Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Cow in the house!
Here it is in the living room. It looks great! Thanks Aunt Mel!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
I <3 My Roomba
Ok friends....so you all know from being at my house that 2 of the three loves of my life and very furry and shed a lot...ok, so actually all three loves are furry and shed (wink) but TWO of them have 4 legs.
Again and again, we have pondered the issue of keeping our house clean while sharing our quarters with two dogs. I vacuum usually twice a week and it doesn't seem to make much difference. For a while now, Michael has been attempting to convince me that a Roomba would be the answer to our problems. However, knowing how much hair is blowing around the house like tumbleweeds, I wasn't buying it. But, all the vacuuming was beginning to wear on me, so I broke down when Mikey found a great deal on a Roomba on Woot!
Our Roomba arrived in the mail this part Monday and we tested it out last night. I HAVE BEEN CONVERTED TO THE ROOMBA PARTY! This things was amazing. It zipped around the whole downstairs for an hour, even going under couches, tables, and chairs, and picked up all the hair. It also detects if there is an extra dirty spot and does a spot clean! It is AWESOME. We even have multiple surfaced floors...it went from the stained concrete to the rugs beautifully and the fringe in on the rugs didn't get sucked up by our little vacuum man! I love it!
Now the dogs on the other hand are not so sure about it. Kona's mortal enemy is our vacuum, but this one isn't as loud and just kind of goes, so she sort of tried to play with it last night. Which brings up my next concern, Kona may play "attack" the Roomba and we will come up to find it broken or in pieces. Dixie on the other hand is afraid of everything, so I doubt that she would muster up the courage to attack a robot vacuum. You never know what will happen at the Waters' house...
Now the dogs on the other hand are not so sure about it. Kona's mortal enemy is our vacuum, but this one isn't as loud and just kind of goes, so she sort of tried to play with it last night. Which brings up my next concern, Kona may play "attack" the Roomba and we will come up to find it broken or in pieces. Dixie on the other hand is afraid of everything, so I doubt that she would muster up the courage to attack a robot vacuum. You never know what will happen at the Waters' house...
Which leads me to my next concern...Michael is turning our house into a computerized robot. First a computer controls our lights, sounds, video and alarm system, now a robot is cleaning my floors...you could almost call us the Jetsons!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Financial Protection
I have become quite interested in my finances over the last year or so. If you recall, we have previously been victims of debit card fraud. For Memorial Day, we have been planning a trip with some friends. We found a house to rent on the beach that would be perfect for what we were wanting. I went ahead and reserved the house online through the management company using my credit card to pay the deposit. I thought it was all ok.
I got an email the next day requesting me to call and confirm the reservation. When I called, the manager asked the usual questions, and we were just about finished when he asked the question that ruined the whole deal. He specifically asked for the card verification number on my credit card. This is the 3 or 4 digit number on the back of your card that is used to prevent fraud. The intention of the number is such that it ensures you have the card in your hand to use it. The number is transmitted only to the card company who verifies the code is valid. It is not stored, and in fact, is required not to be stored anywhere in any way so that if a database of card numbers is hacked, the verification code will not be stolen with them.
I was immediately unnerved by his request for this code that I had to tell him I would call him back on that. I gathered that his intention was to write it down, as he told me they were not allowed to store it electronically. That just oozed "secure" to me, and his assurances that the 300 lb man in their office would deter any would be thieves made me laugh. I also laughed when he told me they use this software that is the "second most secure software in the world, second only to the Pentagon, and even that has been hacked, so maybe its the most secure". There is no such thing as secure in public communications and the interwebs.
I had the feeling the guy did not really know much about his business, and only knew how to use the software that someone told him to use, so I called the software company to ask if they required the code for all transactions. The tech support, which is apparently one of two people that run the company (the most secure ever), assured me there were not such restrictions and that they could process a payment without it. When confronted with this information, the manger of the management company was shocked and had to call himself. When he came back on the line, he said he "learns something new everyday" and confirmed my reservation.
Today, I get a call again. This time he's not so friendly. He has decided that even though he can process the payment, there is a chance it will be denied without the code and he cannot accept my reservation. Even with a signed agreement to lease the house, which would give him the right to pursue the charges even if they were denied, was not enough because it might cause him more work. He was then quite rude to me and even called me paranoid.
I guess I am a bit paranoid, but I prefer to protect myself at all costs. What I can't figure out is how they have been in business for any length of time, requesting this information from people who willingly give it to them. It's analogous to giving your house key to a mechanic, or your ATM pin number to the clerk at the grocery store. Its unnecessary risk, and in my mind is stupid of both parties, those who ask for it and those who give it.
So we are back looking for another location to spend the holiday weekend. Hopefully, the next company we deal with is a bit smarter. Just like boxing referees always say, "Protect yourself at all times, and let's have a good, clean fight".
I got an email the next day requesting me to call and confirm the reservation. When I called, the manager asked the usual questions, and we were just about finished when he asked the question that ruined the whole deal. He specifically asked for the card verification number on my credit card. This is the 3 or 4 digit number on the back of your card that is used to prevent fraud. The intention of the number is such that it ensures you have the card in your hand to use it. The number is transmitted only to the card company who verifies the code is valid. It is not stored, and in fact, is required not to be stored anywhere in any way so that if a database of card numbers is hacked, the verification code will not be stolen with them.
I was immediately unnerved by his request for this code that I had to tell him I would call him back on that. I gathered that his intention was to write it down, as he told me they were not allowed to store it electronically. That just oozed "secure" to me, and his assurances that the 300 lb man in their office would deter any would be thieves made me laugh. I also laughed when he told me they use this software that is the "second most secure software in the world, second only to the Pentagon, and even that has been hacked, so maybe its the most secure". There is no such thing as secure in public communications and the interwebs.
I had the feeling the guy did not really know much about his business, and only knew how to use the software that someone told him to use, so I called the software company to ask if they required the code for all transactions. The tech support, which is apparently one of two people that run the company (the most secure ever), assured me there were not such restrictions and that they could process a payment without it. When confronted with this information, the manger of the management company was shocked and had to call himself. When he came back on the line, he said he "learns something new everyday" and confirmed my reservation.
Today, I get a call again. This time he's not so friendly. He has decided that even though he can process the payment, there is a chance it will be denied without the code and he cannot accept my reservation. Even with a signed agreement to lease the house, which would give him the right to pursue the charges even if they were denied, was not enough because it might cause him more work. He was then quite rude to me and even called me paranoid.
I guess I am a bit paranoid, but I prefer to protect myself at all costs. What I can't figure out is how they have been in business for any length of time, requesting this information from people who willingly give it to them. It's analogous to giving your house key to a mechanic, or your ATM pin number to the clerk at the grocery store. Its unnecessary risk, and in my mind is stupid of both parties, those who ask for it and those who give it.
So we are back looking for another location to spend the holiday weekend. Hopefully, the next company we deal with is a bit smarter. Just like boxing referees always say, "Protect yourself at all times, and let's have a good, clean fight".
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Kickin' the Habit
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