The iPhone 4, monetarily speaking

By Justin | June 15, 2010

iPhone 4The iPhone 4 is undeniably sexy, and I’m quite sure that I want one. But is it worth retiring my reliable, three-year old original iPhone in order to upgrade?

On its face, all the features of iPhone 4 put my aging but unfailingly trusty iPhone to shame. A beautiful new design, the smokin’ A4 processor, built-in videoconferencing, an improved camera, multitasking, iOS 4, the crisp new high-density display, much improved battery life, 3G data service, 802.11n WiFi support, MMS capability, GPS, expanded storage capacity, and on… and on… and on.

Yes, my original iPhone just cannot compete in terms of features. It can compete, though, on price. So, is it worth upgrading to iPhone 4?

Let’s take a look at the numbers.

I have essentially three options: keep my existing iPhone, upgrade to the iPhone 4 and stay on my family’s FamilyTalk plan, or upgrade to the iPhone 4 and split off my own AT&T account. Here’s the breakdown:

  • The voice plan is the biggest chunk of the package. Right now, on the FamilyTalk plan, I have unlimited minutes, and pay only $10/month. If I were to upgrade to iPhone 4 and stay on FamilyTalk, nothing would change. But, if I were to create my own account, I’d pay $32 for 450 minutes per month—yes, more minutes than I’d ever use talking on the phone, but I’d be paying much more money for much less talk time.
  • My current data plan gives me unlimited EDGE and GPRS data for $20/month. If I upgrade to iPhone 4, I get a 3G data plan capped at 2 GB of throughput per month. On FamilyTalk, I’d pay $25 for that service; on my own account, I’d pay $20/month. Paying the same amount per month for less data—but much faster data—is probably worth it.
  • With my current iPhone, 200 SMS messages per month are included as part of the data plan; not so with iPhone 4. I’d have to pay an additional $5/month to get the same 200 messages. The ability to send MMS messages, which is included in the additional $5 monthly fee, is nice, but I’d probably never use it.

So, what’s the big picture?

  • If I keep my current iPhone, I will spend $816 over the next two years ($34/month, including taxes and fees, for 24 months). There is no hardware to purchase, no activation nor upgrade fees to pay, and no sales tax.
  • If I upgrade to iPhone 4 and stay on the FamilyTalk plan, I will spend a total of $1,417 ($299 for iPhone, $44 for sales tax, an $18 upgrade fee, and $44/month) over the next two years.
  • If I upgrade to iPhone 4 and get my own AT&T account, I will spend a whopping $1,843 ($299 for iPhone, $44 for sales tax, a $36 activation fee, and $61/month) over the next two years.

And so, the question becomes, is iPhone 4 worth an additional $1,027 over the next two years? Is it worth another $601?

The answer? I’m not quite sure yet.

Posted in Apple, Consumerism, Money | Tagged | Leave a comment

Quite offensive, quite hilarious

By Justin | June 14, 2010

I may cringe at every episode featuring Peter, but there’s no denying that Family Guy—when it focuses on Stewie and Brian—is still effin’ hilarious.

Case in point: the slightly-scared, slightly-concerned look of apprehension that Stewie is giving Brian, who’s projectile-vomiting after learning he had sex with a transsexual. That expression—the perfect combination of care, wavering affection, utter disgust, and concern for one’s own self-preservation—plastered on the face of the utterly contemptible and self-serving Stewie, made for a perfectly offensive, perfectly hilarious, and delightfully ambiguous scene.

While nothing about this screams “politically correct,” I still screamed with laughter.

Stewie Watches Brian Projectile-Vomit

Posted in Humor, TV | Tagged | Leave a comment

Tokyo Police Club’s “Breakneck Speed”

By Justin | April 29, 2010

Tokyo Police Club's "Champ"Newmarket, Ontario’s Tokyo Police Club may have hit the mainstream—or something very close to it—but fear not, indie lovers! The loss of indie obscurity alone isn’t enough to ruin this band’s appeal to any self-respecting indie rocker with a passion for catchy riffs, crafty vocals, and simple yet mysterious lyrics.

