Why I Left Twitter

Twitter is the perpetual cocktail party where everyone is talking at once but nobody is saying anything.

@TeresaMedeiros

We now live in a culture of over-sharing. I can’t for the life of me understand why people think that photos of what they eat for breakfast (or do with every moment of their waking hours) are interesting. Another Twitter habit that boggles the mind is people that tweet multiple times of day and say nothing. I was deluged by inspirational quotes that didn’t inspire me, or fillers that had no relevance. Whatever I may have found interesting was buried so deep in the noise, that it never surfaced.

Twitter, like most social media networks, is overrun by fake users; in fact according to SocialPilot, there are currently approximately 20 million fake Twitter users. Add to that the spammers, scammers and porn queens advertising their wares, and there remains very little of significance. It got to the point where I spent most of my time on Twitter deleting all but quality users (and there remained very few).

The reality is that I saw absolutely no benefit from Twitter. It was a complete and utter waste of my time and I have so many things I’d rather be doing. So, I left Twitter.Do you get any benefit from Twitter? If so, feel free to share.

I don't understand this whole Twitter, Facebook stuff. I don't get it. Make a phone call. Talk to somebody.

James Avery

Make someone smile today.

Geri

How to Make Free Long Distance Calls on Your Smartphone

The telephone is a 100-year-old technology. It's time for a change. Charging for phone calls is something you did last century.

Niklas Zennstrom

Not long ago I wrote a blog about Canadians being held hostage by cell phone providers. I was livid at the cost of mobile long distance rates. My provider really got my goat after jacking up my rates and not crediting my account in compensation, so I had the Canada to U.S. long distance portion of my plan removed – saving me $20/month. Now unfortunately, if I make any Canada to U.S. long distance calls on my Smartphone these bandits are going to bill me $0.50/minute. Anyone that knows me can tell you that there is no way on God’s little acre that I'm ever going to pay $0.50/minute to call the States.

And so, the hunt began for how to make free long distance calls from Canada to the U.S.; but I had criteria:

• To call anyone – many companies will give you free long distance ONLY if you’re calling someone who uses the same app

• Keep my phone number - most of these free long distance companies give you a special number that you have to use

• Dial directly – no access numbers, PIN numbers, etc.

• My phone number shows up in call display

Quite frankly I couldn’t find anything that met my criteria until my Techie Guru told me to use Google Hangouts. I’d completely dismissed Google Hangouts because when it first launched you had to connect with people who were also using Google Hangouts. Now it’s all changed. You can call anyone, anywhere in North America free. Once you have Google Hangouts all you do is download the Hangouts Dialer (there’s one for Android and Apple) and make your calls. I talked for 54 minutes yesterday with my friend in San Diego and it was totally free. I checked my long distance usage with my cell phone provider and there is no record of the call. International calling is also available; it’s not free but the rates are drastically cheaper than the cell phone provider bandits.

Stick it to the cell phone provider bandits and stop paying them for long distance plans. Use Google Hangouts instead.

I hate it when people text: Call me.

Funny Pictures

Make someone smile today.

Geri

Do You Still Send Christmas Cards?

Sending paperless Christmas cards is a great way to feel better about the murdered tree in your living room.

someecards

I still send Christmas cards, although each year the number of cards that I send and receive dwindles. Considering the hectic pace of life these days, it’s no surprise. Shopping for cards, addressing cards, buying stamps and mailing cards quite frankly has become burdensome. I have to tell you that I find the cost of stamps for what can best be described as an inefficient postal system obscene! This is the price of postage originating in Canada providing your envelope is exactly the right size and your card is as light as a feather:

Within Canada: $0.85

To the U.S.: $1.20

International: $2.50

How long your cards will take to arrive at their destination is anyone’s guess but it's become a very expensive and inefficient way to send greetings. Every year I notice that more people are sending eCards. When this trend first originated, quite frankly, I didn’t like it much. But, I’ve begun to make the move. I now send all of my international cards electronically – the cost of postage annoyed me so much it pushed me over the edge. I sent a few local eCards this year but next year, I’m going to make my move and send more local cards electronically until I phase out paper cards completely. However, I must confess that this has nothing what-so-ever to do with being eco-friendly. I sincerely believe that the time for paper cards has come and gone.

I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, electronically, of course.

