Okay. We all know the major consternation I caused at the beginning of April because nobody knew where I was while I was standing at the El Cerrito del Norte BART station because I hadn't called anyone from LAX to tell them that my flight had been delayed WELL past when it was supposed to take off (it actually took off 25 minutes after it was supposed to have landed at SFO). So yes, I needed a cell phone I could have called from the airport with.
But phones cost money, and I had to wait until the end of the month, so I did, and Virgin Mobile was out of the phone I really wanted, and I had been told I needed a smartphone RIGHT off the bat (thanks, FogCityJohn, you were correct), so I ordered an LG Optimus V, marked down from $119.99 to $69.99.
It arrived Wednesday, 5/1. Thus began the saga of Dave and his first cell phone. Oh, yes, why was it so cheap? It's obsolete already -- listed as "discontinued" at the LG website.
But First, A Word From Our Sponsor:
Top Comments recognizes the previous day's Top Mojo and strives to promote each day's outstanding comments through nominations made by Kossacks like you. Please send comments (before 9:30pm ET) by email to topcomments@gmail.com or by our KosMail message board. J
Make sure that you include the direct link to the comment (the URL), which is available by clicking on that comment's date/time. Please let us know your Daily Kos user name if you use email so we can credit you properly. If you send a writeup with the link, we can include that as well. The diarist poster reserves the right to edit all content.
Please come in. You're invited to make yourself at home!
First, to Radio Shack 5/2 because I couldn't figure out how to get it open for the battery. That was enough for one day. A few calls to customer service (refreshingly in Nicaragua, so they don't think they understand English as well as you do) and I got it to text. I know, texting. When ALL of Virgin Mobile's plans allow unlimited text and data, you learn how to text. Two days later, I decided I needed to know how to make calls, so it was back to tech support. To make calls, the tech people told me, I needed to stand near the window in my apartment. That was about when I announced I was getting a new phone. I didn't have to, but that wasn't because anyone at tech support told me I didn't need to; I found the setting I was supposed to use accidentally as I was looking through all the "settings" options (see "playing with it" in the next paragraph) and I don't know if I could find it again. No matter.
Yes, it's a computer with calling capabilities, so you learn it the way you learn about a computer. You play with it. I had been depriving myself of a lot of fun. So now I can text. Now I can call too, although nobody has called me on it yet (that's not true, once because the call had been dropped just before we were about to say goodbye). Data is interesting. I use the LA Metro app a LOT, although it sometimes doesn't update. I'm getting practice googling things. The one site I absolutely CANNOT access in a satisfactory manner? This one --yes, I know there's a teeny "Get full page" button but it never works for me and I really don't want to access the site if I can't log on (and NOW both my screen name and my 9-character password are inconvenient).
I downloaded a lot of apps (no games, just stuff) and managed to download enough so I couldn't store any contact information for anyone. Dragging stuff to the front page and then to the trash can didn't work, so I called support, who showed me how to reset the phone to its original factory setting. Since I didn't have any contacts stored, that was fine! It was also nice that during the tech call I had said something about my students and the tech guy called me "Professor " for the rest of the call. That doesn't happen when the support center is in India.
So now all I have is my bank app (so I can take a picture of the check and send it to the bank) the Nextrip LA Metro app, and one of the apps every gay man with a smartphone has to have. No, I'm too old for Grindr and discretion will be the better part of valor here about which one. Yes, I've taken a pic or two with the phone, and now I have to learn how to transfer stuff from the phone to the computer and vice versa. Get your mind out of the gutter, I'm referring to music.
And this will be invaluable because Friday I'll be in Louisville and my friends at the reading (in case you don't know, the AP US History exam, because they can't get computers to grade the essay portion, and I've been doing this for eight years now) are already excited that I've joined the 21st century. There will be a paroxysm of exchanging numbers at our first meal and another paroxysm of texting all week. This time I get to play along! Yes, increasingly and increasingly the new me is emerging. The beard was just the beginning. (A propos that, don't expect to see me in Top Comments again until Saturday, June 8, unless I miraculously figure out how to log in to my GOS account.)
Brave new world. All those plugs on the surge protectors are because, like lots of other people all over the world, I have four things I plug in to charge every night: a Kindle, a camera, an mp3 player, and a phone. Pretty soon, it will all be second nature to me. Now it's just fun. I was going to ask how long I should keep the phone before I trade up from it, but I figure I need to learn how to use it first.
That's where we are! I'm typical, yes?
And now for the stuff that makes this Top Comments:
TOP COMMENTS
May 29, 2013
Thanks to tonight's Top Comments contributors! Let us hear from YOU when you find that proficient comment.
From cassandracarolina:
The submitter was especially thrilled with robcat2075's characterization of what actually happened in her own excellent diary on The Suspicious Farewell Of Archeopteryx Bachmannii
From watercarrier4diogenes:
It's nice to see a spelling error received as well as SmileySam's was in MovieJay's rec list diary Ding, Dong, the Witch is Dead on Michele Bachmann's decision not to seek reelection.
|
|
TOP MOJO
May 28, 2013
(excluding Tip Jars and first comments)
1) I hate to say it... by ManhattanMan — 175
2) My Dad Calling Me To Bitch by webranding — 146
3) R & R have no academic credibility. by TomP — 107
4) Did you actually read Krugman yesterday? by Upper West — 107
5) Ha! Did You Read This? by JekyllnHyde — 98
6) Or they could stop trying to disenfranchise by Dr Erich Bloodaxe RN — 92
7) Not sure if this is the original source by palantir — 85
8) there is a far more basic point by teacherken — 73
9) This is a necessary outing of racists and this is by Boston Beans — 73
10) High school teach kids that adults are idiots.... by Liberal Capitalist — 66
11) Very nicely done! by Diogenes2008 — 66
12) My heart may not bleed for them, by doingbusinessas — 65
13) If you're not allowed to be very rich in Denmark by Dallasdoc — 62
14) USA falling behind other countries by Puddytat — 62
15) Excellent explanation of ACA. by nomandates — 61
16) Blather, Reince, Repeat. by BPARTR — 58
17) IMHO by OrlWriter — 57
18) Happy Birthweek to Loki by Debbie in ME — 53
19) Sanford, Fl.? by sceptical observer — 52
20) The court will not be sending the jurors... by Meteor Blades — 52
21) Happee Toosdai! by arizonablue — 51
22) It all makes sense to me by Adam B — 51
23) Ms. Vitsmun is simply a calm, cool heroine of by Boston Beans — 49
24) Or hypocrites by LSophia — 49
25) The scandal is nonpartisan by Dallasdoc — 47
26) A bit of cute to help you get through the day. by Amber6541 — 46
27) The moaning and bitching by mrblifil — 46
28) Obviously, the CEO thinks he can attract quality by koosah — 46
29) Yep, really feels like Monday. by NormAl1792 — 45
30) sniff by KrazyKitten — 45
For an explanation of How Top Mojo Works, see mik's FAQing Top Mojo |
TOP PHOTOS
May 28, 2013
Enjoy jotter's wonderful PictureQuilt below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that photo. Have fun, Kossacks!
|