Domain Expired Voicemail

March 10, 2019 by cryan.com

This week I got a strange voicemail. What made is strange is that when I got the call it showed up as No Caller ID and only rang once. Moments later a voice message was left.

Took a screenshot when the call came in, and then later of the message that was left.

Scam Scam Scam

This has nothing to do with domain registration. What they are trying to do is to trick you into registering into an SEO search program.

Here's What I Learned

• This whole scam is getting people to register Clearly they don't want you to answer the phone. The message sounds automated.
• When you call the number left in the message they use Caller ID to figure out who you are.
• They send you another text message to click on a link
• The link takes you to a page to let you know what's really going on.
• It's that page that gives you the official information.
• Don't register for the service - much of what is offered can be done for free. (You shouldn't be paying $75 to register a website. If you want to get on Google you can simply request Google to Register Your Site. )
• If a company goes through all this deceptive practice to get your business- how legit are they?
• I am pretty sure that the company will sell the phone number information.

Text on the Final Order Page

This is the text that appears on the final order page:

My domain isn't expiring, I registered it back on October on GoDaddy - apparently, other GoDaddy customers are getting these messages.

Whois securepay.id

This is the Registration information of the company behind the website.

contact:      administrative
name:         Muhammad Neil El Himam
organisation: Ministry of Communication and Information Technology
address:      Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat No.17
address:      Jakarta Pusat DKI Jakarta 10110
address:      Indonesia
phone:        +62 82111610360
fax-no:       +62 21 3835845
e-mail:       neil@pandi.id

Apple Maps Store Information

February 24, 2019 by cryan.com

Apple Maps has a rough start on iOS. It shipped with IOS 6 back in 2011 and had some well publicized problems. Things seems to have been fix and the application has seemed to be reliable.

However this weekend I noticed another flaw in the company details section. When checking for the hours of American Girl in Natick on a Saturday night - Apple Maps said the business was closed at 6 pm.

We were eating dinner next door to American Girl and noticed people coming in with American Girl bags - was the store still open?

We we checked the American Girl website and discovered that it closes at 9 pm on a Friday night.

I doubled checked Apple Maps and it does say 6pm. I then checked Google Maps and saw they had the correct closing time for American Girl.

Here's a side-by-side comparison:

Lesson Learned

Don't trust Apple Maps for business times - this isn't the only local business that had the incorrect times.

When it really matters used the company website to find the right time. Only use the maps apps as a general information.

First Amazon Purchase

February 17, 2019 by cryan.com

Do you remember your first Amazon Purchase? My first Amazon purchase was on February 13, 2001.

I found that information when I was going through the mail on my old Powerbook laptop. It's one of the oldest emails that I have on the computer.

Here's the copy of the Amazon confirmation that I got:

The thumbnail images didn't show up when I enabled the Internet on the laptop. (Not surprising!)

Here are the current prices:

• Set Your Voice Free is now selling for $37.44 (Used from $6.07)
• The Millionaire Next Door paperback is now selling for $11.52 (Used from $3.75)
• Photoshop 6 Down and Dirty is now selling for $26.71 (Used from $1.99)

Looks like the Set Your Voice Free by Donna Frazier was the book that has the best appreciation.

American Auto Shield Phone Calls

February 10, 2019 by cryan.com

Have you been getting calls about your car warrantee being expired? Chances are its from a reseller of American Auto Shield or Car Shield.

Recently, they have been calling me a lot, trying to get coverage of a vehicle that I don't even own. In the latest call, the operator sent me a copy of the contract. Glad they did because there's no way I would have signed up for them.

Read Real Customer Reviews

When you talk to a salesperson on the phone, they will tell you to make a decision right then. The reason is that they don't want to discover reviews online. Here are a couple of review websites that offer some insights on consumers services:

• Consumer Affairs Website - 140 Reviews
• Best Company - Car Warranty Consumer Reviews

Interesting that they do have a good review on the Better Business Bureau website.

