Showing posts with label PSA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PSA. Show all posts
Monday, March 15, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
PayPal - Stupid or Criminal?
I haven't been exactly overjoyed with PayPal, even from the time I first signed up with them. It hasn't been any one thing in particular, but more of a general we're-too-big-to-have-to-pay-attention-to-you attitude almost any really large organization eventually takes on.
Over the years, I've also heard (and read about) the stories of PayPal summarily and somewhat arbitrarily freezing accounts without ever providing any real explanation as to why, how it could be resolved, when it would be resolved, or other actual details. Recently, however, I ran across this story, and something about it just set my teeth on edge.
Since the only thing I really used PayPal for was buying stuff on eBay, and eBay has finally managed to aggravate me sufficiently enough to close my account with them, it seemed like as good a time (and reason) as any to close my PayPal account, too. A couple of days ago, I tried to do just that - only to be told by PayPal that there was some kind of activity still unfinished with my bank.
Fine, whatever. The last eBay purchase I made was on the 6th, and I've already received the item, so I figured PayPal would get caught up in the next couple of days. This evening, when I logged in and tried to close the account, I still got the same message. After carefully checking that all my transactions showed as "completed", I called PayPal support.
For the love of God, Cthulu, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Allah, or anything else you hold dear, don't ever do that. Their automated voice response system is seriously fucked up. After telling me that it couldn't understand me (despite my speaking carefully and clearly) after too-brief response periods, it insisted on trying to foist me off to departments that were completely irrelevant to what I wanted to discuss. Having no other alternative, I simply started pressing "O" until it concluded I wasn't playing nice and handed me off to the generic WTF line. Cindy, or Sue, or whatever the hell her name was kept saying "Bayble" for PayPal (among other language and accent defects), necessitating I ask for someone that actually spoke English.
The young fellow I ended up with was actually helpful, and tried to explain to me how, although PayPal was telling ME that everything was "completed", it really wasn't: that the requisite time (3 to 5 business days) hadn't passed between my last PayPal-based purchase, and the removal of funds from my bank. Strictly speaking, "completed" on MY end actually sometimes meant "still processing" on THEIR end. In response to that, I suggested that if that was the case, then either PayPal didn't know what it was doing by telling me that the transaction was complete, or it was deliberately lying to me - and asked which it was. He was unable to answer that question, and elected to explain the situation again. Just as he did when I asked additional questions that he didn't have answers for.
The bottom line is that I'm likely to have to wait until Saturday before their computer decides that it has received the $2.25 in question, and it's okay for me to close my account.
I would suggest that anyone with a PayPal account have a look at the things that PayPal has done, and decide if they really want to entrust their money with such an operation.
Oh, and just to make SURE everyone understands: PayPal is not a bank, it is a "payment processor". In other words, they are not subject to all those nifty banking regulations about access to your money, business practises, and the like. Caveat Emptor!
Over the years, I've also heard (and read about) the stories of PayPal summarily and somewhat arbitrarily freezing accounts without ever providing any real explanation as to why, how it could be resolved, when it would be resolved, or other actual details. Recently, however, I ran across this story, and something about it just set my teeth on edge.
Since the only thing I really used PayPal for was buying stuff on eBay, and eBay has finally managed to aggravate me sufficiently enough to close my account with them, it seemed like as good a time (and reason) as any to close my PayPal account, too. A couple of days ago, I tried to do just that - only to be told by PayPal that there was some kind of activity still unfinished with my bank.
Fine, whatever. The last eBay purchase I made was on the 6th, and I've already received the item, so I figured PayPal would get caught up in the next couple of days. This evening, when I logged in and tried to close the account, I still got the same message. After carefully checking that all my transactions showed as "completed", I called PayPal support.
For the love of God, Cthulu, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Allah, or anything else you hold dear, don't ever do that. Their automated voice response system is seriously fucked up. After telling me that it couldn't understand me (despite my speaking carefully and clearly) after too-brief response periods, it insisted on trying to foist me off to departments that were completely irrelevant to what I wanted to discuss. Having no other alternative, I simply started pressing "O" until it concluded I wasn't playing nice and handed me off to the generic WTF line. Cindy, or Sue, or whatever the hell her name was kept saying "Bayble" for PayPal (among other language and accent defects), necessitating I ask for someone that actually spoke English.
The young fellow I ended up with was actually helpful, and tried to explain to me how, although PayPal was telling ME that everything was "completed", it really wasn't: that the requisite time (3 to 5 business days) hadn't passed between my last PayPal-based purchase, and the removal of funds from my bank. Strictly speaking, "completed" on MY end actually sometimes meant "still processing" on THEIR end. In response to that, I suggested that if that was the case, then either PayPal didn't know what it was doing by telling me that the transaction was complete, or it was deliberately lying to me - and asked which it was. He was unable to answer that question, and elected to explain the situation again. Just as he did when I asked additional questions that he didn't have answers for.
