Calling tech support sucks and it's far easier to find answers to most problems on the web (either on google or on the vendor's site).
The only time that I call those places is when I need to have a part replaced. And it usually sucks - you have to convince those on the other end of the line that you really do, in fact, know what you're doing and that you really do believe that the problem will be resolved by replacing the dead hard drive.P?
I once had a fairly new Dell Dimension die. After looking at it I just reinstalled the OS on a new hard drive - problem solved. I called tech support to replace the hard drive and told them that was the problem. They started asking if I'd jumped through their hoops - I just said that the machine is working perfectly one a spare drive and that was the problem. I got the new hard drive.
They will - but sometimes you've got to jump through their hoops to tell them that you know what you're doing, know what the problem is, and to just send the damn part.
even though we shipped them an unusually high number of laptops due to the fact that most of the iBooks we worked on came from the run with the logic board defect [and that they were deployed to education majors]
It's just funny to see the words "logic... defect" and "education majors" in the same sentence - they just plain go together.
Why would they need the power cord in the first place? Unless that is where the problem is, they should have a supply of those kind of things to use when working on machines.
Two denominations (20s and 5s) are typical in the area.
I mentioned the hard coded limit (on the ATM) because I was told about it by someone at Shazam (our ATM network). It kind of surprised me at the time. The limit may no longer exist or it may just sort of be a holdover from old, old ATMs.
We also do have control over how much can be withdrawn on a daily basis by a customer and that is not a hard coded limit.
3. Its very likely that someone will notice you putting an atm onto the back of a truck.
Just show up with a couple of guys in a panel van wearing "ATM Service Company" jackets and tell the staff that the 'ATM is being taken in for service' - and do it during business hours (not at night).
Our small bank is on the Shazam "Privileged Status" ATM network - we don't surcharge the customers of other such banks and they don't surcharge our customers. This is a small bank network covering the entire midwest.
One a side note - Iowa just recently started allowing ATM surcharges and as long as we can get away with it our bank will not tack a surcharge on the ATM's.
ATMs can have a certain number of "cannisters" in them that hold the money to be dispensed. The owners of the ATM have to decide how to load it to allow the most time between refills, and the least complexity of the transaction.
Our bank uses 2 denomination ATMs - 20's and 5's - and that offers a great deal of flexibility.
Also, if you're wondering about why you can only get a certain of money out of an ATM per transaction - that's apparently hardcoded - NCR ATMs (at least) only dispense a certain number of each denomination.
Because of how the transactions are charged (behind the scenes)
A debit card using a PIN based authorization will route the transaction through the ATM network which will charge the bank a set per transaction fee.
A debit card transaction using a signature based authorization will route through the credit card network (remember the card has the Visa/MC logo as well as the ATM logo on it). The fees for the transaction are charged to the merchant (instead of the bank) and the bank gets a cut of those fees.
Debit cards do have built in protections - just different ones. They are governed by Reg E in the US.
Citibank or one of those big guys advertise the consumers' "zero liabiity" for fraud. They're not being infinitely generous - the consumer is only leagally liable for the first $50 of fraud if it is reported in a timely manner.
In Iowa, our governor (a lawyer) proposed expanded the state sales tax to include all professional services - except those of lawyers. He said that we couldn't tax the services of lawyers because that is a constitutionally mandated function. Most of the time, politicians at least to try to look like they're not screwing everyone else when they are.
This would mean that every CPA, tax person, computer guy, and plumber in the state would need to start charging sales tax on their labor which is typically the most expensive part of an invoice.
Thankfully this idiotic idea was bottled up this year, but like any stupid idea in government, once its formed it will stick around until they sneak it in.
Re:Perfect!
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IPv6 is Here
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· Score: 2, Insightful
Also, for some reason, I don't really like the idea of persistent per-human IP addresses. The idea has an Orwellian feel to it.
You already have it (assuming your an American) - it's called your Social Security Number.
