A Petty Blog

OK, that title is a little misleading, but that is what the post is about.

I got two phone calls in as many days from telemarketers using words, shall we say, loosely.

I’m writing because

• These conversations amused me enough to share
• I searched for information without a lot of luck and this will provide a resource for the next guy
• It’s easier to write about this than some of the other topics in my queue

Conversation #2 - today, 9:00AM

I answer the phone.  They are already talking, sounds like I missed a couple of words…
“… courtesy call from The Rate Center … the letter you received or will be receiving … your rates have increased or will be increasing … we might be able to help with the rates.

Press 9 if you want to speak to a representative …”

What the heck.  I press 9 to see what it’s about.

“Would you like to talk to someone …”

me: “Who is this?”

“This is The Rate Center.” (the tone of voice says ‘Duh’)

me: “The ‘Rate Center’ for whom?”

<click>

Additional research says these folks are using a spoofed number in caller id and they won’t give out contact info.

“Do you have caller ID?”  “Then you should already have the number.”

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/7780006544

I received a call this afternoon (8/20/2010, 4:50 p.m.) that not only was in violation of do-not-call regulations but was also misleading and dishonest. A recorded message was worded to sound as if it was from a credit card company we do business with and said that we would be receiving a letter about a rate increase, and if we wanted to negotiate a lower rate to press 9. When I pressed 9 (so I could get the name of the company and make a complaint) I was connected to a woman who wanted to sell me a new credit card at a purportedly lower rate of interest than my current card(s)?  The number showing on caller ID, 778-000-6544, is a sham. I asked what the name of the company was and she replied, “The Rate Center”.  When I repeated the company name back to her she became rude and raised her voice and hung up.
Caller: The Rate Center
Call Type: Telemarketer

We are supposed to assume that this is a call from someone with whom we have an account, and this is their ‘rate center.’

Conversation #1, earlier this week

I answer the phone

“May I speak with Elijah’s mom or dad?”

me: “This is his dad.”  I already smell a fish, but decide to play with him.

“… I’ve been assigned to Elijah … Your son checked off a box saying he was interested in <something about preparing for the SAT or improving his scores>”

“Has your son told you about the changes to the SAT format?”

No, he doesn’t typically talk about stuff like that, though we know all about them., “Why, no.  He hasn’t.”

I can tell he’s excited.

He tells me all about the new essay portion and how that makes it harder and increases the need for preparation.

“blah blah blah … self paced lessons on CD … twenty minutes two days a week … they will arrive in about 10 days … when you get them … if you decide to keep them …. just need to confirm your mailing address …”

Waitaminnit

me: “Hold on.  I never said I wanted these.  I have a few questions.”

me: “Where would he have ‘checked’ this ‘box’?”

“Perhaps at a career day at school, or after a practice test, or perhaps in the counselor’s office …”

We homeschool, and are pretty sure our son is not hanging out with any counselors or taking practice test behind our backs.

 ”Hmm.  That sounds pretty vague, and none of those apply to my son.”  I wish I hadn’t said that - it put him on guard.

me: “So, you are ‘assigned to’ Elijah - by whom?”

he sounds a bit off guard

“Um ‘Student Services’ ” (duh.  and a good parent wouldn’t ask)

me: “‘Student Services of what? ”

<click>

This one really ticked me off.  They are preying on parents who want to believe their kids are striving to improve, and taking advantage of the fact that most of them don’t know exactly what is going on at school.  They are using words that imply association with the school without really saying so.

Again, further research shows that they don’t give out contact information, the return phone number does not work.  The cost (”$50″ or so) turns into a monthly cost, and it’s near impossible to stop the recurring charges.  If your son or daughter is around to answer questions (such as where this ‘box’ might have been checked) they will hang up.

I’d kind of like to know the law on this one - if I can get them to send me something on trial without asking for it or saying I want it, and without giving out a credit card number (duh), can I keep it?

I read this sad statistic today and tracked down at least one source in Wikipedia:

Literacy in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• 1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.
• 42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.
• 80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.

