Sequim Community Information and Commentary - including information on timely news, tips, SALES, advertising, marketing, etc. Site logos: J. Burroughs
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Lifehacker - Kill Frozen Windows Apps Easily - How-to
Lifehacker - Kill Frozen Windows Apps Easily - How-to: "taskkill.exe /f /fi 'status eq not responding'"
G3Vq.jpg (JPEG Image, 927x314 pixels)
G3Vq.jpg (JPEG Image, 927x314 pixels)Message regarding Internet Explorer in University IT Labs
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Ugolog Creates Surveillance Website To Watch Anyone, Anywhere | Singularity Hub
Ugolog Creates Surveillance Website To Watch Anyone, Anywhere | Singularity Hub: "Ugolog Creates Surveillance Website To Watch Anyone, Anywhere"
Google Unveils New Tool To Dig for Public Data - washingtonpost.com
Google Unveils New Tool To Dig for Public Data - washingtonpost.com: "Google launched a new search tool yesterday designed to help Web users find public data that is often buried in hard-to-navigate government Web sites.
The tool, called Google Public Data, is the latest in the company's efforts to make information from federal, state and local governments accessible to citizens."
The tool, called Google Public Data, is the latest in the company's efforts to make information from federal, state and local governments accessible to citizens."
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
sequim pc club BLOG has been exported to sequimtech.blogspot.com
sequim pc club BLOG has been exported to sequimtech.blogspot.com: "POGO PLUG - USB on the NET
The club might like to have one of these as a file depository."
The club might like to have one of these as a file depository."
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Market News, Delivered by Twitter - washingtonpost.com
Market News, Delivered by Twitter - washingtonpost.com: "Market News, Delivered by Twitter"
Friday, April 24, 2009
Tor: anonymity online
Tor: anonymity onlineTor protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world: it prevents somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you visit, and it prevents the sites you visit from learning your physical location. Tor works with many of your existing applications, including web browsers, instant messaging clients, remote login, and other applications based on the TCP protocol. [Thanks, Steve.]
About 'View as slideshow' - Gmail Help
About 'View as slideshow' - Gmail Help Google mail has aded a viewer for POWERPOINT, which opens slides in a new browser window. You can navigate between slides by clicking the left and right arrow buttons at the top of the screen, or by choosing a specific slide from the dropdown menu in the upper right corner of the screen.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The Business That Got Creative With Twitter. What Creative Ways Have YOU Seen Before? | Blog of Mr. Tweet
The Business That Got Creative With Twitter. What Creative Ways Have YOU Seen Before? | Blog of Mr. Tweet Watch how many folks come out with Twitter devices to Tweet events, etc. -tp
Bruce Perens - A Cyber-Attack on an American City
Bruce Perens - A Cyber-Attack on an American City: "A Cyber-Attack on an American City"
Sources: Pentagon planning new cybercommand
Sources: Pentagon planning new cybercommand: "(AP) -- The Pentagon is planning to create a new military command to focus on cyberspace and protect its computer networks from cyberattacks, U.S. officials said Wednesday."
Europeana - Homepage
Europeana - Homepage: "This is Europeana - a place for inspiration and ideas. Search through the cultural collections of Europe, connect to other user pathways and share your discoveries."
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Safe internet surfing with AVG LinkScanner - Home
Safe internet surfing with AVG LinkScanner - Home: "There are millions of poisoned web pages out there. Let AVG LinkScanner check them out first. AVG LinkScanner looks for threats on every link you click in real time, before you get there. If a link is dangerous, you’ll be protected. And it runs alongside other security software. So click on. What have you got to losehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.italic.gif?"
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Portal IT - News, directory, games
Portal IT - News, directory, games IT portal. Top stories, security, etc. Good, daily stopover.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Social-media tools could support security - UPI.com
Social-media tools could support security - UPI.com: "WASHINGTON, April 16 (UPI) -- National Defense University researchers are encouraging the U.S. Defense Department to develop a strategy to use social media to strengthen national security."
