Technology that has changed my life

I'm obsessed with the idea of technology having a disruptive impact on people's lives (in a good way). One example is Flipboard, which is an amazing app I have on my iPhone (I hear it's more amazing on an iPad). Flipboard takes news sources (blogs, news sites, facebook, instagram, twitter) and presents it in an application that is not only beautiful but easy to use. The interface reminds me of magazine articles which I flip through with the flick of a finger. I use twitter on Flipboard, since many of the tweets I follow are just headlines + the short URL. The gibberish shortened URL doesn't compel me to click on the site and read it. However with Flipboard, the tweet is shown with a preview of the site which includes a picture if there is one on the site. I'm a very visual person so this definitely helps me in comprehending thousands of tweets I go through per hour. I feel like my brain is literally downloading loads of information by the second as I'm flipping through the tweets.

The next application I'm obsessed with is Read It Later. It takes articles / sites / tweets / flipboard articles that I don't want to read immediately, and bookmarks them for later. I know there are a few bookmark applications available, but I'm convinced Read It Later is the best one. It is simple and easy to use. Also, the bookmarked articles can be organized by tags. Instapaper uses categories. I hate having to bucket articles into categories. Not everything falls exactly under one category. With tags, you can have as many tags as possible and will show up for which ever tag you search for. The best part of Read It Later is the firefox add-in. I can bookmark articles / sites I come across on firefox with a click of a button. The add-in enables a drop down menu on my firefox toolbar with all the articles I saved.

Something else that has changed my life for the better is my iPhone case / wallet BookBook, which I've mentioned previously.



I get compliments on my BookBook case almost every day. I would take a picture of how I use it, but I can't since my camera is on my phone. I have my drivers license, 1 credit card, 1 debit card, cash, 2 IDs for work and my iPhone in one place. When I go anywhere, that's the only thing I need to carry. Plus it looks super awesome because it looks like a book (which makes sense when I do my flipboard reading on it). And it's hipster friendly i.e. guys with beards, skinny jeans, and fake glasses spark up a conversation with me.

I only have one problem with it, which I solved with my handy MacGyver self. The case covers up the camera so people need to take out the phone (albeit very seamlessly and simple) to take a picture. I take way too many pictures on the fly to do this each time. SO -- I took a hole puncher and punched out a hole in the leather so there is a hole for the camera. Now, when I need to take my pictures, all I do is double click the home button and click away.

Lifebooker

I hate groupons, livingsocials, kgb deals, or whatever else group buying coupon site is out there today. However, one site that I am completely obsessed with is Lifebooker.

So Lifebook is like a concierge for women (or men) on services such as hair styling, waxing, mani pedis, massages, facials, etc. On their site, you can chose from hundreds or even thousands of shops. You can select your service and then choose the appointment time. It's way better than having to speak to a bitchy underpaid receptionist.

SO... here's the kicker. The best part of it is that most of these services are discounted. Haircuts are typically 50% off regular price. Mani pedis are typically 20% off. Massages and facials range from 25-50% off.

I love it because these are "groupon" like prices, but you don't have to buy the stupid coupon before hand. Whenever I buy coupons for these spa services, I never redeem them and lose my money. The good thing with lifebookers is that you can book your appointment as you need it and even the same day! I was in NY over the break and spontaneously wanted a blowout so booked it for the next hour, hopped on to the train, and had my blowout for 50% off which was something ridiculous like $20.

They also have another aspect of their service which is lifebooker loot which is more like a groupon. I've purchased lifebooker loot previously but unlike groupons, I have definitely redeemed these babies.

Anyway, if you're convinced.... Sign up here for Lifebooker and you can hook it up with $20 credit :)

NY is who I am / LA is who I've become

I've been wanting to write this for a long time, but it's hard for me to articulate my feelings towards NY / LA, but I think this trip back home to NY has helped me shape some of these thoughts about these cities and my identity.

I grew up in Queens, New York. I went to public school all my life. My elementary school had students represented from 30+ countries. My class picture reflected the nationalities of the United Nations. As a high school student, I commuted 3 hours a day to and from school daily. I got up at 5:55AM to be able to make 8:00AM classes in downtown Manhattan. I was almost never late. In the winter, the temperature would mostly likely be below freezing. Sometimes it would snow--I wore boots; other times, it would rain--I carried an umbrella which may or may not flip over on my commute into school. I took the bus, to get on the train, to transfer to another train, to walk a few blocks to the bridge that connected to building next to the Hudson River. I went to NYU and worked 30 hours a week, which was typical of almost all students at NYU. I ate my lunch while rushing from class to my internship. I perfected the art of eating my lunch while walking to the Subway. Sandwiches were simple to master, but salads were a bit more tricky. I usually had to sacrifice the dressing on my salad. I paid for my own NYC pre-war apartment in the west village, which was in total 400 sq ft where I lived in the living room, the shower was in the kitchen, and the toilet was in my roommate's room. These experiences made me who I am.

