heres the sutuation,Lena has megafone.i have t-mobile. we have been text messaging(sms) for over a year back and forth. i can recieve local sms,i can send her sms,and she recieves it,she can recieve local moscow sms,but i cannot recieve her sms now for 2 days!! anyone else having trouble??? she has called me 2 times asking why i didnt text her back,ive called t mobile and they said its not on us side,they cant see any problems here. she said she has called megafone,and they said they dont know why either,what gives???? we have tried the remove your sim card trick,and the power on and off trick. nothing is working.

I've never had problems receiving sms from tele2, which is supposed to be way ghetto, and i have t-mobile as well. She could always buy another sim card and switch them when she wanted to text you, and then you could text her megafon #.

Native,

Kyle and I are experiencing the same problem now.
I'm using Megafon and he's using T-mobile. On Wednesday night he stopped receiving my sms' and we have no idea what is going on.
In past some messages were lost, but it happened rarely. For last couple of days it hasn't been working at all. I have no problem receiving his messages, but mine are not delivered to him.

Tasha

I've had problems in the past as well, with Cingular and Megafon... Usually the problem is between some kind of gateway between the services breaking down or needing a restart, or whatever. They never fully explained, although the outtages typically lasted 2-4 days.

FYI: You can send SMS messages directly from Megafon's website (and save some cash in the process since US companies are extortionists when it comes to texting).

http://megafon.ru/sms/
Just pick the region where your recipient has service, and go from there.

Good luck,

Z

shikarnov,

thanks for your post and info.

The problem is that from T-mobile to Megafon it works fine. I can receive messages. Messages from Megafon to T-mobile are not delivered.
I used this link to send sms to T-mobile: https://web.mms.msg.t-mobile.com/smsportal/...c&locale=en
But it's not as comfortable as being able to use my cell phone, of course.

Tasha

I don't know what kind of phone you have, but Ira's brother is able to sign into Yahoo Messenger with his mobile phone (also Megafon). I also have Messenger on my phone and so we often communicate that way. If your phone also has this ability, it might be worth doing.

And for your USC T-Mobile user, assuming he can't also get Messenger installed on his phone, he can sign up to have IMs received as SMS messages. http://in.content.mobile.yahoo.com/new/messenger/

I realize that's not an ideal solution, but it could get you communicating again from the comfort of your phone until whatever problems with Megafon/T-Mobile are fixed...

Z

First the messages stop....

Then the radios start sounding fuzzy....

Then the grid goes down, and we're all left in the dark. Next thing you know.... the ALIENS are attacking. AHHH!


This thread just goes to show what kind of technologically crazy world we live in. "I can't instantly send messages to the other side of the world via the little device that fits in my pocket. It's been like two days. Something is horribly wrong." Can you imagine how excited our grandparents would've been to transmit and receive written messages from a personal device in only two days?

Edited: And to take it a step further.... I think we're starting to become a culture where we're so reliant on technology that we forget how to survive without it. What if we lose it?

Ask a kid to throw a baseball or run down the street and they look pretty funny doing it. Ask them to show you how to reprogram the runners on MLB2K and they're changing colors and hats and all types of stuff. What if we want to play catch sometime because we're bored and there's no X-Box around? What are we going to do for fun then? (I sure hope we have some Pokemon cards handy. I'd sure hate to have to toss a football around.)

Our military now has suits and helmets soldiers can wear that transmit signals to the commanders and other units in real time. Know what? The 15-year-old wearing flip flops can still shoot them with his AK-47.

Technology, shmecknology. The greatest technology we have is our ability to make due with what's available.

That's true. They'd be amazed... But, on the flip side, I'm sure they'd cope quite easily with a major regional blackout for any length of time. If the lights ever went out in today's day and age for longer than a few hours, they'd be calling in FEMA and the National Guard!

Sometimes I think my step-dad is right, that many of the gains we've made have cost us far more than we've gotten -- someday, our inability to create fire as a basic skill will come back to haunt us.

Welcome to 21st Century America.

Z

They'd have to call in FEMA or the National Guard. America is a lot closer to social breakdown and disorder than we'd like to admit. Once our basic amenities break down, and it's "every man for himself" this is not going to be the place we all think it is. The govt. already knows that, and that's why there is a FEMA and a National Guard.



Exactly my point.

I know this girl who went to tracking school and she can look at a rock and tell you if a mouse walked on it 1 hour ago. Now THAT is survival skills.

That's sweet. She should open a survivalist school. I'd sign up.

