Search found 7374 matches

by Mudpuppy
Sat Mar 09, 2024 5:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flea Remedies That Have Worked for You?
Replies: 40
Views: 3217

Re: Flea Remedies That Have Worked for You?

If your cats can tolerate being bathed, a Dawn dish soap bath will drown most of the adult fleas. You can combine it with using a metal flea comb (way better than the plastic ones) to try to control the adult flea load on the cats. Most adult cats don't tolerate being bathed though, so the Dawn bath is of limited use with adult cats. But the metal flea comb may still work, particularly with short-haired cats. When I'm flea combing, I use a container of water mixed with several drops of Dawn dish soap to drown the fleas captured by the comb. For topical treatments, I use a mix of Advantage Multi and generic Revolution. My vet says the fleas in the area are getting more resistant to Advantage, so you'd want to consult your vet for the most ef...
by Mudpuppy
Sat Mar 09, 2024 3:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Late Bloomers Club: Share Your Net Worth!
Replies: 107
Views: 21184

Re: Late Bloomers Club: Share Your Net Worth!

Didn’t invest until about 15 years ago, and didn’t get equities over 30 percent until last month. $2.15M net worth now. It’s back of the class on bogleheads but it feels like a lot to me. If $2.15M is back of the class, then I must be the bottom 10% of Bogleheads, because I doubt I will ever cross that threshold now that I've developed a more life-interrupting chronic medical condition. That really puts financial matters into stark perspectives from both a "how long can I continue to work" perspective and a "how expensive is this going to be" perspective. However, I know that, even with these challenges, I'm still better off than the vast majority of Americans, since I do have retirement accounts and a CalPERS pension. ...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Mar 03, 2024 5:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?
Replies: 2851
Views: 225836

Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

jebmke wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 4:39 pm Whole body; only saw from a distance but was very white. Some possibility it was an albino but I think albinism is rarer than leucistic.
I've seen grackles with some leucistic feathers or patches of feathers frequently in one town, but I've yet to see a fully leucistic one. Neat sighting.
by Mudpuppy
Fri Mar 01, 2024 3:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?
Replies: 2851
Views: 225836

Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

JAZZISCOOL wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2024 8:36 am Other recent sightings:

2 different Cooper’s Hawks, an American Kestrel and many red-tailed Hawks.
The other day, I thought I was hearing the squirrels alert on a nearby bird predator, where they mimic the kek-kek-kek call of the Cooper's hawk, but it was the actual hawk. It flew over me from one tree to another.
by Mudpuppy
Wed Feb 28, 2024 10:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165379

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

I just saw this morning on our local news station where scammers are recording quit claim deeds on homes in the area transferring the title from the rightful owners to them. If the scammers have completely forged a fake quit claim deed, the fraud can eventually be unwound, usually at the expense of the title insurance and/or the buyers (depending on whether they purchased title insurance for themselves too), as well as a lot of headache and expense for the legitimate owners. Empty properties, vacant land, and rental properties are preferred, as the legitimate owner might not be aware of what is happening with those types of properties on a day-to-day basis. What one really has to watch out for are the scammers who target the elderly and cl...
by Mudpuppy
Wed Feb 28, 2024 3:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165379

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

In the podcast, Simons describes how a variant of the scam was played on him: He was going to give a invited talk at a conference and generally the conference organizers set up the hotel, tickets etc. He gets a call purportedly from the organizer asking him for his info and credit card - which he gives! Alas! All the scammer had to do is to look up invited speakers and call them. MORAL: Never give out anything to people who call directly. Always call them back or ask for information that you know a scammer could not know. Thanks for the podcast recommendation. I'd like to add a caveat to your last sentence though. Given the massive number of data breaches, the realm of "information that you know a scammer could not know" is shrin...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Feb 25, 2024 11:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165379

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

[EDIT: the long series of numbers ahead of the @connect.xfinity.com ... the are not the same between email replies from the scammer. They change. Strange!] FYI, it's supposed to do that. It's an identifier for each message, not the scammer's email address. So, it changes on every message. FMID:#mh/[mailboxname]/inbox [filename of forwarded email] [scammer email address]@connect.xfinity.com Maybe this metadata just identifies the "forwarded message ID" and shows what to append to the forward. That's pretty much it. This is metadata to identify what is being forwarded. Thinking that somehow the forward was not adequately clean of the scammer's email address, I created a brand new message to my FIL (not a reply, AND not a forward), ...
by Mudpuppy
Sat Feb 24, 2024 8:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165379

