That Nokia SMS tone is hard to find

You know the one that you used to have on your 3310: the DeDeDe-DerDer-DeDeDe one. The one which is actually Morse code for SMS.
In a moment of nostalgia, my Dad asked me to find it for his new Samsung. But it was a whole lot more difficult than I imagined. Too many crappy remixes and too much false advertising in the murky world of internet ringtone marketing sites.
And then there was this Soundcloud page, with all the old Nokia ringtones on (but not the Morse code SMS tone), which delayed us for another fifteen minutes (but those memories!).

Anyway, we finally found a copy, and as soon as I am near a decent uploading platform (tomorrow), I will share it on here. ‘TIS DONE – DOWNLOAD IT HERE! All new and shiny and cleaned up a bit as well!

Meanwhile, if you’re in or around Sheffield and you hear that olde worlde DeDeDe-DerDer-DeDeDe sound, it’s probably just my Dad being a bit of a hipster.

Somewhere Ovi the Rainbow

Nokia have been in touch and they sent me a cactus and some post-it notes. Did I, they also asked, realise how easy it would be to make an Ovi app for my blog? And was I, they continued, aware that if I made an Ovi app for my blog, I could win a trip to next year’s SXSW Tech conference in Texas, Texas?

I was hugely confused by their quickfire questioning.
Things weren’t looking good – like a particularly poor ice hockey team – I was 0/2 in the seven game series.

But I turned things around after a rousing and inspiring team talk in the changing room and, having viewed this video which explained all, I headed to the Ovi App Wizard site and followed the overly simple, step-by-step instructions to create a little 6000 miles… presence in the Ovi App Store. And, what’s more, because you can include up to 5 RSS feeds to your Ovi app, I included my flickr RSS as well, so Nokia users can get some pictorial goodness as well.

It’s all ever so straightforward and took no longer than 10 minutes, including coffee breaks.

Then all I had to do was click a button and submit it to their Ovi Store Approvals Board. 24 hours later, I got an email telling me that my app was all approved and ready to go.

If you are on a Nokia or if you know of people who are on a Nokia (there are an incredible 825,000,000 compatible handset out there), please tell them to visit the Ovi Store and download my app – it’s right here (you can have a look at it on a PC too). The more downloads, the more chance I have of jetting out to Texas, Texas next year.

This competition also proved to be the catalyst for me to finally “do” a 6000 miles… Facebook page (which you should sign up to) and I’m already making plans for other apps on other mobile platforms.
However, I’m guessing that none of them will be as simple or as user-friendly as this one was to create.

Constant whining sound from crashed plane

Some people just shouldn’t open their mouths. One doesn’t have to look any further than the excellent (and blogrolled) spEak You’re bRanes to learn that. That site alone shows the dangers inherent in allowing people a soapbox and an audience.

And now there’s example number two: Mark Tamburro.

Mark is from Oxford.
Immediately, that puts him into one of three categories: 

  1. Stuck-up, pompous arse.
  2. Ill-educated druggie.
  3. Cool, good-looking bloke who just works there and will be moving to South Africa soon.

Mark was on the BA038 flight whose engines apparently failed on final approach to Heathrow last week. 
Immediately, that puts him in one further category:

  1. Bloody lucky to be alive.


Great bit of parking

But now Mark is on the BBC website (and many others) moaning about how crap the staff at the airport were, landing himself (if not his plane) quite neatly into the pompous arse group and  reminding us of his disappointing inclusion in the bloody lucky to be alive category.

Mr Tamburro said he and his two travelling companions had to leave their hand luggage in their overhead lockers on the aeroplane and so had no money or personal belongings on them

He said the BA staff who were looking after the passengers rationed water, the only drink which was initially offered to them in the departure area, and did not offer any food.

His story doesn’t quite tally with this post from one of BA’s ground staff at Heathrow though, which makes very interesting reading. And it’s also interesting to note that he seems to be the only one of the 136 passengers that’s whining about their treatment.

A quick google of Mark shows us that he is a little overweight, owns a bit of a racehorse called Cossack Dancer and has a beard. It also tells us that he writes letters to the council  moaning about them setting taxi fares so high in South Oxfordshire. Except that, as any fule kno, the council doesn’t actually set the taxi fares in South Oxfordshire. Oops.

Is this painting a picture for you, too?
People like Mark annoy me. He’s just been fortunate enough to survive a plane crash in which even the pilot thought “everyone on board was going to die” and all he can do is whinge.
I think that Mark might just be setting himself up for a little bit of extra cash from his compensation claim.

Incidentally, since Mark works for Nokia, he may be the perfect person to explain to investigators, BA and Boeing as to why the plane’s computer system didn’t respond, as he’s obviously an expert on crap, bug-ridden software. 

Update: Tues 22nd Jan.

Just read a ~2000 word piece on the BA038 incident in today’s Cape Times, which they shamelessly stole borrowed from The Independent in the UK. 16 passengers interviewed (not including dear Mark) and not one complaint. And that despite being thrust with a microphone. The evidence just keeps adding up…  

Update: Thurs 24th Jan.

Ooh look! It’s back (by popular demand).
Please THINK before you comment. I’m in a particularly “deletey” mood today.