A nice way to show appreciation to someone (over the age of 21) is to have some good wines delivered to him or her. The Wine Store (formerly Sportsman's, and now part of Tarbell's and The Tavern) has been an easy and convenient way to do this over the phone. And if you know nothing about wine, and want to send something other than Yellow Tail, they'll even pick the wines for you.
That said, we heard from a loyal reader who tried doing this last Monday, but the person handling his call insisted that The Wine Store had a new policy (since a few months back) where one had to email a scanned photo of his driver's license (which he was willing to do) and his credit card number (which he was unwilling to do). Our Are You Kidding Department (RUK) sent an email to The Wine Store describing what happened and suggested that it might be making a poor business decision with this supposed new policy.
We just received an email response from the Director of Operations, who wrote as follows: "Good morning Mr. [Name Redacted on Privacy Grounds]. I’m responding to your email of Tuesday regarding your experience at The Wine Store. It’s absolutely not our policy to request a credit card via email; in fact we discourage customers who want to use that method because, as you say, it’s very insecure. I am looking into the situation to determine how this happened and to ensure that all staff are trained in the proper procedures. Thank you for taking the time to explain what happened so we have the opportunity to correct it. We appreciate your business and your patronage, and do hope that you will give us another chance." RUK replied expressing both appreciation and relief.
If you haven't read Bad Blood (the story of Theranos) yet, you've missed one of the most compelling reads ever. And if you have read it, you'll be jazzed to know that soon it will be out as a movie, starring Jennifer Lawrence.
Bad Blood will be written and directed by “The Big Short” director Adam McKay. Lawrence will play Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos. Producers are McKay, Will Ferrell and Kevin Messick through their Gary Sanchez company, along with Lawrence. McKay and Charles Randolph won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar in February for The Big Short. Universal will distribute the film through its deal with Legendary. McKay is repped by WME and Mosaic. Lawrence is repped by CAA and attorney Steve Warren.
Morey's frozen fish selections (including wild salmon, tilapia, cod, and sole) are delicious (indeed, they truly are restaurant quality), ready in 30 minutes, and amazingly inexpensive. They are available at fine grocers everywhere including your favorite Kroger's store (aka Fry's), where self-checkout is a dream (indeed, a little bit of heaven on earth).
Some sites will block copying and pasting certain fields on their websites, most often signing in at a site, or signing up at a website. This extension that works in Firefox and Chrome that allows copying and pasting into fields that are blocked. It works in not only Chrome and Firefox, but Vivaldi, Opera, and Waterfox.
[Prefatory Note: One might be the greatest golfer of all time. But when it comes to saluting our truly historical athletes, from Arthur Ashe to Muhammad Ali to Billie Jean King to Jesse Owens, one's skill in the game perhaps should not count for more than it should. That said, note the following from the Washington Post]
Woods on Sunday was asked whether he had any thoughts on some people — “especially people of color, immigrants,” according to the questioner — being threatened by Trump and his policies, as well as about the golfer’s seemingly friendly relationship with the president. “Well, he’s the president of the United States. You have to respect the office,” Woods said. “No matter who is in the office, you may like, dislike personality or the politics, but we all must respect the office.” And with that, Woods was done talking about Trump, saying to a follow-up question about the state of race relations that he “just finished 72 holes and am really hungry.” Trump himself weighed in on Monday morning, writing that “The Fake News Media worked hard to get Tiger Woods to say something that he didn’t want to say,” and that “Tiger wouldn’t play the game — he is very smart.”
Politics (which we don't do here) is choices. Choices with consequences. One interesting poser developed when the Dreamers/DACA issue was front burner was: Would you vote for a permanent solution allowing Dreamers to remain this country if it meant Trump would be re-elected in 2020. Here's another one: Would you have voted for Obama if you knew that had he not been elected president, Trump never would have been elected president?