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Thanks, I am aware that the from line can be spoofed. I sometimes do that myself if I have to reply to something sent to one of my email aliases. I did check the detailed headers (metadata?), but I'm not fluent in interpreting them. At a glance, it did indicate his ISP (comcast.net and xfinity) in a couple places. But for all I know the scammer might have an account with them. In fact I do see in the headers: Message-ID: <#########.#######.#############@connect.xfinity.com> where alll the # marks are different numbers. Maybe that's the real email address it came from. That's just a random identifier assigned by the email system, although it does let you know, as you observed, that it came through Xfinity. That doesn't definitely mean the a...
by Mudpuppy
Sat Feb 24, 2024 7:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165379

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

As soon as I saw the request for an Apple gift card, my suspicions were up. I immediately called him at home - and got through, interrupting dinner. He had not emailed me. I suggested he change his password immediately, but I wonder if the hacker could have already done so. The email did not look obviously spoofed based on the headers. It did come from his ISP, anyway, and as best I can tell, from his address too. The From: line can be spoofed to be an exact match to someone's actual email address. It's just a text field in the protocol, and there are plenty of non-hacking ways to get people's email addresses and family relations. The rest of the "envelope" (headers) can give more clues as to whether the From: line was spoofed or...
by Mudpuppy
Thu Feb 22, 2024 1:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Windows 10 Patch Tuesday problems
Replies: 30
Views: 5303

Re: Windows 10 Patch Tuesday problems

KB5034763 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 22H2 for x64 based systems just installed flawlessly on my Desktop machine. I guess Microsoft just bypassed the KB5034441 update that failed to install on a lot of machines. Later on, I will try the new update on my Laptop. Yesterday, KB5034763 successfully installed on my Surface laptop with Windows 10 Home Edition, but KB5034441, which was part of the monthly update package, failed the same as last month. So Microsoft still has some work to do. Same experience with my Win 7 -> Win 10 virtual machine. It's remaining activated with the digital license, so I tried to install the update again. Windows Update still fails on KB5034441. All other updates installed successfully. I did notice tha...
by Mudpuppy
Sat Feb 17, 2024 3:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165379

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Got an email "from" an elderly friend asking me to buy an Amazon gift card on his behalf for a friend because he was having trouble doing it. I texted him and told him to change his email password. We gotten multiple similar (in text form) purporting to be our minister asking for us to buy gift cards so she could give them to someone in urgent need, as she was tied up in all-day meetings and couldn't do it herself. Classic impersonation scam. It's always a bit of a headache when those come through at work, because we're not allowed to purchase gift cards on state money. If someone falls for it, they're both a victim of the scam and unaware of policy, so it becomes a whole thing. And FYI, changing your email password in this case ...
by Mudpuppy
Sat Feb 17, 2024 1:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165379

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

This might have been mentioned before, but someone who works for META told my friend that one should never say "yes" on the phone when speaking to a stranger, and also don't use a real photo of yourself on any site. That's a bit of an old urban legend. If scammers are going to spoof your voice to say you consented to something your didn't or to fool the voice verification on another system, they don't need to record you saying the specific word "yes" anymore. They can just use deepfake software. And it's pretty much impossible to keep a picture of yourself offline if you socialize with others, because they can post group photos that contain your image. Again, that's enough for deepfake software. Rather than waste mental...
by Mudpuppy
Sat Feb 17, 2024 12:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165379

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

We all think we would catch on to the obvious red flags, but do we really know how we would respond under stress, and fear of physical harm? These are targeted attacks where the scammers not only know your information but are also local and have people nearby to facilitate the scam (in this case, to drive a car to victim’s house to pick up the cash). In this case, they also certainly knew she had at least 50k in cash in her bank account. Cory Doctorow recently wrote about how he fell for the fake fraud alert scam, even though he is well aware of social engineering and scams. It just goes to show how even people who know about scams can be caught at a bad time and fall victim. You have to be 100% vigilant against scams, and that's hard for ...
by Mudpuppy
Thu Feb 15, 2024 12:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Windows 10 Patch Tuesday problems
Replies: 30
Views: 5303

