A Guide to buying an iPhone off Craigslist (or a used iPhone from anywhere)

I recently had someone asking for advice on buying an iPhone off of craigslist and ended up writing the following:

STEP 0: Make sure its a good/decent deal (see other postings and compare)

• Phones under warranty usually cost a little bit more than phones that aren't under warranty
• If its a really good deal then its a scam/stolen/bad

STEP 1: Check if it is under warranty 


To do this:

Step 1.1: get serial

• http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1267

Step 1.2: check status

• https://selfsolve.apple.com/GetWarranty.do
• (ASIDE: Check if unlocked - Under the heading 'Find iPhone carrier support' if multiple carriers are listed then more than likely the phone is unlocked.)
• Check if under warranty - Click the link 'See your service and support coverage' to determine if the phone is still under warranty
  

3. Determine if the seller is the legitimate owner 

There is no easy way to determine if a phone is stolen or not. However, if you are provided with the original receipt it is usually the best way of determining that the phone is legitimately owned. If this isn't available a phone that is provided with the original box and accessories is another good indicator that the person selling it is the owner of the phone.

4. Check the phone itself for damage 

• Make sure it turns on and off
• Make sure it works with your micro sim card (These can be picked up for free from an apple store - call your carrier to transfer your number to the micro sim (Do this before going to see the seller if you can live without that line for a bit)) 
• ALTERNATIVELY - take a friend with you who has an iPhone and use his/her sim card to ensure it works (Make sure your friend has the same carrier you do)
• Make sure the speakers and mic work (Use it as a phone, have a phone call with someone in a different room 
• Check for scratches and parts of the screen not responding to touch
• Check the dock connector for damage (bottom of phone where the cable plugs in) [ensure no discolouration or breaks ], if you can make sure your computer can recognize it
• Ask the owner if the phone has ever been opened (this voids the warranty)
• Ask the owner about battery problems (no real way to verify this, you could get screwed) 
• Check moisture indicators http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3302

Thats all I could think of off the top of my head. Let me know if I missed anything. 

Connecting to UBC myVPN using openconnect on Ubuntu Oneric 64-bit

UBC VPN is a pain in the ass to setup on a 64-bit Ubuntu install. Luckily you can bypass the Cisco Anyconnect utility and connect to UBC vpn using openconnect:


1. Install openconnect
In order to install openconnect simply run the following command in terminal:

sudo apt-get install network-manager-openconnect

It will prompt you to install related packages, hit yes and let it finish. Many people recommend restarting once the install is finished (due to a bug in network manager) but I didn't and it worked fine.


2. Setup openconnect
Click on network manager (you can access this by hitting the applet located near your clock in the upper right of your system taskbar) and navigate to VPN Connection --> Configure VPN.


Hit the 'Add' button and select 'Cisco AnyConnect Compatible VPN (openconnect)'.

The VPN Connection type selection dialogue

Hit the 'Create...' button

Give your connection an a name (I called mine 'UBC VPN'), set the 'Gateway' field to 'myvpn.ubc.ca' and set the CA Certificate to the 'Thawte_Premium_Server_CA.pem' certificate. This certificate can be found in '/etc/ssl/certs/'

VPN Settings

/etc/ssl/certs

Hit 'Save...' button once you're done/


3. Connect
Click on network manager and select your newly created vpn connection. When prompted for username/password enter in your CWL credentials.

Connecting to UBC VPN

4. Enjoy

Biking - Brain Dump

So I haven't posted in awhile. Here's a brain dump of my biking hobby. Enjoy. 


My bikes:
Trek Madone 3.1 
Rocky Mountain CX 

The Madone

Madone - Drive Side

Madone - Drive Train

The CX

The CX - Drive Side

The CX - Drive Train

My Babies! 

My Babies!
 (Zoomed out)

My approximate daily route: 
http://g.co/maps/3ht6y 
(Note this will be changing to something completely different (more distance) starting January)

Things I've learned: 


Equipment:
(Note: you don't need the best equipment or anything very special at all to bike. Simply jump on and start pedaling)


Clothing:

• more padding on shorts does not mean more comfort. The most comfortable pair of bike shorts/tights I own have the least amount of padding 
• Bike jerseys are nice but more of a luxury than anything 
•  I find I have to keep my neck covered or I end up getting a sore throat/sick

Lights (Information and Review):

• I'm a bit crazy for lights so I'll just go through the ones I have: 
• Deal extreme setup (I needed a bright light but didn't want to spend much)
• light  - $30.50USD
• mount  - $2.39USD
• batteries  - $9.90USD
• battery case - $2.10USD 
• battery charger - $10.90USD 
• Total: $55.80 (Includes shipping)

