The iPhone 3G: A Reflection

On July 11th, I took part in an "fanboy pilgrimage" of sorts as I waited for over eighteen hours outside of an AT&T store in order to be one of the first recipients of the much sought after iPhone 3G. I really wish I had started the blog before then, because the memories of wonderment and camaraderie would still have been fresh in my mind, but alas, a two month retrospective is the only viable option.

I was #3 in line, behind an older couple who claimed to have been waiting in front of the store for over a week. Within their rustic camping tent emerged the smells of discarded Cup of Noodles and the friction of human flesh. Before the wife started asking what my "animal name" was, we had a delightful conversation about Apple and where we see the company is headed. We seemed to all agree that the future held great things for Steve Jobs and the gang.

We invisioned a time in which Windows was no longer needed, in which all computers ran off UNIX-based architecture and Mac OS X ruled supreme above all operating systems. Of course, we knew that nothing like that would ever happen in our lifetimes (well, they were pushing fifty so I don't think it's even right to lump mine in with theirs); people will always be stupid, and as long as there are stupid people, there will be a consumer base for Windows.

Fortunately, Apple has been doing really well lately and it's not unfathomable that some day it will usurp Micro$oft's throne once and for all. The iPhone was just the first step and the iPhone 3G was the next.

I bought an original iPhone, of course, back when people were still skeptical about Apple's ability to craft the perfect cell phone (and why they were I still have no idea - they were already making the perfect computers and music players). I paid the original $600 because I had no doubt in my mind that Apple would deliver excellence. Of course, when the price drop was announced, I was a little ticked off (well, okay, I was pretty furious that Apple would try to pull a fast one on me, their loyal buyer), but the $100 iTunes certificate that Steve graciously offered all of us early adopters was more than enough to assuage my rage (I purchased some wonderful albums from some pretty unknown artists, like Why? and Animal Collective - I doubt you've heard of them).

I loved the original iPhone because, well, as Apple says, it just worked.™ I had all my music, photos, videos, and internet with me in one place, and as an added bonus, it also happened to be a kickass phone! I even paid Verizon $200 to cancel my account since I would need AT&T to use the phone capabilities properly. A "friend" of mine suggest that I jailbreak the thing, to which I replied "What, are you crazy? And risk a $600 investment? Thanks, I'll stick to the way things are supposed to be." Turns out my "friend" had jailbreaked his prior to our conversation and had already succeeding in breaking the damn thing. What a moron.

The original iPhone served me well for many months, but when the 3G was announced, I knew it was time to say good bye to an old friend. Since I needed the money, I decided to sell my old one the day before the 3G came out - for $300 cool ones no less! Of course living a day without instant communication was a huge drag, especially since I had to spend it waiting in line in the cold huddled up with about a hundred other Apple fans. I guess my friends had called a few times about a party they were having, and while I doubt I would have gone (and risk giving up my place in line? hardly), it was annoying that people were trying to reach me and I had no way of knowing. Sure, I had my PSP and my regular iPod with me but without an internet connection I was pretty much cut out entirely from the world. Some of my fellow linegoers were attempting to sell their old iPhones to passersby and a few even succeeded - oh, if only I had considered that as a viable option!!!

Anyway, after eighteen hours of waiting the doors finally opened and after the couple in front of me argued with the clerk about the 1 phone per customer limit, it was my turn to taste sweet 3G AWESOMENESS. I voraciously ripped apart the packaging as soon as it was rung up and forgot that I would have to charge and activate the darn thing before using it. So I got home and after two hours of charging and activation time I was set.

Finally, a return to the world I know and love! I decided to immediately test out the new 3G internet speed and was blown away by the improvement. I remember it being such a hassle to access the internet before, using the slow, almost primitive 2G speeds when important information needed to be acquired as soon as possible. Thankfully, Apple and AT&T have blessed us with some amazing speeds. I was floored. And to think that this model actually costed less than the original iPhone. I can't think of a better situation in which the consumers ended up profiting.

The GPS was a wonderful addition and I just know some day I'll find a great use for it. I loved the new headphone jack and the new finish was simply marvelous. This was a beautiful looking device, with robust functionality to boot!

It didn't take long for me to fall head over heels in love with my new favorite gadget. The iPhone 3G is definitely a deserving successor to the 2G and I can only imagine how amazing Apple is going to make its successor. In case ANYONE is still considering getting one, the verdict is definitely YES. BUY THE IPHONE 3G and say hello to blazing internet speeds, cool GPS functionality, and some killer looks. I can attest to being about ten shades cooler by owning this wonderful little device from Apple.

Of course, the first thing I did when I got the phone was change the wallpaper:



Hehe. >:)

Fighting the fight with style

I'm a communist, but not everyone can tell just by looking at me. I'd like to think of myself as a pretty average looking guy - definitely not the sort to stir up political unrest. Oh, how deceiving looks can be...

In order to compensate for my "everyman" appearance (because who likes being like everyone else?), I've found several creative ways to show people just how intellectually volatile an "average looking guy" like me can actually be. The easiest way to do this is just to talk to people and let them know how I feel about the world, but sometimes talking isn't always an option. Maybe I want people to know what kind of person I am from a hundred feet away, in a crowded room where one-on-one conversation is not ideal. Or maybe I just don't want to talk to certain people, either because they're ignorant or they have an axe grind or whatever. In cases like these I need a way to show people my mind without them actively asking to be shown, and for this, I turn to one of humanity's oldest inventions: clothing.

