Greg's Corner

Recent Updates Page 216 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• 

  Geebo 9:02 am on June 6, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: AAA, insurance ( 8 ), Tesla ( 3 )   

  Car insurance for Teslas is about to go through the roof 

  

  So you finally made it to the point in your life where you can purchase a Tesla as your primary vehicle. Good for you. They’re great for the environment and they surpass most, if not all, of the safety standards put forth by the government and consumer groups. Unfortunately, that doesn’t change the fact that you may be paying another arm and a leg for the insurance. AAA has come out and said they are raising the rates for insurance on the Model S and the Model X. So if the cars are so safe why are the rates being raised?

  It comes down to the fact that in this case, Tesla is a victim of their own success. Their manufacturing process is so unique that not only are the parts prohibitively expensive, but so is the cost for specially trained mechanics. You can find many stories on the internet where Tesla owners ended up paying thousands upon thousands of dollars for something as routine as a blown tire. In AAA’s eyes this means even though the safety standard is high for Teslas, the cost of replacement parts is so astronomical it has to raise their rates to properly insure these uncommon vehicles. Other insurance companies are expected to follow.

  Do you think AAA is making a cash grab by raising the rates of one of the safest vehicles of all time, or are they justified due to the costs of parts and labor even for the most minor of items?
   

  Leave a ReplyCancel reply
• 

  Geebo 9:01 am on June 5, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Amazon ( 112 ), walmart ( 25 )   

  Walmart to possibly have employees deliver packages 

  

  In case you were unaware, the nation’s largest retailer, Walmart, has an online presence that is working on rivaling Amazon. The place where Amazon beats Walmart is delivery. With an Amazon Prime subscription you can get unlimited free delivery. Now, Walmart is planning on challenging that by asking their employees to deliver packages from their stores.

  Late last week, Walmart announced the testing of a new program where their employees can deliver online orders to houses during their commute home in their own cars. Walmart doesn’t have the greatest reputation when it comes to their employees, as many believe they are underpaid and in some cases grossly overworked. By asking their employees to use their own cars, one has to wonder if the employees making the deliveries will be fairly reimbursed. While Walmart says the program is voluntary for employees, in the past Walmart has been accused of having a very liberal interpretation of the word ‘voluntary’.

  However, Walmart does have one valid point. They have said all their stores they are within a mile of 90% of the US population. All companies that use any kind of delivery say the last mile is the most expensive part of any delivery so Walmart could end up potentially beating Amazon in this area. The real problem is will the Walmart employees who volunteer for this program be fairly treated?

  Office supply giant now testing same-day delivery | Greg's Corner is discussing. Toggle Comments

   
• 

  Geebo 9:02 am on June 2, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: FCC ( 30 ), robocalls ( 8 ), telemarketers   

  FCC could allow telemarketers to go straight to your voicemail 

  

  We’ve all gotten that call. We see a number we don’t recognize, but we answer the call anyway. There’s a longer than usual pause after you say hello before you hear a vaguely robotic voice attempting to offer you some unsolicited deal. If certain businesses and politicians have their way, we could all be avoiding those calls, but not necessarily in a better way. Telemarketers and the RNC are asking the FCC to allow their calls to bypass ringing your phone and let them go straight to your voicemail.

  The companies behind these annoying robocalls claim that allowing their calls to go to voicemail does not violate the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act since the phone doesn’t actually ring. The RNC is in favor of this because they say not allowing this could affect political outreach campaigns. When telemarketers and politicians agree on something we should all be a little concerned. The FCC says the complaints they receive most are due to robocalls, but considering they ruled on the side of big business with the proposed repeal of net neutrality regulations it seems like they could actually agree to this practice.

  What do you think? Do you think this is a worse better or worse option than actually taking the call? Are you worried about your voicemail being flooded with telemarketing messages or do you look at it as a way of avoiding talking to them altogether?
   
• 

  Geebo 9:02 am on June 1, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: net neutrality ( 32 ), Netflix ( 15 )   

  Has net neutrality lost its biggest ally? 

  

  When the discussion of net neutrality comes up, Netflix is usually used as the poster child for keeping the internet open. It’s been argued if ISPs are allowed to prioritize traffic, consumers may have to pay extra to access the bandwidth hogging streaming service. In the past, Netflix had argued in favor of net neutrality. However, now in the face of the President Trump-backed FCC voting to repeal net neutrality, Netflix has taken a different stance.

  Recently when the topic was approached, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings basically said they were out of the fight. His exact words were, “We’re big enough to get the deals we want.” With those nine words, Mr. Hastings may have put the final nail in the coffin for net neutrality.

