Before leaving work to pick up my daughter from one of her friend's homes in Ann Arbor, I went to Google Maps and printed out directions. Her time of arrival delayed and delayed again until the point that it was quite dark by the time that I headed out. The subdivision I found myself wandering around was a neighborhood which is specifically designed to confuse people who don't live there. Streets were either not marked at all or poorly marked, and houses only had their numbers on communal mailboxes at the head of each group of homes. Even worse, some of these houses shared the same numbers even though they were on different streets. Although I had been there once before, everything looked quite different in the dark. To top it off, the directions I had printed out led to a school.
Earlier this year, we finally got fed up with the Tracphones we had been using, and thus I had no means of direct communication with my home. Thankfully, I was able to find a wireless connection without a password and was able to both email my wife (who was thankfully checking her email) and use Mapquest (rather than the now unreliable Google map) to get me a better idea of where I was supposed to be. I wasn't lost for that long (about 20 minutes), but the experience reminded me of why, even though I could live without one, a smart phone would make my life a great deal easier.
This was after Comcast decided to mess with us. Comcast had raised my bill by $20 a month, and when I asked if they would reduce it, the response was either that I could upgrade (for the same price) to include HBO, just keep things as they were (with the $20 increase), or they could send me a box so I could mail back their equipment (there was more of an exchange than that, but that was the final choice). While I wanted to break off all contact with the company after that encounter, my Internet research showed that I still had to rely on Comcast for high speed Internet access. Still, I vowed to not give them more than absolutely necessary. I would get rid of my cable television and switch my phone to another carrier.
These two elements brought me to the AT&T store where I discovered that, despite my previous beliefs, they could provide my Internet connection (we'll see how well it works). Still abandoning cable television, I set Janelle and myself up with two iPhones (4S) and am currently in the process of switching our Internet and phone over to AT&T. When I informed Comcast, they then offered to reduce our payment (substantially, even), but that ship had sailed (at least for the time being). Now I have texting, Internet, and phone all at hand.
I like this new phone, but I still wonder about having rushed into this. Janelle, in particular, seems to love having hers around. All told, it is probably a good thing that we stepped into the present.
Earlier this year, we finally got fed up with the Tracphones we had been using, and thus I had no means of direct communication with my home. Thankfully, I was able to find a wireless connection without a password and was able to both email my wife (who was thankfully checking her email) and use Mapquest (rather than the now unreliable Google map) to get me a better idea of where I was supposed to be. I wasn't lost for that long (about 20 minutes), but the experience reminded me of why, even though I could live without one, a smart phone would make my life a great deal easier.
This was after Comcast decided to mess with us. Comcast had raised my bill by $20 a month, and when I asked if they would reduce it, the response was either that I could upgrade (for the same price) to include HBO, just keep things as they were (with the $20 increase), or they could send me a box so I could mail back their equipment (there was more of an exchange than that, but that was the final choice). While I wanted to break off all contact with the company after that encounter, my Internet research showed that I still had to rely on Comcast for high speed Internet access. Still, I vowed to not give them more than absolutely necessary. I would get rid of my cable television and switch my phone to another carrier.
These two elements brought me to the AT&T store where I discovered that, despite my previous beliefs, they could provide my Internet connection (we'll see how well it works). Still abandoning cable television, I set Janelle and myself up with two iPhones (4S) and am currently in the process of switching our Internet and phone over to AT&T. When I informed Comcast, they then offered to reduce our payment (substantially, even), but that ship had sailed (at least for the time being). Now I have texting, Internet, and phone all at hand.
I like this new phone, but I still wonder about having rushed into this. Janelle, in particular, seems to love having hers around. All told, it is probably a good thing that we stepped into the present.
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