Writers' Community!
Home Page Two Columnists Q&A Submit an Article FAQs Contact Author Login
Home » Writer's Blogs » mogama

Blogozone - something to blog about

Mogama (16,573)
Mogama
http://www.DebtFreedomClub.com

Unlocked Cell Phones Revolt: How to Join the Movement of Unlocked Mobile Users

Posted Sunday, November 15, 2009 (5 days 4 hours ago.) Viewed 126 times.

In America we value competition in the marketplace. Competition is a staple of capitalism. So why do we accept locked cell phones? Cell phone service providers like AT & T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and others cut exclusive deals with cell phone makers to keep cell phone customers locked in to their networks for as long as our mobile phones can work.

For example, if you want an iPhone or LG Vu, you must sign up for AT & T service. If you like BlackBerry Storm, a smooth-looking touch screen smart phone, you are stuck with Verizon service.

What if I like AT & T's service but want a Verizon-featured phone? Solution? Get an unlocked cell phone.

I have just bought my second unlocked cell phone. The first time I used an unlocked phone I had to ship the phone to a third party who unlocked it for $25, then shipped the phone back to me. These days you can have the unlock code emailed to you or sent directly to your cell phone. (Be sure you're dealing with a credible unlocker company.)

This time I bought a phone that was already unlocked. It's a BlackBerry Storm 9530, intended for use with Verizon service, but I'm using it with AT & T. True, I paid a little more for the phone than if I had bought it locked and had my service switched to Verizon for a 2-year contract.

This move puts me in the position to switch from AT & T, if I so choose, once my contract ends in a few months. Actually, I'm thinking of trying out AT & T's $60-a-month unlimited prepay plan.

Here is what I did to break free from the locked cell phone prison. I bought a refurbished unlocked BlackBerry Storm 9530 from a top seller on eBay for $259.95 (free shipping). A brand new unlocked one would have cost me $389.95. Then I followed these simple steps to switch this Verizon phone to AT & T service:

  1. Take my old phone to a nearby AT & T store to transfer all my contacts to the SIM card. Maybe I should have done this myself, but why not have them do it for free?

  2. (Back home) Take my SIM card from the old phone, slip it into the BlackBerry, and turn the phone on. (Load the battery and charge the BlackBerry, of course.)

  3. Press the Menu button.

  4. Click on "Manage Connections".

  5. Select "Mobile Network Options".

  6. Click on "Global".

With that, the phone searched for and found the AT & T network. The home screen now displays AT & T just like my Motorola Q did. And I didn't even have to call AT & T to get connected.

Now, if I want to browse the Internet or use email, I will visit a BlackBerry forum, where I'll learn how to set up the unlocked phone to use AT & T software to access the World Wide Web.

It just feels so free and fair to use an unlocked cell phone that I can move around from one service provider to the next (except Sprint service, doesn't use a SIM card, as I hear).


        Comments (3)

This Is It – What I Learned from the Michael Jackson Movie

Posted Sunday, November 08, 2009 (12 days 1 hour ago.) Viewed 1,175 times.

Sixty (60) million dollars that's what Sony Pictures paid to buy the rights to the documentary film; I thought that was cheap too. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $23 million; that makes it the 5 th highest-earning film for Halloween debut movies. "With the film's current worldwide revenue gross of over $144 million, the film is the highest grossing concert movie in history" (Wikipedia).

No surprise there, and I'm not really impressed by that. There must be something deeper. Writing about "This Is It", Sony Pictures refers to the late Michael Jackson as "singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius, and great artist..."

Had I not seen the movie, those would have just been nothing but flattering verbiage and a sales pitch. But then Miss Harriet and I decided to see the movie as part of our celebration for paying off a debt.

Two hours later, my perception of Michael Jackson had been highly upgraded. Before seeing "This Is It", my highest opinion of Michael Jackson was limited to his singing and dancing skills. He was the moon-walk master. Nothing more. As for his landmark superb music videos, I somehow believed that some behind-the-scene unknowns had always been the creative genius behind those incredible movie-like music videos. To me, MJ was a dancing puppet.

I don't think that anymore. I learned the following important lessons from the movie.

First, to appreciate the big picture, I must pay attention to the little things. Michael was on top of every important minute detail that added to the value of the perfect show that the concert would have been.

Second, in life I must refuse average, mediocrity and good enough. Those who work with me, live with me or look up to me deserve nothing less than my pursuit of quality and excellence in each role and assignment.

Third, I must be devoted to hard work. Age or being out of circulation even for years is no excuse for becoming lazy. At age 50 and not having done an album or concert for years, Michael Jackson dared to dance with his back against the floor and his legs dangling in the air. What work ethic! As long as one is alive and in good health, one must show timeless and tireless dedication to the task at hand.

