In these parts

I live in a great town, terrible location. A bipolar climate contributes to the area’s sparse population, and both of these factors do little to encourage cultural inspiration.

That said, I’ve found a good balance here. I like my home, my office, and the people I’m around. Save perhaps for the limited number of direct flights in to and out of FSD airport, it would be hard to blame my location for any tangible, negative impact on my work (I help run Electric Pulp, etc.)

Except that we don’t have AT&T wireless service providers in Sioux Falls, SD.

So, in late June of 2007 as developers lined up to experience the new iPhone, we went without, being told contracts would be cancelled on phones roaming 80% of the time or more.

This might seem like a small thing to some, but we’re big proponents of the mobile web and recognize the browser will have as much to do this time around as it did the first. In other words, the device matters. Having to hop wifi hotspots with an iPod Touch or glimpse the web through a Treo for the last year and a half has been… frustrating.

So, last week I got an iPhone. My Sprint PCS phone wasn’t letting me twitter in the cab ride from the airport, and I noticed an AT&T store as we pulled up to our hotel. So, before heading out to see the town, I hooked up a new account.

The AT&T supervisor assured me 80% roaming will not get you terminated, and Michael and Stefan, who had set up phones within a day or so, got similar assurances from Apple. None of us had any trouble.

I wonder how many times I complained about not being able to get an iPhone before actually trying to get one. It was a lot – feeling excluded based on location really irritated me.

Anyway, material crap can make me happy I guess. Also, I’m going to complain less.