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I DUB THEE “PROTEUS”! (Yes, I am naming my iPhone… and I have to anyway)

Starting yesterday, I began checking out the Rogers store at the SkyDome to see if they had any iPhones in stock. The rumour was that they would be receiving a shipment, and so rather than call them, I intially rode my bike over to see if they had any. Hey, it was my lunch, and I planned on riding the bike anyway. 

As luck would have it, they didn’t have any in stock, but one of the dudes working there said for me to call in an hour, and gave me his card. I rode back, and called a few times throughout the afternoon, yet they didn’t have any. Bummer. Still, it was amusing how they answered the phone:

Thank you for calling the Rogers store, my name is so-and-so, we don’t have any iPhones in stock, but is there anything else I can help you with…?

I called this morning, and the guy who picked up didn’t say anything about not having any iPhones. Hmmmm. I asked, and they had ONE left. I asked if he could put it on the side for me as I would be biking over, but he said that he unfortunately couldn’t do that and that I should “peddle as fast as you can”. And so I did. I walked into the store with my bike, and he smiled and picked up the iPhone and put it on the counter. Awesome.

While it was being set up, this big dude came in and waited behind me. Turns out he wanted to get an iPhone as well, but the Rogers rep said that they didn’t have any more, and then he looked at me and said “This guy is bigger than you… I’d run, man!”, which we had a laugh over. However, there was this other girl who came in looking to get an iPhone as well, and she explained that he had one that was unlocked, it cost her $700, and she had it stolen last night at a club. That sucks.

Anyway, to Proteus, I make the following promises:

• I shall not drop thee into a pint of beer.
• I shall not drop thee at all.
• I shall treat thee with care.
• I shall not go over 6GB per month.
• I shall use Google Maps OFTEN.  

WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Seems that all the negativity about their plans for the upcoming iPhone (mostly “ruinediphone.com“), and also all the rumours circulating about how Apple is “disgusted” with Rogers, has somewhat forced their hand:

Effective July 11, and as a limited time promotional offer for customers
who activate by August 31 on a three year contract, a data-only offering of
6GB of data for $30 per month is being made available that can be added to any
in-market voice plan. For example, with 6GB of data, iPhone 3G users can visit
35,952 web pages, or send and receive 157,286 emails, or watch 6,292 minutes
of YouTube videos each and every month.

New Canadian iPhone 3G customers will also have the choice to select from
Rogers Wireless’ existing voice and smartphone data plans and/or additional
features to best suit their needs, or from Rogers Wireless’ value bundled
plans specifically for iPhone 3G. Existing Rogers Wireless customers can keep
their current voice service plan and select a separate data plan to meet their
needs or choose from other plans after checking their individual upgrade
eligibility.

I have to say, a 6GB data plan for $30/month isn’t THAT bad. Honestly, 6GB is a lot of data, and when you think about how this is for downloading to a phone, it’s not like you’d be downloading movies or TV shows via bit torrent to the thing. While an unlimited plan is always best, just so we don’t have to worry about going over, 6GB is sufficient for the average user. Personally, I don’t think I’d use that much in a month over my phone; I’d have no interest in YouTube or anything else that would be bandwidth intensive, and if I did, I’d simply use wi-fi… since who doesn’t have that these days?

I still believe that Rogers is gouging the average customer, but at least they are being somewhat reasonable with this latest development. I say “somewhat”, as you only have until August 31st to sign up for this, and you still need to agree to a three year contract. Either way, I’m considering the iPhone again, but I’m going to wait about a month to see how these prices work out for the early adopters, and see what sort of headaches I can expect on a bill. As well, with any new piece of technology, it’s always best to wait to see how it fairs in the field before shelling out some cash for it.

Last night, Molly and I decided to go to the AMC at Yonge and Dundas to watch “WALL•E“. I had heard good things about the movie, and considering it was put together by Pixar, I had a feeling that it was going to be awesome. Sure enough, WALL•E didn’t disappoint, and I now consider it my favourite animated movie, with “The Incredibles” as a close second.

