UPDATE: I was wrong. Yesterday, when I was digging through my pending paperwork pile looking for another document, I came upon a file folder containing the mortgage discharge paperwork, which Citizens Bank did, in fact, send me. I put that folder in the pile to remind me to take it to the registry of deeds, and… Read More: Citizens Bank: the bad house-guest who won’t leave »
Much has been written about the fact that Zynga is evil. From my own experience, I’d like to add massively incompetent and law-breaking to the list of adjectives that accurately describe them. A number of days ago, I decided to give Words With Friends, a Scrabble™-like game, on my smart-phone. I was bored, and I wasn’t… Read More: My own small encounter with the evil that is Zynga »
As someone who shares Ben Edelman’s passion for standing up to businesses that rip off consumers (and someone who’s been doing it for longer than he has!), I feel compelled to weigh in on the recent hubbub. There are four different aspects to this incident that need to be untangled: the facts; the law; Edelman’s conduct;… Read More: On Ben Edelman and Sichuan Garden »
November 26, 2014 Regal Entertainment Group 7132 Regal Lane Knoxville, Tennessee 37918 Fax: 1-865-922-3188 To whom it may concern: I’m writing to you to complain about Fandango, the vendor you’ve selected to exclusively handle on-line sales of Regal tickets. I have been forced to escalate my complaint to you because of Fandango’s completely inept handling… Read More: Fandango discriminates against imaginary Germans »
This is from my friend Phil Sego: Dear Friends, I’m asking my friends, neighbors, allies, and family to please vote YES on ballot question 2, update the bottle bill. If you care about litter, the environment, and saving money for our cities and towns, I urge you to join me in supporting this important ballot… Read More: “A message to my friends about Question 2, the Bottle… »
Dear RCN, I’ve been an RCN internet customer for five years. You are superior to Comcast, the other provider on my street (and thank God I have access to two providers, when so many people don’t!) in many ways. In other ways, you were superior to Comcast when I signed up, but since then you’ve changed your policies and… Read More: Dear RCN, please stop blocking ports and lying to customers… »
UPDATE [November 26, 2014]: Jordan’s Furniture repaired the ladder for free. The last time it broke they replaced the entire ladder; this time, they replaced the brackets. However, they have refused to acknowledge the design defect which has allowed the ladder to break twice, or the safety risk inherent in said defect. Honestly, I don’t… Read More: Pulaski Build-A-Bear loft bed still unsafe »
Much ado has been made recently about Lena Dunham’s intention to invite seven lesser known artists to warm up the crowds during her upcoming book tour, without actually paying them. More generally, it seems like there has been a growing backlash against the idea that it’s OK to offer artists “opportunities” for “exposure” without actually… Read More: StoryPress: “Can we profit from your work product without compensating… »
The MBTA is currently beta-testing a project & corresponding web application called “Transit Diary“. Its purpose is to collect data directly from riders about their experiences riding the T, presumably to help the T evaluate how well it is serving riders’ needs and where service-improvement efforts should be focused. Unfortunately, Transit Diary employs obsolete, inferior… Read More: MBTA’s “Transit Diary” a failure before it has even begun »
Raising money for a worthy charity is a good thing. Raising awareness about a (currently) incurable disease that afflicts 30,000 people in the U.S. and many more worldwide, is a good thing. Encouraging people to think about the needs of others is a good thing. Doing all this using social blackmail that is guaranteed to… Read More: Here’s what’s wrong with the Ice Bucket Challenge »