RickMcCharles.com

Just when things were looking up for Microsoft, some dolt approved a series of ads promoting their average-at-best browser, Internet Explorer 8.

“If you have a strong stomach”, click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

What a pathetic attempt to be hip.

Out of 100 people who see this ad, how many would find it either amusing or interesting?

Microsoft Fail.

I tried to request credit for two flights I made recently on Air Canada.

It’s difficult to find the right place on the Aeroplan website. But eventually I did.

Aeroplan > Request Mileage Credit

But when I filled in the much too detailed data required, I got only an error page:

The data is right. Aeroplan and Air Canada suck.

Thanks to Peter Long for pointing out that I had the wrong airport. Montreal Dorval has changed names to Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. (2004)

They truly do what they can to ensure so called valuable customers do not get credit for mileage.

Why not automatically credit every flight?

Air Miles programs will be dead to me after I use up the 70,000 points I have left on this crappy airline. I’ll do everything I can to avoid AC.

related – Aeroplan® expiring me

==== UPDATE:

After submitting, did I get credit for the miles?

Your request for mileage credit has been received. The missing Aeroplan Miles will be validated and, if accepted, the miles will be posted to your account within six weeks. No confirmation e-mail or letter will be sent.

Screw you very much, Aeroplan. Six weeks?

What? You will have an employee confirm this request?

Aeroplan deserves to go out of business.

Now I have to phone them – GAWD AWFUL – because my miles might expire July 25th, before the 6wks, if I don’t.

Since I gave up my only phone number yesterday, I’m exploring online alternatives.

I tried Google’s free service called Google 411.

Here’s how it works.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

… completely free and really easy to use. Simply call 1-800-GOOG-411, say where you are and what you’re looking for. GOOG-411 will find and connect you with the business you choose for free.

http://www.google.com/goog411

So … it’s the same as using 411 in the USA, but you get no service charge on your phone bill at the end of the month. The oft hated AT&T will charge $1.99 per 411 call beginning July 1, 2009. After tax in South Florida on your AT&T phone, that information call will cost $2.40.

You’d have to be an idiot not to use Google 411 rather than pay $2.40.

Microsoft and other companies offer similar services at no cost. Or low cost.

====

Even better, I called 1-800-GOOG-411 from Canada to a business in the USA from my laptop using Skype. It worked perfectly.

That means I can call an American business phone number for free from anywhere in the world using Skype.

Sweet.

Skype is already free person to person … if they both have Skype.

But Skype is not free calling from Skype to a regular phone. For that you need to buy SkypeOut minutes. Those are only a couple of cents a minute from anywhere in the world to any phone.

Compare that with the $3.50 / minute (plus tax, plus fees) roaming charge for calling across the border from the USA to Canada when I’m in the USA.

I love Skype. I hate the phone companies.

Lifehacker chooses 4 amazing products that are game changers.

1) Google Wave

4) iPhone 3GS and the All-Out Smartphone War

I’ll be buying Snow Leopard as soon as it’s available.

But it’s Google Wave that I’m most excited about. This is the biggest step forward in email and chat so far.

For details click through to the article called Upcoming Tech That Will Rock Your World.

Why did I have trouble waking up this morning?

Oh … RIGHT.

I just traveled 2700mi (4400km) … 4 time zones … in the past few days.

I’m here for a gymnastics camp and coaching clinic.

Cancelled my phone today.

FIDO is likely the best carrier in Canada. But I still didn’t like anything about them.

My handset was crappy. And confusing.

Like all phone companies, the advertised price / month (no contract) was about half the actual price / month. Even if I did not use the phone at all.

They charge $3.50 / minute for calls to the USA.

I would call that gouging. Wouldn’t you?

When I called to cancel FIDO, the poor salesgirl did everything she could to “downsell” me to something cheaper. I pity the employees of phone companies.

My goal is to live semi-retired without any phone. Perhaps I’ll start texting from my iTouch as a free alternative. (I’ve only sent 1 text in my life, so far.)

If I do get another phone in future, it will be an iPhone.

=== UPDATE:

Mythbusters star Adam Savage got an $11,000 bill from AT&T, and he’s not happy about it. This afternoon, the star Tweeted:

… AT&T is attempting to charge me 11k for a few hours of web surfing in Canada. …

He then added:

… Normally those suffering the extortionate roaming fees charged by the carriers suffer in silence, or go through the endless phone systems to try and reach a more modest sum. …

Mashable

This time a TelCo messed with the wrong customer. Adam Savage hates AT&T is now the second most discussed topic on Twitter, second only to Michael Jackson.

Details on my hiking blog.

Here in rural Parksville, British Columbia the small, aging independent stores have the whiff of extinction.

With more and more people shopping online, what’s the future of retail?

… I’d guess stores will be more like car dealerships, where people can try before they buy.

In May of 2001, Apple opened its first retail outlet store in Tysons Corner, Va. It was immediately met by critics and the typical roster of Apple-haters with predictions of doom and massive financial losses. Eight years later, Apple has more than 255 retail stores worldwide, and are the darling of the retail computer industry. So what makes them so successful? …

to read why, click through to the Apple Blog – Apple Retail Store Success: It Ain’t Rocket Science

First Apple Store in Beijing

It is fun to visit and hang out in the larger Apple stores.

A pleasure.

Not everyone is thrilled with their famed customer service, however.

click image for details on this broken laptop

Congratulations!

Sheena and Jeremy Mosier

This pic came from Facebook.

Everyone I know who subscribes to SIRIUS|XM satelite radio in the U.S.A. loves the service.

It’s a brilliant idea.

Mostly, however, the new technology and the messy merger of the original two companies has been bungled.

SIRIUS paid over $500 million to lure shock jock Howard Stern to the new service. I don’t even like Stern. That money was wasted, in my opinion.

My guess is that some new technology will come along in the next few years and take away all their customers.

Too long delayed was an app for smart phones to deliver the service to wherever you happen to be at the time. No longer would you be tethered to your receiver. It’s finally here.

Click PLAY or watch a demo of the new app on YouTube.

This video was published by SIRIUS.

The reviews are far less enthusiastic:

Many of the reasons folks sign up for Sirius XM are missing from its iPhone and iPod touch application. For starters, Howard Stern, MLB and NFL aren’t available on the Sirius XM iPhone application.

Color me not interested. All that waiting for an iPhone, iPod Sirius XM app and you get hit with a big letdown. …

Sirius XM neuters its iPhone app: Howard Stern, MLB, NFL out

Another less than enthusiastic reviewer:

… A first run through the app reveals the ability to stream 120 channels of satellite radio over Wi-Fi, 3G or Edge. That’s where the thrill begins and ends. If you already have Premium Service access for Sirius XM, then there’s nothing to lose with this one trick pony. Other than the time you’ll squander trying to buy music from iTunes through the app one song at a time. The process is more painful than a root canal and dumber than a box of hammers.

I suggest you steer clear of paying a subscription fee to hear Sirius XM via iPhone until the company gets passionate about providing a true satellite radio juggernaut for iPhone that will put Pandora and Flycast to shame. …

Sirius iPhone App Debuts Without Howard Stern

I might try it, anyway.

I did enjoy my week in a rent-a-car with Sirius radio.