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Let’s do a little midweek housekeeping.
• CNN.com has been picking up select pieces from mental_floss magazine. Here are a few articles perfect for your evening commute: “Places to see before they die,” “Coffee and the Civil War,” “Weird vehicles that never got off the ground” and “Six great guerrilla marketing campaigns.” Unless you drive to work.
• Do we have any avid Flickr users in the audience? Any avid Flickr users who are willing to let us use some of your photos (with credit and a link back to your gallery, of course)? Leave us a comment and we’ll get in touch.
• I get four kinds of email: letters from friends, spam from enemies, requests to compare movie tastes on Facebook, and questions from strangers about their Sprint bills. The Sprint queries aren’t as random as they seem. Back in February, after receiving a bill $630 higher than I’d deserved, I posted a lengthy running diary of my battles with customer support. The matter was eventually resolved, but similarly screwed people keep finding me (I’m the number one result when you Google “sprint fiasco.”)
I mention this because, ten months later, I’m back in the market for a phone. I love the idea of my BlackBerry. But as a phone, it’s miserable. If you called me ten times, it would ring five. Next week, I’d be informed of your voicemail.
I’m stuck with Sprint, but want to know if anyone has had similar issues with their BlackBerry. Maybe I’m just unlucky with cellular technology. Maybe it’s just the 8703. Another option is the Treo. Any Treo fans?
• During his research for our Nintendo quiz, Brett Savage stumbled across possibly the most incredible site in web history. I’m rather certain he and I were the last ones to find it. But just in case, you can play online versions of your favorite games at everyvideogame.com.
• And don’t forget to participate in our latest Caption Contest!
Comments (28)
Comment
- Follow mental_floss
flickr away!
posted by wade on 11-14-2007 at 4:04 pm
Add me to the Flickr train!
posted by rethwyll on 11-14-2007 at 4:35 pm
I also have a Flickr.
posted by Mej on 11-14-2007 at 4:36 pm
You can use my Flickr if you like.
posted by Jonathan on 11-14-2007 at 4:45 pm
i have a flickr too – under bluepaint. Altho I haven’t updated in a little bit.
posted by liz on 11-14-2007 at 4:53 pm
Our store flickr site, with miscellany as well as event photos of authors, bands, etc…all of it!
posted by Russ on 11-14-2007 at 5:07 pm
I’m a flickr user, and a longtime fan of your magazine. All my stuff is Creative Commons, so feel free to go nuts with it.
posted by Wil Wheaton on 11-14-2007 at 5:45 pm
I’m known to flickr it up from time to time.
posted by KnifeyJames on 11-14-2007 at 5:45 pm
seventh! …uh, also have flickr
posted by nicole on 11-14-2007 at 5:48 pm
I am on my second Treo, the 750 with Cingular (The New AT&T, bleh) Love the Treo though I have to say my Palm OS Treo 650 was FAR more stable than this WM5 version, so keep the OS in mind when picking a new smartphone.
posted by NoLikey on 11-14-2007 at 6:29 pm
flickr: bgmvp42103 – link to my blog! :-)
I got surgery stitches, birthdays, cave tours, desert tours, giraffes, knitting, dogs, camera tossing, trains, planes and automobiles.
T-Mobile will have a deal on Black Friday sign up and get free airline tic.
posted by GoingLikeSixty on 11-14-2007 at 6:42 pm
I’m a long time flickr user- was on a pro account, but it ran out and I haven’t got the money to renew it yet…
my licensing is two fold: those photos of my kids are all rights reserved but my other shots are under creative commons. I am on my way to my profile right now to put in an addendum that mental_floss has creative commons on all my work! :)
wondering if those whose images get used will get advance notice???
posted by trishia on 11-14-2007 at 7:08 pm
I have a flickr pro account, which I change out frequently. If you find anything on it you would like to use, feel free. But my best pics are on picasaweb on google. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sams_mom/
posted by carole romero Capitan NM on 11-14-2007 at 7:42 pm
Flickr-er here as well!
posted by Celeste M. on 11-14-2007 at 9:02 pm
My name on Flickr is arteestme.
I love being able to have a “family” album and drawings my son and I did.
It is the closest thing to a blog I have.
