Finally Unlocked
Posted by Michelle Moquin on January 27th, 2014
Good morning!
Well, I finally broke down and got an iphone. And I do have to say that I love it. I kept my old flip phone for so many years, not wanting to buy into supporting conflict minerals in the Congo. However, I realized that without the best technology, I could not be my best self which would enable me to be helpful in areas that are meaningful to me. My old phone was just not cutting it and I was losing precious time in a world where time is a big commodity, and efficiency is key in being the best that I can be.
Although I promised myself that I won’t be like so many others that I see, where their faces are constantly in their phones, and their fingers tapping away. No judgment. I just like personal contact too much, and I really want to honor my boundaries and personal time, and not be accessible 24/7. I think that’s fair.
Anyway, I was pleased to be able to get my phone unlocked under Verizon, my choice of carrier. In case you were not aware, the FCC has agreed to some policy changes that will allow customers to unlock their cell phones. Yay! Another Obama change for HOPE. Here’s the write:
Top 5 US wireless carriers agree to let you unlock your cell phone
Victory! In a deal with the Federal Communications Commission, the organization that represents all five major wireless carriers in the United States has agreed to some policy changes that will allow customers to unlock their cell phones within two days after a request to do so is made, as long as the customers have satisfied their contract.
“We believe this agreement will continue to foster the world-leading range of devices and offerings that Americans enjoy today,” said CTIA, the lobbying group for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon Wireless, in a statement.
The agreement was announced today by CTIA, which will adopt a set of six “principles” that will be added to CTIA’s Consumer Code, and make it easier for wireless customers to unlock their cell phones and tablets.
In addition to unlocking the devices of qualified customers who request the service (customers who have paid off their phone), and doing so within two days, the principles include:
- Posting information about unlocking on company websites.
- Notifying customers when they’re eligible to unlock their device, or simply unlocking qualified devices automatically.
- Unlocking pre-paid customers’ devices within one year after they first begin service.
- Unlocking devices for military personnel who are deployed overseas.
Once the principles are added to the CTIA’s Customer Code, wireless companies “will move quickly to implement these principles,” according to the CTIA.
The CTIA’s “voluntary” adoption of these principles comes as a result of efforts by new FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who sent a letter to CTIA President Steve Largent earlier this year, laying out how the FCC would like wireless providers to handle unlocking.
Unlocking cell phones or tablets allows customers to freely move from one network to another, or to use their handsets while traveling overseas. The practice was re-established as illegal earlier this year by the Librarian of Congress because the process requires altering a locked device’s firmware, which is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA). The DCMA rule change brings with the possibility of fines and jail time for those who unlock their device without carrier permission.
Following the DCMA rule change, consumer rights advocates launched a successful We the People petition, which received 114,000 signatures, prompting a response from the Obama administration, which supported efforts to overturn unlocking’s illegal status.
“Today’s announcement is an important step forward for consumers,” said Gene Sperling, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council, in a statement. “First and foremost, the voluntary agreement will help to ensure carriers unlock phones in a manner that is reliable, transparent, and timely.”
Despite the progress made in the agreement, consumer advocates and the White House believe the law needs to be changed so that unlocking is no longer illegal. Sperling and activist Sina Khanifar, who launched the We the People petition, offered support for the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, which would do just that.
*****
Readers: Thank you all for the beautiful birthday wishes and kind words! Every year my birthday feels so special because all of you are here with me. Thank you!
Happy Monday Everyone!
Peace & Love: “Live it, Give it!”
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)
Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:
Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129
Thank you for your loyal support!
All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012
“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream
" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"
January 27th, 2014 at 2:20 pm
Oh my goodness!
Now I get why I received a text back from call, *believe me* i was in shock, hahaha, I would’ve sent u cute 💛💜💚’a & other thangs if I’d known!
Congrats and I know how it is, I had to retire my favorite flip phone way back when and it isn’t easy : |
Hope you’re having an amazing day.
Lots of luv fr one of the girlZ, Zen Lill
January 27th, 2014 at 5:36 pm
Michelle, I wish you a very happy birthday! Thank you for all you do for us!
Christine76
January 27th, 2014 at 7:25 pm
You can bet those carriers will come up with some way to stick it to their customers that want their phones unlocked.
But thanks Obama. The republicans hate you because you regulate big business and force them to work at being customer friendly.
Happy Birthday Michelle.
