The northlondonhippy

Archive for the ‘consumerism’ Category

Remember the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld?

“No soup for you!”, he would exclaim when he determined someone was unworthy of his tasty broth.

Ever wonder what happened to the Soup Nazi since the TV show went off the air?

He works for Apple, rejecting iPhone app submissions. “No app for you!”, he exclaimed as he considered an app from your favourite independent blogger and internet god.

I mean me.

I don’t get to have my very own iPhone app, the App Nazi says so.

Apple’s recent policy change banning independent bloggers from submitting apps to for publication on iTunes is still pissing me off.

And here’s the thing, it would still piss me off even if I wasn’t directly effected by their decision. Its wrong to silence any voice, however big or small. We all have a right to express ourselves, on any platform we choose, on any subject we choose.

I chose to put an app together to bring my content to the iPhone platform. Apple, as the provider of the platform, have locked me out.

I should have tried to publish a fart app. Apparently, you can’t have too many of them.

It could be argued that my content is already available on the iPhone platform, via Safari, the iPhone’s browser. You’d win that argument, its true.

All my app did was present this website, along with some other entertaining content provided and owned by me in a very iPhone friendly format, via a custom designed app. One tap on the northlondonhippy icon on your Home Screen and you’d be here, hanging out virtually with me. No bookmarks or URLs, just a clean, easy to read interface, with groovy NLH graphics.

It would have cost Apple pennies to host my free app. Its not like they’re strapped for cash, they’ve got billions just lying around, doing nothing.

They could shut me up with a couple of million. Or a free iPad.

But they don’t need to shut me up. Nobody seems to give a shit. I emailed a few tech websites and newspapers with my sad tale of Apple app woe. Nobody bit.

Links to my previous entry did get tweeted around Twitter and buzzed across Google Buzz, or whatever the kids are doing these days but I am still waiting for a groundswell of popular support which would push Apple to reconsider this very foolish, pointless and spiteful decision.

Apple began in Steve Wozniak’s garage, with Woz and Steve Jobs knocking together the first Apple computer. Blogging is not much different than that, we’re all out here just knocking stuff together. Some make it into the mainstream, some toil in relative obscurity, but most just seem to give up. Many blogs lie dormant after a brief, unsatisfying flurry of activity, but not this one.

I know I’m not the most prolific blogger, but I’m still here and have been for 6 fun filled years. Ok, they haven’t been that much fun, but I am still here.

I’ve been toying with the idea of hanging up my hippy hat. This isn’t meant to be a threat or some drama queen strop. I’ve considered giving up before, but I’ve always managed to find reasons to keep going and ended up reinvigorated at the end of it.

Right now, I just feel tired.

The iPhone app was meant to re-inspire me and it would have, if only briefly. But isn’t that the way this works? You are constantly searching for new inspiration to keep you going.

The weird thing is, for a niche blog that doesn’t get updated very often, I do some good business. When I look at a graph of my visitor levels, its always an upward incline. I make a bit of dosh too, with my limited advertising and solo affiliate scheme.

I’ve recently been speculating that would still be the case, even if I didn’t post anything new. There’s a lot of content on my website, six years of spewing drivel will do that. I could probably just let this website sit here, do nothing and still maintain my reach.

Yes, I’ve been giving serious thought to giving up and quite stupidly, mainly because Apple refused to publish my app. Maybe there is no place for independent bloggers in the world any more and Apple is just ahead of the curve. If your website doesn’t have a staff of 30, then no one takes it seriously and you might as well not exist.

What’s a self obsessed weedhead and middle-aged failure at life to do?

If I knew the answer to that one, fuckers, I wouldn’t be sitting here typing out this shit, would I?

My iPhone app was rejected, again. That’s twice in the last month.

I heard back yesterday. This time, the app has been rejected on the basis that Apple have changed their submission policy and no longer allow apps that “…are solely intended for an individual blogger with a small audience…”.

Isn’t that most independent bloggers?

I’ve been blogging for 6 years, my anniversary is next week. My website was never going to be mainstream, but that’s kind of the point of its existence and the existence of most blogs. We cater to niche audience, but an audience none the less.

Are my readers less important than the readers of the New York Times website? Every reader counts, whether its one thousand or one million.

Why does Apple hate me? Why does Apple hate my audience?

Why does Apple hate independent bloggers?

Let’s put this into a bit of perspective. I invested time and money into creating an app that I thought would be of interest to my readers. The app is quite simple, but well designed, effectively creating an iPhone-optimised interface linked to all my online northlondonhippy related content.