Z

Zhenya,

thanks for info. My phone has this ability, but I like using sms.
In any case I prefer to be able to use the services I pay for.

native,

I've just called Megafon. The lady was very nice and forwarded my request to their tech-center. We'll see if it helps.
At least she didn't try to say it was T-mobile's fault and didn't use the phrase our administrators at work usually say before they listen to your request: Everything works on our side, it's not our problem

slim,

I understand your point, but it doesn't make me happier about the situation.
Centuries ago our ancestors lived in caves and they would've been amazed to see modern houses, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't try to fix something that breaks in a house or apartment and move out to a nice little cave in middle of nowhere.

I hope my words don't sound mean. I'm sorry if they do, I'm not having a very good day today.

Tasha

But if it doesn't work, then what can you do? :/

Like I've said: I called my phone company and left a request to check and fix the service

i actually have the opposite problem--i get his SMSs, he doesn't get mine. i have t-mobile as well.

I'm sorry to hear that.
Actually I've just found out that there people here, who use other phone companies and they have started experiencing the same problem with sending sms to t-mobile two days ago. Maybe you should consider calling your company?

Tele2 in Saint Petersburg must also be having problems.Last night and all today,no sms or phone calls go through.

Nope... I called it a couple of hours ago.



It's not such a concern for me, since he's a programmer so he's at the computer all day. If I send him a message on googletalk or an email he'll get it, and my phone has the capabilities for both. Plus they're free and SMS to Russia isn't.

thanks alot t&h,and everybody on here. lena has now called megafon twice, the second time with the same result you just had. ive already called tmobile,and checked everything,here it is ok.

So can I, it's called poop!



I'm in 100% agreement that we shouldn't move to caves and just leave stuff broken. I believe we should use technology to the fullest. However, without basic skills, when technology fails, it's taken us so far that now we're useless.

I don't think we should live in caves, but I think we should have the ability to live in caves. Most of us have lost that.

Screw that. I think I could live in a cave for a couple days if I was lost in the woods or something. And if I did a lot of camping or lived in a remote area I might consider acquiring those kinds of abilities. But the chances of me needing this kind of skill, living in the technological age and society I do, is so low that it's basically a waste of time. I know how to live in a Motel 6. That's about as low on the survival ladder as I go.

Based on a few Motel 6s I've seen, A cave is a definite upgrade!

While I agree we have a lot of technological upgrades, what happens when all that technology is rendered inoperable?

What happens when the power goes out? What happens after an EMP? What happens when we can't turn on the tap and have water come out? What happens when there's a major medical outbreak and not everyone can go to the hospital? What happens when there's a major earthquake in California, fires in Arizona, tornados in Oklahoma, a hurricane on the Gulf Coast, a power-outage in the Midwest and a dirty bomb in New York City?????

There's not enough National Guard to rescue all of us. What are we going to do? And I'm not putting on my tin foil hat, I'm just saying, worst case scenario.

We like to think of our cell service going out as a "huge inconvenience" but when it comes down to it, most of us lack basic survival skills necessary for sustaining life past three or four days. So really, how advanced are we?

When you compare the death toll of Hurricane Katrina to the actual population of the stricken areas, it's actually very VERY low. Where you see high death rates are in areas of least technological progress, such as Mexico City. I think there's a pretty direct correlation to the level of technology and the level of survivability without a lot of it.

slim,
i agree that we have gone soft,and perhaps our society needs some spinal viagra,and some education on basic survival,just in case.
but to be honest,if everyone survives,it makes it that much harder on those with the skills. dont worry about mine..we will be fine;
i have survived in-20 degrees F,not wimpy C:) for over 24 hours at high altitude carrying a 75 lb. rucksack, not that impressive,until you consider the fact that we were marching ALL NIGHT LONG.done the same in 120f desert heat,full battle rattle, mop gear and all until the point of hallucination.
i know how to extract water from dead plants and animals,as well as live ones,turn salt water into fresh, turn an MRE into a gourmet meal, booze,or bomb if u wish,drink my own urine(havent tried that just yet:)eat bugs,kill a man with a shoelace a needle and a straw,(or a reed)- can you say-BLOWGUN? make a very nice fire or weapon with household chemicals,catch fish with spider webs,twine from my fancy wal mart socks,all that mcgyver rambo crap, to sum it all up,
i can survive and thrive anywhere,sea,air or land,in any climate. BUT I STILL WANT MY GIRLS MESSAGES!!! she is not here yet, so this is how we stay in touch thorought the day.(but I CANT SPELL!!) we cannot coordinate times we will be speaking,if we dont know the others schedule,as we both have to work.(curse of the drinking people) im having withdrawals.....ahhhhhh

I live in Oklahoma, and we have had two tornados touch down in my city already. We get by. You know, a country boy can survive and all that

Absolutely agree, but that's a single incident with a huge, albeit late, relief effort. And once again, what do we do when technology is rendered obsolete? There are no "gizmos" after an EMP and there is no GPS when the batteries die. There's no gasoline once it's all been used up. At that point, we need basic survival skills.


