The point would be that; how can the other less known payment sites be any more reputable than Paypal which has stockholders to please? I'm sorry you found the article poorly written - it is linked on over 50 websites and I was complimented by a major news organization for it's insight.
I also find it very hard to believe that you read my post. visited the link, and typed a critique all in the span of 14 minutes. You must be trolling,
Look up any better business bureau report for almost any company - if you based your shopping habits on this fact alone - you'd never shop anywhere.
Paypal also has a long history of being business saviour and small business boom tool. Paypal has a long history of neing an easy way to donate to causes quickly - many many noble causes.
Just because people don't make a site paypalisthebestthingsinceslicedbread.com doesn't mean they are all bad.
It is the ONLY way I accept credit cards for eBay auctions. I sell 200+ items a month 75%+ pay with paypal 50% of those paying with credit cards. A merchant account (which places liability on me) is more costly and requires an ENORMOUS upfront cost - plus the funds are not nearly as instanteously mine.
I have to be sent a check from a merchant account, I have the money on a spendable debit card as soon the money is deposited at paypal.
Paypalsucks.com is sponsored by Paypal's competition. Anyone who disagrees with the moderator has their IP address blocked from entering the site. Most thos that post are spazz freaks who couldn't handle a normal transaction anyway.
He asked for donations for scam himself. You cannot ask for anyone to send you money through Paypal to contribute to a scam.
He collected monies for the purpose of perpetrating a scam.
Compare to collecting monies to buy a gun to kill someone. everyone who sends the money is an acomplice to a crime!
Just because you don't like someone doesn't justify breaking the law or breaking service policies to get back at them.
eBay was defrauded - he listed the item there - and then made a seperate deal for the item off of eBay. It was under the guise that he was shipping what was listed in the auction. This is expressly forbidden in eBay policy.
Again, just because you don't like someone or they are trying to scam you means you have any right to scam them back.
I want the scammer with the fake escrow to go down in flames, but I what I don't like is that the "victim" believes in mirror victimization = vigilante justice.
Here's excerpts from The Paypal User Agreement found at the bottom every Paypal website page:
This item COULD be considered conterfeit:
You may not use PayPal to sell counterfeits, unauthorized replicas, or otherwise unauthorized items (such as counterfeit watches, handbags, or other accessories).
Guideline You may not use PayPal to sell a product that bears the name or logo of a company but wasn't made or endorsed by that company.
Examples The following are examples of items that may not be sold using PayPal:
A purse that has the Chanel® name on it but was not made by Chanel
Sunglasses bearing the Oakley® name in a style never made by Oakley
A fake autograph claiming to be real
Replacement parts for an Epson® printer which use Epson's part numbers and names, but were not made by Epson
Warning You may not use PayPal to sell replica, counterfeit, or otherwise unauthorized items. Violations of PayPal's Replica and Counterfeit Item policy could result in the suspension of your account.
This is also a strecth but the "mock up laptop" was being shipped in conjuction with an escrow, eventhough fake:
Money Transfer Companies and similar businesses that accept PayPal as a source of funding for money transactions are required to register and receive authorization from PayPal before conducting such business. PayPal requires pre-registration and approval to ensure the safety of the system, and the proper knowledge and satisfaction of regulatory requirements that apply to this industry.
Parties interested in opportunities to work with the PayPal network in this manner should send contact information and a brief business summary to Money_Transfers@paypal.com.
Here's another tidbit from the computer category:
Ensure legal compliance in both countries PayPal insists that your transactions comply with the laws of the countries where both the seller and buyer reside. We can't give you legal advice about your particular transaction, but users are responsible for ensuring that their transactions are lawful in both countries. To avoid potential legal difficulties, be informed about all applicable laws of the countries where you plan to do business.
This is from The Fedex User Agreement:
(iv) Unless otherwise indicated, the shipper's address indicated on the face of any Shipping Documentation is the place of execution and the place of departure and the recipient's address listed on the face of the Shipping Documentation is the place of destination.
AND... the shipper agrees that the contents of any parcel shipped through the fedex service is properly identified and properly insured. Fedex may investigate and open certain parcels if fraudulent activity is suspected; concerning false insurance statements and declared values.
There are lots of other interesting tidbits from both sites, but here's one from eBay too:
See the following (circumventing eBay fees) - he WAS going to offer an indirect sale (EVENTHOUGH) the buyer wasn't using a legit account.
You CAN NOT LIST an item on eBay, in the hopes of selling it UNRELATED to eBay. The seller did this.
I'm not defending the scammer, I'm merely pointinting out that the seller went too far and I found no humor to the story whatsoever. The use of profanity in the story telling also was unappealing.
