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I was on a flight last weekend and was allowed to use electronics as I pleased (American Airlines). Their prerecorded voice announcements said otherwise, but the captain got on after they finished and said, "ignore that, go ahead and keep using your electronic devices."
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Nov 20, 2013 20:53
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Trastion posted:Also holding CTRL and using the scroll wheel on your mouse can change it on the fly so that may be how you changed it in the first place. And if you have a mouse with a scroll wheel that can tilt, which you've set to change tabs, this can occasionally change your zoom.
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Nov 20, 2013 21:11
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Where's the "Find lost SA stuff" thread? Alternately, can anyone remember what the title of the thread was where the dad engineered a long treasure-hunt for his kid, complete with tea-stained "old" paper, maps, and puzzles? If I recall correctly, it ended with the kid getting a puppy.
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Nov 20, 2013 21:41
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Schweinhund posted:Search the news, airlines one by one are starting to allow it. Including SouthWest Airlines today. I flew JetBlue the first weekend in November, and they weren't even consistent across their own airline. The first leg of my trip, the flight the crew informed us that despite the new regulations being "in effect," individual airlines still had to modify their own policies, so we had to stick with the old regulations and power them down. But then on the second leg after my layover, they told us to go hog wild (other than still having to have cell phones in airplane mode, and no laptops at takeoff and landing, because they're too big and typically people use them with the tray table down.)) Both legs of my return flights said go ahead, too...so maybe in that brief two hour window between my first and second flight they modified their internal policy? v  v
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Nov 20, 2013 22:19
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Baron Bifford posted:I've heard stories of muggers stealing the Social Security cheques of retirees So, in America, the government actually mails out cheques to people instead of just depositing money into their accounts? Why?
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Nov 21, 2013 00:58
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Tiggum posted:So, in America, the government actually mails out cheques to people instead of just depositing money into their accounts? Why? It's checks (I do think we get to determine that since we're the only country that uses them, after all) and most people do have it direct deposited these days, since it's almost mandatory to do so. If you were already receiving it by paper check they heavily pressure you to switch to direct deposit, and if you're newly receiving it (like you just turned 67 or you just received a crippling injury so severe as to get on disability benefits) they will only allow you to forgo deposit if you don't have any accounts. Of course, most people receiving benefits on it are old, and old people love old fashioned things, so most of them already on it aren't going to bother switching away. The specific conditions for getting a waiver to receive checks are: "Check recipients living in remote areas without sufficient banking infrastructure may apply for a waiver, as well as check recipients for whom electronic payments would impose a hardship due to a mental impairment. Automatic waivers are granted to people born on or before May 1, 1921, and people who qualify for this waiver do not need to submit an application."
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Nov 21, 2013 01:08
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Tiggum posted:So, in America, the government actually mails out cheques to people instead of just depositing money into their accounts? Why? It wasn't social security per SE, but when I got government handout bucks for being crazy, it was deposited into a special account.
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Nov 21, 2013 01:08
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Keep in mind that "direct deposit" doesn't always mean "bank transfer". My wife taught in the Hawaii public schools less than a year ago, and their form of "direct deposit" was to mail your check to your bank. Seriously. Because of that, she had two paychecks accidentally get deposited into someone else's account because someone along the line left the last 0 off of her account number.
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Nov 21, 2013 01:16
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Tiggum posted:So, in America, the government actually mails out cheques to people instead of just depositing money into their accounts? Why? Many poor people here don't have bank accounts, is why. But they are trying to phase out paper checks, as discussed above.
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Nov 21, 2013 01:46
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Install Windows posted:It's checks (I do think we get to determine that since we're the only country that uses them, after all) You can write it however you like, I'll keep spelling it "cheque". And we do have them, they're just not as common as they seem to be in America.
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Nov 21, 2013 02:56
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Tiggum posted:You can write it however you like, I'll keep spelling it "cheque". And we do have them, they're just not as common as they seem to be in America. They're actually not as common as you keep insisting they are.
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Nov 21, 2013 04:46
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FCKGW posted:They're actually not as common as you keep insisting they are. It's just the impression I get from the way Americans talk about them, like as though they're a normal, everyday thing that you see all the time. Stuff like "Don't you hate it when you get stuck behind someone in the supermarket paying with a cheque?" is something I've heard Americans complaining about but absolutely no one else ever.
