Awesome Phone and Plan for Frugal Folks

I updated my phones to a Google Pixel and Red Pocket T-Mobile and Verizon one-year plans.  The phone is great as are the Red Pocket plans.  I bought my phones used off Ebay but I also recommend the site Swappa, especially if you are a seller. 

Red Pocket has been great so far. I am paying $180 per year ($15 per month!) for unlimited talk and text, with 1Gb of data per month, with my choice of Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint networks from Red Pocket.   You can buy their (longer-term) plans on Ebay and they will send you SIM cards for AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon (you have to call Sprint).  Be sure that if you buy a plan, it includes SIM cards along with the plan.

I activated my wife's and my phones easily on Red Pocket.  She is using the Verizon plan and I am using T-Mobile, which I've been testing for the past two months and works just about everywhere I've needed it -- up in Washington State and in California.  T-Mobile's network seems pretty extensive now (as opposed to before) and it even works at my summer home in Washington State (where it did not work previously, and I was forced to use Verizon or a very low bar Sprint signal).   I chose T-Mobile because Red Pocket's plans allow phones to be used as a wifi hotspot if your phone is Android and the network is AT&T or T-Mobile.  With Verizon, you can use your phone as a wifi hotspot only if your phone is an iPhone. 

My Pixel phone is old but good -- and it's not really that old either.  It's on Android 8.0, and it started bugging me with System 9 update notifications.  I searched the web but this was the only article I could find that solved the issue:

https://lifehacker.com/how-to-prevent-the-buggy-android-pie-update-on-your-pix-1828336344

Hide android system 9 notification:
To prevent the update from displaying, simply hold down or slide the banner from the notification menu to open to Apps and Notifications settings, and turn off the notifications from Google Play Services.

Similarly, you can do this by opening the Systems Settings, then Apps and Notifications, then Notifications.

Scroll down to the Google Play Services app and tap to open its settings page, where you can turn off notifications.

Turning off Automatic System Update:

Tap the “Build number" option 10 times in a row and you’ll put the phone into “developer mode.”

In the Developer options, scroll down to find the Automatic system update setting. This is normally turned on. To disable, tap the slider icon so that it grays out. You’ve now disabled automatic updates.

These steps should keep you on the version of Android your Pixel is currently running, and away from Pie for now.

Thanks, Lifehacker website and the writer!

Evolution of the Portable Camp Chair

I think it is hilarious, and a comment on our consumer culture, to see the increasingly complicated designs of portable camp chairs.  Go, Capitalism, Go!

Garmin Not Turning On or Having Issues Powering On? Replace the Battery

I am not a big fan of Garmin car GPS units. They are a valuable tool, especially when I can't use Google Maps or Waze on my cell phone -- but the company has chosen to put out their car GPS (nuvi) products with really crappy batteries.

I bought a Garmin 2599LMT unit about a year ago. In recent weeks, it started keeping a battery charge for fewer and fewer days. I'd charge it, and in two days, the battery would have discharged. I'd have to turn on the car and use the car charger, since plugging the unit with a USB cable in the house would make it think it was attached toa computer, and it would not charge (I've since learned that putting it on a USB charger that puts out at least 2 amps solves this problem).

A few times recently, the Garmin would not turn on, but once I connected it to the car charger while driving, it would start up. It was not there when I needed it, and it was dangerous fumbling with all the cords and the Garmin unit when I was driving.

Finally, a week ago, it died completely. I could not get it to turn on. I decided to see if replacing the battery would solve the problem, so I looked at videos on YouTube, then bought a battery for my Garmin unit on Ebay for $15.75. The battery came in yesterday, it was easy to install, and the Garmin unit worked immediately! am now a happy camper; the new battery seems to be holding a charge and the nuvi 2599LMT starts up right away.  (Update 6-14-18: installing this new battery has solved all the problems -- I can use the Garmin without the charger for about 30 minutes or more -- makes a huge difference in how useful the Garmin unit is). 

With any other electronic item, if the unit is plugged in, the unit will work, even with a dead battery. This seems to me to be a huge design flaw. Garmin surely can do better by fixing this flaw and supplying its products with better, longer-lasting, higher-quality batteries!