The "sale" resulted as an advertisement for the item on eBay. He listed it legitimately by posting an auction.
It is a stretch - but vigilante justice often blurs the diffrences of what is right and what is wrong. It's really hard for me to see that no one understands this.
This guy went too far and HE stretched a lot of venues to get back at this scammer.
You CAN NOT COLLECT money through paypal (even from willing benefactors) to defraud someone. He collected monies for the SOLE purpose of paying for a FedEx package that was listed as a PowerBook and insured for $2200.
Although it would be a bad PR move, FedEx should prosecute, then "settle out of court"
My sentiments exactly - although below my comments were attacked.
This guy indirectly defrauded eBay, Paypal, Fedex and possibly a few others to get back at this seller.
Whether or not the transaction was on or off eBay - he DID list an actual PowerBook - but shipped a "scammer's mockup"
He did put ON THE FEDEX slip that it was a PowerBook and insured it FALSELY for $2200. The recipient could have claim potential (regardless of the fake escrow service)
He did use Paypal to collect funds to "scam the scammer" - I believe Paypal would not look favorably on this.
His BEST option was to simply not ship the item if the buyer didn't use the services and payment methods the seller wanted. PERIOD!
He should have taken his writing skills (minus the profanity) and just alerted "his forum" and posted to other websites around the net.
I'm all for the scammer being scammed - but poetic justice and vigilante justice are not the same.
You know, I'm all for this but some points have to be brought up:
Potentially the recipient could file a fraud charge against the seller AND against FedEx.
Take this example into mind:
When on the playground as a child if you were hit and DID NOT hit back - you were safe. But if you hit back, even if in self defense, both of you went to the office.
I would also like to point out that this seller defrauded Paypal, Fedex, eBay, the scammer and it just (in my opinion) tells scammers what mistakes to avoid in future, more sphisticated scams.
Lastly, I'd like to say - as I am an Apple parts dealer on eBay - selling or buying a PowerBook on eBay or Yahoo auctions is the riskiest thing you could POSSIBLY do. If you even bid in ANY POWERBOOK auction or SELL ANY PowerBook (newer than 3 years) you are deluged with offers from Romania (usually) for $800 PowerBook G4 17". What's funny, is that some even offer AppleCare.
The story was interesting and entertaining - but the outlets to properly "report a crime" are readily available and much less costly.
Just download the large trailer and then use the present movie feature.
This is much easier and the screen doesn't do all sorts of automatic funny resolution switching once the trailer is over either.
The iTunes requirement is due to the fact the audio is in protected lossless AAC in the full screen trailer. Not sure if this was a ploy or a way to get the file size down.
No, I was saying that as access becomes free (which it is) and as broadband lowers in cost (which it is) and as costs rise to produce content (which it is) then ISPs and content providers alike will need a revenue stream.
There will always be free versions of sites like Slashdot as there is now. But, we could choose to pay extra for less trolls, flamebaiters, consistently abusive negative moderators, etc etc. Then, in turn, if we received moderation (+) for our comments we are rebated a portion of our payment to slashdot.
This isn't necessarily paying for anything. Our ISPs could grant us 250 credits a month. We could use that for email and online content purchases. If we want more, we'd have to either buy credit or make purposeful efforts to get our "credit refunds"
For example: say a subscription to Slashdot is 25 credits - that comes from my 250. Currently, out MY last 24 comments I have received positive moderation on 14 of them - my Slashdot subscription has cost me 10 credits.
If you are sent email and you respond or interact with the email by clicking on a link and goinfg to a site - the sender is rebated. I believe solicitation emails should receive NO rebate. Having no rebate could be a tag that the email is a solicitation.
I also believe that soliciatation emails should have to pay if you DO respond. Therefore, someone could gain credits by responding to offers, but the consequences are obvious - you get an new spam lists.
This is much the same way MYPoints BonusMail works.
I hate spam, but I tolerate this email and respond to EVERY offer because I am granted points just for reading and responding to the emails. I have over 5000 points currently built up which is almost $40 at Toys R Us and $450 at Sharper Image or 4 free Pizzas etc etc
This gets complicated to understand and to convey.
having it on your hard drive doesn't indicate a wrong doing even under AppleCare - it is conclusive to a "warranty honoring issue" if you have it on there and the unit has been disassembled to repair "non user" installable parts.
If I were not an Apple Authorized technician I would disassemble my stuff in and out of warranty - but I wouldn't ask for warranty coverage if I screwed it up. It WOULD cross my mind, but be a devil on the shoulder, angel on the other scenario. Most people just have a devil on both shoulders - when it comes to this because of the expense.
