They give you an 8 digit security number when you open an online/digital TV banking account with them.
To log in you need to enter:
A 12 chacacter alphanumeric code as your username (given to you on a card when you sign up)
Your date of birth
Three digits from your security number, and it's different digits on each subsequent visit. For example on one visit you'll be asked for the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd digit. The next visit you might be asked for the 4th, 6th & last.
I have a lot of respect for the HSBC. Their customer service is also second to none - with my US bank I frequently find myself getting passed around between different customer service reps and having to tell my story from the beginning each time. Not so with the HSBC, they know my name before I've even spoken, and they never lose track of me no matter how many people I get passed along to.
Why is it that every good idea that appears on/. gets knocked down by at least one person who doesn't see the usefulness of it just because it doesn't suit his exact personal individual circumstances? I mean, come on, this bit about "me being an average geek," which is as subjective a statement as ever there was; what has that got to do with the price of fish?
Dude, if you live on the West coast of the US, then, okay, it's a good bet that you are not going to need to iron your shirt. I live in Silicon Valley and I can't remember the last time I wore a shirt that had to be ironed. However, (and it's a _big_ however) if you live on the East Coast or in certain cities on Europe, or especially in Japan, this thing is gonna be worth its weight in gold to someone, most likely a dry-cleaning business.
Looks are one thing, but to live in a place like that is quite another. An absence of vibrant city streets gives a feeling of isolation that just doesn't feel right in a city. A sprawl of freeways does not a community make. See my journal for more on this topic.
...out of that flying model Starship Enterprise that we had a few days ago. Mind you, the phasers and torpedoes would probably make mincemeat out of this thing!
I'm sure the entrance to San Francisco Bay was pretty before the Golden Gate Bridge was built, but frankly I think that bridge is a hell of an improvement!
Are we looking at yet another awe inspiring structure to be on a terrorists list of possible targets?
Quite right. Let's stop building bridges, tall buildings (the Pentagon wasn't tall, but hey) and other big things that might be hit by terrorists. In fact let's just stay indoors, lock the door and don't move.
in light of the recent collapse at the Charles de Gaulle airport in france, I'm not gonna risk my butt being the first to across it. I'll wait at least 2 years after completion (the airport collapsed less than 2 yrs after its completion).
I never could figure out the point of the 'holonovel' in Star Trek. Why go to the trouble of taking part in the story of Wuthering Heights if you first have to read the story, learn your lines, and go through the motions of the character? I mean, supposing you're playing Cathy and you decide to marry Heathecliffe. Well then you all live happily ever after and the story is no longer Wuthering Heights.
more engaging than linear presentations such as those in most movies today
I disagree with this statement too, but for a different reason.
I wouldn't underestimate the engaging nature of the narrative. Storytelling is as old as mankind and it's not likely to disappear just because we can suddenly take control of the story. In fact I would argue that if you could control the story, what's the point of readin/watching/taking part in it? The point of storytelling is to engage the reader and make him feel an emotion. It's a lot easier to do that if the story throws him a curveball that he didn't see coming, or if the story has a load of story arcs that end up being resolved in the most unexpected of ways.
I remember reading a series of childrens' books called 'choose your own adventure.' I seem to remember feeling a bit short-changed with these books. Sure, the writing quality was pretty good, but the use of the second person narrative just felt downright wierd, a book telling me what was happening to me. Maybe if they were written in the third person it would have been better. I digress. What was missing was the plot resolution. I was left wondering, 'what is this story about?' Is it about me solving the mystery (as happened when I read it on one occasion) or is it about me dying a painful death along with all my friends (as happened when I read it a different time)?
There is just something about a third person narrative that no interactive game can beat.
Well I believe that the typical period is, what, five years? But no matter how long you leave it, there's always the chance that new evidence will emerge after the execution. Take the case of the Birmingham Six. It took these guys about 17 years to prove their innocence, so they're very lucky that capital punishment had been abolished in England when they were convicted of a crime they did not commit.
The only safe way to make sure that nobody innocent is executed is to execute nobody. As long as the justice system depends on people, people will make mistakes and miscarriages of justice will always be with us.
It also varies depending on the way in which they are likely to die. For example the aftermath of a series of train crashes in the UK produced a wave of demands for stringent safety measures and heavy investment in tracks and signalling. Public confidence in railway safety plummetted. Reduced speed limits were imposed on the entire national railway network. Meanwhile the carnage on the country's roads, a much greater killer, went largely unreported.
Air travel is the safest way to go, and driving to the airport is still the most dangerous part of flying. Yet people still fear flying.
Rewarding murderers, rapists, and child molesters with a lifetime of food, shelter, and medical care at taxpayer expense is even more wrong.