There’s nothing wrong with my app, it all works smoothly, the design is clean and simple, and the graphics are slick and professional. The price, there was none, I wanted to offer it via the iTunes store for free, I wanted to give it away to anyone who wanted it.

So why do Apple hate me?

They shouldn’t, I am an unashamed Apple fan boy.

Currently, in the room I’m sitting in, there’s a 27” Quad Core iMac, a Core Duo Mac Mini, A Core Duo black MacBook, an iPhone 3GS, an iPod Touch, an Airport Extreme, several Airport Expresses, I use Final Cut Express and Logic Studio and iWork, I buy apps, music and films….

You get the idea, I own a lot of Apple kit and just because they hate me, doesn’t mean I won’t continue to purchase their toys. iPad, you are next on my list.

And I don’t just buy a lot of Apple stuff, I recommend it to my friends and am responsible for countless sales to many recent converts.

Apple should love me, like I love them, they’re like that girl who gave you a drunken pity handjob once, but now looks at you with disgust whenever you run into her sober and you keep hoping you’ll catch her a bit pissed again, but you never do. The desire is all one way and it only ever ends in bitter disappointment.

I praise Apple on my website and won’t stop just because they hate me. I can handle rejection, I’m used to it.

In short, there’s nothing wrong with my content, including all my weed related entries. Apple don’t have a problem with cannabis and there are several marijuana related apps available on iTunes, including one that will direct you to the nearest medical dispensary. Mine’s apparently in Amsterdam, last time I checked.

So why do Apple hate me?

Why does Apple hate all indepedent bloggers?

I’ve written a couple of novels, and was watching with great interest to see if Apple would have a route for independent publishers to get books on to their upcoming iBook Store for the iPad, but now I am not so sure.

If Apple are censoring iPhone apps to the point where they won’t consider submissions from independent bloggers, is there any point to me investing more time and money developing my eBooks for the iPad, only to have Apple change their policies suddenly.

Maybe you think a northlondonhippy iPhone app is a bit pointless, maybe I do too, but that’s not what’s important. What’s important is freedom of speech and expression and if I wish to bring my message as an independent blogger to an established, popular mobile platform, I should be able to do so, without any impediment from the corporation who supplies the platform. What’s wrong with giving the little guy a chance?

It would be like Sony banning you from watching homemade videos on your television, only Sony Pictures DVDs would display on the screen, but not your holiday or wedding videos.

Maybe no one would have downloaded my app, maybe millions of people would have, but I’ll never know. Apple have killed it, dead in its tracks for no good reason other than on a whim they have decided to lock all independent bloggers out of the app store.

Will Apple reconsider? If people make enough noise they might. It wouldn’t be unprecedented, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

All I wanted to do was expand my online reach, just a little. I invested time, I invested money, but more importantly I invested my hopes and dreams on a little iPhone app that I could call my own. I would never have guessed that this little dream would become a nightmare of censorship and unchecked corporate power.

Does Steve Jobs know about this? If he finds out, he’s going to be mighty pissed off.

I bet having a recipe as my top post confused a lot of my new visitors and that was the case until I posted this particularly unplanned foray into sharing my thoughts.

This is not a food blog. A recipe is something out of the ordinary. Normal service has now resumed.

As I sit here, typing away, we are around 9 hours from the expected Apple Tablet announcement. Its pretty big news so I expect you’ve already heard all about it. Don’t worry, I’m not going to go on about it too much.

I’ve got 2 predictions, one is an easy one that’s probably true, the other is a long shot.

Prediction one: It will be a premium product with a premium price for early adopters. Yes, I mean it will be very expensive, but will be cheaper in a year.

Prediction two: It will be called ‘iBook”, which used to be the name of one of their best selling laptops. They already own it, so it would be an easy yet inventive choice. I am far less certain of this one and will be pleasantly surprised if I am right. I’ll also brag a lot about it too.

I’ve wanted something like what’s expected today for years. Yes, I will buy one as soon as they are available though I am guessing it will be like the original iPhone, sold is the USA exclusively for 6 months, then launched in the UK. That will be frustrating!

Today isn’t just tablet day. Had my mother still been alive, today would have been her 80th birthday, but she missed it by around 13 months. I miss her, a lot.

At least Apple were nice enough to schedule their announcement on the same date as my mother’s birthday, its a welcome distraction.

So roll on 18:00gmt, when the big show starts in California. I’ll be online, following the announcement live as best I can and I’ll be tweeting my impressions as well. That is, assuming the entire internet doesn’t come crashing down to a screeching halt under the weight of all that Apple Tablet hype.

Oh yes, that’s my last prediction, Twitter is going to crash like Oceanic Air 815 as soon as Steve Jobs takes the stage. Maybe I should just plan on tweeting again tomorrow.