More Bad Websites

I've seen this absurd security question and answer on websites before.  It's obvious that this sort of question was coded into computers years ago and has remained since, with no one correcting the  contradiction in the question and the stated rules for the answers:

So, am I supposed to give a one-word answer to a question that demands two words? 
Or a two-word answer when I am told to "Use one word" in the instructions?

Sunrays and Diver in a Yucatan Cenote

A couple of years ago, I traveled with my former assistant and all-around good guy, Mike Ready, to dive the cenotes near Akumal and Tulum, Mexico.  Sev Regehr lives there and was kind enough to show me some of these incredible dive sites.  These images are of Sev in a  cenote, with sunrays (godbeams) streaming through the water.  Thanks, Sev!  Sorry it took so long to get around to editing these images. 

Calla Lilies, Monterey Coast, California

Spring on the central California coast is a wonderful time. The flowers come out with the sun.

Pacific Grove's magic carpet of flowers, however, has died out in some places. And the monarch butterflies are probably dying out: according to the Coast Weekly, "Volunteers counted just 500 butterflies in the P.G. Monarch Sanctuary on Feb. 18, the end of the 2017-18 overwintering season."

Wild Irises Starting to Bloom in a Georgia Bog

In late March, I flew on a plane again, for the first time since October 2016 (when I returned from South Africa).  I have not missed flying, and feeling like a prisoner (thanks airlines) much at all.  Instead, I've been driving back and forth from our "summer house" in Olympia WA and our regular place in Monterey, CA.  In the summers, I've been trying to visit swimming holes in Oregon, WA, and CA.  The ipad app "Swimming Holes of Oregon" has been an invaluable tool. 

I flew to Savannah, Georgia, to visit my old pal Andy.  Andy works as a field biologist for the Georgia DNR, always part time, as he does not want to work full time.  His job now and for the past 15 years or so has been to survey kites, a bird of prey.  Kites are rare -- not quite declared federally endangered.  He spends all day, every day, for four months boating and hiking to find kite nests and surveying kites.  There are not that many.  The rest of the year he travels or has held jobs where he walks around and looks for indigo snakes. 

Andy has been exactly the same since I knew him in the second grade when we used to wander around in the woods in Atlanta looking for snakes and turtles.  Still doing the same thing.  The government somehow lowered his pay from ridiculously low to insanely low!  He never has cared much about money. 

He always seems to get government or nonprofit housing.  I've visited him in a few places where he's worked, and the government housing has always been adequate, even really nice, in the middle of wildernesses -- perfect for folks like him.  I am kind of stunned to see how much money is spent on this, both state and federal funds, and nonprofit funds. 

He lives and works now in a swamp-filled, snake-infested wilderness reserve near Savannah with too many ticks and mosquitoes for me.  I attach a photo of irises in a bog there that are just starting to bloom.  These wild iris are just starting to open.  In a week or two it will be incredible.  I will have to come back at the right time sometime.  Mosquitoes ate me up, and three tick bite areas have lasted over two weeks now!  I think that it was almost worth the insect bites to see wild irises like this.  Insects don't seem to bother Andy at all.

No one ever reads emails or texts carefully any longer

I sell my old stuff on Ebay and Craigslist, and it's nice to get rid of my old stuff, and to free up space in my garage. 

But -- my god man.  The amount of emailing and texting involved in setting up an appointment to meet ANYONE these days is horrific!  Because I have a smartphone to see my emails and texts, as well as a desktop program for emails and text, I see every email and text about four times.  My system is not good when I get a bunch of texts from anyone, particularly a bunch of small texts that are unnecessary. 

I think that most people are in the same boat.  They are being barraged with texts and emails. 

The result is that no one ever reads emails or texts carefully.  No wonder no one can concentrate any longer:

Here's an example, where "Horacio" on craigslist contacted me about a hard drive that I had for sale:

On Mon, Feb 26, 2018 at 6:08 PM
Horacio: Still have the hard drive ? Also advertised as 2tb but you have written as 3tb
https://monterey.craigslist.org/sys/d/western-digital-my-passport/6507539339.html

Me: Thanks for letting me know about the error in the listing.  It's a 2Tb drive.  It's still for sale.  I can meet between 9-5 at Juice and Java in downtown Pacific Grove if you are interested. 

