Krunk4Ever!

There should be 2 account numbers for each checking (or savings) account. One should only allow deposits, while the other will allow both withdrawal and deposits. The reason for this is that today when you associate a checking account with another bank or another financial institution, you might not want them to have the ability to withdraw from that account, which currently I don’t see any barrier besides the fact they can only withdraw up to your balance. That’s a lot of trust to put into some financial institutions, especially when identity theft has been such a big problem.

Personally I never transfer money from my checking account to Paypal, only the other way around. However, since my checking account is linked to Paypal, they can on the whim decide that I broke some rule and withdraw money from my checking account without my consent (no, this did not happen to me, but I’ve heard it happening to others).

This also avoids mistakenly withdrawing from an account that you did not want to. I’ve personally done that multiple times. Once I switch the source/destination and had the money go in the opposite direction. Often times, due to how Paypal is structured, I would accidentally pay via my bank account instead of my credit card.

I currently solve this today by only having minimal money in accounts which I only expect deposits and not withdrawals. I have another checking account which I use to pay all my bills etc.

However, I think this can all be solved if financial institutions decide on giving you 2 account numbers, one as I stated earlier should only be deposit only. That way even if someone gets ahold of this number, they can’t do much damage.

Not exactly a freebie, but if you’re planning to get a 12 month Xbox Live Gold subscription, you might as well sign up now and get Catan on Xbox Live Arcade, which is based on The Settlers of Catan board game.

Because you’re such a valued Xbox LIVE® gamer, we’d like to offer you the chance to give the gift of Catan on us! Through strategy, trading, and a little bit of luck, your friends can vie for control with their opponents over the resources and territory of a newly discovered island.

Now through March 25, 2008, get your friends to sign up for a new 12–month Xbox LIVE Gold Membership, and they will receive a free copy of Catan.*

GIVE THE GIFT OF CATAN

Here’s how your friends can get their free copy of Catan:
1. Sign up for a new 12-month Xbox LIVE Gold Membership.
2. Register at: xbox.com/sm8

*Gift to Friend Offer: Offer good only to new 12-month Xbox LIVE Gold members who have subscribed for membership and registered at xbox.com/sm8 between February 25, 2008 and March 25, 2008. Limit: one gift per recipient. This offer is nontransferable. This offer expires on March 25, 2008, while supplies last, and is not redeemable for cash. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient. Any gift returned as nondeliverable will not be re-sent. Please allow 6-8 weeks for the shipment of your gift. Offer is not combinable with other Microsoft offers or rebates. Open only to legal residents, aged 14+, of the 50 United States (includes the District of Columbia).

I tried loading the page and it showed: Page unavailable. Not sure if it’s because I didn’t sign up for a 12 month membership during the time frame or if it’s just not up yet.

Update:
The page is finally up and you can find more details at www.xbox.com/giftofcatan.

Not in any particular order.

1. The sun is rising.
2. People are starting to come into the office.
3. You have a giant pile of candy wrappers and empty soda cans around your desk.
4. You’ve realized it’s been 17 hours since you entered the office on the previous day.
5. On your way home, there’s actually more traffic going the opposite direction.
6. You no longer feel tired.
7. You reminisce the good old college days where you pull all nighters trying to complete a project due the next day.
8. You keep refreshing your RSS feed aggregator hoping for new content, but there’s none.
9. But when there is, you’re super happy.
10. You start contemplating about sleeping over at work to save yourself the 40 minute round trip.

Here’s this week’s top post:

1. How to download HD Trailers from Apple.com
2. 4 Free Xbox Live Arcade Games
3. Free AutoCheck Report (Similar to Carfax)
4. Windows Update Error: 80070490
5. LeekSpin
6. Haloid
7. Music from The Inner Life of a Cell
8. Missing Codecs in Firefox to Play Video in Gallery2
9. 2-pin 3-pin Power LEDs?
10. Hacking the Linksys WRT54GL

Previously…

Nothing too interesting this week.

So I finally finished watching 天龍八部 (Tian Long Ba Bu), also known as Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. This is story written by 金庸 (Jin Yong) and adapted into TV series multiple times. The one I watched was the newest one adapted by China in 2003. It consisted of 40 episodes due to the fact the story is just that long. At first I wanted to watch it at 1.5x speed given that I was busy with work and wanted to complete the series quickly, however my Mandarin skill wasn’t good enough to comprehend it when they were speaking that quickly.

I honestly think this adaptation was poorly done. The acting was okay, but the directing was horrible. The storyline just didn’t flow that well and it felt like it was stitched together chapter by chapter. The ending was also really abrupt and left me with a feeling of incompleteness. If this story is like the other masterpieces that 金庸 (Jin Yong) has written, the only reason I can come up with for this being poorly done is the directing. The sceneries were really pretty and the fighting choreography was pretty good, but the acting and directing was just not that great.

Anyway, the story left several plot holes which I’m not sure if it ever got explained in the original novel.