First of all, to avoid any confusion, there is no such thing as a “hippy crab”. If you go to your local fishmonger demanding one, he will look at you like you are crazy.

You’re not crazy, are you?

I don’t normally post recipes, but in the real world, I’m actually a pretty damn good cook. I’ve been cooking for decades, having honed my skills by watching TV chefs over the years and mixing and matching the techniques I’ve picked up along with combining interesting ingredients. Its like art with food, only hand-eye coordination doesn’t play as big a part.

I’ve seen crab risotto on restaurant menus, but I’ve never tried it. That doesn’t mean I can’t make a good one. And if I have nothing to compare it to, then it must be perfect already.

What follows is my made-up recipe for crab risotto, with helpful hints along the way. I have cooked risotto many times in the past, so I am not a total beginner.

You’ll need:
- one medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 fresh cloves of garlic, chopped
- butter and olive oil
- 500g Arborio Rice (its meant for risotto)
- 1.5 litres of stock (chicken or vegetable)
- 20cl white wine (appx one glass)

For finishing:
- 100g white crab meat (sometimes called lump meat, its already cooked)
- 10g chopped chives
- 10g chopped tarragon
- juice of one fresh lemon
- cream or creme fraiche
- 50g freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 50g frozen peas
- 10cl sherry (not cooking sherry, the real stuff)

Here’s a photo of the main ingredients:

Hippy Crab Risotto Ingredients

(Missing: Yellow onion, frozen peas, sherry, butter, olive oil)

You need a large sauce pan (or pot if you prefer) and you will only need the lid at the very end, so put it to one side.

Put the saucepan on the hob over a low heat and let it warm up a bit. Cover the bottom of the pot with a bit of olive oil and a bit of butter, basically enough so when you add the onion and garlic, its covered and coated with it. You don’t need to use extra virgin olive oil, cheaper oil is fine. Extra virgin is cold pressed, so its a bit pointless to use when you are going to heat it up. Save it to dress your salad!

Sweat the onions and garlic until they are soft, tender and a bit translucent.

sweating the onions and garlic

While the onions and garlic are cooking, mix up your 1.5 litres of stock. I use Swiss Bouillon Vegetable Stock, but you can use anything one that you like. You can do this in a second saucepan, but my method is to mix 500mls at a time in a pyrex measuring jug and an electric kettle.

Swiss Bouillon

You can’t just use any rice for risotto, Arborio is the best. The reason is the high starch content, which is what makes it thicken.

Gallo Organic Arborio Rice

Once the onions and garlic are soft, turn the heat up high and add the 500g of Arborio Rice to the pot, stirring continuously, so it doesn’t burn, for around 2 minutes. You want the rice to be infused with the flavours and oil.

frying the rice for 2 minutes

After 2 minutes, lower the heat and then can begin to add your hot stock. The normal advice is to ladle it in gradually from a second pot, and as the rice absorbs it, add a bit more, but I don’t do it that way. Instead I add the stock a 1/3 at a time, in 500ml increments. The heat should be on lower, so the stock simmers.

stock added to rice

Whether you add the stock in a little at a time, or in stages, its important you keep on stirring. Also add the 20cl of white wine. From here, it will take about 20 minutes for the rice to cook and for the texture to become creamy and sauce-like.

Once the rice is cooked, give it a little taste to see if it has the correct consistency. If it is still too firm, cook it longer, but the rice should not become too mushy either. Al dente is what I am looking for, it should have a little bite, but not be too hard or soft. You’ll know it when you taste it. That’s the basis for all risotto recipes, from here you can mix in what you like.

Now, time to add the additional ingredients to finish the dish. Add the crab meat and stir it in, followed by the lemon juice. The fresh white crab meat is the one luxury ingredient and I’ve used Cornish because I know it is sweet and very tasty. You could easily used tinned, or a mix of brown and white meat.

Fresh white crab meat

Once its all mixed through, add the frozen peas, they will quickly defrost and heat up. Then add the juice of one fresh lemon and the sherry and mix them in.

Time for the fresh herbs, toss the tarragon and chives into the pot and stir them in too. You can chop the tarragon with a sharp knife, but its recommended you use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the chives.

Fresh herbs

Finally, add a large spoonful of the creme fraiche and a the grated parmesan cheese and stir some more. Put the lid on the pot, switch off the heat and let it sit for a few minutes, so everything is at a nice even temperature. Give it a final taste, to check the seasoning. I’d add freshly ground black pepper at this stage, and salt only if I thought it really needed it. With the cheese, crab and stock, the salt will probably be OK, I don’t use much salt when I cook, so its up to you.