Clicky Gone
Clicky Gone Window hider application. Used to hide windows without closing programs or losing documents.
Vista system that is mysteriously running low on disk space
You can reset the value of the Maximum Shadow Copy Storage space setting using the command:
vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=<ForVolumeSpec> /on=<OnVolumeSpec> [/maxsize=<MaxSizeSpec>
On my problem system, I reset the Maximum Shadow Copy Storage space setting to 15GB using the command:
vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=c: /on=c: /maxsize=15GB
Once the operation was complete, I restarted the system, and everything has been running normally since.
What's your take?
If you have a Vista system that is mysteriously running low on disk space, you might want to use the VSSAdmin command-line tool to investigate and change the Maximum Shadow Copy Storage space setting.Twitterers I recommend students follow
Twitter
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Twitter allows you to connect with anyone in the world, whether they're
acquaintances, classmates, celebrities or complete strangers with common
interests.
You can use Twitter to network with professionals, stay updated on
current news, trends and ideas in many different industries, connect
with businesses on a "human" level, engage in conversation, and share
content - and new uses are constantly emerging. As a student looking for
a job in the social media industry, Twitter has been my #1 resource to
network and learn about the industry.
Here are some Twitterers I recommend students follow:
@heatherhuhman <http://twitter.com/heatherhuhman> - Tweets helpful
information to those seeking internships and entry level jobs.
@collegebloggers <http://twitter.com/CollegeBloggers> - Connects college
students, faculty, and alumni bloggers, sharing relevant content.
@careerealism <http://twitter.com/careerealism> - Career experts tweet
career advice in response to questions sent in by readers.
@sweetcareers <http://twitter.com/sweetcareers> - Great tips for college
students and job seekers.
@findinternships <http://twitter.com/findinternships> - Informative
resource for those looking for internships.
You can also search these "hashtags":
#college <http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23college> : The
College Blog Network
#jobadvice <http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23jobadvice> :
General job search advice
#printern <http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23printern> : PR
internship openings
#entryPR <http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23entryPR> : Tips for
PR grads
From:
/David Spinks <http://twitter.com/davidspinks> - a graduating senior
in NY that is utilizing the power of social web communities to
pursue a career in social media/marketing. He authors a blog at
Davidspinks.com <http://davidspinks.com/>./
Thursday, April 16, 2009
1000 ways to waste time
1000 ways to waste timeSome older folks (7%) (median age 61) say that the Internet is a "waste of time". What is a waste of time. It's something that is meaningless or not fruitful. I've got a list of 1000 REALLY useless things to do with your time. -tp.
High Speed Connections - Broadband in US
July 2008 - 55 percent of adult Americans have a high-speed internet connection at home, up from 47 percent in early 2007 and 42 percent in early 2005.
Among those that use the 'net at home, 79 percent have a high-speed connection and 15 percent use dialup, according to a new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, MarketingCharts writes. Americans that are not online - 27 percent of adults who do not use the internet - are likely to be older (median age 61) and have low incomes. Asked why they don't use the internet, non-internet users respond as follows:
* 33 percent say they are not interested.
* 12 percent say they don't have access.
* 9 percent say it is too difficult or frustrating.
* 7 percent say it is too expensive.
* 7 percent say it is a waste of time.
Source: http://www.marketingvox.com/55-of-us-adults-have-home-broadband-but-10-use-only-dialup-039691/
* 12 percent say they don't have access.
* 9 percent say it is too difficult or frustrating.
* 7 percent say it is too expensive.
* 7 percent say it is a waste of time.
Source: http://www.marketingvox.com/55-of-us-adults-have-home-broadband-but-10-use-only-dialup-039691/
State of U.S. Broadband: Demand Hits Speed Bumps
State of U.S. Broadband: Demand Hits Speed BumpsDate of article, 2 July, 2008
Send yourself Email reminders, etc. http://3mindMe.com
How do I use 3mindMe.com?
There are two primary ways: - Email@3mindme.com and your email will be reflected back to you at whatever time or date you specify.