They say, "you are what you wear," but I like to switch things up a little bit. I say you wear what you are. If I want to define myself to others, I want to make sure I'm sending the right visual messages, and clothes are an excellent way to assure that there are no kinks in the transmission, so to speak. You too probably want others to see you as you are, so I'm going to show you what works for me and hopefully some of it will work for you as well.

A t-shirt is such a great thing because it really is canvas on which nearly any message can be printed. It's amazing how you can show your support for a favorite organization or musical artist just by wearing a piece of clothing on your chest. Of course, on top of all that, you're also keeping yourself warm! I think that some of the best t-shirt designs are made of just words. After all, the pen is mightier than the sword.

Take this favorite of mine:



My aunt bought me one of these for my sixteenth birthday, and since then I've gone through three reiterations, settling, at least for now, on this white edition (nice for those hot days!). I don't know who originally said "You laugh at me because I'm different, I laugh at you because you're all the same," but whoever it was had to have read Karl Marx. It's such a genuinely empowering message that really goes against the grain of typical capitalist ideals (where everyone is in fact, considered the same and individuality is stifled rather than encouraged). When I wear this shirt (as I often do), I think of it as proclaiming to the world, "Yeah, I'm different. Deal with it. You can be different too, but until then, I shall grant you no sympathy." Is that being too harsh? I really don't think so. After all, these are the same people who labeled me as a "troublemaker" and a "radical" in school. These are the same people who buy into consumerism so blindly, who refuse to read something of actual substance (Harry Potter doesn't count, thanks), and who will most likely remain slaves to the corporate machine for as long as their McDonalds-saturated lives will last (and believe me, with the way America's health is going, that ain't long at all).

Still, for people who still care about the world and might face flack for it, I think that this is a very liberating shirt for them to wear. It's really worked wonders for me; I've actually had people stop dead in their tracks, read what my shirt had to say, and then give me a genuine smile because they had finally found someone who thought like them. Once I even bumped into someone with the exact same shirt - it was even the same size! We shared a hearty laugh and talked a bit about how important things like individuality and expression are now more than ever before. I didn't get a chance to get the guy's name, but I'll always remember him for what he was wearing.

I really like shopping online at Zazzle because they offer a lot of really great shirts at affordable prices. You can buy the "I Laugh at You" shirt from them starting at only $15.95.

Sometimes I like to be a little more overt about my political leanings, and that's when I love to bust out my assortment of Che Guevara shirts. No doubt you've seen people wearing something like this before:



Che Guevara was a famous Marxist revolutionary who fought against the Argentinian government. His death serves as a reminder to us all that with great change comes great sacrifice. He is a true hero among the Communist community and because he is still very much considered a "subversive figure," it is only respectful to bear his likeness on your chest. I absolutely love Che shirts - I'll admit they're a bit of a fetish of mine. I have multiple shirts in red, black, olive, white, navy, sky blue, and my personal favorite, the colors of America:



I like to think that when I wear this one in particular, I'm using patriotism in a very subversive manner. Not a lot of people like to associate the colors of our flag with a so-called "radical revolutionary"; this gives me license to wear the shirt even more. Under Che's face are the Spanish words "VIVA LA REVOLUCION!", which in English, translates roughly to "Live the Revolution." I think these are paramount words to live by, especially as a Communist. You really can't create change without living it.

I've been very happy with The Che Store for all my Che Guevara apparel needs. I'd recommend for starts that you pick up a portrait-only shirt, like this lovely red one for only $17.99 USD (also available in women's and kids sizes!). They don't just sell t-shirts, either. You can get the ORIGINAL beret that Che wore for only $29.99 USD. I used to have one but alas, it was stolen from me and I have yet to replace it.

Sometimes I want to be loud about my views but at the same time non-confrontational. That's when this little beauty comes in:



(BTW, by beauty, I don't mean the shirt model, although she's pretty cute!) This is a wonderfully clever t-shirt that gets laughs every time. It's a great way to show that you have strong political beliefs but aren't afraid to have a little fun with them either. Coincidentally, I can think of no better place to introduce the wonders of Communism to someone than at a party! You can buy the shirt from Threadless for only 12 bucks, although it looks like the shirt is so popular that they're actually having trouble keeping it in stock! By the way, the people on the shirt are, from left to right, Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Mao Zedong, and, of course, Karl Marx.

Here are a few other basic clothing tips:

For shoes, you can't go wrong with Chucks from Converse. You can even design your own, starting at only $60 USD. This is a great way to express yourself while wearing some seriously stylish shoes. I have about five pairs of custom Chucks myself; my favorite, of course, are the RED ones. ;)

If you can't find any clothing you like, why not Make Your Own with Cafepress? You can turn any design of your own into a shirt, hat, card, mug, and a whole lot more. I've been working on a few designs since hearing about the service and I look forward to using it.

Remember: A piece of clothing (often a shirt) can serve as a great conversation piece. Attract people to you with a provocative message or design!

I hope that these tips have enabled you to start fighting the fight in style. After all, no one said revolution ever had to be plain and boring.