I’m itching to see these guys live. If only their upcoming tour, in support of the forthcoming LP, Champ, were coming closer to home! The album, slated for release on June 8, is their second full-length effort and will be released on their new American label, according to Spinner.

So far, Tokyo Police Club has released one song off the new album: the indie-pop, drumset-driven, melodiously playful “Breakneck Speed.” Check it out:

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Targeted assassinations of U.S. citizens

By Justin | April 7, 2010

Every passing day gives me another reason to be disappointed in our president and our government.

Not, mind you, because Barack Obama too “liberal” or “socialist” or “fascist” or “communist” or any other nonsensical and insupportable-by-reality slur but because, quite to the contrary, he has ushered in what seems to me a stunted, overly-measured, carefully calculated and quite conservative administration that reeks of Bush Lite. This is not to say that Obama deserves all the blame for not grabbing the reins and doing as his loyal base, those millions of liberal supporters (myself included) would like to see—bring about actual, progressive change, instead of relying on the same failed measures that have confined us to a decade of economic stagnation and international disdain. The Republicans, certainly, and the Democratic Party share the blame; the former, for working unceasingly and without remorse for the total and complete failure of our first black president and his ambitious agenda, the latter for being nearly as wedded to the wealthy corporate elite as their Republican brethren.

But, on some issues, it seems that responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of President Obama.

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Leif Vollebekk’s “Northernmost Eva Maria”

By Justin | February 20, 2010

Leif Vollebekk's "Inland"With unfortunate irregularity, an artist’s voice will melt together with instrumentation so perfectly that the results leave you clinging to the song, playback set to loop, for weeks on end. Leif Vollebekk’s song, “Northernmost Eva Maria,” from his latest album Inlands, is one such song. Vollebekk’s deep and intimate vocals, with a hint of warm, gentle rasp, layer perfectly with the picked strings and shifting tempos, while his unpretentious rhymes betray a sophistication—literally as well as rhythmically—that few artists seem able to perfect. That this song can be so beautiful, even when describing what seems to be the morning after a one-night stand, is testament to Vollebekk’s expert craftsmanship of lyric and song.

I’m not too happy about my inability to figure out the lyrics of the last line of the third verse, but I can’t let my own imperfections get in the way of this perfect song! Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think!

Midwinter’s eve midweek in October
I saw a churchyard, green stardust blowing all over
And it snowed all over the city
The streetlamps fog so pretty
Snow all over the city

We were so warm inside
No, she showed she had nothing to hide
By the window, by the bed, there was something said
The morning was a-coming so, so soon
With her orchard breath in bloom
It’s coming so soon, so soon

I was standing there at the top of the stairs
You did up your coat
And how should I know
We were going nowhere?
When we said goodbye I saw some look in your eyes
Which was not like (disguise ?) which will be its (own ?)

And I’m walking away without turning around
I’m struggling to make it all seem so profound
I must’ve been lost around the time that I found you, Eva…

You can listen to “Northernmost Eva Maria” for free at CBC Radio 3’s New Music Canada, and you can find more music by Leif Vollebekk on iTunes, at CBC Radio 3, at MySpace Music, or on his official website.

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Fallout 3, totes epic, is complete

By Justin | February 6, 2010

Let it be known that on Saturday, February 6, at 2:47 AM ET, after weeks of thoroughly exploring each and every location in the entire Capital Wasteland; building a legendary reputation as the Hero of the Wastes; amassing tens of thousands of bottle caps and hundreds of top-quality armaments; destroying President Henry Eden and his Raven Rock installation; retaking the Jefferson Memorial and Project Purity with the help of Liberty Prime, Fawkes, and the Brotherhood of Steel; opting not to put the Forced Evolutionary Virus into the Project Purity filtration system; and, ultimately, sacrificing myself to the greater cause of humanity, I completed the most epic video game I have ever played: Fallout 3.

Badass.

