Who the HELL is IOS TEL…

… and why am I getting charged $41.81 for a 5-minute phone conversation?

Here’s a bit of history. On a recent flight from Dallas to Germany, I missed my connecting flight. American Airlines set me up on another flight, only it was routed through Paris, and instead of getting to Frankfurt at 7am, I wouldn’t arrive until 2pm (Frankfurt time).

So, my cell phone couldn’t connect and I used a pay phone CLEARLY marked “Verizon”, and there was even a sign that said “Long Distance Service Provided By Verizon”. So I called the person picking me up at the airport, and told her the flight number, the arrival time, and that it was Air France not American. Since it was between 1am and 2am in Germany, the phone call lasted under 5 minutes.

Then I get a charge on my credit card for $41.81.

This isn’t over. That’s outrageous, and considering the state of the US Economy, I wonder how Verizon is going to react when it starts getting out they are allowing some 3rd-Party phone service to screw people over?

Thus Endeth the Midlife Crisis

Most guys that have a mid-life crisis buy a sports car and marry a “trophy wife”. I just didn’t blog for a couple of years.

Guess I’m not one for big displays.

Yes, you too can be a Techno-Transient

I was reading a book last night and with the TV on in the background (apologies to Al Gore), an advertisement came on that reaffirmed my understanding why my remote’s “Mute” button is used most often.

Apparently, for a small fee I can take my home wherever I go! Internet, phone, TV, music, and more!

Uh, isn’t that how we describe the homeless? Sorry. “Transients”. (It sounds so much more Sanitation Engineer when you say it that way, and no dirty looks when you suggest they be called Urban Outdoorspeople.)

I can’t figure out how people making more money that I ever will can sell these ideas. Take your home with you when you leave home! Aside from the contradiction in terms, why would I want to take home with me when I go out? I can argue that I leave home to get away from the dirty dishes, not drag them out with me so I can hear them rattling around in the back seat.

When I vacation somewhere, I want to experience where I am. If I want to have my own home with me at all times, I won’t leave home, I’ll just spend extra time looking at pictures of places that interest me. Why spend the money for travel if I’m just going to pop in the ear buds of my iPod and listen to a playlist, log into the internet and surf away, or watch my favorite shows?

Worse than the fact that well-paid people came up with this Techno-Transient ad campaign is that someone making more money than them decided that it was the best idea presented, and gave the okay to run with it.

Of course, I still read books that are printed on paper and not on a website so I might be missing something.