Whoo hoo! I have in my grubby, nail-bitten hands an iPhone of my very own. Actually, since The New AT&T (which seems very much like The Old AT&T) hasn’t managed to activate it yet, what I actually have is a brick.

It’s a rather sexy, shiny brick, though. I can’t stop sliding the unlock button.

I know!

Here’s an on-going tale of my activation. Let’s see together how long it takes for me to have a working iPhone.

7:30 PM: Take a few unboxing photos of the iPhone. None of them came out very well. Very disappointed.

8 PM: Connected iPhone to MacBook for first time. I thrill at the trill iPhone makes when you dock it. The excitement is palpable as iTunes launches, tells me it’s looking for iPhone and then… tells me I need to update to Mac OS X 10.4.10. Sigh.

10:30 PM: Y and I finish iChatting; she logs out and goes to bed, I fire up Software Update and kick off the update process. While a couple hundred megabytes find their way to my MacBook, I surf the internet (i.e. twiddle my thumbs).

11 PM: Software Update completes, reboots, reboots again (really Apple, think you could warn people about that?). Log in, connect iPhone (ah, there’s that trill!), up comes iPhone, and I can finally start the process. I choose a family plan (awww!).

11:13 PM: My first email from the iPhone_Activation_Support team! Oh, its just giving me an order number and thanking me for buying an iPhone. Uh, you’re welcome?

11:19 PM: I hit my second hurdle. My activation “may take a while”. No guess as to how long “a while” might be. I get another email letting me know that AT&T is now processing my order. Uh, thanks?

Midnight: Still not activated, I decide to get some shuteye. Maybe I’ll wake up to a working iPhone!

7:30 AM: Wake up. iPhone still not activated. I start to worry, ever so slightly. I grab my T-Mobile phone, just to make sure AT&T hasn’t ended that service before starting my new one. Nope, T-Mobile still works. Whew.

7:45 AM: Visit AT&T website, call the iPhone activation number (877.800.3701), get to a Customer Service Rep (Senetria). I explain the situation, that it’s been eight hours or so, and no activation. Her reaction?

AT&T isn’t responsible for activating the iPhone

Blink. Blink.

She insists that any iPhone related questions are handled by Apple, that’s it’s all “done on the Internet”.

Ah! It hits me: she thinks I’m having problems using iTunes! I explain that I’m not, and she goes away for about 10 minutes, looking things up, I presume. When she returns, she informs me that I need to call iPhone Customer Service at… 877.800.3701, the very number I’m currently dialed in to.

8 AM: OK then. She transfers me over to Dave, who, I presume, is sitting in the next cube over. He looks into the magic AT&T systems and divines that “people” have been touching my account (ewww!), and that something should be happening Real Soon Nowâ„¢, perhaps as soon as 20 minutes, but he suggests I practice patience for another three or four hours. I thank him reluctantly and hang up.

8:08 AM: Lo! Another email from AT&T! “Processing Mobile Number Transfer”! This is great! My phone is semi-activated! I can receive calls on my iPhone, and start playing with all the features! Well, except for that “calling people” thing. Over-rated anyway.

8:38 AM: Still another email from AT&T! Is it… can it be? Yes! “Congratulations, AT&T has successfully transferred your existing mobile number.” Sweeter words have never crossed my spam filters.

And only nine hours to do it. Not the “super easy” activation some other people experienced, but relatively painless.

I won’t bother telling you how cool this phone is, you either already know or have read about it a million other places.

But I’ve got an iPhone!

Whoo hoo!

Technorati Tags: Apple, AT&T, iPhone, iTunes

I don’t like going to concerts. They’re crowded, you usually can’t see the stage well, and the music is either too loud or the performers are screaming and out of breath. Not the best experience. I haven’t been to a live show in some ten years.

So you’ll understand how big a deal Matisyahu must be for me as I consider purchasing tickets for his upcoming tour.

He’s playing at Catalyst in Santa Cruz, and tickets are listed as $35 each. Sounds reasonable, right? Ah, but wait.

