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I don’t talk on the phone much so it boggles me how much I pay for voice minutes every month. On the flipside, I use a lot of data and AT&T’s 2GB data cap is limiting me. For a month I’m going to try the following: switch to a prepaid per-minute voice plan and use a Verizon LTE hotspot for data. I use Google Voice so I don’t need a text plan.
I received the hotspot at Google I/O and had free service for 3 months. The speeds were incredible; at times it was faster than my home broadband connection. I can get a 5GB plan for $50.
Pros:
* Savings of $10-20 per month
* 5GB data cap instead of 2GB
* Much faster data with LTE
* More reliable signal. Verizon’s LTE is 700 MHz which allows it better range.
* No contract. I didn’t have one anyway but turning service on/off is simpler this way.
* Easier tethering with other devices. I could tether my phone but this makes it even simpler and hitting the data cap is less likely.
Cons:
* Battery life. The hotspot only lasts about 4 hours. Not a problem when I’m in the car since it can charge over USB. But I will have to carry an external battery (or an extra internal one) when I’m going to be using this away from a plug or public WiFi for extended periods (such as football games). But I usually carry one for my phone anyway so I can use it on both.
EDIT: The hotpspot has much better battery life than I anticipated. And a bigger extra battery was under $10 on Amazon so I went that route. But I have yet to need to switch it out.
* Have to carry 2 devices (and sometimes 3 with a battery). The hotspot is pretty small so it won’t be a big deal.
The increased speed is going to come in handy this weekend while I’m streaming the Texas A&M/OK St game on my phone at a wedding. They are getting married during football season, they should be lucky I’m even at the wedding. But I’ll rant about that elsewhere. Grr.
I’ll report back next month with my results.
http://wyldtek.samsession.com/2011/09/tech-experiment-mobile-data.html
I ported my mobile number to Google Voice back in January and have never looked back. The final straw keeping me from making the move was my grandfathered unlimited data plan from AT&T. When they just randomly changed my plan to a capped 2 GB plan I was free to make the move. That 2GB cap is about to prompt another experiment as well, but that will be discussed in a later post.
I had a Google Voice number on my Gmail account that I used as a secondary number. My experience had been positive so I was ready to go all-in. I added Google Voice to my Google Apps account and paid $20 to have my AT&T number ported. I hadn’t had a mobile contract in years so that was not a problem. Within 24 hours my number had been moved to Google Voice and my AT&T account was closed. The only painful part of porting was the fact that I could receive texts from other Google Voice accounts immediately, but it took about 40 hours for incoming texts from mobile phones to start working. After that all was golden. I got a new line from AT&T with the 2GB data plan, the lowest possible voice plan and a phone number that no one ever needs to know. I no longer needed a text plan :) With Google Voice all “texting” is done through data. So if I send 1 text or 1000 it doesn’t matter. On my end its the equivalent of sending an email, but it shows up as a text message from my number on the receiving end.
With Google Voice I have this sense of freedom. I can take my number anywhere with me. Naturally since its Google it integrates well with Android. I use it both on my phone (currently a Galaxy S II) and my tablet (currently the Galaxy Tab 10.1). But one of the big advantages is when I’m near a PC I can text and call from within the browser. With the ability to reply with a real keyboard my texting has gone through the roof. And I can text from anywhere I have an internet connection, including planes with WiFi and other countries (more on that later). I don’t talk on the phone much anymore, but I can also make a receive calls from within Gmail on a PC for free. On phones Google Voice forwards to/from the mobile number you have with a carrier so it still uses minutes. There are apps and hacks to allow VOIP calls with Google Voice on phones, but they are not completely reliable just yet. Although when it works it has come in handy during my travels. And its free to call and text Canada and quite a few other countries. They offer cheap rates for calling many others.
Speaking of travels, another advantage of Google Voice is the ability to use your number in other countries. Whenever I leave the country I get a cheap prepaid data plan from a local carrier. I use unlocked GSM phones so I can just switch the SIM card and I’m back online. I can still send an receive texts like I’m at home. And the calling methods I previously mentioned still work.
There are a few limitations to Google Voice though. You can no longer receive MMS (picture messages) and most short codes don’t work. MMS is not a huge deal since email works better for pictures but short codes may be a problem for some people who use the text features of Twitter/Facebook or want to vote on some reality show.
Google Voice has many other features I haven’t even mentioned so I will list a few here:
* Scheduling call forwarding to multiple phones (home, office, work, etc )
* Spam filtering for calls and texts
* Call/text blocking (blocked callers hear the old invalid number message)
* Custom voicemail greetings for individual callers or groups
* Conferencing features
* Call recording
* Complete call/text history
http://wyldtek.samsession.com/2011/09/my-google-voice-experience.html
Contagion
It’s quite possibly one of the scariest movies you will ever see… but not in the way you think. If you are overly paranoid or a germophobe, this is not the movie for you :) It has that typical Steven Soderbergh feel to it, but that just makes the subject matter even more frightening. Usually I would not notice every time someone coughs during a movie, but you couldn’t help but take notice during this one. This movie was extremely well shot; the camera work really adds to the deliciously uncomfortable feeling. Every touch just stands out. It seems to end fairly quickly, but it was still satisfying.
Colombiana
So much promise, yet it fell so short. It was definitely entertaining at times, but my movie partner perfectly described the writing and directing as just lazy. Instead of getting a great movie like Man on Fire, we got something far inferior.
http://wyldtek.samsession.com/2011/08/screening-reviews_25.html
This was a disappointing week for me…
Conan the Barbarian
Horrible 3D, sound, editing, etc. Sadly, the bad acting was the best thing about this movie. The women seemed to enjoy Jason Momoa though.