  While net neutrality is probably on its last legs, at least during the current administration, losing a key ally like Netflix may have signed its death warrant. It’s bad enough that most consumers don’t have many choices when it comes to receiving internet service, it will be even worse once the phone and cable companies start charging customers extra to have access to the more popular web services.

  Big name steps in to replace Netflix in net neutrality debate | Greg's Corner is discussing. Toggle Comments

   
• 

  Geebo 9:01 am on May 31, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: lexmark, patent ( 2 ), printer ( 3 ), printer ink ( 2 )   

  Supreme Court releases printer cartridges from patent prison 

  

  As the old adage goes, computer printer ink is one of the most expensive liquids on earth, commanding anywhere from $13 to $75 an ounce. In too many cases it’s less expensive to buy a new printer than it is to buy a replacement cartridge for the printer you already have. Because of the price, an after-market of sorts sprung up of services that could refill your old cartridges at a fraction of the price of buying a new one. For years the printer companies battled with these services claiming refilling the cartridges violated their patents. Yesterday, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that argument was invalid.

  The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit brought about by printer manufacturer Lexmark who were suing a small company that bought used cartridges, refilled them and resold them at a much cheaper price. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. compared the practice of garages being able to repair and sell used cars and said these kinds of practices are vital to the economy.

  Now that printer makers may have some competition on their hands, how will this affect the prices of ink? Will it continue to be more expensive than milk and gasoline by volume or will they double down on continuing to mark up the prices to ridiculous amounts out of protest? Maybe we’ll even see a new influx of businesses who can now freely refill your cartridges without fear of legal action, which would be great news for consumers.
   
• 

  Geebo 9:05 am on May 30, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Chipotle, identity theft ( 129 ), malware ( 28 )   

  Chipotle malware attack exposed customers’ card info 

  

  Recently, restaurant chain Chipotle announced they experienced a massive data breach that affected numerous locations nationwide. If you visited the restaurant between March 24 and April 18 of this year and paid with a debit or credit card, the odds are that your card information has been exposed to hackers and identity thieves.

  This is just another incident in a long series of incidents that have plagued Chipotle over the past couple of years. In 2015, Chipotle was the subject of a number of food safety issues that involved outbreaks of E. coli, salmonella, and norovirus.

  What makes the Chipotle breach different from most large consumer data breaches is that Chipotle’s card reader system was infected with malware. While Chipotle has been upfront with news about the breach, they haven’t said how the malware found its way into their system. Usually, a user has to open an infected attachment in an email or visit a malware infected website for it to spread among the system. That could lead one to ask if the card reader system is attached to other easily compromised systems within the corporate information chain.

  Chipotle has said their card readers are currently free of malware, but without disclosing how they became infected in the first place it could lead customers to believe they’re still not secure and they’re private information is still at risk.

   
• 

  Geebo 9:01 am on May 26, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Facebook Marketplace ( 67 ), Kodi Box, piracy ( 4 ), streaming ( 9 )   

  Facebook Marketplace has banned Kodi Boxes. What are they, and why are they banned? 

  

  Facebook Marketplace recently joined other places like Amazon and Ebay by banning the sale of ‘fully loaded’ Kodi Boxes by claiming that they promote piracy. So you may be asking what is a Kodi Box and what’s so bad about it? Before we get there we need to explain exactly what Kodi is.

  Kodi is software that you can install on just about any device that not only organizes all your media, but allows you to play your downloaded content on your HD TV. Some devices are sold that have Kodi pre-installed on them. They are very similar to the Amazon Fire Stick or the Google Chromecast. However, Kodi is open source, meaning anyone can either alter the code or make add-ons that allow Kodi devices to stream pirated content. This can include the streaming of first run movies that are still in the theater or pay-per-view sporting events.

  The Kodi Boxes that Facebook Marketplace is banning are the ones listed as ‘fully loaded’. This is thinly-veiled code meaning the boxes can be used for pirated content.

  For those of us who are old enough to remember the advent of cable television, this is akin to the pirate cable boxes from back in the day that would illegally unscramble all the pay channels.

  In conclusion, it’s not illegal to own or use a Kodi Box, unless it runs the apps that allow you to pirate paid content for free.

   
• 

  Geebo 8:59 am on May 25, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: AB297, craigslist bill, nevada ( 2 ), safe zones ( 4 )   

  Does Nevada’s new ‘craigslist law’ really protect consumers? 

