Friday, February 23, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Review: iPaperCraft.com
Here are the pics.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Buy software safely on eBay
Before you snap up that $12.50 copy of Photoshop on eBay, read tech-blog Digital Inspiration's tips on buying software safely. The auction site is rife with scammers and too-good-to-be-true deals. For example:
If the software is old or not sealed inside a box, always ask the seller to send you real photographs of the installation CDs and software manuals that came along with his purchase. This is to confirm that the seller owns the authentic version of the software.
This is required reading for anyone looking to score a deal on software. You can find unbeatable bargains on eBay, but you can also get ripped off easily. Pay special attention to tip #8: verify with the seller that the software hasn't already been activated. If it has, you may have just bought yourself a coaster.
Want more eBay advice? Check out the eBay wiki, which has articles for buyers and sellers alike. — Rick Broida
Hawking: Climate Change Worse Than Terror
Jan 17, 2007 9:57 AM (1 day ago)
Current rank: # 2 of 12,810 articles LONDON - Scientist Stephen Hawking described climate change Wednesday as a greater threat to the planet than terrorism.
Hawking made the remarks as other prominent scientists prepared to push the giant hand of its Doomsday Clock - a symbol of the risk of atomic cataclysm - closer to midnight. The move will mark the fourth time since the end of the Cold War that the clock has ticked forward and Hawking warned that "as citizens of the world, we have a duty to alert the public to the unnecessary risks that we live with every day."
Sprint Refuses To Cancel Dead Brother's Cellphone
This is despicable.
M, if you're reading, check your email or write back. We'd like to follow this one up further. Also, check out this post, "HOWTO: Handle Closing Dead People's Accounts."
Lastly, can't faxing over a death certificate and a letter testamentary do the trick? (A letter testamentary is a court document saying whom is the appointed estate executor).
Read M's really really sad letter, inside...
- "Dear Consumerist,
I love reading your stories and must admit I never thought I might be one. My brother passed away suddenly in December. I have been dealing with his estate since. Most creditors have been easy to deal with and have even offered their condolences. Sprint is an exception.
I contacted Sprint to cancel his cell phone service. I spent over forty minutes on the phone. First I went through fifteen minutes of being on hold. Then I spoke with Alex. He was a bit gruff with me and didn't understand why I did not have the account phone number memorized. I told him I called him from 611 and he should have the number. I also explained I had not received a bill from Sprint since his passing in mid-December. I had to look his number up on my own cell phone.
Eventually Alex passed me off to another department, staffed by the lovely Marie. Marie would not cancel the account either and when I started explaining how an $80 bill was not worth Sprint's time going after my brother's estate in probate court she claimed she could not hear me, repeatedly. I told her it must the the Sprint network quality service. I live in a major city and had full bars.
Marie's claims of hearing impediment led me to ask for her manager. I spoke with Kevin. He eventually asked to call me back on a land line. I told him to call me back on my brother's phone. In the end, all he would do was put the account on "vacation", still charging $5.95 per month. I still do not understand why he would not cancel it since I had all the passwords they wanted. Sprint will not get a payment from the estate unless they pursue it in probate. They will spend more money on the paperwork.
Thanks Consumerist. I do not care if you print this or not. I am happy to have vented."
M, our sincere condolences for your loss. It's very hard to lose a loved one. It's even harder when a company is behaving callously and duplicitously to take advantage of your situation.
Based on what we know, your brother's estate is responsible for the final bill and any charges up until your brother's death. However, they cannot hit you with an early termination fee. Nor should your brother's estate continue to be charged $5.95 for a dead man's cellphone.
As we said in the intro, this matter can be resolved by faxing Sprint a copy of your brother's death certificate, and by Sprint canceling the contract without being disgusting pinheads.
Although, it's not like they don't have a history of this behavior. See this post from October, "Sprint Harasses Grieving Mother For Two Years." — BEN POPKEN
Related: HOWTO: Handle Closing Dead People's Accounts
UPDATE:
- "Dear Consumerist I am amazed you have already posted the story about my ordeal with Sprint last night. To clarify, my brother passed away in mid-December but the City of St. Louis Medical Examiner's Office will not issue a death certificate for 8-10 weeks, meaning late February because he passed in his sleep and there was no apparent cause. In the absence of a will I have affidavits from our remaining family members nominating me to be the executor (we were the closest siblings). I will not be able to begin proceedings in probate court until the death certificate has been issued. All other creditors have been understanding of the situation. I know the estate (read "I") will have to pay the Sprint bill in the end. First, the estate will notify all creditors and it is their responsibility to reply. After my experience last night I am happy to create a bit more work for them. Incidentally, this reminded me to call Cingular about an issue with my service. I was on hold for a few minutes but then Latoya was very nice and handled my request promptly. At least one person at the end of a customer service phone number understands her job title."
DJ Drama Arrested In Mixtape Raid
DJ Drama -- who recently took home four trophies at the Justo's 10th Annual Mixtape Awards -- is largely considered the top mixtape DJ and has catapulted and revitalized the careers Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne, respectively. His arrest now calls into question whether major labels will continue to utilize mixtapes as promotional tools.
Mixtapes have long inhabited a grey area for both record labels and artists. While the CDs are consistently integrated into marketing campaigns for hip-hop projects, labels do not formally condone the use of non-copyrighted music.
Both DJ Drama (Tyree Simmons) and DJ Don Cannon (Donald Cannon) were arrested on felony charges stemming from a Magistrate's warrant under the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act. The pair is currently in Fulton County Court for a bail hearing, which will determine their bond.
"We have a partnership with a joint vice task force working pirated tapes in the country," says Chief James Baker of the Morrow Police Department. "We found an outlet in Morrow for the criminal sale of recorded material, breaking the OCGA, Official Code of Georgia Annotated, no. 16-8-60, which specifies that CDs must list the true name and address of their office, which these CDs didn't, nor did they [list] copyright permission. People were able to make purchases over the Internet and these guys sold the pirated discs for profit."
Baker said this is the second raid in an effort to stop pirated CD sales.
"Our first raid also happened in Atlanta on Metropolitan Parkway on Oct. 11, 2006," says Baker. "It was run by a bunch of immigrants, the majority here illegally, from West Africa. We seized over $14 million of counterfeit CDs, five vehicles, cocaine and marijuana." Several individuals remain in jail due to that raid.
Aphilliate Music Group inked a distribution and marketing deal last year with Asylum Records. Nobody from the company was available for comment at deadline.