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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2022 6:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I’ll take a break from the usual prattle about preparing for a trip that literally can be counted in hours - in and out. What I find hilarious is that the people so passionate about saving the human society are the folk who have been treated so badly by human society.



I mean think about it - some of it makes sense as they have experienced the worst of humanity. However, why would they feel obligated to help out humanity that treated them badly?



For me it’s two fold, one is the moral imperative and the other is that the kids never did anything to me, so why should I not help them when it is my contemporaries who are to blame. Let’s not sugar coat it, the people who treated me badly knew they were treating me badly and this occurs over all spectrums of humanity. Most are in a position of privilege and enjoy the fact they can mess around with those less fortunate and get away with it. Of course the moral imperative is that if the best don’t step up and try to make the world a better place then they will be replaced with those of less ability and more questionable motives.



Why would those of privilege embrace my ideas that level the playing field and where ability and merit are used to decide who holds the important positions? The answer is that they would not! So at the UN there will be many of these people and expect them to give me push back - which is exactly what happened to me in the past - people of privilege messing about with others who don’t have any privilege! And from their perspective, why should they change as everything works out good for them?




My response is idealistic and practical.







It is better to have a fair and more democratic based society as it lessens confrontation and encourages people to lead happier lives as most are no longer held back by structural barriers in all aspects of their lives.



The practical is that humanity needs to develop with technology or the tech will be used by the worse elements of human nature to destroy itself. So those of ability and good moral foundations have to step up and provoke change for the better.



I have a fully fleshed out Global Social Contract I am offering to Humanity. This is the reason I’m going to the United Nations this week. Sure you may say what did you accomplish there. Well - if the trip is successful - I would have been there with all the world leaders and people that truly make the world go round. Sort of like you are who you hang out with - except I’m hanging out with world leaders and then the next day with ordinary people in the general public as one of them, I can’t think of a better duality to provoke change than the situation I find myself in…..




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/I4xI70fFg78
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2022 7:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Last minute preparations.



This is like a day trip so not as involved as my usual trips. Just get in and get out and hopefully it is all successful…..



I am not buying new shirts and ties - I have decided to go there as I am and be true to myself there.



Anyway, the only thing to do is go there and see what happens.




Goodnight…..
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Tue Sep 20, 2022 7:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I’m back - back in New York!




Finally - back in this…..



That does not mean things are going to go my way but it is refreshing to be back in pre-pandemic life! We shall see how the Global Social Contract plays itself out with the plays I have left and the time I have left to do it. The odds are still against me but I didn’t think I would even get this far - just keep trying and don’t give up…..



It might not end there though. Before I turn myself into a total “untouchable” (due to my radical views) - I may help out in the agism sphere and continue on from there - and still pitch for the Global Contract and Positive Mandate wherever possible.



Sounds like a plan but the big plays have yet to be played out…..



Later…..
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Tue Sep 20, 2022 5:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I’m tired and all worn out from walking but I visited almost all my old haunts in New York and tried to get my regular pass renewed today.




Laguardia Airport



Anyway, I now try to do it on the cheap in New York and with the Shuttle I used to use “out of commission”, I had to find another way. So when I arrived at LaGuardia I took the M60 bus - and now you don’t have to pay for tickets as you just tap your card! So hopped on the M60, got off at Lexington Subway and took the 4 train to Grand Central. Nice, and way, way cheaper than a cab and tip.


So the target of opportunity this trip was to try to get my revised photo (they are only good for five years and mine had expired) and then the revised grounds pass. The whole area from 2nd Avenue to the UN was behind barriers with cops and UN police manning the street entrances. I talked to the UN cop if I could get past the barricades and he agreed I could go down there and try but he needed my old pass. So I gave it to him and went down.


This was a bit surreal as up to 2nd Avenue there were all these protests going on - then you pass through the barricades into the protected zone and everything is quiet and serene. Everyone was well dressed and polite - except me in black jeans and a t-shirt. So I get to the office and on the door it says NGOs can’t renew their grounds pass until October 3. However the UN guy let me in so they were surprised to see me - and funnily enough they went to see if they could make an exception for me as I was already there even though I was not supposed to be. I crossed my fingers and waited watching the closed circuit feed of Member Nations taking turns talking at the green marble podium. Anyway she comes back and says the boss said no. Looks like a snap decision and I wondered how it would have gone if I was suited like everyone else. I don’t play that game unless I have to - and this was a target of opportunity - so “no” it is, and I keep my inner integrity - minus a grounds pass - but I digress. So back out I go, strangely I could have wandered anywhere in the protected area until the actual UN entrance - cool. Anyway it was back to 2nd Avenue with the cops and UN police and a Secret Service guy at 45th and Second - too fit and nicely suited up with lapel pin and tie clip wandering around the intersection and going nowhere. I would have taken a picture of all this but I don’t need someone noticing me - if you know what I mean…..