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Nov 21, 2013 05:31
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FCKGW posted:They're actually not as common as you keep insisting they are. 20 years ago, checks were still pretty common, and even 10 years ago they were much more prevalent. It seems to me that in the last 5 years or so is where America really got with the times, and you only hear about checks used for rent or by technological throwbacks.
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Nov 21, 2013 05:32
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Is it possible to operate any kind of non-cocaine business without writing and receiving tons of checks? I doubt it. Just because you don't pay for your groceries that way doesn't mean nobody uses them any more. The country's economy would poo poo itself continuously for at least a couple months if checks disappeared all of a sudden. Here's my own money question: For those of you who have worked in banks and retail cash handling, what do your cash drawers look like? Do they resemble either of these? code:code:
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Nov 21, 2013 05:52
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I had to write a check to buy an iphone at an apple store about two years ago and the guy working there had to get his manager to figure out how to run one. It's a really uncommon thing except for rent now.
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Nov 21, 2013 05:57
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Tiggum posted:It's just the impression I get from the way Americans talk about them, like as though they're a normal, everyday thing that you see all the time. Stuff like "Don't you hate it when you get stuck behind someone in the supermarket paying with a cheque?" is something I've heard Americans complaining about but absolutely no one else ever. As others have pointed out, practically nobody pays for anything with a check these days, other than rent. I've seen people with an old card that can't be read holding up a grocery store line more often than an old biddy writing a check.
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Nov 21, 2013 06:15
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thrakkorzog posted:As others have pointed out, practically nobody pays for anything with a check these days, other than rent. Rent, mortgage, taxes, co-pays at doctor's offices, donations to a church/synagogue/mosque/temple, I think that's it. On the other hand, I get checks constantly as a freelance worker. Well, not as constantly as I'd like.
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Nov 21, 2013 06:39
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Most of those can and sometimes are done with credit cards though. My counter question is what if not checks you use in Europe for large movements of money, stuff like the down payment on a house or car. Either way the average person in the US probably writes or receives less than 15 checks a year and mostly in cases were checks are the only payment option for whatever reason. Xenoborg fucked around with this message at 06:55 on Nov 21, 2013 |
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Nov 21, 2013 06:52
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Tiggum posted:It's just the impression I get from the way Americans talk about them, like as though they're a normal, everyday thing that you see all the time. Stuff like "Don't you hate it when you get stuck behind someone in the supermarket paying with a cheque?" is something I've heard Americans complaining about but absolutely no one else ever. If it was a common occurrence no one would be complaining about it because we would all be writing checks anyways Checkmate. 
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Nov 21, 2013 07:07
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Cheques are still used in France. When relatives gift me money it's usually cheques. My mom is a health professional and gets paid in cheques regularly. She doesn't have a CC either, since cheques are free. They're just as fast as CC for paying anyway since every store has a machine that will fill them out nowadays.
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Nov 21, 2013 09:04
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AlbieQuirky posted:Rent, mortgage, taxes, co-pays at doctor's offices, donations to a church/synagogue/mosque/temple, I think that's it.
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Nov 21, 2013 09:47
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Xenoborg posted:
Everything in Switzerland is bank transfer. I haven't seen a check in the 5 years I've been here. Rent: set up a direct debit when you sign the contract. Paychecks: direct deposit, set up when you sign the contract. Utilities: either direct debit or they send you an orange slip which you can take to the post office or bank and either pay cash or transfer money. Taxes: another orange slip or they transfer the money to your chosen account if you're one of the lucky ones. Cars and houses I dunno but I image it's similar to the above. Why would you put an enormous amount of money on one piece of paper when you can move it electronically with accountability? Also, people love their cash here. We carry a lot of cash. Like I start to feel weird when I have less than $100 in my pocket (conversion rate is about 1:1 these days, more or less), and I've paid a $40 charge at the post office with a 1000 franc bill. People pay with 500 franc bills in the supermarket all the time.