If you find ads popping up on your computer or your phone or your tablet, you'll be glad to know there is a service to block them. The easy step-by-step process to set the blocks is found here: Link to Ad Removal Process
In one of the most blatant examples of the NYT taking insights generated elsewhere and passing them on to its opinion writers, Bret Stephens' piece takes the cake. That said, it's an excellent piece:
[Post Script Note: As our loyal readers know, the Failing NYT is notorious for taking letters to their editor and passing them on. But perhaps less known, but even more egregious, they have planted a transmitter in the tooth of some letter writers to capture oral insights not reduced to letter form]
We don't do politics here so we have no view on whether a president who likely got the office by fraud and has disgraced it and endangered its democracy and let loose the darkest underbelly elements in this country should be indicted. But, as to the issue of whether he can be indicted, we have had our Jurisprudential Advisors Watchdog Scholars (JAWS) look into the matter. And here is what they have determined: The so-called DOJ "guidelines" (there is not just one) are not binding and are contradictory and essentially incoherent, but let's assume they preclude indictment of a sitting president. The special counsel regulations have an express out, which allows the special counsel to ask DOJ to allow him or her to suspend any DOJ guidelines if "exceptional circumstances" exist. So Mueller, with DOJ's approval, could indict the president.
PS: It is not an impeachable or indictable offense to walk the halls of the White House talking to the portraits. At the same time, Alexander Haig has indicated he is willing to come back at any time to assure the country that he is "in charge."
Vinegar is a fantastic gift for any household: It helps clean or preserve so many things. Vinegar is typically used in the dishwasher to remove spots and hard water buildup on plates and glassware. Hey, it works and it's all natural, so it's all good. Right? Not so much.
Vinegar is an acid with a pH of around 2.0. It's only one tick up the pH scale from sulfuric acid (which destroys most substances it comes in contact with). Because it's is a strong acid, vinegar can break down the rubber gaskets and hoses in your dishwasher, eventually causing a costly breakdown. Also, if it mixes with salt, say from bits of food on your dishes, vinegar can discolor metal pans, flatware and mixing bowls.
Those rinse aids you can buy at the store are also acidic, and some even contain vinegar, but they are formulated in a lab to be used in a dishwasher. The acidity is low enough that most brands won't damage the rubber pieces in your dishwasher or discolor metals.
I know some die-hard vinegar fans out there will cry foul. You love your vinegar and don't want to let go. There are some ways you can keep your all-natural rinse aid while causing as little damage to your dishwasher as possible. First, try to find a brand of vinegar that is only 5 percent acetic acid. This is the lowest concentration of acid for a household vinegar and will cause the least amount of damage. Brands will either have the acetic acid amount on the label, or you can search for the information online.
Instead of subjecting your dishwasher's rinse aid dispenser to vinegar, pour it into the bottom of the dishwasher during the rinse cycle instead. Yeah, you'll need to do this while the dishwasher is running, but because the vinegar is immediately diluted with water, it won't cause as much damage.
Similar to messages from the Emergency Broadcast System cutting in during your TV viewing, Netflix has begun showing trailers for its shows in between the episodes you are currently watching or bingeing. To be clear, it is only testing what amounts to in-house ads on only a segment of its subscribers at the present, but all users are automatically opted in to the test. Thankfully, you can politely and quickly opt out of these trailers interrupting your binge watch.
To opt out, you will need to access Netflix in a browser on a computer, tablet or phone; you can't opt out of of the ads with the Netflix app.
With Netflix open in a browser, tap the hamburger button in the top left (on mobile) or click your profile picture in the top right (on a computer) and then choose Account. On the Account page, scroll down to the Settings section and select Test participation. You will see a single toggle switch for Include me in tests and previews. Toggle it Off and then click or tap Done.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Boom, no more ads. Well, no more ads unless Netflix moves this feature from the test stage into its standard experience. At which point, I will update this article with any potential setting that will let you opt out of the non-test participation ads.