And I could not resist putting up pictures of the “Bettie Page” house in my neighborhood.
posted by Cynthia on 11-14-2007 at 9:05 pm
Flickr away – username chpdookie (Duke ‘91)
posted by Chris P. on 11-14-2007 at 9:25 pm
You’re welcome to use any of my Flickr photos, username: averagejane
posted by Average Jane on 11-14-2007 at 9:42 pm
Wil – We have seen your pictures enough on television already! (Just joking – fellow Farker!)
posted by Derek on 11-14-2007 at 9:45 pm
I, as well, also have a flickr account.
posted by Kate on 11-14-2007 at 10:00 pm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonsayssaysimon/
as long as I’m credited and there’s a link back.. go for it!
s>
posted by simon on 11-15-2007 at 3:55 am
flickrer here.
Yeah with a credit and a link back go wild!
simonsayssaysimon
posted by simon on 11-15-2007 at 3:58 am
You wanted to hear from Treo fans. I have used my Treo 650 with the Palm OS for over two years now on the Sprint Network. I live in rural Vermont but travel on business to major (and not so major) cities. Coverage has been fine — not a a problem.
I love it. The Palm OS is bomb proof. Once I had to do a hard reset. But I had backed up all my contacts and programs with one of the many available back up programs and easily and quickly restored them and all my settings from an SD memory chip (the one gig or less are very cheap). Try doing that with a Windoze Mobile unit.
Even though I’ve been a techno adopter and Mac User since 1986, I dismissed “upgrading” to the Apple iPhone because the Treo is much more useful. I get my email. I can see the web. There are hundreds of little programs, most free, that I can use to access specific web functions (Directory Assistant is one of my favorites). I can download, work with, and attach MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. And there is a rich library of StandAlone programs from great companies — from games (I play Bridge and Cribbage), to Archery Tournament scoring and record keeping (Target Plot), to converison and loan tables (Formulas), to Dictionaries — which because I have with me with instant access, regardless of whether I have web access, I use frequently and easily. Last night, with my Treo and a bluetooth folding keyboard I took minutes of a Board meeting and was asked if I was using a computer from 2010.
One can use it for music but if that is you game an iPhone makes more sense (my daughter in law has one).
The Centro is the same machine, a little more rugged and a lot Cheaper. You could do a lot worse. Let me know if you have more questions.
Harlan
posted by Harlan Lachman on 11-15-2007 at 7:43 am
I’m in flickr and would be happy to let you use any of my public photos.
posted by John(Grasping for the Wind) on 11-15-2007 at 7:53 am
i hate Sprint. bless you. worst year of my life. had NO reception (my mom called to tell me my dog died & i had to keep having her repeat herself) even though they assured me there was a tower near my college. and i’m sure we paid nearly $600 in random charges – some they would take off, some they would not. We were sure we signed a 2-year contract (to get free PCS-to-PCS calling) but it only showed up as a 1-year (& charged us peak minutes for all those calls) – we were going to fight but were so eager to get out of the contract that we considered it a blessing
posted by sd on 11-15-2007 at 9:40 am
I’m in also.
Why don’t you create a Mental Floss flickr group. That way we can submit pictures to the group?
posted by Johnie on 11-15-2007 at 9:46 am
flickr away.
posted by simone on 11-15-2007 at 1:16 pm
Former Sprint Treo 700p user, now ATT-iPhone.
The Treo is a great device, but has some limitations. I used it as my all-in-one phone, work email, personal organizer device, and it worked pretty well. I had lots of problems like you in simply not getting calls or texts. I ultimately canceled Sprint when a phantom $200 “replacement fee” charge appeared.
I have been happy with ATT customer support and service. The iPhone is great but… has limitations. It’s a FANTASTIC web browser, iPhone, camera, and email handler. It syncs well with Outlook, although I have to dock it to sync my calendar and contacts. It handles email (both MS Exchange and Gmail) beautifully. It’s not as business-oriented as Outlook, but still works very well (most lawyers at my firm are now converts).
YMMV, but the iPhone gets my full endorsement.
posted by e* on 11-15-2007 at 1:56 pm
My Flickr pics are Creative Commons – floss away…
posted by Shawn Lea on 11-15-2007 at 10:41 pm