Journal wowbagger's Journal: What is it with everybody offering insurance? 10
What is it with every entity with which I have any form of business relationship with wanting to offer me <voice type="Annoying TV announcer"> A really great deal on [home|car|life] insurance - save HUNDREDS OF $$$$!!!!! </voice>
NRA, AAA, IEEE, ARRL, all 3 of my credit cards, my credit union - heck, I think even my cell provider has offered me insurance at one point!
I do wish these businesses would realize I want ONE THING from them - whatever line of business they are in - and THAT'S IT. I don't want them "sharing" my data with a "business partner"! If I want to evaluate other insurance options I will do so - until then SHADDUP!
And of course, there is the tangentially related "Oh, you need OUR credit card!" - NO I DON'T. I have three cards already, thank you - and each of them has a limit higher than many people earn in a year (not that I carry a balance or approach those limits, of course).
Then there is the wonderfulness the cards I do have, and every month sending me an envelope labeled "IMPORTANT ACCOUNT DOCUMENTS" (read: STEAL THIS!) that are nothing but a bunch of "checks" - "Go ahead, CONSUME! BUY STUFF! USE THESE! ignore the cash advance fee". Guys, I have a perfectly good checkbook with checks in it - in fact, since I pay almost everything electronically, I have PLENTY of checks with which to buy things; checks that DON'T cost me interest the instant I sign them.
I am getting so tired of every damn business trying to screw that last extra dollar out of me, that one additional "revenue stream". I am doing business with you, how about you focus on that, hmm?
(and the final rant: it's getting to the point where about the only time I feel like posting on
I only get a few (Score:1)
Since I stopped using credit many moons ago the only offers like that I get now are from my bank, and I just use them for kindling/firestarter. I get the occasional credit offer, again, in the wood stove. I am even thinking of just giving up my bank account and debit card, and cashing my pay checks at the supermarket or something. Cash and tangibles rule. I know I will have to purchase health insurance coming up soon, and seeing as how I have low amount to zero available FRNs to do this with...my long shot
Re: (Score:2)
You don't want to let the supermarket/check cashing place/etc handle converting one form of paper to another - they will charge your for the privilege. Find a cheap credit union, get a cheap checking account, let them deal with it. Nothing says you have to keep a lot of money in the checking account.
As for health insurance: I spoke with my doctor once about this - work was changing our insurance, and I had a choice of Point Of Service or HMO. I asked him a couple of questions about the sorts of things he fe
Charges (Score:1)
Actually, my local supermarket wouldn't charge a cent as long as I am shopping there, which I do anyway. That's why I thought about it as an option. I only have a few bills I pay on it, and I could cover those with money orders once a year, some vehicle insurance stuff, then I have my ISP, but I drive by their office a lot so I could just drop it off cash. That leaves my amazon account, which I could do without most likely, and I also pay for flickr, not sure if I could mail them a yearly money order or not
Re: (Score:2)
Building a radio: Mostly I write the code that tells the RF what to do - I let the RF engineers design that side of things. Besides, getting the FCC type acceptance is pricy.
However, given what you are describing, and living where you live: I'd check the grounding on the input from the antenna to the radio - I've seen the job most of these "installers" do and it sucks - no good ground, no input protection, antenna to radio and that's it. Get a good Polyphaser or Transorb with an element rated for about 10W
Hey, thanks! (Score:1)
Good advice. I am going to copy and paste it to a note and print it out and give it to the techs. The system is grounded, but I don't think it has a separate lightning arrestor/surge thing, but it is pluffed into my router, and that and the power supply are both plugged into my APC UPS thingee. I am not sure on the quality of the cable either, they said it was exterior grade ethernet, but no idea if it is shielded or not, I may carefully peel a little back and see. I *did* go out and soak the ground around
Re: (Score:2)
A couple of links:
CAT-5 lightning arrester
http://www.l-com.com/productfamily.aspx?id=6200 [l-com.com]
I'd put one on your network line coming in, if they don't have one already.
co-ax suppressor
http://www.l-com.com/productfamily.aspx?id=6195 [l-com.com]
I'd get one of these in-line between the radio and the antenna.
Journals (Score:2)
(and the final rant: it's getting to the point where about the only time I feel like posting on /. is here, due to the mod-bombing, bullshit, and stupidity on the main pages.)
That's been a pretty common sentiment in the journal circle for years now. I can't remember the last time I went anywhere on /. besides friends' journals.
Go with a credit union (Score:1)
Much easier to deal with.
As for free life insurance, after reading all the fine print, I typically agree to it because hey, why not? :)
I haven't had very many offers for insurance though. Then again I don't own a home either. I get CC offers in the mail now and then, but the main spammers I gave my info too once I gave slightly incorrect info too, so they were unable to track me down after I moved a few times.
My credit union offered me a high limit on my CC but I declined and told them to drop it to a few
And on a related note... (Score:2)
And on a related note, what is it with EVERYBODY jumping on this "Web 2.0" "Social media" crap? Every damn radio station in Wichita wants you to "friend them on Facebook" and "follow them on Twitter".
WHY, FFS?!!?
If I want to "follow" your station, I have this neat device called "a radio" that allows me to stream audio from you!
About the only thing I could even REMOTELY care about might be a feed of what songs you have played and are going to play:
a) I could avoid it when they feel they have to play a stretc
Re: (Score:1)
At work managements idea of keeping up is to see what the boss says or otherwise ignore it. If it is on facebook or twitter now beloved by our state government leaders (I work for a state gov department at the moment) - can't see it at work. This may actually be a good thing in a few ways.
I can't waste time on the /. at work as all front page stories are blocked.
You can get to journals and specific comments but the read more link is blocked. and using IE6 makes it not worth the effort.
Last time I listen