I don't cheat on taxes and I don't encourage others to do so. I'm just saying that if you claim 100% of [insert expense here] as a business expense, you'd better be able to back it up.
As a matter of personal preference, I'd prefer to not get audited and therefore prefer to "play it safe." You are absolutely right that one can take as much off for taxes as possible and deal with the consequences later - and force the government to prove that you were in the wrong. It's just a matter of personal preference - just make sure that you know that ahead of time.
I have a personal cell phone that everyone at work has the number to. I have a home area that includes the upper midwest and Missouri (those are the only places I typically travel around when I'm not in).
I keep stuff going well and keep the after hours calls to a minimum (like you) - and plan on not doing anything major a couple of weeks before I'm out of the office.
I don't get reimbursed unless there does happen to be roaming charges - and those I pass on. I do not ask for reimbursing the greater roaming area because it benefits me (I'm able to make personal calls while away without having to pay hotel phone bills).
I also have a little side computer support business, and do write off a portion of internet and cell phone expenses each month. As it was said earlier, having a small business allows a great deal of creativity in regards things that you, as a techie, would be doing anyway.
Writing off the entire cost of the broadband would be a red flag - You'd like be only able to take a small percentage of that (or whatever % was previously reimbursed). Taking 100% of any expense that could be used for personal purposes (unless you can prove that you don't use it for personal purposes) is like jumping up and down and asking for an IRS audit.
Quicken and money can handle transfers correctly when entered manually - but they don't have a clue when the information is downloaded at the account level. When you "fix" the download by entering the categories, you tie the 2nd half of the transfer to the from account - and when you download the transactions from the from account, it gives you a second copy of that transfer.
I imagine the fuel of the future will be Eathanol. You can make it by fermentation of sugars in plant products. But this also has problems, in that corn used for Eathanol can't be used for food or other things.
That's not entirely true. The corn used for ethanol is not the corn that you eat on the cob. It is mainly used for feeding animals.
Distiling the corn down to alcohol doesn't use up all of the food stock in the corn - what is left (the distiller's grain) can still be used to feed animals, and it has a higher protein content than corn alone.
Probably the same way that they determine that a checking or savings account is "dormant."
I think that (in Iowa, at least) an checking or savings account is dormant if it has not had any transactions (other than accruing interest) in two years and the owner of that account is not to be found.
An interesting thing is that some southern and eastern states are starting to do the same rules for CD's (certificates of deposit). Those are accounts that all that can happen is for them to sit and accrue interest over long periods of time.
The dormant account laws should exist to protect consumers from giving banks free use of their money in perpetuity - but those states that can call CD's dormant are misusing the system and are just trying to make some extra money.
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The only time that I call those places is when I need to have a part replaced. And it usually sucks - you have to convince those on the other end of the line that you really do, in fact, know what you're doing and that you really do believe that the problem will be resolved by replacing the dead hard drive.P? I once had a fairly new Dell Dimension die. After looking at it I just reinstalled the OS on a new hard drive - problem solved. I called tech support to replace the hard drive and told them that was the problem. They started asking if I'd jumped through their hoops - I just said that the machine is working perfectly one a spare drive and that was the problem. I got the new hard drive.
They will - but sometimes you've got to jump through their hoops to tell them that you know what you're doing, know what the problem is, and to just send the damn part.
It's just funny to see the words "logic ... defect" and "education majors" in the same sentence - they just plain go together.
Why would they need the power cord in the first place? Unless that is where the problem is, they should have a supply of those kind of things to use when working on machines.
I mentioned the hard coded limit (on the ATM) because I was told about it by someone at Shazam (our ATM network). It kind of surprised me at the time. The limit may no longer exist or it may just sort of be a holdover from old, old ATMs.
We also do have control over how much can be withdrawn on a daily basis by a customer and that is not a hard coded limit.
Just show up with a couple of guys in a panel van wearing "ATM Service Company" jackets and tell the staff that the 'ATM is being taken in for service' - and do it during business hours (not at night).
