Looks like rain.
Because you deserve it. Another shot of Sydney Harbour Bridge, taken from the ferry home. The camera on my phone is actually surprisingly good. It’s one of the reasons my next mobile won’t be an iPhone. While they cast a +15 Glamour of Shininess, they have truly sucky optics. The reason I need a new phone is, as with many of my reasons for needing new things, somewhat tinged with idiocy.
Firstly, I needed a new phone anyway. My trusty N95 is falling to bits. The case is disintegrating, and something nasty is happening to the internal memory. Still, three years isn’t a bad run for a modern phone. So I didn’t really feel that bad. Honestly.
Anyway. New flat in Brisbane. Tired of paying a monthly fee to Telstra for the copper to run ADSL over. Off to trusty iiNet for a deal on what is regrettably known as Naked DSL. They jumper straight from the E-side of the frame to the DSLAM with no splitter and no connection to the switch. This cuts Telstra out of the loop, and saves me $30 a month. Happy. Before this can happen, we need to identify the pair at the switch. Traditionally, this is done by using the phone number. The letting agent claims not to know the previous number, then claims there was never a line installed, then, apparently, makes a number up. We hand this number to iiNet, who discover that it’s wrong by an entire exchange. Whoops. This does relate to the destruction of my mobile – patience – we’re getting there.
A friendly, knowledgeable person, who could probably parse the entire previous paragraph, calls me and explains the discrepancy between phone number and address. I make it clear that the address is correct, and it’s the phone number that has been conjured from who-knows-where. He tells me a super-secret (as in, I’ve forgotten it) number to call from the flat, which will then read back the actual number. While he’s still on the line, he finds the correct number from the address. This is spectacularly impressive, since I have a suspicion that I was involved in building the database he just used. Finding anything in there is a triumph of faith over reason. Cool. So, when we get back from the pub (you knew that bit was coming), I dig out the landline telephone, and plug it into the wall. I dial the magic number, and sure enough, the switch reads back the number. Awesome. As I write the number down, I drop the handset. Onto the screen of my mobile which was charging on the floor.
And that’s why I need a new phone. What? You were expecting a punchline?