Fourth, I must not commit to a cause or assignment, unless I can execute it with passion, which is competent zeal. The documentary shows that Michael did his thing with all his heart, holding nothing back that was needed to make "This Is It" the best concert of his career as the music star.

Fifth, it is not enough to be a star; I must breed stars. Michael Jackson the mega star was so unselfish. For me, a high point in the movie was when Michael said repeatedly to a lesser known female guitarist, "It's your time to shine." Then Michael acted on his words by walking away from the spotlight to let the guitar girl have the stage all to herself. And mine, did that girl shine?!

Sixth, life offers no rehearsals; I must treat practice or preparation as the real thing. During rehearsals, Michael did not scant on his energy; he did not save his best for the real concert. Instead, he treated the practice sessions as though his crowds of fans were present. He did this, not knowing, as far as we know, that these dress rehearsals would be made into a movie.

Truly I can say my wife and I bought two movie tickets and entered the cinema expecting a casual, social time together. OK, it was a date night with thoughts of romance, but we expected nothing more than entertainment. I won't speak for Miss Harriet, but throughout the movie, what I ended up having was a spiritual experience, actually, a motivational session about living life to the max. Passion for a cause. Quality outcome. Persistence towards excellence. Love for people. So for me, "This Is It." I will not look at my life, my work or my ministry quite the same way again.


        Comments (5)

America's Education System: What Is the Correct Use of 'Whoever' and 'Whomever'?

Posted Sunday, November 01, 2009 (19 days 2 hours ago.) Viewed 1,479 times.

Born in a Liberian village, English was not my first language. My mother tongue is Bassa, one of sixteen Liberian languages. (Yes, languages, not dialects.) I was about ten years old before I began learning how to speak English. So tough was the experience that the first time someone asked me, "What is your name?" I replied, "Ni sey bada", which means, "It didn't rain." The Bassa word "ni" (rain) sounds like the English word "name", so I really thought the person was asking whether or not it had rained that day. Everyone in the room just fell off laughing at the country boy who didn't know English.


So, who am I to grade anyone's English grammar skill, especially that of a native-born Caucasian American? Answer? Because I respect the English language, or any language for that matter.

Here's the story. We're at work. Our team leader, who is on the phone with someone, asks, "What is the English rule for 'whoever' and 'whomever'? Is it 'Let whoever is...or let whomever is...?"

After a brief pause, a co-worker replies, "One is singular, and the other is plural. If you're addressing one person it's 'whoever' … if you're speaking to a bunch of people it's 'whomever'".

With that, our team leader tells the person on the phone, "John (not his real name) has just told me the answer: 'whoever' refers to a single person, and 'whomever' refers to a lot of people."

I almost asked out loud, "Are American schools really churning out raving ignoramuses?"

Trying hard to keep my laughter under control, I asked, "John, are you sure about that?" John says, "I'm pretty sure..."

Now, I'm not sure if this guy and the team leader attended college or not, but I'm certain they graduated from high school. So, how come they missed the lesson on the correct usage of 'whoever' and 'whomever'? I remember we learned that in junior high, which in Liberia is 7th to 9th grades.

Here's the short answer: "Whoever" is a pronoun that can be used as the subject of a sentence. Example: "Whoever arrives first wins a prize."

The other pronoun, "whomever", is the objective case. It is used as the object of a clause or phrase. Example: "Management will promote whomever the supervisor recommends."

If I remember correctly, neither of these pronouns has anything whatsoever to do with singular or plural. 'Whomever' is not the plural of 'whoever'.

Beyond this little matter of pronoun usage, there is a bigger question here: Is it possible that these one-time students were never adequately taught how to correctly use 'whoever' and 'whomever'? And if the answer to that question is even a faint "Yes", then the American education system offers little hope of a nation with an educated class that's fit to lead the world in this century or the next.

Or, should the American school system hire non-natural-born English teachers, who tend to show greater appreciation for the rules of the English language? Maybe those foreign-born English instructors will actually teach our kids the difference between 'whoever' and 'whomever'.

Yeah...I can hear the typical American student saying, "Whatever!"


        Comments (17)

  


Archives:

November 2009
M T W T F S S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30          
« Oct
    


All Posts by Mogama

Home  |  Page Two  |  FAQ's  |  Contact  |  Terms of Service  |  Article Submission Guidelines  |  Questions & Answers  |  Privacy  |  Mission / About
Copyright © 1999-2009 SearchWarp.com, All Rights Reserved - SearchWarp.com is an IcoLogic, Inc. Company