Convoys conveying world leaders and strangely interfering microwave communications as they passed - cool - but it gets old after a while when you just want to listen to music for example.




Central Park



There is more but I’m too tired. Tomorrow is a mission critical day and event I don’t want to miss. Then I’ll figure out how to get back to LaGuardia on the cheap and maybe stop by a few places before I leave.



Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/OXYndNL4Mu8
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2022 6:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well off I go!


Lots of stuff happening in the world.



Joe Biden in the house!



Later…..
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2022 11:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Home…..




Toronto from the air as I returned!




More tomorrow as I am really, really tired…..




Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/TK0Vdb1RUCk
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 8:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am home and just got some much needed sleep and i have to get unpacked and get together with the folks and all that. So a quick recap of Wednesday and I’ll start to get into all sorts of UN and Lifestyle New York stuff in the coming days…..








So it turns out the Minority/Discrimination Commemoration was not a half day thing as I thought but a full day thing going to 6:00PM so here I was getting two years of access as usually you just get half a day!





My ugly mug at the Trusteeship Chambers!



Anyway, it was held in the Trusteeship Chambers which is easily accessed by the General Assembly Hall. So the Secretary General and President of the United Nations opened and spoke about minority discrimination and opened the General Discussion.





The Secretary General speaking!


I was an NGO and the best seating we could get was any unused speaker seating and so there I was:




The Secretary General speaking!




I sat up here!



I cringe at these selfies - but reality is what it is.



Like I said I’ll get into it all in detail in the coming days, but there was a big row between India and Pakistan. I only have links to India news but will give the Pakistani version of events when available. Anyway, being diplomatic, all I will say is that it was interesting…..




I finally took a proper picture of the UN flag - except for the chem trail!



I will have to count but I would say we had about 15 Presidents of countries and more of the deputies of nations that followed and then even more lower politicians of countries that followed after that. For NGOs we had four spots with two pre-vetted at the end of each session so the last gave their speeches at around 7:15PM. I came in with one of them and was happy to see his speech go “off without a hitch”. I couldn’t stay there to the end as I had a plane leaving at 8:30PM. Another NGO with me said early on to stick around till the end as you never know, they may open up he floor to other NGOs - but not this time. So I stuck around till almost 5:00PM and then did my version of “Escape from New York”. BTW: If you want to know what it’s like to feel like a movie star - Walk out of the UN and into the packed news area you have to step down into…..




Anyway, that is enough for now. I’m still physically worn out with the usual bad night’s sleep and walking around as it’s faster than driving in Manhattan.




Goodnight…..



https://youtu.be/0iXihcDN8SM


Last edited by Maurice Ali on Sun Dec 25, 2022 7:35 am; edited 1 time in total
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2022 6:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote





I’m feeling back to normal again. Took a day but I was so tired and I walked so much I actually felt like an old man moving around when I got up. Then an afternoon siesta and – bang – I had my energy back and my legs were as good as new! I started to put everything back to where it was before the trip and got that done. Then I took care of bills and cleaned up the kitchen. So I’m sort of back to normal now. And with that let me give you my personal take on that day at the United Nations.




Getting our SET passes and grouping together!



It started with me eating a Macdonalds breakfast in my hotel room, actually a “Big Breakfast” with all the fixings including the pancakes. Then a long walk from 8th Avenue to 2nd Avenue and 46 Street to pick up those SETS (special event tickets). They were lumping us together in fives and we had to be escorted down there. My group had two young women from Saudi Arabia, one man about my age from Bangladesh, and a man from Africa who was there to give a speech.





Getting escorted into the Secretariat Building!



Anyway off to the Secretariat Building we went, I think only I and the guy from Bangladesh had any real familiarity here so this was all new to the others.




My ugly mug at the Trusteeship Chambers!