The dish is now finished and ready to serve, you can hold back some chives and grated cheese to garnish the top once its on the plate.

The finished risotto, ready to be served

Serve it with a fresh green salad and warm crusty bread. Yummm.

Hippy Crab Risotto is served!

And that my friends and hippyfans is Hippy Crab Risotto. If you cook it up yourself, email me and let me know how you make out! Enjoy!

I’ve had my geek on for the last week. I successfully updated all three of my Macs to Snow Leopard and I swapped my iPhone 3G for the new 3GS.

Snow Leopard
——————–
The upgrades were very smooth and simple, though I did have some hardware trouble with my three year old Mac Mini. The Snow Leopard installation DVD would not mount in the SuperDrive, instead it would try to read it, then spit it out. A healthy dose of canned, pressurised air sprayed into the DVD slot cured it and I was able to complete the installation.

The changes with Snow Leopard are subtle, but welcome. Expose and Stacks are noticeably improved and more useful, the Finder tweaks are also quite cool, especially the icon sizing and preview functions. Mainly, everything is a lot faster, start-ups, shutdowns and especially sleeping and waking. When I wake up my iMac now, it reconnects to my network almost instantly.

The best thing is the amount of hard drive space I got back on each computer, around 10-12gb. Streamlining is a good thing!

I bought the family pack version of Snow Leopard, which cost £39, so that’s thirteen quid per computer. A bargain!

I haven’t had any serious issues so far, all of my regular software is working fine. Safari seems especially fast and launches like a rocket. Oh and maybe I’m crazy, but the screen seems sharper, like they’ve improved the graphics card drivers, or the way it renders images, I don’t really know.

iPhone 3GS
—————–
I’ve had it in the back of my head that if I didn’t get a new iPhone by the end of the summer, I would leave it until next July. I’ve tried to buy one a couple of times, but they haven’t been in stock. They are apparently still in great demand.

I decided that if I was going to do this, I would buy the iPhone outright, getting it on Pay As You Go, rather than getting it as a contract upgrade. By doing it this way, I will then be eligible for a subsidised upgrade next Summer, when the next model comes out.

What finally pushed me towards acting is a friend of mine lost his iPhone 3G and needed to replace it. O2 wanted silly amount of money from him for a new one and he offered to buy mine. I agreed, if I could find a black, 32gb 3GS on PAYG.

O2 didn’t have any, the Car Phone Warehouse didn’t have any, but the online Apple Store said they were shipping them on 5 days delay. I went ahead and ordered it last Tuesday.

It shipped on the Thursday and arrived in my hot little hands on the Friday. Wow, that was fast!

Swapping phones was an absolute breeze. I popped my contract SIM out of the old 3G iPhone, then popped it into the new 3GS. I connected the 3GS to my iMac and it instantly appeared in iTunes. It was activated in seconds, then offering to restore it from my most recent back-up, done an hour before. It restored and synced my media quickly. It was set up just like my old iPhone, even my apps were in the same places.

I did have to re-enter a few passwords for email accounts and tweak a few settings, but I would say 98% of it happened automatically.

Wiping the old phone took longer than setting up the new one. The old iPhone switched on and worked without a SIM card and I was able to reset all settings with a couple of clicks. Be warned, it takes around 2 hours to wipe a 16gb iPhone.

So what do I think of my new iPhone 3GS?

I’ll say this right now, it is not an essential must-have upgrade. I’ve gained a few useful and welcome features and a lot of speed, but that alone is not worth the money.

The increase in speed is obvious, the entire phone is faster and more responsive. Apps launch almost instantly, there’s no lag at all.

The video camera is good, not great, but better than no video functions at all. The tap-to-focus feature is very cool and really works. The compass is also a nice thing to have, especially if you use the Map app to get around on foot, it really helps to orient yourself in new surroundings.

And who wouldn’t want extra storage?

I’m sure I will sell my 3GS next summer when the next iPhone upgrade comes, it will still have considerable value then. If the 3GS is considered an evolutionary upgrade, then next summer hopefully we will see a revolutionary jump in iPhone technology. At least, that’s what I’m gambling!

The National Health Service (NHS) here in the UK has been in the firing line this week as Americans “debate” overhauling their healthcare system in an attempt to extend access to their 50 million residents who have absolutely no cover or access to care.

Americans are being led to believe that the free healthcare available to all of us in the UK is no good. This is so far from the truth that it would be funny, except for the fact that people’s lives hang in the balance.

The UK has a much higher life expectancy than the USA. Check your statistics and see that I’m not lying. The UK also spends less on healthcare per person than they do in the states, yet they yield better results.