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Nov 21, 2013 10:14
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Xenoborg posted:My counter question is what if not checks you use in Europe for large movements of money, stuff like the down payment on a house or car. Bank transfers in the UK. Any recurring payments are usually direct debits too. A related question for US goons: In a lot of US media people always tend to be using credit cards rather than debit cards, are debit cards unpopular/uncommon in the US?
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Nov 21, 2013 14:16
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Xenoborg posted:My counter question is what if not checks you use in Europe for large movements of money, stuff like the down payment on a house or car. I can move €50k (so about $70k) electronically without raising any flags and if I want to do more I can go to the bank in person. I don't even have 10% of that money on the account.
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Nov 21, 2013 14:17
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Geokinesis posted:A related question for US goons:
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Nov 21, 2013 14:29
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i like nice words
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Geokinesis posted:Bank transfers in the UK. Any recurring payments are usually direct debits too. I have a debit card and use it a bunch for smaller, everyday stuff, but my understanding that it's generally better to use a credit card for most stuff since there's more protection behind them if the card is lost or stolen, or if there's a problem with the merchant. Granted, the couple of times there has been issues with my debit card the bank was quick to refund and fix it, but that might not be universal.
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Nov 21, 2013 15:55
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Which action movie has the most on-screen explosions?
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Nov 21, 2013 16:04
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Money questions! When we were on vacation in Spain we paid for everything with a Visa card. Some shops asked if we wanted to pay in Euroes or our local currency (Danish kroner DKK). What's the difference?
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Nov 21, 2013 16:32
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Geokinesis posted:In a lot of US media people always tend to be using credit cards rather than debit cards, are debit cards unpopular/uncommon in the US? What other people said is true, but to add a few more reasons some people preferentially use credit cards over debit cards, possibly giving you more info than you wanted: -For some rewards program - you get "points" for every dollar you spend on the card, can redeem them for cash or airline miles or whatever. Only worthwhile if you use your CC for much or most of the money you spend, which is exactly what the card companies want - they make most of their money from transaction fees that the vendors you buy from have to pay. -To maintain good credit ratings. It turns out you get the best credit rating if you carry a slight balance but always pay it off - obviously creditors like this better because they get interest out of you. This is NOT a recommendation, do not carry a balance if you don't have to. Your credit rating will still be just fine without it. -"It's free money!" You can spend money you don't have with a credit card (though it's a bad idea). Many, many people in the US get into massive credit card debt - it can range from "I'm legitimately poor and possibly did not receive a good financial education (or maybe I did but I'm desperate), and I need to pay for my basic needs" to "I make enough money to be fine, but I want to live extravagantly and buy cool poo poo all the time, and I definitely didn't receive a good financial education." Both of them are sad, though obviously the former is more so. -And to add onto the fraud protection bit, the sole reason I own a credit card is because I will not use a debit card for online purchases or at shady businesses where I worry my card's info could be intercepted. If someone makes fraudulent purchases with my credit card, the company will waive those charges. With my debit card's info, even without the pin, they can buy stuff until my checking account is drained. Also, abroad, my debit card charges additional fees for international purchases; my credit card does not.
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Nov 21, 2013 16:51
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Geokinesis posted:In a lot of US media people always tend to be using credit cards rather than debit cards, are debit cards unpopular/uncommon in the US? Since debit and credit cards look the same, and function essentially the same, media rarely bothers to specify that the card a character is using is definitely debit rather than credit. Unless it becomes relevant to the plot later on. The line is also somewhat blurred by the fact that nearly everyone's debit card is also explicitly marked and runnable as Visa or Mastercard, so even a show or movie that uses "real" cards wouldn't make it apparent what the actual card type is. Personally, I know lots of people who stick to only carrying around and using debit for most purchases, though they usually have a credit card they keep in case they need to make an emergency purchase, or in case they want to make a large purchase that they can't pay all at once.
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Nov 21, 2013 17:28
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alnilam posted:-And to add onto the fraud protection bit, the sole reason I own a credit card is because I will not use a debit card for online purchases or at shady businesses where I worry my card's info could be intercepted. If someone makes fraudulent purchases with my credit card, the company will waive those charges. With my debit card's info, even without the pin, they can buy stuff until my checking account is drained. For all online transactions you want to do with your debit card you need an authentication method, here in the Netherlands. It's either a physical device, which you have to insert your card into, enter your pin and a number provided through the bank's website which will then give a response number according to some mathematical magic I don't understand, or it's linked to your phone and you get a code texted to you which you have to put in. It's always felt quite secure and I use it quite often, from online banking to ordering pizza. I've only used a credit card maybe five or so times (one of which was to register here) and I had to use my dad's because I don't even have one.