Pixar has made some great movies in the past, and WALL•E just takes the cake. The movie doesn’t have much dialogue at all, yet is quite entertaining as you watch the characters come to life through their actions. One of the parts that made me laugh was a chime that you’d hear when you turn on a Macintosh, most likely a nod towards Steve Jobs, seeing as how he used to own Pixar. Overall, the graphics were amazing, and the story was quite good. Personally, I can’t wait until this comes out on DVD.

If you were thinking about seeing WALL•E, I totally suggest you do. I loved every minute of it. I even stayed for the length of the end credits.   

Oh, and a word in about the AMC at Yonge and Dundas; this theatre kicks the crap out of the Paramount (sorry… “Scotiabank Theatre”). My co-worker Les is quick to point out that it is a digital theatre, which makes for crisper sound and sharper video. The popcorn isn’t as good, but the fact that the chairs recline is a HUGE bonus for my back. Also, the arm rests fold up, so its easier to cuddle with your movie date. 

Happy birthday Canada!

141 years old. Man, that’s a LOT of candles!  

This past weekend, Molly, myself, Sparky, Alison, Perry, and Seth all went up to OWL Rafting, which is located just outside of Forester’s Falls near the Ottawa River. I’d been whitewater rafting once before in Alberta, but it wasn’t that hardcore; certainly not like the videos I’m always seeing with people being ejected out of their seats and into the drink. However, my Father told me that he once whitewater rafted down the Ottawa River YEARS ago (perhaps before I was born), and he said it was a blast. Seeing as how I doubt the rapids would change much in the last 30 years, I figured this was going to be a lot of fun.

I figured correctly.  

It took a while to get up there right after work on Friday (like, 1am), but once there we set up our tents, had a beer, and then went to bed. Some jokers were laughing it up and making noise which prompted some dude, who sounded pretty big, to shout at them to shut the hell up… and they quickly complied.

The guides at OWL Rafting were hilarious. Laid back, yet serious, they put everyone into a great mood as we got ready to shoot the rapids. Our boat was guided by a dude named Billy, and we quickly learned the ropes of what was necessary when he yelled out commands. The first few rapids were awesome, and got the heart pumping. As it was a perfect day, sunny and warm, a lot of splash battles were going on between the boats. Unfortunately, we were one of the smallest boats in the group, but that didn’t stop me in trying to start a few wars. I seemed to be the only one up for a splash battle in my boat, however. I was even warned by the guide of a bigger boat to pick my battles. I never learned that lesson.  

During the largest set of rapids, our boat was picked to sit on standby in case anything happened with the remaining rafts as they shot down. Sure enough, the first one attempting to go down hit the rapids sideways, and half the people were thrown out. Instantly, we lept into action, and saved three of our fellow “rafters”, with one of them hurt from a scraped leg. We also paddled after some of the gear that attempted to float down the river. One of the dudes who flew out of that boat, yet was rescued by someone else, was pretty shaken up; white as a ghost, and barfing, he was later taken to the hospital to get checked out. There was a chance he hit his head, and it’s better safe than sorry. Still, I felt bad for him as everyone was watching him, but I don’t think he was really aware of that. Poor dude.

Near the end of the trip, there was a lull where we were all jumping into the river, and trying to do this backwards flip, the name of which escapes me at the moment. My second attempt, I got about 3/4 of a flip through, and it was recorded for the video of the day, which rocked. We didn’t buy the video as we couldn’t justify $35 for perhaps 30 seconds of footage of ourselves, but it was great to see once. At the end of the rapids, we were towed back to where the pontoons were waiting. On board, they had BBQed kabobs waiting with salad, and I ate perhaps two helpings. It was SO good. The trip back to OWL took about an hour, and it was a smooth ride.