The following article gives an excellent overview of the good and dangerous aspects (especially after cataract surgery) of blue light, including digital blue light: Link to Excellent Overview If your e-reader does not have a blue light switch, then you will want to install a blue light filter app. Link to Blue Light Filter Apps on Play Here are two articles reviewing various blue light apps: Link to Article No. 1 and Link to Article No. 2 . If your Apple iPhone and iPad is up-to-date, there should be a blue light filter in your iOS. Many Android devices also have blue light filters--check your Display settings.
[Prefatory Note: Even if are lucky enough to have been accepted as an Amazon Prime Member, and certainly if you are not, you likely do not know all the benefits of membership. For example, few people know you can get a WAPO digital subscription for free for 6 months followed by more than 50% off thereafter. Also, you likely can find top-quality cellphones at significant discounts. Courtesy of cnet, here are the 21 benefits]
1. Free two-day shipping (or better)
UPS
Many, if not most, of Amazon's physical goods will be shipped to your door in two days -- provided you live in the contiguous US states (sorry, Hawaiians). What's especially remarkable about this is there's no minimum order: Even if you buy a $5 HDMI cable, it'll arrive in 48 hours. In fact, residents of some ZIP codes can enjoy same-day delivery at no extra charge, so as long as the order totals at least $35.
Not in a rush? Very often you can opt to forgo two-day delivery in exchange for credit that can be applied to digital purchases (ebooks, movie rentals and so on). Look for this option on the checkout page where you select your shipping option.
2. Free release-date delivery
Suppose you preorder a new book from your favorite author or a hot new tech product. As a Prime subscriber, you'll receive that item on the exact day it's released -- not two days later. Only certain items are eligible, of course.
3. Free 2-hour delivery
Prime Now takes things hyperlocal, delivering groceries, restaurant food and other items in just 2 hours -- or within 1 hour for an extra $7.99. As of this writing, however, Prime Now is available in just a handful of cities.
4. Free (or flat-rate) grocery and household item delivery
Toilet paper, dog food, shampoo, your favorite cereal -- Prime Pantry will deliver these and other goods (pretty much anything that doesn't require refrigeration) for free. However, you need to order a minimum of five "qualifying" items, otherwise there's a flat $5.99 delivery charge.
5. Alexa deals
Do you own an Alexa-compatible device? That could be anything from an Amazon Echo to a Dash Wand to a Fire tablet or TV. If so, utter these magic words: "Alexa, what are your deals?" She'll rattle off a list of rather random Prime-exclusive deals, pausing after each one to ask if you want to buy it. It's certainly not the most efficient way of shopping -- especially if you opt to hop online to make sure the deal you're getting is actually a good one -- but it's a Prime perk all the same.
6. Restaurant delivery
Amazon is currently test-driving restaurant delivery, with the promise of easy ordering, real-time delivery tracking and no menu markups. It's offered in 30 US cities and 20 more worldwide; use your ZIP code at the link above to see if it's available in your area. If it is, Prime subscribers get free delivery within two hours of ordering.
7. Whole Foods benefits
Whole Foods markets will soon take on special significance for Amazon Prime members.
For starters, residents of Austin, Texas; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Cincinnati and Dallas can now get free 2-hour delivery from Whole Foods stores -- though that requires a Prime Now membership. Amazon and Whole Foods plan to add more cities throughout 2018.
Even without that card or a Prime Now membership, Amazon Prime subscribers can get "special savings and in-store benefits," though Amazon has yet to announce any specifics on that front.
8. Unlimited video streaming
Prime Video is akin to Netflix, offering movies, TV shows and original content. It's accessible on virtually all mobile devices and most streaming sticks and boxes.
Amazon Prime Music affords unlimited, ad-free access to a song library stocked with over 2 million tracks. You can stream them to various devices, but songs can also be downloaded to your phone or tablet for offline listening.
Prime Music should not be confused with Amazon Music Unlimited (see "What's not included with Amazon Prime," below), which offers a much larger library (think: Spotify), but costs extra. Prime subscribers do get a break on the price, though.
