Just a warning to all considering getting the Nexus One.  According to the T Mobile sales rep I spoke with today (1/09/2010) Google is blocking Visual Voicemail on the Nexus.

I purchased the unlocked Nexus One this past week and signed up for the Simply Everything Plus plan which includes VVM as a standard feature.  Everything on the phone works except for the visual voicemail.  I downloaded the application, tried several times and had no luck.  I gave up and went to the nearest T Mobile store for help.  The employee who was helping me was very kind and we tried calling the T Mobiles customer support and technical support several times and no one had a resolution.  It was only after about 45 minutes that she was transferred to Google support that we had an answer.  According to the rep, Google is blocking VVM on the Nexus one and suggests that I switch to Google Voice.  No F#$%king Way.

I am inclined to believe the employee helping me.  When the Google support person told her that, she turned white and verified that she heard him correctly.  Not only was this news to me, this was apparently news to everyone at T Mobile as well.  It is possible that she was mistaken and if I find out more information, I will gladly correct this post.  As it stands right now, I am still w/o VVM and it doesn’t appear that I will ever have it.

I don’t like Google having all of my personal information.  They have my contacts and calendar, a different company handles my email and T Mobile now handles my voice (after another bad Sprint experience.)  No one company should handle all of my information and that is why I am not using Google Voice.  I have an account and it seems like a great service, I just don’t like that Google is handling it.

If you find a workaround, please post it below so I can update this post!

Text from error messages:

Not Activated: You do not have access to Visual Voicemail. Please upgrade your account.

Visual Voicemail: Visual Voicemail is available with this phone as part of your data plan for no additional charge.  Click below to enable Visual Voicemail on your account.

Change Service Result: Your purchase cannot be completed at this time. Please visit My t-mobile.com or call 611 to purchase this value bundle.

It is not possible to opt out of your contract because of a material change and keep your service.

Background:

I am 22 months in to a 24 month contract.  Sprint made a material change on Jan 1 2010 to my account and on principal alone, I wanted to terminate my contract.  In the contract that Sprint and I agreed to, I gave them the right to change the contract and they granted me the right to exit the contract for a material change.

Sprint made a material change to my account and I want to exit my contract.   I am not looking to change service providers nor am I looking to terminate my service.  I simply want to go month-to-month/non-contract and stay with Sprint.  According to three reps I talked to (1 online, 2 over the phone) – the only way to get out of my contact is to terminate the service or switch to a new carrier.  They are forcing me to go to the competition.

Let me reiterate that:  Sprint is not allowing users to stay on their network who disagree with material changes to their contract.  I want to stay with Sprint but they won’t let me!  If I want out of the contract, they are forcing me to leave.  They won’t simply prematurely terminate the contract and keep me as a customer.

I’ve paid every bill on time and have great credit.   You would think they would want to keep my service.  And all of this because of 2x $0.20 fees.  Someone is missing the big picture.  You know, someone could just wave 40 cents in fees and keep me in contract….

01/05/2010 06:53:44PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “How are you doing Brian?”
01/05/2010 06:53:52PM    Stuckey: “Im great, thank you”
01/05/2010 06:53:56PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “You’re welcome.”
01/05/2010 06:53:58PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “May I please have the reason you are chatting with us today?”
01/05/2010 06:54:09PM    Stuckey: “I have less than ********** months left of a ********** month contract. The regulatory fee is a material change to my original contract and I would like to switch to a month-to-month plan and keep my service.”
01/05/2010 06:55:22PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “One moment please.”
01/05/2010 06:55:31PM    Stuckey: “Sure thing.”
01/05/2010 06:57:17PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “I apologize but you are not able to go to a month to month basis since your contract is still effective.”
01/05/2010 06:57:35PM    Stuckey: “Right, but this isn’t the contract that I originally agreed to”
01/05/2010 06:57:54PM    Stuckey: “By allowing Sprint to change the contract, I was granted the right to exit for material changes”
01/05/2010 06:58:08PM    Stuckey: “I don’t want to cancel my service, only go month-to-month”
01/05/2010 06:59:21PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “That is correct and you cancel your service if you would like. You may call Account services to discuss that issue with them since they handle cancellations and contracts. The number is **********-**********-**********, option ********** and **********.”
01/05/2010 06:59:41PM    Stuckey: “I’m not looking to cancel”
01/05/2010 07:00:01PM    Stuckey: “Just to terminate the contract and become a monthly paying customer”
01/05/2010 07:00:11PM    Stuckey: “There are less than ********** months left”
01/05/2010 07:00:42PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “I understand that but they maybe able to cancel your contract since there is a change in it. But then they would still keep your service active. Account services handles that.”
01/05/2010 07:01:06PM    Stuckey: “Got it – Can they see these call notes?”
01/05/2010 07:01:25PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “They sure can see your account notes.”
01/05/2010 07:01:36PM    Stuckey: “Okay, I will give them a call. Thank you”
01/05/2010 07:01:46PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “You’re welcome.”
01/05/2010 07:01:49PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “May I please ask if you have any further questions for me?”
01/05/2010 07:02:02PM    Stuckey: “No more questions”
01/05/2010 07:02:07PM    Agent (Ahmed H.): “Thank You for choosing Sprint as your wireless provider. We appreciate your business. Have a great day.”
01/05/2010 07:02:30PM    Session Ended

