Caveat Venditor - Monochromatic Outlook

25 January 201525 January 2015Blahg

Apple sneakily thwarts own attempt to serve users

The headline is misleading, inasmuch as it is difficult to believe that this was either accidental or an attempt to serve users. «Sneakily» is sort of misleading too. «Brilliantly deceptive» fits better. Makes for a really awkward headline, though.

One of the contentious aspects of Apple’s App Store (both the iOS and OS X flavors) is the lack of support for application upgrade paths. This has some short-term customer benefits; for example, app upgrades are usually free. When a developer … Read the rest

30 August 201430 August 2014Blahg

I don’t want to pay my PG&E bill

by splicer4 Comments

A little over three months ago there was supposedly a gas leak somewhere in the neighborhood. A Pacific Gas & Electric technician came in to my apartment and turned the gas off, and then over the next couple of weeks there were workers (not from PG&E) around the building. At one point they tore a hole in my bedroom wall and left it there for days.

Eventually an inspector came in and signed off that the system was safely fixed. The … Read the rest

17 June 201431 January 2022Blahg

Owning my own data

by splicer1 Comment

I finally got sick and tired of the sync dance with Apple and Google not wanting to talk to one another. I use a Mac but I also have an iPad and since recently I now have an Android phone. I had been syncing with iCloud and a long time ago I imported all my contacts into Google, but I haven’t had sync on that for quite a while.

After tearing my hair out trying to come up with a way … Read the rest

5 December 201229 January 2022Blahg

Why would I want to put my cloud in the cloud?

by splicer1 Comment

Ever since Sparrow Mail went the way of the dodo,¹ the search for a good email client has been on. Sparrow continues to work, but it never fully matured as an email client and will never again be supported. Sparrow therefore is not a good long-term option. I still use Sparrow on my laptop and on my iPhone, but I’ve moved back to Apple’s Mail.app on my desktop system. Mail.app’s interface has improved substantially in the time I … Read the rest

15 March 201131 January 2022Blahg

What if your grail leaked?

by splicer3 Comments

Regular readers of Monochromatic Outlook may recall mention of the Waterman Edson Diamond Black fountain pen. It was the pen I wanted dearly but thought I would never own because it was indeed too dear. At a MSRP of an even thousand dollars, its lovely platinum trim and inset nib seemed out of my reach.

I had a chance to write with one at the Flax pen fair, and its smooth writing cemented its place as the pen that I … Read the rest

1 January 20111 January 2011Blahg

Giving BooksOnBoard a second chance

by splicerLeave a comment

After all the feedback I got from reporting my first impressions of BooksOnBoard, I decided I might have been hasty in judgment, and that I should give them another chance. After all, they are an ebook seller that accepts PayPal and I sometimes end up with client payments in PayPal that take days to transfer to my checking account. It would be convenient to be able to use them as a vendor.

Forewarned with the knowledge that I would … Read the rest

22 November 201023 November 2010Blahg

BooksOnBoard is not on board

by splicer12 Comments

This past weekend I tried a new vendor of electronic books: BooksOnBoard. I found the store in the Stanza app on my iPad, which so far I believe is the best ereader software available. Stanza includes in-app links to several sources of electronic books, and BooksOnBoard is the first choice listed.

My first impression of BooksOnBoard is not favorable.

Creating an account was simple and quick. BooksOnBoard takes PayPal, which was a requirement this weekend since some of my money … Read the rest

29 August 201030 August 2010Blahg

and the winnah is

by splicerLeave a comment

Verizon.

My earlier AT&T versus Verizon post was labeled «part one» for a reason: it was written before I had any basis for comparison. Now, three weeks and two days into my contract with Verizon, I’ve yet to experience a dropped call. There are places with strong signals and places with weak signals; that’s no different on Verizon than AT&T. But the most important difference is that I can hold entire conversations without being disconnected a half-dozen times in succession. … Read the rest

9 August 201031 January 2022Blahg

AT&T versus Verizon, part one

by splicerLeave a comment

I’ve been a customer of AT&T’s for over seven years. For the most part it was six good years and one really bad year. When I first switched over to AT&T Wireless their GSM coverage was spotty, but the dead zones were consistent and I when I wasn’t in one the reception was clear and strong. In 2005 when Cingular bought AT&T the dead zones disappeared and I’ve had clear reception anywhere in the City limits.

So when Apple cut … Read the rest

15 May 201016 May 2010Blahg

Retailers, you’re losing me

by splicer8 Comments

I’ve ranted about this before (see Brick and Mortars, Don’t Blame Us) and the situation is worsening. It is getting to the point where if one wants to buy something other than an automobile or groceries, leaving the house is a fool’s errand.

A little over a year ago, I purchased a wristwatch. My last watch mysteriously stopped and so I decided to move up the price ladder from my previous watch. Watches, like pens, are items that can … Read the rest