Credit Card Compromised

It is quite ironic that after a long absence from updating The New Blogged Word, the topic today falls immediately on the heels of an identity theft topic.

No, at least at this point, it does not look as if our identity has been stolen, but we did have our credit card number compromised. We have our cards, but when checking our balance through the automated phone system today, we found over $17,000 in charges!

A quick call to our credit card provider began the process of clearing things up. Flights, travel services in Istanbul and England, utilities, and dozens of other random charges.  The charges had been taking place for days and continuing today - during our call - when the agent deactivated our account.  New cards, with new numbers are on the way.

This caused me to look for some resources on Amazon, just in case I needed to dig deeper. Much to my chagrin, I found an enormous collection, at the time of this writing, 849 results, related to Identity Theft Resources!

Whether you buy a book from Amazon, or subscribe to an identity theft prevention service, be very careful about your credit card use. Something as innocent has handing it to a waiter, who takes it out of sight to process, may be just what you don't need!

Dave

America Can't Get Enough of Sully

It's been a year since Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger acted calm under pressure, relied on his training, showed leadership acting as a team with a very capable co-pilot, Jeffrey Skiles, and successfully put US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River in New York after a bird strike during takeoff.  "Cactus" 1549, as the air traffic controllers called it, had 155 passengers on board and except for a few bumps and bruises - and quite a scare - were no worse for wear.

In this Associated Press photo, many of the members of that short flight gathered Friday to commemorate the event's anniversary.  And who (rightfully) was center to the proceedings?  Sully.

Captain Sullenberger has been on the speaking tour, he has written a book and others have written about the event, and has become something of an icon.

In these days of irresponsible Hollywood types that get press for extreme misbehaving (the topic of another RANT! some day), Sully is a breath of fresh air.  The right kind of media topic we can enjoy seeing plastered everywhere.


My favorite example of what has come out of this event is a computer reenactment of the flight, complete with bird strike and air traffic control audio.  Exoshpere3D is a "visualization" company that used the released information from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report.

I can't stop watching it. Take the time to allow it to load in HD and watch in full screen mode. If you are a pilot or have even a slight fascination with our our air traffic control system works, you may not be able to stop either.



 

Way to go, Sully!

I Have a Badge! (and other updates)

In my other blog, The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit, I have posted an entry about Blog Badges. As you can see, I have added it to my sidebar as a nice piece of cross-promotion.  Check out the toolkit for an interesting look into how this blue/aqua/green/black background was created.  You'll enjoy the story about it being "one of a kind" and you'll learn how to make one yourself.

Notice, too that I am experimenting with Amazon ads.  Yes, if you click through to make a purchase, I'll make a few cents and a piece of cheese.  The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit is the blogger's resource and this is more of a free-for-all, but it is a great sandbox to experiment.  Let me know what you think.  In general, are you interested in helping others by making your online purchases like you normally would, but start by clicking through like this?

Let me know!

Dave

Staycationing Guide Provides Map

I had so much fun with the Staycationing post, I decided to publish a Part 2.  This was a result of looking for more information on the subject.

Leave it to our old friends at Amazon.

From Amazon:

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Layoffs are rampant, gas prices are volatile, airlines are cutting flights, and Americans are feeling the economic pinch of a recession. As much as we hate it in this country of big dreams, big cars and Big Macs, we have to find a way to cut back. For many Americans, that means turning the Great American Vacation into a “staycation,” which is the big buzzword of the year, having appeared in articles everywhere from www.CNN.com to Newsweek. But what does a staycation really mean? Newspaper humor columnist and frequent staycationer Matt Wixon shares with readers the definition of a staycation as well as:

• Rules for a successful, satisfying vacation at home or nearby
• Motivation and encouragement for people who can’t afford the big, traditional vacation
• Ways to make the most of time off from work
• Strategies and experiences from more than a dozen staycationers, as well as hundreds of Internet links and specific ideas to help plan a vacation in your hometown.

From alternatives to destination theme parks to making the most of out local amenities to reigniting the flame in a relationship, Americans will find this guide a humorous and invaluable guide to staying home on vacation. 

About the Author
Matt Wixon (Dallas, TX) is a writer and columnist for The Dallas Morning News who has three sons ranging in age from almost six years to almost six months. His parenting duties include piggyback rides, administering timeouts, and explaining to his kids that self-flushing toilets cannot hurt them. Mr. Wixon and his wife of twelve years, Janell, have made most of their vacations staycations since having kids.

A great guidebook for vacation exploring close to home.

Dave