See also:

http://consumerist.com/2009/12/30-day-window-to-cancel-sprint-without-penalty-starts-tomorrow.html

Arkanoid: Revenge of Doh

I re-discovered this game recently. The last time I played it was on my parents’ AT&T 6300 with CGA graphics!  It is actually a really good game.  It is a table tennis variation with a breakaway wall in different shapes.  Some bricks drop pill-shape items down that change your paddle size, number of balls it the air, etc.  I have to play this in VM Ware on my Mac but it is still playable.  Some of the timing of the game, most noticeably the opening sequence, is timed based on the CPU.  This pretty much makes the opening scene unintelligible.

Oh, and this game came out in 1988.  I feel really old now.

Boring Action Video!

https://www.ineedcaffeine.com/videos/revengeofdoh.flv

Description from Wikipedia:

The mysterious enemy known as DOH has returned to seek vengeance on the Vaus space vessel. The player must once again take control of the Vaus (paddle) and overcome many challenges in order to destroy DOH once and for all. Revenge of Doh sees the player battle through 34 rounds, taken from a grand total of 64.

New Features:

Revenge of Doh differs from its predecessor with the introduction of “Warp Gates”. Upon completion of a level or when the Break (‘B’) pill is caught, two gates appear at the bottom of the play area, on either side. The player can choose to go through either one of the gates – the choice will affect which version of the next level is provided. The fire-button is only used when the Laser (‘L’) or Catch (‘C’) pill is caught.

The game also featured two new features for bricks. Notched silver bricks, like normal silver bricks, take several hits to destroy. However, after a short period of time after destruction, they regenerate at full strength. Fortunately, clearing a level does not require that any notched bricks be destroyed. Also, some bricks move from side to side as long as their left and/or right sides are not obstructed by other bricks.

The US version features an entirely different layout for Level 1 that feature an entire line of notched bricks, with all colored bricks above it moving from side to side.

The game features a mini-boss in the form of a giant brain, which will help you practice for DOH. You must aim for the brain’s mouth to defeat it.

Home versions of Revenge of DOH also featured a level editor, where players could create their own levels or edit and replace existing levels, with the exception of two levels: the mini-boss and DOH.

I love this song but until yesterday, I had no idea that this song had a music video.  Wow, it is creepy and weird, even for Daft Punk standards.  It starts out with a title slide that looks like it is straight from the 70s.  I can’t tell for sure, but it appears that this was filmed using image tube based cameras.   If you look at the video where the band is standing in front of the pyramids, you can see a ghosting highlight off of the helmet.  This isn’t something that happens with CCD cameras.  Adding evidence to this is the poor color rendition and the chromatic bleeding, especially around the pyramids.  I can’t tell what camera is being used in the production shot below but if anyone knows, please let me know in the comments.

BTW, This thing will give you nightmares.

Technologic

Buy it, use it, break it, fix it,
Trash it, change it, mail – upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it,
Snap it, work it, quick – erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it,
Load it, check it, quick – rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it,
Drag and drop it, zip – unzip it,
Lock it, fill it, call it, find it,
View it, code it, jam – unlock it,
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it,
Cross it, crack it, switch – update it,
Name it, rate it, tune it, print it,
Scan it, send it, fax – rename it,
Touch it, bring it, Pay it, watch it,
Turn it, leave it, start – format it.