So we made it to the Trusteeship Chambers and everyone was taking selfies and such. I was here before a couple of times so I showed one guy where the bathroom was – and – went with him to check out the stall and see if there was any graffiti. I didn’t do this when I made my General Assembly speech and made good on that now as that small bathroom had all sorts of world leaders in it over the decades it had been there. Answer: That stall was squeaky clean with absolutely no graffiti on it. So now you all know the answer as did I! Then the women wanted to know where the bathrooms were and where they could have a bite to eat before the event. For them I took them down the elevator to the basement where the usual NGO work is done and this was secured for us with security; so I showed them were the women’s washroom was and the open cafeteria.





The Secretary General speaking!



Then the event started as I reviewed yesterday. Just one after another Nation telling us what I great job they did for minorities and discrimination. We did have some testimonials from people affected by discrimination and at the end of the first session two NGOs got to speak.


Now I originally thought the thing would have been over at lunch time (1:00PM) but no – this goes on till 6:00PM which is practically the limit for me to make it back to my plane and home. So this event was an all day thing. Lunch was two hours – and we were stuck there with no way to get back in if we left - so I went to the basement and stayed to myself checking up on things back home and on the net, then I had lunch and the cafeteria staff kept pushing food at me, too funny!




The cafeteria with too much food than they know what to do with!



Second part started and me and another veteran talked about if there was any chance of getting to speak at the end. I put the chances at 20% for him and zero if I was around at the end. He smirked but I told him if it drags on I’m gone as I don’t want to miss my plane. He says he’s sticking around as if you are not there, you can’t be there to speak or say anything at the end if they open it up. I was sort of with that sentiment but they had said they were not letting anyone speak that were not pre-approved – anyway…..



It drags on with some fun parts as nations take swipes at each other, but 4:30 came around and I had to decide – I decided to leave. I went over to the African guy – still reading over his speech and adding a greeting to match the venue (just like I did) – and wished him luck and left the chamber. I really meant that to him as this guy probably drained his bank account to get there or needed help from his folks and had to rush the visa process as he needed one. Probably staying at some friends as the cost for him to stay at a hotel was ridiculous. But he was there and this was his moment – the wishing him luck was genuine and from the heart.





The press pool is double this size one on either side of the entrance!


Walked out the entrance which is almost the same for all and you descend into a pool of journalists and news cameras just as if you were a movie star. Then crossing 2nd Avenue some Secret Service guy was waving me off to the side as a posse surrounding some VIP went passed me – then a posse of camera men and journalists passed by me chasing after the VIP – I wonder who that was?




Ready to pounce on a VIP for an interview - but not me?



No taxi to the hotel and I walked all the way back quickly. Got my carry-on and changed in the bathroom to my jeans and t-shirt. I got lucky and the limo guy arrives fast. This was going to be expensive but I really wanted to catch the flight and not have to stay overnight in the airport. Anyway I had to pay the guy cash for this and I got to LaGuardia in time to make the flight. Meanwhile back at the United Nations, the second part of the event went into overtime and I checked it out after 6:00PM and someone from Romania was speaking and nothing about my guy from Africa.


Seriously the thing was dragging on past like 7:00PM so I gave up as we were boarding soon.


When I arrived back in Toronto I checked and my African friend did get to make his speech as I did wonder if they would have shut him down as they ran late. But he made it along with another veteran at the UN and that was the event. My other veteran who said he was going to stick it out to the end (a guy originally from Sweden) - “just in case” - did not get to speak, but if I had the time I would have stuck it out with him…..







So that was my big day at the UN. Parts of that event made the news all over the world which was a first for me attending these things. So that part of the trip was worth it in the end, but it had an effect on me that I never thought before. Talking to the other NGOs made me realize just how short a time you have to make your plays. Everything went my way until the start of the pandemic when they discovered what my agenda was really about. And I pushed everything as fast as I could. And still I am running out of time. You can’t gradually do anything on your own; you will fail and run out of time. You just have to push everything out and make it known. That is the way to do it – it also means your ideas will get evaluated and come back to you quickly. For some there, they are content to wallow in that area before ultimate judgment and keep going to events and sometimes talking, meeting up with friends there and turning it into a lifestyle. I really have to say that I don’t blame them. For me though it is getting the idea out there and if you get tossed back onto the street on your ass – then so be it. That was my big take away from the event.



I turn 63 on Friday – where did my life go…..




Goodnight…..
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2022 12:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I’ll add some more…..