Horacio: I get off work @4

2/27/18 4:13 PM
Me: Sorry, I just got your emails. Do you still want to meet? If so, 430pm at Juice and Java, downtown Pacific Grove. Let me know. I'm the guy with the hard drive on Craigslist. 4:05 PM
Horacio: I'm almost home I I live in Seaside.  Where?  4:06 PM
Me: Juice and Java is at 599 Lighthouse Ave. It's just to the left of the Bank of America in downtown PG. If not today, I can meet tomorrow but today is better. 4:06 PM
Horacio: I was just going to say tomorrow is better down there I'm almost home 4:06 PM
Horacio: You know I think I bought a hard drive from you before 4:07 PM
Horacio: It was good Touro 4:07 PM
Horacio: It was a Touro 4:08 PM
Me: Ha -- that was me. Do you want to try for tomorrow at 415PM? Same place. Glad to see you again! 4:08 PM
Horacio: Yes 4:09 PM
Horacio: By the way I love that little hard drive that I bought from you 4:09 PM
Me: OK, see you tomorrow. 4:10 PM
Horacio: Ok 4:12 PM
Horacio: I want it for sure 4:13 PM
Horacio: Thnx 4:13 PM

2/27/18 3:01 PM
Horacio: We still on for 415 3:01 PM
Me: Yes, I will be there. I won't be checking messages until then. See you there. Juice and Java, downtown Pacific Grove, to the left of Bank of America. Thanks! 3:03 PM
Horacio: Ok 3:17 PM

Norb gets to Juice N Java at 4:10PM, sits inside:
Horacio: Here 4:14 PM
Norb gets up, walks into J&J, sees no one.  Goes back and sits out front. 
Me: I dont see you. I am sitting out front.juice and java left of bofa:-) 4:16 PM
Horacio: Wait what's it called I'm near chase 4:18 PM
Horacio: Oh u said B of A 4:18 PM
Me: Dont see you. I am out front. Juice n java 599 lighthouse 4:19 PM


Number of times Norb stated that we would meet at Juice and Java: six
Number of times Norb stated that Juice and Java was to the left of Bank of America: three
Number of time Horacio went to Chase instead of BofA: 1
Total number of texts: something in the neighborhood of 60

Boo On These Bad Websites and Marketing Emails, Part 2

My first post on this subject, "Boo On These Bad Websites and Marketing Emails", has had over 1000 hits.  Maybe more folks out there than just me are sick and tired of this kind of stuff.

Anthem Blue Cross sent me a particularly duplicitous email today.  Here it is:

This is classic corporate doublespeak, falsehoods masquerading as do-gooding.  I am sick of all the lies that I encounter every day, and this type of corporate lying is insulting.

"We want to make things easier for you, so...we're upgrading  you to paperless communications."  What a fabrication!  This company wants to save money -- that's the only reason they and other companies constantly exhort us customers to go paperless.

Don't agree to this stuff.  I ask for paper copies in every instance possible, and I've taken my business elsewhere when a company refuses to supply paper copies.  I like having my files on the computer as much as anyone else, but when I need to verify a document six years later, having paper files has proven to be essential many, many times.

I went to their website and opted out of paperless communication.  I don't believe that Anthem really has my best interests at heart here, despite what they say. 


Target Stores is pretty bad.  I placed an order on their website a few weeks ago.  I started getting a request to complete a survey, and it is IMPOSSIBLE to unsubscribe.  BAD, Target, BAD!  Even worse, they continue to send requests for customers to complete surveys if they ignore the first notices.  This is enough to convince me never to shop on Target online.

So, one email asking for a survey -- and every time I buy something now, I am asked to complete a survey?  These surveys are ridiculous -- a company should know if it is doing a good job or not.  Then I get a reminder email to complete the f***ing survey again?  I filtered out these emails, which is a task I don't like doing, but otherwise I'd be getting Target's survey requests every day or so.  Terrible.