Wow.  That’s not the way to live.

That said, I’d better get off the computer and back to my stack of unread books.

Top of the list today:

Being Wrong.

I confess it has not really captured my interest yet, but I have high hopes.

Risk: A Practical Guide for Deciding What’s Really Safe and What’s Really Dangerous in the World Around You

Looks really interesting in light of today’s environment of Security Theater.

Two of the feeds I read reported on the same article yesterday.  I found it amusing that both appeared on the same page, and the second (Flowinga Data) captured my impression of the first (Slashdot) exactly, at least in the headline.

OK Cupid is a huge online dating site with a penchant for data analysis.  In this latest release, they found a correlation between sexual activity and smart phone brand (right).

With this summary from Wired:

“According to OK Cupid’s survey of 552,000 user pictures iPhone users have more sexual partners than BlackBerry or Android owners. By age 30, the average male iPhone user has had about 10 partners while female iPhone users have had 12. By contrast, BlackBerry users hover around 8 partners and Android users have a mere 6.”

“Anonymous Coward” at Slashdot concludes that “Numbers Show iPhone Owners Get More Sex.”

Meanwhile, the folks at Flowing Data points out that this is no more than correlation (never to be confused with causation, as every scientist and statistician should know) and that, just as likely, “iPhone users are more promiscuous.”

The whole thing is just packed with interesting discussion points about worldview, bias, and wishful thinking,

There’s more from OK Cupid - your online date will be 2 inches shorter than he claims, will make 20% less than he states, and that picture is at least two years old, especially if it’s good.

(more…)

The federal government provides huge subsidies to our food producers, but the vast majority of the spending is at odds with our dietary needs and even federal nutritional guidance.

What should be done?

PCRM, (maker of the infographic above) along with many other health and public interest groups, supported the Fairness in Farm and Food Policy Amendment, which was offered by Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ). This amendment would have limited government subsidies of unhealthy foods, cut subsidies to millionaire farmers, and provided more money for nutrition and food assistance programs for Americans and impoverished children overseas.

Unfortunately, politics doomed the reform effort. At the eleventh hour, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) feared that freshman representatives who voted to cut subsidies might risk losing their seats in farm states in the 2008 elections, endangering the Democratic majority. The reform amendment was defeated 117 to 309.

It makes me sad to see these political machinations.  The history of nutritionism in America is rife with it though, and this is only one small example.  Note that PCRM is one of the “public interest” groups supporting the reform bill and these supporters are not to be confused with “special interest” groups.

Flowing Data was the beginning of this little sojourn into farm policy.

On a related note, this is a visual exploration into our food choices.  What does 200 calories look like?

And, as long and I’m posting food pictures, here are a couple commentary pictures I found:

Only in America…

This guy is an editing genius.
Obama sings the Beatles’ “Tax Man”

Via I Hate The Media.

I’m reading A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper, by John Allen Paulos.

I’ll write something more on the actual book later.  Right now I have to comment on one of his quotations.  Paulos quotes Thomas Jefferson as saying

“Were it left to me to decide whether we should  have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate to choose the latter.”

This statement is made in a chapter in favor on newspapers in general.  However, I believe Jefferson’s quote is more about government than it is about newspapers, as he also said:

“The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.”

Quotations add some spice to writing, but you have to take them with a grain of salt, as they are generally used without context.

 I found a blog on Architecture.  It’s a really interesting colossal time-sink.  I bookmarked the site years ago because of an article about park benches designed primarily to keep vagrants from sleeping on them.  This is even creepier.

Design with Intent | Deliberately creating worry
One of the cafés in an international European airport was often full. The problem was that people sat nursing their coffees for a long time as they waited for their planes to depart. The café asked itself: How can we encourage our customers to vacate the tables more quickly?

Their first ideas were probably along the lines of uncomfortable chairs, a seat charge, clear the tables immediately and so forth. However, the idea they finally decided upon was this: to turn off the flight monitors in the café! This made people worry about missing their flights, which led to them looking for monitors that worked, thus leaving empty tables. When the café had enough empty tables, the flight monitors suddenly started working again to attract new customers.