Re: Windows 10 Patch Tuesday problems

So, I looked into my Win 7 -> Win 10 upgrade/activation issue and one Microsoft community post said if I converted the system to a digital license tied to my Microsoft email account, it might allow reactivation. Thankfully, I have not yet e-wasted the old computer, so I deleted the virtual machine from the new computer, went back to the old computer and added my Microsoft account to the virtual machine, then transferred the updated virtual machine over to the new computer. It's only been 24 hours, so I'm not calling it a success yet, but it is still activated. I think I'll give it a week to make sure it stays activated before allowing it to update, rather than check that this update issue is resolved on it. One problem at a time. I can't do...
by Mudpuppy
Wed Feb 14, 2024 5:03 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Boglehead Keeps Logging Out
Replies: 81
Views: 15719

Re: Boglehead Keeps Logging Out

On further reflection... It seems that the only way you should have to log back in is if you manually log out (which I am quite sure I have never done). According to the verbiage above the list of remember me keys, when you manually log out, the remember me key for that session is deleted. That would explain why my remember me keys are just piling up like so much drift wood (since I haven't logged out manually). The question is why is the most recent remember me key not taking any effect, despite the fact I've got the same IP address, almost always use the same computer and browser, and haven't manually logged out anywhere? It bears noting that the "Remember Me" keys live in two places: (1) the forum and (2) your browser. Deletin...
by Mudpuppy
Wed Feb 14, 2024 1:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?
Replies: 2851
Views: 225836

Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

The other day while driving to work, I saw two crows chasing a hawk. I took a little time at a stop sign to watch (no one was behind me). The crows chased the hawk to a tree, where the hawk settled while the crows kept circling and dive bombing. I didn't have binoculars to identify what kind of hawk, but it was interesting to watch. It's theoretically NOT nesting season for crows in California yet, so I'm not sure if they were defending a nest or just generally keeping the hawk away from the trees where they like to roost and nest.
by Mudpuppy
Wed Feb 14, 2024 1:31 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)
Replies: 6651
Views: 1202802

Re: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)

Tom, and your logic is? If there is falling inflation, people may be inclined to redeem, ergo, to stop a bloodbath the fixed rate may need to be adjusted upward by TD. Based on other posters in this thread, the fixed rate is theorized to be based off the 5-year treasury yields, with some possibility for variance based on other factors, although that hasn't been observed for many years. Reference chem6022's post at https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7231977#p7231977 and also alluringreality's post on how to calculate for yourself at https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7461309#p7461309 (make sure to pull data from TD's website for both 2023 and 2024). It's a little too early to apply that formula to make prediction...
by Mudpuppy
Mon Feb 12, 2024 3:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165379

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

A few things: It's amazingly easy for people who live in a high trust society to get duped, especially ones who are not well-versed in tech (whether young or old). They have been insisting on using Chrome ("It's what we're used to"), which enabled the pop-up to be full screen (Safari opens it in another tab). I think I've gotten them to finally use Safari. (Admittedly there may be a setting in Chrome to prevent full screen windows, but I'm more familiar with Safari.) Even though everything seemed good on Friday, they are locked out of the account. Also, the bank people were helpful in person but utterly unresponsive whenever they've tried to contact by phone. They are considering closing the account and moving the funds to a new ...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Feb 11, 2024 3:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?
Replies: 2851
Views: 225836

Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Tubes wrote: Sun Feb 11, 2024 11:30 am Now, if only our environment provided more food choices than the tempting road kill...
If it makes you less concerned about them, bald eagles are naturally a mix of scavenger, thief, and hunter, even in prey-rich environments. Eating road kill is right up their alley, along with eating whatever human hunters leave behind. The later is actually more concerning due to lead poisoning risks if the human hunters used lead ammo. The Smithsonian National Zoo calls them "opportunistic foragers": https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/bald-eagle
by Mudpuppy
Mon Feb 05, 2024 9:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: So what are you cooking
Replies: 945
Views: 107606

