Stop leaving messages!

You would think in 2010 we wouldn't have to dial a number and listen to a recording of a message someone left while we were unable to answer the phone. There are so many options out there. Seriously, there's nothing more annoying about modern communication than seeing that you have one missed call and one text message containing the words "someone left you a message. Dial 888 to listen to it". AAARGH.

If I don't answer the phone, please send me a text message or an e-mail instead, or why not pinging me on my instant messenger, if I'm online. That way I can get in plain writing whatever information you want me to have (you know, which number to call you on, what address we're supposed to meet at, those things that would otherwise require me to find a pen and paper and start to write things down, and of course I wouldn't manage to get it all on the first listen, so I would have to press "2" to get the message repeated...).

Thank you so much for understanding.

Photo: TheGiantVermin

Technological meltdown

This post could also be called "Why you should avoid any triple play solution out there".
Unfortunately I'm one of those poor bastards stuck with a triple play solution, through my bostadsrättsförening, homeowners association. Sure, it usually works pretty well, the problem is this is a classic single point of failure solution, where if there's anything wrong with the fiber lan you lose not only your internet connection, you lose your home phone and tv as well, which can be extremely annoying. Especially when the service provider is unable to locate the problem.

Basically I'm in my second day of a complete technological meltdown at the moment. Makes it a bit harder to work from home, watch the Olympics, and communicating with friends and family abroad. To say the least.

So, mark my words, you do not want this kind of solution if you can avoid it. Phone through copper wire, tv through satellite and Internet through fiber lan is your best bet.

Original graphics

My HTC is killing me

Yes, I've had problems with my HTC before, but I managed to solve those. Now a new and interesting problem has arisen... The phone simply refuses to make itself known to my computers when I plug it in using the USB cable. Yup, that's right. It is fully aware that it has connected to a computer, starts charging the battery and everything, but I'll be damned if it shows up as a device on my computer.

I suspected it might be the computer, so I tried it on another one. Nope. Tried it on yet another, but no - no luck.

Seriously, this piece of s*it is driving me insane. I need a new phone, the sooner the better.

HTC Diamond

Recently I've been spending more and more time resetting my HTC Diamond to its factory settings. I'm up to twice a week now, and I've just about had enough.

For some yet unknown reason the phone will suddenly just decide to drop all data connectivity - no WAP, no GPRS, no HSDPA, no bluetooth, no WiFi, you name it... This so called "smart phone", with all its fancy schmancy ways of connecting with the world, can do nothing more than sending and receiving text messages, and - thank god - make and receive calls. Now, if that was all I wanted I would have gotten this phone instead, so I keep resetting the Diamond, as it seems to be the only thing that will give me at least temporary relief - for a couple of hours, a day, or maybe a couple of days if I'm lucky.

Oh, and the process of doing a hard reset of the phone is probably the most ridiculous ever. If anything it should have been a yoga pose: "Press the volume up key, located at the top left and on the side of the phone, and the enter key, at the bottom of the phone, while at the same time trying to find the tiny reset button with the stylus pen." I appreciate that people don't want to reset their phones by mistake, but come on, seriously... So, ladies and gentlement, I bring you my new yoga pose, "The Diamond" (see picture above). Come on you little bastard! Reset already! Give me my connectivity back! Hmm...doesn't seem to bring much serenity.