  

  Earlier this week, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval signed bill AB297 into law. The bill, known as the ‘craigslist bill’, was sponsored by State Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui of Las Vegas. The law now states that each police department within Nevada will now have at least one area dedicated to online transactions that must be within the confines of the police department. While some departments in Nevada already have these safe zones, other departments will have until September 30th to comply. The question remains, will this actually protect classifieds users from potential robberies and other violence?

  Safe zones in police stations are unfortunately nothing new. It’s been suggested for years that people should use police department grounds to complete classifieds transactions. The common belief is either a potential criminal will refuse to meet their target at a police station or that no one will try anything foolish at a police station.

  While this law will go a long way in protecting some consumers and bring awareness to the dangers of craigslist, a large number of the populace will not use these safe zones. A lot of people in poorer and urban areas have a distrust of police. Whether or not that distrust is warranted is a topic for another day, but it is a reality. Consumers in these areas will continue to practice unsafe transactions just to avoid any involvement from police.

  This is also not taking into account that someone may actually try to commit a robbery or something else in one of these safe zones. If you think about it, a number of the old rules no longer apply to safe transactions. The rules used to be you takes someone with you to the transaction and meet them in public during the day. This hasn’t stopped robberies and murders committed through craigslist from taking place in public during the day. Just recently in Georgia, a man was killed in a restaurant parking lot during the afternoon after a craigslist transaction went wrong. Therefore, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for someone to try to commit a crime right in front of police.

  While the legislation is well-intentioned, it’s doubtful it will have much effect since safe zones across the country have not slowed the march of crime on craigslist. This legislation shouldn’t have even come to this. If craigslist actually took some basic steps to try to protect their users this wouldn’t even be an issue. Instead craigslist continues to stick its head in the sand where they still think it’s 1996.

   
• 

  Geebo 9:01 am on May 24, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: art theft, craigslist ( 129 ), Mordokwan, rembrandt, wire fraud ( 21 )   

  Was craigslist used in the country’s largest art heist? 

  

  There’s no doubt that craigslist has a crime problem. One industry observer even called craigslist a ‘cesspool of crime’. The crimes committed on craigslist are countless, but one you don’t normally hear about is art theft. We’re not talking about dogs playing poker either.

  Over 25 years ago, two men disguised as police stole over $500 million in artwork from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Two of those pieces were Rembrandt’s “Storm on the Sea of Galilee” (partially shown above), and Johannes Vermeer’s “The Concert”. “The Concert” is valued at $200 million. The FBI has been offering a $5 million reward for information leading to the recovery of the paintings.

  Recently, a man known only by the pseudonym of ‘Mordokwan’, allegedly took out craigslist ads all over the world claiming he had the aforementioned paintings and was selling them both for $55 million. So, was a crime so rare that it’s usually reserved for heist movies brokered through craigslist? Not exactly.

  As it turns out, it was a crime that craigslist is more known for, wire fraud. ‘Mordokwan’ turned out to be 47-year-old Todd Andrew Desper of Beckley, West Virginia. Authorities were able to track him down after he allegedly requested a $5 million cashier’s check be sent to a PO Box at a local UPS Store. Desper was said to not be in possession of any of the paintings advertised or any of the ones stolen and is not believed to be connected to the original heist.

  While Mr. Mordokwan may not be the smartest criminal to ever use craigslist, he’s far from the only one, and craigslist continues to not lift a finger when it comes to their users’ safety.

   
• 

  Geebo 9:02 am on May 23, 2017 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bitcoin ( 35 )   

  Is a rogue state exerting undue influence on Bitcoin? 

  

  Cryptocurrency Bitcoin is back in the news this week after its advocates celebrated the fact that its value has risen past the $2,000 mark for the first time in its seven-year history. Many claim it’s due to policy changes in Japan and China that have made it easier for traders to buy into Bitcoin. However, could there be a more nefarious reason behind the surge?

  Bitcoin made headlines prior to this due to the WannaCry ransomware attack. The cyber-extortionists asked for $300 to $600 in Bitcoin as he ransom for your encrypted files. While the attack is said to have failed in terms of netting the attackers a king’s ransom, what if that was only part of their plan?

  Security experts are now saying the code within the WannaCry attack traces back to a state sponsored hacking group in North Korea. The hermit kingdom has been in a state of financial distress for decades now with even neighboring China cutting back on support. With so many businesses now attempting to keep Bitcoin on hand in case of another such attack, is this the real reason the price has surged? Without a ‘legitimate’ regulating body Bitcoin is subject to wild price fluctuations which could potentially lead any state-sponsored group to strong-arm the price into rising or falling depending on their needs. Could North Korea be trying to use the surge in Bitcoin to make some money for themselves? It’s not out of the realm of possibility.