OT: Off-Topic, again.

[jwhouk]

We've actually had overnight temps in the thirties here. (That's "below 4C" for you Canuckians.)

COVID has yet to touch the Houk household (knock wood), but it's gettin' reeeeealll tiring of getting multiple e-mails listing yet another COVID case hitting my workplace. For the record, we've had twelve separate COVID notifications since the 1st of the year. That's 2.4 per week.

But no, we can't mandate masks or testing or anything because Ducey holds the purse strings.

 

[Legionnaire11]

Bing search has changed their Microsoft Rewards program and added "Give with Bing" where your searches generate donations for a non-profit of your choice. I've used Bing for a long time now and never got into the rewards until this, at first I tried to thing of a really worthy cause and cycled through the various animal welfare or humanitarian organizations in my head... but then decided to keep it local and think of something I would normally not donate to. That's when I saw G.N.A.S.H. on the list!

So, Bing search rewards give you 5 points per search up to 150 per day. I easily hit this within five minutes just by clicking through the news headlines on the home page, very easy. Then if you click the heart icon at the to, there are bonus tasks, which earn a lot more. Today my tasks were "search for Super Bowl Recipes", "Take this 10 question quiz on albums" and "one question quick poll about NYC". You also earn bonus points for streaks.

Each 10 points is 1 cent. I started in the second week of January and earned 5860 points, mostly just be browsing news headlines like I have been doing for years now anyway and Microsoft donated $5.86 to GNASH. It's not a lot, but it's free charity and if anyone else is motivated to do the same, these small donations could start to add up!

 

[nine_inch_fang]

Bing search has changed their Microsoft Rewards program and added "Give with Bing" where your searches generate donations for a non-profit of your choice. I've used Bing for a long time now and never got into the rewards until this, at first I tried to thing of a really worthy cause and cycled through the various animal welfare or humanitarian organizations in my head... but then decided to keep it local and think of something I would normally not donate to. That's when I saw G.N.A.S.H. on the list!

So, Bing search rewards give you 5 points per search up to 150 per day. I easily hit this within five minutes just by clicking through the news headlines on the home page, very easy. Then if you click the heart icon at the to, there are bonus tasks, which earn a lot more. Today my tasks were "search for Super Bowl Recipes", "Take this 10 question quiz on albums" and "one question quick poll about NYC". You also earn bonus points for streaks.

Each 10 points is 1 cent. I started in the second week of January and earned 5860 points, mostly just be browsing news headlines like I have been doing for years now anyway and Microsoft donated $5.86 to GNASH. It's not a lot, but it's free charity and if anyone else is motivated to do the same, these small donations could start to add up!

You can also donate to GNASH or the hockey team of your favorite high school through your Kroger account.

 

[Legionnaire11]

You can also donate to GNASH or the hockey team of your favorite high school through your Kroger account.

Did not know that, I will definitely check it out!

 

[FossilFndr]

Bing search has changed their Microsoft Rewards program and added "Give with Bing" where your searches generate donations for a non-profit of your choice. I've used Bing for a long time now and never got into the rewards until this, at first I tried to thing of a really worthy cause and cycled through the various animal welfare or humanitarian organizations in my head... but then decided to keep it local and think of something I would normally not donate to. That's when I saw G.N.A.S.H. on the list!

So, Bing search rewards give you 5 points per search up to 150 per day. I easily hit this within five minutes just by clicking through the news headlines on the home page, very easy. Then if you click the heart icon at the to, there are bonus tasks, which earn a lot more. Today my tasks were "search for Super Bowl Recipes", "Take this 10 question quiz on albums" and "one question quick poll about NYC". You also earn bonus points for streaks.

Each 10 points is 1 cent. I started in the second week of January and earned 5860 points, mostly just be browsing news headlines like I have been doing for years now anyway and Microsoft donated $5.86 to GNASH. It's not a lot, but it's free charity and if anyone else is motivated to do the same, these small donations could start to add up!

I guess it's something that they donate to something instead of just selling your search to ad generators. I'm usually using Duck Duck Go since they don't track individuals browsing.

 

[Legionnaire11]

I guess it's something that they donate to something instead of just selling your search to ad generators. I'm usually using Duck Duck Go since they don't track individuals browsing.

I was on DDG for a while but switched back, I like the privacy of it but it also felt too limited for the way I'm used to browsing such as fewer relevant recommendations with search hits and lack of local suggestions. It's possible that there are customization settings that I just wasn't aware of though.

