our summer lodging. i’d be a lot more excited but the folks we sublet from, forgot to move out and clean the place when they left.

the drive out was surprising in that, nothing i expected to go wrong did, and things i expected to work didn’t – most notably, the bike rack installed by uhaul.

when we got to dallas i had to repack our trunk and when i did i noticed the trunk didn’t seem as deep as it had when we began the trip. looking under the car i noticed the hitch was mounted through the sheet metal of the trunk and was tearing at the mount points. so the bikes didn’t continue with us on the journey beyond texas and i’ve got to have some words with uhaul the first chance i get.

friends and family 2010.06.07

ethan enjoying popsicles with julia.

ethan taking morning communion with ‘ampa.

ethan riding ‘ampa’s tractor with his mom.

sea to sea 2010.06.01

granted i started 200 miles inland from the atlantic ocean, but we’re ending up at the pacific ocean so i’m calling it a coast to coast road trip.

i like the gas 2010.05.28

this can’t be a good sign of things to come…

logan: mom, i like the gas.

natalie: what gas?

logan: the one with the big orange nose.

natalie: you mean the gas you got at the dentist?

logan: yes

head west young man 2010.05.26

given our predilection for travel, its occurred to me that natalie and i are the modern equivalent of the settlers of old.

but later this week when we head to california it will be without the threat of cholera or injun attack…

lost 2010.05.25

count me surprised – the final season, and especially the final episode of lost really did explain everything.

lost is all the time i spent thinking there might be a plot to that show…

the conquering hero 2010.05.24

logan an official badass

logan goooooaaaaaalllllll!!!

front row seats 2010.05.19

friends of ours flying home from disney world took this picture of the space shuttle atlantis as it blasted off on its final mission.

yeah, on their way home from disney world, they got this minor jewel added to the holiday experience.

last week when i flew home from san francisco, i was thrilled that continental gave me a cardboard box of cereal with mini milk carton…

the best laid plans 2010.05.17

after three years and a few days, my tenure with dcri has ended.

i’ve decided a flagging economy is the best time to leave a stable, secure job at duke for a start-up company in san francisco.

i’ll keep you posted on how that works out…