• If you are on a budget and need a light to do some night riding, this is definately worth it. 
•  Not 900 lumens, more like 400 
• Having spare batteries you can swap out is a huge plus 
• No strobe mode. 
• VERDICT: Worth it

• PDW Danger zone - $37USD 
• this is my main tail light.
• unique strobe mode
• It's pretty big for a tail light
• MEC has this light for $19.75CAD 
• VERDICT: Worth it

• Turbo superflash - $33.99USD
• This light keeps turning off (due to road vibration), I emailed planet bike and I've apparently been put on the waiting list for a new version of the light (this is a known issue)
• It's bright and visible, I have a friend that uses this (his isn't defective) and he loves it
• Same size/weight as the superflash (light/smallish)
• MEC has this light for $18.75CAD
• VERDICT: Reserving my judgement till the replacement comes 

• Planet Bike blaze 2W - $59.99USD 
• It's bright, but not as bright as I want it to be 
• MEC has this light for $34.00CAD 
• Love the way this looks on my bike 
• VERDICT: Nice light, would rather get something else. 

• Light & Motion urban 300 - $130.00USD 
• this light is bright, light and awesome 
• Charging port is sometimes a bit hard to access
• No replaceable battery 
• No way to see battery indicator without turning on the light
• The mount is nice (also comes with an included helmet mount) but the light cannot be detached from the mount
• VERDICT: LOVE!

• Bike Glow Safety light - $25USD 
• cool concept
• not particularly bright (will stand out at night)
• emits a 'whining sound' when turned on (You ignore it after awhile/the wind is waaay louder)
• makes people look twice (or so I've been told)
• VERDICT: Not a necessity but totally worth it 

• Nite Ize SpokeLit LED wheel light - $8USD
• looks cool 
• uses weird batteries (harder to find replacements)
• not sure if this is particularly good for my wheel/spokes 
• VERDICT: meh

Other lights (I don't own these...yet):

• radbot 1000 - $32USD
•  Saw this in store, it's bright
• Ordered, currently being shipped :D 
• MEC has this for $16USD 

• Cosmic Dreadnought - $65USD 
• MEC has this light for $35CAD 
• My friend has this light, if you're on a budget get this. 

Tools:  

• Filzer Mini‑Zee Pump w/pressure gauge ()
• MEC sells this for $27CAD 
• Easier to pump to high PSI then most hand pumps (although it's slightly larger than most hand pumps too)
• Pressure gauge is a bit awkward to read 
• VERDICT: Worth it 

• Filzer I‑Tool Grande 
• MEC sells this for $15.75CAD 
• The seperate piece (I think this is the chain tool) slides off if you're not careful
• The allen keys/screwdrivers twist out of the way when one tries to use them 
• VERDICT: good for emergencies/occasional tightening 

• Filzer chain cleaner 
• Seems flimsy
• Cleans waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than a rag (what I was prev using)
• Replacement parts are available 
• VERDICT: not bad, I really don't have anything to compare it to. 

Other:

• rack + panniers make commuting so much better, that said backpacks are usable.

• Rack - Axiom Phoenix Rear  - $69.99CAD
• looks nice, heavy
• blocks dirt/mud (like a fender)
• pain to get mounted on bike (rubbed wheel), fell off once because screws were not tightened (my fault)
• Nasbar sells this rack for $19.99USD 
• Verdict: Worth it for 20 bucks not 70 

• Panniers - Axiom Typhoon LX - $140CAD
• Waterproof (I've never gotten anything wet)
• wish they fit more (but this is something I wish for every bag I own, even the bigger ones)
• the bungee cord used for mounting unknots and is a @#@#$@ to get back in (If you buy these make sure the knots are not gonna come apart/use tape)
• There are screws on the inside covered with rubber caps, the caps fall off and the screws scratch your stuff
• The axiom logo is reflective (and functions very well as a reflector)
• Verdict: Functional, I'm sure there is better out there 

• fenders are nice, but I detest them on my 'nice' bike. My 'winter' bike currently has no fenders. I find that the rack I have blocks almost all the crap from the back wheel. 

