Change user email on local Wordpress instance (without verification)

For those wondering how to skip the vrification process when you try to change your own (or possibly other) users' email address on a local wp instance -- when it reads "email change request pending" in your profile page: depending on your machine/server/php/network config, the emails may not be being sent, so the solution is simply to go in the database. Change the address directly from wp-users. Voila!

The "Tech" People

I can't help to have mixed feelings when people use the term "tech" guy, person, team, etc etc with regards to technology specialists of any sort --in my case software, often web dev. Do people mean only to use it as an abbreviation, to shorten pronunciation time? Are they simply confused about the correct and complete way to refer to different kinds of technical or technological professions? Or is it actually a strange and derogatory suggestion?

I think some people, probably insecure about their lack of knowledge with technology, find the term tech a convenient reduction of technologist because "tech." is an ambiguous abbreviation of both /technolog(y|ist)/ and /technic(al)/ (those are regexes, not phonemes). First of all, there's absolutely nothing belittling about technical professions, that's some sort of self re-assuring 19th century miss-conception of the social value of crafts and guilds. However there is a relevant difference between the usage of* and concept behind the terms technical and technological.
* Because actually, there's not a substantial formal difference: dictionary definitions seem to be circularly referencing among all these terms, except in the case of technique which may relate to artistic performance.

Technology, that which relates to the practical application of knowledge (science, engineering), is in my humble opinion one of the most important expressions and achievements of culture itself; the culmination of organized, often large-scale research and development. New technologies change history, they can affect lifestyle, architecture, arts, politics, or just about any other aspect of civilization that you can think of. Science and technology are in fact, I believe, the only human endevour that may offer our race a chance to

So for those of you who are actually insecure about technology and who prefer to (not) handle it by negating its value and that of all professions around it: My suggestion is that you throw away your snobby attitude and start learning, or at least be more humble about your ignorance, and grateful for our help. That is of course, if you want us to actually do any of the work you absolutely need instead of going online to blog about you for hours :B

How I made a new T-mobile SIM card work on iPhone 4S with my "New GPP" unlocker card

My situation. I have an iPhone 4S from Mexico. It's carrier locked to Iusacell.

My previous setup was that I got one of the newer gpp chips (idk if its pro, turbo, or what, it only says "new") and put it in with an AT&T prepaid originally. The gpp menu came up and I entered the locked carrier's IMSI, which worked. But my AT&T plan didn't offer cellular data so I wanted to switch to the $30 unlimited text & data plan from T-Mobile USA.

Long story

I ordered T-Mobile's SIM card activation kit online (it's twice as expensive in stores) and when I finally got it my plan was to simply change the old SIM card for the new one. When I did, the iPhone simply registered "No SIM". Upon restarting, it showed "Searching..." for a bit and then back no No SIM (with a "No SIM card installed" alert). I tried not to panic and thought I needed to activate the SIM card first, so I tried to do so online but it seemed to take too long so I ended up calling T-Mobile instead and they activated the card and the desired plan for me. They said it would take a few hours for it to start working.

The next day I was still reading "No SIM". I tried this desperate method (switching airplane mode on and off repeatedly, which sounds silly) to no avail. I tried using the GPP config SIM but could never get back to the IMSI input menu of GPP... But the old SIM still worked with the GPP, so nothing seemed to be damaged!

Finally

After work, to check whether GPP would work with other companies, I asked someone to let me try their SIM card. It was Sprint. "No SIM". This time however, I did the airplane switch method and something happened, the Carrier section in Settings appeared! I quickly entered it and selected T-Mobile (Sprint didn't even come up, funny) but still I never read Sprint as the carrier, so I thought that was of no consequence and that the GPP would not work with T-Mobile or Sprint for some reason, or maybe my SIM card was bad? Who knew... HAPPILY, When I re-insterted my T-Mobile SIM card (with the GPP), it magically worked!

So it seems having selected the carrier manually may have done the trick, however this was impossible while I didn't have the option to do so while "No SIM" was indicated (and no Carrier section was displayed in Settings). Also, the carrier settings with the previous SIM card didn't include T-Mobile (I think).

Anyway, it works now. Yay


p.s. Make sure Data Roaming is enabled to get 3G (as indicated here).

Transfering among MTA buses (NYC transit)

There's one big limitation not described in the MTA's website about bus-to-bus transfers: you can't transfer into the same bus line. Why would someone want to? How about a quick stop in the store that's on the way home? (e.g. Whole Foods - Houston Street for the M21 bus.)

This is not indicated in the paragraph about "making connections" of the bus riding webpage:
"If you pay your fare with MetroCard, you may transfer free from local bus-to-subway, subway-to-local bus or local bus-to-local bus within two hours of the time you paid your fare. Unlimited Ride MetroCard includes all transfers free of charge..."

Clearly, using the same local bus line twice falls in the bold-ed scenario, but of course, they don't allow it. I find this annoying, why so freaking strict? I really dislike the MTA (too bad shitibike sucks almost as bad).

Inbox Zero - not that smart?

Just a quick thought on inbox 0. The concept of processing email (as opposed to checking it) is interesting however it can very easily just result in a transfer from the inbox folder into other folders:

Notice in the following screen capture how my inbox (left) is being processed down to zero... But my action and on-hold folders (right) are getting full...

p.s. I'm using the multiple inboxes lab to display certain folders on the right side of my email screen.

Not that smart after all... I guess it just depends how you end up using it. My 2c!