Good thing you put a photo of your kids on your holiday card in case anyone hadn’t seen the 15,239 you posted on Facebook this year.

someecards

Make someone smile today.

Geri

Airlines Will Soon Be Charging Us to Use the Toilet

… the mask will drop down. Please put your own mask on and pay for your oxygen with a major credit card before assisting others with their transaction.

Blazek

Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away, air travel used to be fun. Then the airline industry was taken over by the evil empire and now it’s the ultimate indignity. In order to realize the maximum profits possible they cram so many seats into a plane that even a shrimp like me who’s 5 feet tall has no legroom. How does a normal size person contract and contort themselves into a shape that allows them to be seated in so tiny a space? And, no one over the age of two should ever have to sit in the middle seat. God forbid anyone reclines their seat; they could be compressing your ribcage and cutting off your oxygen.

How much does a plane ticket cost? Who knows??? The quoted fare only tells part of the story. By the time you add the cost of pre-booking a seat (per leg) and the cost of checked baggage (by piece, volume and weight per leg) the cost of your ticket, which may have seemed like a bargain, is now an outrage.

Check in is usually 3 hours before boarding because of the security hoops they have us jumping through. Take off your shoes, belt, metal jewelry, empty your pockets, take your computer out of your bag… You can’t take any fluids over 3 ounces in the cabin so you have to repackage skin care products, sun screen, hair care products, etc. You can’t take mini scissors, tweezers, knitting needles, crochet hooks, etc. onboard because apparently they’ve been declared dangerous weapons. Then how do terrorists get on board with box cutters when grannies across the land have to surrender their knitting needles?

Onboard service is an oxymoron in term. If you’re lucky you can get coffee, tea, non-alcoholic beverages and snacks (but no longer the smoked almonds everyone loved in case one person on your flight has a nut allergy and is stupid enough to eat the nuts). Meal service no longer exists on most flights but they will sell you a plastic sandwich for a ridiculous price. In flight entertainment may now only be a Wifi connection, so come equipped with your own entertainment.

Still, we have no choice but to fly to certain destinations, so we accept being treated like cattle while paying princely sums. What’s wrong with this picture???

Airlines have now banned tweezers. Personally I believe that anyone that can hijack a plane with tweezers deserves the plane.

Kappit

Make someone smile today.

Geri

Canadians Are Being Held Hostage By Cell Phone Providers

People are prisoners of their phones. That’s why they’re called cell phones.

SpiritScience

In Canada we unfortunately have almost no options when it comes to cell phone providers. If we want full coverage coast to coast then we have to use Bell, Rogers or Telus. All of the smaller players are at the mercy of the Big 3 (a cartel sanctioned and enabled by the CRTC) who grant them the minimum access allowed under the law. And you guessed it; the law is the CRTC. This explains why our cell phone bills are among the highest in the world.

I had a recent incident with my cell phone provider – one of the Big 3 – that had steam coming out of my ears! I’m on a two-year plan and it’s a loyalty plan. I’ve discovered that means I’m loyal to them; they’re not loyal to me. The cost of a plan during a contracted period is, or should be fixed. Much to my surprise last month my plan went up $5. I got my hostage taker on the phone and demanded to know why my plan had been hijacked while I’m on contract. They decided to raise one of my features (unlimited long distance to the U.S.) from $15 - $20 a month. At a time when long distance prices are coming down dramatically or disappearing with the ability to call over WiFi, it boggles the mind that not only did they tamper with my contract but they had the unmitigated gall to raise this option by $5. This is out and outright thievery!

In a less than congenial fashion I told them exactly what I thought of them and informed them that if they didn’t remove the charge immediately from this bill and from future bills that I was cancelling my plan and going to one of the other cartel members. Of course they credited my account immediately; but that really isn’t the point. The point is that they do anything they want and get away with it. And we have no options. In the U.S. almost every major cell phone provider offers WiFi calling which allows for FREE long distance as long as you make calls on WiFi. Here these Canadian bandits are raising cell phone long distance and do not offer WiFi calling North America wide. What recourse do we have? NONE! Canada, we are screwed when it comes to cell phone plans in general and cell phone long distance. If we want or need full coverage then we’re stuck with the cartel which makes us all hostages of a rigged system.

Today’s generation will never know the satisfaction of slamming down the phone during an angry hang up!

geezerplanet

Make someone smile today.

Geri