Save Money By Switching!

It is hard to watch television, surf the net or listen to the radio without seeing or hearing about car insurance rates. "If you switch to BLAH BLAH insurance you could save up to $400 a year!" Well after thinking about this I realized that EVERY car insurance ad claims this to be true. Allstate, Geico, Progressive, Etc. Etc. What company is the one that has the highest rates that everyone else is saving by switching to a different company? I am sure that if you are needing SR22 (DUI) insurance and switch to a company that specializes in helping those who choose to get caught drinking and driving have insurance you could save some money. "If you fall into a certain niche of driving coverage and need insurance call me, you could save money!" This should be the slogan, it's more accurate. I guess the alternative would be "Hey, we could save you money but it's probably a waste of time. Oh yeah, you will need to give us a down payment as well." I wouldn't call them, maybe they should stick to the saving money stuff.

Big Brother Is Watching

I recently read the the FBI has started one of the world largest biometric databases for United States citizens. In the early reports of this story they listed the project at having at least one billion (or $1,000,000,000) dollars for this initiative. The effects are already starting to trickle down the system at the local level. As with any country wide policy and security change it has drawn some criticism.

To demonstrate how these things start I only need to point to one company, Disney. I am not saying that the Disney Corporation is part of some conspiracy but they were one of the first amusement park companies to incorporate a finger print scanning system into the regular park entry turn style. Now other parks and amusement type places have placed similar systems into use such as Busch Gardens. When my girlfriend and I decided to spend the day at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay I was asked to put my finger (voluntarily) into a scanner. I refused. They still let me in but I felt like there was something majorly wrong with this situation. What were these companies doing with all of this information that they were collecting? Every year over 119 million visitors cross through the gates of North American amusement parks. The official stance of companies like Disney Corp. in regards to the data that is being collected is that it is purged from the system after 48 hours and nothing comes from it. Knowing the habits of most medium to large size companies I have a hard time believing this as well. Companies like this have an extremely hard time deleting customer information and data that can be used for advertising purposes.

Today I read in John Dvorak's blog that Green Bay Wisconsin police are now taking finger prints when they pull people over. The persons fingerprint will be on the actual citation that is given. The reason that the local Wisconsin police give for the sudden change is for mistaken identity cases. They are protecting you from a citation that you may be charged with when your buddy (that looks exactly like you) is driving YOUR car and is caught speeding. So, with all of this in mind I go back to my original point of the trickle down effect. I am not a conspiracy theorist but this seems like a bit more than a coincidence. The point of doing this the way that they have chosen to do it is so that you are conditioned to be comfortable with the thought of walking into the mall and putting your finger into a scanner for your "protection." Don't be surprised to see your local government is adopting the same policies.

Christmas Reading For Kids!

Here is something that you just don't see enough of, pop up books with splatter! I found this picture on the BOING BOING blog and thought that I would share. If you are shopping for your nieces and nephews this Christmas season and don't know what to get them, grab a book and some safety glasses! Too bad that this is not real, I would send everyone in my family something that they would remember Uncle Sean by. Of course I would include a card that had a warning label "May cause one to poop themselves, change of clothes not included."

Internet scams during the holidays

Unfortunately this is one of the most profitable times of the year for online shopping scams and bogus websites. I have done all of my shopping for the holidays online for the first time this year and feel lucky that I come away scrape free. After reading the report released by Google and their decision to not index known internet scam sites I realized that this is a growing problem. The link for the article is below.



Here are some tips on how to find legitimate websites and also how to spot online shopping scams.

1. Is the website reputable?

Do your research into the website and see what people have to say about it. It can be as easy as typing the name of the website into google and looking for feedback.

2. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is.

I almost bought an electronic item from what looked like a reputable site but it didn't feel right. I went through the "Contact Us" section of the wesbite and typed the telephone number into google and five different companies came up as an exact match. I called the number listed and it seemed like they were never open. Afterwards I found a website that listed the one that I was considering as a scam site with REALLY poor reviews.

3. Read, read, read reviews

You may be able to scam a few people but once you get around the block a few times people will start to realize this is happening and report it. I know if someone scammed me I would blast them on my blog.

4. Make sure that you are buying from the website itself and not from a seller through the site.

Sites like EBay are great, I love it but they are well known for the scammers that lurk in the auctions. Read all of the information about the item listed and see if someone is posting it on a site like "Amazon.com" or if the website itself is hosting the item. This can make a huge difference if you need to exchange the item, want a refund or even of the item is under warranty.