Go figure!

The American healthcare system is run like a for-profit business. Think about that, someone profits from your illness and the percentages of profit are obscenely high.

Insurance companies, drug companies private hospitals, private doctors are all in the game to make money from your misery. That can’t be right, can it? Every test ordered that you don’t really need, every over-prescription is money in the bank for someone.

Just ask Michael Jackson if private healthcare on demand is a good thing. Oh wait, you can’t because it killed him.

In America, healthcare is seen as a privilege, not a basic human right. Should one only be entitled to healthcare on the basis of qualifying for insurance, rather than qualifying for need? Shouldn’t everyone have access to healthcare?

Of course they should!

Some of the scenes I’ve caught on television, of the so-called town-hall meetings have been very amusing, well amusing in as much as the ignorance fuelled anger is simply surreal.

It seems to me, that the loudest voices at these town-hall meetings are coming out of the mouths of people with the least information on the subject. These sad, twisted, ignorant people have an unjustifiable hatred of President Obama that is probably rooted in their inherent racism rather than any actual dislike of a new healthcare system.

All you need to do is listen to what they say, their buzz words, like “socialism” and “this isn’t the America I know” to understand just how misguided and ill-informed these folks are on the subject.

Ok, any subject.

At the heart of all of this is FOX News, the biased and unfair pseudo news network owned by Rupert Murdoch. FOX News provide the stilted talking points and their legions of viewers turn up at town-hall meetings, parroting the same lame shit.

I can’t say I’ve looked into it, but I am guessing a wealthy guy like Murdoch must have business interests outside the media world, say perhaps insurance or drug companies. In other words, he may have a vested financial interest in how this debate plays out. And if not him, then some of his rich robber-baron mates have got investments in the medical field. There’s a lot of profit to be protected.

Its funny how SKY News, the sister station of FOX News, under the NewsCorp corporate umbrella is taking a different tack here, righteously defending the NHS against the FOX News inspired attacks. Does one hand not know what the other is doing? Or is SKY simply pandering to their UK-based subscribers?

I think we both know the answer to that one.

I’m in a fairly unique position, having lived considerable lengths of time under both healthcare systems. Neither the US or UK systems are perfect, both excel at some things and lack in others, but overall, I know which system I would choose, if I had to…

The NHS all the way!

In the UK, I’ve never had any concerns about insurance, access to the medical system or being able to afford the costs. I’ve for the most part, had excellent care of a world class standard courtesy of the NHS.

In America I’ve been charged one hundred bucks for a wooden tongue depresser – you know what I’m talking about, a wide wooden popsicle stick.

Open your mouth and say “ahhh fuck, you just charged me a Benjamin to do that!”

In my world, life is usually quite simple and this unhealthy debate is no different. What it boils down to is this: “I’ve already got mine, so screw you if you don’t have yours!” It all comes down to compassion and America’s apparent lack of it.

The Christian right in America preach something known as “compassionate conservatism”, but sadly they don’t practise it in any meaningful or tangible way. Where’s the compassion? What would that guy Jesus do?

Jesus would move to the UK, sign on to the dole and get those holes in his hands and feet looked at for free, same for that nasty stab wound in his side.

Universal healthcare is an undeniable right, yet 50 million Americans are being denied it. Any compassionate person would recognise the inequality in the current system and want to do all they could to change it.

Where are all the compassionate folks in America? Don’t they care about their fellow man? Maybe if there are any, they could go to those silly town-hall meetings and shout down all the ignorant idiots that are making America look so stupid.

Oh and while I’m at it, lay off the NHS. Ill-informed opinion does not make a debate, it just makes you look even more like morons to the rest of the (better informed) world.

I’m angry.

I’m pissed off.

I’m hopping, fucking mad.

Apple showed off the new iPhone 3GS a couple of days ago and it is a desirable piece of kit. While not a huge leap in technology, the new hardware-based features of this new model make me want one.

You’d think, in the middle of a deep recession, that spending my hard earned cash would be easy.

Think again.

O2, the mobile network here in the UK that has exclusive rights to sell iPhones are being quite foolish about upgrades to existing customers like me. They seem to think its sensible for me to take out a 2nd mortgage to upgrade to the new model.

Existing subscribers are gold dust to companies like O2 or at least they should be, but it seems this time that is not the case.

In the cell phone industry, networks refer to it as “churn”, or the loss of customer to other networks.

There was a lot of “churn” here in the UK last summer, when loads of people dumped their existing networks to move to O2, so they could have an iPhone 3G. I was amongst that large group of switchers myself.

