You may think the band are not quite right

[austin_dern]

Got an annoying text. Verizon tells me they're discontinuing my phone at the end of next year. The retirement of the 3G network, apparently, and my phone can't be switched over to something more modern. There are many things annoying me about this, not just that the only technology change of the past decade that I liked was having AirDrop to send files to my iPod or back.

But this does mean I'll need to buy a new phone, and while I imagine I'll be able to afford that by the end of 2022, I don't much want to. I grant my 2008-era phone is showing its age in many ways --- a full charge is only good for about 70 minutes' talking, for example --- but it's basically working. I can put it in my messenger bag and turn the thing off and honestly assert that I am taking my phone with me. And I don't like throwing out electronics that are still doing their job. Also, I won't be able to take my phone plan to whatever the successor phone is. Verizon already took way the plan I originally signed on for, and that I really liked: I was charged $2.00 for unlimited calling, only on the days that I actually used the phone. Plus, I think, a nickel per text. And put more money on my account when that runs low. Whatever they have on their new phones won't be as good as that.

bunnyhugger has a pretty good feature phone (as they call it), a thing suitable for calling AAA if need be. And a plan she doesn't seem annoyed by. I admit it has crossed my mind I might get a contemporary smart phone, and combine the phone calls I don't want to make with, like, listening to podcasts and logging noteworthy pinball games. I don't like how smart phones imply that someone should be always accessible, but I suppose I can just ignore everybody like I already do. Also, hi everybody whose comments I finally got to after letting them sit for three weeks.

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Like to see some of the Christmas tree farm? Here's some pictures of that.

We overheard one of the Tannenbaum Farms folks describing the trees as pretty well cleared out and yeah, that's fair to say. Also but jeez, people, you're supposed to cut as close to the ground as you can. Look at all those wasted trunks.

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Look at this cutie, though. bunnyhugger's parents have this in their home now.

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And here bunnyhugger cuts down the tree we have upstairs now.

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Trivia: John Wanamaker, the Philadelphia department store magnate, raised $200,000 for the 1888 presidential campaign of Benjamin Harrison. Harrison then named Wanamaker, who had never held a public office, the postmaster-general. Source: Neither Snow Nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service, Devin Leonard. And despite this background, and his pledge to run it in a more business-like manner, Wanamaker did a great job, particularly in actually delivering letters to rural addressees (rather than making them come to the town post office for pickup). Apparently some critics denounced this as --- you can see this one marching up 5th Avenue --- ``socialism''.

Currently Reading: The Last Million: Europe's Displaced Persons from World War to Cold War, David Nasaw.

Comments

[moxie_man]

We were forced to "upgrade" 2 years ago from our old 3G brick phones. We both have beater flip-phones. Allegedly, they're smart enough to access the Internet, provided you want to try and surf the net on a 1.75in x 2.25in screen and use the numeric keypad to try and type URLs and passwords. We're currently with Tracfone, which is a yearly fee, plus prepay minutes/text/data, which do not expire as long as you keep your plan active. I had to use mine a lot in the first 18 months of the pandemic as we were strictly work-from-home. And my employer wouldn't reimburse me for the minutes I burned on the clock for them. I guess $30 over 18 months was too costly. It now sits on the desk turned-off except when I'm traveling, which is rare these days.

Wife is being forced to upgrade to a true smartphone thanks to her job, but she's taking as much time as she can with it.