That's probably going to be the hardest part, dealing with all the "survivors" who are hanging around demanding to be treated like human beings.



You are a bad dude! (And so is Ranger Joe.... I've read that book too.)



I get it. I'm not even trying to post this stuff in a "shut up and deal with it. Boo-hoo, I can't message my girl" type manner. I'm only trying to point out that most people lack basic survival skills, and one day, it's quite possible it's going to find them lacking. Technology is good if it builds upon basic skills and upgrades capabilities. When you take technology and apply it to those without the basic skills, they're short, and in the end, it ends up catching back up to them. Case in point - 15-year-olds with AK-47s. Sure, they can still shoot people and are very effective, but they're severely outmatched when it comes to fighting a trained force with M-16s. Taken to the extreme, a trained force deployed by helicopters with M-16s and all the latest gadgets can be bested by guys with AK-47s riding around in Toyota pick-ups. At that point, technology is overcome by basic skill.



Ask Al Gore how many more you're going to get this year. And as Ron White says, "It's not that the wind is blowing, it's what the wind is blowing."

Ahhh...you're talking end of the world scenario type stuff? I don't see any way to prepare for that eventuality, and besides: the likelihood of that scenario coming to pass, and therefore me actually needing those skills is statistically very very small. And if it did come to pass, even if I did have those skills I'm pretty sure I don't have what it takes to survive what other human beings will throw at me. Honestly I really don't want to live in a world like that, so hopefully I'd just be killed off in the first wave and be done with it.

I still remember angry grown men getting in fights in the long gas lines back during one of those mysterious gas shortages we had almost 3 decades ago.

The "50 years until the s**t hit's the fan" scenario is being discussed a lot lately around global warming worst case. If we fight over who gets their tank filled next, think how we'll behave when the food chain breaks down and the power grid craps out.

Just recently Ted Turner was quoted as saying in 50 years we all become cannibals due to global warming. I don't care much for Ted but maybe he's not too nutty to see the dark possibilities. And things we be very bad way before we start digesting each other.

When the streets go dirty and mean, the soft white collar males aren't going to have a clue, and by then we'll all have our guns taken away by socialist-progressive government agencies (like the San Francisco and DC city governments) so we can neither hunt the little remaining game there is or protect our homes and families when the roaming hoard of crazed people decides we're their next barbecue selection.

And if the Al Queida forces have it their way, things could get nasty out on the streets a lot sooner.

So we better enjoy all the techno goodies while we can...and maybe stash some food, water and guns under the porch...to buy us a few extra weeks before the end.

i'm inclined to agree.

Every generation has its doomsday scenario. It was the "red scare" in the 50's and 60's, it was nuclear holocaust in the 70's and 80's, it was terrorism in the 90's (nuclear terrorism, specifically) and 00's (back to plain 'ol driving airplanes into buildings), and now it looks like the energy shortage will be the new scare. And while I certainly am completely on board with global warming as a reality, and that the world's oil supply is in much worse shape than anyone is telling us, I see cannibals and Al Queda running amok in the streets about as likely as muppets running amok in the streets. (for starters, oil is what funds Al Queda. Without oil there is no Al Queda.) I see the government taking our guns even more unlikely, because no President, not even Hillary, would be stupid enough to basically force this country into civil war. Hell, even if we lived in bizarro universe and Ralph Nader tried to take your guns away, congress would not only stop it, but probably impeach.

I would go with your first instinct...Ted Turner really is a nut.

Back to the original topic:
As far as I am aware there is nobody on here who works for Megaphone, T-mobile, cingular, or any other wireless company being thrown around. Why aren't you guys emailing and calling the support staff of those companies. They hold the answers if any, not us.

As for all your doomsday scenarios, man is creative, we'll survive, adapt and cope.

The original topic was pretty much over a few pages back. But even still, your answer has already been addressed.


Captain Generic Answer called and wants his I'm-Bored-And-Have-Nothing-Substantial-To-Say raygun back.

Muppets running amok throught the streets, now that truly is a horrific doomsday scenario.

ok its sunday,day 5 of "the no sms saga" today lena tried even using friends mobile with different provider to sms me on tmobile.. same problem,i didnt recieve sms. tomorow she will call megafon as instructed by them on friday. tea and honey, are you guys still having problems?