(That was an interesting story by the way) - I wish Apple would do something similar with warranty void stcikers. You wouldn't believe how much of a problem this is - even by their most modest estimate.
How can you judge what is ethical and what is not?
The item I was to install was a new hard drive. I was told to drag and drop certain folders back onto the new one as soon as I installed a fresh version of panther.
Besides, EVERY TIME I get a unit in for warranty I type in "repair" "manual" "fix" and "how to"
These terms come up in sherlock. It's hardly snooping or unethical.
Are you defending customers who take advantage of warranties?
I'm all for people wanting to save money. These seem like great how to guides with clear instructions and great pictures.
That said, what i don't like is novices that "cheapskates" that buy these things, use them, screw up their computer while they are still under warranty, then take them to a service provider (me, others) and then have the units fixed for free - it's no less than fraud - because usually someone that messes their unit up after doing something like this doesn't disclose that information.
I have had many a customer tell me that NO ONE has ever opened their computer (including them) - I open it up and there are screws missing, the magnetic sheild has fingerprints on it, etc etc.
The funniest thing, I saw ALL of this on an iBook a while back. The customer said they hadn't touched it. There was a long blonde hair inside and one of "these manuals" on the hard drive.
I sold a power board for an iMac to a guy on eBay. I KNOW it worked before I shipped it to him.
I tested it and put it STRAIGHT IN TO the shipping box.
He got it (in good condition), waited 15 days to test it. Then he gave me VERY sparse replies about it not working.
He admitted that he installed it himself and was a novice (at best) computer person - THIS IS FAR from a novice item to install.
The catch is: he paid $30 for the item AS IS! He paid $12.50 shipping.
He wanted to return it. I informed him of the AS IS part of the auction. I informed him that if I did return the item, I wouldn't reimburse shipping. He paid $15.40 to send it back to me.
He said it was a matter of principle. To me, it was a matter of stupidity. I gave him lots of ideas - he could have exchanged it with a company like preowned.com/ resold it on eBay as unknown / broken.
Anyways, I got it back - it worked fine. The interesting thig is, he sent EXTRA items that I had NOT included in the original shipment, including a burned cable.
So I agree - if we have situations like this - would SEARS or even Walmart return this if they knew the truth and researched the products they return?
Go to the site. Notice the banner ads? They are for competing services to paypal. PAYPAL'S COMPETITION sponsor the site!!
I feel MUCH safer with Paypal than I do with my bank. eBay depends greatly on good press. The days where "bad press" news items come out about eBay - the stock usually takes a 2-3 point hit. Paypal/ebay have stockholder's to please and analysts to appease with tight security. Is it perfect? No. Is it better than average? A resounding: YES!
Read this article on my website about Paypal and PayPalSucks.com where I corresponded with the webmaster.
What is most ironic - is that scammers use paypalsucks.com as a way to say they aren't a scammer! Saying:
If a negative is truly worthy of being removed eBay HAS TO REMOVE IT. Now - the catch is - what you think should be removed and what actually SHOULD be removed are different.
Either way, Squaretrade makes no mention that eBay will remove MOST negatives (that should be removed) on their own without going through the process of Squaretrade.
I have not had a successful Squaretrade case to EVER work out. (me: ADZOOX = 7 years on eBay & 8 Squaretrade mediations) It really just ends up a place where the other party who was typically unreasonable to begin with, posts endless diatribe and rants.
I have always believed that when profits/cash flow were low at Squaretrade, that THEY may have influence over buyers & sellers that have PAID to have feedback removed in the past. See this Journal Entry I made concerning the topic.
You are incorrect. eBay and Yahoo auctions DO REQUIRE credit card registrations (now) - but that doesn't prevent anyone from multiple registrations. eBay DOES NOT profit from fraud either. It's bad public relations and turns people away. eBay DOES NOT collect ANY fees from an auction that you state you were not paid for. This is why they have the area in the "Non Paying Bidder" section for you to fill out:
Did you receive any money from the buyer: Yes ______ (amount) OR No
eBay then sends a confirmation email to that buyer where they have the opportunity to say yes they DID send money or no they didn't didn't send money. Not responding goes in favor of the seller.
Unauthenticated buyers is usually a SELLER scam and not a buyer scam. Many con artist sellers register their own bidding email addresses as well and schill bid in their own auctions - jacking up the price.
There isn't really a way beyond honesty that this "multiple" registration could be prevented other than by fingerprint. Which actually isn't a bad idea.
