Cracked

My iPhone now looks something like this...


Have dropped it several times before without damage but today I was very unlucky as it landed on a tiny pebble. The touchscreen still works but I don't want to put it to my ear (the glass is sharp and shredding tiny pieces of glass) so it's useless for phonecalls! On the other hand I do have a handsfree so maybe I could live with it until October when iPhone 5 comes?! Peter has a Blackberry - the old crackberry before iPhone came along - he isn't using so I could also use that if I don't opt for getting the glass replaced. It is a rather expensive fix but I have found a place that does it for 650 SEK and I've heard there's an even cheaper place that charges around 500.

Lucky me we have an iPad too so I whatever happens I don't deal with my i-diction right now! ;)

Mobile Health

Speaking of mobile phones and information technology, I'm participating in a study on the possible effects of long term mobile phone use. The study, COSMOS, which will follow the health of 50,000 mobile phone users in Sweden over a ten-year period (and equivalent numbers in the UK, Finland, the Netherlands and Denmark), is supported by the World Health Organisation and carried out by the Karolinska Institute.

Not so proud of my Alma Mater today...

Oxford has apparently blocked Spotify because it is a music streaming services and it uses peer-to-peer technology. And it's not educational either. I wonder how long they will be able to stick to that decision...

New iToy!

Image from pickids.net

My iPhone arrived today, ten days before I thought it was supposed to come, and I'm about to get to play with it soon, as soon as I have emptied my old phone and copied contacts, etc. Yippi ki-yay! And since I probably won't get around to doing any Show & Tell fruit post I thought I illustrate today's event with the above photo :)

You Know that You Are Living in 2009 When...

I have seen similar e-mails before but I thought there were a few new items on the list and thus that it was worth posting.

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave - Haven't done that but I can see it happening...for some
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years - Actually I have; I always bring a deck when we go travelling
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3 - Haha, yes!
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you - Yes! All the time! Some of my colleagues even call you from the next room. At least I take the opportunity to stretch my legs
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses - Haha, yeah, I'm at least worse at keeping in touch with those (though there are not that many of them anymore, I mean, without an e-mail address)

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your mobile phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries - Nah, but I do call Peter to come down and keep me company while we roam the streets for 15 minutes to find a parking space. Good thing we don't use the car on a regular basis.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen - Probably but it's gone that far that I don't even notice it
8. Leaving the house without your mobile phone, which you didn't have the first 30 years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it - It depends what I'm doing but half of the time the answer is yes. Not panic perhaps, but at least discomfort
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee - No, I shower and get my breakfast beforehand

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile :) - Haha, no!
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing - Yup
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message - I immediately thought of posting on the blog!
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list - Yes! I might have made it easier for you readers though since I divided the bullets in groups of five *lol*
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list - Haha, yes!

AND NOW YOU ARE LAUGHING AT YOURSELF

New Toy

Mobile Flightmare

It looks like the EU will allow mobile phone calls on airplanes soon*. What a nightmare! Can you imagine dreadful 10-hour transatlantic flights with mobile phone ringing constantly and people jabbing away about relationship problems or their latest illness??!

The newspaper Svenska dagbladet reports that reactions to the news among passengers at Stockholm Bromma Airport were somewhat mixed, with several worrying about disturbance onboard. Some believed that a number of airlines will use peace and quiet onboard as a marketing tool - for those who regard one of the virtues of air travel as being the haven it provides from being reached or hearing other people being reached - while others will target passengers with the offer of mobile phone use.

Hopefully it will only be a short period of free mobile use before airlines - and passengers - come to their senses! The future probably - hopefully - holds mobile phone booths or small compartments for those who cannot stand being disconnected for a few hours instead.

* On certain flights under new European Commission rules, provided the airlines have the necessary technical equipment. The plan is to install small base stations into the cockpits of the planes. Calls made via the station will be routed to terrestrial networks via satellite link. However, according to the decision, flight captains will have the power to switch off the service if they feel it necessary.

Wiinjury UPDATED

Peter and I have been laughing at all the safety instructions that you have to pass through before the Wii lets you play a game of tennis or baseball, or even a-sitting-down-and-relaxing game such as Super Mario Galaxy.

On Sunday I got a taste of what they are trying to protect you from (and themselves, in case people want to sue). We were playing tennis - we have two wiimotes now - and stood next to each other in front of the TV, keeping what we thought was sufficient distance between us. Apparently not enough though as suddenly Peter, getting very carried away in his efforts to win over me, smashes me very hard on the shoulder with his wiimote.

Monday morning I was a bit sore, Monday night was probably the worst (going to a yoga class didn't help either) but today it's feeling much better. Good thing I have a massage session booked tomorrow.

Updated
I thought for a moment that I had coined a new phrase - wiinjury - but when I googled it I got over 6,000 hits. Someone already thought of wiiplash also :)