Disturbing Trend Against Photographers
Tonight, I went out to CityWalk as part of the Microsoft Tech-Ed conference in town this week. They reserved The Groove for jam sessions. I decided this year I’d rather shoot than play, so I packed up my D200 and a couple of lenses. Universal Studios Orlando has a bag check before you enter CityWalk, and I have no problem with that. Disney does the same thing. However, I was particularly disturbed when the security guards held me aside and said, “We’ve got another one.” I looked over and there was another man with a Nikon around his neck. I tried to ask the guard what she was talking about, but she kept putting me off with “one second” as she talked to someone on her radio. It had something to do with the fact that I had a...
Warranty Repair? Unlikely
Consider this a warning from one home-owner to another. If you hire a contractor or service to do some improvement around your property, resist the urge to give them the final payment until everything is absolutely complete and you’ve inspected to your satisfaction. The only incentive contractors have to do any work is to get that paycheck. Once they have it, don’t count on seeing them again for any warranty repair. I posted a while back about some home repairs I was doing, including tree trimming and putting up a new fence. In both cases, I made the mistake of giving final payment when they were almost finished. The tree trimmer left before clearing out some remaining branches. More disappointing was the fence contractor – Florida Custom...
Indian Call Centers Selling Private Data
A year ago, Britons learned that Indian call centers were selling their private identity information. It sems there’s nothing new. SC Magazine reports that Indian call centers are still selling private credit card data on the black market. According to the article: The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) – adopted by the major credit card brands – requires organisations to monitor outsourcing service providers and states they are liable for fines if that provider compromises their data. Good job, guys.
Another Laptop Stolen – More Personal Data At Risk
I checked the mail after getting home from work and found an envelope from th Harley Owner’s Group (HOG). That got my attention, since Biketoberfest is around the corner in Daytona. Could it be an interesting offer coming to town during that event? No, it was a Personal Information Advisery. It seems that a Harley-Davidson employee reported a missing laptop on Monday, August 14, 2006. The laptop contained HOG member data to facilitate registration at HOG events. The letter claims that Harley-Davidson conducted an extensive investigation, notified law enforcement, and still want to retrieve the laptop. I’m sure that’s true, though the word “extensive” means different things to different people. There are no circumstances provided...
Ouch!
I love my bike. This morning, I rode it down to Orlando Harley-Davidson for its 25,000 mile service. The brakes need adjusting, it needs a new rear tire, and I told them I wanted synthetic oil. Who knows what else they do for this service mark? Fortunately, it doesn’t cost me much. I already have a four-year prepaid service plan for this maintenance, including oil & tires. Sure, I pay a little bit to upgrade the oil to synthetic, and I still have to pay labor to mount the tire. Overall, it’s not so bad. On top of all that, they give me a free rental so I can ride home. That beats hanging around the dealership from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm. About 4:00 pm, I got a call from Kim in the service department. I figured my bike was ready to...