Millenicom sells out to Verizon.

I guess I spoiled that joke - I always spill the punchline too soon. Got any duck food?

Cherie of Technomadia lets us know that Verizon has bought out the Millenicom accounts that use Verizon service. Supposedly, we will all soon be informed of our options.

Trendy SoMoPo real estate: camping at South Monticello Point, Elephant Butte, New Mexico

Thank you all for your kind wishes about Max. He was a good kitty, and lived a loved life all the way through.


I'm at South Monticello Point, in Elephant Butte Lake State Park. I prefer this spot big-time over the main park in all ways, except distance from Truth or Consequences. I'm completely over March winds, but I don't know where to go to escape them.

MILLENICOM BOOS AND YAYS

Back in November I subscribed to Millenicom's monthly service, and received the Novatel 4620L hotspot. Uh-oh. Right from the start it was glitchy, unreliable, and generally horrible. Suckadelic. I called customer service - always responsive and polite - regularly. They suggested I a) reset it, b) take out the battery, c) take out the SIM card and battery for at least 30 minutes, and d) perform a software update. Each call was some variation of this process.

Finally, we agreed it should be replaced, and so I received a unit as fraught with argh as the first device. When the rep suggested this one might be "defective," too, I insisted it be replaced with the Pantech that Technomadia likes so well.

Now? Out with the arrggh, in with the ahhh. I can see myself becoming a Millenicom fan, thanks to this smooth little operator of a wifi device.

Still, a finger-wag to Millenicom for continuing to ship out known crap-boxes from Novatel as late as November, 2013 when they intended to roll out the Pantech in January. A dirty look at technical reps who told me 'I've never heard of a problem with this unit!' Shame on Novatel for making such a spectacularly inferior product, and refusing to stand behind it. Cherie said Novatel eventually told them to stop calling.

I was no advocate of Millenicom's during the two months we were going steady on the phone. I'm beginning to unclench enough to say I'm happy with my set-up now. Millenicom, back that semi-load of Novatel 4620Ls up to the Willamette and start shoveling. That really means "compost the bejeezus out of those turds."

Nothing to say, and then saying it: Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon, and Flagstaff. And electronics.

I'm still camped just outside Sedona in a very satisfactory campsite that Annie found. I've been enjoying tweaking my sleeping arrangements in Spud for cold-weather camping (it has been consistently 28° - 30°F). The best, so far, has been sandwiching myself between two layers of "blankets" that are a film of aluminum on one side, bonded to a non-woven fabric (like stiff Handi-Wipes). While I am the tofuham, two down comforters are the lettuce and tomato.

Annie and I visited Palatki ruins

My life is perfect if I can raise Spud's hatch and put on her butt-tent. That lets me sit up at night surfing, or reading, or whatever else I want.

I've visited The Cousins for the past two weekends. It's about 1.5 hours through Oak Creek Canyon. I'm not yet jaded enough to speed through the switchbacks.

No vehicles over 50 feet long. Please.

I have just ordered a passel of gadgets for making my life even better. I'll tell you about them when I've received and enjoyed them. If they suck, I'll tell you about that, too.

Tonight, I activated my Command Center (in the footwell of my passenger side). I'm powering my Wilson Sleek 4G-V signal booster together with my Millenicom MiFi hotspot.

  

[I originally had some trouble with the Mifi cycling off and on every few seconds. Apparently, that's a thing. I called, got a real person right away, and the trouble was over.]

I'm also charging my telephone. I'll plug in my Nook, if I feel fancy.

Although most of my gadgets have their own battery power, the Wilson Sleek is the exception; it needs continuous power to boost a signal. This is where the Prius "generator" comes to my rescue. It turns itself on for a minute or two every so often (Suanne figured about 4 minutes every half hour for hers). That keeps the 12 volt accessory battery happy.

One of my new gadgets will hopefully bypass that necessity. I'll tell you about it soon. The Mifi has a battery, and when I don't need signal amplification I can use that very well. When I set up tonight, I got two bars of 3G without the Sleek, and four bars of 4G with it.

I just figured out that the same cable powers up my phone, Mifi, and Nook. Oh frabjous day!

I just got an exciting idea for my next trip! I'll tell you about it once I'm started.