Woot! is an odd service that offers deeply discounted deals every day (something different every day). They recently started their Shirt.Woot! service with new t-shirt designs every day and this one called out to me:

Unfortunately, they sold out before I could get one, but I thought I would at least share it here.

Today I found a link to Best Buy's recycling program on Lifehacker. Not only do they accept some items in-store, they have a trade-in program for "gently used" electronics and contact info for where to dispose of stuff you can't take to them. It's an interesting read.

At least, not anymore. For anyone who thought those little fingerprint readers that some laptops have provide better security, I hope you won't be surprised to find out that they've been defeated.

The researchers were able to bypass Lenovo's Veriface III, Asus' SmartLogon V1.0.0005, and Toshiba's Face Recognition 2.0.2.32, even with each program set for maximum security.

I can't believe it. After the issue with Reunion.com, I would have thought there'd be LESS sites asking for your e-mail password to "find your friends from you contact list", not more!

Today I found out that both Myspace AND Linkedin ask for your e-mail address passwords. Never NEVER give away your e-mail password to anyone for ANY reason, no matter how nicely they ask.

LinkedIn asking for e-mail passwords

A while back, I was educated on the various ways that Gamestop is one of the worst businesses in the world (either as a customer or an employee). Now here's more evidence of how rotten they are in the form of how they screw their own employees out of their paychecks using a fee-loaded "pay card" system.

I just got a letter from Equifax stating that an attempt to access my credit was made and blocked since I have my credit reports frozen. It was my employer doing a routine credit check (which they do every few years), but even they can't get to my credit without my permission. Nice huh?

Anyway, I had to do my very first "thaw" which consisted of calling the number Equifax provided in the letter. They had to check if my state allowed "per company thaws" (which means that if you don't live in the right states, they won't let you lift the freeze for a specific company). Fortunately, I do so they charged the $5 lifting fee over the phone to my credit card and gave me a 4 digit pin to provide to the company I wanted to allow access to.

When they make their second attempt, they'll use the pin for access and then the credit file will be fully locked again automatically (so says the Equifax representative I talked to).

It's not as smooth or simple a process yet as it should be, but it wasn't bad. I'm just happy that for once a company has to ask (practically beg) to be able to access my sensitive personal information. It's nice to be protected without having to pay for rip-offs like monitoring or insurance.

Obama's administration is calling for a cap of $500000 per year maximum for any executive of a company that's receiving federal bail-out money. So, if you suck at your job and had to ask the government for a handout, you can't be making bonuses and millions per year. They must be so sad.

Read about it at the New York Times.

(H/T to The Consumerist for the link)

When forced by California law to make electric cars available, GM made advertisements for their electric car that bring to mind such warm and fuzzy feelings as death, dismemberment, and horror.

You don't have to have a PhD psychology to figure out that they were trying to scare consumers away from buying electric cars.

Don't take my word for it, see for yourself:

It's the deliberate attempts by US auto companies to halt any type of innovation that could possibly lead to lower profits that made me say that the bailouts were completely bogus. We should have let them die or at least forced them to do good business through stiff regulation.

It looks like there are more dumb sex offenders than I thought. Keep in mind that for Myspace to detect and remove them, they have to be using their real name.

Either way, Myspace is clearly still a fertile ground for sex offenders looking to make connections.

Apparently, someone had enough money to spread around to get a law passed in California forcing dog owners to have their pets chipped. Though no one's sure why, at least one pet has died due the procedure. The sad part is that the owner was against the chipping, but was faced with fines and jail time if she didn't. Here's the full write-up from the Spychips newsletter:

===================================================

For Immediate Release
February 3, 2009

Dog Bleeds to Death After "Routine" Microchip Implant Procedure
Grieving owner calls for an end to mandatory microchipping in Los
Angeles

A fluffy bundle of life, love, and enthusiasm named Charlie Brown was
laid to rest last week, the victim of a microchip implant gone horribly
wrong. The long-haired, purebred Chihuahua bled to death in the arms of
his distraught owners, Lori and Ed Ginsberg of Agua Dulce, California,
just hours after undergoing the controversial chipping procedure.

"I wasn't in favor of getting Charlie chipped, but it was the law," said
Lori Ginsberg, citing a Los Angeles county ordinance that requires all
dog owners to chip their dogs once they reach four months of age. Dog
owners who refuse to comply face a $250 fine for the first offense and
up to six months in jail for continued non-compliance. "This technology
is supposedly so great until it's your animal that dies," she said. "I
can't believe Charlie is gone. I'm just beside myself."

Dr. Reid Loken, the board certified veterinarian who performed the
chipping, confirmed on Friday that Charlie died from blood loss
associated with the microchip. He cited "an extreme amount of bleeding"
from the "little hole in the skin where the [microchip implant] needle
went in" as the cause of death. He said he was both saddened and puzzled
by Charlie's death.

"I just don't know what happened to him. We put the chip in the back in
the shoulder blades, the standard place where we put them, and there
really aren't any major blood vessels in that area," he said. "I don't
think it went in too deep; it was a pretty routine chipping."

Dr. Loken suspected the needle may have nicked the muscle around the
scapula, causing blood to ooze from the muscle. However, his efforts to
stem the bleeding with pressure bandages were unsuccessful. The bleeding
could not be attributed to a congenital clotting problem, he said, since
Charlie had undergone a neutering and tooth extraction without incident
just weeks before.