Since the post office and UPS receive so much business from eBay - I would think it would be a nice service to provide at both for a fingerprint scan that could authenticate email and registrations on websites like ebay.
You have false notions about the feasability of solar. You would be speaking of cheap solar whereas (as it is now) there ISsolar technology that:
A) Doesn't have to cover the entire structure - but really is mute point - if you want solar - why not maximize its production - installation and deployment is 1/4 the cost - once it's being installed, install as much as possible - your goal is to "overproduce" if possible - did you know that your local energy untility has to BUY BACK power that you could place onto the grid if you overproduced?
B) The GM solar race car is a marvel of engineering, is as fast as most street legal cars and it looks cool too!
C) Cloud cover and night are of no consequence. Cloud cover only reduces production - besides power IS STORED in batteries anyway - it doesn't go straight from the sun to your light bulb or TV.
Tech TV was about the same as/. in a lot of regards to technology.
You have Leo Laporte - about the only bearable personality and pretty much the lone Mac/Linux/P2P advocate in every situation
You have Patrick (Screensaver) - this guy was anti everything - and honestly contributes little to any show - his interview skills were only good if he had them decently written on a notecard
Morgan Webb - I never saw what Xplay itself claimed - that she was a goddess that got tons of fanmail - she looks kind of mongoloid - has a great body though
Cat Schwartz - this chick is the female version of Patrick and after seeing her Howard Stern interview only confirmed she is a real bitch in everyday life - she also was a bandwagoner - what ever was cool - she wanted it it or had it
Then there was the couple that liked each other on the screensavers. Sarah Lane was genuinely funny and Kevin Rose was genuinely knowledgeable - although a Mac hater in most regards
Originally you had the gay announcer that I think still produced and directed - I was personally aware of his live coverage of MacWorld Expo 2001 and that it WAS DEMANDED by Apple that he was fired
Then you have Fresh Gear - what happed to Sumi Daas? She was awesome - had a true platform agnostic computer bias and was actually pretty good in her reviews. She was replaced by a girl with an annorexia problem and a guy that does infomercials (really, Chris Leary does several)
Chris Parillo (former host of Call For Help) was the most annoying geek to ever be on TV and just about every show would say how much he hated the Mac platform and Linux. Although he was very knowledgeable
I'd also like to point out that the former owners were a company owned by Paul Allen. When the show Microsoft Insider popped up I knew it was a downward spiral. This wasn't a show, it was a pro Microsoft Windows propoganda. (An infomercial without the warnings)
I thought Invent This was the best show I have seen on TV in a while and I hope it either stays or finds The Discovery Channel.
I also liked Eye Drops (computer animation showcase) - yet I never understood why they didn't do more episodes after it won an emmy.
I really liked Megan Morrone and the girl that moved on to CNN - they both were knowledgeable and palettable.
I got tired of Leo constantly promoting himself like a God. I think all of this will be a good change. If the "cast" is good enough, they will find other work.
Everyone except Adam Sessler (Xplay) - that guy is honestly retarded.
The Lucas Sound Studio @ Disney
on
Directed Sound
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Has anyone ever been into into the Lucas Sound Studio at MGM in Disney world? I believe it's co sponsored by AT&T.
* There's something similar to this. You put on headphones.
* You're in a booth about the size of a small 1/2 bathroom.
*It goes completely dark, but you are told to close your eyes for an even better effect.
You then proceed to "become a CEO" for a day of a Fortune 500 company - you get your hair cut and blowdried in the boardroom - you CAN FEEL the scissors and hear them close to your ears and atop your head. Then you can FEEL HEAT from the blowdryer - and it's nothing but sound rather an auditory/perceptual illusion.
Imagine if this could be done with the directory sound.
Slashdot Mirror
The point would be that; how can the other less known payment sites be any more reputable than Paypal which has stockholders to please? I'm sorry you found the article poorly written - it is linked on over 50 websites and I was complimented by a major news organization for it's insight.
I also find it very hard to believe that you read my post. visited the link, and typed a critique all in the span of 14 minutes. You must be trolling,
Look up any better business bureau report for almost any company - if you based your shopping habits on this fact alone - you'd never shop anywhere.
Paypal also has a long history of being business saviour and small business boom tool. Paypal has a long history of neing an easy way to donate to causes quickly - many many noble causes.
Just because people don't make a site paypalisthebestthingsinceslicedbread.com doesn't mean they are all bad.
It is the ONLY way I accept credit cards for eBay auctions. I sell 200+ items a month 75%+ pay with paypal 50% of those paying with credit cards. A merchant account (which places liability on me) is more costly and requires an ENORMOUS upfront cost - plus the funds are not nearly as instanteously mine.