 

[FossilFndr]

I was on DDG for a while but switched back, I like the privacy of it but it also felt too limited for the way I'm used to browsing such as fewer relevant recommendations with search hits and lack of local suggestions. It's possible that there are customization settings that I just wasn't aware of though.

I do switch to Google when wanting any type of map. In an attempt to increase privacy I use a VPN and a ad block add-on in Firefox.

Firefox Browser
DunkDuckGo Search engine
Surfshark VPN

not perfect but makes me feel better

 

[Legionnaire11]

I do switch to Google when wanting any type of map. In an attempt to increase privacy I use a VPN and a ad block add-on in Firefox.

Firefox Browser
DunkDuckGo Search engine
Surfshark VPN

not perfect but makes me feel better

I've been on Firefox for 20+ years now, I truly don't understand how Chrome is so popular. I actually believe Edge is the best now, but it's hard to switch.

Proton VPN

LifeLock

I haven't run any antivirus software for the last 11-12 years either, total waste of money and resources. Microsoft defender is as good as any third party software you can buy.


Some of the best advice I can give anyone is to use a password manager and two-factor authentication. Take it one step further too, create a password for each site (use the randomly generated one) and store it in the manager. Then edit your password to include another simple string that you can remember. So when you go to a site, the password manager fills in the bulk of it and you add your simple string to the end. This way if your password manager is ever compromised, you are still protected.

 

[FossilFndr]

I use KeePass2 as password manager and the free BitDefender

 

[Viqsi]

Bing search has changed their Microsoft Rewards program and added "Give with Bing" where your searches generate donations for a non-profit of your choice. I've used Bing for a long time now and never got into the rewards until this, at first I tried to thing of a really worthy cause and cycled through the various animal welfare or humanitarian organizations in my head... but then decided to keep it local and think of something I would normally not donate to. That's when I saw G.N.A.S.H. on the list!

So, Bing search rewards give you 5 points per search up to 150 per day. I easily hit this within five minutes just by clicking through the news headlines on the home page, very easy. Then if you click the heart icon at the to, there are bonus tasks, which earn a lot more. Today my tasks were "search for Super Bowl Recipes", "Take this 10 question quiz on albums" and "one question quick poll about NYC". You also earn bonus points for streaks.

Each 10 points is 1 cent. I started in the second week of January and earned 5860 points, mostly just be browsing news headlines like I have been doing for years now anyway and Microsoft donated $5.86 to GNASH. It's not a lot, but it's free charity and if anyone else is motivated to do the same, these small donations could start to add up!

Sadly, my impressions of Bing's search results have never been good. Been sticking to Startpage (basically anonymized Google) for the last year or two now.

* * *​

I've been on Firefox for 20+ years now, I truly don't understand how Chrome is so popular.

The biggest thing by far that kept me far away from Firefox pretty much ever since the original XUL rewrite has been their hostility to custom single-key keyboard shortcuts which has persisted for 20+ years now. Which sucks for me, because 'z'/'x' for back/forward and '1'/'2' for prev/next tab are indelibly etched into my muscle memory, owing to my high school days being spent as an early adopter (and then, for many years to follow right up until they sold out to Chinese fintech marketers, committed paying user) of the Opera browser.

Every once in a while I try to see if I can make Firefox work for me, and it's to the point where it's, like, 80-90% there, but it's just so clunky and there are so many little gotchas with the hack workarounds I have to work with that I usually end up giving up after a while. So I just continue to stick with Vivaldi nowadays.

* * *​

I use KeePass2 as password manager and the free BitDefender

1Password for me. I used to be playing around with pwsafe and other apps that know that format, but syncing kept being a persistent problem and sharing with others was almost-but-not-quite impossible, so eventually I gave in. What finally sold me was the endorsement by Troy Hunt (he's the guy behind haveIbeenpwned.com).

 

[Adz]

I literally cannot tell the difference between Chrome and Firefox. I don't find myself going to one over the other. However, I do have the Firefox Focus app on my phone because I don't want certain things to show up in my history or across my sites. I don't want ads for leather bustiers to show up when I'm on my work computer, you know?

 

[Viqsi]

I literally cannot tell the difference between Chrome and Firefox. I don't find myself going to one over the other. However, I do have the Firefox Focus app on my phone because I don't want certain things to show up in my history or across my sites. I don't want ads for leather bustiers to show up when I'm on my work computer, you know?