One shocker was meeting brown people just like me but in the political diplomatic corps. Especially those guys my age with a natural full head of hair and fit but eating well with a slight paunch like them. They still fit into a suit like my Calvin Kleins with a pinched in waist and still get women as I personally observed.



They would probably look me over and say why I didn’t take advantage of my opportunities and live like them - and they may have had a point. My objectives appeal to many women even if impossible, so why not get into a proper international job or consultancy and live a better life?


I pretty much know how this will play out. There are women in my life but not like these guys. It was a compelling argument. Even after all I’ve been through, I could have ended my working life with a position and retirement to make it all comfortable.



However, the years left to enjoy my life are few and there is no point to change course now. Besides women who know me personally now don’t care if I end up among the proles tomorrow.



I officially turn 63 in four minutes as I write this. You know you won’t live forever even though The Fates gave you an extra chunk of years to get the job done - confirmed by analysis of my physiology. Nobody escapes aging and death. I may have some more time to make the plays but that is it.







Bingo: It is now 1:00PM and I’m 63 years old. I don’t feel it - probably don’t look it - but I am 63 years old. A man from the 1950s! I took a pic of me in my Calvin Klein suit squashed in carry-on (as checked luggage still gets lost). Even unfit as I am now, the suit is still pinched in at the waist with the jacket open! Now you know why a billionaire will still travel with a Calvin Klein double vent suit. Even if you get a custom suit? they would have to get the dimensions from the form of the Calvin Klein suit to make you look that good! I took the photo in the bathroom at the UN and if I pulled up the pants even more it would have looked even better!


Love those Calvin Klein double vent suits!


So now I’m 63…..


Time is short and there is no reason not to play it any way than my way. Play it the best way you can. Have some fun, but end the experience knowing you offered humanity and offer it the best way you could. Then if humanity goes to “hell in a hand basket” - you will go to your grave knowing you did all you could do…..




Goodnight…..
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Sat Sep 24, 2022 6:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The birthday is over…..




Hint: If birthday boy has money to get whatever he wants you can still give the cheap bastard a present buy paying for something he bitched about. I bitched about the 72 bucks I had to pay at the airport for two days. This was cheaper than the 130 buck the cabs will extort but - ouch! Then I bitched about the cab ride to the airport I had to take as thing went longer in the UN session. No question the cab was the right way to go but 76USD during rush hour - ouch! So these two expenses pissed me off on Wednesday and my sister and dad’s present was to pay for these expenses I lamented - and it worked! So if you have a billionaire friend and want to make his day, find out what pisses him off spending money on something he or she hated doing and pay that off for the person as a present. Trust me it works…..



As for Friday I got on the roof and waterproofed the chimney as it starts to rain and morning dew keeps screwing up plans to waterproof. That is done and just a tiny bit of pointing up and we are good to go. I also pigged out on Swiss Chalet chicken and salad and regretted that immediately. But birthdays these days are miserable so I indulged myself. So after all the pigging out this weekend we have lots of exercise and smaller meals to get fit again. The rest of the vacation should get me there.





The Secretary General speaking!



One other positive from the UN event was that I got to be in the same room as the Secretary General. Up till now he was just this image on a screen or video - but now I finally saw him in the flesh. This makes all the difference in the world as I saw him not as an icon but as a man, a man asking for a solution in the new global social contract he is looking for. I saw how he really looks from many angles, how tall he really is, how he moves and how people interact with him. The closest he ever got to me was like 50 feet when he exited the side entrance, but it is now far easier for me to make the direct play right to the man himself. That was enough to change the whole dynamic of the direct appeal to the man as the last resort - which now may not be the last resort….. Wow, I didn’t see that upside to the event happening - but there you are!



So the trip was a success but mainly successful in ways I didn’t think before - how about that…..




The Global Social Contract lives on even with limited time in our hands…..




Goodnight…..






https://youtu.be/c5YAnO1q3K0



https://youtu.be/Z5NoQg8LdDk
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Sun Sep 25, 2022 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A late one today…..


I took today off as I finished the chimney and it is pointed up and waterproofed. I got lucky as it rained almost all day Sunday. Since that got done I spent Sunday lazing around and such. Monday we get back to doing things.