Once back, Molly and I helped them load the rafts, and then watched the video of the day. Afterwards, we went for a swim, and the water was a LOT colder than I remembered. Molly took the initiative and splashed me, so in I fully went. We swam out to the raft with the slide on it and hung out there for a bit. At one point, I made the idiotic decision to try sliding down backwards. For those of you who have ever thought that was a good idea, let me help you out and state that the backflop I performed kinda hurt. Anyway, the rest of the evening was spent hanging out at the pavilion attached to the lodge, listening to a live band that came it (yet was under appreciated unfortunately), and having some beers that Perry and Alison were kind enough to pick up.

Sunday, we woke up to the rain, which sucked, but we were leaving anyway. On the way home, we stopped off to visit Sparky and Alison’s parents and had lunch. Then, the final trip home was spent mostly sleeping for me. The weather alternated between torrents of rain, to blazing sun. Quite odd.

Would I go back to OWL Rafting again? Hell yeah! Would I recommend others go there as well? But of course! It was a great time indeed. Special thanks to Perry for setting all that up.

Sparky also had his waterproof camera with him, and took some snaps of the day. Check ‘em out here:

http://gallery.naturespocket.com/?mode=album&album=Owl+Rafting+2008

About a month ago, I ranted about some graffiti on a wall in a parking lot between the Keele and Dundas West subway stations that I liked. Turns out, Danielle had some pictures of it up on her Flickr page! Check ‘em out!

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=keele&w=80901997@N00&m=&s=&mt=

My favourite is this one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielle_scott/433857610/

As I mentioned in my previous post, I liked the one with B.B. King, yet it was defaced. It’s nice to see it as it once was.

Thanks Danielle!!! 

This past Saturday, Sparky invited me out with his friend Eric to go “wheeling“. Basically, this is a form of off-roading… but with a Jeep. The idea of a road-worthy vehicle driving up rocky paths that are difficult as it is to traverse on your own two feet is astounding. He’s been doing this for years, and after many invites, I finally was able to go along with him.

We went to a place known as Greens Mountain, which is about 40 minutes outside of Bobcaygeon. Its a mini-mountain located out on Crown land, and what I initially thought was going to be the trail turned out to be the trail TO the trail. During the day, we caught up with other dudes with Jeeps who were going over the same obstacles, which ranged from muddy hills, ponds, and rocky slopes. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, which was great, and the weather was pretty much perfect. The only complaint I had was the amount of mosquitoes and deer flies… my legs were chewed to pieces. Still, we were going through some swampy areas, so it wasn’t too unexpected.

I recorded some videos on my Nokia, but they’re pretty crappy (Nokia isn’t known for it’s amazing ability to create camera phones). Also, it records them in a *.3GP format, so Windows users may need Quicktime installed. Either way, they’re better than nothing, so if you so choose, here they are:

• Sparky’s first obstacle - 1.6MB
  • Sparky takes his Jeep down a minor rocky incline, and drives up the other side. Essentially, this was a giant rock ditch with some water at the bottom.
• Eric decends the “Superman 1″ - 2.5MB
  • There’s a certain decline known as the “Superman”. Apparently, it is so called due to the fact that it looks like you’re angled at 170 degrees and about to topple over. There are two ridges side-by-side though, so it’s questionable which one is the actual “Superman”. Both look insane though. Here, Eric goes down one of them, which we’ll call “Superman 1″.
• Sparky decends the “Superman 1″ - 2MB
  • Sparky takes his Jeep over the edge. I’m standing in a swamp to film this, which also happened to have the highest .
• Dude decends the “Superman 2″ - 2MB
  • One of the other dudes on the trail decends the larger of the “Superman”s.
• Dude plows through water - 2.6MB
  • It was either go through the pond, or go down one of the “Superman”s. This guy decided that the risk of water damage is preferable to structural damage from driving off a cliff.
• 2nd dude plows through water - 3.2MB
  • Seeing that the other dude made it through without lasting injury, the last dude of the group makes his way through the water.

