Posted by
Nexus – 26/06/2010
[via thepoke.co.uk]
Facing criticism that the proposed VAT rise could damage high street spending, Chancellor George Osborne has announced plans to “sex up” the economy with a newly-designed one pound coin.
In a speech delivered to the House of Commons, he declared that the coin “symbolises the need for a sensual relationship with money, something we lost under the previous Labour government.” He went on to argue that consumers have “shrivelled in fear” during the recession, and that the new coin will promote “a renewed sense of pride.”
Posted by
Nexus – 05/05/2010
[via disinfo.com]
Think that the financial crash has left investment banking hotshots humbler and wiser? Not likely. The National Review blog The Corner has a defiant email that has been circulating over the last couple days among discontented Wall Streeters. Seriously, these people are as douche-y as you imagined:
We are Wall Street. It’s our job to make money. Whether it’s a commodity, stock, bond, or some hypothetical piece of fake paper, it doesn’t matter. We would trade baseball cards if it were profitable. I didn’t hear America complaining when the market was roaring to 14,000 and everyone’s 401k doubled every 3 years. Just like gambling, its not a problem until you lose. I’ve never heard of anyone going to Gamblers Anonymous because they won too much in Vegas.
Posted by
Nexus – 19/03/2010
[via theregister.co.uk]
Dell has told a Linux-loving Reg reader that he can’t receive a refund on the copy of Windows 7 that shipped with his new Dell netbook because it was bundled with the machine for “free”.
In October, another Reg reader succeeded in gaining a $115 (£70.34) refund from the computer maker after he rejected the licence for Microsoft’s OS and installed Linux instead. Microsoft’s EULA, you see, provides for such a refund.
“By using the software, you accept these terms,” it reads. “If you do not accept them, do not use the software. Instead, return it to the retailer for a refund or credit.”
Posted by
Nexus – 21/02/2010
[via cracked.com]
For decades, credit cards have been a means by which large banks have loaned money to poor people at interest rates approaching infinity.
Click on image for full-size (600x1936)
A Brief History of Credit Cards
Incredibly, the above isn’t an exaggeration. There are people in this situation right now where each payment to their credit card company leaves them owing more. Only in the last few years has the government moved to stop banks from putting people in this cycle of infinite repayment (where the interest and fees are more than the monthly payments).
Posted by
Nexus – 09/02/2010
[consumerist.com]
Photo: cag2012
When Rick’s 2-year-old laptop failed for the second time due, he did not roll over and buy a new laptop or pay $400 for the repairs. This particular model of laptop had been recalled due to this very flaw, and that was not acceptable to Rick. He fought back, and shares his tale of triumph.
Posted by
Nexus – 09/02/2010
[via consumerist.com]
Rob points out a pricing quirk on an album he’s after, noting that the physical CD is considerably cheaper than the digital download.
A little freaked out, he writes:
Forget about Target… Amazon is even worse with their pricing (note: I LOVE Amazon and I’m sure this has to do with licensing but still…wtf!?!). I was looking to get the new OAR CD, “Rain or Shine.” I was going to buy the CD when I thought to myself, “Wait…I’ll just get the download instead,” since I’m impatient. Well the PHYSICAL CD is $13.99 but the digital (NOT PHYSICAL) album is $20.99! Less work for them and yet they charge more! Ahhh! Amazon…please don’t turn evil like everyone else!
Posted by
Nexus – 05/02/2010
[via cnn.com]
Are you infuriated every time you open your cell phone bill? Livid when you buy a snack at the movies? These are nine of the rawest deals around.
Text messages – 6,500% markup
Text messages are short, quick and cheap to transmit. So why are they adding so much to your wireless bill?
The messages are such a tiny piece of data that they cost carriers only about one-third of a cent to deliver, according to computer scientist Srinivasan Keshav, who testified before U.S. senators on the issue last summer.
Posted by
Nexus – 01/02/2010
[via bit-tech.net]
Google is to pay up to $1,337 for each confirmed vulnerability in Chrome or Chromium - although it's first come, first served.
Google has begun paying for software vulnerabilities in its Chromium project – the open-source version of its Chrome browser – in an attempt to interest security researchers.
According to a post on the official Chromium blog – via PC World – the advertising giant is looking to pay $500 (£313) per confirmed vulnerability found in the Chromium codebase, as used in the Chrome browser for Windows, Mac, and Linux and also in the still-early Linux-based Chrome OS.
Posted by
Nexus – 26/01/2010
[via consumerist.com]
Craig Cunningham has made $20,000 from 18 lawsuits he’s filed against debt collectors for violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). In fact, it’s something a part-time job/hobby for him. To ensnare his first FDCPA-violating collector, with voice recorder running, he called back the number they left on his answering machine, and asked:
“Can you garnish my wages if I don’t pay?”
“Yes,” said the debt collection rep.
“Can you put a lien on my house?”
“Yes,” they said.
Posted by
Nexus – 20/01/2010
[via nytimes.com]
Representative Anthony D. Weiner denounced what he called the predatory practices of Cash4Gold in New York’s diamond district on Tuesday.
The flashy ads have become a staple on late-night television, sometimes featuring figures like the late Ed McMahon or M.C. Hammer, trumpeting promises of quick dollars in exchange for bits of old gold jewelry.
The company behind the ads is called — plainly enough — Cash4Gold, but on Tuesday afternoon, Representative Anthony D. Weiner said that the company’s business practices were not always straightforward.