One thing I wanted to get to was stuff I worried about and never materialize traveling. In Canada we have this thing called the “ArriveCan” app and I filled it out for the trip and customs documentation – and nobody wanted anything to do with it at the airport and especially not the customs documents. Similarly, the US CDC forms and proof of vaccination was never looked at or even mentioned. At the UN they did ask me about vaccination status but did not bother with the book of paperwork I had. Nobody was wearing masks there anyway except the Secretary General and President of the UN and others at the high table. But when they left everyone else didn’t seem to bother and that applies to Presidents, Ministers and other politicians.


On the streets it seemed nobody work a mask and even in the packed subway cars nobody wore a mask except for one - always like one person. I’ll admit I did as the Romans did, as I’m well vaccinated and probably as fortified against Covid 19 as you could get – but I will admit it was refreshing to get back to a hot steamy and crammed streetcar full of people – you would be too as bizarre as that would seem! You could touch door handles without worry. Covid was not in the news. Actually, very refreshing and it actually made you happy.




Spot the mask - there is alway one person!




The funniest part was that you quickly got back to the old normal just like that – like when we were about to board the plane we had to put on our masks which was weird and many commented on the fact. When I arrived and was driving back home, I was catching up on the news and they were talking about dropping the Covid 19 protocols for travel on September 30, nine days from now – but – nobody was bothering with that when I travelled! Anyway, at the end of that report about lifting of Covid 19 travel mandates they had some women carping on some new variants in some far-flung country and I actually burst out laughing!



Anyway, it’s been four days back and I tested myself to see if I got Covid as everyone said I would - and - nothing, absolutely nothing! So maybe the pandemic is truly over and time to get back to normal on the home front. I will admit that seeing everyone in pandemic mode at home will sort of revert you to the same thing, but I am starting to deliberately change those ingrained communal influences as it sure looks like it’s time to turn the page on Covid 19…..



Goodnight…..





https://youtu.be/8b4lH5If-s0
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Mon Sep 26, 2022 7:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote





Miscellaneous ramblings…..








One odd-ball thing I saw in New York was the “no gun zone” at Times Square”. So since gun bans in New York were overturned by the Supreme Court you could carry in New York City again I guess. And so you get the no gun zones as relayed in this signage near my hotel. Canadians would be a bit flabbergasted at this but laws and attitudes change in different countries and this is yet another example.









The new iPhone 14 Pro Max: I have a 12 Pro Max and I really should wait till the iPhone 15 - but I may buy the 14 and be done with it. I need a sim card tray for the foreseeable future and I could put money on Apple dropping it next year in Canada as they already dropped it this year in the States.




My iPhone Pro Max 12



The other reason is the switch to USB C or going completely port-less. I like the lightening as my Pinephone has USB C and the new port still has the plug fall out when charging and if you look at the port on the phone it is not hard to see it is more fragile than lightening with a less secure attachment as it is simply friction. Proponents of USB C will say data transmission is faster and with matching protocols it can be, but iPhones will last years, and people are rough with them so I’d probably sit out the whole USB C thing out and buy again when port-less is mature. Apple may still have those flush connectors instead on a port-less iPhone so going port-less maybe more of an early reality than people think.


The iPhone 14 Pro Max finally has full 4K recording and a 48mp sensor, 4K cinematic mode and action mode stabilization. If they bring out 8K next year I don’t need it and it will be crippled at the start. 4K is my new recording size for the next few years in my workflow.



AOD or always on display: Always wanted this and with 120hertz to 1hertz like my watch it can have always on. I like just black and white and there is a hidden hack to have this so we are good to go! The panel can also go very bright for short periods which is perfect for me as that is when I need it the most - this really is an improvement!




Satellite connectivity: I was always interested in this but the separate phone and plan made it prohibitive. Now I can scratch the itch with the new iPhone as it does have satellite connectivity for emergencies and it’s free for two years before a subscription kicks in.



I don’t care about the new notch but face ID works in landscape mode now which is an extra advantage to me.



So I’m looking for a new iPhone 14 Pro Max. It would be great to play with it while I’m still on vacation but i’ll probably have to wait another month to get the colour (white) and capacity I want. I did have a chance to get a black in 128 gig but a negative in both areas so…..




As for the orgs I’m replying to emails and catching up on stuff. Winterizing the houses and then the cars. Then calling the junk man and throwing out junk at my dad’s place. No yard sale for this junk.



Later…..
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2022 6:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ta-da…..









I got the iPhone 14 Pro Max!









