Learn about the life of Michael Montez in Los Angeles, CA.
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Goodbye Nikki, you were a great dog and you took care of my mom and dad. We will all miss you very much. Thank you for your loyalty, love, and licks.
My parents had to put our dog to sleep today. She had bone cancer and it was too deep to operate. My mother is very upset because it’s also her birthday (Happy Birthday Mom).
So I just got a lovely call from my credit card company, Capital One. It was a courtesy call and they wanted to make sure I know that the federal government has required them to call me. Why, because of the new credit card regulations that are taking effect in Feb.
She was letting me know that I now have an option when it comes to overages. I could stick with the way it is now or I could opt out. Not being sure what the current way was, I asked. I was informed that currently, as a courtesy, if I made a purchase on my card, but didn’t have the credit to cover the purchase, Capital One would accept the purchase and then simply charge me a fee to cover the purchase. In addition, if I decided to keep this option, Capital One would like to reduce the service fee they charge for this service. Instead of paying $39 per overage, I would only pay $29 for each overage.
So let me get this straight, I have a credit card with a $750 limit. If I try to spend $751 dollars, instead of declining the charge (like the good old days), they will accept the charge and add a $29 service fee.
So I asked her, “instead of charging me, why don’t you increase my spending limit?” Her response, “Well, you don’t qualify for a limit increase.” Really, so if I pay you $29 each time I want a temporary limit increase (which is basically what is happening) that’s fine?
My other option, it turned out, was to decline this service and in the event that I tried to charge something and didn’t have enough credit, the charge would be declined. Um…I thought that was how it worked in the first place. Call your credit card companies and make sure you opt out of this “feature”.
For more information on the reforms the credit card companies have to follow, check out this Frontline episode, your tax dollars paid for it anyway.
So it’s Christmas time and I’ve been watching a lot of holiday movies. So the question is, what’s your favorite, non-traditional, holiday movie? Here is my list for 2009:
Here’s a labor day playlist you can pop into your CD player – enjoy and have a safe weekend.
On Monday, Verizon announced that if you pay them $69.99/month (on a one year contract) or more for Fios Internet or $29.99/month for Version DSL, you deserve free Wi-Fi at Verizon’s Hot Spots located across the country.
Verizon has partnered with the Wi-Fi service Boingo to offer access in thousands of locations throughout the U.S. including hotels, airports, restaurants, coffee shops, retailers, convention centers and public locations across the U.S.
On the same day, Barnes & Noble announced that they have partnered with AT&T (my personal favorite technology company) to offer free Wi-Fi inside all B&N bookstores nation wide.
We have always wanted our stores to feel like home—a place where people can relax, explore and connect with ideas and each other at their leisure. So it is only natural that, in today’s world, we want our customers to enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi. You can explore the world the way you always have at Barnes & Noble with the technology that connects us to the world today.
While you are connected, you can text, IM, make VOIP calls, read, download, and just communicate. You are not out of reach. People flock to free Wi-Fi. You think it was hard to find a chair at Barnes & Noble before, now you have to fight with the guy who is not even reading a book. He’s crunching spreadsheets and posting to his blog. His home office is Barnes & Noble (or Starbucks, or a Verizon Hot Spot). For $4/day (price of coffee), he can start a business from the comfort of these locations. With a Wi-Fi spot, you don’t need a expensive phone/data plan. You can get a VOIP account and take calls from your iPod or hook up a mic/headset to your notebook.
Nothing is more frustrating then having to leave my house to get some treats (or necessities), have a great idea, and then being stuck with limited ways to foster the idea. We race home, only to have forgotten the minor details that make the idea POP.
Sure, you can write your idea down on a napkin, but wouldn’t you rather research, develop, and send you idea to a partner? Of course. So I’m only going to the cafe, bookstore, coffee house, or restaurant that allows me to accomplish this. The one that give me free-ish (price of service) Wi-Fi.
So is this the beginning of “muni” Wi-Fi? Imagine with me, the following scenario: you complete your Skype call with your mom, and head to the cafe for some breakfast. When you arrive, you can access the cafe’s Wi-Fi because the code is listed on the menu. You order your breakfast and start reading the daily news on your iPod (Kindle, etc.). After your meal, you head next door for some window shopping. You have left the cafe, but you are still connected. Why; because the code you used was good for the building (not the just the cafe). In fact, you have access to the Internet no matter where you go in the strip mall/complex. It’s one of the main reasons you frequent this complex and all the shops benefit.
This post was not completed or edited – just flowed from my brain – I’m sorry if it leaves you wanting or frustrated.
