Jeremy G.'s Profile

We subscribed to LinkedIn's "premium" services for businesses, and I have to say it's a bit of a racket--their billing is recurring and it is very very difficult to cancel. We could not figure out how to cancel OR contact customer service on my own. Eventually we had to Google "how to downgrade my linkedin account" and then follow a convoluted set of steps to send an email message to request a downgrade. If they don't respond to the request quickly I'll be lowering my rating to below a "Meh." Bad showing LinkedIn. You clearly care more about taking my money than the service you're providing. You've just lost a fan.

It's hard for me to explain why I use wunderground.com to check the weather. I *think* it has less ad spam than weather.com, but it might just be because the name "Weather Underground" is an interesting name for a weather site (despite its association with the 1960 radical left group: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_Underground_(organization) which got its name from lyrics to Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues: "You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows.").

Oh, and I like to use the hourly forecast, not that anyone cares.

The National Cyber Security Alliance is a great resource for everyone to learn more about how to stay safe online. It's a public private partnership between the Department of Homeland Security, corporations and non-profits and sponsors, among other events, Cyber Security Awareness Month: http://staysafeonlineinfo.com/ncsam

They also have blog with recent updates on online safety issues (SiteJabber writes an occasional guest post): http://staysafeonlineinfo.com/blog

And finally they have a lot of helpful resources for educators:
http://staysafeonlineinfo.com/content/in-the-classroom

I admit it--I at one point in my life had a subscription to Vanity Fair. Sure the magazine is often filled with silly gossip about wealthy people (see: Behind the Hamptons Hedges) and about a million pages of ads. But, I contend, it still has excellent authors writing about interesting topics, which makes it worth reading.

For example, there are many thoughtful articles by Sebastian Junger: http://www.vanityfair.com/contributors/sebastian-junger

And recently by Christopher Hitchens:
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/09/hitchens-201009
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/06/hitchens-201006

It used to be that VanityFair.com did not let you see much, but that has all changed and you can view a lot of the content for free. I realize it's not always art, but I do enjoy a little Vanity Fair in my life.

I signed up for Mozy to back up my computer which has been crashing. The service has been abysmal for 6 reasons:

1) Cost of Mozy Pro and Mozy Home were not clearly stated on sign up
2) Mozy client did not easily let me select which files I wanted uploaded
3) I could not log into Mozy in Safe Mode (which I am now writing this review in because my computer has been crashing) OR run the Mozy client.
4) I could not contact their technical support because I cannot log in (their support line is just a recording)
5) I emailed Mozy on the support email provided to me, only to get an auto-response saying that email address is no longer accepting support questions.
6) Even the the Mozy sales office is closed (it's 5:05pm I guess?)

If you need to back up your computer, get an external hard-drive or use another online backup service. I would not use this one.

UPDATE: once I was able to log into my Mozy account I requested a cancellation and a refund and received both promptly so changes my rating from a S#@! to a Meh.

I signed up for Mozy to back up my computer which has been crashing. The service has been abysmal for 6 reasons:

1) Cost of Mozy Pro and Mozy Home were not clearly stated on sign up
2) Mozy client did not easily let me select which files I wanted uploaded
3) I could not log into Mozy in Safe Mode (which I am now writing this review in because my computer has been crashing) OR run the Mozy client.
4) I could not contact their technical support because I cannot log in (their support line is just a recording)
5) I emailed Mozy on the support email provided to me, only to get an auto-response saying that email address is no longer accepting support questions.
6) Even the the Mozy sales office is closed (it's 5:05pm I guess?)

If you need to back up your computer, get an external hard-drive or use another online backup service. I would not use this one.

UPDATE: once I was able to log into my Mozy account I requested a cancellation and a refund and received both promptly so changes my rating from a S#@! to a Meh.