This was no easy feat as they are nowhere to be found anywhere. Not quite as one Rogers store near me has had one black 14 Pro Max but only 128 gig which means you can’t even record at 4K as it’s crippled at this size. Moreover you had to get into a two year contract to get the phone. Apple in Canada just greys out any possibility of getting the phone in store also.



But I was back from New York, and I kind of like buying something personally for my birthday. I tried buying a Ridge wallet on the weekend but “no Bueno” and after the chimney got waterproofed we are facing three straight days of rain. So I really wanted a new phone!




From yesterday you know I still need that sim tray as with the few years I have left I will be globetrotting and need that remedy to throw in a sim card especially in Africa which is on my list. Getting rid of the sim tray in the States almost assures it will go away on next year’s model in Canada - so may as well get the new model instead of waiting. Plus USB C maybe next year is another draw back. Fast speeds on USB C are possible but the protocols must match or else you get like lightening speeds, and I never wanted faster speeds. Also, it is easier, way easier, to damage a USB C port than lightening as you have that flimsy sliver of plastic in the middle of the phones port, but the biggest drawback was slipping out when charging or transferring data as the connection is not a solid click like lightening. And this was with the Pinephone which has USB C - so I have some first hand experience here!



So those are the reasons for getting it now.



What about the totally good iPhone 12 Pro Max I have now? I’m keeping that as an extra 4K camera and I kept the international sim in there to keep it able to make calls and have data (I can forward the calls to the other phone when not in use). So I have one professional SD camcorder we never use. I have one professional HD camcorder in the studio. And I have that new Canon camcorder I bought several months ago. So now I add the 14 Pro Max, the 12 Pro Max and even the lowly 6s Plus that can shoot 4K - so if we really have to shoot a concert we have the hardware to cover it from all mobile angles. Static video is our camcorder and rentals like what we did at FOFSTOCK.




As for the phone I started looking. I was looking ideally for a white/silver phone as it matches my Apple Watch and also because you can polish the metal to new condition unlike the coloured ones. If I left the stores who had nothing, you are left with Ebay and Kijiji. Almost all on Kijiji were people who ordered the most popular colours (purple, gold and maybe black) and sell them hundreds of dollars over retail for profit, unopened and with the warrantee as it’s by serial number and not purchaser. However there was one guy out of town who had a white 14 Pro Max in 512 - just like my current phone. It was new and unopened and actually lower in price than one bought in the store, which is 150 over cost but no sales tax so 150 cheaper than buying it at Apple - that is an honest price. He makes a little bit and I save a little bit…..



So contact made and I drive over to Kitchener to seal the deal. The guy was honest with a new unopened phone and no clone or other shenanigans. I had the money in cash and was definitely going to buy it so he allowed me to open the box and make sure. It was real, so back home I went and transferred the data. The eSim did not transfer and Apple didn’t even try like they do in the States that only have eSim, so off to Rogers I went and they transferred it for me for free.









So I’m starting to play with it now. First thing is to upgrade to the latest iOS so you avoid the camera shacking issue and charging bug and all that. I questioned whether there were hardware issues but when it looked like it was software I bought the phone.



So far so good and I’ll give you my honest low down review in a day or two. Right now I can say the way Apple set up “always on display” was rubbish. It just looks like the phone is always on all the time. The Fix is to dim it through Focus Point and simply select a jet black lock screen - that works and now I have no issues using AOD.




That’s it for now!




Goodnight…..
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2022 6:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I basically spent the whole day setting things up on Apple devices! I thought this was going to be boring but turned into a bit of a nightmare.




First of all I have a ton of emails all shunted into this one premium app. Porting everything through the old phone to the new means the IMIE number is different and that prompts a security bell at the host sites and I have to sign in - and maybe jump through hoops to get access again. Rather than do insane stuff like what Google wants (open the YouTube all under a certain user and respond to a message with a code - what BS), I just send a google email from my most used account and that solves it every time.








That was just one problem and the other was un-pairing and re-pairing the Apple Watch to the new phone. I won’t get into it but the only way to pair it after un-pairing was to start anew, and even doing just that was “touch and go” to the very end. Then when paired you had to add everything - all the apps and credit apps - you name it. All the music was gone and could only be added when on the charger and on and on. Then I could not get cellular in the watch but jumping through hoops through the Rogers app gave me cellular service “out of the blue” later in the evening. I’m still adding music and figuring out what apps work only on cellular as I sometimes leave the phone at home or in the car and just rock the watch.