Technologic [4x]

Buy it, use it, break it, fix it,
Trash it, change it, mail – upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it,
Snap it, work it, quick – erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it,
Load it, check it, quick – rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it,
Drag and drop it, zip – unzip it,
Lock it, fill it, call it, find it,
View it, code it, jam – unlock it,
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it,
Cross it, crack it, switch – update it,
Name it, rate it, tune it, print it,
Scan it, send it, fax – rename it
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it,
Turn it, leave it, start – format it.

Buy it, use it, break it, fix it,
Trash it, change it, mail – upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it,
Snap it, work it, quick – erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it,
Load it, check it, quick – rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it,
Drag and drop it, zip – unzip it
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it,
Turn it, leave it, start – format it.

Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it,
Cross it, crack it, switch – update it

Lock it, fill it, call it, find it,
View it, code it, jam – unlock it,
Buy it, use it, break it, fix it,
Trash it, change it, mail – upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it,
Snap it, work it, quick – erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it,
Load it, check it, quick – rewrite it,

Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it,
Cross it, crack it, switch – update it,
Name it, rate it, tune it, print it,
Scan it, send it, fax – rename it,
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it,
Turn it, leave it, start – format it.

Buy it, use it, break it, fix it,
Trash it, change it, mail – upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it,
Snap it, work it, quick – erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it,
Load it, check it, quick – rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it,
Drag and drop it, zip – unzip it,
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it,
Cross it, crack it, switch – update it,
Name it, rate it, tune it, print it,
Scan it, send it, fax – rename it,
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it,
Turn it, leave it, start – format it.

Buy it, use it, break it, fix it,
Trash it, change it, mail – upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it,
Snap it, work it, quick – erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it,
Load it, check it, quick – rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it,
Drag and drop it, zip – unzip it,
Lock it, fill it, call it, find it,
View it, code it, jam – unlock it,
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it,
Cross it, crack it, switch – update it,
Name it, rate it, tune it, print it,
Scan it, send it, fax – rename it,
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it,
Turn it, leave it, start – format it.

Technologic

I love J&R Electronics. Right now, they have a campaign on Twitter to come up with safe-for-work slogans that end in “Since 1971.” The take the featured slogans and rotate them randomly throughout the site. Overall, it is a fun way to engage the audience.

Independently, I have been trying (unsuccessfully) to buy a Canon 5D Mark II kit from several retailers. While I was searching for a retailer in stock, I found an interesting collision between their slogan campaign and their inventory situation:

J&R Photo caption fail

Now, in J&R’s defense – no one has the 5D II kit in stock. This is just a funny artifact

This is a commercial for the Sony Bravia LCD series TV.  It features a bunch of creepy little clay rabbits animted throughout a generic large city, in vivid pulsating colors, set to the Beatles Rolling Stones’ song She’s a Rainbow.  Just watch it and pass it on.

Background info from Gothamist

http://gothamist.com/2007/10/04/video_of_the_da_118.php

Those geniuses at Fallon London are at it again for Sony BRAVIA. First they had the bouncing balls in San Francisco, then the tower of paint in Glasgow, and now bunnies on the streets of Manhattan. Fair warning – if for some reason you’re scared of bunnies, don’t watch this video. The advertisement, titled “Play-doh” features 200 plasticine bunnies hopping around and a large 30 foot bunny in Thomas Paine Park in Lower Manhattan.

The ad’s director said it was technically the most difficult thing he’s done, “It is an incredibly difficult situation to control. You have New Yorkers wandering through frames and you have no say over it because we’re doing it for real.” It took 2.5 tons of plasticine, 40 animators three weeks to choreograph the bunnies, and 100,000 images for the 60-second spot. The ad, which was filmed over three weeks this summer, also features a crashing wave, a whale, and lots of New Yorkers.

