Due to recent problems with my host and their server’s paranoia of PHP picture manipulation code, I’ll refrain from posting pictures until they fix it or I get a new host. I guess I’m going to have to make an impact with mundane, trivial text.Anyway, a friend recently recommended a blog on Web 2.0 developments (you know, all that talk about online social networking, the power of the people and tagging and so forth…), TechCrunch. It helpfully lists a lot of startups () and the services they offer, the vast majority of which are free and have refined interfaces (AJAX enabled, think Google Maps).
I’m a tyrant when it comes to earphones (the small ear ones and not their larger cranial death grip cousins): I buy them, abuse them, wear them out in a few months, then feed them to squirrels. Then I kill off all their relatives and seize their estates.
Admittedly, I’m not much of an audiophile; I’m not the type who can tell the difference between MP3 and CD-quality immediately and I could care less about how heavy the bass is in simulating earthquakes. I’ve bought my share of crappy cheapo headphones (which I exchanged two-month-old broken ones for new phones at Walgreens on a regular basis as a student), but I didn’t expect much from them in the first place.
I also tried the much-praised Sony in-ear headphones that always seem to be on sale at Amazon’s. They violate your ears much like your physician during your annual checkup, but like the good doctor, it’s for a good cause, as the phones do provide much clearer sound and drown out most background noise. They also tended to explode (I’m guessing it’s the driver being overloaded or shorted) while in my ear.
But yea, for some reason or another, my earphones have a tendency to die short, unmemorable deaths. I do listen to a fair amount of music – 3 to 4 hours at work, usually on the train/bus/plane when travelling, on the computer when my roommate threatens to kick my ass – so they get worn out quickly. I’ve gone through 6 or 7 earphones in the past 2 years already, so here’s hoping that these new Shure E2g‘s are as good as advertised.
[click]
It’s ironic that, for all the supposed technological superiority America holds over other nations, our American telecommunications industry seems to be made up of 80-year-olds who sit around muttering about the good old days of business. I usually wouldn’t care less about their archaic ways until I’m forced to switch cell phone carriers.
As it turns out, the cheapest way was through Chinese ninjitsu, otherwise known as using shady corporate policy loopholes to one’s advantage. My parents had a plan via Verizon Wireless, and one reseller had the means to sign me up for a new plan (with complimentary new phone), then switch me over to a family plan with my parents in a month. Since I don’t even use that many minutes on a given day, this made perfect sense and saves me $20-$25/month. ()