Mission Mission

Lisa Everydayphotos asks:

Hey! I’m about to make a big decision and upgrade from my shitty flip phone to a smart phone. My question is this:

Do I get an iphone or is at&t service in the Mission as bad as everyone says? I’m hoping to harness the wisdom of highly opinionated Missionites and hear whether at&t is really as absolutely awful as they say. Worth just staying with my current plan and just getting the Droid I keep hearing about.

Any chance I can spark some heated debate here?

First of all, don’t knock the flip phones. Ever hear of a little blog called honeyjets? Those photos are all RAZR, baby. Secondly, this will get ugly. The last time Kat mentioned buying an iPhone in passing, it got a shitstorm response that totally overshadowed her actual post.

Full disclosure: I am an obsessive iPhone user. I just got 3 stars on every level in the first world of Angry Birds. That takes at least 250 hours of use. But, I also happen work in a  job that lets me test every major smartphone that hits the market, so I definitely have somewhat informed opinions on this matter… none of which I will use here.

I think the iPhone is way more fun to use, and it’s operating system is just more smooth and polished. I don’t make too many voice calls, so I can’t honestly speak accurately to how reliable AT&T is in the Mission. I have never had any major problems, but 80% of my calls last five months in the Mission were, “Where are you sitting? Oh I see you.” I’ve noticed a few problems in other neighborhoods, the Haight mostly. Battery life stinks. It doesn’t bail on me mid-day, but I have to charge it every night. The apps, maps, and web browser are the best. The camera and video on the iPhone 4, to my eyes, are about as good as it gets.

Android phones can do pretty much everything you care about, but it’s a bit more clunky. If you’re not coming from an iPhone you probably wont notice at all. There’s not as many quality apps available. All of this is going nowhere but up and they will catch up in all those categories soon. One other problem is that updates to Android OS are carrier-specific, so if your phone doesn’t sell well from their perspective, it wont be kept up to date with all the cool new stuff from Google. That can be a bummer. Perks are you don’t need iTunes to use it, tight Gmail/Gcal/Geverything integration, way better customization, and of course, carrier options (VERIZON).

If you care a lot about voice calls and being able to bang out text messages on a hardware keyboard, get the Droid 2 on Verizon. You will be happier. If you want the best multimedia/internet experience and will settle for mediocre voice performance (AT&T), it’s still hard to beat the iPhone 4.

Wow, I just re-read the question and realized I didn’t really answer it at all. Good luck.

Readers: what do you think? Here, I’ll save you some time. Check one:

[  ] NERD RAAGE! I DISAGREE WITH EVERYTHING

[  ] YOU’RE ALL YUPPIES, I USE A ROTARY

[Photo by TerryJohnston]

Mission-based Pirate Cat Radio has been through some tough times. Last year, they were fined $10,000 by the FCC and forced to limit their streams to the internet exclusively.

Now they have an unique opportunity to take the “Pirate” out of “Pirate Cat” and get a legitimate FM license. Yup, they want to become a real, legal radio station. Does this mean we’ll be hearing more Red Hot Chili Peppers on their playlists? Because, let me tell you, I just don’t get enough of those guys on the radio.

The only obstacle is an astronomical fee of $60,000. In two weeks. If they had a soundboard, this is where they would cue the reverse slide whistle.

They’re going to have to sell a shit-ton of coffee to get there, but you can help them out on their kickstarter campaign. Pledging $25 gets you a T-shirt and a sticker. So if you like what they do, help them out and wish them luck.

[More info at Pirate Cat Radio]

Soccer Karate tells us all about “a dugout prank to fill the catcher’s equipment with helium” here. Go Giants!

Everyone’s doing it! Mission Bicycle posted this purdy HD video about their purdy bikes.

Things I did not know before watching this video:

• Bike shopping is a family event, like going to IKEA. Bring your children.
• If the shop is too busy, you can order their bikes from the wifi-friendly cafe down the street (requires your own laptop and knowledge of how to use the internet to visit web sites).
• You can cyber with Jefferson over gchat directly from their the order page.
• I’m not the only one who screws around customizing virtual bikes I never buy while I’m supposed to be working.

You also get to see parts of their manufacturing and shipping processes, from the painting of the frames with decidedly girly colors to the exhilarating un-boxing at one dude’s apartment. Is there anything better than un-boxing something you bought? It’s like Christmas without gift wrap and the element of surprise.

Contest* Guess when this was shot based purely on the placement of construction markers on Valencia St.

*Prize for this “contest” is self-satisfaction.

We’ve got a pennant race on our hands, people.  While the obvious place to catch the Giants in the playoffs is AT&T Park, this is also unfortunately the time when the bandwagon is overflowing with corporate sponsor types and other rich people who often price the true fans (who have been attending almost every regular season game, right guys?) right out of the ballpark.

So where does that leave you?  Well, probably watching the game in some bar with the rest of us plebeians.  The only question that remains is which bar.  The Phoenix is an obvious choice because of its plentiful, large TVs and well-priced, hardy food; but if the turnout for the World Cup earlier this summer was any indication, be prepared to stand up for 9 innings.  Benders also seems like it would be a no-brainer with their delicious kitchen and cheap drinks, but the televisions are at odd angles to watch for any formidable length of time. 

Interestingly, several seemingly knowledgable fans have informed me that Guerrero Street is the place to be for baseball.  Two bars within a block from each other, Elixir and the 500 Club, each have well-situated TVs in addition to that unique San Francisco vibe that makes you feel like you’re not in a sports bar.  Plus, if those places are too packed, the Kilowatt is also right down the street.

Remember, this is the time when San Franciscans need to band together and not worry that giving away the secret location of their favorite spot might cause it to be too crowded for their personal enjoyment.  Sooo, where’s your favorite spot to catch a game?

(Please be careful with the dugout pranks, though)

[Photo by The Tens]

Achieve Satori and receive a complimentary chocolate cake.

[Taken inside Hua Zang Si Temple on 22nd St. during Mission Bicycle's "10 Mission Secrets Bike Tour"]

What?

Looks like this lady is well aware of the perils of crossing at 19th and Dolores.

Those “sidewalk bulb outs” and “pedestrian refuges” can’t come soon enough.

[photo and title by Jeremy Brooks]

Mission Local reports:

They open today, and will be available everyday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to Rec and Parks spokesman Elton Pon.

Excellent news! Now there will be no lines, and fewer people will fall victim to the Dolores Park Peeper.

[via Curbed SF]

On a window. On the ground. In an alley.