Re: So what are you cooking

Just curious, for the people who work full time, how do you find time to cook? I used to be a stay at home mom but since couple years ago, I work full time. I struggle with finding time to make home cooked meals. My husband does not cook so I’m the only one responsible for grocery shopping/preparing/cooking. Any tips on how I can make home cooked meals when I have no time? I use the "cook a lot on the weekends and freeze leftovers" approach mentioned by others. But I also don't feel bad about ordering from a restaurant or picking up a ready-made meal from the grocery store if I just don't have the time or energy to do that on the weekend. There are lots of healthy options beyond cooking it yourself these days. It's a matter of wh...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165379

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

As a small business owner I always answer my phone, just quickly hang up at the first indication of nonsense. Also only say hello one time, robo dialers seem to wait for a subsequent hello to engage. I was tech support for a customer satisfaction survey company that used robo-dialers in college many decades ago. The dialer we used for the surveys could usually detect a live call on the first hello, unless the person's voice was really soft or there was a connection issue, and I doubt the technology has gotten worse over the decades. Back then, the business practices of the company using the dialer was usually the cause for the delay. Once the dialer determines there's a live person on the line, it has to connect that call to an available r...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Feb 04, 2024 5:49 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 2024 Hedge Fund contest
Replies: 156
Views: 26751

Re: 2024 Hedge Fund contest

It would make sense to replace the benchmark with the actual index. Is there a ticker symbol for it? If so, consider using that instead of VTI - which we're using as a proxy for the index. Google search for "s&p 500" suggests "INDEXSP: .INX" might work. It's what Google is using to display the S&P 500 in the search results. The historical benchmark for the contest has been Vanguard's Total Market ETF, reflecting that nearly all small or large cap US stocks are allowed. There isn't an index for that that I know of, and besides it's easier to get quotes on an ETF than an index. The S&P500 is less reflective of the market of investible stocks since it's heavily weighted towards just a few large tech companies t...
by Mudpuppy
Tue Jan 30, 2024 2:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Windows 10 Patch Tuesday problems
Replies: 30
Views: 5303

Re: Windows 10 Patch Tuesday problems

Turns out my problem with the virtual machine I use for taxes goes beyond this particular update. This was originally a Windows 7 VM that was upgraded to Windows 10 during the free upgrade period. Last year, Windows "fixed" the remaining route to a free upgrade. Their "fix" also broke the legitimate upgrades for many people, particularly if Windows detects even a minor hardware change. I noticed today that it gave me the "finish setting up your computer" screen when I started the VM, so I checked, and, yep, I've been hit by this problem. For some reason, Windows thinks my hardware has changed and has deactivated the machine. Trying to activate does not work, and clicking on "Contact Support" also does...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Jan 28, 2024 8:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165379

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Lastrun wrote: Sun Jan 28, 2024 2:40 pm Apple already explained they were able to change the address with billing address and contact info, which basically is public info at this point.
Perhaps this is quibbling semantics, but it wasn't that Apple was able to change the shipping address with that info. It was that they were WILLING to change the shipping address with that info. It is not some requirement imposed on them by an external entity. It is an Apple policy that they could change to require more stringent authentication, but have decided not to change, for whatever reasons.
by Mudpuppy
Mon Jan 22, 2024 2:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165379

Re: Sharing this attempted eBay scam because its wild

I was contacted today by a member of their executive resolutions team to inform me that I was part of an elaborate scam, where they did this for dozens of items. They would take the eBay provided label, change the address to a Wal-Mart in the city where it should have gone, and when not was delivered, get a refund while keeping the item. eBay refunded me the full amount. I don't understand this. If the scammer used eBay's mailing label, the package should've come to you; and if the scammer used a fake label, eBay shouldn't have received an 'item has been delivered' notice from USPS. TravelforFun I'm not the OP, but I can explain this. Once the scammer received the correct return label (with OP's address), they created a new, fake shipping ...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Jan 21, 2024 8:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wallet stolen at work. How to keep handbags/totes secure at work?
Replies: 29
Views: 3704

Re: Wallet stolen at work. How to keep handbags/totes secure at work?