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Nov 21, 2013 17:34
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Obviously you folks talking about no one using checks don't work at Pennsylvania DMV centers. Checks and Money Orders only. Yes, that means they not only will they not take credit or debit cards, but they don't accept cash either. Luckily we can still do most stuff through the website, which does allow credit/debit cards.
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Nov 21, 2013 18:12
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Is there a way I can get an email alert when a facebook page updates to posts something to their wall? There's a page I follow/liked that I'd like to get notified whenever something is posted. Every time I search for something that can do this I get results for getting an email for a page I administer or for a website called HyperAlerts which does exactly what I want but no longer works.
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Nov 21, 2013 19:42
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Install Windows posted:Since debit and credit cards look the same, and function essentially the same, media rarely bothers to specify that the card a character is using is definitely debit rather than credit. Unless it becomes relevant to the plot later on. The line is also somewhat blurred by the fact that nearly everyone's debit card is also explicitly marked and runnable as Visa or Mastercard, so even a show or movie that uses "real" cards wouldn't make it apparent what the actual card type is. I only have a debit card, and I use it for everything including online purchases. At a lot of places (drive-through windows, getting gas, online purchases), I don't even have to put in my PIN so it does work exactly like a credit card in that regard. I can choose to run it as credit or as debit at most stores, which is irrelevant as it comes out of the same account either way. The only difference is whether or not I am asked to enter my PIN. I never have to go through any extra security steps to use it online. It's exactly like a credit card, just enter the name, number and expiration date on the card, enter your billing and shipping information and you're good to go. I make a LOT of online purchases (often multiple times a week). Never had an issue.
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Nov 21, 2013 20:27
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I looked in SH/SC but couldn't find anything about external hard drives apart from the SSD thread - is that the recommended kind to use? I was looking to buy this one but I have no idea what I'm doing, I just need some extra space: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178354
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Nov 21, 2013 20:35
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Geokinesis posted:
I'm a Euro, but I lived in the US for a couple of years. In the US, it's very important to build your credit rating, and you do that by taking loans and paying it back. The easiest way to do that is to open a credit card, use it for all your purchases and pay it off without ever paying interest. Most credit cards offer more protection than debit cards, and also have a cashback/awards program. Some American online stores, like somethingawful.com, only accept credit cards.
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Nov 21, 2013 20:59
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moana posted:I looked in SH/SC but couldn't find anything about external hard drives apart from the SSD thread - is that the recommended kind to use? I was looking to buy this one but I have no idea what I'm doing, I just need some extra space: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178354 Seagate, Samsung, and Western Digital are the best brands in HDDs, you're fine going with any of those.
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Nov 21, 2013 21:06
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And the one you linked isn't an SSD but non-SSD is what you want for storage. SSDs, solid state drives have no moving parts, use memory chips instead of spinning platters and can make a big difference in OS/app performance but they cost a whole lot more per GB than a normal hard drive.
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Nov 21, 2013 21:14
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hoobajoo posted:Seagate, Samsung, and Western Digital are the best brands in HDDs, you're fine going with any of those. Seagate bought Samsung's hard drive business a few years back, and now the only companies actually manufacturing drives are Seagate, Western Digital and Toshiba. Any new hard drives you see under a different brand were manufactured by one of these three companies, and all three companies have identical reliability these days.
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Nov 21, 2013 21:19
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Vin BioEthanol posted:And the one you linked isn't an SSD but non-SSD is what you want for storage. Completely agree. Also do you actually have 4TB of stuff to back up? I'd suggest getting two 2TB drives and backing up on both, keeping one somewhere other than where you keep the first and refreshing it every month or so. Edit: This is coming from someone who's house burnt down when he was 11 and only has a dozen or so pictures from before then now. It'd be different today since most people post all their pictures and stuff online I suppose.
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Nov 21, 2013 21:20
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