January 27th, 2014 at 8:13 pm
I feel like the importance of this is being blown out of proportion by the tech sites. Yeah, it’s great news for the handful of people who actually try to use phones on different carriers, but let’s remember that 3 of the big 5 providers use technology that isn’t even cross compatible.
So good luck trying to unlock a Verizon smartphone to use on Sprint’s network. You’ll be able to make voice calls and that’s about it.
Even AT&T and T-Mobile don’t share all the same frequencies, so you’ll spend half the time bouncing between 4g and 2G (edge)
January 27th, 2014 at 8:15 pm
Consumers rejoice. More options is better for all. Death to 2 year contracts.
January 28th, 2014 at 8:24 am
Zen Lill I do not see how the fact that there are a lot of gray areas in life has to do with taking a position when giving advice to young women if you know that that advice is good.
I have daughters and I would never give the kind of advice you gave on the issue of vetting. I did read that book. It was controversial only because it was tainted with religion and the author’s own behavior was less than stellar.
However the book should be standard reading for every young woman. Yes, each will make her choice, but on his advice to make a man wait 90 days, there are no shades of gray.
No one loses if the woman waits 90 days. The women who argue against it are acting as agents for men, most of them predatory, who are only interested in their immediate sexual gratification, not agents for women. Only the man interested in sex before the 90 days wins from from your advice.
The elephant in the room is the woman interested in sex before the 90 days my daughters claim. (I am a Pharm., PHD. My children know that I usually use drugs when I use a simile or anecdote to make an analogy or prove a point.) I hope you will not be put off by my using one or two here because this is directed to my daughters as much as it is to you. I told them they could get my answer on the blog and if it made them more comfortable they could reply there.
Actually the Elephant in the room is whether it is ever wise for anyone (male or female) to engage in sexual intercourse before 90 days. That is the question which has a lot of gray areas. But it is not viable for teens especially females because they are more vulnerable physically and psychologically. In their case it is never wise to engage in sex before the vetting of 90 days.
I would also add that sex before 90 days is never viable for young women between their teen years and the period of their life when they are still considering forming meaningful romantic relationships with others. This is true not because they would be “sluts, whores, or any other derisive term because they engaged in early sex with their partners. It is true for several reasons, the tainted reputation, even thought not warranted, is but one of them.
Although it is true that a female should not be made to feel different for engaging in early sex when the male isn’t, it is a fact that society influenced by male dominance has made that practically a given. The fact that males are prone to bragging about having sex with those females and embellishing when kissing and telling doesn’t help.
Right or wrong, gaining such a reputation is going to impact a female negatively. It can become a form of psychological and emotional bullying that she may have no defense for and may never recover from. Her self esteem and ability to feel comfortable in public could be damaged beyond even trained psychological help.
One can argue that it shouldn’t be so but it is, in this case there should be no reason to have to experience it because without that being the case a female should not be engaging in early sexual intercourse, period. The reason is she gains nothing by doing so.
One could argue she gains the sexual satisfaction she was seeking with her choice of partner. Here is my first drug analogy. One takes a prescription drug because the doctor has examined you and prescribed it as the thing that will make you feel or get better.
Most people fill the the prescription and take the drug without reading the contraindications that come with the drug. Some do read the contraindications but resist discussing them with their doctor or pharmacist before taking them together that amounts to about 95% of all people taking prescriptions drugs.
If the person a female met was that drug and the contraindications that came with it was that person’s character traits, then we could say that about 95% of women fall into the category of never checking on the character of the person or getting a bit of incite on the character of the person before having sex with them, but decides to engage in sex with them anyway.
Like those taking the prescription drug many get their good feeling and are none the worse for the experience. But for those 5% that do suffer a side effect, it can be devastating or fatal. My question is why take the unnecessary risks?
It is only 90 days and if the man isn’t still there when the date arrives, what have you lost? In time you will certainly have as many in there 90 day period as you have approaching it. Hence with a little willpower, your sexual appetite can be appeased with those whom you have not only read the contraindications but talked about it with your physician or pharmacist. Again why take the unnecessary risks?
Reading and discussing the contraindications of a drug does not guarantee that you will not experience a negative result, but it does guarantee you will understand the signs that one may be coming. That would be the time to disengage from taking that drug.
Young or naive women seldom get advice from their parents, “don’t do it,” is not advice. When they do get romantic advice, it is mostly bad.