All in all, a fun day.

Afterwards, we headed back to Lindsay to get some wings at Wild Wing, which were decent wings. The service wasn’t the best, and they had the air conditioning on full for some reason, but wings and beer were a welcome reward for getting through the day unscathed. There, we met up with a dude named Mitch that Sparky and Eric met before, and visited his place for a bit to check out his shop, and then made the journey home.

I’ll spare you all image of what my legs look like, and instead, provide you with this nice image of Sparky and Eric’s Jeeps:

WOOHOO!!!

July 11th cannot come fast enough!

http://www.apple.com/ca/iphone/buy/

As expected, Rogers will be providing the service for the iPhone when it is released in Canada. This rocks, as I am currently with Rogers.

Still, I’m going to wait a bit to see how well the new iPhone works on the Rogers network before shelling out cash to get one. Always a good idea when dealing with new hardware upon a network. As well, I want to be sure that I won’t have any issues when it comes to using my calendar.

Either way, it’s about time we got the iPhone up here!

So, the widely-anticipated WWDC keynote by Steve Jobs starts in a little over an hour.

Here’s hoping that he’ll announce the new iPhone that everyone is talking about and eager to snap up, and also that he’ll announce that it’ll finally be available in Canada. I can’t BELIEVE that it still isn’t available up here. Sure, you can snag one and unlock it and make it work on Rogers if you really want to, but I prefer to have a legit one that I don’t have to hack and worry about bricking when installing future updates.

If we do get the iPhone up here, hopefully Apple has pressured Rogers (whom I’m assuming will get the iPhone contract) to have a fair price when it comes to unlimited data transfer. For far too long, Canadians have been raped when it comes to cellular charges, and the CRTC has done fuck all about it. Maybe the demand for the iPhone will turn some heads and make the greedy bastards running the telcos realise that charging the prices they do isn’t in their best interest.

Then again, most likely not. I plan on getting the new iPhone as long as a few things are for sure:

• An affordable data plan with Rogers.
• An affordable iPhone with Rogers.
• WebDAV support with the iPhone iCal app.

We’ll see.

…what a disappointment, in my opinion.

Last night, Molly and I met up with Sparky, Seth, Perry and Alison at the Black Bull for some drinks and some eats, prior to making our way down to see “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull“. I didn’t have high hopes for this movie, partly based on what I’ve heard, but mostly due to the fact that a lot of the times when directors and movie companies try to revive a previous franchise, they also try to “modernise” it, in an attempt to appeal to today’s generation. More often than not, the result is a poor representation of the original franchise.

That is exactly what happened with the new Indy.

Ignoring the use of computer graphics and chomekey for a bunch of the scenes, the story just didn’t have the same feel as the previous Indiana Jones movies. Personally, I rank them in this order:

• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• The TV commercials that played prior to the movie
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The Last Crusade is by far my favourite and I thought it was an amazing story that dealt with religious overtones, and at the same time had a underlying feeling of a battle between good and evil. There was a sense of wonder, anticipation, excitement, and I really felt like I was there with Indy, and couldn’t wait to see how he would get out of the situations he found himself in. The other two movies were good in their own regard, but they didn’t captivate me in the way that the Last Crusade did.

But this new one, 19 years after the Last Crusade, seems to have lost what the previous movies had. The story had giant holes in it, it was easy to guess what would happen next, the enemies seemed over the top, and the movie just didn’t seem to try and test the intelligence of those who watched it. Seems that these days, people expect a movie to throw everything at you, explain everything, so you just sit there, turning your brain off, taking it all in. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull just didn’t seem to engage the mind, mostly because it was so over the top.

I’m glad that I bought the three original movies on DVD, as I will watch them over and over again, without ever getting bored. This new Indiana Jones movie, however, is one that I have viewed once, and don’t plan to subject myself to a second time. Basically, it’s another case of George Lucasism: releasing more movies in a franchise that should have been left where it ended in the 80s.