The American diet has become a bit of a mess. We eat too much of foods that are bad for us and pay for it with our health and taxes (not to mention individual health care costs). Meatless Mondays is a movement to get Americans to skip meat on Mondays, which is a great idea. I love a good steak, but eating less meat is good for us all (and the environment for those who care). This movement will particularly impactful if it can reach schools where it is perhaps needed most (childhood obesity is ever-rising) and eating habits can be influenced for a lifetime.

Their website has useful links to recipes:
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/category/recipes-by-week/

and ways to spread the movement:
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/spread-the-movement/

Tell your friends!

At this point, Wikileaks appears to be a big and interesting idea (transparency for all information can make the world a better place?) poorly executed. Founder Julian Assange was careless at best when he released the names of Afghan civilians helping the fight against the Taliban--putting their lives in great danger. A cynic might think Assange rushed to publish the documents to maximize his personal prestige, particularly since he has since asked for help in editing the now public documents (why not ask for help ex-ante?). Assange's apparent anger toward human rights organizations also seems misplaced http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703428604575419580947722558.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsTop

The site does contain a tremendous amount of interesting information not just on the Afghan war. However, I do believe it should all be read with a grain of salt because much of the information lacks the context needed to truly understand it. Net net, I believe Wikileaks to be an interesting project that I hope will actually make the world a better place. But for now, I really think it's a wait and see.

Progress in stem cell research has been amazing and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute website is a great way to keep up on all the latest developments. Doug Melton, the institute's director has done an impressive job and they have developed great public resources like: http://www.stembook.org/ - check it out

I recently bought my uncle a gift certificate from Woodcraft--he loves woodworking but already owns hundreds of wood gadgets (ie, I couldn't possibly pick out a specific present for him). Woodcraft has a good selection of woodworking tools and wood, as well as reasonable prices and physical stores (in addition to the website) so the gift certificate worked out to be a good present. The only ding I give them is that after I ordered I was inundated with email deals from them. Otherwise, definitely recommended.

Seriously the slowest wireless internet I have ever used. It's not expensive, but it is slow, and it goes down with some frequency. Note: my experience is only in San Francisco - it could be better elsewhere.

An interesting concept where the wealthiest Americans pledge to give at least half their wealth to charity. Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates started the Giving Pledge to get more people to give, sooner. It seems like a fantastic idea - use public glory, peer pressure, and a sense of moral obligation to increase philanthropy. I hope it works.

Here's an interview about it on Charlie Rose: http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11063

I just bought a new computer monitor on this site for a very low price compared to other major electronics retailers (Best Buy, Amazon, etc.). I used Google Checkout to buy it, so I didn't have to give the website my info, and everything came as ordered in slightly less time than they promised. The site's a bit of a mess, but overall it was great experience. What I can't vouch for is Tiger Direct's customer service because I didn't have to deal with it. But if you're looking for a deal on electronics, this seems to be the place to go.

Americans for Fairness in Lending is a great information resource for consumers looking to take out a loan. It has information on abusive practices in everything from payday loans, to car loans, student loans, mortgages, and credit cards. Americans for Fairness in Lending does not take money from corporations, but has a lot of great non-profit partners, like the Consumers Union (the parent of Consumer Reports).

Some people love cars. I am not one of them. However, I do love listening to Car Talk on NPR. And I really couldn't tell you why - their jokes are corny and it's not like I'm ever actually going to fix my car myself. But, the hosts are uniquely charming and the information is fascinating, so I listen. The Car Talk website is great for all sorts of car information (selling your car, fixing your car, etc.), there are also games, online recordings of the radio show, and you can even buy Car Talk merchandise.

If you're in New York and love art, you can't miss the Pace Gallery of modern and contemporary art. For those of us that don't live in New York the Pace Gallery's website is a great resource to read about contemporary artists and see images of their work. And next time anyone is in China they can also visit the new Pace Beijing.

Virgin America, in my opinion, is by far the best US domestic airline. The entire flight feels great - everything from the way the plane looks, to the awesome flight attendants, to the Method hand soap in the bathrooms, to the low-cost wifi and laptop plugs in coach, to the entertaining security video (I actually watch it). And the great thing is, it costs basically the same as the other major carriers. Got to love it.