- Email echo@3mindme.com and it'll be sent back to whatever time is set in the Subject line What do you mean by ""?
You can construct your in three steps:
1) Ask yourself "When you want your email sent back to you?"
2) Write that down just as you'd say it out loud, for example:
friday
tomorrow noon
next tuesday at 5pm PST
2 weeks
5 minutes before January 1st 2008
3) If you're emailing echo@3mindme.com, you're done! Just put that on the Subject: line of the email and send it, and it'll be sent back to you at the time and day you picked. For example, you could make the subject: 5 minutes before January 1st 2008: Get champagne, quick!!
4) Alternatively, just take all the spaces out and stick @3mindme.com on the back, and mail to that. For example, the above ones would be converted to:
friday@3mindme.com
tomorrownoon@3mindme.com
nexttuesdayat5pmPST@3mindme.com
2weeks@3mindme.com
5minutesbeforeJanuary1st2008@3mindme.com
There are two primary ways: - Email
- Email echo@3mindme.com and it'll be sent back to whatever time is set in the Subject line What do you mean by "
You can construct your
1) Ask yourself "When you want your email sent back to you?"
2) Write that down just as you'd say it out loud, for example:
friday
tomorrow noon
next tuesday at 5pm PST
2 weeks
5 minutes before January 1st 2008
3) If you're emailing echo@3mindme.com, you're done! Just put that on the Subject: line of the email and send it, and it'll be sent back to you at the time and day you picked. For example, you could make the subject: 5 minutes before January 1st 2008: Get champagne, quick!!
4) Alternatively, just take all the spaces out and stick @3mindme.com on the back, and mail to that. For example, the above ones would be converted to:
friday@3mindme.com
tomorrownoon@3mindme.com
nexttuesdayat5pmPST@3mindme.com
2weeks@3mindme.com
5minutesbeforeJanuary1st2008@3mindme.com
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
How to make XP skip the prompt to find a program to open files
When you try to open a file for which XP doesn't have a program association, you normally get a dialog box asking you if you want to search online for the appropriate program to open it. This registry tweak will disable that prompt and display the Open With dialog box instead.
- Open your registry editor.
- Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ system
- Right click an empty space in the right details pane and click New.
- Select DWORD value.
- Name the new DWORD value NoInternetOpenWith
- Double click the value and set the value data field to 1
- Close the registry editor
EBay gives sellers new ways of listing items - San Jose Mercury News
EBay gives sellers new ways of listing items - San Jose Mercury NewsOur pc club got confirmation today of a speaker on the topic of eBay this fall.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
rev=canonical bookmarklet and designing shorter URLs
rev=canonical bookmarklet and designing shorter URLs Just drag the Bookmarklet: Shorten to your browser toolbar)
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
YouTube - LiberalViewer's Channel
YouTube - LiberalViewer's Channel For my one or two, so-called "liberal" friends. By liberal, I mean the definition as it applies in the US ( a political ideology that seeks to maximize individual liberties )...not Britain, nor Canada, nor Australia. -tp
3D Printing and Self Replicating Machines In Your Living Room - Seriously! | Singularity Hub
3D Printing and Self Replicating Machines In Your Living Room - Seriously! | Singularity Hub: "Imagine having a machine for $500 in your living room that can take your computer based specification for a 3D object and print out a plastic replica of the object in a matter of minutes."
Phone service restored after vandalism shuts it down in Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Santa Cruz County - San Jose Mercury News
Phone service restored after vandalism shuts it down in Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Santa Cruz County - San Jose Mercury News: "When Cindy Gilchrist's 18-year-old son couldn't text his friends before school Thursday in Morgan Hill, he turned to her and said, 'Mom, I'm so alone.'" [ yipes... ]
The cable (fiber) was cut in a manhole. Seems to me it's an INSIDE job because of recent union contract negotiations. Thank you for putting people in harms way. This is domestic terrorism, methinks, and if the party or parties are caught we might want the black-ops folks take them to some other country for "debriefing". -tp
The cable (fiber) was cut in a manhole. Seems to me it's an INSIDE job because of recent union contract negotiations. Thank you for putting people in harms way. This is domestic terrorism, methinks, and if the party or parties are caught we might want the black-ops folks take them to some other country for "debriefing". -tp
YouTube - EDU
YouTube - EDU
Videos and Channels from YouTubes college and university partners. Lots of free, educational videos.