The bottom line is that I'm likely to have to wait until Saturday before their computer decides that it has received the $2.25 in question, and it's okay for me to close my account.
I would suggest that anyone with a PayPal account have a look at the things that PayPal has done, and decide if they really want to entrust their money with such an operation.
Oh, and just to make SURE everyone understands: PayPal is not a bank, it is a "payment processor". In other words, they are not subject to all those nifty banking regulations about access to your money, business practises, and the like. Caveat Emptor!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Time is running out
Well, kind of.
The recent earthquake in Chile shifted the planet's axis by about 8 cm and shortened days by 1.26 microseconds
Saturday, February 27, 2010
"Safety" is just another word in the dictionary
This YouTube vid is in German, but you won't need the English subtitles to get the idea of what's involved in forklift safety...
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Some people's kids...
I've had several instances of some Chinese-speaking dildo leaving bullshit comments in Chinese on some of my posts. Rather than having to go in and delete the crap, I've marginally increased the security on comments here - you'll either have to be registered (BTFOM what that means, right now) or have an "OpenID".
If you comment, but don't see it right away, be patient - I'll register you (if necessary) so you won't have to fart around with it in the future.
You'll also notice some Chinese writing on the leave-a-comment section; basically, it tells the little fuckwad Commie assmunches to stop leaving their bullshit in my comments.
If you comment, but don't see it right away, be patient - I'll register you (if necessary) so you won't have to fart around with it in the future.
You'll also notice some Chinese writing on the leave-a-comment section; basically, it tells the little fuckwad Commie assmunches to stop leaving their bullshit in my comments.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Stupid is as Stupid does
For those inDUHviduals that don't seem to have enough functioning brain cells to figure this out on their own, here is a Free Clue:
You should turn your lights on when the weather is bad (rain, fog, snow).
Sure, maybe you can see "okay", but turning your lights on -- all the way, not just your parking lights -- means that it's easier for other people to SEE YOU. Now, here's the tricky part so you need to pay attention: if other people can SEE YOU, then they're a lot less likely to do something nonsensical like pull out in front of you. This means that you're a lot less likely to get into an accident. To make it even easier for you, try to remember that LIGHTS ON = ACCIDENTS OFF.
'kay?
You should turn your lights on when the weather is bad (rain, fog, snow).
Sure, maybe you can see "okay", but turning your lights on -- all the way, not just your parking lights -- means that it's easier for other people to SEE YOU. Now, here's the tricky part so you need to pay attention: if other people can SEE YOU, then they're a lot less likely to do something nonsensical like pull out in front of you. This means that you're a lot less likely to get into an accident. To make it even easier for you, try to remember that LIGHTS ON = ACCIDENTS OFF.
'kay?
Monday, January 18, 2010
Maybe best not to f*ck with me...
| What military aircraft are you? EA-6B Prowler You are an EA-6B. You are sinister, preferring not to get into confrontations, but extract revenge through mind games and technological interference. You also love to make noise and couldn't care less about pollution. |
| Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests. |
via the Presurfer
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Every little bit helps
The New York Times is reporting on an actual lifetime cost comparison between 3 different types of light bulbs: incandescent, LED, and CFL (Compact FLourescent) done by Osram, a German lighting manufacturer.
As it turns out, LED and CFL bulbs use approximately 20% of the energy of an incandescent to generate the same amount of light.
If you're wondering how much the higher initial cost of LED/CFL bulbs affects the calculations, it works out that it's pretty much the same for all 3 types: manufacturing and distribution represents about 2% of the lifetime energy cost. That means that the higher initial cost of LED/CFL bulbs will be paid for by how long they'll last.
While I personally think that the various efforts to outlaw incandescents by 2014 is just another example of Congress getting too full of itself, it does make a fair amount of sense to convert to LED/CFL lighting -- particularly when you consider how many lights there are in peoples homes.
As it turns out, LED and CFL bulbs use approximately 20% of the energy of an incandescent to generate the same amount of light.
If you're wondering how much the higher initial cost of LED/CFL bulbs affects the calculations, it works out that it's pretty much the same for all 3 types: manufacturing and distribution represents about 2% of the lifetime energy cost. That means that the higher initial cost of LED/CFL bulbs will be paid for by how long they'll last.
While I personally think that the various efforts to outlaw incandescents by 2014 is just another example of Congress getting too full of itself, it does make a fair amount of sense to convert to LED/CFL lighting -- particularly when you consider how many lights there are in peoples homes.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Computer Service
One of the things that I try to explain to people when I work on their computer is that heat is something that electronic components absolutely do not like. I go on to tell them that dust on the parts in their computers is like wrapping them in tiny little blankets, making it all but impossible for the heat to escape. Finally, I suggest to them that they pick one (or even two) days a year to remove any dust and other particles out of their computers.