One a side note - Iowa just recently started allowing ATM surcharges and as long as we can get away with it our bank will not tack a surcharge on the ATM's.
Our bank uses 2 denomination ATMs - 20's and 5's - and that offers a great deal of flexibility.
Also, if you're wondering about why you can only get a certain of money out of an ATM per transaction - that's apparently hardcoded - NCR ATMs (at least) only dispense a certain number of each denomination.
A debit card using a PIN based authorization will route the transaction through the ATM network which will charge the bank a set per transaction fee.
A debit card transaction using a signature based authorization will route through the credit card network (remember the card has the Visa/MC logo as well as the ATM logo on it). The fees for the transaction are charged to the merchant (instead of the bank) and the bank gets a cut of those fees.
It values the risk that banks take by giving out cash instead of a physical item.
Citibank or one of those big guys advertise the consumers' "zero liabiity" for fraud. They're not being infinitely generous - the consumer is only leagally liable for the first $50 of fraud if it is reported in a timely manner.
This would mean that every CPA, tax person, computer guy, and plumber in the state would need to start charging sales tax on their labor which is typically the most expensive part of an invoice.
Thankfully this idiotic idea was bottled up this year, but like any stupid idea in government, once its formed it will stick around until they sneak it in.
You already have it (assuming your an American) - it's called your Social Security Number.
I'm sure that no viruses will cause problems with that kind of bandwith to spew out copies of themselves.
As a matter of personal preference, I'd prefer to not get audited and therefore prefer to "play it safe." You are absolutely right that one can take as much off for taxes as possible and deal with the consequences later - and force the government to prove that you were in the wrong. It's just a matter of personal preference - just make sure that you know that ahead of time.
I keep stuff going well and keep the after hours calls to a minimum (like you) - and plan on not doing anything major a couple of weeks before I'm out of the office.
I don't get reimbursed unless there does happen to be roaming charges - and those I pass on. I do not ask for reimbursing the greater roaming area because it benefits me (I'm able to make personal calls while away without having to pay hotel phone bills).
I also have a little side computer support business, and do write off a portion of internet and cell phone expenses each month. As it was said earlier, having a small business allows a great deal of creativity in regards things that you, as a techie, would be doing anyway.
Writing off the entire cost of the broadband would be a red flag - You'd like be only able to take a small percentage of that (or whatever % was previously reimbursed). Taking 100% of any expense that could be used for personal purposes (unless you can prove that you don't use it for personal purposes) is like jumping up and down and asking for an IRS audit.
Quicken and money can handle transfers correctly when entered manually - but they don't have a clue when the information is downloaded at the account level. When you "fix" the download by entering the categories, you tie the 2nd half of the transfer to the from account - and when you download the transactions from the from account, it gives you a second copy of that transfer.
Or better yet, ask a child or younger sibling to do it for you.
That's not entirely true. The corn used for ethanol is not the corn that you eat on the cob. It is mainly used for feeding animals.
Distiling the corn down to alcohol doesn't use up all of the food stock in the corn - what is left (the distiller's grain) can still be used to feed animals, and it has a higher protein content than corn alone.
With benefits and stuff, the breakeven is probably more around 70 hours (what you pocket is less than half of what you cost a company).
And you could get three crops of them during the course of the entire year in northern Iowa.
Or worse (and more likely) it's incompetence in the government and the people that are maintaining their systems.
I think that (in Iowa, at least) an checking or savings account is dormant if it has not had any transactions (other than accruing interest) in two years and the owner of that account is not to be found.
An interesting thing is that some southern and eastern states are starting to do the same rules for CD's (certificates of deposit). Those are accounts that all that can happen is for them to sit and accrue interest over long periods of time.
The dormant account laws should exist to protect consumers from giving banks free use of their money in perpetuity - but those states that can call CD's dormant are misusing the system and are just trying to make some extra money.
You're stalling!