I just read this article called "Turtle Beach Noise Canceling Headphones don't cancel noise", which made me look at the Sony MDR-NC11, which seem to be amazing ones though. Priced at 150USD I'm not very amused, though, so I'll just stick with my old ones.

While on the technical trail, I'll run a little story about my mobile phone for you.

A little more than three weeks ago, the screen of my mobile phone started squealing. A high-pitched tone was emitted, and nothing helped it. I flashed the phone, but the tone just intensified its signal strength and pitch. Wonderful! I had to get it repaired, and so, ventured to the only service place for this phone, Engström Telecom.

I left the phone at their place in Nacka, a 30-minute-long trip by bus, where I specified the problem in detail. The service person who assisted me told me he understood the problem and grasped it. I was to return a week later.

During this time I noted that I could check the status of the phone at their site. Nice! Only thing was, that even up till the day I was to pick it up, their status page read "Received at shop", so I called them to find out. The person who answered my call said "You can check that info at our status page." I told her of the problem with this, and asked to find out whether it was mended or not. "Yes, it is." Oh well then, you human status page you. I'm off!

I went there yesterday and it was finished! I was told they had swapped the mother board for a new one and injected a new software into it. Fine, I thought. And I turned it on to listen to it before heading home in the blistering cold. I came into the shop 17:15, 45 minutes before they closed. Nacka is actually a little bit away, and the buses leave at weird intervals around the shop. Well, the phone still sounded an awful signal. What! The service guy took it back, concluded that the error was still there and called the guy who had attempted to repair it. What followed was an intricate, yet short, little mind-game:

Guy: Well, thing is, you have two choices. Either you wait for an hour while the screen is being mended, as that's how long it takes to mend a screen on this type of phone, and you get it back, or you come back tomorrow. Thing is, it's now 17:20, which means we close in 40 minutes. Me: So what you're saying is that the two choices you're giving me will, logically, make me come to the same conclusion? Guy [having thought some]: Exactly. Me: I will return tomorrow. Guy: [says nothing, returns to his seat]

It'll be interesting to see what happens tonight. Will anybody apologise? Will I have a working phone now that the frame and microphone are the only thing not swapped? Will I have to go home empty-handed? Will I use an automatic rifle to somebody's face in sheer despair? Will I freeze to death, waiting for the bus?

All these questions (and more!) will be answered soon enough, good friends.