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Credit Card Fraud
I've had a credit card since I was in college; when I first got one, my dad instilled in me that a credit card is basically cash and that I should never spend more than I have. Credit cards, to me, have two main advantages over cash; first, I don't have to carry much cash and second, there is a little consumer protection in that I can dispute a charge if there is something wrong with the goods or services. Given that, I use my credit card for almost every transaction I can both online and in stores (it doesn't hurt that my current card gives me cash back and has extended warranty protection).
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Cellular Data Speeds
When I worked at QUALCOMM over 20 years ago, I was introduced to cellular data. Everyone was excited about being able to get stock quotes on the 4 line display of the phone; remember Unwired Planet? Data speeds were a whopping 9.6 Kbps on the digital network. This speed was enough to stream Real Audio, get email, and do basic tasks. I was even able to hookup a laptop and "browse the web".
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6 months after fixing Internet woes
About 6 months ago, I wrote about how I replaced all of my dad's networking gear with Ubiquiti products including the USG
, Cloud Key
, and a pair of UAP-AC-LR
s. While it didn't completely cure his Internet issues, we were at least sure that the router and access points weren't the problem. His cable provider kept doing work on the connection and eventually he replaced the cable modem with an ARRIS 6183
. I don't believe that the cable modem was the problem, but I wasn't going to argue with it working (we had already swapped out the cable modem with a different SB 6141).
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Making medical decisions based on cost
Throughout my career I have been fortunate enough to have good, company-sponsored health insurance and have been in relatively good health. I only thought a little about healthcare costs when I was self-employed and we were on a continuation plan (sort of like COBRA). While the costs were not cheap, if I recall correctly around $1100 a month about a decade ago, we had good coverage and could see whatever doctor we wanted. When I lost my job last year I kept coverage through a COBRA plan until my new employer's plan started; they had a 60 day waiting period which is kind of brutal if you're trying to maintain continuous coverage.
, 
, and a pair of 
s. While it didn't completely cure his Internet issues, we were at least sure that the router and access points weren't the problem. His cable provider kept doing work on the connection and eventually he replaced the cable modem with an 
. I don't believe that the cable modem was the problem, but I wasn't going to argue with it working (we had already swapped out the cable modem with a different SB 6141).