Videos and Channels from YouTubes college and university partners. Lots of free, educational videos.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
How to change the Vista folder template
How to change the Vista folder template
Vista tries to determine what types of files you have in a folder and display them according to the file type. For example, if Vista thinks the files are photos, it will display them as thumbnails with columns for name, date taken, tags, etc. But sometimes it has a hard time figuring it out and uses the wrong template. You can easily change that by following these steps:
1. Right click the folder and select Properties.
2. Click the Customize tab.
3. In the drop-down box under "Use this folder type as a template," select the type of items you have in the folder (for example, Documents). You can also choose whether to apply the template to all the subfolders within the folder.
You can also set a default for all new folders to be displayed without a template by editing the registry. Here's how:
1. Start the Registry Editor
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Classes \ Local Settings \ Software Microsoft \ Windows \ Shell \ Bags
3. From the menu, click Edit > New > Key
4. Name the new key AllFolders (and keep this key selected)
5. From the menu, click Edit > New > Key
6. Name the new key Shell (and keep this key selected)
7. From the menu, click Edit > New > String Value
8. Name the new value FolderType, right-click it and choose Modify. Enter NotSpecified as the Value data
9. Close the registry editor
Vista tries to determine what types of files you have in a folder and display them according to the file type. For example, if Vista thinks the files are photos, it will display them as thumbnails with columns for name, date taken, tags, etc. But sometimes it has a hard time figuring it out and uses the wrong template. You can easily change that by following these steps:
1. Right click the folder and select Properties.
2. Click the Customize tab.
3. In the drop-down box under "Use this folder type as a template," select the type of items you have in the folder (for example, Documents). You can also choose whether to apply the template to all the subfolders within the folder.
You can also set a default for all new folders to be displayed without a template by editing the registry. Here's how:
1. Start the Registry Editor
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Classes \ Local Settings \ Software Microsoft \ Windows \ Shell \ Bags
3. From the menu, click Edit > New > Key
4. Name the new key AllFolders (and keep this key selected)
5. From the menu, click Edit > New > Key
6. Name the new key Shell (and keep this key selected)
7. From the menu, click Edit > New > String Value
8. Name the new value FolderType, right-click it and choose Modify. Enter NotSpecified as the Value data
9. Close the registry editor
Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies - WSJ.com
Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies - WSJ.com
Security at all levels is important.
Security at all levels is important.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Ignorance vs. Stupidity: Yes, There Is A Difference
Ignorance vs. Stupidity: Yes, There Is A Difference: "“Ignorance is not knowing. Stupidity is knowing and doing it anyway.” In other words, ignorance has to do with a simple lack of knowledge or education, but stupidity results when a person already possesses the necessary knowledge, yet continues to engage in behaviors that are patently illogical."
Karl Erfurt
Karlonia.com
Karl Erfurt
Karlonia.com
Academic and Scholar Search Engines and Sources by Marcus P. Zillman
Academic and Scholar Search Engines and Sources by Marcus P. Zillman: "Academic and Scholar Search Engines and Sources
http://whitepapers.VirtualPrivateLibrary.net/Scholar.pdf
Internet MiniGuide Annotated Link Compilation white paper titled 'Academic and Scholar Search Engines and Sources' is a 53 page research paper listing selected resources both new and existing that will help anyone who is attempting to find academic and scholarly information and knowledge available on the Internet. Each source is described along with the URL address than can be accessed. It is freely available as a .pdf file (1.39MB) at the above link from the Virtual Private Library™ and authored by Marcus P. Zillman, M.S., A.M.H.A. It was updated April 6, 2009.