— BEGIN SPOILERS —

慕容復 (Murong Fu) had 2 followers: 包不同 (Bao Butong) and 風波惡 (Feng Boe), and they are respectively 3rd brother and 4th brother. Assuming 慕容復 (Murong Fu) is the 1st brother, who was the 2nd? (Brothers in this context need not be blood-related)

無崖子 (Wu Ya Zi), head of 逍遥派 (Xiaoyao Clan), apparently was married to 李秋水 (Li Qiushui), his younger disciple sister. However, it was later revealed that he was in love with the sister of 李秋水 (Li Qiushui). 李秋水 (Li Qiushui) and her sister look very similar. 無崖子 (Wu Ya Zi) kept a drawing of a lady by his sides at all time till his death. However since the drawing had a mole on the lady’s face, it was revealed that 無崖子 (Wu Ya Zi) was indeed in love with the sister of 李秋水 (Li Qiushui). Before 無崖子 (Wu Ya Zi) died, he had told 虛竹 (Xu Zhu), the next head of 逍遥派 (Xiaoyao Clan) to look for this lady and ask her to teach him martial arts. However, this lady never appeared in the story and that just felt weird…

There’s this monk in Shaolin Temple only known as the Sweeper Monk. The only thing we know about him is that he’s been hiding hiding in the Shaolin Temple for over 40 years (even longer than 蕭遠山/Xiao Yuanshan and 慕容博/Murong Bo) and has awesome martial arts skills. However, the back story of the sweeper monk was not revealed and my only guess is that it’s revealed in one of Jin Yong’s other stories.

Near the end of the story, 游坦之 (You Tanzhi) also known as the Iron Clown (鐵丑/Tie Chou) donates his eyes to 阿紫 (A Zi) to give her back sight. However, being childish and immature, 阿紫 (A Zi) doesn’t realize the sacrifice the Iron Clown has done and she runs away from him. 蕭峰 (Xiao Feng) tells her that she is now forever indebted to this young man and has the responsibility to take care of him. The story ends with 蕭峰 (Xiao Feng) committing suicide to prove his loyalty to the Liao Empire (Qidan people). 阿紫 (A Zi) decides to commit suicide with him, but before she does, she pulls her eyes back out and throws it to the Iron Clown and says she does not want to be indebted to him anymore and jumps off the cliff. The Iron Clown, unable to take this, commits suicide by bashing his head on the side of the cliff. The story ends with everyone crying… WHAT!?!?! WHAT THE HECK!?!?! HOW CAN YOU END THE STORY LIKE THIS!?!?!? I would’ve been mildly fine with the story ending with 蕭峰 (Xiao Feng)’s suicide, but how can you end the story like this?

UPDATE:
Another thing I didn’t get was at the beginning where a bunch of high level martial artists had to hide their identity. I understand they were tricked by 慕容博 (Murong Bo), where he hopes by creating a conflict between the Song and Liao empire, it would make taking a chunk of the Song empire and rebuilding his Yan Empire easier. I also understand those high level martial artists were tricked into believing that a high level martial artist 蕭遠山 (Xiao Yuanshan) from Liao empire was going to sneak into Shaolin Temple and steal all their martial art manuscripts. However, what I don’t understand is, why did they have to hide their identity? Why did they have to dress up in all black and cover their faces (like ninjas). What they were doing wasn’t something sneaky… And worst of all, you’d think as a high level monk, you wouldn’t attack a defenseless mother carrying a baby, while the others have occupied the father from protecting them.

— END SPOILERS —

If you’re a student (unfortunately I’m not anymore), Microsoft is giving away free software for developing and designing software: Bill Gates talks about Free Software, Students, and Technology:

How would you like a free copy of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008? How about the entire Microsoft Expression Studio? Not enough…… how about Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and more?

For once, something that sounds too good to be true really is this good and really is true. Starting today (or soon in some areas), students worldwide will be able to download our professional development and design tools for free! It’s called DreamSpark and it is upon us.

We got a few minutes with the guy himself, Mr. Bill Gates, to talk about his thoughts on this student opportunity. We also discussed the fast pace of technology and how students can best deal with that. Finally, I gave him a chance to think about what he would do if he were 17 years old again and starting up the next big company. His answer was–are you sitting down because this one was a real shocker–software!

We figured since one 8er already won a PC and another 8er won a Zune, we should hook you guys up with something cool too… I better see some smiles in the comments!

You can go directly to the downloads page.

Was going to post about some cool new tablet applications I found, but that’ll have to wait.

I forget where I got this video from (probably Digg), but Apparently I got this link from Hjo3. I sent it to a few friends earlier and this has been sitting in the queue, waiting to be posted. Since Tekman and Angel-grrl are getting a new cat, I thought it was an appropriate time to post it:

Wake up Cat

‘Wake Up Cat’ is by an English animator called Simon Tofield and it is actually called ‘Cat Man Do’. He works for an animation company called Tandem Films.

After you watch this, you’ll realize why cats are evil.

Thanks to RayAlome for sharing this comic strip with me:

Huey - I don’t get this whole thing with video games.
Riley - What, you mean why you keep losing?
Huey - No. Everyone is worried about kids and violence, right? And kids using guns … So why don’t they go after the gun manufacturers and gun dealers instead of people who make video games. It doesn’t make sense.
Riley - Sure it does. Pretend you’re some stupid parent activist person … Who would YOU rather start beef with - some nerd who makes video games or some dude with a warehouse full of AK-47s?
Huey - You know … I’m actually MUCH more impressed by that point than I care to admit.
Riley - Of course. I’m deep. Just don’t tell nobody.