5. Be careful how you pay for the items.

Sites like paypal are good but they can be easily recreated or "spoofed" to look like the real thing. I am sure that I am not the only one that hates that "Should I have just given out my credit card number?" feeling. If you don't like the way that they are making you pay for the item or if they are asking for too much information to sell you this item, just walk away. You are likely to find the item that you are looking for from another site.

I hope that this helps anyone who reads this have a safer online shopping experience this holiday season.http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2220415,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121

UPS delivery magic!

UPS had recently dropped some packages off at my door and I noticed something funny about this delivery. There was a floating doormat with nothing under it! This must have been the work of the UPS elves. I had to look twice at the place where I usually wipe my feet to realize that they had put my parcels under the mat. Just kidding. I don't know what the UPS driver hoped to accomplish by placing my door mat over any amount of boxes or delivery envelopes awaiting my arrival. If anything I think that this draws more attention to the valuable boxes that lay outside my door for thieves to ponder what the contents are. I guess you get what you pay for though, its a simple equation.

UPS Ground < Thrilling = Free Shipping

Little brother gets the spotlight

I don't know if many have noticed this recent trend but I have. The little "buggy" brother of the IPod has started to take off in holiday sales and most retailers are wishing that they had ordered more for consumers. With the initial release of this product it faced a large challenge in the marketplace in dealing with the IGeneration users. Even people that weren't in love with Apple products were buying the IPod. Everything was going right for the image of the Apple IProducts and they dominated most of the market place until this year. The Gen2 version of the Zune music player has a slimmer look and easier to use interface installed. Not to mention that Microsoft has finally realized the error of their ways with the first generation of this product and is actually making the Zune Gen2 operating system available for their previously "obsolete" players.

I recently sat next to a Microsoft employee on a flight to Chicago that informed me that every person that worked for the mega company actually received a Zune for free since they couldn't even sell them. Now the owners of these music players will be able to upgrade their OS in the player to the new Gen2 version for free. Also people that want to get away from the fruit products now have a better option for purchase. I know I love going into the "fruit" store and listening to all of the fruit bots that work in there tell me how much they love their Macs. Snobs. I welcome the little brother back to the lime light with the better product that Microsoft has put out this year. The Zune Gen2, as well as the first gen, has Wi Fi built in to connect to other Zune's to transfer songs between them wirelessly. Also the player has a built in FM tuner to listen to the radio and we can all appreciate that it still plays Podcasts, video and you can store your photos in it as well. Keep your eye on this one because I think that it is going to surprise a lot of people going into the holidays.

Apple makes me want to IPuke

In this article posted by the Associated Press, Apple once again justifies my dislike for them by putting ignorant restrictions on IPhone purchases.

Having sold 1.4 million units since launching the device at the end of June, Apple is looking to put a bit of a slowdown on iPhone sales, ahead of the upcoming holiday-buying scrum. Beginning late last week, customers no longer can purchase the iPhone with cash or buy more than two per person.

"Customer response to the iPhone has been off the charts, and limiting iPhone sales to two per customer helps us ensure that there are enough iPhones for people who are shopping for themselves or buying a gift," Apple's Natalie Kerris told the Associated Press. "We're requiring a credit or debit card for payment to discourage unauthorized resellers."


Ok, I can understand that Apple wants to have their product purchased through authorized sellers but not accepting cash for the purchases? This is probably the most "snobby" move that Apple has undertaken in recent memory. This is yet another blunder by the fruit loving company. Besides the fact that you can only use AT&T (terrible customer service and signal) as the carrier (unless you unlock the IPhone) and also the IPhone itself contains dangerous materials (http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/10/apple-now-in-le.html)

Also you cannot even have insurance on your precious IPhone through AT&T. You can only get a "service" plan through Apple for a mere $70 extra that "extends" your warranty for an extra year. God forbid that you drop the thing (Sorry Mark) because then you are out the $400 that you paid for this brick, sorry it's not covered according to the cutsomer friendly Apple. Enjoy the IPhone you Apple lovers and bask in its glory. Watch out for the Bromine and Benzine that the phone contains and also enjoy the poor and expensive AT&T service plans that come with this burden. In fact, they deserve eveything that comes along with it!