Although my office building has security (i.e. badge to gain access to elevator and then to certain floor), I keep my wallet and car key with me at all times. I guess it would be more difficult for ladies because the lack of pocket in women clothing. In that case, I guess she should hide her wallet somewhere that a thief would not think to check if he or she only has a few minutes in the office. My first criteria for work pants are that they have pockets. I will sacrifice fashion to pockets. There are plenty of women's work-appropriate pants that come with pockets, even if they aren't the latest fashion or brand-name labels. Still, I primarily only carry my phone, work ID, and office keys in said pockets because my wallet is not pocket-siz...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Jan 21, 2024 6:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R Block 2023 software offer
Replies: 246
Views: 38124

Re: H&R Block 2023 software offer

I agree that the Amazon library seems to stick around. I know I've got back to 2015 at least and I'm pretty sure I have some games back to the 2000s. The problem is that the Amazon download is the pre-Thanksgiving version and isn't really functional until you get the updates from H&R Block. So the better question might be how far back can you get those updates? Yep, it's how long H&R Block supports updating older programs that's the main question. Their official page for ordering previous years only goes back to 2018: https://www.hrblock.com/tax-software/updates-back-editions.html . Oddly, the previous editions update page only goes back to 2019: https://www.hrblock.com/tax-software/updates-back-editions/prior-year/ . I wouldn't co...
by Mudpuppy
Mon Jan 15, 2024 5:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tropical Fish
Replies: 22
Views: 2852

Re: Tropical Fish

I've had a salt water tank last 10-yrs 25 and 16 gals. Anything less than 25-gals is considered tiny nano tank. OK at first but eventually algae takes over and other issues. So I would tend to fresh water next time, much less problematic. My clown fish died at 10-yrs so I took down the main tank, with survivors currently in my basement quarantine tank. The plexigalss tank was nice at first, but got scratched up with cleaning off algae, snail egg cases etc. A good compromise is African Cichlids. They live in (warm) fresh water but have the beauty of salt water fish. They are very hardy. Specifically, rift lake cichlids primarily from Lake Malawi and, to some extent, Lake Victoria. The cichlids from Lake Tanganyika are much less flashy in co...
by Mudpuppy
Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tropical Fish
Replies: 22
Views: 2852

Re: Tropical Fish

rob wrote: Sun Jan 14, 2024 11:21 pm
meowcat wrote: Fri Jan 12, 2024 1:45 pm Fresh water, fake plants, sand, rocks, etc. Pretty reasonably priced.
Salt water, live plants, live coral, etc. Insanely expensive.
Great summary... Tropical are much higher maintenance. They are also more expensive after you kill the first & second tank full - and it will happen in one go, no survivors :oops: I'd start with some cold water fish first and if your keen after a time, go for tropical.
Ah, a seasoned member of the Dead Fish Society, I see. I still don't know why one of my freshwater angelfish just up and died a few years ago, unless the other one was very stealthy in only picking on it overnight when I couldn't observe their behavior. The surviving one is still going strong.
by Mudpuppy
Sun Jan 14, 2024 11:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tropical Fish
Replies: 22
Views: 2852

Re: Tropical Fish

Maybe start small - goldfish (feeders) at 6 for a dollar in a cheapo plastic tank. Easy to maintain, hard to kill. Wait 3-6 months and see if the urge is still there. If so, you’ll already have a temporary holding tank to use when you’re cleaning the main one. Goldfish, even feeder goldfish, need large aquariums to thrive. I had one feeder goldfish in a 20g long in high school and it was getting too big even for that tank. Nothing does well long-term in a small fish bowl. Even a Betta fish needs 3-5 gallons to thrive (and the 3g tank is considered too small in some circles). The tropical fish you buy are babies. But, growth is limited per size of tank. That's not entirely accurate. A large fish will still attempt to grow into a large fish ...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Jan 14, 2024 10:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tropical Fish
Replies: 22
Views: 2852

Re: Tropical Fish

It might seem counter-intuitive, but larger tanks are actually easier to maintain than smaller tanks. I'd recommend starting with a 55g, if you have the space for it. That allows you to get a good mix of community fish without overcrowding them. Petco frequently runs sales for 50% off glass tanks, but that's only a small savings in the overall scheme of things. Look around your area to see if you still have a local fish store (not a big chain), as that will be an invaluable resource. Read into something called "cycling", which is the hardest time in starting up a new tank from scratch. This is how the ammonia waste from the fish is converted by aerobic bacteria into nitrite (first stage) and then into nitrate (second stage) by the...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R Block 2023 software offer
Replies: 246
Views: 38124