Executing people in the US is more expensive than a lifetime of incarceration. Of course it would cut the cost if we just dispensed with the lengthy appeals process, in fact we could even eliminate trials altogether. A summary execution with a single bullet in the back of the head would be very cost-effective. The way things are going with this administration, that might not be so far off. Already the Chinese feel in a position to issue reports damning America's human rights record. I'd recommend reading the report - you might find that they have a point.
Good to see that the style of Jonathan Swift's famous modest proposal for aleviating poverty in Ireland is still around. His idea was to treat impoverished Irish children as livestock to be fattened up for consumption. A tongue cannot become more firmly embedded in a cheek!
This thing is a single seater. There's a clue there. It's not meant to carry passengers. Why complain because this thing doesn't do domething it does not set out to do? My bicycle isn't very practical for carrying a child around either! Sheesh!
Slashdot Mirror
Believe it or not it still goes on. Ever seen the NYSE? London Futures Exchange?
I haven't seen any of their branches in California.
To log in you need to enter:
- A 12 chacacter alphanumeric code as your username (given to you on a card when you sign up)
- Your date of birth
- Three digits from your security number, and it's different digits on each subsequent visit. For example on one visit you'll be asked for the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd digit. The next visit you might be asked for the 4th, 6th & last.
I have a lot of respect for the HSBC. Their customer service is also second to none - with my US bank I frequently find myself getting passed around between different customer service reps and having to tell my story from the beginning each time. Not so with the HSBC, they know my name before I've even spoken, and they never lose track of me no matter how many people I get passed along to.You get higher mileage out of a diesel engine, so it is still a better proposition. Apart from the particulates, that is.
Dude, if you live on the West coast of the US, then, okay, it's a good bet that you are not going to need to iron your shirt. I live in Silicon Valley and I can't remember the last time I wore a shirt that had to be ironed. However, (and it's a _big_ however) if you live on the East Coast or in certain cities on Europe, or especially in Japan, this thing is gonna be worth its weight in gold to someone, most likely a dry-cleaning business.
IANAP, but isn't that how all planes are supposed to land?
Looks are one thing, but to live in a place like that is quite another. An absence of vibrant city streets gives a feeling of isolation that just doesn't feel right in a city. A sprawl of freeways does not a community make. See my journal for more on this topic.
True. You've gotta admit though, the guy's writing style is pretty funny. I wasted a whole day at work on this site!
...out of that flying model Starship Enterprise that we had a few days ago. Mind you, the phasers and torpedoes would probably make mincemeat out of this thing!
I'm sure the entrance to San Francisco Bay was pretty before the Golden Gate Bridge was built, but frankly I think that bridge is a hell of an improvement!
I never could figure out the point of the 'holonovel' in Star Trek. Why go to the trouble of taking part in the story of Wuthering Heights if you first have to read the story, learn your lines, and go through the motions of the character? I mean, supposing you're playing Cathy and you decide to marry Heathecliffe. Well then you all live happily ever after and the story is no longer Wuthering Heights.
I wouldn't underestimate the engaging nature of the narrative. Storytelling is as old as mankind and it's not likely to disappear just because we can suddenly take control of the story. In fact I would argue that if you could control the story, what's the point of readin/watching/taking part in it? The point of storytelling is to engage the reader and make him feel an emotion. It's a lot easier to do that if the story throws him a curveball that he didn't see coming, or if the story has a load of story arcs that end up being resolved in the most unexpected of ways.
I remember reading a series of childrens' books called 'choose your own adventure.' I seem to remember feeling a bit short-changed with these books. Sure, the writing quality was pretty good, but the use of the second person narrative just felt downright wierd, a book telling me what was happening to me. Maybe if they were written in the third person it would have been better. I digress. What was missing was the plot resolution. I was left wondering, 'what is this story about?' Is it about me solving the mystery (as happened when I read it on one occasion) or is it about me dying a painful death along with all my friends (as happened when I read it a different time)?
There is just something about a third person narrative that no interactive game can beat.
What's that someone said a few minutes ago on the other discussion about executing spammers....?
The only safe way to make sure that nobody innocent is executed is to execute nobody. As long as the justice system depends on people, people will make mistakes and miscarriages of justice will always be with us.
Air travel is the safest way to go, and driving to the airport is still the most dangerous part of flying. Yet people still fear flying.
Criticising your king, er, sorry, 'president' eh? Stand by to be labelled unpatriotic. Ten bucks says you get at least one 'troll' mod for that one!
Good to see that the style of Jonathan Swift's famous modest proposal for aleviating poverty in Ireland is still around. His idea was to treat impoverished Irish children as livestock to be fattened up for consumption. A tongue cannot become more firmly embedded in a cheek!
And peope who drive too slowly in the fast lane.
This thing is a single seater. There's a clue there. It's not meant to carry passengers. Why complain because this thing doesn't do domething it does not set out to do? My bicycle isn't very practical for carrying a child around either! Sheesh!
Er, it's not meant for carrying _any_ passengers. If it were, it would have a passenger seat and space for a passenger.
New?! Concept cars are nothing new.