Tag: Blog

How NOT to fall for a Online Dating Scam!

Paul


It just gets harder!

When I first started this Journey, It didn’t seem like it would be this HARD.  I was wrong, I keep fining these emails and instant messages on a few of these sites that just makes me wonder how many people fall for these Online Dating Scams?

I figure it was high time, someone at least talked about how to avoid these people and to recognize them for who they are.  

Knowledge is Power!

Some of the best ways to figure it out is simple common knowledge.  When you have dealt with these types of people before you get to know just how to know some of the stuff.   Here is a quick run down on what I know and hopefully it will help you to see them coming and avoid them.

Language!

We all have it and we all use it.  Each culture and area of the world is a little bit different, just like if your reading this in China, or Europe it might not be as good unless you have studied and understood the US American culture.  So what does this have to do with dating site?  If you get a message or email from someone and the email isn’t as easy to read because of how it is worded.   Then that should throw up a red flag.   I am not going to say that is the most definitive way to know but it is the most common way I can tell if they live close or not. I will not talk to anyone who has doesn’t live close.   Why put the energy into a relationship just to have it broken.

If it seems to Good to be True!

Then maybe it isn’t,  You get emails from Guys/Girls who for a better word for it is eye candy.   They look very nice and really out of your league.  My one idea is that they don’t have to look extraordinary but they do have to be beautiful.   So I come up wit ha chart that helps me.   It is basically a 1 through 10 number system and if I pick a 10 then I am very leary of the person.  The higher the number the the less likely it is a true person but that doesn’t mean I can’t be wrong it just seems to work for me.

Ask about them!

Here is my other safety tip, if you have went through all of the other two suggestions.   You probably wondering if they are for you.   This is where you will know for certain, ask about them and their family.   If they say stuff about a family member or parents that are dead and them having to move to a far off country that is usually a tale tale sign that they aren’t trying to scam you.   

Don’t open Attachments!

This probably don’t need to be said to much but you never know what a scammer intentions are an they may want you to open an attachment just to infect your system.  So if they send you something then you shouldn’t use it.   They might be trying to get your bank account or something else.   If you open it then you might just get malware, or spyware an then you only have yourself to blame!

Why Google will make a Referrer Program!

Paul

Google Car

Google refocuses!

When Google announces that they are closing their affiliate network program.   I was really quite surprised and wondered what their plans were.  Then later this week, a thought struck me as odd and a made me think.   So I wanted to share with you what the thought was and how and why Google will make an Paid Referrer program and when to you can probably expect it!

Google Will have to compete!

Amazon and Apple have their own referrer program to draw people from all over the world into their sites.   We also know both Apple and Amazon have their own affiliate programs and referrer programs that will help people encourage readers and people to visit their site.  Google Play will have to come up with a way to get people to come to their store. This is the only way this will help increase Google’s Revenues and that seems to be the only way!

How and When?

I don’t know exactly when but If it is anything like the Kindle Fires prediction, then it will be really soon!  As far as how, it would really be a simple as transforming the Google Affiliate Network into a Google Play Referrer Program.   They have the tracking capabilities and it would be a shame and kind of a waste just to not use the infrastructure they have in place to track clicks to their play store and pay per click that goes their or even buys stuff from the Play Store.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t happen before the end of the year but that would just be a miracle in all aspects.

What I didn’t understand until just recently is that they would have to close the Google Affiliate Program to open up the Referrer program.   The reason why they can’t have two is that would be almost a monoply type of problems.   So Google probably decided to close it and make it a referrer program for their Google Play Store.   Just a thought but I’d hate to be wrong on this one and I really don’t think so!

 

Thumbs up to Virgin Mobile, At least they care!

Paul

Your account has used 85 percent of your data usage cap. Once you reach 2560.000MB (Which is 2.56 Gigs) of usage, we’ll reduce your data speeds through 05/26/2013.

To check out your account online, go to virginmobileusa.com any time. If you’d like to talk about this notice, please give us a call at: 888-322-1122

Did you know?

  • Your PIN is required whenever you contact us so please have it on hand when you call or access your account online.
  • If you recently provided us with a new email or mailing address, we are required by law to send notices (like this one) to your old address for the first 30 days. Once the 30-day transition period has elapsed, we will send notices to the new email address.

Keep rocking, Virgin Mobile

 

Dear Virgin Mobile,

Thank you for your kind warning and letting me know about my Soft Data cap.   I really wanted to know when I reached a new level of data usage.  I really don’t care about the slowing down of speeds, it isn’t like you will bother me much.   At least you didn’t do what Straight Talk did and advertise they are unlimited but yet I would get calls after calls.  

Please keep on working,

Paul Sylvester

 

 

The Kyocera Rise Falling Apart Problem: How to fix it!

Paul

The Rise Falling Apart!

When I first wrote about My Kyocera Rise from Virgin Mobile.  I got a lot of people asking about if there was a fix for this without calling VM!  If yours is just coming apart from and you wondering how to fix it.  I am here to help.  I went back and got my VM phone before I mailed it off and looked it over.   I found the six screws that were supposed to hold it in place, most of them were missing.   I don’t know if it was the dropping of the phone that caused this or it being in my back pocket.  Some how those screws came loose and just came off the phone.   You will need to pop off the back cover of the phone to verify that it doesn’t have the four screws like you see in the picture above.   If it doesn’t have those screws then you can easily fix this without calling VM!

Found Screws!

I have Glasses and I am always having to repair and fix them.   So I had a 250pc Micro-Screw Assortment for Eyeglasses & watches.   I started looking around for the right size.   You basically start with the biggest and work your way to the smallest.   I don’t recall which ones I used but you will find the ones that will fit those four holes.   Once that is done just make sure to tighten those suckers, don’t break the head off the screw.  Just enough to keep it tight, if it seems to feel like it is loosening from time to time, just pop the back off  and tighten them some more.

What you will need:

Save time and effort from calling Virgin Mobile about sending a replacement phone.   You can just fix it yourself.   Just make sure the Phone is put together before you start screwing in those screws and your phone should last much longer.

Paul Sylvester

 

Library administrators just don’t get it and that just bugs me!

Paul

Blocking Proxpm

At the Library!

You hit the road for your favorite library and you decide you want to protect yourself from all those snooping people who like to watch what you do.   The problem is you have an unprotected and unencrypted network.   You try as you might to get a VPN setup and you just can’t connect.  So you try to find other VPN’s that woul work and your instantly blocked.  They’ve installed websense into their serves to prevent people from using a VPN.  

Not all VPNS are bad!

When I found this out, I was really irked by them preventing me from visiting such website.  I suspect they are worried someone will use a VPN to visit porn sites or research something bad.  It wouldn’t be so bad if they woul allow people to use VPN or ones they trust but this is a blacket attempt to prevent people from using them.  

Ways they can help people wit h security!

If they want to prevent this an still monitor traffic.   That is also fine with me, I understan this.   I just don’t feel comfortable using a public wifi without some privacy protection.   What if somone gets my credit card while I am using their public wifi.  Would they be liable?  More than certain, they have some clause to prevent this.

All they would have to do is make all open wifi spots encrypted with a way for guest to login to.   They wouldn’t have to have a different password for every person login in.   A simple guest password would suffice and make every wifi connection secure to prevent someone from snooping over the air transmissions.   libraries probably won’t do this but I am asking they look into this problem and come up with a solution to help us security minded people.   If they do nothing, then nothing will be solved.  

Paul Sylvester