Dude, You’re Getting a Google

The battery in my Pixel 4a has gone through some changes since I took the mandatory Android 13 update. The first day, the battery seemed to last much longer than it ever had. The second day, it returned to its previous rate of discharge. Today, it seems to be running down somewhat faster than usual.

Google Pixel 8a

Half an hour ago, Google sent me a $100 discount code for the purchase of a new Pixel phone. Checking the Google Store, I saw the Pixel 8a is once again at $400, a hundred bucks off its list price. Can the discount code be combined with the sale price? Yep, it can, so I ordered one.

Not Tempting Fate

I’m already giving up hoping for a better year. After last year’s cancer treatments and with my upcoming heart ablation, I wasn’t in a good frame of mind to receive some very sad news about a friend who has been fighting the same cancer for more than ten years. We wished each other Happy New Year, and now death could be days, even hours, away.

Assault on Battery

With my Pixel 4a’s battery at 35%, I attempted to manually take the battery update.

After charging the phone the update completed.

Now I will watch for changes related to this update, while waiting for Google to send me the promised code for the $100 discount on a new Pixel phone. If they’re recommending the battery be replaced, how can I not be eligible? In the past, something like this would have been considered a First World Problem, but that’s no longer true.

Update: So what has changed? The battery meter is locked at 100%, which can’t be correct. Having no idea when the battery is about to die means Google has effectively broken my phone.

Update Update: After sitting at 100% all day, the battery is at 94%. Most curious. Maybe I’ll resort to checking a 4a forum to see if anybody else has taken the update.

Update Update Update: https://www.openweb.com/share/2sS7fUjrjaXvSfFLteAJaTQ4QFL

Flames On!

These fires are catastrophic and unprecedented in my lifetime. Trump is blaming the inability to control the fires on Governor Newsom, rather than expressing any sort of concern or promising to offer support after he is inaugurated.

There’s no reason to hold back from belittling and insulting Trump. We know that when he’s confronted with a real crisis, as he was with Covid, he’s going to screw up. It’s a certainty that by the end of his term, Trump’s reputation will once again be in tatters and many will wonder why they voted for him.