I have to be sent a check from a merchant account, I have the money on a spendable debit card as soon the money is deposited at paypal.
Paypalsucks.com is sponsored by Paypal's competition. Anyone who disagrees with the moderator has their IP address blocked from entering the site. Most thos that post are spazz freaks who couldn't handle a normal transaction anyway.
An eye opener about PaypalSucks.com
Look Troll - READ for comprehension!
He asked for donations for scam himself. You cannot ask for anyone to send you money through Paypal to contribute to a scam.
He collected monies for the purpose of perpetrating a scam.
Compare to collecting monies to buy a gun to kill someone. everyone who sends the money is an acomplice to a crime!
Just because you don't like someone doesn't justify breaking the law or breaking service policies to get back at them.
eBay was defrauded - he listed the item there - and then made a seperate deal for the item off of eBay. It was under the guise that he was shipping what was listed in the auction. This is expressly forbidden in eBay policy.
Again, just because you don't like someone or they are trying to scam you means you have any right to scam them back.
I want the scammer with the fake escrow to go down in flames, but I what I don't like is that the "victim" believes in mirror victimization = vigilante justice.
Here's excerpts from The Paypal User Agreement found at the bottom every Paypal website page:
... the shipper agrees that the contents of any parcel shipped through the fedex service is properly identified and properly insured. Fedex may investigate and open certain parcels if fraudulent activity is suspected; concerning false insurance statements and declared values.
This item COULD be considered conterfeit:
You may not use PayPal to sell counterfeits, unauthorized replicas, or otherwise unauthorized items (such as counterfeit watches, handbags, or other accessories).
Guideline
You may not use PayPal to sell a product that bears the name or logo of a company but wasn't made or endorsed by that company.
Examples
The following are examples of items that may not be sold using PayPal:
A purse that has the Chanel® name on it but was not made by Chanel
Sunglasses bearing the Oakley® name in a style never made by Oakley
A fake autograph claiming to be real
Replacement parts for an Epson® printer which use Epson's part numbers and names, but were not made by Epson
Warning
You may not use PayPal to sell replica, counterfeit, or otherwise unauthorized items. Violations of PayPal's Replica and Counterfeit Item policy could result in the suspension of your account.
This is also a strecth but the "mock up laptop" was being shipped in conjuction with an escrow, eventhough fake:
Money Transfer Companies and similar businesses that accept PayPal as a source of funding for money transactions are required to register and receive authorization from PayPal before conducting such business. PayPal requires pre-registration and approval to ensure the safety of the system, and the proper knowledge and satisfaction of regulatory requirements that apply to this industry.
Parties interested in opportunities to work with the PayPal network in this manner should send contact information and a brief business summary to Money_Transfers@paypal.com.
Here's another tidbit from the computer category:
Ensure legal compliance in both countries
PayPal insists that your transactions comply with the laws of the countries where both the seller and buyer reside. We can't give you legal advice about your particular transaction, but users are responsible for ensuring that their transactions are lawful in both countries. To avoid potential legal difficulties, be informed about all applicable laws of the countries where you plan to do business.
This is from The Fedex User Agreement:
(iv) Unless otherwise indicated, the shipper's address indicated on the face of any Shipping Documentation is the place of execution and the place of departure and the recipient's address listed on the face of the Shipping Documentation is the place of destination.
AND
There are lots of other interesting tidbits from both sites, but here's one from eBay too:
See the following (circumventing eBay fees) - he WAS going to offer an indirect sale (EVENTHOUGH) the buyer wasn't using a legit account.
You CAN NOT LIST an item on eBay, in the hopes of selling it UNRELATED to eBay. The seller did this.
I'm not defending the scammer, I'm merely pointinting out that the seller went too far and I found no humor to the story whatsoever. The use of profanity in the story telling also was unappealing.
The "sale" resulted as an advertisement for the item on eBay. He listed it legitimately by posting an auction.
It is a stretch - but vigilante justice often blurs the diffrences of what is right and what is wrong. It's really hard for me to see that no one understands this.
This guy went too far and HE stretched a lot of venues to get back at this scammer.
You CAN NOT COLLECT money through paypal (even from willing benefactors) to defraud someone. He collected monies for the SOLE purpose of paying for a FedEx package that was listed as a PowerBook and insured for $2200.
Although it would be a bad PR move, FedEx should prosecute, then "settle out of court"
My sentiments exactly - although below my comments were attacked.
This guy indirectly defrauded eBay, Paypal, Fedex and possibly a few others to get back at this seller.
