Author: andrew
Legal Identity Theft
Lisa was researching diapers online. She came across an offer that promised free diapers if she’s fill out a survey. Fair enough; we’re really in need of diapers, so she bit. And was dragged into a horrible cesspool of legal identity theft.
“Legal identity theft? What’s that?” you may ask. Here’s my definition: It’s when you’re tricked into a network of so-called permission-based marketing. Lisa gave up her name, phone number, address, e-mail address, and some important personal facts, such as the fact that we’re parents and the age of our child. She thought such information would be helpful to the diaper company, who would reciprocate with a little bit of free product. Sound too good to be true? It didn’t to us. But it was.
After giving out her contact information, Lisa found out that she had to sign up for a certain number of paid offers to qualify for the free diapers. These offers ranged from other baby products to life insurance. Some were subscription-based, and claimed to offer free opt-out options. That last claim rings a bit hollow to my ear. Within 30 minutes, she received the first phone call on her cell phone, this one from a life insurance agent who was insistent that she sign up for a special offer.
Your contact information is worth something. Specifically, about $40. That’s an average for people who sell data to purveyors of generic mailing lists. Other qualifying factors, such as parenthood and home ownership, can raise that premium.
There’s also a black market for identity information, and by most accounts it’s cheaper to buy your data (this time incuding credit card numbers and bank account numbers) on this market. Makes me wonder when marketeers will start going to the dark side for cheaper info.
Be careful what you sign up for, folks. I read the privacy disclosure on a recent credit card statement (the fine print, if you will) and discovered that I need to opt out of Bank of America sharing my contact info with other companies. They have a special phone number you need to call if you don’t want your data shared.
Friday Funnies: Frozen Grand Central Station
Hey, Shinnfans,
I realize we’ve been a little video-heavy here at andrewandlisa.org lately, but at least you’re not all receiving this in your e-mail inbox. You can watch this or not watch it; I don’t care. But I thought the video was interesting.
Enjoy,
Andrew
Friday Fun: Fonts at War
Cool video intro to one of my favorite tools
OK, so I love Google Docs. But I have a hard time explaining to people why it’s so much cooler than Microsoft Word or another offline text-making tool. Mostly I say ‘collaboration’ and ‘cloud computing’ and people either scratch their heads or run away screaming. Here’s a great video that breaks it down in plain English. Enjoy!
Liam at the beach
He was so happy to arrive at the beach for this morning’s photo shoot! Lisa took him down the slide for the first time today, and he just loved it! He also successfully used chopsticks today at lunch for the first time. He did have a little trouble with the noodles, though, and choked on them a few times. Nevertheless, we’re very proud.
Senior Portraits at the beach
This afternoon, we were shooting with a senior brother and sister set, Adam and Alyssa, in Morro bay. It was a mid-day shoot in Cayucos and near Morro Rock. The harsh sun was challenging, but we managed with a lot of help from Lisa and their mom and a few lighting tricks. Thanks for a fun afternoon, Adam and Alyssa!
So busy!
Liam is so busy! Here he was playing with the door – going in the door and out of the door and through the curtain and around the curtain and under the curtain. It’s easy to see why he sleeps so much: if i burned that much energy I’d need as much sleep as he does!
Today was his first genuine, extended trip to the beach as a biped. He had a great time playing ‘let the waves chase us.’ Though I daresay that he seemed to want the waves to catch him more often than not!
Beach photos part I
Here are a few photos from last night’s evening expedition to the beach. E-mail me if you’d like a copy of any of then printed really large on canvas (and signed by the artist)!
What I’m reading now: July edition I
I’m reading three books concurrently. I’ll give you some hints, but I want guesses from you, fair readers, as to the exact titles.
Hints:
- One of the books is new, while the other two are old.
- I believe at least one book (possibly two) to be in the public domain.
- I’m reading one in print (from a series printed by Barnes and Noble), one on my iPhone, and one as an audiobook.
- One book is non-fiction, while the other two are works of fiction.
What other clues would you like? The setting for the opening scenes for the works of fiction? Some not-too-obivous plot detail? The titles worked into anagrams? Just let me know!