Is that a hearing aid? No, moron, it's a ...

Bluetooth headset.



Jeff and I just got new phones and since they are Bluetooth enabled, I got him a Motorola headset. He loved it so much that I decided to try it out too. Why would anyone want a wireless headset?

1. Convenience: I can answer and end calls with the push of one button.
2. No wires involved.
3. I can walk upto 30 feet away and still get my calls.

Here's a LifeTips website that offers more reasons on why you should use a wireless headset, and asnwers questions about them.
In December 2003, England passed a law against drivers using any mobile phone while driving. BBC News had a good article where they answered top ten questions. Main gist was that if you had to hold the phone for anything, you could be fined 30 pounds. According to the Trusted Reviews website, “ever since it became illegal in the UK to drive while holding a mobile phone the popularity of Bluetooth headsets has, not surprisingly, rocketed and it’s now a pretty common site to see them being worn by drivers.” Even before that, in 2001, New York became the first state to pass a law prohibiting the use of a cell phone when driving - unless you are using a hands free device. In 2004, New Jersey and DC adopted this law as well. You can read about it at the Be Hands Free website.

I just got back from CA and after 2 weeks of using my wireless headset, I have gotten some comments about it, both in CA and in MI.

In MI:
1. A 20-year old in a bar asked Jeff if he was wearing a hearing aid (the person was serious).
2. I got asked why I needed it on my ear all the time. Let's see, in lieu of that, let me keep it in my pocket or my purse and then when somebody calls, I pull it out and answer the call. BUT, how is that different form just using my phone?

In CA:
1. A 60-year old grandma comments "Oh, where did you get the pink one?"
2. Another really old lady asked Jeff if he got good range with his headset.

I realize that CA is ahead of the rest of the country when it comes to technological advancements. Bluetooth technology is not new. Bluetooth SIGs were formed in 1998 and the headsets have been out for at least a couple years now. So, why is it that something that is commonly seen attached to people's ears on the West Coast is so unknown elsewhere in the same country?

I have been telling myself in the past few months of my job search that I wouldn't mind staying in the Midwest. But, this ONE incidence (more than one but same context) has made me realize I miss CA. I miss being among people who know what the latest and greatest things are and are comfortable trying them out. I miss the fact that I could wear my 48" bell bottoms with wooden heels and a wireless headset and not have people stare at me or ask stupid questions.

A Michigander commented to me a couple of days ago "What? CA has culture?" No, moron, only this corn growing flatland Midwest has culture. I have also been lectured on how all the culture in CA comes from Midwesterners moving there and raising their children with morals. You know what? Come back. Come back to the mothership please and leave us cultureless, sinning, morally abhorrent, naked hippies in CA alone. I cannot wait till I can be back on the West coast again. This middle class morality of the Midwest is killing my free spirited hippy soul.

Sylvie's Johari Window

This is from Noor:

The Johari Window was invented by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in the 1950s as a model for mapping personality awareness. By describing yourself from a fixed list of adjectives, then asking your friends and colleagues to describe you from the same list, a grid of overlap and difference can be built up.

So, go click on adjectives you think describe me and then look at my window

Amy for SOCHI board

To add to Da Choi's endorsement of Amy for a SOCHI officer, I would like to add my own two cents in.

Amy would be a perfect SOCHI officer for the following reasons:
- She knows more about HCI than I and I've served as a SOCHI officer for a year now (uhh, maybe not such a good thing to admit to but wth, I'm on my way out)
- She's smart, very very smart
- She can hold her liqour and she likes her liqour, unlike some other unnamed SOCHI officers, so it's a sure thing that she'll be at SOCHI happy hours week after week, making SOCHI even more fun
- I think she has contacts, and not mafia contacts like another unnamed SOCHI officer, but professional contacts
- Did I mention she's fun loving and likes her beer?
- I like her and that should be enough for people to vote for her

So, I would like to hereby officially endorse Ms. Amy for a SOCHI officer position.

Our new phones

Jeff's Rokr!


My pink Razr yay!

3 hr cell phone hold

So, I was an AT&T customer in my previous life. Then, I met Jeff and we became AT&T co-members on a family share plan. Then Cingular bought AT&T wireless. And thus started this pain in that place where the sun rarely shines...

Because our plan was AT&T, we couldn't get any service from Cingular and we could use some of the Cingular services but not others. Fine. We decided to wait and just sign up for a new plan when our current one ran out in August of 2006. But then

Jeff lost his phone last night

and I went to a Cingular store to replace his phone. I got him the cool new Rokr that plays iTunes. I bought him a Bluetooth headset. What I didn't know was that I was buying hours of headache with it.

The cashier supposedly took Jeff off our family plan, migrated him to Cingular and gave him a plan of his own. When I called Cingular to migrate my number over to them, this is what my mind tells me now that happened:

- the cashier shouldn't have done what he did
- the 4 people I talked to at Cingular all had varying ideas of how easy was it to fix the problem (what problem? I wasn't entirely sure myself)
- I had to get a new number, which I had been avoiding because of job search issues and such
- If you want to call customer service, use a landline
- They deactivated my phone and said it would be re-activated sometime again (WHAT?)
- It finally was reactivated but now we are on 2 seperate plans and I am still with AT&T (Wait, wasn't the whole point to get me off of AT&T?)
- I have to go back to the store and get myself migrated apparently

I am starting to believe my immigration proceedings will be a piece of cake after this

Oh, and I have a new number. If you don't have it yet, check UMich directory or email me.