Verizon Sucks

** Update 8/1/08, 3:15pm: my in-laws finally have phone service. It only took four hours on hold and two visits from a Verizon tech, but they do have phones once again. **

Verizon renamed themselves away from GTE (at least in the Texas area) to get away from their decades-old stigma of lousy phone service multiplied by lousier customer service. New names don’t help any more than painting your 1972 Pinto a new color will turn it into a 2008 Mustang. Terrible service and worthless management can’t be painted over.

Toshiba Laptops Brick Themselves

Brick? Aggressive iPhone users eager to escape the clutches of ATT’s wireless stranglehold on iPhone service in the US download some tricky bits to modify their phones. Apple responds by turning those phones into bricks whenever they update the iPhone software. Imagine how much fun you could have with your laptop if it decided to assign itself a password one night, giving you a “Password=” prompt the next time you booted it. Even more fun, there is no correct password you can guess to access your laptop, excuse me, brick, no matter how hard you try.

If you own a Toshiba Satellite or Tecra laptop, get ready to play the “My laptop is now a brick” game.

Microsoft’s “Cram Vista Down Their Throats” Campaign

“The time of worry is over” says Microsoft, according to MS expert Mary-Jo Foley on ZDNet. No, “the pain spreads to all” starts now says me, based on all my previous experience watching Microsoft move to control a new area. Microsoft tried to be polite about their new under-performing Vista operating system, but now the gloves are off and they’re cramming it down our throats, no matter what.

XP support, while officially continuing, has been getting blasted

Geek Squad With Guns

File this under “Technology WAS Broken” because this is another example of idiots breaking technology. Why do we let politicians loose on the street without supervision?

You know how Texas loves guns? Better not piss of your computer tech

Enough with Windows 7 FUD

Is anyone else already sick of the fear, uncertainty, and doubt Microsoft is already sowing about Windows 7 or whatever will follow Vista? I’m not sure if I’m more disgusted with Microsoft for not having the courage to support Vista (or the brains to do it right during development) or the trade press falling all over themselves swallowing the garbage Microsoft hands out. Maybe I’m more disgusted with the press. Yes, definitely. Microsoft’s job is to sell products, and the press’ is to report objectively on the market. They’re not doing so when they fill the air with rehashed Microsoft “next Windows” propaganda.