• Crud Roadracers 
• I had these on my nice bike for a bit, they look good but are finicky
• great if you don't have fender mounts 
• take forever to install (properly) 

• Zefal Swan road fender 
• got this for 30 bucks at LBS 
• worth it although I had to tighten the screw to keep the fender from lowering itself from road vibrations/bumps 

•  I have a contour HD helmet cam. Love this thing, although for most people completely unnessary. 
• Clipless pedal/shoes are awesome, but not necessary. 
• airzound horn - some people claim this is overkill, its prevented 2 serious accidents to date (So totally worth it)

• Louis Garneau Slick shoe cover 
• these are lightweight and do what they are supposed to do
• in hindsight I wish I'd gotten something that was more insulated

• Wool socks - must have 
• Cycling computers - I wish I got one with a backlight 

Lessons learned/Regrets:

• Probably shouldn't have bought the Madone as my first bike. I went in for a trek 1.1 and ended up more than doubling my budget to get the bike. Ended up having to get the cheapest shoes possible and used pedals (that squeak if not lubed often). Also initially skimped on things like lights (bad idea). 
• Bike accessories are expensive, make sure you factor this into the purchase of your bike 

Why I quit Foursquare.

Location, location, location. The latest craze in social networking. With the rise of smartphones and data plans 'checking in' has become somewhat of a craze (or so various tech sites/blogs will lead you to believe). Me not wanting to be left out gave it a shot (for quite awhile!):



Yes, that's almost 2000 check-ins.

Yes, that's commercial-broadway the skytrain station, one of the busiest stations in Vancouver.

First the good things about Foursquare:
- Awesome apps for the Android, BB, iPhone platforms
All the apps work, have decent UI and are easy if not enjoyable to use.
- Deals offered by businesses

Saving money is always awesome!
- Ability to decide when to check-in and whether to check-in anonymously (allows one to check-in but does not reveal location).

Great idea! (Although kinda useless, this pretty much voids the entire idea of a check-in)
- Mayorships (fun competition)

I won't lie, I was addicted to this. Now though it seems like such a waste of time.

The bad:
- no iPad app

Seriously, even Gowalla (one of your competitors) has an iPad app. A 'company' as big as Foursquare needs to have apps for all platforms, especially if they want/need more users (see below).
- Few deals in Canada

So there's this awesomeish deal at Starbucks. If you're the mayor you get $ off! (Try getting a mayorship at Starbucks, most of them are held by employees). Besides that there are only a few deals around (all within the city Vancouver...or at least the ones I found)

- Cheats

They've greatly improved, one can no longer check-in from miles away. However, this is still a bit of a problem.
- No friends use this thing.
This is the main reason I'm quitting. (Foursquare NEEDS more users.) At the end of the day Foursquare is supposed to be a social thing...and it isn't. So I'm sorry, I gave it my best shot, let me know when you come up with a foolproof way to attract users.

TL;DR Foursquare doesn't have enough users.

New posts

Well....its been ages since I posted...and I realized I hate writing long articles (I usually finish half then give up). I'm going back to school in September and probably won't have time to write anyway so in the meantime I still want to post something. So starting next week (or maybe earlier) I'm going to post a picture that I took with a short blurb. I figure if I have a camera that isn't being used so might as well.

If this post doesn't make sense it's because its late and I'm not exactly 'here'...or 'there' or whatever... Hopefully I read this sometime when I'm in it and make good on my commitment

Ninjavideo on Ubuntu Lucid

So after much troubleshooting I've finally upgraded to Lucid. (I hate empathy but combined with the applets its actually kinda nice).

After upgrading though I realized that I could no longer watch ninjavideo. So, in order to get it working again (steps have changed again):

1) Uninstall totem-mozilla

To do this the simply open up terminal (Hit Alt+F2 and type in 'gnome-terminal', then hit enter)

In terminal run the command 'sudo apt-get remove totem-mozilla'. Then type in your password when prompted (note: you won't see stars to indicate letters in your password, this is normal)

2) Install java (Note: I'm no longer using sun-java. Using the opensource version)

The easiest way to do this is to install ubuntu-restricted-extras

In terminal run the command 'sudo apt-get ubuntu-restricted-extras'

3) Install gecko-mediaplayer

In terminal run the command 'sudo apt-get install gecko-mediaplayer'

4) Install greasemonkey

Open up firefox and install greasemonkey from here

5) Install 'Fix Ninjavideo for Linux' script from here.

And thats it. Now simply navigate to ninjavideo, open up the applet (let it run when the security dialogue pops up) and navigate to any video. :D

emmwhydee.com

I like my initials. Unfortunately, getting a 3 letter domain without a billion dollars is virtually impossible. So starting today this blog will be accessible at:

http://www.emmwhydee.com

emm = M why = Y dee = D

See what I did there ;-P

New posts coming soon!