http://whitepapers.VirtualPrivateLibrary.net/Scholar.pdf
Internet MiniGuide Annotated Link Compilation white paper titled 'Academic and Scholar Search Engines and Sources' is a 53 page research paper listing selected resources both new and existing that will help anyone who is attempting to find academic and scholarly information and knowledge available on the Internet. Each source is described along with the URL address than can be accessed. It is freely available as a .pdf file (1.39MB) at the above link from the Virtual Private Library™ and authored by Marcus P. Zillman, M.S., A.M.H.A. It was updated April 6, 2009.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Make Sense of Confusing Twitter Hash Tags
Make Sense of Confusing Twitter Hash Tags REFERENCE only, for Tweeters and propheads.
Listening in a Digital Age
Listening in a Digital Age: "Listening in a Digital Age" The key is to create, either on your own or through a paid service, a dashboard that delivers the conversations surrounding topics of interest right to your inbox or browser as part of your measurement suite of analytics.
Your do it yourself toolbox should include:
* Google alerts - Google Alerts allows you set-up customer searches for any phase and receive email or RSS alerts any time your phrase shows up in online media, blogs, web pages and news.
* Search.twitter - For now, monitoring twitter is a separate stream (Google seems to be adding twitter conversations to SERPs) - using the advanced search function allows you set-up very specific searches, even including geographic details. These searches produce RSS feeds and can then be subscribed to.
* tweetbeep.com - Similar to Google Alerts, but for twitter. Set-up search phrases and receive notification any time your phrases show up in twitter conversations.
* Boardtracker.com - focuses on the most popular bulletin board conversations and can turn up responses that don’t show up anywhere else. Some industries still have very heavy bulletin board use.
* Backtype.com - Backtype is a search engine of sorts that focuses on blog comments. Blog comments don’t often make it into the mainstream search results so this is a way to listen in on this set of content.
* Social Mention - this is a mashup search engine of many of the formats of content such as audio and video - I’ve found it a very nice way to turn up some mentions that don’t occur anywhere else.
Your do it yourself toolbox should include:
* Google alerts - Google Alerts allows you set-up customer searches for any phase and receive email or RSS alerts any time your phrase shows up in online media, blogs, web pages and news.
* Search.twitter - For now, monitoring twitter is a separate stream (Google seems to be adding twitter conversations to SERPs) - using the advanced search function allows you set-up very specific searches, even including geographic details. These searches produce RSS feeds and can then be subscribed to.
* tweetbeep.com - Similar to Google Alerts, but for twitter. Set-up search phrases and receive notification any time your phrases show up in twitter conversations.
* Boardtracker.com - focuses on the most popular bulletin board conversations and can turn up responses that don’t show up anywhere else. Some industries still have very heavy bulletin board use.
* Backtype.com - Backtype is a search engine of sorts that focuses on blog comments. Blog comments don’t often make it into the mainstream search results so this is a way to listen in on this set of content.
* Social Mention - this is a mashup search engine of many of the formats of content such as audio and video - I’ve found it a very nice way to turn up some mentions that don’t occur anywhere else.
How to Do Harsh Death Metal Vocals - wikiHow
How to Do Harsh Death Metal Vocals - wikiHow If you want to growl next time you do death/thrash/devil music with your metal group, check out this wonderful how-to. Then take your skateboard out to the on ramp, please.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
The TWiT Netcast Network with Leo Laporte
The TWiT Netcast Network with Leo Laporte The Lenovo Ideapad Netbook.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
CPSC Recall Announcements and Product Safety Alerts
CPSC Recall Announcements and Product Safety AlertsI was reminded to check recalls of various items when I saw about a dozen recalls on the bulletin board at Wally World this morning. It's amazing how many items are recalled, and it probably is a reminder to send in your warranty card when you buy something so they can find you. Check the list of household products on the site to see what I mean.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/household.html -tp
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/household.html -tp
SenseBot summary page
SenseBot The Search Engine that finds sense in a heap of Web pages. The LINK goes to the Sensebot page.