Tickets: $35 Fee: $3 (per ticket) Processing: $0.50 Tax: 5% (per ticket)

There’s a “fee” and a “processing fee”. Suddenly a ticket is actually $40.25. But wait, there’s more. You want to actually get those tickets? Well, you’ll have to pay for that too.

Will-call: $1 Mail: $3.50 Print at Home: $2 Secure: $10

Yes, they’ll charge you a buck for standing in line. For saving them printing costs? They’ll double the charge. For the cost of a forty-one cent stamp (“Mail”) they’ll charge you $3.50.

And “secure” delivery? That’s the United States Postal Service’s 1-Day Priority Mail, which costs $4.60, with “insured” delivery, which $2.45 for up to $200: $7.05. Why the extra $2.95?

So what will four tickets cost? 4 x ($35 + $3 + $1.75) + $0.50 = $159.50 plus delivery.

Total: $160.50 – $169.50.

So each ticket really costs as much as $42.38, not the advertised $35. That’s a 20% premium!

Here’s what’d odd though: If they’d just advertised the price as $42.50 per ticket, and “thrown in” 1-day shipping, free Print At Home and Will-call, I wouldn’t have even blinked.

I understand the reason behind this though: it’s pure marketing. They’ve figured they’ll get people “in the door” at $35, not $40, and once in the door, they at least have a chance of selling you. After all, advertising $140 for four tickets will get more eyeballs than $170 for those same tickets, even if the latter is your true out-of-pocket cost.

Will I still buy the tix? There’s a decent chance I will. But it will be knowing I’m being nickel-and-dime’d to death.

Technorati Tags: Catalyst Club, Matisyahu, Music, Service fees

Thanks to CowPuppy K, I learned today that the Nike+ website lets you share graphs of your runs (or, in my case, my walks…). Great for bragging rights if you’re in a challenge, like I am with Y. Here’s the graph of my last five “runs” (alas, you will need Flash, so if you’re reading this on your iPhone, my heart bleeds):

(The graph only shows one of the last five “runs” at any time. You need to navigate using those tiny arrows to see the others.)

Here’s the state of Ying’s and my “most miles in 30 days” challenge:

More miles in two weeks than I’ve walked in six months. Maybe longer. Way, way longer. But it’s paying off: I’ve dropped about five pounds. Nothing you can look at and see, but it’s certainly motivating.

I’m sure eliminating beer from my dinners for the same 30 days hasn’t hurt either (I love wine, but nothing beats a good beer. Can’t wait for that first frothy head in August).

Technorati Tags: Nike iPod

I’m a huge fan of Netflix: it’s great for catching old and new movies I’ve missed or love, and for catching up on entire seasons of TV shows (it’s how I became addicted to Battlestar Galactica, for example).

I list the three DVDs I have at home right here on my blog; it’s one way you can see what kind of odd taste I sometimes have in movies. I use a pair of WordPress plugins to generate the list, and sometimes the cover images sometimes don’t show up. I figured out how to fix this; hopefully you’ll find it helpful.

The first plugin is called, curiously, “WordPress Netflix Plugin“. This gives the basic functionality: grabbing the raw Netflix datastream, parsing it and displaying the images and such.

The second turns the first into a WordPress Widget for easier display on my blog. It’s called Netflix Widget. Where do they get those wonderful names?

What’s particularly frustrating about the cover images sometimes not showing up is the “sometimes” part: One day the correct images will show up, and the next, they’re gone, with no changes on my part. Instead, I’d see an “Image Not Available” graphic.

This is so much of a problem that even the authors of the two plugins that provide this great feature both have missing images on their blogs. That’s what I call irony!

I posted a comment to the WordPress Netflix Plugin’s author’s page asking for help, and then decided to figure it out myself. After all, it’s just PHP, and the code is open for access.

It only took about 15 minutes to figure out the problem. Whether my solution is the right one is up for debate, but here’s what I found.

The plugin relies on your personal Netflix RSS feed. You can see your queue (mine—which I use NetFlix Freak to manage; totally worth the $15—is currently 165 items deep); the movies you have at home, recommendations from Netflix, and more.