I love my iPhone, its easily the coolest device I’ve ever owned. I have no regrets about changing networks to get one.

Early adopters, like myself and many of my friends and work colleagues, drive technology sales in that we buy first, pay full whack, then show it off to our mates who end up buying them too.

I can think of half a dozen people right off the top of my head, who bought an iPhone because I personally introduced them to mine. I’m sure the same is true for many other early adopters; we should all be on commission really.

Instead, O2 don’t respect us and are actually going out of their way to penalise people who bought their iPhone 3G’s last July. Do you think that makes me keen to persuade others to get an iPhone from O2 now?

O2 want to sell me a 32gb iPhone for the same cost they’re selling them to new subscribers, £269 I believe. I could just about wear that, if I had to, but they also want me to pay the remainder of my contract as a penalty.

A penalty?

I want the latest handset from my current network provider and they want to charge me a penalty? Why not just smack me in the face and get it over with?

I have 6 months left on my current contract and I am on the £45 a month tariff.

£45 x 6 = £270 (it doubles the cost of the phone).

Its stupid beyond belief.

They want me to pay £539.00 to upgrade my handset, when someone off the street just signing up to O2 would get it for half that.

Its madness!

I’m an existing customer, I should be treated better than a new customer. Show me a little love and I’ll show you some back, but try to screw me over and I’ll cost you money.

How?

I’m still working on that, but I have a couple ideas.

Everyone who wants to upgrade their iPhone should each spend at least one hour on the telephone with O2 customer services.

You’re not going to get any joy, but you are going to waste their time and in business, time is money.

For every minute you keep one of their sales reps occupied, that’s another minute they are not selling a brand new phone.

Be polite and just keep repeating yourself, its what the O2 rep is going to do, so you might as well do the same.

Escalate too, they hate that. Ask to speak to a supervisor, then the supervisor’s supervisor, then the department manager. The key is to keep them on the phone as long as you can. And call them from your iPhone, because the call is free to you, but it does cost O2 in network bandwidth.

Say anything, use some of my arguments, sing them a song, tell bad jokes, whatever will keep them talking.

Then use the word “churn”, that will scare them.

Keep telling them existing customers are getting a raw deal.

O2’s line is that the iPhone 3G was subsidised, which is why they want to force people to see out their contracts before getting a new handset. Its bullshit, but that’s the tack their taking.

Like I give a shit about their profit!

If they did a bad deal with us last year, tough. Don’t try to fix it by screwing us over a year later. That’s not smart.

I don’t want the new iPhone in 6 months, because it will be a six month old phone then.

And I know 6 months after that, a better iPhone will be released. And here’s the thing, the differences between the iPhone 3G and the 3GS aren’t that huge, but that might not be true with next year’s model. Who knows? And who wants to gamble on it?

The really smart thing to do is buy the new iPhone 3GS privately once an unlock is available, then switch networks. O2 are being so myopic about this, I am very tempted to follow this path and show others how to do it too!

O2 are going for short term profit, when success in customer relations only comes by playing a long game.

People are seething over this, check out mobile phone forums or Twitter. Every newspaper has had a story on this massive O2 cock-up too.

I’m definitely not the only one who wants to push back hard at O2.

I can’t do this alone, we need every other iPhone owner looking to upgrade to take action.

“Brand management” is a marketing buzzword these days and O2 have done some real damage to themselves. They might be able to put a ridiculously high price on upgrading, but having a well-respected brand is priceless.

Can you hear that, O2? Its the sound of your stock price dropping fast. I don’t see a net to catch it, do you?

O2 can either work out a better plan for us to upgrade, or they will start to haemorrhage subscribers. If O2 don’t make us all happy and soon, its going to cost them plenty.

( #O2fail – search for it on Twitter! )

Happy 420 everyone!

If you’re not familiar with 420 (four-twenty), click the above link. Its practically a national holiday in America and if we’re lucky, it could very well catch on here in the UK.

America is usually several steps ahead of the UK and the US’s attitude to cannabis is a great example of this fact. Its where the pointless “war on drugs” began and it just might be where it ends too.

Since Obama got hit with a “legalise cannabis question” from an overwhelming number of people online, all of America is rolling with frenzied momentum towards legalising this hippy’s favourite plant.

The O-man shouldn’t have been so dismissive of such a serious and relevant question, but he’s a popular politician so he can’t be seen to be soft on drugs.

That hasn’t prevented Senator Ron Paul, who is also a popular politician, from calling for an end to the war on drugs, but he is a hero and libertarian and not afraid to express an opinion.

American Conservative magazine can see the pace of change regarding cannabis laws in America. And the conservative right seem down with it too.

