Satya's LJ archive 200307

Event time: 2003-07-05 18:12:00
Log time: 2003-07-05 15:12:06
Subject: Star wars line of succession

Yoda -> Dooku -> Qui-gon -> Obi-wan -> Anakin
Obi-wan -> Luke

Event time: 2003-07-09 07:33:00
Log time: 2003-07-09 04:33:39
Subject: Hindi/English translation

http://uscnews.usc.edu/usc/story.lasso?id=35957

Crawcram can finally translate Tunak tunak tun.

Event time: 2003-07-17 21:55:00
Log time: 2003-07-17 18:55:32
Subject: Credit card from providian.com sucks

So the last couple of months I've seen a small finance charge on my 'Paypal' visa card ('Paypal' means I signed up from the paypal website and it has the paypal logo. It's also translucent, which is the only cool thing about it). The card's actually by Providian.

So I called them and asked why they're charging me this amount, since I've had my balance payed off by the due date. Apparently there's no grace period for purchases. I said huh? My other cards have a grace period a little under a month and I can skip the finance charges that way. Providian drone says that mine doesn't. I say I want to cancel. They say please hold and TRANSFER me. Now I'm pissed. Do not transfer me without telling me.

Next drone wants me to not cancel. I say, will I get a grace period? They say they'll annotate my account and give me a grace period when I become eligible. I think, fuck that, I'm not going to wait and pay while some schmuck (or more likely, some schmuck computer program; I write programs, remember) decides whether or not I'm eligible. I say, NO, I want to cancel my account. So they do.

But! I do have to pay off the balance. I'm fine with that, but the terms and conditions apply until then. WTF? So they'll still charge me a finance charge based on DPR? Whatever. I'm watching that account and paying it off as soon as I see a (legit) charge. Fscking wankers.

Event time: 2003-07-21 07:10:00
Log time: 2003-07-21 04:11:06
Subject: Bins

Yay, my template was added to the Bins project. http://freshmeat.net/projects/bins/

Event time: 2003-07-24 10:27:00
Log time: 2003-07-24 07:32:49
Subject: Yaaay
Mood: bouncy

Today's coffee run: Special Ed does the Terminator:


"Yay, I'll be back, yay!!"

"Are you Sarah Connor?" "Yes" "Yay, I found Sarah Connor, yay!"

Special bonus material from irc:
well tofu's doing all the work while i wander around saying "yay, what does this button do? yay, sluice crashes when i do this"

Event time: 2003-07-29 11:21:00
Log time: 2003-07-29 08:27:11
Subject: More privacy violations
Mood: bemused

Sprint PCS has an account in my name. Despite me not having any account from them, or any phone or anything. the only prior contact is a failed attempt at registering my ex-roommate's phone. They've been billing me (a credit) for no reason, so I called them. They're going to stop sending me bills.

I said, I don't have a phone from you guys, can't you delete my information from your database? They said no.

Event time: 2003-07-29 11:55:00
Log time: 2003-07-29 09:01:43
Subject: Sprinty
Mood: aggravated

So I call sprintpcs again, and they're looking up my account. Account password?? I don't have one. Delete. My. Data.

So I'm still sitting here, wasting my employer's time on this crap, because they can't be contacted outside business hours? I tried yesterday evening, and the phone just rang and rang.

They're "trying to expire this account" I think.

Now I'm being transferred to the account cancellation department.

STOP ASKING FOR MY FUCKING SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER!

There's no way to erase my information after closing the account? WHAT THE FUCK? What about before closing? Of course not.

The telephone person is now talking to a manager.

No, there's no way to erase it. It'll eventually expire out of the system, after a "long" time. "Long" is undefined.

I asked the telephone person to pass on my opinion that "that is completely ridiculous". Now I'm on hold for a refund.

Okay, account closed BUT NOT ERASED ARGH. Hello, slashdot.

Event time: 2003-07-29 14:46:00
Log time: 2003-07-29 11:52:07
Subject: More crap
Mood: accomplished

(Everyone has it. It is not a security measure. My ex-neighbour's dog knows my social. Banks should stop using that (and my mother's maiden name) as a "security measure".)

Is what SprintPCS doing legal, even? Why should random corporations have my information? Why should they not delete it when I ask them to? Don't I own my own data anymore?

Event time: 2003-07-31 22:40:00
Log time: 2003-07-31 19:40:06
Subject: Top5 Science Fiction Classic - 8/1/03

From Top5 Science Fiction Classic - 8/1/03
( http://www.topfive.com/ )
Originally published July 19, 2001

In the honorable mentions list: Special docking port allows captain to launch every "zig" for great justice. (Travis Ruetenik, Honolulu, HI)