One thing I notice is that they never tell you the name of the company on the call - until you ask. I wonder why is that?

Six Practical Questions to Ask

• What's the process for the first time that I may need coverage?
• Will I need to provide a Federal Odometer Statement before signing the contract? If not, why would I need one if I should need to cancel the contract?
• If I decide to travel across the country, and something happens how do I find an approved garage to fix?
• What is the waiting period before the policy goes into effect, does it start today or when I received the material?
• What happens if I decide to join Uber or Lift? Would my car be classified as a Commercial vehicle?
• Can I read the terms and conditions of the contract before I make any payment decision?

msoutlookonline.net

January 27, 2019 by cryan.com

Just a friendly reminder...

Just because a website is marked as "secure" it doesn't mean that it is safe to enter data.

Case in point is this site: https://controlpanel.msoutlookonline.net/ it seems like a legitimate site but it's not a safe site. Think it's real? See what happens when you click on the "Forgot Password" link. In Chrome or Firefox, you're alerted that the site is suspicious.

This site was found searching for OWA - Outlook Web Access. It's so easy to think that it's real.

Today's Lesson

Make sure the site you are on is the right site, change your password frequently and make sure you have unique passwords on all the websites you do use. This way if your password is compromised you don't have to worry about changing passwords on multiple sites.

Netscape Welcome Email

January 20, 2019 by cryan.com

This is it. Here's the email that some say launched the Internet Revolution. Marc Andreessen first public announcement that Netscape is now ready for public beta.

Ready Post Packaging Tape

December 23, 2018 by cryan.com

One thing that I learned this Christmas season is to buy packing tape in advance, especially if you're going to be mailing any packages.

This is because if you forget to bring packing tape to the post office - you'll be paying a bit of a premium for packing up Priority mail packages. There's no reason to pay the premium if you plan ahead of time and bring tape in.

Pricing / Description on Ready-Post Tape

Here's the information about the tape that is available at the post office.

Ready Post Packaging Tape cost $3.49
Description: Clear Tape 1.88 in x 800 in

Amazon Options

There are a couple of options on Amazon that should be good solutions for next year:

• Scotch 02878 Heavy Duty Shipping Packaging Tape, Clear - for $9.09 you get 3 tape packages. That comes out to $3.03 for each roll.
• Duck MAX Strength Packing Tape With Dispenser, Clear, 6 pk, 1.88" x 22 yd. - 6 Rolls for $10.83. This comes to $1.81.
• Scotch Tear-by-Hand Tape, 1.88 Inches x 50 Yards, 2-Pack - Cost per roll is $4.66 - which is more expensive than the option at the post office. But you get nearly twice as much like the one in the post office. In addition, you can easily tear the tape by hand. This will make it easy to cut the tape - there's no need to bring scissors to cut the tape.

Don't forget - set up a reminder.

This year, I set up a reminder for the first week of October to order some packing tape for Christmas. This way I can plan in advance, so when we bring gifts to the post office, I can just tape them up and not have to buy the tape at a premium price.

In addition, I added some notes to the reminder on what I would do differently "next year." For example, it's better to plan to finish shopping well in advance instead of waiting for the last minute to buy and find things.

What Do Different Colors Mean

December 16, 2018 by cryan.com

Picking the right color is essential to get the attention of the audience. Understanding the color meaning goes a long way to picking the right colors.

There are lots of websites that have good information, but recently Jen Miller over at Jen's Reviews did an extensive study of color meanings and their symbolism. It's a great reference read on understanding the reasoning to use certain colors.

Five Things I learned from Jen Review's Color Meaning Story

• The report reviews 10 colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink, Black, Brown, and White.
• You'll learn about the positives and negatives meanings of each color.
• The Red Sox colors are the color of Red - love and roses and White: the color of all things good.
• Blue is considered the most popular color probably because Blue is all around us - the earth is made up of 70% of water. It also means trust, which is why you see companies like Microsoft, Facebook, and Twitter use it in their logos.
• One of the colors is the color of power - find out in the study.