Fright Night
Better than Conan, but that’s not saying much. I found it a little cheesy, but that’s just staying true to the original. The 3D was good when they weren’t doing the gimmicky “shit flying at your face” stunts. But if you must see the movie skip the 3D. Some of the effects were good but there were parts when they looked really bad (car chase scene). This is my favorite Colin Farrell role, but again that’s not saying much. Watch for a cameo from the original Fright Night “Jerry“.
http://wyldtek.samsession.com/2011/08/screening-reviews.html
This list is mostly DFW-centric but there are ways to do this in most cities.
If I have included their Twitter handle that is the best way to follow them.
Gofobo
Used by many studios to distribute screening passes. Some are open and some require codes (which you may find at the sites below)
Red Carpet Crash
@redcarpetcrash
I Heart Cinema
@IHeartCinemaNet
Fellowship of Fools
@fellowshipoffoo
Dallasmoviescreenings.com
@DalScreenings
Advance Screenings
@TXScreenings
IMAX
I’ve gotten free tickets from contests run on studio/theater twitter accounts. Search for your favorites and follow them. But be warned, some of them tweet way too much *cough*amc*cough*
Google
I even found one movie ticket by just searching for: *movie name* screening Dallas
Movie screening tips:
Get there EARLY. They give away more passes than there are seats available to guarantee the theater is full. For a popular movie 2 hours early may be necessary. It varies widely though.
Turn off your cell phone once the movie starts. Screening are usually shown before the movie is released so they are extra paranoid about piracy. Even if you are just sending a text they may confiscate your phone or ask you to leave. Some screenings don’t allow phones at all. They will take them before you enter or ask you to leave them in the car. I’ve only experienced this once and decided to just skip the movie.
Check Moviestinger.com for extras during and after the credits. If nothing is reported yet, leave a comment with an update.
http://wyldtek.samsession.com/2011/08/how-to-get-free-movie-screening-tickets.html
I’ll be making my first trip to Burning Man this year. I’m nervous but will be relying on my experienced Burner companions. I’m kinda excited about the drive out there and living off the grid for a few days. My preparations began months ago but now that its getting close its time to step it up.
Borrowed:
Bicycle + accessories (Thanks Tom!)
Purchased:
Camelbak
Step 1 – Hydration. Stay thirsty my friends… or not.
Larabar
I love these anyway. Simple and yummy.
Clif Mojo
I only tried these because I was looking for more food to take. They are awesome.
Cashew clusters
Something else I tried. Very tasty (and much cheaper at Costco)
Sunchips
I always have a big bag of these handy.
Coconut water
Giving it a try since its supposed to be good for hydration.
Huggies
So fresh and so clean
Sanyo eneloop AA
Needed some more anyway
Sanyo eneloop AAA
Ditto
Headlamp
Clearance priced and figured it might be handy
Bike lock
So my borrowed bike doesn’t accidentally roll away without me
Bike lights
Since I’m naturally stealthy at night I should probably make it easier to see me
Cable ties
I bought these for another project but they may come in handy.
Velcro ties
Found these super-cheap on sale. Always useful.
USB car adapter
I was getting this anyway for charging phones/tablets/etc in the car. Will be most useful for the long drive.
Auto fuses
In case I overdo it with the gadgets in the car. Been there, done that, blogged about it.
To be continued…
http://wyldtek.samsession.com/2011/08/burning-man-shopping-list.html
30 Minutes or Less was funny, but not hilarious. If you are a fan of Danny McBride, Nick Swardson, or Aziz Ansari its definitely worth seeing.
Warrior is one of those movies that will become popular during award season. A sign of a great movie is when the audience cheers the result of a fight even when they already know who’s going to win. Its a must see for any MMA fans, but even if you dislike fighting you will love this movie.
Next week: Its remake week. Conan the Barbarian and Fright Night. How will they compare to the original movies?
http://wyldtek.samsession.com/2011/10/screening-reviews.html
For many reasons, I’m finally porting my domains away from GoDaddy. I chose Hover.com as my new registrar. At first glance they seem more expensive than GoDaddy until you realize that private registration is included. That free feature actually makes them cheaper (and to save 10% more use the offer code “twit”).
Here is a log of my transfer experience.
Step 1: At GoDaddy, unlock the domain so it can be transferred.
Step 2: Turn off private registration. Hover can’t begin the transfer until this is done as well.
Step 3: Once private registration is disabled, make sure you have a valid email address under the administrative contact. Make sure it is from a different domain than the one you are transferring because the domain will briefly be down while the transfer takes place.
Step 4: Allow Hover to send a test message to the administrative email. Click the link to confirm that the email was received and that you control the domain.
Step 5: Begin the registration process at Hover. An authorization code must be requested from GoDaddy before the registration can be completed.
Step 6: Since this domain is being used for my primary email, I’m going to configure the domain at Hover.com with my Google Apps DNS information before confirming the transfer with GoDaddy. This should minimize the email downtime.
Step 7: Confirm the transfer with GoDaddy.
Step 8: Once the transfer is complete, check and update the name servers to point to the new registrar. Once the DNS changes propagate everything should be working on the new registrar.
Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay: Just finished reading this 4th book in the Dexter series. While this book was better than the 3rd book (which was just weird), its not as good as the first two. At this point its clear that the Showtime series has far surpassed the books. Even though the story lines have diverged quite a bit, there are quite a few parallels between the 4th season of the show and the 4th book.
I’d Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts by Larry Wilmore: A gift from my brother. If he thinks its hilarious, then I can’t wait to start reading it. Larry Wilmore is hilarious on the Daily Show so I have high expectations.
Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton: The last book from my favorite author. Finishing this one will put me in a very solemn mood.
Outliers: The Story of Success and What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures both by Malcolm Gladwell: I enjoyed The Tipping Point and Blink so these should be interesting.