Readability - An Arc90 Lab Experiment
Readability - An Arc90 Lab ExperimentMake it easier to read on the web with a READABILITY bookmarkelet
DeepDyve - Search for Research
DeepDyve - Search for Research: "Discover what's below the surface
DeepDyve delivers fast, easy access to the vast amounts of expert information hidden in the Deep Web. Today we're focusing in just a few subject areas including Medical and Life Sciences but we are rapidly expanding into additional markets. Try DeepDyve and search for research."
DeepDyve delivers fast, easy access to the vast amounts of expert information hidden in the Deep Web. Today we're focusing in just a few subject areas including Medical and Life Sciences but we are rapidly expanding into additional markets. Try DeepDyve and search for research."
Free Video Stock Footage Resources Online - Robin Good's Latest News
Free Video Stock Footage Resources Online - Robin Good's Latest News: "Public Domain Video For All Of Your MashUp Needs - 9 Legal Sources"
Break the Starbucks habit and Save big!
Break the Starbucks habit and Save big!
Break the Starbucks habit and Save big! Invest money saved on coffee at 2%, and in ten years you can have over $8500 in the bank. This is if you only drink two cups of "store bought" coffee a day, it's only plain, black coffee, and you only buy it 250 days a year. Plug in your numbers and see for yourself. I make 12 oz cups of coffee at home for about 8 cents a cup.
Break the Starbucks habit and Save big! Invest money saved on coffee at 2%, and in ten years you can have over $8500 in the bank. This is if you only drink two cups of "store bought" coffee a day, it's only plain, black coffee, and you only buy it 250 days a year. Plug in your numbers and see for yourself. I make 12 oz cups of coffee at home for about 8 cents a cup.
FBI — Spear Phishing - Press Room - Headline Archives 04-01-09
FBI — Spear Phishing - Press Room - Headline Archives 04-01-09: "It’s also an example of an even more mischievous type of phishing known as “spear phishing”—a rising cyber threat that you need to know about."
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Woopra » Blog Archive » Announcing Woopra’s New Webcam Enablement Feature
Woopra » Blog Archive » Announcing Woopra’s New Webcam Enablement Feature: "Woopra, the world’s fastest growing Web Analytics provider, today announced that the next version of its wildly popular real-time Website monitoring application will allow users to remotely activate and view Website visitor’s built-in Webcams."
YouTube - Opera Face Gestures
YouTube - Opera Face GesturesControl the Opera Browser with your web cam and facial gestures.
Are You Getting Gouged On Line?
Everyone knows that shopping online can save you a lot of money. From kitchen utensils to giant flat screen TVs, you can often find a better price at Amazon or some other Internet retailer than at a local "bricks and mortar" store. Their overhead is lower since they aren't paying a bunch of expensive salespeople and maintaining a nice storefront, and payment processing is less expensive since it's automated. The customer gets a better price and the business still makes money.
The same thing goes for doing other business online. The Internet has changed the entire bill-paying process. I remember that my grandparents usually paid their bills in person. Even with the water bill or electric bill, they would go down to city hall or the nearest payment office, usually with cash, and hand over the money to a clerk. They liked that they immediately got a receipt as proof of payment, and didn't have to trust the post office to get it there on time.
My mom and dad, on the other hand, paid almost all of their bills by mail. Twice a month, dad would sit down with the checkbook and write out all the checks, address and stamp all the envelopes, and trek down to the post office or just leave them in our home mailbox to be picked up. Those were the days when your mailbox was on your front porch, not out at the curb where any and everyone could steal your mail. Dad believed that the Postal Service really lived up to its motto - "the mail must go through" - and back then, for the most part, they did. He was satisfied with his cancelled check as proof that he'd paid, even though it took a while before he got it back.