I checked Target's website to see if there was any way to unsubscribe.  I checked their privacy policy also.  Here's what Target says:

If you do not wish to receive promotional e-mails from us, email guest.relations@target.com or call 800-440-0680 to opt-out. You also have the ability to unsubscribe from promotional e-mails via the unsubscribe link included in each promotional e-mail. You may continue to receive program-specific marketing emails through a program such as, but not limited to, A Bullseye View, or Target Photo. You can unsubscribe from program-specific emails via the unsubscribe link located at the bottom of those program-specific emails.

This opt-out does not apply to operational emails (e.g., surveys, product reviews).

****
Hey Target -- surveys and product review emails ARE NOT operational emails!  They are marketing emails.  They do nothing for your or your customers' operations. This is the kind of stuff that ruins email for most people. 

I strive mightily to keep my email inbox clean, using filters and unsubscribing.  I do understand that most people just hit delete and move on.  However, I conduct most of my business via email, so companies that abuse emails waste my time and affect my business dealings negatively.  Time is everyone's most valuable asset -- and with all the electronic gadgets that we carry around these days, most of us have to read and delete multiple copies of every email sent to us, every day. 

Costco Sucks So Badly Sometimes, and It is Surprising

I've been a longtime Costco member, and in general, I value the membership.  Sometimes the warehouses have great deals.  I've stopped looking at any of their online deals, because every time I see a deal that I am interested in, I discover that Costco has scoped out the competition and made the deal just a bit less of a deal than what's out there.  They will add a shipping and handling charge at costco.com, for instance.

Another bummer about Costco is that they don't really look out for their members.  I'd expect as a member, for instance, that Costco would stand behind all the products in their warehouse.  I found to my surprise that if you buy a phone or phone plan in a Costco warehouse, that Costco has nothing to do with the phone vendors.  The phone vendors are entirely separate, and they will make promises (that they will then renege on) and Costco is of no help.  I bought a phone and 2-year-phone plan a few years back at the phone booth in Costco, and the vendor told me that I could return the phone and cancel the plan within two weeks with no fee or penalty whatsoever.  I tried to do so, and the phone vendor said that I'd have to pay something like $70 as a penalty.  I took my situation up with the Costco front desk, and they were no help.  I was and remain disturbed that Costco would allow outside vendors in all of their stores that do not offer the best phones and phone plans for their members.  The phones and phone plans do not represent very good deals at all, and Costco could not care less. 

For instance, check out the phone plans at puppy wireless, which sells plans on the Verizon network.  I have a phone plan from there, that works on the Verizon network, and costs me $80 per year -- only $6.67 per month!  I use it only for voice calls, but I could use the plan for data also.  For my smartphone, I use a Freedompop phone that costs me nothing for 1Gb of data per month.  I've written about this plan in the past. 

Still -- getting gas at Costco is a great deal, and their returns policy (for their Costco items, not outside vendors) is generally great.

But sometimes, Costco's really crappy attention to customer service -- which is respect for their customers -- is surprising.  I have not encountered such poor customer service at Amazon, for instance, which seems totally dedicated to good customer service.  

A few months ago, I suddenly began getting emails telling me about the lame Costco Connection magazine (ad-zine).  I tried to unsubscribe.  It was impossible to do so.  I wrote them and got a response, from "connection+canned.response@costco.com"...yes, really. Here's the email that I got in reply:

 

Well, yesterday I got another email -- obviously my request to unsubscribe was not honored. I guess that the person who sends out the emails from "connection+canned.response@costco.com" only sends out canned responses!  I am not surprised.  

Here's the email I received, and here are the utterly useless unsubscribe links in the email:

 

If you click unsubscribe -- or Update Email Preferences, here's the useless web page that you are taken to.  Yes, it is basically a blank page: 

If you click Update on that page, you will get the following utterly unhelpful email: 

Clicking the link does nothing.  

And here's perhaps the most irritating aspect of this unwanted email of all -- showing that the Costco web folks clearly don't give a crap about customer service and preferences.  If you click on "Manage your Costco Connection subscription" in the original Costco Connection email, here's the page you get: 

Note that you are not given an option to unsubscribe ANYWHERE.  The above only gives you an option to subscribe to this crappy "ad-zine."  

Hey Costco -- how about letting me unsubscribe from your crappy "magazine"?  

How about respecting your customers enough to allow them to remove themselves from spam marketing from Costco?  

How about firing the person in charge of these crappy email marketing tactics and terrible web practices?