This and That

I, or Chief Spagnoli, were almost rich… NOT

 I, or Chief Spagnoli, were almost rich… NOT  This and That  No Responses »
Jul 182014
 
I, or Chief Spagnoli, were almost rich... NOT

Facebook Advanced Fee Scam targets San Leandrans Earlier today, the account of one of San Leandro Talk’s Facebook friends got cloned.  That means that someone created an account on his name, and then stole a photo of him.  That person proceeded to “friend” his friends. I figured it was a Nigerian scammer, but when he messaged me on Facebook I decided to play along for a little while.  What follows are my conversations with Scammer 1, who had assumed my friend’s name, let’s call him John Doe, and Scammer 2.  Some of the conversation with Scammer 1 took place at [Continue Reading]

Taking Swalwell’s Voting-App Proposal One Step Further

 Taking Swalwell’s Voting-App Proposal One Step Further  This and That  No Responses »
Apr 162014
 

Will Technology Facilitate Direct Democracy? Congressman Eric Swalwell’s proposal that Congress create an application to allow Members to vote remotely opens an interesting possibility.  There are two primary reasons for having a representative democracy.  One is practicality.  The type of direct democracy practiced in Greece required that citizens meet in person to cast votes.  This was difficult for those who lived in the countryside. Even for urban citizens, it was a cumbersome duty and enough citizens did not show up to vote that Athens had to experiment with inducements and punishments to get people to do it. The second reason [Continue Reading]

Grocery Outlet shoppers get $3 to $20 from privacy settlement

 Grocery Outlet shoppers get $3 to $20 from privacy settlement  This and That  No Responses »
Jun 202012
 
Grocery Outlet shoppers get $3 to $20 from privacy settlement

Remember how back when Grocery Outlet opened in San Leandro every time you made a purchase, they annoyingly asked you for your zip code?  There was pretty much no way to get around giving them one, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt it was none of their business. Eventually they stopped and I forgot about it, but today my girls pointed out that on the back of Grocery Outlet receipts there are $3 OFF coupons.  Some close reading shows that GO was sued for this, settled, and as part of the settlement GO  is printing “$3 [Continue Reading]

Radiohead in San Leandro

 Radiohead in San Leandro  This and That  3 Responses »
Sep 092011
 

Mike Santos directed me to this Radiohead video filmed at Dick’s Restaurant in San Leandro. The video is for their 1995 song “High and Dry,” considered the band’s most accessible hit and declared by its Radiohead’s lead vocalist to be not just bad, but “very bad”.  I, personally, liked it 🙂  As for Dick’s, I went there once in 2006 and I haven’t been back. The food wasn’t bad, and I liked the old-fashioned coffeeshop atmosphere, but the food wasn’t good enough to justify the relatively high prices.  There is really no compelling reason to go there – unless, I [Continue Reading]