Hence if you are a role model, Zen Lill, one who claims to have experience, then it is shameful that you would not advice young or naive or inexperienced females not to wait at least 90 days before having sexual intercourse. There are no gray areas for them. The risk to their emotional, physical and psychological state by predatory males is too great to take the unnecessary risk.
Women who deny that a woman takes a greater risk when she decides to make herself vulnerable by having sexual intercourse with a man, than a man is when he dose it with a female, are just liars. Women who deny that this is true to themselves are just fools.
To my daughters, I say if you are going to listen to a woman on this blog, pick one that will risk adversity by arguing for the issue that defers to your safety.
That person to me would be Michelle Moquin. Her argument is that if a man is worth having sex with before the 90 days he will be worth having sex with after, but the reverse is not true. So ladies, read that prescription bottle and discuss any contraindications with those who you trust concerning information about them. Why take the unnecessary risk?
Morris
January 28th, 2014 at 9:54 am
How germy are those lemon wedges we plop into our water glasses at restaurants?
A slice of lemon can spruce up plain-old water, but you might be drinking more than you bargained for. Turns out, those seemingly innocuous water glass garnishes (see also: iced tea and diet soda) could be serving up a host of unappetizing organisms.
For one Journal of Environmental Health study, researchers swabbed the rinds and flesh of 76 lemons from 21 restaurants collected during 43 visits and found that a whopping 70 percent of them produced microbial growth.
The samples were collected as soon as the beverage (either soda or water) was served, before drinking or touching, and while the researchers couldn’t pinpoint the exact origins of the microorganisms, they speculated that they may have come from the restaurant employee or raw meat or poultry contamination, among other sources.
“Although lemons have known antimicrobial properties, the results of our study indicate that a wide variety of microorganisms may survive on the flesh and the rind of a sliced lemon,” the authors wrote in their report. “Restaurant patrons should be aware that lemon slices added to beverages may include potentially pathogenic microbes.”
Philip Tierno, Ph.D., clinical professor of microbiology and pathology at NYU Langone Medical Center, has conducted dozens of similar experiments, including one commissioned by ABC news, which found that half of lemon wedges collected from various restaurants were contaminated with human fecal matter.
What’s more, the ABC cameras nabbed employees handling lemons with their bare hands. And in Tierno’s experience, restaurants may not be diligently washing lemons — or they rinse them, but don’t scrub. It’s also easy for a worker’s hands, whether it be a bartender serving up a drink or a chef slicing the fruit in the kitchen, to cross-contaminate after dealing with patrons, washing glasses and handling food.
“We found in every single group of specimens from different institutions, representations from the three body sites that men usually impart their flora,” Tierno tells HuffPost Healthy Living of his research.
Those include bacteria from the intestines (in the form of fecal matter), the respiratory tract (think coughing, talking, sneezing) and the skin. Among the specimens collected were E. coli, staphylococcus epidermidis and candida, a fungus commonly found in the vagina. While his team didn’t test specifically for viruses, such as norovirus (a.k.a. the stomach flu) or the cold virus, this type of contamination is typically an indicator that they are present, he explains.
January 28th, 2014 at 11:29 am
The Emperor has issued an edict that all non registered entrants inside the Web should surrender to his Command no later than Feb 15, 2014. All inside the Web should disarm immediately.
If any are caught armed before they surrender, they will be eliminated without discourse. If caught without arms, the sentence will be expulsion with confiscation of vessel and penalties to the Mothership at the Emperor’s discretion.
January 28th, 2014 at 12:02 pm
The Characteristic of the woman who feels that she is defying the “whore”, or “slut” stereotype when she argues that sexual intercourse should be okay when she wants it, is one of a narcissistic egocentric core.
That core is dominated by feelings of rebelling against the double standard that has been levied against her gender. The problem is her intent on maintaining at all costs that the double standard be ignored at fails to acknowledge that that double standard will be used against the female because it is accepted by other females and she is part of that society which accepts it.
The female who blindly refuses to listen to logic from anyone on this is doomed to a life of misery if it is discovered and made public that she will have sexual intercourse so liberally. And yet, she will fight to the end to preserve that position.
The great mystery to me is: Why do those women not see that they gain nothing by having sexual intercourse so early in the relationship? So why are they fighting so hard to preserve that “independence” of their ego.
That book and many who come here to offer genuine help, have made it perfectly clear that to not wait a suitable time never helps the woman. It only provides her body to the predatory male for his benefit.