The Movies at Home RSS feed has a link entry that points to the DVD, along with its numerical ID (the “movie ID”). For example, the Monty Python and the Holy Grail entry looks like this:

<link>

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Monty_Python_and_the_Holy_Grail/771476

</link>

The number at the end (771476) is this movie’s unique ID in Netflix’s database.

The plugin code grabs the RSS fed, breaks it out into various pieces, including that link, grabs the movie id, and sticks it into a known URL format.

Here’s how the movie id ($movie_id, in the code) is used:

$display = '<img src="http://cdn.nflximg.com/us/boxshots/' .
   $image_size . '/' . $movie_id . '.jpg" 
   alt="' . $title . '" title="' . $title . '" />';

And heres how the code figures out the movie id:

$link = $item['link'];
if (preg_match("#/(\d+)\?trkid=(\d+)#", $link, $matches)) {
    $movie_id = $matches[1];
} 

This should generate a URL that looks like:

http://cdn.nflximg.com/us/boxshots/large/771476.jpg

But instead generates a URL that looks like:

http://cdn.nflximg.com/us/boxshots/large/.jpg

Lookie there, no movie id! If you look back at the link entry earlier, you may already know the problem and the solution. The problem is the link entry doesn’t have a trkid section.

The code is looking for a URL formated like this:

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Monty_Python_and_the_Holy_Grail?trkid=771476

But is getting one formatted like this:

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Monty_Python_and_the_Holy_Grail/771476

Even though the code doesn’t use the trkid, it’s assuming its there. Since it’s not, the $movie_id ends up blank. Netflix must have changed this because this code used to work perfectly.

The easiest way to “fix” this is to remove the part of the code that is looking for trkid. Instead of

if (preg_match("#/(\d+)\?trkid=(\d+)#", $link, $matches)) {

use

if (preg_match("#/(\d+)#", $link, $matches)) {

If you have version 3.0 of the plugin, you can simply find the first line and replace it with the second. Disclaimer: this change works for me using version 3.0 of WordPress Netflix Plugin under WordPress 2.2.1. Your milage may vary.

I’m sure the author will release a version of his plugin that handles both formats from Netflix (my next stop is to add that into my own version; it should be a simple either/or), but in the meantime, my Netflix images are back on my blog, and that makes me smile.

Update: The developer has updated his plugin. Go get it now!

Technorati Tags: Netflix, WordPress, WordPress Plugin, WordPress Widgets

I realized a couple days ago that I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon and iTunes. Here’s a peek inside what has captured my interest (and credit card number) recently.

Apathy and Other Small Victories I forget where I first heard about this book, but it was sitting in my Amazon shopping cart since late May, so when I read THW’s recent entry, I figured it was a sign to finally buy it. I’m looking forward to it.

Kingmax 1GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive I wrote about this tiny portable flash drive before. I’ve been living on OmniGroup’s OmniFocus application to help me get things done, using two different files (one on my work computer, one personal laptop) and I’m considering combining them. I figure a tiny drive would be a good place for the files.

Test Kitchen Favorites: The 2007 Companion Cookbook Despite their annoying marketing tactics I’ve mentioned before, I do like their recipes. I returned the unordered copy of the book they sent me, and bought it from Amazon, saving about $5 in the process. You can have my money, but this fiver is mine!

Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, Volume 3 I have Volumes 1 and 2 already of two of my favorite cartoons ever, and I’m a bit of a completist. There’s no doubt that these cartoons have shaped my humor.

American Gods and Anansi Boys Recommended to me by Anton many months ago, I finally picked them up. I’ve long been a fan of Neil Gaiman ever since Sandman (which Anton introduced me to fifteen years ago). American Gods modernizes the Greek/Roman Norse and other god mythology and the first chapter has been quite enjoyable, but I’m particularly looking forward to its sequel, Anansi Boys, based in part on Anansi the Spider, the African trickster god from stories of my youth.