I just interpret that as another reason to always use adblockers everywhere on everything.

 

[Adz]

I just interpret that as another reason to always use adblockers everywhere on everything.

I'm not really that tech savvy and the IT guy at the office won't let me download anything. Ha! He knows it would all be hockey stuff from Uzbekistan or something with enough malware to kill the office computers.

But if I WAS tech savvy and had control of my computer, yeah, that would be the BEST method.

 

[Viqsi]

I'm not really that tech savvy and the IT guy at the office won't let me download anything. Ha! He knows it would all be hockey stuff from Uzbekistan or something with enough malware to kill the office computers.

But if I WAS tech savvy and had control of my computer, yeah, that would be the BEST method.

I'd like to think that if your IT guy is a worthy individual, you could probably sell him on the idea of adblocking addons being a vital business need...

But yeah, beyond that, the solution is just having separate accounts for home and work. I do that too, for things that can be general-purpose (Google, for example).

 

[Adz]

I'd like to think that if your IT guy is a worthy individual, you could probably sell him on the idea of adblocking addons being a vital business need...

But yeah, beyond that, the solution is just having separate accounts for home and work. I do that too, for things that can be general-purpose (Google, for example).

He is--excessively so. But I've probably done something to shut them down. ha!

 

[BigFatCat999]

Man, I wish I had a financial advisor

 

[PredsV82]

Man, I wish I had a financial advisor

Do you have a specific question? I'm pretty decent for an amateur. Use at your own risk of course.

 

[BigFatCat999]

Do you have a specific question? I'm pretty decent for an amateur. Use at your own risk of course.

OK, all debt except a manageable car note, credit rating above 735. Time for a credit card?

 

[triggrman]

OK, all debt except a manageable car note, credit rating above 735. Time for a credit card?

Why?

 

[BigFatCat999]

Why?

I'm on a fixed income. I have all the time in the world but I could use flexibility on my cash. Short term fix but long term great financially

 

[PredsV82]

OK, all debt except a manageable car note, credit rating above 735. Time for a credit card?

Only if you have steady income and the discipline to pay it off every month.

Most credit cards have some type of reward. If you have a particular need or recurring expense(say air travel or hotel stays) then a rewards card with one of those organizations can be useful. Otherwise, get a card that pays cash back rewards.

Having a credit card and using it and paying it in full every month will boost your credit score. And buying online with a credit card is safer than using a debit card linked to your checking account. But under no circumstances spend more on a credit card than you can pay off in full. Credit card debt is absolutely crippling and should be avoided at all cost

 

[AnalogKid]

Only if you have steady income and the discipline to pay it off every month.

Most credit cards have some type of reward. If you have a particular need or recurring expense(say air travel or hotel stays) then a rewards card with one of those organizations can be useful. Otherwise, get a card that pays cash back rewards.

Having a credit card and using it and paying it in full every month will boost your credit score. And buying online with a credit card is safer than using a debit card linked to your checking account. But under no circumstances spend more on a credit card than you can pay off in full. Credit card debt is absolutely crippling and should be avoided at all cost

My Ag Finance teacher at Murray State, Dave Hornback, called credit cards the tool of the devil, I should have listened back then!

 

[Armourboy]

CC are great if used correctly, but can quickly become a noose if mismanaged. Keep the limit low even if they try to raise it.

 

[triggrman]

My best friend is a SVP for Ramsey, so I hear the nightmares all the time.

 

[nine_inch_fang]

Only if you have steady income and the discipline to pay it off every month.

Most credit cards have some type of reward. If you have a particular need or recurring expense(say air travel or hotel stays) then a rewards card with one of those organizations can be useful. Otherwise, get a card that pays cash back rewards.

Having a credit card and using it and paying it in full every month will boost your credit score. And buying online with a credit card is safer than using a debit card linked to your checking account. But under no circumstances spend more on a credit card than you can pay off in full. Credit card debt is absolutely crippling and should be avoided at all cost

This is what I do. After my divorce I didn't have any credit cards, have never had a car payment, and I was renting/leasing living accommodations so when the kids graduated and I started looking at buying a house in Nashville I had no credit. There was nothing to base my credit worthiness on even though I had zero debt and clearly was paying all my bills because there aren't any collections either. So wound up getting some cards just to create credit history for myself.