Here’s this week’s top post:

1. How to download HD Trailers from Apple.com
2. Print USPS First Class, Media Mail, Parcel Mail Postage for FREE!
3. Windows Update Error: 80070490
4. 4 Free Xbox Live Arcade Games
5. Free AutoCheck Report (Similar to Carfax)
6. Book Rental…
7. Haloid
8. LeekSpin
9. Music from The Inner Life of a Cell
10. Spinning Dancer

Previously…

Nothing too interesting this week.

Recently I was introduced to Credit Karma (www.creditkarma.com). Credit Karma is a site where they allow you to get daily credit score updates. However, the score is based on some weird TransUnion algorithm which ranges between 150-950. Experian and Equifax typically caps the score at 830-850.

I heard of this site first on SlickDeals, but apparently it’s been on FatWallet for some time. With most financial sites, I’m quite weary about giving up information. Even if they’re legit, it’s a honey pot for identity thefts.

I searched around and found these 2 articles:

Online Financial Innovations Announces FinovateStartup, a New Conference Showcasing Dozens of the Most Innovative Financial Technology Startups (Show)

FinovateStartup Conference

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–On April 29, dozens of the most innovative technology startups in finance and banking will gather at the FinovateStartup conference in San Francisco to showcase the future of banking, lending and finance.

Each presenting startup will have five minutes on stage to demo their product to an audience of hundreds of press, bloggers, analysts, venture capitalists and industry executives. The demos will be followed by intimate networking sessions where attendees will get direct access to the presenting companies and their executives.

The eighteen startups that have committed to FinovateStartup to date include (in alphabetical order): Andera, Boulevard R., Buxfer, Cake Finnacial, CreditKarma, ExpensrMotley Fool’s CAPS, ClairMail, First ROI, Guardian Analytics, Jwaala, Lending Club, Mint, Prosper, SmartHippo, UnifiedMoney, Wesabe, and Wonga. More startups are committing daily and will be announced soon.

General admission tickets for this event are limited. Tickets for last year’s fall Finovate conference sold out in only six weeks. To reserve yours today please visit www.finovate.com. Press passes are available by emailing finovate@netbanker.com.

About the FinovateStartup Conference

FinovateStartup is a demo-based conference for innovative banking and finance technology startups. Held in the entrepreneurial hotbed of San Francisco, the event offers an insight-packed glimpse of the future of money via a fast-paced, intimate and unique format. FinovateStartup is organized by Online Financial Innovations. For more information on the event, please visit www.finovatestartup.com.

About Online Financial Innovations

Founded in 1995 by former banker Jim Bruene, Online Financial Innovations is a Seattle-based research company. OFI is best known for publishing the Online Banking Report, a regular newsletter featuring in-depth analysis, relevant data, and informed recommendations to financial services executives in 50 countries. For more information and free sample reports, visit www.onlinebankingreport.com, email info@netbanker.com or call (206) 517-5021. You may also find OFI’s blog on the latest in online finance & banking at www.netbanker.com.

A Start-Up Offering TransUnion Scores (Show)

Credit Karma Inc., a San Francisco marketing start-up backed by current and former executives of E-Loan Inc., has begun offering free daily credit scores online.

Other sites offer free rough estimates of credit scores, but CreditKarma.com provides an exact score.

However, it is not a FICO score; it is produced by the Chicago credit bureau TransUnion LLC’s proprietary model.

FICO scores, produced by Fair Isaac Corp. of Minneapolis, are on a scale of 300 to 850; the Credit Karma scores range from 300 to 900.

A spokeswoman for Credit Karma said consumers who check their scores on its site receive targeted advertising from companies that pay to promote their products and services there.

However, consumers’ personal information is never provided for the companies to make additional pitches, she said.

Advertisers currently include cell phone and cable companies, but could soon include big box retailers, Credit Karma said.

The site, which is in beta testing, was launched last month.

Credit Karma is funded in part by Chris Larson, the cofounder and chief executive of Prosper Marketplace Inc. of San Francisco and the cofounder and former chairman and CEO of E-Loan, and by Mark Lefanowicz, the current president of E-Loan. (Popular Inc. of San Juan, Puerto Rico, bought the Pleasanton, Calif., online lender in 2005.)

Anyway, reading into the thread, it appears that your full social security number isn’t actually stored on the site, but I guess you just have to take their word for it. I decided to sign up just to try it out. I already had Wamu’s credit card which provides monthly credit scores, but daily scores sounded interesting. Anyway, my number was rather high compared to the scores I’ve seen before, but as I stated earlier, this is using some weird TransUnion algorithm.

Interestingly enough, to get daily scores, you have to log in daily and enter your social security number (or was it the last 4 digits), meaning it might be true that they don’t store your full SSN on their site.

Update:
If you want to try out this site, use the following invite code: CKFRND