Today, many of us rarely ever write a check. We pay with credit or debit cards or authorize automatic bank withdrawals. I know some folks who never carry cash. We sit at home (or in a hotel room hundreds or thousands of miles away from home), log onto our computers, and pay our bills without having to write checks, buy stamps or use gasoline. Due date is tomorrow? No problem (at least with many accounts) - there's still plenty of time to pay it and avoid late charges.
Meanwhile, the payee doesn't have to worry about whether your check is good, and doesn't have to pay someone to do the time-consuming work of processing a hand written check. It's more convenient for them, it's more convenient for you, and everybody saves a little money. It's a win-win situation. Except when it's not.
There's one bill that I don't pay online; when it comes to my water bill, I still mail in a check even though the city has an online payment option. Why? Because they charge a ridiculous $2.50 processing fee for online payments. My electric company, gas company, credit card company and others that I pay online charge nothing extra to do so. A couple of times, with various one-time bill payments, I have run into minimal processing fees, on the order of 25 or 50 cents. The whole idea of online payments is that it automates things and makes it less expensive, so why is the city charging a premium to use their system? Is it because they think the people who would pay online probably have more discretionary income and therefore won't mind getting hit up for a little extra? Did they contract with some service to handle the processing and they're getting charged this fee to do it and passing it on to the customer? I don't know, but I know I'm not paying it.
Speaking of getting gouged, when I pay all those other bills online, I do it by credit card (except, of course, for the credit card bill itself). One reason to use a credit card is to get the cash-back rewards (it goes without saying that you also need to pay off the balance of the card at the end of every month so you don't get charged interest). But there's another reason: I've heard too many horror stories from people who authorized automatic payments directly from their banks, and then were unable to stop those payments when they cancelled the service. A friend of mine found that six months after cancelling a membership, the company was still withdrawing that money from her account. When she tried to cancel it through the bank, they told her that the company the payments were going to would have to cancel it, and that the only way she could stop it was to close her bank account and open a new one.
Of course, there are other ways to get gouged online. As mentioned, you can often find low prices from online outlets - but be sure you figure in the total cost. Some unscrupulous web retailers fail to show you the shipping and handling charges until you get all the way through the payment process and have already input your credit card information. That's like asking you for a blank check; in a few cases, I've seen shipping and handling costs that were four times the price of the item itself.
Something else to be careful about when you're buying online is to find out exactly what you're buying. There are some online camera stores that are notorious for advertising incredibly low prices on popular DSLRs, hundreds of dollars lower than the price of the same item on Amazon or at other legitimate outlets - but there's a catch. Sometimes the camera is a "gray market" import (sometimes euphemistically referred to as "international versions"), which means the manufacturer intended them to be sold in other countries where prices are lower. And what that means to the buyer is that the manufacturer won't honor the warranty, and you may find that the on-screen menus and the manuals are written in a foreign language.
Even if the camera is a "genuine U.S.A. model," some online retailers use another scam. That low, low price they quote, when you read the fine print, is for the body only. At an above-board store, "body only" means the lens doesn't come with it, but most digital camera bodies come with various accessories such as the battery and battery charger. These scammers take that stuff out of the box and charge you extra for it - which in many cases raises their price for the whole package so that it's equal to or higher than that same package from a more honest seller.
The key to protecting yourself from these types of scammers, without passing up the truly good deals that you can find online, is to carefully check out the reputation of any company you're considering doing business with, especially when you're spending hundreds or thousands of dollars for an expensive piece of electronics, jewelry or other high-dollar merchandise.
Excerpt from: From: "WXPNews"
Date: March 23, 2009 2:29:35 PM PDT
The same thing goes for doing other business online. The Internet has changed the entire bill-paying process. I remember that my grandparents usually paid their bills in person. Even with the water bill or electric bill, they would go down to city hall or the nearest payment office, usually with cash, and hand over the money to a clerk. They liked that they immediately got a receipt as proof of payment, and didn't have to trust the post office to get it there on time.