I think turning the monitors back on is the icing on the creepy-cake.

Someone just passed me this article at WebMD.  It starts like this:

Want a drug that could lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and colon cancer? That could lift your mood and treat headaches? That could lower your risk of cavities?

If it sounds too good to be true, think again.

Coffee, the much maligned but undoubtedly beloved beverage, just made headlines for possibly cutting the risk of the latest disease epidemic, type 2 diabetes. And the real news seems to be that the more you drink, the better.

Various studies show that coffee helps prevent Parkinson’s Disease, liver cirrhosis, gallstones, and colon cancer,  can help manage asthma, can stop a headache (Anacin and Excedrin contain the caffeine of a hefty mug ‘o Joe), can boost your mood and even prevent cavities.  Coffee is also known to enhance athletic endurance and performance and boost memory and mental acuity.  It can even slow the mental decline in old men.

The article goes on to say “Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful,” “For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good,” and “coffee may be something of a health food — especially in higher amounts.”  I like coffee, especially in higher amounts (and really dark and stinky).  But how much is too much?

On the flip side, it’s clear that coffee isn’t for everyone. Its legendary jolt in excess doses — that is, more than whatever your individual body can tolerate — can increase nervousness, hand trembling, and cause rapid heartbeat. Coffee may also raise cholesterol levels in some people and may contribute to artery clogging. But most recent large studies show no significant adverse effects on most healthy people, although pregnant women, heart patients, and those at risk for osteoporosis may still be advised to limit or avoid coffee.

So, to find the proper dosage, you should drink coffee until you start to get nervous about your shaking hands, then back off a bit.  I’ll let you know if I ever manage to hit that benchmark.

We all like it when “Science” says we should do what we want.  It’s been oft-reported that red wine may be good for you.  But beer may be even better (this is the BBC - I’m sure they are talking about real beer and not the stuff they advertise here during football games.) Dark brews are even better at preventing heart disease and cancer (more xanthohumol.)

If beer is “yucky” then try dark chocolate.

(more…)

 I have Great News!

Our furnace went out last week.  As always with these things, the timing is incovenient.  We’re in a cold snap right now in the Colorado Mountains, we expect some guests over Christmas.
We can’t afford to pay the $3410 bill right now, so we decided to borrow the money and go another $3410 into debt.  Our repair guy is wonderful, and he found a reconditioned unit he can use — and that will save us about $2000.
That’s great news, because we can really use the money.  I’m writing a family proposal now about how we can spend the extra $2000 we now have at our disposal - and just before Christmas!  I’m thinking about buying bicycles for my kids (to ride this spring) and maybe promising to pay them for sealing the asphalt (in the spring), so they will be able to spend more on Christmas presents. I think I will hire three neighborhood kids to feed our lizard, to preserve neighborhood jobs.

My friend has even better news!

His son is unemployed and can’t pay his bills, and he can’t get any more credit.  My friend racked up $34,100 on his credit cards in order to keep his son from losing his house, his car, his ski-doo, and his vacation condo.  Well, his son’s employment situation recovered more quickly than expected, and he was able to pay back some of the money. The whole credit thing is going to cost my friend $20,000 less than he originally projected.  What an opportunity!  There is so much he could do with the $20,000.  He might have his driveway repaved with European cobblestones, or maybe hire a cook and a maid.

In an unrelated story,

the U.S. Government recently added 341 billion ($341,000,000,000) to its deficit to bail out our troubled financial sector.  It appears that the losses will be about $200 billion less than they projected.  President Obama and his staff are preparing proposals for spending the windfall.  In order to stimulate the job market right away, some of the money will probably be spent on transportation and infrastructure projects (to be started next spring, at the earliest).  To stimulate the economy (production of useful goods and services), some money will be given to States to preserve public sector jobs.
(more…)

I stumbled across this at Calamities of Nature today.  How true it is.

How sad.