Even the mainstream press is getting in on the act, with Time Magazine asking and answering, “Why Legalising Marijuana Makes Sense”.

Not only that, Time Magazine also asks and answers, “Is Pot Good For You?” Of course it is!

Why the sudden shift in America?

Two things right now are forcing people to rethink their stance on cannabis in the states, one of which already applies here in the UK.

Its the economy, stupid.

With this whole recession/depression nonsense, can anyone disregard the effect a legalised cannabis market would have on a nation’s GDP?

Legalising weed, in an instant, would create legitimate jobs that would be taxed, not to mention a tax on the actual product itself. It would raise a lot of money and fast.

Wait, let me revise that. It would bring an already established and thriving black market economy into the mainstream. Ka-ching!

Its been said that if weed were legal and 420 were a proper holiday, it would have the same sort of effect on the economy as xmas. Ka-double-ching.

Weed smokers would willingly be taxed in return for not being criminalised, so says Salon Magazine. I sure as hell would be ready to pay tax on my dope, if I didn’t have to worry about being arrested for toking!

The other problem in America is one that hasn’t reached Europe yet, but it could in the future and that is gang related violence.

The southern border of America is where the real drug war is taking place, but not between law enforcement and criminals, but between rival drug gangs. Police on both sides of the border have been ineffectual and possibly corrupt, when they’re not getting caught in the crossfire. The death toll is sadly, quite high and its bad for business on both sides of the border.

The trouble on America’s border is forcing people to realise that the drug market should be under some sort of government control and regulation, for without that, it leaves criminal gangs running the show.

Just as the prohibition of alcohol in the states in the early part of the last century created gangsters like Al Capone, the prohibition of drugs created Pablo Escobar and those like him who control the industry today.

America’s finally grasping that legalising cannabis would solve more problems than it could ever create. By legitimising an existing industry, America will reap the rewards financially and it would help create a new stability along the Rio Grande.

Check out this report from the very respected Cato Institute, which looks at the positive effects of the decriminalisation of all drugs in Portugal. Its very enlightening and worth a quick read.

You’ll notice in all of debate and discussion in America, there hasn’t been any talk of cannabis-induced psychosis or schizophrenia, nor the demonisation of the stronger strains of cannabis known as “skunk”. That’s because its all spin and bullshit created here in the UK to allow our politicians to use weed as a political football that scores easy own-goals with the ill-informed electorate.

In the states, stronger weed is prized and celebrated for being particularly “medicinal” and is seen to be more beneficial, not less. There are no “cannabis hysteria mums” and no mention of unproven links to mental illness. Remember, a former Surgeon General in America (C. Everett Coop if memory serves), called marijuana “the most therapeutically beneficial substance known to man”.

Confusion continues to reign where cannabis policy is concerned here in the UK, with random, pointless changes in classification and penalties every couple of years whether we need them or not.

Even the government’s own drug counselling service, Ask Frank, is telling younger callers that “cannabis is safer than alcohol.” Its completely true and in line with what the experts say, but its inconsistent with the government’s own stated policy, which of course, ignores the advice of the aforementioned experts they employ.

There are already whispers in Whitehall, many politicians here can see the scrawl on the wall, but are wondering how to right all of the wrongs of the last few years. The government has used the media to paint a totally false picture of the dangers of cannabis, so how do they turn it back around?

Simple, just let the lies quietly fade away and replace them with the promise of cold hard cash.

Is it going to take open gang warfare on the streets of Britain for our leaders to deal with cannabis responsibly? I hope to god it doesn’t come to that, but I don’t see any other way for them wake up and start dealing with reality.

The Guardian published a great report last week, which states that ending the prohibition on drugs would save the UK around £14 billion pounds. That’s an amount that can’t be ignored, especially in these difficult economic times. Law enforcement, the penal system could all be overhauled and the resources could be redirected to actual crimes with victims and everything…!

They’re searching for the green shoots of recovery, perhaps cannabis is literally the cash crop greenery we’ve all been seeking.

And maybe one day, we’ll all be able to openly commemorate 420 in the manner appropriate to the event. And that’s exactly what this hippy is going to do right now, as I spark up a juicy, skunky spliff.

Finally, a government drug policy I agree with completely…

Illegal factory-style cannabis farms should be closed down.

Check out THIS REPORT from the BBC.

Factory cannabis-farms are often set-up in rented accommodation, with the landlords none the wiser until they receive a phone call from the police telling them their income property has been trashed.

Illegal cannabis farmers steal electricity from neighbours or from the an energy supplier; either way its theft and its wrong. Safety is ignored and fires are not uncommon. And saddest of all, they are frequently staffed by illegal aliens trapped in a type of hellish indentured servitude.