My mom and dad, on the other hand, paid almost all of their bills by mail. Twice a month, dad would sit down with the checkbook and write out all the checks, address and stamp all the envelopes, and trek down to the post office or just leave them in our home mailbox to be picked up. Those were the days when your mailbox was on your front porch, not out at the curb where any and everyone could steal your mail. Dad believed that the Postal Service really lived up to its motto - "the mail must go through" - and back then, for the most part, they did. He was satisfied with his cancelled check as proof that he'd paid, even though it took a while before he got it back.
Today, many of us rarely ever write a check. We pay with credit or debit cards or authorize automatic bank withdrawals. I know some folks who never carry cash. We sit at home (or in a hotel room hundreds or thousands of miles away from home), log onto our computers, and pay our bills without having to write checks, buy stamps or use gasoline. Due date is tomorrow? No problem (at least with many accounts) - there's still plenty of time to pay it and avoid late charges.
Meanwhile, the payee doesn't have to worry about whether your check is good, and doesn't have to pay someone to do the time-consuming work of processing a hand written check. It's more convenient for them, it's more convenient for you, and everybody saves a little money. It's a win-win situation. Except when it's not.
There's one bill that I don't pay online; when it comes to my water bill, I still mail in a check even though the city has an online payment option. Why? Because they charge a ridiculous $2.50 processing fee for online payments. My electric company, gas company, credit card company and others that I pay online charge nothing extra to do so. A couple of times, with various one-time bill payments, I have run into minimal processing fees, on the order of 25 or 50 cents. The whole idea of online payments is that it automates things and makes it less expensive, so why is the city charging a premium to use their system? Is it because they think the people who would pay online probably have more discretionary income and therefore won't mind getting hit up for a little extra? Did they contract with some service to handle the processing and they're getting charged this fee to do it and passing it on to the customer? I don't know, but I know I'm not paying it.
Speaking of getting gouged, when I pay all those other bills online, I do it by credit card (except, of course, for the credit card bill itself). One reason to use a credit card is to get the cash-back rewards (it goes without saying that you also need to pay off the balance of the card at the end of every month so you don't get charged interest). But there's another reason: I've heard too many horror stories from people who authorized automatic payments directly from their banks, and then were unable to stop those payments when they cancelled the service. A friend of mine found that six months after cancelling a membership, the company was still withdrawing that money from her account. When she tried to cancel it through the bank, they told her that the company the payments were going to would have to cancel it, and that the only way she could stop it was to close her bank account and open a new one.
Of course, there are other ways to get gouged online. As mentioned, you can often find low prices from online outlets - but be sure you figure in the total cost. Some unscrupulous web retailers fail to show you the shipping and handling charges until you get all the way through the payment process and have already input your credit card information. That's like asking you for a blank check; in a few cases, I've seen shipping and handling costs that were four times the price of the item itself.
Something else to be careful about when you're buying online is to find out exactly what you're buying. There are some online camera stores that are notorious for advertising incredibly low prices on popular DSLRs, hundreds of dollars lower than the price of the same item on Amazon or at other legitimate outlets - but there's a catch. Sometimes the camera is a "gray market" import (sometimes euphemistically referred to as "international versions"), which means the manufacturer intended them to be sold in other countries where prices are lower. And what that means to the buyer is that the manufacturer won't honor the warranty, and you may find that the on-screen menus and the manuals are written in a foreign language.
Even if the camera is a "genuine U.S.A. model," some online retailers use another scam. That low, low price they quote, when you read the fine print, is for the body only. At an above-board store, "body only" means the lens doesn't come with it, but most digital camera bodies come with various accessories such as the battery and battery charger. These scammers take that stuff out of the box and charge you extra for it - which in many cases raises their price for the whole package so that it's equal to or higher than that same package from a more honest seller.
The key to protecting yourself from these types of scammers, without passing up the truly good deals that you can find online, is to carefully check out the reputation of any company you're considering doing business with, especially when you're spending hundreds or thousands of dollars for an expensive piece of electronics, jewelry or other high-dollar merchandise.
Excerpt from: From: "WXPNews"
Date: March 23, 2009 2:29:35 PM PDT
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