Whether or not the transaction was on or off eBay - he DID list an actual PowerBook - but shipped a "scammer's mockup"
He did put ON THE FEDEX slip that it was a PowerBook and insured it FALSELY for $2200. The recipient could have claim potential (regardless of the fake escrow service)
He did use Paypal to collect funds to "scam the scammer" - I believe Paypal would not look favorably on this.
His BEST option was to simply not ship the item if the buyer didn't use the services and payment methods the seller wanted. PERIOD!
He should have taken his writing skills (minus the profanity) and just alerted "his forum" and posted to other websites around the net.
I'm all for the scammer being scammed - but poetic justice and vigilante justice are not the same.
Yes I read the whole thing - he DID use paypal to get funds to ship the item.
He DID use eBay to sell a real item but ACTUALLY shipped a fake item
He DID use fedex to ship a fraudulent item.
Vigilante justice is NOT legal no matter how cute the story or punishing to the criminal.
You know, I'm all for this but some points have to be brought up:
Potentially the recipient could file a fraud charge against the seller AND against FedEx.
Take this example into mind:
When on the playground as a child if you were hit and DID NOT hit back - you were safe. But if you hit back, even if in self defense, both of you went to the office.
I would also like to point out that this seller defrauded Paypal, Fedex, eBay, the scammer and it just (in my opinion) tells scammers what mistakes to avoid in future, more sphisticated scams.
Lastly, I'd like to say - as I am an Apple parts dealer on eBay - selling or buying a PowerBook on eBay or Yahoo auctions is the riskiest thing you could POSSIBLY do. If you even bid in ANY POWERBOOK auction or SELL ANY PowerBook (newer than 3 years) you are deluged with offers from Romania (usually) for $800 PowerBook G4 17". What's funny, is that some even offer AppleCare.
The story was interesting and entertaining - but the outlets to properly "report a crime" are readily available and much less costly.
Just download the large trailer and then use the present movie feature.
This is much easier and the screen doesn't do all sorts of automatic funny resolution switching once the trailer is over either.
The iTunes requirement is due to the fact the audio is in protected lossless AAC in the full screen trailer. Not sure if this was a ploy or a way to get the file size down.
No, I was saying that as access becomes free (which it is) and as broadband lowers in cost (which it is) and as costs rise to produce content (which it is) then ISPs and content providers alike will need a revenue stream.
There will always be free versions of sites like Slashdot as there is now. But, we could choose to pay extra for less trolls, flamebaiters, consistently abusive negative moderators, etc etc. Then, in turn, if we received moderation (+) for our comments we are rebated a portion of our payment to slashdot.
This isn't necessarily paying for anything. Our ISPs could grant us 250 credits a month. We could use that for email and online content purchases. If we want more, we'd have to either buy credit or make purposeful efforts to get our "credit refunds"
For example: say a subscription to Slashdot is 25 credits - that comes from my 250. Currently, out MY last 24 comments I have received positive moderation on 14 of them - my Slashdot subscription has cost me 10 credits.
If you are sent email and you respond or interact with the email by clicking on a link and goinfg to a site - the sender is rebated. I believe solicitation emails should receive NO rebate. Having no rebate could be a tag that the email is a solicitation.
I also believe that soliciatation emails should have to pay if you DO respond. Therefore, someone could gain credits by responding to offers, but the consequences are obvious - you get an new spam lists.
This is much the same way MYPoints BonusMail works.
I hate spam, but I tolerate this email and respond to EVERY offer because I am granted points just for reading and responding to the emails. I have over 5000 points currently built up which is almost $40 at Toys R Us and $450 at Sharper Image or 4 free Pizzas etc etc
This gets complicated to understand and to convey.
I agree with an exception:
I believe we SHOULD have to pay for email and even for content...
BUT if we participate or respond we are "rebated" - if we respond to the email or click on a link - we are rebated or given another penny.
On a site like this, if we receive high moderation we are given credit towards a subscription.
This would encourage quality interaction on websites such as this.
It would cost spammers with illegit offers/phishing scams lots of $$ and there discourage (but not stop all of) them
having it on your hard drive doesn't indicate a wrong doing even under AppleCare - it is conclusive to a "warranty honoring issue" if you have it on there and the unit has been disassembled to repair "non user" installable parts.
If I were not an Apple Authorized technician I would disassemble my stuff in and out of warranty - but I wouldn't ask for warranty coverage if I screwed it up. It WOULD cross my mind, but be a devil on the shoulder, angel on the other scenario. Most people just have a devil on both shoulders - when it comes to this because of the expense.
(That was an interesting story by the way) - I wish Apple would do something similar with warranty void stcikers. You wouldn't believe how much of a problem this is - even by their most modest estimate.