Here is a trick to try for you. Go to an AT&T store and tell them you are thinking of switching service and that you want to make sure that SMS works internationally. All the phones on the display floor are usually fully functional. Send her an SMS from an AT&T phone and tell her to reply to that number. Then you will be able to see if it is really a problem with Tmobile.

Good idea, Bobalouie.



Ted Turner could be nutty, but he definitely has the resources to be well prepared for any contingency. I'm just wondering if that wife of his will turn him in or make him surrender.

Another interesting thing happened last week. The Supreme Court ruled DC's handgun ban unconstitutional. I've yet to hear the aftermath, but with Mr. Heston gone now, seems like his life's work might have actually done something.



But one of these generations is actually going to have a doomsday scenario. If not to that extent, there's going to at least be civil strife at minimum or full unrest and social breakdown leading up to and/or immediately after an incident. And as seanconneryii said above, there are going to be those prepared, and those unprepared.

I went to a gun show this weekend and they had a "Hillary special" on AK-47 magazines. "Don't look back a few years from now saying 'I wish I would've bought 'em when I had the chance.'" I agree with you though, there won't be a politician that will single-handedly influence the govt. enough to disarm the population. They'll restrict hi-caps and certain weapons like they did before, but they'll never "pry this gun from my cold, dead, fingers." If society continues the way it is, they won't need to. In 50 years when we're all cannibals in response to the global warming fiasco, no one will know how to use a gun anyway because guns are dangerous and "bad."



Some men will. The others will simply "wait" for someone to save them, and "hope" themselves and their families make it.

Yeah, shame about that. Great actor, loved his movies. Hate the NRA. (flame away boys, I'm a gun owner too but the NRA will never see a dime from me.)


Yeah, well every generation has been saying that too. Ever since cavemen took to writing, there's been a kook on the street corner with a sign saying "The End is near!" So enjoy your survival training, I'll be sitting here in Starbucks with my triple-shot carmel iced macchiato with sprinkles (light on the foam please) pretending to be all intellectual and stuff while surfing pr0n on my Macbook.

uhhhhh,i have no response to that.....and i think its working now, after i finally got tmobile to admit they are the problem, not russia is as always assumed. they wouldnt even check into it until more people called with same issue. fartknockers.
i called my buddy,had lena send his att mobile sms,he recieved her SMS no problem,and that proved they had poop on their faces. i called and bitched,nuff said. its like every disease always seems to come from africa right?- WRONG. katastrofa.

Slim, I think you are thinking of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals decision. The Supreme court agreed to hear the case and oral arguments were made on March 18th, but they are not expected to rule on the case until June or July. I just did a quick google and couldnt find anything that said that they upheld the DC circuit court's decision yet. Although I hope they will.

I'm not as confident we'll always have the right to bear arms. England and Australia (countries very much like us) have total gun bans including confiscation. Of course, crime has soared in both countries but they're disarmed. Must be reassuring to a burglar or home invader that he (she?) can enter any home and be certain he (she?) won't be shot.

It starts out slowly...like the total gun bans in San Francisco and DC. Maryland is also very anti-gun as is New Jersey and NY. The more modern soft males get away from handling guns, the more they fear them and want to ban them. The men in this country who know how to handle a handgun or rifle is certainly in the minority i would think.

I think the clock is ticking on the 2nd amendment. I hope I'm wrong. As someone said, citizens without guns become "subjects."

I have Verizon and I can not send or receive SMS. Given how big a company it is, I find that very annoying.


To Russia that is...

I hate verizon and their stupid proprietary software and CDMA phones. my family all has verizon and they pay so much more for less than me on t mobile. Even if their calls are clearer, my other stuff is so much better. Even if i can't text russian phones.

I won't go so far as to say I hate the NRA, but I'm not a member and am kind of apprehensive to join any "political" group. After all, some say it was the NRA's push that got us our wonderful President we have today. I don't see how that's money well spent.

But, on the flip side, I really don't see anyone else standing up for the 2nd Amendment, so maybe $25/year isn't too bad to ensure that someone's out there supporting it. It's a pretty sad state of affairs when we need to pay someone to ensure our Constitutional rights are upheld. But, that's America.



I'm all for sitting at Starbucks doing the wonderful things you've described (caramel iced macchiatos are the bomb!) but I wouldn't be comfortable sitting there doing that without first sizing up those around me, locating all exits/entries, identifying possible weapons and formulating contingency plans in my head. Call it a trained response, but it's automatic. I won't say it's going to save my life someday, but I will say I'm going to fare better than someone who doesn't do those things when something does happen.