Re: H&R Block 2023 software offer

pdr wrote: Sun Jan 14, 2024 3:06 pm To download software (retail box), my screen shows name, address, and email as "required" :(

Image

Not sure what the next screen will ask for. When it came on disc, I opened the box and had the software I paid for. No need to register to print/file. Now I paid for a 10-digit code only - box does not list "personal info" as a requirement to install. Do I need to be truthful when completing the online form?
Have you tried just selecting "Activate Now" without filling anything in?
by Mudpuppy
Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Windows 10 Patch Tuesday problems
Replies: 30
Views: 5303

Re: Windows 10 Patch Tuesday problems

Thanks for the post. I just fired up my tax virtual machine this evening and came across this error. The machine is still usable, just gets a 0x80070643 error on Windows Update. I'll just wait it out to see if Microsoft gets a fix before the next Patch Tuesday.
by Mudpuppy
Sun Jan 14, 2024 3:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Cyber Security, protecting personal assets, 2FA & Smartphones
Replies: 47
Views: 4868

Re: Cyber Security, protecting personal assets, 2FA & Smartphones

+1. Would also be interested in where people read up on cybersecurity, like any IT blog or forum. Also, do people have any privacy concerns about having 2FA apps on their smartphones? I'm no expert by any means and anyone who is might laugh at me, but I so far avoided using Apple or Google for my personal finances and it seems if I want to use 2FA apps for my banking transactions, I won't get around letting them have at least some of my banking related data. So far, for any significant banking I always used offline banking so far. Might be total paranoia though, as said I'm no expert and I don't know if the data they see is of any actual relevance privacy or security wise. Would be interesting to hear what people think. Most 2FA apps are u...
by Mudpuppy
Sat Jan 13, 2024 3:47 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)
Replies: 6651
Views: 1202802

Re: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)

This may be covered somewhere in this megathread, but I couldn't find anything. If I overfund I Bond purchases via tax refund, will I be able to lock in the current fixed rate in time (since it will almost certainly go back to 0% in April)? Assuming that say, I could get my tax return filed by end of February (more likely a few weeks into March however). In other words, which rate does the paper bond receive? What determines that? Theoretically, yes, but one can't say for certain, since many things can delay tax return processing and/or interfere with getting paper iBonds from the tax return. For example, one year I submitted my return in March, but I didn't get my iBonds from the tax refund until August because the IRS flagged my return f...
by Mudpuppy
Tue Jan 09, 2024 3:10 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 2024 Hedge Fund contest
Replies: 156
Views: 26751

Re: 2024 Hedge Fund contest

Tanelorn wrote: Tue Jan 09, 2024 1:44 am
Mudpuppy wrote: Tue Jan 09, 2024 1:37 am FYI, the link provided appears to be the edit link, instead of the sharing link.
Thanks, fixed, I think. Try the above link again and let me know if there's a problem.
Link works now. And there's a typo for my fund. It has ABBV (AbbVie Inc) instead of A (Agilent Technologies Inc). AbbVie actually still fits my theme, but I assume this was an autofill mistake, aka Google Sheets trying to be "helpful" by autofilling the cell with the previous entry that started with A.
by Mudpuppy
Tue Jan 09, 2024 1:37 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 2024 Hedge Fund contest
Replies: 156
Views: 26751

Re: 2024 Hedge Fund contest

Tanelorn wrote: Tue Jan 09, 2024 1:06 am Thank you to everyone who entered the contest! I've updated the spreadsheet with all your funds, so please take a moment to check to make sure your entry appears and the positions are correct.

Current Standings - 2024 hedge fund contest

Don't worry about the prices yet, it's showing starting prices from a day early, ie Fri 1/5 and not the actual contest start of Mon 1/8, so that I could double check everything was working. I'll fix that tomorrow once Google's quotes work correctly for Monday.
FYI, the link provided appears to be the edit link, instead of the sharing link.
by Mudpuppy
Mon Jan 08, 2024 5:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Finding cost effective mid-tier colleges (Computer Science)
Replies: 164
Views: 25544

Re: Finding cost effective mid-tier colleges (Computer Science)