Charlie's owners were devastated by the loss. "Charlie loved to play and
cuddle. He brought so much joy and life to our home," said Lori. "We
loved him and took such good care of him. He meant everything to us."

The Ginsbergs were quick to absolve Dr. Loken of responsibility for
Charlie's death. "He's a great vet and this was not his fault. The real
blame is with the people who forced us to implant our dog against our
better judgment," they said.

The Ginsbergs plan to petition the Los Angeles County Board of
Supervisors to repeal the mandatory chipping law, and have sought the
help of prominent consumer privacy advocate Dr. Katherine Albrecht.
Albrecht is a Harvard-trained researcher who has authored a definitive
academic paper citing literature that links microchips with cancer in
dogs as well as laboratory animals. She has also authored an exhaustive,
47-page FAQ on microchip implants.

Albrecht cites other adverse reactions stemming from microchips in the
past. In one case, a struggling kitten died instantly when a microchip
was accidentally injected into its brain stem. In another, a cat was
paralyzed when an implant entered its spinal column. The implants have
been widely reported to migrate within animals' bodies, and can cause
abscesses and infection. In at least two documented cases, dogs have
developed cancerous tumors surrounding or adjacent to microchip
implants.

"Tragedies like what happened to Charlie Brown are probably more common
than we like to think," said Albrecht. "But it takes courageous people
like the Ginsbergs to come forward and talk about it."

Albrecht and the Ginsbergs are calling for a repeal of all mandatory
animal chipping laws nationwide, and for the creation of a national
registry to document adverse reactions from the chipping procedure.

"It's horrible to live in a country where your choices are being take
away and you don't get to make decisions about your family and your life
anymore," said Lori Ginsberg. "Politicians should not take away my right
to do what I thought was best for my pet."

For The Media:
Lori and Ed Ginsberg have agreed to speak to the media to help raise
awareness of the dangers of pet chipping. They can be contacted at:
CharlieBrownMemorial@yahoo.com

Pictures of adorable Charlie Brown are available for press and blogging
use at:
http://www.katherinealbrecht.com/images/stories/charlie%20brown%
20003.jpg
http://www.katherinealbrecht.com/images/stories/charlie%20brown%
20004.jpg
http://www.katherinealbrecht.com/images/stories/charlie%20brown%20for%
20first%20christmas%20003.jpg
http://www.katherinealbrecht.com/images/stories/charlie%20brown%20for%
20first%20christmas%20005.jpg

Dr. Katherine Albrecht can be contacted at kma@spychips.com or (877)
287-5854, ext 1.
Her microchip implant FAQ and cancer study can be found online at
www.antichips.com
Further information about Dr. Albrecht can be found at
www.katherinealbrecht.com

Information on the Los Angeles Country chipping ordinance can be found
at:
http://www.laanimalservices.com/PDF/medical/lacounty_ordinance.pdf

Live Radio Interview Today
The Ginsbergs will be joining Dr. Katherine Albrecht on her live,
syndicated radio program today to discuss microchip implants and
Charlie's tragic death. The segment will air from 4:00-6:00 PM Eastern
time on "The Dr. Katherine Albrecht Show." The show broadcasts daily on
the Genesis Communications Network, and can be heard live at:
http://gcnlive.com/Listen_Live.html (Click "Stream 2")

The Ginsberg interview will be archived as a downloadable MP3 file on
Dr. Albrecht's website at:
http://www.katherinealbrecht.com (Click "archives")

# # #

=====================================================================
ABOUT CASPIAN

CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) is a grass-roots consumer group fighting retail surveillance schemes since 1999 and irresponsible RFID use since 2002. With thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that invade their
privacy and encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits across the retail spectrum.

http://www.spychips.com/
http://www.antichips.com/
http://www.nocards.org/

You're welcome to duplicate and distribute this message to others who
may find it of interest.

=====================================================================

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Caspian-newsletter-l mailing list, click
the following link or copy and paste it into your browser:
http://mailman.nocards.org/mailman/listinfo/caspian-newsletter-l

If you have difficulty with the web-based interface, you may also
subscribe or unsubscribe via email by writing to:
admin@nocards.org

=====================================================================

If you're treated badly at a store, it might be worth buying something from the offending employee solely for the reason of getting a receipt with their employee identification. Then take the survey listed on the receipt and explain the situation in the comments. For Best Buy at least, you can click a checkbox to have the management contact you.

Using inexpensive off-the-shelf components, an information security expert has built a mobile platform that can clone large numbers of the unique electronic identifiers used in US passport cards and next generation drivers licenses.

The $250 proof-of-concept device – which researcher Chris Paget built in his spare time – operates out of his vehicle and contains everything needed to sniff and then clone RFID, or radio frequency identification, tags. During a recent 20-minute drive in downtown San Francisco, it successfully copied the RFID tags of two passport cards without the knowledge of their owners.

So he cheaply proved that you can not only clone RFID passports, but you can do it secretly, at great distance, while moving.

Wouldn't it be nice if they thought about the security risks BEFORE putting a wireless chip in the passports?

It used to be rather difficult to hunt down the superbowl ads, but Youtube is making it easy this year. They have them all listed together on a custom page where you can watch and then vote on your favorites. I didn't watch the game so I don't know if any are missing, but this is a good start and has a great interface so if you're looking, here you go.

Some of my favorites:
Coca cola – Avatar (even though I hate Coke)
Witch Mountain – There's a new twist on an old story. Wow!
What if Roadies Ruled the World – Nextel