OK. I just caught a snippet of it on the radio and didn't hear any outcome of the rulings. (Probably because they haven't been ruled on yet.) Either way, at least the DC Circuit Court of Appeals is pulling their heads out of their @$$es and leaning in the right direction, finally! The part that I heard said they ruled the ban on the right to own a handgun in a private residence violated the 2A right to keep and bear arms as an individual right. The Supreme Court had previously not used 2A in terms of individual rights, moreover a collective right to keep arms by all individuals. The reason they (on the radio) were touting this ruling as so important was that this was the first time the Supreme Court was actually recognizing an individual right to keep and bear arms as being protected under 2A. We'll see what happens. Could make for a very interesting election and post-election.

"Sorry Hillary, you can't take 'em away now, they're covered under the 2nd Amendment."



America has had a somewhat different relationship with firearms than England and Australia. We were also founded by a group of Riflemen who's main mission, once establishing freedom for everyone, was to secure and protect it. They didn't really have that there.

As for gun control/crime statistics even being related, there are pros and cons on each side. Always a conflicting figure. Always evidence to back up this side or that side. But, when it comes down to it, and the cons are outside, as in outside your front door, would you rather have a gun or no gun. And of course, the main selling point for anti-gunners has always been "less guns = less crime" with the counterpoint being "only law-abiding citizens comply with gun laws." Criminals don't turn in their guns.



Although I don't think it's a minority yet... I agree that it's getting there. As is the amount of males that can change their own flat tires, throw a baseball, run a mile, and defend themselves from someone attempting to cause death or serious bodily harm to them or their families.

But they sure can play a fake guitar!

The one good thing going for gun ownership is the 2nd Amendment is federal. Sure, they can ban guns in NYC or DC, or wherever. But, as long as there are places like Texas and Wyoming, guns will never completely go away. Elected officials from those places get a lot of money to ensure they don't just disappear. (See above about where that $25 NRA "contribution" goes.)



I think the clock is ticking on America. As you said, the more modern soft males we get, the more fear we get. The more fear we get, the more we want to pretend bad things do not exist. Sometimes bad things need to be done and once they stop being done, there's no longer an environment for the modern soft male to exist in. Good luck with the hair gel, buddy. Oh, and you forgot your purse.

Speaking as a "soft" male whose only experience with a gun was noting that a US police officer was prepared to draw his at the first flinch during a routine traffic stop, it seems clear to me that these weapons should not be banned. The founders of the country drew up the second amendment, not to ensure that we can pick off home invaders (although that's not a bad ability to have), but to form a militia if there's ever a need to mount a serious resistance movement to an oppressive government or foreign invasion.

Given the current state of American politics and power, I'd say all the fire under which the Second Amendment is coming is yet another symptom of our Nanny State gaining more and more power. We've already sacrificed too many rights in the name of "security." Some day people are going to wake up and realize what we've lost, but by that point protests and marches may not help. Some day a real revolution may become necessary. And what will those people fight with?

Z

The Army has tanks and cruise missiles and rocket launchers and, if it really came to it, tactical nukes. Your hunting rifle, or even assault rifle, isn't going to make a spit of difference if it really came down to it. (and for what it's worth, it's ridiculous to think that it would ever come down to that.)

But I find the whole thing laughable. It's not our government we need to worry about, at least not directly. It's corporate America. They have bought and paid for you, and me, and everyone else in this country. We'll never rise up against the machine while we have our iPods and our iced coffees and our cell phones that we can play games on and upload photos to Myspace with. While we're screaming about our rights to bear arms, corporate America is taking you out with cheap plastic goods from China. And they'll take your 50 gallon drum of fudge ripple you got from Wal Mart from your cold, chubby hands.

Let's not forget that corporations that operate in the United States, although your concerns about them are valid, are still beholden to US laws. That they've been able to buy our politicians so easily speaks volumes about the state of our government. The solution to the corporate problem is with a government run by and for people.

That the wealthy and powerful people who run corporations and have bought our government might not want to willingly and peacefully relinquish the power they've amassed over time seems ridiculous to you? The Constitution was formed after a violent and bloody revolution. It was left incomplete and changeable because the founders understood that the future cannot be easily predicted.

A tyrannical US government was a possibility they feared, and that's they included provisions that made it difficult for any single part of the government to gain such strength. Over the years of my lifetime, the government has been slowly erasing the barriers to creating power. More privileges are being concentrated with the Executive. Oversight powers are being ceded by the Legislative. Within the Executive, we've concentrated agencies that were rightly separated to protect against the unrestricted sharing of information.

The only thing ridiculous here is the total faith that you seem to have, that a corrupt government will always yield to the screaming of pundits and talking heads on TV, or chanting around the Reflection Pool.

Z