Someone with an CS degree cannot be an EE. Off-topic, but that greatly depends on the state and their regulations for issuing a Professional Engineer (PE) license. In California, one can get an EE PE license without being from an ABET-accredited BS EE program, as long as one can pass the ECE FE exam and chosen EE PE exam. California requires more years of work experience for those with a bachelor's degree that is not ABET-accredited, with the exact number of additional years depending on the type of bachelor's degree and whether or not the applicant has a relevant MS degree. So, in California, I could theoretically pass the FE exam with my BS/MS/PhD in CS, get an Engineer-In-Training (EIT) certification, work as an engineer for 6 years, pa...
by Mudpuppy
Mon Jan 08, 2024 2:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Finding cost effective mid-tier colleges (Computer Science)
Replies: 164
Views: 25544

Re: Finding cost effective mid-tier colleges (Computer Science)

I think CS is the wrong way to go. It does not get you a better foundation than BSEE. And, it is too popular. What if we transition into quantum computer or something else over the next 10 years? A well-designed CS program should be prepared for such shifts by teaching fundamentals from the mathematics and engineering backgrounds of CS. Remember, CS does NOT equal "learning how to program". CS is about learning the theoretical foundations of computer systems, primarily from a software perspective, but also with at least some hardware perspectives. If you want to focus on programming and other aspects of the development career (QA, unit testing, etc.), then Software Engineering is the way to go. Computer degree hierarchy, from har...
by Mudpuppy
Mon Jan 08, 2024 6:08 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Finding cost effective mid-tier colleges (Computer Science)
Replies: 164
Views: 25544

Re: Finding cost effective mid-tier colleges (Computer Science)

2 years at community college to get their 100 and 200 level and general education courses out of the way on the cheap. Then transfer to a 4-year school to finish the bachelor's degree. This is the best way to graduate with little to no debt. Also, in my experience, the quality of the professors at community college tends to be outstanding because they are professionals who work in the field rather than full-time academics. This means you get real-world career advice and a better understanding of the day-to-day grind of people working the job you're aspiring to. It has been my understanding that this path doesn't work for majors which are in high demand (like computer science). Care to elaborate? You get to put your bachelor's degree on you...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Jan 07, 2024 10:06 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 2024 Hedge Fund contest
Replies: 156
Views: 26751

Re: 2024 Hedge Fund contest

Let Random Be Your Guide Longs Agilent Technologies Inc (A) Carvana Co (CVNA) Crowdstrike Holdings (CRWD) Shorts Definitive Healthcare (DH) Evolent Health Inc (EVH) Masimo Corporation (MASI) This fund is brought to you by the letters PRNG and the number 2.... Technique: Two servers with questionable entropy pools used a pseudorandom number generator (PRNG) to each select pages out of the PDF list of funds. In each of those pages, I looked for something that was either technology related (longs) or health care related (shorts) until I had three funds for each category. I expect this fund to do poorly, but maybe the servers were on a fortuitous streak. Edit to attempt to add tickers from last year's file, but not sure I have the right ones. R...
by Mudpuppy
Tue Jan 02, 2024 6:14 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 2024 Hedge Fund contest
Replies: 156
Views: 26751

Re: 2023 Hedge Fund contest

Grt2bOutdoors wrote: Mon Jan 01, 2024 7:28 pm Fund Name: Holy Smokes Speculator Fund

Long: GOOGL, XOM

Short: SLG
You accidentally posted this on the 2023 thread, instead of the 2024 thread. Here's the link to the 2024 contest thread: viewtopic.php?p=7628071
by Mudpuppy
Mon Jan 01, 2024 4:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When to sell old/purchase new vehicle
Replies: 37
Views: 4819

Re: When to sell old/purchase new vehicle

Manual transmission over CVT all day, every day. The ZF-8 or one of the ZF or BorgWarner dual clutch transmissions, if programmed properly, are good alternatives. EVs will be a step down in handling/driving fun. However, there is nothing else available that gives you the same 'kick in the pants' feel. A lot of people enjoy instant torque. My main issue with CVT is it can't seem to find a gear at what I would consider to be normal cruising speeds, like 25mph or 45mph. Granted, rental cars have a rougher drive history than a personally owned vehicle, but that shouldn't greatly affect the ability of the controller to pick a gear and stick with it. I'm sensitive to sounds and hearing the gears flip constantly and/or the car struggle in a poorl...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Dec 31, 2023 10:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Amazon Rate increases - alternatives [Amazon Prime Video]
Replies: 151
Views: 22887