It's perfectly okay to simply open the computer up and go after the insides of it with a vacuum cleaner (I recommend the crevice attachment) or a can of compressed air. Pay special attention to the processor heat sink and fan assembly, but don't forget to clean the rest of the parts as best you can. With the vacuum or compressed air, you're not likely to unplug or disconnect anything, so you don't have to worry about "breaking" the computer. In the case of a laptop, simply get yourself a can of compressed air and give the vents a few shots every couple of months.
By giving your computer a cleaning like that, you'll not only be doing yourself the favor of extending the life of the computer, but saving yourself any potential embarrassment if you DO have to have it serviced. After all, you wouldn't want it to look anything like one of these, would you? (WARNING: not for the squeamish!)
It's perfectly okay to simply open the computer up and go after the insides of it with a vacuum cleaner (I recommend the crevice attachment) or a can of compressed air. Pay special attention to the processor heat sink and fan assembly, but don't forget to clean the rest of the parts as best you can. With the vacuum or compressed air, you're not likely to unplug or disconnect anything, so you don't have to worry about "breaking" the computer. In the case of a laptop, simply get yourself a can of compressed air and give the vents a few shots every couple of months.
By giving your computer a cleaning like that, you'll not only be doing yourself the favor of extending the life of the computer, but saving yourself any potential embarrassment if you DO have to have it serviced. After all, you wouldn't want it to look anything like one of these, would you? (WARNING: not for the squeamish!)
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
New family member
I've been contemplating it for a while now, and decided to go ahead and add to my little "family": my cat, Elf, is getting a little baby brudder or sister today.
A friend of mine has a cat that had kittens, so I'm "babysitting" the two of them that haven't been spoken for today; the idea is to get some idea of which one will best fit in with me and Elf. Needless to say, Elf is considerably less than impressed with the idea -- she spent the first half hour staring at them while growling and hissing at them. Following that, she went off to sulk for a while.
The kittens are both gray longhairs; one has while front feet that the other doesn't. Both have a few random white splotches. One is female (named "Sally Forth"), the other is male ("Marco Polo").
It's been a couple of hours since I opened the carrier they were in, and both of them have pretty much gotten used to being in a new environment, and are actively investigating my apartment. As soon as I can, I'll get pictures of both to put up here.
UPDATE:
As promised, here's a photo showing the two fuzzballs...
clickenize to embiggenate
A friend of mine has a cat that had kittens, so I'm "babysitting" the two of them that haven't been spoken for today; the idea is to get some idea of which one will best fit in with me and Elf. Needless to say, Elf is considerably less than impressed with the idea -- she spent the first half hour staring at them while growling and hissing at them. Following that, she went off to sulk for a while.
The kittens are both gray longhairs; one has while front feet that the other doesn't. Both have a few random white splotches. One is female (named "Sally Forth"), the other is male ("Marco Polo").
It's been a couple of hours since I opened the carrier they were in, and both of them have pretty much gotten used to being in a new environment, and are actively investigating my apartment. As soon as I can, I'll get pictures of both to put up here.
UPDATE:
As promised, here's a photo showing the two fuzzballs...
clickenize to embiggenate
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Public Service Announcement
I was just watching Wheel of Fortune, and I am forced to the conclusion that there are lot of people that don't bother to prepare for the game.
Since the contestants win money by correctly guessing letters that might be in the puzzle, simply using the normal distribution of letters in the English language dramatically increases the chances of winning. I mean, there's a REASON that one has to 'buy' vowels: they constitute 5 of the first 12 most common letters.
For those that would like a quick and easy 'tool' to remember, the most frequent 12 letters in the English language are (in order)
ETAOIN SHRDLU
If you'd like to see the full distribution, you can either see it as a graph in alphabetical order, or in the most- to least-used order.
If anyone reading this should happen to find themselves on WoF, and win whacking great wads of money, you're welcome to show your appreciation by sending some of it to me.
Since the contestants win money by correctly guessing letters that might be in the puzzle, simply using the normal distribution of letters in the English language dramatically increases the chances of winning. I mean, there's a REASON that one has to 'buy' vowels: they constitute 5 of the first 12 most common letters.
For those that would like a quick and easy 'tool' to remember, the most frequent 12 letters in the English language are (in order)
ETAOIN SHRDLU
If you'd like to see the full distribution, you can either see it as a graph in alphabetical order, or in the most- to least-used order.
If anyone reading this should happen to find themselves on WoF, and win whacking great wads of money, you're welcome to show your appreciation by sending some of it to me.
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