I still haven’t checked all the hardware out but the usual suspects are in the clear!



You have to do this stuff while on vacation if you do business on the phone. You can’t do this shit and operate outside the office with half your email accounts in limbo - for example. So the rainy days have been put to good use!



Things I like about the 14 Pro Max right now:



Action Mode: Good as a GoPro in good light and actually the video is better on the iPhone. The GoPro is better in that it won’t crop the video to stabilized it but in most situations the iPhone will give you a better image even in low light and under water.


Promotion: I can’t see any improvement at 120hertz than 60hertz, but the big deal is at 1hertz for always on. I see why Apple doesn’t care about 120 on the non-pro phones as it doesn’t matter. You won’t get 120 on Safari unless something changed with iOS 16.



Landscape FaceID Unlock. Available on 13 and 14 models, you no longer have to re-orient the phone for FaceID to unlock - but it won’t do it upside down as I tried. I encountered this problem getting the phone from the side of the bed and wishing to look at it - this makes FaceID more livable like the old TouchID.



Battery Endurance: Way better battery life than my 12 Pro Max.



Dynamic Island: I see Apple now defaults wide screen video to black bars on top and bottom to an avoid the Dynamic Island hole in the screen. You can pinch it to full screen and see it in full glory. I haven’t checked it out, but if you were running a timer the notch presumably would be this huge bar in the video. So they default the video to avoid all of that. Apart from that compromise it so cool but not enough apps use it so far.



Hopefully these little reviews will help those on the iPhone upgrade fence to evaluate if they need the new phone. BTW: It looks exactly like my 12 Pro Max except for that huge camera lens apparatus in the back. I wondered what the iPhone 15 will look like with a periscope lens back there. Don’t let this hold you back from the 14 as a periscope next year would be like a bump from 3-5 and not 10 like on Samsung devices - they have to leave those upgrades for coming years.




That is it for now - Goodnight…..
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Maurice Ali



Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 7655
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2022 6:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Two things today - one is a travel log of my old haunts while in NYC - the other is an update on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.



I still question if I should just sell the 12 Pro Max, you can still get hard cash quick and upfront for it but this is now the only alternative cellphone I have already set up incase I lose or destroy the new phone. I still have the 6S Plus but that is now unsupported for iOS and security, and sooner or later apps will break and stop working. My alternate cellphone has to be secure, so with the 6S Plus unsupported I had to start looking for a realistic alternative - if you had to know. If you run things like companies on your phone and it breaks it takes forever to get another phone working properly at a moment’s notice. So I know I’m keeping the 12 Pro Max, but you think about it. I have that phone set up on my old IBM 32bit ThinkPad in iTunes. For the new phone I’ll probably just install iTunes on the newer 64bit Dell business class laptop I take with me to the UN.




RIP iPhone 6S Plus



The 6S Plus could be sold for 44 bucks cash - so why bother. The Blackberry Passport still has a price on its head but it is only 18 bucks cash. The Note 3 has no value at all. Beware trade-in value for in store purchasing - they offer more - but the extra is absorbed by some of the profit on the new item you buy. So Apple will give me 680 bucks for the old iPhone. Stores that buy for cash will give me 500 which is the actual worth in the business world. They will replace the battery and sell it for 900 bucks with a warrantee. I will ask that on Kijiji and get 750-800 on the street. If you are cash strapped you can sell it, otherwise I would keep this pristine example and keep it until it is irrelevant like my 6S Plus. Having to buy a new iPhone because your old one was destroyed is insane in cost. Buying a used one when you had a pristine iPhone and setup already is a joke people will laugh at especially since you will pay more. Just keep the phone…..



Since the 12 Pro Max is now the alternate (bumping the Pinephone out of that position) I’ll probably swap the sim card to the iPhone to keep it operating. So that is the current story in the new cellphone. I still have to finish adding music to the Apple Watch so that should be done Thursday morning and the new iTunes install and backup of the new phone later on that day.



See, buying and making a new phone work and properly set up has to be done on a vacation! It will take days and I still have issues with email on the new phone.



You know what - that rant was so long I’ll do the New York City travel log tomorrow.




Goodnight…..





(NSFW)
https://www.reddit.com/r/dankvideos/comments/xr688n/give_up_for_now/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
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