Where I split from the government is their choice of solution; police raids won’t make the problem go away, it will only make it relocate to yet another unsuspecting venue. The trade is far too lucrative for those involved to give it up. Raids are simply a calculated risk balanced against a very rewarding return.

Its supply and demand, the very cornerstone of our capitalist system. To ignore or deny this very simple truth, is to be blinkered and ostrich like.

There’s a better way.

There’s always a better way, but it would involve our leaders shifting their current position, which is one of disinformation and lies, towards a more open and honest approach.

Its time to legalise the industry and take it out of the hands of criminals. Its time to regulate and tax cannabis, bring the market under some sort of control.

To be against a legal cannabis industry is to be against the very heart and soul of capitalism.

Don’t let the conditioning the media has been force-feeding you colour your view on this. They’ve been systematically trying to discredit cannabis and pervert your perception of it for quite some time now.

Why?

Its easy to score points with the public by appearing tough on drugs. Also, it diverts your attention from more important issues, like Iraq, climate change or the economy.

The time is now for this unadulterated bullshit to end.

Back when Blair and Blunkett were in charge, cannabis was downgraded and they even toyed with a police policy of making arrests for possession of cannabis the lowest possible priority. Things were finally moving in the right direction, the government was listening to advisors and scientistis and using a bit of common sense.

Meanwhile in America, the “war on drugs” was still going strong, along with federal raids on medical marijuana clubs and imprisonment for possession. This wasn’t that long ago.

Under Obama, things have already changed with an end to federal raids and an official policy that secedes power to individual states with regards to cannabis.

California is now considering legalisation and taxation, because the state is nearly bankrupt. Desperate times clearly call for creative measures, this one will bring Cali an estimated annual tidy sum of $1.3 billion (with a B) dollars.

Many other states have decriminalised possession and have made it the lowest possible policing priority.

Our out-of-touch, out-of-step government is about as un-Obama as possible.

If people wonder why Obama didn’t make more time for Gordon Brown, they’re not really looking closely enough. They couldn’t be more polar opposites when it comes to genuine liberal thought and policy.

Legalising weed would create legitimate jobs, for legitimate farmers and distributors; jobs that already exist in the black economy, fuelling a rather sizeable black market that exists outside the tax and social security system.

A legal and controlled industry would insure that safety standards were met at the point of production, for the facilities, the staff and the product. You would know the weed you were getting was pure and unadulterated. You would know the person who grew it was paid a reasonable, taxable wage.

As much as I wish to see these dangerous and illegal cannabis farms closed down, I’m smart enough to realise that police raids alone are not the answer. If you really want to end the illegal cannabis trade, there is only one practical, workable solution: Legalise!

Even the UN may come to this conclusion as they prepare to finalise an agreement this week in Vienna, but as this report in today’s Guardian suggests, there are still deep divisions with some EU and Latin American countries favouring a more rational approach, with the US preferring to continue the pointless “war on drugs”.

Oh President Saviour Obama, are you listening? The “war on drugs” has been an abysmal failure and many knowledgeable and respectable people believe its been worse than the actual harm caused by the drugs themselves. Could you please call your minions in Vienna and sort this sorry mess out?

If you want to know more, please check out my Cannabis Truth Series

Promises, promises. Politicians make them all the time when they are campaigning, only to conveniently forget about them once in office, but not President Saviour Obama.

This week, US Attorney General, Eric Holder confirmed that federal raids on Medical Marijuana facilities would end and individual states could determine their own policies regarding my favourite plant. He said this is “now American policy”.

How cool is that?

This is a huge shift in the way the law deals with weed in America. I wish the UK could be equally enlightened, but the government here works very hard to be as un-Obama-like as possible.

And they don’t want to stop there either. Legislators in California are now considering taking it one step further, with a possible plan to fully legalise and tax cannabis to help bale out the financially destitute state. They say it could bring in $1.3 billion (with a B) in tax revenue to the state annually.

That’s a lot of greenbacks for a lot of greenery! Its common fucking sense! Prohibition doesn’t work, never has, never will. If you can’t beat ‘em, tax ‘em.

Obama’s motto throughout his campaign was “Yes, we can.” Now that he’s in office, the new motto is: “Yes, we cannabis!”

Roseanne Barr, domestic goddess, comedian and now radio talkshow host is selling some very cool tee-shirts in America with that very slogan on them, Yes, we CANnabis.

We should all order ourselves one to show our support for this long overdue change in policy. Let’s hope that it spreads out from America to the rest of the world.