More facts according to Coloribus:

http://www.coloribus.com/adsarchive/tv-commercials/sony-bravia-play-doh-508151/

Released: October 2007
Advertiser: SONY SONY
Brand name: Sony Bravia Sony Bravia
Agency: FALLON FALLON
Country: United Kingdom United Kingdom
Category: Home electronics & audio-visual Home electronics & audio-visual
Awards:

• DGA Awards DGA Awards
• Eurobest 2007 Eurobest 2007
• Eurobest 2007 Gold Eurobest 2007 Gold
• BTAA 2008 BTAA 2008
• BTAA 2008 Gold BTAA 2008 Gold
• BTAA 2008 Silver BTAA 2008 Silver
• BTAA 2008 Bronze BTAA 2008 Bronze
• Andy Awards 2008 Television Gold Andy Awards 2008 Television Gold
• Andy Awards 2008 Andy Awards 2008
• ADC Awards 2008 Craft Gold ADC Awards 2008 Craft Gold
• ADC Awards 2008 TV Silver ADC Awards 2008 TV Silver
• ADC Awards 2008 Craft Merit ADC Awards 2008 Craft Merit
• One Show 2008 Awards TV Bronze One Show 2008 Awards TV Bronze
• D&AD 2008 TV & Cinema Direction Yellow Pencil D&AD 2008 TV & Cinema Direction Yellow Pencil
• D&AD 2008 TV & Cinema Animation Yellow Pencil D&AD 2008 TV & Cinema Animation Yellow Pencil
• Clio 2008 TV Gold Clio 2008 TV Gold
• Clio 2008 TV Bronze Clio 2008 TV Bronze
• Cannes Lions 2008 Film Gold Cannes Lions 2008 Film Gold
• London International Awards 2008 TV & Cinema Silver London International Awards 2008 TV & Cinema Silver
• London International Awards 2008 TV & Cinema Gold London International Awards 2008 TV & Cinema Gold
• Epica Awards 2008 Film Gold Epica Awards 2008 Film Gold

This may not be news to everyone, but it was a bit of a discovery to me. Basically, if you use the Logitech software that came with your Revolution MX mouse and OS X, you might be in trouble.

This flaw allows users who lock their screen using the screen saver to bypass the security – simply by pressing the thumb wheel forward. That’s right. Once you do that, you can browse the computer and you can view documents using Quick Look. Pretty neat, eh?

My suggestion – sign out when you’re not at your machine and reprogram the mouse to not have shortcuts for Expose.

FWIW, this works much more reliably when my left monitor is rotated 90 degrees.  I’m not sure why this is, but when both monitors are oriented normally, this doesn’t seem to work. I have to believe this is an OS X problem and not a Logitech one.  Something in the Logitech software makes exploiting this easier, but the fundamental flaw still has to be with OSX.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u700RJxU71M

And because I like Apple, I did this too:

Apple Bug Report

Pink Elephants on Parade

Here is a video that most 20-somethings will remember.  It is the creepy scene from Disney’s Dumbo.  I’m 27 and this clip is still a little bit creepy.

Look out! Look out!
Pink elephants on parade
Here they come!
Hippety hoppety
They’re here and there
Pink elephants ev’rywhere
Look out! Look out!
They’re walking around the bed
On their head
Clippety cloppety
Arrayed in braid
Pink elephants on parade
What’ll I do? What’ll I do?
What an unusual view!
I could stand the sight of worms
And look at microscopic germs
But technicolor pachyderms
Is really much for me
I am not the type to faint
When things are odd or things
are quaint
But seeing things you know that ain’t
Can certainly give you an awful fright!
What a sight!
Chase ‘em away!
Chase ‘em away!
I’m afraid need your aid
Pink elephants on parade!
Pink elephants!
Pink elephants!

This is easily one of my favorite short films of all time. Mark Osborne did Kung Fu Panda…but this is much older and much darker   (Sorry about the formatting – this video is a little wider than I anticipated in the design of this site.

http://site.happyproduct.com/blog/

Blood?  Check.  Gore?  Check.  Death?  You betcha!

This isn’t a low budget horror film.  No, this is a low-budget workplace safety video!  You have to see this one to believe it.  It is something between a 1980’s high school traffic safety video and the final scene in Terminator 2.  Throw in a little bit of slasher humor and you get this gem:

http://www.ineedcaffeine.com/videos/will-you-be-here-tomorrow.flv

Educational Resources, Inc.  “Videos for safety meetings.”

UPDATE: Do you know who rocks?  John Romero rocks.