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There's an interesting angle here of what a "superpower" does to someone's psychology. He internalized the ability to do these extraordinary things - including

There's an interesting angle here of what a "superpower" does to someone's psychology. He internalized the ability to do these extraordinary things - including using the phone staff as a therapist line - as such a part of his identity, that he was devastated by having to live normally again. It's hard for myself to imagine myself getting to the point where I think I'm that special, but I'm not so naive to think that if I had a bunch of money and/or privilege for decades it couldn't happen to me too. > “So in my incoherent state,” he writes, “I would book a seat for Dan or Laurie just imagining that they might come. I was making reservations and didn’t know whether I was even going. Here is why. I was up and [alone] in my home office and bored. So I would call the 800 number for the AAirpass desk and talk to the agent about the news or the weather or about Paris or little London. Then, after an hour of nothing they had to hang up. So I would make a reservation and ask them to fax it to me. Then the next day I would take the fax and cancel the reservation. I needed someone to talk to at midnight. The 800 number was open.” Even his son says up front that he doesn't see what his dad was doing as such a sensational, extraordinary thing, that that description "doesn’t quite land," which is astonishing too.

bravo22 7y ago
> Even his son says The article is by his daughter Caroline.
171243 7y ago
I once had a superpower like this. I bought the Verizon Unlimited 4G internet plan before throttling or data caps were a thing in roughly 2010. I had the Droid Razr Maxx and later Samsung Galaxy S5 with 1 5 dollar app that turned my phone into a hotspot (FoxFi) that the Verizon could neither detect, prevent, or charge extra for. I used 200+ GB's of blazing fast internet over the air for something like $50 a month for about 5 years. It was an insanely good deal. The only rules were I was not allowed to make any modifications to the plan because it was taken off the market and I was considered "grandfathered" in. The "unlimited" plans of today are nothing like that plan was. They have data caps, are throttled, and traffic get reprioritized. It was just as much a part of me as this ticket was for this gentleman (well not quite that much, but you get the point). Eventually Verizon just flat out upped the price to over $100 per month and it became unsustainable. Glorious while it lasted, sorely missed.
- serpix 7y ago
  We have unlimited, uncapped 4G plans in Finland and probably most of Europe does.
  - schrodinger 7y ago
    Not with unlimited tethering though, right?
    - concerned_user 7y ago
      Lithuania here, unlimited from cellphone operator for around 29 eur/mo, I don't see anything forbidding tethering, I know you can ask for a data-only clone of your SIM to put in your car or laptop. You can get a better deal from the operator that specializes in 4g internet only if you are within coverage.
    - donalhunt 7y ago
      In some cases, yes. In fact, one of the Irish mobile operators currently has an all-you-can-eat prepay sim top-up promotion that gives you unlimited 4g data for €20 every 28 days. They have a fair usage policy but don't enforce it (no idea why) and chatting with their pricing personnel it makes no economic sense (they lose money on it). It would appear it's a sacrifice they are currently willing to make to ensure market share increases.
      - theelous3 7y ago
        Yep, I have this and often just teather up piles of people. Never have to think about usage. Now that I mention teathering, I don't think there are any Irish service providers who attempt to monitor or regulate teathering, which is nice.
    - nvilcins 7y ago
      Latvia: 20 eur/mo, very fast uncapped 4G, no limitations whatsoever.
    - 7y ago
claudiawerner 7y ago
>but I'm not so naive to think that if I had a bunch of money and/or privilege for decades it couldn't happen to me too. Precisely, and that is the 'secret' of money, its mystery ans "phantom-like objectivity". A famous German philosopher once wrote, "That which is for me through the medium of money – that for which I can pay (i.e., which money can buy) – that am I myself, the possessor of the money. The extent of the power of money is the extent of my power. Money’s properties are my – the possessor’s – properties and essential powers. Thus, what I am and am capable of is by no means determined by my individuality. I am ugly, but I can buy for myself the most beautiful of women. Therefore I am not ugly, for the effect of ugliness – its deterrent power – is nullified by money. I, according to my individual characteristics, am lame, but money furnishes me with twenty-four feet. Therefore I am not lame. I am bad, dishonest, unscrupulous, stupid; but money is honoured, and hence its possessor. Money is the supreme good, therefore its possessor is good. Money, besides, saves me the trouble of being dishonest: I am therefore presumed honest. I am brainless, but money is the real brain of all things and how then should its possessor be brainless? Besides, he can buy clever people for himself, and is he who has [In the manuscript: ‘is’. – Ed.] power over the clever not more clever than the clever? Do not I, who thanks to money am capable of all that the human heart longs for, possess all human capacities? Does not my money, therefore, transform all my incapacities into their contrary?"
- gocartStatue 7y ago
  I liked the quote, and went on to find the source [1]. Must say it surprised me: [1] https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/power.htm https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts...
  - claudiawerner 7y ago
    Another curious facet in the link is the reference to Shakespeare; he was quite the fan of his works and performed mock plays with his daughters if I'm correct.

bravo22 7y ago

> Even his son says The article is by his daughter Caroline.

