The problem with staying the middle of nowhere: an $85,000 phone bill!

by Martha Edwards on

A couple of months ago, my cell phone bill came to $150. Ouch. Turns out I don’t have a very good long distance plan, so texting and leaving tipsy messages for my friends from my vacation was a little pricey. Still, I guess I can’t really complain — a 22-year-old man working in the oil fields in Northern Alberta received a shockingly high cell phone bill — for $85,000! Good grief! That’s a house, not a phone bill. I’m surprised that phone bills even get that high.

Apparently, Piotr Staniaszek thought that he could use his cell phone as a modem for his computer and, since he was holed up in a shack in the middle of nowhere by himself, spent his time surfing the net and downloading movies.

Bell Canada, his provider, has agreed to reduce to the charges to $3,400. Still. That’s pretty steep.

Did you know?


Know where your friends are at all times

by Neil Woodburn on

Whether you’re in a strange city on vacation, or simply in your own hometown, it can often be a challenge to meet up with your friends at a designated place and time. You know how it is; someone’s always running late or getting lost.

Loopt, another cool company brought to us by Stanford grads, aims to eliminate all the waiting and guesswork involved in meeting up.

The technology is simple and works with the GPS signal in your cell phone. Want to know where Landon is with the keg? Just check your cell phone screen and a Loopt map will point out his exact location. In fact, as long as your friends opt in, your phone will tell you wherever they are at any time of the day and even send you an alert if they happen to be nearby.

Very cool, and perhaps even a little scary.

Oh, and you’ll need to be on the Boost or Sprint network for it to work.

Woman Imagines Terrorist Hijacking, Refuses To Stop Using Cell Phone In Flight

by Jonathon Morgan on

Erin Callahan Lambert got drunk and did some really, really stupid things on a flight from Boston to San Francisco last Sunday. Now she’s facing federal charges for making comments about a hijacking, trying to open a cabin door and fighting with flight attendants.

It all started to go awry when Lambert began talking on her cell phone halfway through the flight. When attendants asked her to stop, she became “combative.” Then, she claimed that she was “calling 911 because the plane is being hijacked.”

But it gets better (or worse, I suppose). After the first episode was diffused, Lambert later got up again, this time trying to take her luggage and her pet carrier into the bathroom. When flight attendants confronted her a second time, she said “…you are going to have to kill me and my dog.”

After a brief struggle, the nutcase was finally handcuffed, and, upon landing, turned over to San Francisco airport police. Thank goodness no one was hurt!

Two for the Space of One

by Dave Luna on

As a computer nerd, I’m doomed to walk the earth with as many electronic gadgets as possible. In fact, I was once questioned by Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport security why I had two MP3 players and two cell phones. In spite of that (almost) international incident, I think there has never been a better time than now for gadgety-type traveling.

Companies today are marketing products that can charge multiple devices in multiple environments with just one plug. This means one less Blackberry plug in your carry-on and more space for souvenirs!

Gomadic markets a number of two-device chargers for use in either home or auto. These chargers support cell phones, PDAs, and MP3 players. About $40 to $50.

iGo sells dual-device power adapters that can be used on airplanes, on AC current, and in cars. They have models that can charge laptops in addition to a small device like a phone, MP3 player, or PDA. Ranges from $30 to $120.

Finally, the VersaCharger PRO consolidates all of your USB device chargers into one small adapter usable on a plane, in a car, or in a hotel. Around $25 to $30.

By the way, you get extra points if you attach any one of the previously mentioned chargers to the Tumi adaptor Erik mentioned. (Oh, and check the comments of that post to see cheaper Tumi alternatives.)

Driving–Into Others–While on Your Blackberry

by Iva Skoch on

I’m sure many of us have done it, tapping on a cellphone, mp3 player, or other mobile device while driving. But there are costs to being wired and distracted while traveling, and we should avoid these dangerous activities when we’re in control of several tons of steel.

A Washington man driving in the express lanes on I-5 near Seattle caused a chain-reaction car collision yesterday, after failing to notice traffic in front of him had stopped. The reason? He was tapping away on his Blackberry.

By some strange luck, no one was seriously injured, although the collisions involved 28 passengers on a bus plus four cars. Folks: let’s set the cellphone, Blackberry, and iPod aside while behind the wheel, please. While we’re at it, let’s put away the make-up and newspaper, too. Driving, like traveling, requires our attention: “A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.”