Great Read!

The study is a great quick read - only 2,500 words. It's a great read when trying to pick the perfect logo or trying to decide on the best background for the flyer that you're sending out.

Why trust this study? Jen Review is a great site with a lot of practical information. The writers on the site are experts in their fields. The editorial team features for Olympians, doctors, doctors and more. Content is written by experts and has been featured in many publications because of the quality of content and the content is constantly updated.

SmashBurger Fries Size

October 28, 2018 by cryan.com

Is SmashBurger cheating customers?

Earlier this month I took my daughter to Smashburger to enjoy her favorite local Gluten Free cheeseburger. We arrived after spending a day at the Acton Discover Museum and didn't have much for lunch, so she wanted a regular Classic Smash and Fries. She told me that the kid's meal wasn't good enough because she was hungry.

I placed our order: Two Classic Smash (One with Gluten Free Bun) and one with Large ClassicSmash Fries and one with regular fries.

When the order arrived I was a bit surprised and asked the server to confirm our order, and he repeated exactly what I order. The number of fries didn't look that different between the two orders. So I decided to take a picture before we started eating.

What's Going On?

The Regular Fry looks the same as the Large Fry. There doesn't seem that much of a difference. Here's a copy of the receipt to prove that I ordered correctly.

Postmortem

I didn't want to make too much of a deal about the number of fries between the order, as it appears that the server confirmed the order. Afterward, I thought I should have said something since it's very visible that there's very little difference between a large and regular fry size at Smashburger.

In past visits, I do remember a large order of fries being a lot of fries. So I was expecting more fries, but we haven't eaten at Smashburger in a while, so I figured that the distribution might have changed. But there should be a visible difference between a regular and large.

If you're going to Smashburger, and eating in, see for yourself and see if there's a difference between a regular and a large.

How Communities Can Fight Back Against the Opioid Crisis

September 30, 2018 by cryan.com

We hear it on the news constantly. The number of opioid-use cases is on the rise. We can attribute this drastic incline to over-prescribed medication, heroin, and drugs such as fentanyl. It's an addiction many individuals may struggle to overcome. However, there are so many things that we can do to assist those in need and help to tackle the issue at hand.

Many states are experiencing extremely high rates of opioid-use related deaths. Some of the highest states, such as West Virginia, North Carolina, and Michigan, see opioid-use rates as high as 35 deaths per 100,000 individuals.

Now is the time to take action to assist those in need. There are several things you can do to make a difference.

Taking Part

Many community groups seek volunteers to assist with their day-to-day activities. For non-profit organizations, volunteers are practically the livelihood of these organizations. Without volunteers, many non-profits across the country would not be able to assist the communities in which they serve. This is why these types of organizations are constantly seeking help from those who live within the area. If you have the time, consider volunteering your assistance! Help needed ranges from manual tasks, to sorting and delivering supplies and tools to those who are in need.

Donating

There are so many organizations that can use donations. Without the help of community members, volunteers, and active members, some charities are unable to function. Consider setting aside a small amount of cash each week or month. Use these spare funds to allocate to different organizations within your community who strive to make a difference. With your assistance, these organizations can properly function and allocate resources to assist at-risk individuals in your community.

Become an Advocate

Whether or not you have first-hand experience dealing with some type of addiction, you can still make a positive change. Advocate for positive measures and enforcements implemented that assist with making our communities drug-free. Several youth organizations and charities have been developed over the years to assist with helping to keep our streets safer. Becoming involved with these types of developments can make a positive impact on our society.

Consider spending time educating others of the dangers of opioid-use. Discussing your knowledge with others, and sharing stories and personal accounts can help to educate communities and bring them together. Consider taking a stance against opioid-use today. What can you do to help your community?