10. Unlimited photo storage
Much like Google, Amazon Prime offers subscribers unlimited cloud storage for photos. For most people that means using the Amazon Drive app to upload pictures from phones and tablets, but there's also a desktop app (for Windows and Mac) that can archive photos from your hard drive.
In addition, Prime Photos gives you 5GB of storage for documents and videos.
Created primarily with parents in mind, Elements offers an array of baby products that meet various quality and transparency standards.
12. Access to Amazon Dash
You've probably seen Amazon's little product-branded buttons, which let you reorder various consumables (like paper towels or laundry detergent) with just one press. Each button costs $4.99, and each product order costs whatever it costs, but you need to be a Prime subscriber if you want to use Dash at all.
13. Early access to Lightning deals
Amazon's Lightning deals run for limited time or while supplies last. If you're a Prime subscriber, you get access to those deals 30 minutes ahead of nonsubscribers.
14. One free e-book per month
As part of your Prime subscription, you get access to the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, which lets you check out one e-book per month and read that book on any Kindle e-reader or Fire tablet. The catch: This particular library offers a relatively small selection; don't expect a lot of new titles or bestsellers.
15. One free e-book per month, part 2
Each month, Amazon Prime subscribers get to pick a free ebook as part of the Kindle First program.
Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET
It's called Kindle First, and it works like this: Each month, Amazon editors curate six yet-to-be-released books and give Prime subscribers the chance to pick one of them -- for free. And it's for keeps, too; you're not just borrowing the book.
16. Free books and magazines
Amazon's new Prime Reading feature differs from the Lending Library in a few key ways. First, it's not limited to Kindles: You can access the catalog of free e-bookson phones, tablets and anything else capable of running a Kindle app. Second, the selection includes not only books, but also a rotating selection of magazines, comics, travel guides, Kindle Singles and more.
17. Free Washington Post
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos owns the Post, so it should come as no surprise that there's a deal to be had: a free six-month digital subscription, followed by a discounted rate of $3.99 monthly (normally $9.99). You can read the paper on your PC, a Fire tablet or any of the various Washington Post apps (available for Android and iOS).
18. Free audiobooks
Kind of like Prime Reading for audiobooks, Audible Channels for Prime (a $60-per-year value, according to Amazon) gives you unlimited access to a selection of original audio series and select audiobooks. Just keep in mind these are limited to streaming; you can't download them for offline listening.
19. Free games
All five games are completely free for Amazon Prime subscribers -- and these are just the March offers.
Twitch
Hardcore gamers know all about Twitch, which lets users watch and share game videos. Now, thanks to the recent addition of Free Games with Prime, you can play some of those titles instead of just watching them.
At press time, for example, you could score five free games (including the super-hot indie title Superhot) with a combined value of over $100. And next month promises five more, including Telltale's popular Tales from the Borderland.
All you need is a free Twitch account that's been "enabled" for Prime and the Twitch desktop client.
20. Exclusive phone discounts
In the market for a new phone? See if it's available via Prime Exclusive Phones, which carries a rotating selection of popular models that are usually priced less than what you'd pay elsewhere -- and that frequently go on sale for even less.
Amazon offers discounts on select phones, but only to Prime subscribers.
Amazon
Until recently, Prime Exclusive phones were saddled with a small catch: Amazon ads on the lock screen. Thankfully, Amazon recently removed lock-screen ads from its phones (past and present models alike), though you'll still see an Amazon widget in the OS. It's easily removed, though.
21. Odds and ends
Amazon Prime lets you add premium video subscriptions -- Starz, Showtime and so on -- to your Prime Video viewing umbrella. (Alas, you don't get any discounts compared with purchasing those subscriptions separately.) As part of Amazon Family, you can score 20 percent off diaper purchases via Subscribe & Save and 15 percent off eligible products in your baby registry. And speaking of family, you're allowed to extend your membership to one additional adult living in your house.