Everything in LA I have built myself. Not to downplay my experiences in NY, but everything I did was still in the backdrop of my familiarity with NY, support of my friends and family, and circumstances I was familiar with. The stressful (if you will, at least by California standards) conditions in NY was what I thrived in and it was still my comfort zone. I moved to LA not knowing a single person. I met my roommate on craigslist, got an apartment in Westwood, and made a life out of LA. I've made friendships that will probably last a lifetime. I've experienced things that I probably would have never felt in NY. Everything I've done in LA I feel like it's something I have created. The life I have created is still based on who I am shaped by my experiences in NY.

Not sure if this is at all coherent; I'll probably edit it later on.

Fuck AT&T

So I got a wonderful email from AT&T this month about my iPhone data usage for my unlimited plan.

We're writing because you are in the top 5 percent of heaviest data users for this billing cycle. Smartphone customers with unlimited data plans may experience reduced speeds once their usage in a billing cycle reaches the level that puts them among the top 5 percent of heaviest data users. These customers can still use unlimited data and their speeds will be restored with the start of the next billing cycle.

Beginning with your next billing cycle, we'll send you a text message if you are approaching the top 5 percent of heaviest data users. We'll also send you a second text message if you cross into the top 5 percent of heaviest users, at which point you may see reduced speeds for the rest of the month.

What the fuck.

I've used about 1 gig of data this month and that to me is nothing. Between loading all the articles on flipboard this month, a few purchases on iTunes, and a few youtube videos, that's pretty much 1 gig right there. A gig is literally NOTHING. Apple sells a 64 gig iPhone and I can't use 1 gig of data a month? Half of my usage is spent at the iTunes store downloading music anyways (which I pay for by the way). So let's say I start with a completely empty iPhone. I download 1 gigs of music a month for 24 months (length of my contract). 24 gigs is still less than what my iPhone can hold and what I paid for.

What also angers me is that they don't give you a hard limit on what the 5% is. Is it exactly 2 gigs? Is it 1 gig? How can I stay out of it? What's going to end up happening is that the usage for the top 5% will keep decreasing. This month it's going to be 1 gig. Next month, more people will try to stay out of the top bucket and the cut off will be 0.9 gigs. Each month it will go down, feeding off by this vicious cycle.

How does it make sense that the threshold for when they slow down your internet is a bit over 1 gig under a $30 unlimited data plan, when there is a $25 data plan for 2 gigs? I asked this to the representative at AT&T when I called in. He obviously did not have an answer for me. I also told him that the thought of potentially losing my 3g access on my phone is causing me anxiety, since they cannot give me a direct answer on what the threshold in terms of usage for the 5% is. I literally just need to pray everyday that I don't hit the top 5%.

I've done some googling and apparently, when they slow down you data plan, it's pretty much close to unsable. Emails load after a really long time. Facebook pretty much does not work. Streaming is totally out of the question. Basically, nothing works. If you're interested in reading more, I came across this well written compliant by LKL198025 on an AT&T support forum.

This grievance, coupled with the previous entry about the iPhone's shit battery life, just shows that technology is lagging behind innovation. The problem?

Monopolies / Oligopolies are established due to the U.S.' favoring of BIG COMPANIES making it difficult for other small companies to enter the space and compete (i.e. patent laws, tax shields on debt, lobbyist, etc.)

AT&T can only pull this shit (excuse the excess cussing but obvie this is a very important matter to me) in curbing my data usage because the cell phone providers in the U.S. have an oligopoly. Case in point, part of my love letter from AT&T reads:

Like other wireless companies, AT&T is taking steps to manage exploding demand for mobile data..

Thanks for the reminder that I have no choice but to go with your shitty ass company or another shitty ass company which will also restrict my usage. I'm glad the AT&T and T-Mobile merger didn't go through. Are you fucking kidding me? Having only 4 data providers is enough of an oligopoly, and some geniuses had the nerve to think that AT&T and T-Mobile will not violate anti-trust laws?

Additionally, Apple can get away with putting out a product that essentially doesn't work (i.e. death grip & battery drain issues; absurdly FRAGILE screen), because there really is no comparable device to the iPhone out there. And who ever wants to put out a comparable device, they will line up their patent lawyers and sue the shit out of them.

It's just frustrating that there are so many limitations on what I can do with my technology. I can't use my phone for more than 4 hours without recharging it. I can't pay for songs (thanks SOPA) on my phone when I'm traveling and do not have access to my laptop. Isn't technology supposed to improve and facilitate our lives? Instead, thanks to the infrastructure of our country, innovation is being hindered and progress is not facilitated because these monopolies make a SHIT TON OF MONEY nevertheless. Corporate profits are THROUGH THE ROOF while main street and our broad economy has never recovered.