Entries from December 2003 ↓

Spymob pulled through! They sent me a replacement for the copy-protected CD, which works correctly!

So, Spymob has great songs, plus they care about their fans and customer service too!

There’s a guy named Jeremy Blachman who’s a law student at Harvard. His blog is incredibly funny. Right now he’s on vacation in Paris and has posted some hilarious entries about his trip. Check it out!

I just got this email inviting me to some kind of motivational seminar. I’m going to pass… but look at the bizarre group of motivational speakers they’ve assembled:

#1 Motivator Zig Ziglar will be joined by this dynamic team of experts:

• Mayor Rudolph Giuliani will show you how to lead in difficult times!
• Peter Lowe, America’s Success Strategist, will inspire you to reach new levels of achievement!
• Tom Hopkins will show you how to strengthen your sales and negotiation skills!
• Rick Belluzzo, former President and CEO of Microsoft, will give you his top business strategies!
• Goldie Hawn will teach you how to attain and exceed your goals!

What a strange crowd! Do you think Rudy Giuliani ever expected he’d have to share a stage with Goldie Hawn? I hope they’re paying him well…

Sprint PCS is trying to rip me off.

I’m in the last month of service on my contract. The contract expires on January 16, which is also the last billing day of this month.

I want to switch my number. I don’t mind paying for this month’s service, but I want to do so before being charged for next month. If the cancellation is done after January 16, I will have to pay for all of next month, because they bill at the beginning of the month. But I signed a 12-month contract, not a 13-month contract, and I feel it’s unfair to be charged an extra month’s service if I don’t wish to use it. However, if I cancel my account before January 16, I incur a $150 termination fee. It’s a lose-lose situation!

I’m completely willing to pay for this month, because that’s what I agreed to in my contract, but I’d just like to be able to stop using the service even though I’m paying for it. This makes me feel like they’re trying to rip me off. I’m not trying to get out of any obligation I made. I don’t even expect this month to be pro-rated — I’m just trying not to get ripped off.

I just found this photo of my sister that was taken at my cousin’s bat mitzvah last month.

I’m sure she’s real glad that I’m posting it on the Internet

Anyone interested in purchasing a Cable/DSL network router/switch or a CD writer?

Excellent news on the Spymob CD: I got an email from Spymob this morning. Here’s what they said:

There may be a problem with the CD you were sent. Originally, Arista had a proprietary software bundled with the music files (for copyright protection). This can make it difficult to listen to the CD on some players and computers.

We’d requested that this software be removed prior to manufacturing. Unfortunately, on some CDs, it wasn’t.

If you’ve had problems with your CD, please reply to this email and we’ll send you a “clean” copy right away. Be sure to include your full name and the address where you want it shipped. New CDs will be sent in standard jewel cases with no artwork.

Sorry for the inconvenience. We really appreciate your order and continued support!

That’s really impressive and makes me really glad I didn’t get a chance to return the CD. I encourage all of you to check out the song samples at http://www.spymob.com and buy the CD!

I purchased the debut Spymob CD last week, after strong recommendations from a few online friends. It arrived very quickly, and I really like the music. But I’ve encountered some problems which seriously hamper my ability to listen to the music.

First, the CD arrived in a paper case, not the size of a jewel case. As a result, it won’t fit in my CD rack. Second, there is some kind of gummy substance around the outside edge of the CD. These two problems were not deal-breakers, but a third issue has arisen.

The Spymob CD appears to have some kind of copy-prevention mechanism in use. As a result, I am unable to listen to the music on my portable music player. I have a Creative Labs “Nomad Zen NX” player, which is able to play MP3 and WMA files. I know there are WMA files on the CD, but the license restrictions on the WMA files prevent me from copying them to my portable player.

These restrictions are not acceptable. I use my Nomad constantly, mostly to listen to music on the subway ride at work. If I cannot listen to Spymob on my portable player, it is rare that I’ll have time to listen to it at all. Additionally, I feel it is imperative not to support artists who restrict digital access to their music. The only way artists will learn the foolishness of this is if consumers vote with their checkbooks, by refusing to purchase restricted music.

Because of this, I’ve emailed Spymob to find out how to return the CD. It’s a shame, because the music is great… but if I can’t listen to it on my music player, it does me no good to have a copy!