Interpol is the world's largest international police organization and attempts to coordinate police forces between countries to fight cross-border crime. Their website has a lot of interesting information on crime related to art theft, drug trafficking, financial fraud, and corruption.

You can also report a crime:
http://www.interpol.int/Public/contact.asp

Apply for a job
http://www.interpol.int/Public/Icpo/Recruitment/default.asp

View stolen works of art: http://www.interpol.int/Public/WorkOfArt/Search/RecentThefts.asp

(which you can apparently also buy on DVD) http://www.interpol.int/public/WorkOfArt/CDrom/Default.asp

One of the best places to read what's on the mind of the tech community in Silicon Valley and elsewhere.

Worried about what information Facebook is sharing about you? This new open source tool helps you monitor your Facebook privacy settings.

Craigslist never ceases to amaze me. It just works, and it's free for almost everyone (unless you consider the demise of US newspapers a cost - just kidding, sort of). In the last month I rented an apartment, bought a desk, and sold concert tickets all on Craigslist completely painlessly. Got to love it.

Not bad, good value, big selection. I think that pretty well sums up Target.com. In particular, I'd like to point out Target.com's furniture. It's not fancy, but some of it's not bad and if you spend over $50 often items will ship for free. Also most of Target.com's furniture is not available in stores. Also, they show reviews of all their items so you can get an idea of what you're getting into. I think it's a decent alternative/compliment to Ikea.

I found Bank of America's business banking services to be poor - there's a monthly fee regardless of what balance you keep, and there is a fee for inbound wire transfers. Moreover, it's impossible to get useful help on the phone. I'd bank elsewhere (trying Silicon Valley Bank at the moment...will review in a couple months).

The World Affairs Council is one of the great international affairs organizations in the United States. Its greatness lies not just in the quality of its events but in its inclusiveness. I would encourage anyone who cares about the state of the world to join or at the very least visit their website where you can get a schedule of their weekly radio show on NPR or listen free to their entire audio archive: http://wacsf.vportal.net/

Facebook and social network users beware: Spokeo seems to have taken advantage of Facebook's lax privacy default settings by scraping personal information and displaying it publicly. This includes your location, education, credit estimate, wealth estimate, age, ethnicity and so on. You can have your information removed by going here: http://www.spokeo.com/privacy (seems to be a big ad for Reputation Defender...)

Nice way to test how fast a site loads on different severs in different locations (West Coast, East Coast, China, UK, etc.). It also gives a breakdown of how quickly each element loads similar to PageSpeed, YSlow, and Firebug.

I don't have as much time to read the news as I would like so I often find myself just flipping through New York Times or Wall Street Journal headlines and then reading the Economist at the end of the week. But if I had a bit more time, I would sort through more opposing viewpoints on contentious issues. Shows like Intelligence Squared do an interesting job of highlighting how people on opposing sides of important issues feel, which I find adds a bit deeper understanding than is gained from a typical new article.

You can listen to free episodes on the NPR website: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6263392

When I was in grad school I was lucky enough to be invited as an undistinguished "student guest" to the Academy of Achievement. The annual event is meant to bring students together with some of the most diverse and accomplished individuals in the world (political leaders, religious leaders, performers, scientists, etc.). To be honest, the precise purpose of the lavish event was not altogether clear to me, but it was definitely something I will always remember (I attended the event in LA: http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/pagegen/newsletter/2006/ )

The audio of some events can be heard here: http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/pagegen/brochure/p3.html

If you have the chance to attend, you should.

Those who know me, know I love Roger Ebert. It's not so much that I love his reviews, although I often find them thoughtful and well-written (he was the first movie critic to win a Pulitzer), but I love his perspective. He loves movies, books, life, and humanity in a profound way that resonates with me. So even if I do not always agree with his reviews, I always agree with his sentiment.