Re: Amazon Rate increases - alternatives [Amazon Prime Video]

While I'm not disagreeing with your advice, I can attest that after I ordered one item via Temu 6-8 weeks ago I don't recall getting any unwanted emails from them. Or any noticeable increase in spam to that email address. I am more worried about a Chinese company (PDD Holdings) which has a history of doing so, having access to information such as real email addresses, real phone numbers etc. on US citizens that they could data mine at any time in the future. I'm a state government employee, so the Chinese government probably already has extensive data on me from the Anthem hack, Equifax hack, MOVEit hacks, and so on.... At some point, one just has to assume that data is out there and start focusing on limiting the side-effects of the data ...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Dec 31, 2023 9:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When to sell old/purchase new vehicle
Replies: 37
Views: 4819

Re: When to sell old/purchase new vehicle

I'm debating this myself right now, since my 8 year old, 65k miles, 2015 Honda Accord has broken down twice this year. The first was when the alternator went out while the extended warranty was still active, but that didn't cover a rental car during the repair. Then last month, after the extended warranty expired, the starter went out, and the mechanic saw the flywheel and clutch were damaged while replacing the starter, so that was a pricey repair. There are many complaints about the alternator and starter going out if you read the 2015 Accord complaints on NHTSA. According to those complaints, this model year is also know for the ABS/VSA controller failing, although one can still drive the car when that happens if one knows how to pump th...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Dec 31, 2023 4:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Quality Conservation Services is this a scam?
Replies: 2
Views: 811

Re: Quality Conservation Services is this a scam?

My mom said she got a call from Quality Conservation Services at https://qcsca.com/about-us. They seemed to imply that they are part of PG&E and provide free service for energy improvement. We provide Pacific Gas and Electric Company moderate and low-income residential customers with no-cost weatherization services to help reduce their utility bills and save energy in Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Marin County, Napa County, San Francisco County, Sonoma County and Solano County through the Pacific Gas and Electric Company Energy Savings Assistance Program. Anyone have any info on this. I did google the company and there are a lot of negative ratings. I am thinking that they are some sort of contractor to handle energy improvement...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Dec 31, 2023 4:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Samsung phone stuck in a boot loop
Replies: 23
Views: 2771

Re: Samsung phone stuck in a boot loop

I've seen this happen to a phone that was exposed to water. Now that you raise this, I recall some online suggestion of an oven procedure. Something like heat up oven, turn off and let temp drop to some level (100F?) then stick phone in. This is a time honored trick sailors use when electronics get wet. Have no idea if it works. Never tried it. FYI, the oven trick is for reflowing solder in the phones with known soldering issues, like LG phones from many moons back (I really should e-cycle the LG I still have in a drawer that bootlooped due to this issue). I wouldn't recommend it unless it's known that the model suffers from soldering issues. And even then, the oven trick was just to backup data before replacing the phone, in case the user...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Dec 31, 2023 3:19 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)
Replies: 6651
Views: 1202802

Re: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)

My argument for April is that you can earn 5% in a money market until then. If MM rates drop during the year, you can still get four months now at 5% followed by 5%+ with I Bonds for another six months. If you buy the bonds now, you get six months at 5%+ followed by who-knows-what (probably lower.) You also get extra information when selling, since you can know the future return for up to 15 months in advance. I plan to wait until April. I will review short term nominal and long term real rates before deciding. I can see myself buying anywhere from $0 to $50K depending on the market then. I also plan to wait until April, although for more personal reasons than market information. I've had nearly $10k in unexpected expenses this year (mostl...
by Mudpuppy
Sun Dec 31, 2023 2:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1372
Views: 165379

Re: [On-going Scams - Post them here]

Several months ago I received a registered letter that cost the sender $5.00. It was a company saying I had unclaimed money, no details. They offered to facilitate the transaction for a portion of the money. Again no details. I could mail them or call a phone number. Called the number and have to wait of course and then some medical alert offer for those over age 65. Stuck in a loop and could not get out. Hung up and called back and selected no for the special offer this time and was put thru the exact same spiel again. Hung up. Looked the company up and it looks like a legitimate business. The letter also mentioned that the property would show up on my state's unclaimed property site. Saw this thread and it reminded me. Checked the Unclai...