Actually that's more common than you think - to have a "reassembly surplus"
Here's a tip:
Draw 4 diagrams of the iBook or PowerBook. Make them neat pictures (maybe even use Photoshop.)
Print them out. Places the screws on the places on the picture where they go.
This is what I've done. When I get a PowerBook or iBook in for repair I just print out the four different sides of screw removal:
Outer shell bottom
Outer shell top/display
Inside logic board/magnetic sheild bottom
Inside logic board/ top
You can also draw places where cables go too.
Once you have it on your computer you can print them out again in the future.
How can you judge what is ethical and what is not?
The item I was to install was a new hard drive. I was told to drag and drop certain folders back onto the new one as soon as I installed a fresh version of panther.
Besides, EVERY TIME I get a unit in for warranty I type in "repair" "manual" "fix" and "how to"
These terms come up in sherlock. It's hardly snooping or unethical.
Are you defending customers who take advantage of warranties?
Mod the above down as troll!
I'm all for people wanting to save money. These seem like great how to guides with clear instructions and great pictures.
That said, what i don't like is novices that "cheapskates" that buy these things, use them, screw up their computer while they are still under warranty, then take them to a service provider (me, others) and then have the units fixed for free - it's no less than fraud - because usually someone that messes their unit up after doing something like this doesn't disclose that information.
I have had many a customer tell me that NO ONE has ever opened their computer (including them) - I open it up and there are screws missing, the magnetic sheild has fingerprints on it, etc etc.
The funniest thing, I saw ALL of this on an iBook a while back. The customer said they hadn't touched it. There was a long blonde hair inside and one of "these manuals" on the hard drive.
Pssst: the customer has along haired blonde.
I agree I had this happen last week.
I sold a power board for an iMac to a guy on eBay. I KNOW it worked before I shipped it to him.
I tested it and put it STRAIGHT IN TO the shipping box.
He got it (in good condition), waited 15 days to test it. Then he gave me VERY sparse replies about it not working.
He admitted that he installed it himself and was a novice (at best) computer person - THIS IS FAR from a novice item to install.
The catch is: he paid $30 for the item AS IS! He paid $12.50 shipping.
He wanted to return it. I informed him of the AS IS part of the auction. I informed him that if I did return the item, I wouldn't reimburse shipping. He paid $15.40 to send it back to me.
He said it was a matter of principle. To me, it was a matter of stupidity. I gave him lots of ideas - he could have exchanged it with a company like preowned.com/ resold it on eBay as unknown / broken.
Anyways, I got it back - it worked fine. The interesting thig is, he sent EXTRA items that I had NOT included in the original shipment, including a burned cable.
So I agree - if we have situations like this - would SEARS or even Walmart return this if they knew the truth and researched the products they return?
Paypalsucks.com is a scam as well.
Go to the site. Notice the banner ads? They are for competing services to paypal. PAYPAL'S COMPETITION sponsor the site!!
I feel MUCH safer with Paypal than I do with my bank. eBay depends greatly on good press. The days where "bad press" news items come out about eBay - the stock usually takes a 2-3 point hit. Paypal/ebay have stockholder's to please and analysts to appease with tight security. Is it perfect? No. Is it better than average? A resounding: YES!
Read this article on my website about Paypal and PayPalSucks.com where I corresponded with the webmaster.
What is most ironic - is that scammers use paypalsucks.com as a way to say they aren't a scammer! Saying:
"I don't use Paypal - see this website for why"
I have always had bad feelings about Squaretrade.
Paying to have negative feedback removed?
If a negative is truly worthy of being removed eBay HAS TO REMOVE IT. Now - the catch is - what you think should be removed and what actually SHOULD be removed are different.
Either way, Squaretrade makes no mention that eBay will remove MOST negatives (that should be removed) on their own without going through the process of Squaretrade.
I have not had a successful Squaretrade case to EVER work out. (me: ADZOOX = 7 years on eBay & 8 Squaretrade mediations) It really just ends up a place where the other party who was typically unreasonable to begin with, posts endless diatribe and rants.
I have always believed that when profits/cash flow were low at Squaretrade, that THEY may have influence over buyers & sellers that have PAID to have feedback removed in the past. See this Journal Entry I made concerning the topic.
Eventhough Paypal doesn't like it and tells you that you can't - you CAN make a chargeback that is successful 99% of the time.
That is of course if you fund your transactions with credit cards which should ALWAYS do!