171243 7y ago

I once had a superpower like this. I bought the Verizon Unlimited 4G internet plan before throttling or data caps were a thing in roughly 2010. I had the Droid Razr Maxx and later Samsung Galaxy S5 with 1 5 dollar app that turned my phone into a hotspot (FoxFi) that the Verizon could neither detect, prevent, or charge extra for. I used 200+ GB's of blazing fast internet over the air for something like $50 a month for about 5 years. It was an insanely good deal. The only rules were I was not allowed to make any modifications to the plan because it was taken off the market and I was considered "grandfathered" in. The "unlimited" plans of today are nothing like that plan was. They have data caps, are throttled, and traffic get reprioritized. It was just as much a part of me as this ticket was for this gentleman (well not quite that much, but you get the point). Eventually Verizon just flat out upped the price to over $100 per month and it became unsustainable. Glorious while it lasted, sorely missed.

serpix 7y ago
We have unlimited, uncapped 4G plans in Finland and probably most of Europe does.
- schrodinger 7y ago
  Not with unlimited tethering though, right?
  - concerned_user 7y ago
    Lithuania here, unlimited from cellphone operator for around 29 eur/mo, I don't see anything forbidding tethering, I know you can ask for a data-only clone of your SIM to put in your car or laptop. You can get a better deal from the operator that specializes in 4g internet only if you are within coverage.
  - donalhunt 7y ago
    In some cases, yes. In fact, one of the Irish mobile operators currently has an all-you-can-eat prepay sim top-up promotion that gives you unlimited 4g data for €20 every 28 days. They have a fair usage policy but don't enforce it (no idea why) and chatting with their pricing personnel it makes no economic sense (they lose money on it). It would appear it's a sacrifice they are currently willing to make to ensure market share increases.
    - theelous3 7y ago
      Yep, I have this and often just teather up piles of people. Never have to think about usage. Now that I mention teathering, I don't think there are any Irish service providers who attempt to monitor or regulate teathering, which is nice.
  - nvilcins 7y ago
    Latvia: 20 eur/mo, very fast uncapped 4G, no limitations whatsoever.
  - 7y ago

claudiawerner 7y ago

>but I'm not so naive to think that if I had a bunch of money and/or privilege for decades it couldn't happen to me too. Precisely, and that is the 'secret' of money, its mystery ans "phantom-like objectivity". A famous German philosopher once wrote, "That which is for me through the medium of money – that for which I can pay (i.e., which money can buy) – that am I myself, the possessor of the money. The extent of the power of money is the extent of my power. Money’s properties are my – the possessor’s – properties and essential powers. Thus, what I am and am capable of is by no means determined by my individuality. I am ugly, but I can buy for myself the most beautiful of women. Therefore I am not ugly, for the effect of ugliness – its deterrent power – is nullified by money. I, according to my individual characteristics, am lame, but money furnishes me with twenty-four feet. Therefore I am not lame. I am bad, dishonest, unscrupulous, stupid; but money is honoured, and hence its possessor. Money is the supreme good, therefore its possessor is good. Money, besides, saves me the trouble of being dishonest: I am therefore presumed honest. I am brainless, but money is the real brain of all things and how then should its possessor be brainless? Besides, he can buy clever people for himself, and is he who has [In the manuscript: ‘is’. – Ed.] power over the clever not more clever than the clever? Do not I, who thanks to money am capable of all that the human heart longs for, possess all human capacities? Does not my money, therefore, transform all my incapacities into their contrary?"

gocartStatue 7y ago
I liked the quote, and went on to find the source [1]. Must say it surprised me: [1] https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/power.htm https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts...
- claudiawerner 7y ago
  Another curious facet in the link is the reference to Shakespeare; he was quite the fan of his works and performed mock plays with his daughters if I'm correct.