Steve's Amazing Posterous

Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

No Danzig Legacy tonight!

Well I was really looking forward to enjoying a concert tonight but instead I got a horrible experience and had to send a nasty e-mail to Ticketfly, the ticket seller for the Congress Theater in Chicago.  I think the e-mail explains everything, here's what I wrote:

Dear Ticketfly,

I just had a bad experience at the Congress Theater just prior to the Danzig Legacy show.  Please let me explain...

I have been to several shows this summer, one at the Congress Theater and I have never had any issues involving my camera phone or my camera.  I was always told as long as the camera is not a professional camera it would be ok.  For this show, I didn't call because I didn't anticipate there being any problems or a change in policy.  Of course, at the Congress Theater, the security said "absolutely no cameras" and to place them in your vehicle.  In my situation, I did not drive, commuted via public transportation, and had no vehicle.  Security said I could coat check my camera and backpack, however I do not trust coat checks in places that I do not know well.  Therefore, I had no other choice but to request a refund which they did not even consider doing at the theater.  

The woman working at the box office told me that I should have called and that I should have checked the website.  However 30 minutes before arriving at the theater, I was in fact on the website looking for the time that the doors would open.  I did not see any warnings about there being no cameras allowed or that there would be any coat checking cameras required.  As of right now, 8:15pm local Chicago time, I see nothing on the Congress Theater's website nor on your website about cameras and there is nothing mentioned about calling for instructions.  I did not like the fact that the woman at the box office apparently wanted me to just magically know that I should have called...like as if that is an actual possible option...to magically know things.  At this point I demand that I be refunded based on the fact that there was no information on any of the websites nor on the ticket.  

In my opinion, if policies are going to be changed at the last minute or changed for each show, I should be given the option to get refunded at the box office and leave with no incident.  However, just posting the proper information ahead of time in a clear, easy to see place or perhaps sending out an e-mail would work.  

If I do not get a response and a refund/credit in a reasonable amount of time, I will have no choice but to contact the Better Business Bureau and the local news.  People should not have to play guessing games with Ticketfly or the Congress Theater about what policies will be enforced that day.  I also apologize if this sounds harsh but the experience I had at the Congress Theater tonight was harsh and very unorganized.  I was looking forward to enjoying the show.

Please contact me immediately.  Thank you.

No one should have to go through this!

Windows Phone 7 Follow-up and My New Samsung Galaxy S Mesmerize

     I said I was going to post a follow-up to my Windows Phone 7 review.  Like I thought the newness wore off and the harsh reality set in, Windows Phone 7 was not for me and here's why.  First, there were several apps that I had on my previous Android phones that did not have any alternatives in the Windows Phone Marketplace.  Secondly, I was very disappointed that the phone did not scan barcodes like Android phones.  You had to take a picture and then it didn't even detect the code in the picture half the time.  All of this led me to the realization that Windows Phone 7 just isn't up to speed with Android and I didn't want to find myself still waiting for those apps to be developed after 6 months or a year.

    So, I took the phone back and picked up US Cellular's best Android phone at the moment, the Samsung Galaxy S Mesmerize.  This phone is a great Android phone with an awesome battery life, a large vibrant screen, and plenty of apps via the Android Market.  If you saw my pictures and video of the Tesla concert I just attended, all those were taken with my new Mesmerize.  I was impressed most with the video quality.  This phone is amazing and I'm glad I finally have a nice reliable Android phone!

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My review of my new smart phone, the HTC 7 Pro with Windows Phone 7

     After 4 long months of nothing but problems with the Sprint network and my HTC Evo Shift android phone, I finally convinced Sprint to let me out of my contract so I could go back to US Cellular.  US Cellular, from what I hear, has a very high approval rate.  Since the Windows Phone was supposed to be better on battery, I decided to give the HTC 7 Pro a try considering I have 30 days to return it for something else if I don't like it.

     When I started using the phone, I was surprised at how fluid the animations are and how user friendly it is.  I was expecting to be disappointed knowing that there aren't as many apps and is still pretty new and underdeveloped.  However, Windows Phone 7 is a breath of fresh air in this iPhone/Android world.  Instead of having numerous icons and widgets on 3-7 screens, Windows Phone 7 sports the live tiles which act as icons and some behave like widgets as well.  All of these live tiles are on one screen where you can put as many as you want, arrange them how you want, and scroll up and down to get to them.  There is also a list of apps on another screen if the app isn't on the start screen. This results in a less cluttered screen and all your information is right there at a glance.  I was not at all disappointed with the Marketplace and while there aren't as many apps as Android or iOS, the important apps seem to be there.  Also, I was surprised that HTC 7 Pro has 16 GB of internal memory, so there are no micro SD cards and no worries that I will run out of space for apps.  This is similar to how the iPhone/iPod touch works.  However, instead of using iTunes to sync up everything, Microsoft offers the Zune software to sync up apps, photos, music, and more.  I am very impressed with Windows Phone 7 so far and there is the Mango update which will arrive in September.  Mango will supposedly make the mobile OS even better should I decide to keep the phone.

      So far, I expect that I will keep the HTC 7 Pro, however I will post a follow up in about a month after the newness of the phone has worn off.  I suspect that I will know the phone's limitations by then.  I do not want to get stuck with a lemon like my last phone nor do I want to stay with something that doesn't work for me.  However, right now, I completely recommend the Windows Phone 7 and the HTC 7 Pro.  Like I said before, its a breath of fresh air in this iPhone/Android world.

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No power in Burbank today!

I'm spending my afternoon in Panera Bread because the power has gone out in Burbank.  The AC is great in here and I can spend some time online with the free internet!  I wasn't the only one with this idea and Panera is much busier than normal.  All my fellow refugees are here!  Anyway I found a seat and I'm glad to be here!

Steve's Moving Chronicles - Packing Days 10-12

My room can now be described in one word, BOXES!  Almost everything I own is now in a box.  All except for the bare essentials, of course, which include my bed, my computer, and my clothes.  In fact, most of this apartment is boxes and we can barely walk down the hallway.  I am starting to get a little tired of dealing with all these boxes and I am burning through packing tape like its going out of style.  We now have only 3 more days of packing left before Sunday.  My days in Westmont and Du Page County are numbered and I am looking forward to being on the other side!

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Steve's Moving Chronicles - Packing Days 5-9

At this point, about one third of my room is packed.  Most of my garbage is gone which means I now have less stuff to move.  Yesterday, Easter Sunday, I was basically useless after all that food Mom, Jenny, and Jamie made.  I ate way too much and it made me sleepy.  I'm sure the chocolate didn't help either.  At least I was able to catch up on my TV shows before the DVR gets taken back.  However, all this means that I have to pick up the pace considering I have 6 days left until the big move.  Today, I am attacking my closet.  Fortunately most of that stuff is already in boxes.  Did I mention I hate packing?

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Steve's Moving Chronicles - Packing Day 2-4

During the last few days of packing, I haven't really been packing at all.  I have been organizing my file cabinet, shredding tons of old documents, and filing some mail that has been building up.  I believe the key to quicker packing is being organized while getting rid of clutter that doesn't need to be packed.  I have a little more to go through and then the next phase is more actual packing.  Stay tuned for more blog posts during my transition to Burbank!