Managing Humans The author is a decent fellow and the book had me laughing (in that “ain’t that the truth?” fashion) when I flipped through it. Plus, the book’s website is brilliant, and the author’s website has been a tiny bit of a inspiration for some minor redesigns on this site.

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich I wrote briefly about this book before, and I’ll have a more detailed commentary in the near future. It’s all about freeing yourself to do what you like when and where you like. I found it interesting, and am looking at ways of implementing some of its suggestions.

The Producers (2005 Movie Soundtrack) Several years ago I saw the original movie with Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, and a making-of the Broadway play’s soundtrack special on PBS, and just had to see Broderick and Lane on stage. Alas, it never happened. I did finally catch the movie remake a few months thanks to Netflix, and just had to grab the movie soundtrack. Totally worth it. I debated getting the Original Broadway Cast version, but I just really, really wanted to hear Will Ferrell’s hilarious turn as Franz Liebkind. If you’ve never seen the movie (either one), I recommend both wholeheartedly. (I also debated getting it from iTunes and I forget why I didn’t. Turns out it’s not available there anymore anyway. Weird.)

Cardo Scala 700 – Bluetooth Headset The best of the (many) Bluetooth headsets I’ve tried. Fits comfortably, is lightweight and, best feature of all, it can switch between two phones with a button press. It’ll probably continue being my primary headset when I get my iPhone, unless Apple’s Bluetooth headset is vastly superior.

The Smiths, Hatful of Hollow I’ve always enjoyed the sarcastically humorous lyrics and musicality of The Smiths, and this album is filled with original versions that illustrate why.

Modern English, After the Snow OK, so I bought this for I Melt With You, but the entire album is enjoyable.

Naughty by Nature, 19 Naughty III C’mon, it’s Naughty by Nature, one of the coolest hip-hop groups of the 90s. Like you haven’t bounced to Hip Hop Hooray. A worthy—if not as deliciously infectious—followup to their first album (remember O.P.P.? Of course you do).

Gorillaz, Demon Days Yeah, I first heard ‘em on an iTunes commercial, what’s your point? Head-boppingly, body-movingly fun, no question.

Soca Gold 2006, Various Artists The best of ’06s soca. Trinidadian party music. Grab a Carib or a shandy, wave yer hand and shake yer ass.

Matisyahu, Live at Stubb’s, Youth. A serendipitous find I have fallen in love with. Almost every track on these two albums (but especially on Live at Stubb’s) generates joy, invigorates me. While King Without A Crown is his signature piece, I’m partial to his single Jerusalem (Out of Darkness Comes Light). Matisyahu is coming to town soon, and I think I need to see him live.

Midnite, Vijan I honestly have no idea why I bought this album. I think I heard one of the cuts on, of all things, a MySpace page and decided I didn’t have enough roots reggae in my collection.

Rocker-T, If Yu Luv Luv Show Ya Luv I’ve dug Rocker-T since he was the front-man for Skadanks back in New York during the late 80s-early 90s, when I spent the more-than-occasional weekend at Wetlands.

CSS, Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex In what must be one of the great ironies, a Microsoft Zune commercial led me to buy a song of iTunes. The commercials are plain weird, but the one with the lion and zebra had this catchy song, and I had to buy it. I love the driving electronic guitar. Nothing else on the album spoke to me. Ain’t it great being able to buy individual songs? Oh yeah.

Deep Dish, Junk Science Another album that I can’t remember why I bought it. It’s probably a combination of it having The Future of the Future, a track from Everything But The Girl’s Temperamental album and Deep Dish’s Valio – Rapture mix on Ibiza Annual Summer 2001, and I decided to give the entire album a chance.

Billy Miles, Billy Miles C’mon, it’s Billy Miles. One listen to that smooth, sultry huskiness and you’re hooked.

