Phone gray market – a change from the geeky to the greedy

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I used to be an early adopter of technology, which is a throwback to my dad’s habits. We had one of the first color TVs on the block and one of the first microwave ovens. I had one of the first VHS tape cameras and recorders.Over the years, though, there are so many gadgets hitting market, it’s basically impossible to keep up, so I don’t bother.

Confiscated iPhones at China customs smuggled in as box of tea.

Confiscated iPhones at China customs smuggled in as box of tea.

I’ve been reading some business articles about the long waiting lines at the Apple stores when the iPhone 6 and 6+ came out. In the past, those camping out for days were the Macintosh geeks with nothing better to do but wait around to be one of the first early adopters to dial up on the latest iPhone.

Seems that the market has changed from the geeky to the greedy. Here’s a link to a short video shot by a movie maker in New York, Casey Neistat, about who was standing in line waiting for the iPhone 6 to go on sale. Watch the movie by copying this link and opening it in your browser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef_BznBwktw

Most of the people waiting were Asians of all ages who bought the phones to resell to fences who then turn around and sell them in the Pacific Rim – mostly in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The video shows these little old ladies sitting on the curb waiting for the apple store to open.

In September, the price for the 16GB iPhone 6 in the PRC was $1,791 USD, down from $2,117 USD for “pre-orders” placed with the sellers who got their fists around the new models soon after they went on sale outside of PRC.

Meanwhile, Apple is getting the proper licenses to sell in the PRC which should stabilize the market.

Over the past few years, I’ve missed out on too many ‘buy low – sell high’ opportunities. I did score by hoarding a few Toy Story dolls and made a killing on ebay, but that’s pretty low tech.

Election Tag

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There’s been a facebook game of tag going around encouraging early voting. My pal Tad Leeper tagged me and I’m supposed to keep the chain going by tagging five others. There are so many interesting contests happening around the country I don’t know who to bug about this. In fact, I’m not much of tagger, so if you’re so inclined, post a pix of your early vote and tag others in you are so inclined.

Take a pix of yourself with your early voting ballot and scrawl "I voted" on your arm. Tag five of your pals.

Take a pix of yourself with your early voting ballot and scrawl “I voted” on your arm. Tag five of your pals.

 

Take a pix of yourself getting your early voting ballots ready to be cast and then tag five more. This isn’t catching on like the ALS ice bucket challenge.

I filed out my ballot but won’t vote until election day. It’s cheaper and more convenient to mail it, but for me, at least, there’s something about going down to the polls and casting my vote that gets my serotonin rising. The postage stamp is a de facto “poll tax” but probably cheaper than hopping in the car, driving to the polls and voting.

I haven’t missed an election since my first one in 1972. I voted for Nixon.  I’ve not been a very good party man. I remember when I was in grad school at the University of Wyoming. I volunteered with the College Republicans. I did what I could to help out Larry Hart who was running for Congress in 1976, but voted for Teno Roncalio.

In 1980 I supported John Anderson, the third party guy from Illinois, in 1984 I voted for political criminal Lyndon Larouche because he was the initial whistle blower on Iran Contra.  I was drummed out of the Republican Party for supporting John Vinich for US Senate in 1988. Even though I voted for Ross Perot in 1992, I attended Clinton’s inauguration.

Theoretically, a person’s vote is secret, but in reality, there are no secrets.

Part IV – Random oddities

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I said I wasn’t going to write much more about my recovery, but It’s been about a year since I started to hit the wall. No energy, lost a lot of weight. I even missed the Mighty Fudge Halloween party last year. As an update, I’ve noticed a few things lately.

My hair has become quite curly. My across the sidewalk, Jim, got a haircut, which is notice that I need a haircut. I usually let it grow out fairly long, but this time around it was curling up in the back.

I asked Riley at Super Cuts about it. She said that there isn’t any hard evidence, but she has noticed that as mens hair gets grayer, it starts to get curlier. She said, in her experience, it’s mostly men and fewer women.

The acupuncture needles 'surround the dragonn'. Notice my newly curly hair.

The acupuncture needles ‘surround the dragon’. Notice my newly curly hair.

Since I’ve been getting acupuncture every week, I thought it might have something to do with that. Apparently straight hair follicles are different that curly hair follicles and they get changed.

The last few weeks, my acupuncture treatments have included electro-stimulation for the Post Shingles Neuralgia that’s settled into my left scalp and forehead.

In my case, e-stim entails an acupuncture treatment known as “surrounding the dragon.” Needles are placed into several points – generally on the crest of my head, on the eyebrow, in the cheek and in the temple-area. Micro-power leads are attached and low current flows through.

My observation, only two of the acupuncture practitioners I’ve seen are okay with the e-stim treatment. All the others see it as “non-traditional” which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Electric fish were used by the ancient Egyptians to relieve pain. The fish were placed over wounds. In the 1930s, acupuncturists in China refined the treatment using the acupuncture needles and batteries.

It is more of a Dr. Frankenstein – type treatment, but seems to work pretty well for me, but maybe the e-stim caused my hair to curl like when getting too close to lightning causes hair to stand on end.

This is an xray taken in December 2013 when I was first admitted to the hospital.

This is an xray taken in December 2013 when I was first admitted to the hospital.

The acupuncture clinic has also been aggressively treating my Interstitial Pneumonia. According to acupuncture theory, the lungs and skin are closely related since they are both exposed to the air.

I’ve been going to acupuncture since May. I don’t know if the treatments have been doing any good, but there has been remarkable improvement based on my x-rays.

The first one was taken when I was first transported to the Intensive Care Unit before the biopsy surgery in December.

My tissue samples were sent to the University of Michigan and turned out I had some exotic but “everyday bug” that was controlled by archaic sulfa drugs. Back in the early days of HIV, it was the type of pneumonia AIDS patients would get.

This was taken in July 2014 after I started acupuncture in May and hardly on any medication.

This was taken in July 2014 after I started acupuncture in May and hardly on any medication.

This was taken in July 2014 after I started acupuncture in May and hardly on any medication.

I was on high doses of steroids when I was carried from the hospital to the ambulance and taken to rehab. When I was released and a little stronger, the March xray showed pretty good improvement.

I was then tapered off the steroids and began acupuncture.

The second X-ray was taken later this summer after I’ve had 12 weeks of acupuncture treatments. My lung doctor continues to be amazed at my recovery, since in his view at the time, I should be dead by now.