I personally find his list of the great films invaluable:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=reviews08
(it contains three of my favorites Ikiru, My Dinner with Andre and Paris, Texas).

I also enjoy reading his blog: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/
and especially the beautiful piece he wrote about his life after he lost his ability to speak: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/01/nil_by_mouth.html

I can understand why Roger Ebert may not be for you, but he will always be my favorite film critic.

Sam Beam seems like an unusual guy. He was a professor of film and cinematography and has a giant beard. But I think he has become one of the greatest contemporary songwriters.

Some of my favorite Iron & Wine songs -

Passing Afternoon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGPzyGIaw0E
Love Vigilantes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugx0zC3Otwk

Am I the only one who finds reading Supreme Court opinions interesting? Here's a link to the most recent ones: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/09slipopinion.html

Love him or hate him, Scalia's opinions can be awfully entertaining....

I've found Vision Direct to be slightly cheaper than 1800contacts and the other major competitors when it comes to ordering Acuvue Contacts - make sure you always get at least 15% off and free shipping (there are coupon codes they email out if there isn't an offer on the site itself). Much cheaper than getting them from your optometrist. Only downside is they send you a lot of annoying emails, but I have otherwise found them to be reliable and cheap.

I'm writing this review as a consumer who has received spam from customers of eztexting.com (from some "event promotion service" that I did not sign up for). At least with email spam, you can mark it as spam and in theory not have to deal with anymore unwanted emails. However, with text message spam, it's very unclear (at least to me) how to block them. I tried responding with text messages saying "remove" and "don't text me anymore" but the only one I could get to work was "unsubscribe." The problem is, there are no instructions in the text message on how to block them. This should be fixed and is not consumer friendly.

I have no idea how effective eztexting is from a marketing standpoint, but any company that uses this service should be aware that they are putting their brand at risk by sending consumers unwanted text messages.

I try to check my credit report every 6 months just to make sure no one has taken out any fake credit cards, etc. In the process of doing this, I've found many sites provide misleading information and try to trick consumers into paying for their own credit report (including mainstream banks and credit card companies).

However, we all have a right to see our credit report for free. Annualcreditreport.com will help you do it (they do it through Equifax, Experian, and TranUnion which are the three US credit reporting agencies) entirely online. It's pretty easy and only takes 10 minutes or so. Just be careful because the site will try to upsell you on paying for your credit score (which is different from your credit report) and other services you probably don't need.

The FTC also has written about this http://www.ftc.gov/freereports

The website isn't much to look at but Dr. Candace Kuo is by far the best optometrist I've ever had. She's smart, she remembers you, she cares about your vision (gasp!), and she doesn't try to sell you stuff you don't need (rare). I'd recommend her to anyone living in the Bay Area.

Cenegenics seems like a scam - cheesy website, treating people with hormones to try to slow the aging process - but surprisingly, it's not. Several well-known Harvard-trained physicians are associated with it (Drs. James Katz and Bob Nadelberg's involvement was featured in the Harvard alumni magazine) and these types of clinics aimed at slowing the aging process seem poised to be a big part of the future of medicine.

I stayed at Shoreline Cottages for the weekend and had a good experience. The cottages are simple but well maintained, and the owner is friendly and accommodating. Overall it's a great value. The site also has some useful links for activities in the Fort Bragg/Mendocino area which has some amazing hikes, beaches and restaurants. Definitely worth checking out.

If you're swamped by email or a fan of Timothy Ferriss's 4 Hour Work Week, you'll appreciate AwayFind. It's a tool which allows you to "escalate" important emails to SMSs, phone calls or IMs so you can have piece of mind that you're not missing anything important when you're away from your email. And for email addicts, it offers you a way to prioritize email that can help you be more productive.

Yokum Taku, a well-known start-up lawyer in Silicon Valley, has packed his blog with practical insights into useful topics for entrepreneurs, including filing 83(b) elections, founder vesting schedules, and financing terms. The blog is a great resource for anyone starting a company.