Colin Hay, Man @ Work Admit it: You listened to Men At Work. You wanted to go to a land Down Under, where woman glow and men plunder. You wondered Who Can It Be Now, admitted It’s a Mistake, and probably think this whole thing is Overkill. If you found yourself humming any of those songs, you’re gonna love Man @ Work, from the group’s lead singer and songwriter. You’ll find great originals and acoustic remakes of classic Men At Work tracks. If you’re a Scrubs fan, you’ll also recognize a couple songs from the show.

Lewis Black, The Carnegie Hall Performance Oh my god this man cracks me up. His appearances on The Daily Show are bubble-gum lightness compared to his well-directed vitriol in his stage performances, and this recording has Lewis at his crackling best.

Christopher Titus, The 5th Annual End of the World Tour I first learned of Christopher Titus from his too-short-lived Fox TV show Titus. I then saw Norman Rockwell is Bleeding, a scathingly funny romp through Titus’ darkly dysfunctional family. One minute you’re Stop-I-Can’t-Breath! laughing, the next you’re mumbling “oh shit, that’s fucked up man”. Fifth Annual continues the tradition, with Laugh-Out-Loud-In-Public funny followed “did he just say that?!” reality. The funny comes from a dark, dark place, but it’s so good, I walked 4 1/2 miles listening to it, yes, laughing out loud in public.

(While writing the above, I decided to buy the Titus TV show DVDs (the Seasons 1 & 2 Boxed Set, and the standalone Season 3. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the show again.)

It’s All Too Much If you find yourself uttering variations of “hey, I may need that someday!” or “aww, memories!”, clutter probably dominates your life as it does mine. I have stuff from 20 years ago. Why? Who knows?! This book is supposed to break me of the habit and help me de-clutter. Let’s hope it doesn’t end up on a pile of junk.

Giraffe 21306 – Light Bulb Changing System Combo Kit My ceiling lights in my 20-foot-high living room blew out a while ago. OK, six months ago. I bought a ladder, but it didn’t quite reach. I finally broke down and bought this extender. I almost paid $90 for it at ImprovementsCatalog.com (instead of the $40 Amazon charges), but Improvements Catalog’s site was delaying order processing for a couple of days. It pays to shop around!

Technorati Tags: amazon, America’s Test Kitchen, Animaniacs, books, consumerism, iTunes, Music, Neil Gaiman, Omni Group, OmniFocus, Pinky and the Brain, Sandman

I read The 4-Hour Workweek a month or so ago (and plan to read it again so I can properly comment on it), but one thing mentioned within is enjoying the fruits of one’s labor today, not 30 years from today. The author, Tim Ferriss, suggests that instead of thinking of the luxury car of your dreams costing, say, $120,000, you think of it as costing $1,000 a month.

I thought about this the other day as I was coming down from the high that was my big annual conference and contemplating vacation time. Not wanting to necessarily buy a new car, I wondered if it was possible to simply rent a luxury convertible (say, a Lexus SC430 or a Porche Boxter S) for a short but extended period, say the entire summer.

A brief search on Google revealed that it was indeed possible. Several companies specialize in, well, specialty rentals, aka exotic cars. In addition to the rather prosaic Audi TT and BMW Z4 convertibles, the much sexier Lexus SC430 and Porsche Boxster S were available. Heck I could even rent a Lotus Elise convertible!

Excellent! I’m already feeling the warm breeze caress my arm as it dangles out the window. I adjust my Michael Chiklis shades as I glance over at my girlfriend, who sinks deeper into the leather….

Hm, what’s that? How much would this fantasy run me? Well, let’s take a look. We’ll choose a Porsche Boxster S over a Lotus Elise, because it might be slightly less likely to result in a traffic stop for DWB.

According to specialtyrentals.com, a one month Porsche Boxster rental (July 8 to August 8), with 100 free miles a day, would be…. Oh my.

$7,331.77.

$245 a day.

Yikes.

The Lotus Elise is, surprisingly, also $7,331.77.

The Lexus SC 430 is a mere $5,385.44. Only $180 a day.

What do you think? Worth it for one solid month of pure summer enjoyment?

Technorati Tags: Boxster, exotic cars, Lexus, Lotus Elise, luxury cars, Porsche, SC430, specialty rentals