You are incorrect. eBay and Yahoo auctions DO REQUIRE credit card registrations (now) - but that doesn't prevent anyone from multiple registrations. eBay DOES NOT profit from fraud either. It's bad public relations and turns people away. eBay DOES NOT collect ANY fees from an auction that you state you were not paid for. This is why they have the area in the "Non Paying Bidder" section for you to fill out:
Did you receive any money from the buyer: Yes ______ (amount) OR No
eBay then sends a confirmation email to that buyer where they have the opportunity to say yes they DID send money or no they didn't didn't send money. Not responding goes in favor of the seller.
Unauthenticated buyers is usually a SELLER scam and not a buyer scam. Many con artist sellers register their own bidding email addresses as well and schill bid in their own auctions - jacking up the price.
There isn't really a way beyond honesty that this "multiple" registration could be prevented other than by fingerprint. Which actually isn't a bad idea.
Since the post office and UPS receive so much business from eBay - I would think it would be a nice service to provide at both for a fingerprint scan that could authenticate email and registrations on websites like ebay.
You have false notions about the feasability of solar. You would be speaking of cheap solar whereas (as it is now) there ISsolar technology that:
A) Doesn't have to cover the entire structure - but really is mute point - if you want solar - why not maximize its production - installation and deployment is 1/4 the cost - once it's being installed, install as much as possible - your goal is to "overproduce" if possible - did you know that your local energy untility has to BUY BACK power that you could place onto the grid if you overproduced?
B) The GM solar race car is a marvel of engineering, is as fast as most street legal cars and it looks cool too!
C) Cloud cover and night are of no consequence. Cloud cover only reduces production - besides power IS STORED in batteries anyway - it doesn't go straight from the sun to your light bulb or TV.
I would assume because he "has to know" - Patrick has an iBook too - but he's VERY open about his dislike for Macs.
Sumi Daas I've heard will be hosting a show on TLC about Tech home makeovers
Tech TV was about the same as /. in a lot of regards to technology.
You have Leo Laporte - about the only bearable personality and pretty much the lone Mac/Linux/P2P advocate in every situation
You have Patrick (Screensaver) - this guy was anti everything - and honestly contributes little to any show - his interview skills were only good if he had them decently written on a notecard
Morgan Webb - I never saw what Xplay itself claimed - that she was a goddess that got tons of fanmail - she looks kind of mongoloid - has a great body though
Cat Schwartz - this chick is the female version of Patrick and after seeing her Howard Stern interview only confirmed she is a real bitch in everyday life - she also was a bandwagoner - what ever was cool - she wanted it it or had it
Then there was the couple that liked each other on the screensavers. Sarah Lane was genuinely funny and Kevin Rose was genuinely knowledgeable - although a Mac hater in most regards
Originally you had the gay announcer that I think still produced and directed - I was personally aware of his live coverage of MacWorld Expo 2001 and that it WAS DEMANDED by Apple that he was fired
Then you have Fresh Gear - what happed to Sumi Daas? She was awesome - had a true platform agnostic computer bias and was actually pretty good in her reviews. She was replaced by a girl with an annorexia problem and a guy that does infomercials (really, Chris Leary does several)
Chris Parillo (former host of Call For Help) was the most annoying geek to ever be on TV and just about every show would say how much he hated the Mac platform and Linux. Although he was very knowledgeable
I'd also like to point out that the former owners were a company owned by Paul Allen. When the show Microsoft Insider popped up I knew it was a downward spiral. This wasn't a show, it was a pro Microsoft Windows propoganda. (An infomercial without the warnings)
I thought Invent This was the best show I have seen on TV in a while and I hope it either stays or finds The Discovery Channel.
I also liked Eye Drops (computer animation showcase) - yet I never understood why they didn't do more episodes after it won an emmy.
I really liked Megan Morrone and the girl that moved on to CNN - they both were knowledgeable and palettable.
I got tired of Leo constantly promoting himself like a God. I think all of this will be a good change. If the "cast" is good enough, they will find other work.
Everyone except Adam Sessler (Xplay) - that guy is honestly retarded.
Has anyone ever been into into the Lucas Sound Studio at MGM in Disney world? I believe it's co sponsored by AT&T.
* There's something similar to this. You put on headphones.
* You're in a booth about the size of a small 1/2 bathroom.
*It goes completely dark, but you are told to close your eyes for an even better effect.
You then proceed to "become a CEO" for a day of a Fortune 500 company - you get your hair cut and blowdried in the boardroom - you CAN FEEL the scissors and hear them close to your ears and atop your head. Then you can FEEL HEAT from the blowdryer - and it's nothing but sound rather an auditory/perceptual illusion.
Imagine if this could be done with the directory sound.