Shortened

I was told yesterday by the group manager that my contract has been shortened by two weeks because basically, there isn't that much for me specifically to do at this moment. I answered that I could kind of see that already, and that this kind of flexibility is what contracts are for. So next week is my last. I canceled the flight for the week of the 13th, which means I lost all the taxes and fees and charges which are half of the cost and a £15 handling charge. I will keep the flight of the 7th to come in and close up shop on an exit interview, clean the flat and get security back, finally have time to wander around the beautiful shopping district at a time the shops are open -- no, seriously, Königsallee rivals Old Bond Street and looks beautiful in summer -- and maybe hit the Netherlands with the ICE, maybe Amsterdam, definitely dad in Rozendaal, if he and the girlfriend are available. They have very busy social lives, you know. When I started this gig and wanted to spend a weekend with them in May, I basically couldn't because they were gone every last one. I have only been once, two weeks ago. So much for taking a job that allows me to spend more time with them.

Sucks about the last two weeks. I finally got the routine fully down so I was comfortable with it, and would have liked the money.

Feature Creep

Every time there is some article on Slashdot about phones that are smarter or more interesting than the ones a year ago, there's always someone whining "I just want a phone why do I have to pay extra I only want to make calls why can't I just get a phone waaaah", completely ignoring that low-end phones are always available and you can, if you want to, ignore there's a camera or an text inbox on them. The only sympathy I have here is people who need to not have a camera on their phone for security reasons, they are getting problems.

What interests me is how the tenor of these posts have changed. First of all, finally people are responding with a STFU, get the cheapest one, and just don't crack open the manual. But second, the whine has changed. It used to be "I just want a PHONE that MAKES CALLS." Then it was "I just want a PHONE that makes CALLS and DOES THE TEXT THING RIGHT" which means a leap in the USA. Now I just saw "I just want a PHONE that makes CALLS and does text and so I can check my emails why does everything have to have SO MANY FEATURES."

The really cheap people with not so much disposable income, young teens, want every feature they can get. Technology has now been completely mainstreamed: I remember 2 years ago watching The Young And The Restless and the teens were discussing using a USB key with a password logger program to get a login to check a guy's mails, and Mariah Carey is singing about being posted on YouTube and probably even knows what that means too.

So I Wanted New Exciting Foreign Experiences... No Wait, I Didn't

Whether Turkey or Gemany won tonight doesn't matter, as I live in a Turkish neighborhood in a German town: I'll be lucky if I sleep before 2 AM.

Edit: Oh awesome, firecrackers!