Now, it’s on to the five expansion packs I haven’t yet played…

Posted in Games | Tagged | 4 Comments

Immediate thoughts on Scott Brown’s election

By Justin | January 19, 2010

I’m pretty pissed that my senator—a representative of Massachusetts, no less—supports torturing prisoners, opposes health care reform, opposes cap-and-trade, opposes gay marriage, opposes reproductive rights for women…

We gave the Republicans eight years to run our country into the ground, and now we’re pissed at the Democrats because they haven’t fixed all the damage in Obama’s first year on the job. Granted, Coakley was a miserable candidate, but to elect a Republican—a member of the Party of No—to the Senate, is ridiculous.

This is terrible.

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Patrick Watson’s “Big Bird In a Small Cage”

By Justin | January 10, 2010

Wooden ArmsNo introduction. Just listen:

There was a house halfway ’round the world
And I was invited in for a small taste of gin
There was a hallway a thousand birds long
But the biggest one of all was in a cage too small

I asked the caretaker cuz he was the maker
Looked at me and laughed, took another sip from his glass, he said
Open up your ears and hearts
You put a big bird in a small cage and he’ll sing you a song
That we all love to sing along
To the sound of the bird that mourns

Well, we rolled into town, into sweet New Orleans
To the Apple Bell bar, it was a hole in the wall
The ceilings weren’t tall, the floors were the ground
But the sound that you would make would just warm the hearts

Well, it was quarter to twelve and the boys walked in
They got their black suits on and the songs would begin
You open up your ears and hearts
You put a big bird in a small cage and he’ll sing you a song
That we all love to sing along
To the sound of the bird that mourns

You’ve already listened to the song for free at CBC Radio 3′s New Music Canada. You can find more music by Patrick Watson on iTunes, at CBC Radio 3, at MySpace Music, or on his official website.

Posted in Lyrics, Music | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Wooden Sky’s “The Late King Henry”

By Justin | January 9, 2010

If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm GoneIf this song doesn’t get your foot tapping, your hands clapping, and your voice at least a little bit sore, you may want to check your pulse.

“The Late King Henry,” a lovely singalong tune by Toronto’s The Wooden Sky, deftly blends folk, country, and indie rock to make a song about as fun as any I’ve heard in the past few months. Off of 2009′s If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone, “The Late King Henry” is a song that’ll cure any case of the winter blues… and make the case for being your next album purchase.

You can listen to the song for free at CBC Radio 3’s New Music Canada, and you can find more music by The Wooden Sky on iTunes, at CBC Radio 3, and at MySpace Music.

Well, we built this house on a web of lies
And when the walls fell in I came to realize
That if your love don’t leave you then you’re (OK ?)
And baby we’ve a-got it made

Well, the river rose up and came to me last night
And took the hat right off of my head
You said, Honey don’t you let it push you on your back
Because … forgot your raise

Come on and save me
Take me to the river and bathe me
Just don’t let nobody else claim me, honey
Take me to the river and name me
Tell me that it’s all right

Well, the late King Henry came to me last night
Said you get your wings when you go straight
Well, no one on the river ever needed to fly
To lead their poor hearts astray

Come on and save me
Take me to the river and bathe me
Just don’t let nobody else claim me, honey
Take me to the river and change me
Tell me that it’s all right!

Yeah, tell me that it’s all right!

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Hello, New York City!

By Justin | October 22, 2009

I’m looking down, come help me up
And stumbling around trying to fill my cup
It’s half empty, been that way all my life
So come pour some in and take me out tonight

The sun is shining but we stay inside (oh, but we go out at night)
We stay in looking for a better life (oh, but we go out at night)
We put up curtains, block out the light (oh, but we go out at night)
And we stay in bed till we feel all right (oh, but we go out at night)

I need meaning, I need a mission, I need a path, I need conviction
I need a life I never had, I need much more good and much less bad

Bring it to me, if only for a weekend, O Big Apple!

Posted in Lyrics, Personal | Tagged , | 4 Comments