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Your stupid smart car just drove into my dumb jet

What a nice break from the cold wet winter we've had up here.
 
I wish the weather in the Pacific Nortnwe(s)t would learn that. Still in the 40s to mid 50s with rain today. Oh well, tomorrow morning we take off (ride the airlines) to 2 weeks in Puerto Vallarta where there is no predicted rain and the highs are predicted to be in the low 80s. We are definitely looking forward to that.
 
We ride Alaska Airlines to PVR on Monday. Stay for 2 weeks. We go every year. Very relaxing.

Well, we're still at home. My wife was not feeling well last night, so I called Alaska and delayed our departure by two days. Then called the shuttle service to change our reservations to Wednesday morning and sent an email to the place we are staying in Puerto Vallarta delaying the start of our visit by two days, but keeping the end of the reservation the same. Oh well, her health is more important than a couple days in PV.
 
I hope she is well enough to travel in time!
 
Yep.

My less-techy friends are often surprised at how little home automation I have adopted.

Those of us who know the vulnerabilities of "the connected home", and who lived through a fairly recent "network event" at a major television broadcasting company, simply know better than to provide Alexa the ability to control our lights and refrigerator. We don't save banking logins on our phones. We wonder why the Chinese product "Zoom" became widely popular just before the pandemic, and we think of all the world's companies' business meetings that were streamed through servers based in China while we all "worked from home". The most successful bit of corporate espionage ever done! (At least it could have been)

Yes, my kids make fun of me for not using zelle, or CashApp, and I keep my CC and Debit Cards in an RF shielded wallet and use cash from my pocket in airports and other large venues. I never use "Free" or "available" WiFi on my phones (work or personal) except when at work (work phone) or at home (personal phone).

And to be honest, I really do not understand the preoccupation with "driverless cars". What is the point of driverless cars? To prove that it can be done, or to solve some sort of problem? Because frankly, it's a solution looking for a problem as far as I am concerned.
 
Yep.

I was just discussing driverless cars in much the same way yesterday! And I bought a new gas stove last fall. A few of its capabilities can only be operated through the mobile app. The documentation describes the mobile functionality in breathless terms.

I probably don't have to say that I never connected my stove to the Internet and I didn't download the mobile app and I discovered that the functions that were theoretically only available through the app are, in fact, available through the control panel. They're just slightly hidden.
 
Yes, my kids make fun of me for not using zelle, or CashApp, and I keep my CC and Debit Cards in an RF shielded wallet and use cash from my pocket in airports and other large venues. I never use "Free" or "available" WiFi on my phones (work or personal) except when at work (work phone) or at home (personal phone).

I used to use debit and credit cards nearly everywhere. Having a card "skimmed" gas pump made me rethink my security methods. I have one card with a low limit that I use at the gas pumps. I am very careful about where the cards with higher limits are used. I quit using cards at all in restaurants because I don't want the credit card leaving my sight. I went back to paying with cash when eating out. I never use the debit cards except to get cash at the ATM. I ONLY use the ATM at the banks the cards are from.

Like you, I have RF shielded wallets. I have an unlimited data plan on my phone, so there is no need to risk public WiFi. I'm OK with being offline once in a while if there is no cell signal. I remember life before internet and I'm OK with it!
 
We got into PV last Wednesday. I had a text from B of A the next day asking if I recognized a few charges on my card. All but one. They cancelled the card. Good thing I brought another one, otherwise I'd have a problem. I'll have a replacement waiting for me when I get home next week. Third time this year they've replaced that card due to a fraudulent charge. And I have no idea how the scammers get the numbers for the new cards. This is getting old. Oh, and it's not due to skimmers on the gas pumps, I don't use the card that gets compromised on them. And that card hasn't been hit.
 
Hmmm.... have you recently checked your electronics for malware? Three times in one year suggests that something you are doing relatively regularly is exposing the card's data (number, expiration date and possibly the code on the back of the card). Another possibility is the security of your home internet.

If you are certain your electronics and wi-fi are clean and you aren't falling for phishing scams, consider where you do use that card. Anyplace not online where the wi-fi might be compromised? Or where a small business's systems might be compromised?

I just got curious and searched Google. This article offers some of the same advice but adds more:


And here's even more:


Does it happen sometime short period of time after you have dined in the same restaurant?

And I just learned that repeated credit card fraud is common and is most likely caused by a data breach somewhere.
 
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Thanks for the information. I'll have to check when I get home next week. The machine that normally is used for on-line transactions isn't the one I have with me.
 
My wife has the Chase CC company text her for every charge over $20 (I think). She's caught a few erroneous charges like that. IDK if each card will do that, might check into it.
 
I use CapitalOne when making online purchases. This is because they have a feature called "virtual card". The browser extension creates a card number that can only be used on that web site. I can lock the card once the transaction clears. The merchant never gets the real card number. This eliminates the threat of hackers getting into the merchant's site and stealing the card numbers, like what happened to Home Depot several years ago. I noticed that several other cards are offering that feature now.

If I understand it correctly, Apple Pay generates a new number for each transaction, both online and in a store. I need to verify that. Do any of you know if this is correct?
 
That's an amusing example of the kind of weird bugs that sometimes happen with complex systems. Sometimes the bugs are less amusing, like safety or security hazards.
It's one of the reasons I prefer "dumb" devices from cars to doorbells to toasters. Making them "smart" doesn't make them much more useful, but does make them more complex and less reliable.
When it comes time to replace my current car, cars will be so computerized that nobody will make one that I want to drive. I'll have to make this car last a long time, or go vintage.
I’ve gone vintage and may never go back
 
There is a very small, confirmed pocket of intelligent life on Earth. It has been observed, confirmed and documented by relevant academic, professional and other experts. This process has been happening regularly for a few years now. You can find the small pocket of intelligent life in a remote location called the pilot's place.
 
Some Tesla fans are claiming the opposite of this thread's title in this incident in Oklahoma involving a Skyraider II and a Tesla, but it turns out it wasn't actually a save by self driving technology...

 
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