Paco Underwood talked at length about all these tricks in his book “WHY WE BUY: The Science of Shopping”. His methodology for gathering all these tricks and making a science out of it has evolved significantly from a “secret shopper” observing people walking through a store to Nordstrom’s hidden cameras and tracking…

The problem with buying Seagates drives is that Backblaze buys a LOT of them and they seem to have the top MTBF figures. I wouldn’t trust them.

The problem with buying Seagates drives is that Backblaze buys a LOT of them and they seem to have the top MTBF…

The neighbor downstairs had a new roommate move in with her boyfriend. They played music late into the night from a TV/radio just below where my bed is located. I used ear plugs but then mentioned it to my neighbor on the other side of the wall. He thought I was playing music. The boyfriend decided to watch a Star…

That sort of clause illegal in California. That’s why retirement communities shit a brick when a family with a baby moves in. There’s nothing that can stop it.

I bought one of these on this site’s recommendation. I ended up returning it to Amazon when I found a multi-sound variable white noise generator (also on Amazon) for less money. This is the third thing on Kinja deals I’ve returned or sent back. You’re out.

I bought one of these on this site’s recommendation. I ended up returning it to Amazon when I found a multi-sound…

To my mind, the thank you note goes both ways. I’ve had two face-to-face interviews where I asked about next steps and was told a date by which I’d know if I was going on to another interview or be contacted if I got the contract. In both cases, I’ve heard nothing a couple days past the date. I suppose this goes with…

I have enough experience with specific tools and technologies which I mention in the cover letter. My resume focuses on what I *did*. I don’t customize my resume for each job application because it would be a paperwork nightmare. The cover letter is for that. If HR is throwing away cover letters and just scanning…

I was “getting back into the field” after a 10 year gap where I did something else. In 10 years, a lot happened. But an old-school sysadmin that uses the command line and can code (even though it was a while ago) is still worth something to somebody. Not this guy though. But I found a fellow geek who said “I’ll know…

This guy’s tone is just arrogant enough to interview people at Google. Within the first paragraph told me “I’d never work for this arrogant twit. But let’s see how far I get in the interview. It’s good practice.”

Some cities and homeowner associations make anything other than grass or approved landscaping illegal and will fine home owners if they deviate from that. Planting home gardens or even some of the drought-tolerant plants have brought a slew of litigation against people implementing what you’re recommending in this…

Until the infamous ROSEANN episode, this never occurred to me. The fact that it’s totally false and was just a writer’s room episode gimmick makes me feel like I’ve been conned.

My boss wanted to go to Europe with his family and had already booked the trip. Then he got a new “director of IT” who told him he couldn’t go.

I tried Private Internet Access based on Lifehacker’s recommendation. It was a waste of money. I couldn’t connect to my email provider when I was connected through their service and my ISP never even saw the connection in their logs. So I used it hap-hazardly for a year until it expired.

When I bought the Nexus 5x, I got it because I could use Google’s Project Fi even though it replaced a Nexus 5 that was less than 9 months old. I don’t regret it. After dealing with 3rd tier MVNOs which were mostly Sprint, I couldn’t be happier with Project Fi (it uses T-Mobile and AT&T’s towers). If you buy the…

For a while I used Frostwire but they started doing side-loaded adware even if you click on “don’t install”. Then I caught them installing some app and denying it on Twitter. Suddenly, all the “we don’t spam our users or install software you don’t want” responses went silent.

Actually, what I do is Servicemarked. If the site uses the Servicemark without holding a license, they get a C&D from very scary attorney that bite and leave large teeth marks.

Rebates, for the most part are a balance between “How much money do I get back vs. the time it takes to do all the f-ing paperwork, send it in, and hope they’re legit.”

Rebates, for the most part are a balance between “How much money do I get back vs. the time it takes to do all the…

I used Yelp a couple times for businesses that just offered poor service. A chain-owned lighting shop refused to fix a $50 lamp my mom bought there after it broke 4 months later because she didn’t have a receipt for the purchase. The store manager and the sales person were both adament about “company policy”. So I…

I installed this then it asked for permissions to track my phone calls and IEMI. I don’t think so.

I’ve given up on these one-day only deals. By the time I click on them at noon, the price isn’t anything like what’s mentioned in the article. With no promo code, the article is just click bait. Nice that it generates traffic from gawker’s domain but not worth it most of the time.

I’ve given up on these one-day only deals. By the time I click on them at noon, the price isn’t anything like what’s…