Snippets 2018.03...
Wow! No Snippets since February?? Remember back when I did Snippets practically every Wednesday? Those were the days. Let's travel that road again, shall we?
Christmas 1
Today is our Christmas in July celebration at work and a co-worker said to me, "Wait! What is this music you're playing? Shouldn't you be playing Christmas music?? It's Christmas in July!!" To clarify, I was playing Alkaline Trio's My Shame is True through a shared bluetooth connection to a pair of speakers we all listen to and I really did not want to play Christmas songs.
I replied, "Well, this is Alkaline Trio. 'Alkaline' is a reference to all the batteries kids need to run the toys they get for Christmas. 'Trio' is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. If you don't get 'Christmas' out of 'Alkaline Trio,' there's no hope for you." Another co-worker fervently complimented my quick-witted response. Admittedly, I was pretty proud, too.
Recording
Speaking of music, towards the end of their performance at Pitchfork, Brian King, the lead vocalist of Japandroids, announced that this would be their last festival for a while. I was almost ready to cry until he said it's because they're going home to Vancouver to start work on a new album. WOO!!!!
Christmas 2
Katie thought it might be fun to let Nathan celebrate Christmas in July a little bit. So we broke out his trusty Elf on the Shelf, Artie, and set him up in a "beach scene." It's pretty darned cute and Nathan loved it!
Artie will go back in hiding tonight after Nathan goes to sleep. I mean he has to. We told Nathan that Artie returns to the North Pole after Christmas and watches Nathan from there. Can't have him thinking that Artie is yet another toy for him, can we?
Wiffie
Hey, if you want to use a smartphone only as a wifi-capable device for web browsing and not at all as a phone, do you have to get an "unlocked" phone or do you simply get any phone you want and not sign up for a plan or insert a SIM card? I'm not very familiar with these sorts of technomological thingers.
Christmas 3
I am curious about one thing, why is there a Christmas in July? I mean, I know it's not a real celebration. But, I have heard of "half birthdays" and those are supposed to be at the six-month mark from a person's actual birthday. I would think a Christmas half celebration should be done on June 25. So who can't do math out there that created this holiday??
Alliances
This week saw the release of Timothy Zahn’s latest entry in the saga of Grand Admiral Thrawn... Thrawn: Alliances. I absolutely adored the first book in this series and have been dying to read this one since it was announced late last year. And I just got my copy... a audio review copy. Merry Christmas in July to me!
I’m hoping to have it read by the middle of next week to get a review posted. Somewhere other than (just) Goodreads.
I’ll also have more details about that “somewhere other” bit once the review is posted.
For WiFi-only use, you do need an unlocked phone. However, if you are buying a new phone for this, you may run into issues as some such purchases require activation. This isn't as big a problem as it used to be, but you typically will not be eligible for any discounts that might otherwise be available.
Often, this can be solved by replacing an existing phone that is no longer "under contract" and using that old phone as the WiFi-only device.
Posted by: Ren | Thursday, 26 July 2018 at 10:06 AM
Grumble -- "do NOT need an unlocked phone". I could have sworn I typed that the first time.
Posted by: Ren | Thursday, 26 July 2018 at 10:06 AM
So what you’re saying is play it safe and buy a used phone? I’m asking about this for the purpose of adding an Android phone to a device lab we’re building at work. Obviously it won’t be used for calls. Just for WiFi only access to the web for site testing.
Posted by: kapgar | Thursday, 26 July 2018 at 11:07 AM
I blame autocorrect.
Posted by: kapgar | Thursday, 26 July 2018 at 11:07 AM
It's not necessary to buy a used phone, though I would think that would be the most economical -- second only to using a used phone that you don't have to buy.
If you buy a new phone, it should be obvious during the purchase process whether or not service activation is required. Just make sure it isn't. For instance, AT&T is currently offering a BOGO on iPhones, but I believe both phones have to be activated and kept active for a minimum time period to avoid an early termination fee.
Posted by: Ren | Thursday, 26 July 2018 at 11:20 AM
I’m buying off eBay so I’m not sure if that caveat will be obvious or not.
Posted by: kapgar | Thursday, 26 July 2018 at 11:23 AM
Buying second hand should guarantee that no activation is required, as there is no way they could enforce it.
Posted by: Ren | Thursday, 26 July 2018 at 11:31 AM
I’ll try my darnedest to stick to that then. Thanks! I was hoping you’d chime in on this snippet.
Posted by: kapgar | Thursday, 26 July 2018 at 11:52 AM