Looking for something else on the Net I stumbled upon this five-year-old piece from Jonathan Rowe in Washington Monthly, Reach Out And Annoy Someone. Some good stuff in there, but I particularly liked some stuff he wrote about Hong Kong, about the ‘lonely bubble’ of the cellphone user in public: And what does that suggest… Read More »
Want to save a few bucks and convert an old wireless phone into a Skype phone? Check out Jarnaker.com: By having the phone off hook I carefully inserted my little screwdriver here and there until a heard a click in the handset. And when I found that click I injected a signal from my MP3… Read More »
Ringtones. The day of the fancy, polyphonic, clip-from-your-favorite-song-or-theme-tune ringtone is here. Especially in North Asia, it seems. And it’s annoying. It’s like hearing someone turning on a radio full-blast and then turning it off, and jabbering instead. Either you’re just beginning to get into the music, or recognise it, and it’s off. I thought I would… Read More »
Why is it that cellphones ring louder the longer they go unanswered? The ring starts quietly, then builds up to an ear-splitting crescendo. I know what the apparent logic to this is — if the phone is right in front of the person, they don’t need it loud to be able to hear it, so… Read More »
Looks like Kuwait is going ahead with outlawing taking pictures of other people with cameraphones without their consent. An AFP story out of Kuwait today (no URL available yet) says a Kuwaiti parliamentary panel has “approved government proposed legislation laying down jail terms for people using Bluetooth technology in mobile phones to take or circulate pictures… Read More »