There are certain actors (like Marisa Tomei) whose movies you can never not like. That said, you cannot go wrong with any movie with Amy Adams. Leap Year might not be the best movie ever made, and might be as predictable a love story as they come, but the scenery (it's set in Ireland) is gorgeous and the lovable people are lovable and the not-so-lovable people are dispatched with as they should be, and Amy Adams is delightful. In short, it's a much more delightful rom-com than one would think.
Every New Year's day for the past few years, we have brought you a little gift from Playing for Change of a few minutes to just sit back, listen, and enjoy the good feeling. That gift appears below as Gift No. 1. Gift No. 2 is also a Playing for Change release, brought to our attention earlier this year by a loyal reader. Gift No. 3 is just a favorite song of ours which has been featured on this blog a couple of times, including this most recent Christmas Day. Last year, we expressed the hope that the American body politic would reject the organ transplant that goes by the name Trump. Unfortunately, so far, that hope has been dashed. Indeed, we fear that Gresham's Law might be at work where "the bad drives out the good." That said, we'll always have Paris and we'll always have music. Enjoy!
In the meantime, we have decided to start a tradition of naming each new year. Not after animals as some cultures do. But rather, appellations of a bit more subtlety. That said, we are naming 2020 The Year of the Hindsight.
Cautionary Note: HomeAway's traveler support is a cruel joke. By way of example, if the owner writes a review of you that says you were the guest from Hell because you "played with circuit breakers" causing the electricity in the house to fail, even though you never touched a circuit breaker, and your spouse caused undue stress to him and his family and staff by failing to register the August app on her phone correctly to be able to unlock and lock the front door, you would have a better chance of getting your reputation back from Senator Joseph McCarthy than from HomeAway. Even worse, you do not get to see the owner's review of you until you submit your review of your stay, i.e., you don't get any way to object to the owner's review until after HomeAway publishes it.
Tip: If you did get slimed by an owner, for future rentals, use a different email address or opt for an the instant booking option and then the owners won't see the slimey review. These "tips" were what the HomeAway reps told me in response to what recourse I had if I were slimed by the owner's review.
Upon switching from a Samsung Galaxy S5 to a Samsung Galaxy S10e, one realizes immediately just how much faster and better newer phones are. Unfortunately, one also realizes immediately thereafter how overwhelmingly difficult it is to get the new phone to immediately operate settings-wise as smoothly and gracefully as the old phone did. Fortunately, a few hours later, the new romance just might truly blossom in all its glory as one wonders how one stayed with what one had abided for so long after the spark had faded. Although it takes a bit of effort, one can even get the Samsung Whistle (with an MP download) onto the new phone so you feel like the cosmic connection is still there.
A junior member of our staff has requested that her dissenting view be published re The Kitchen which was reviewed in this blog yesterday. It reads in its entirety, unedited, as follows: "I respectfully rebut. The Kitchen is morally offensive and written by an idiot."
Every, or virtually every, Southwest Airlines (SWA) now has about 50 free movies and some news, sports, and other live TV channels to choose from which you can watch on your computer, tablet, or phone. Although subject to occasional glitches and buffering issues, the quality is pretty good. You can watch full screen and with subtitles. Here are two movies currently showing which you might otherwise not watch:
The Hustle (2019): Starring Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway (who actually is better than you might think she'd be), this is a remake of a remake of a remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The original with Brando and Niven was fantastic. The first remake not so good. The second remake makes some interesting points and has many enjoyable moments, but some of the overdone slapstick is not needed, and strive as it does to be unpredictable, alas, it's very predictable. Bottom-line: No reason to see it in a theatre or to stream at home, but okay for a TV flight.
The Kitchen (2019): Starring Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss, this is a mafia movie with a definite twist: It's the women who head it up. It's not without its gore and violence that might not be enjoyable for many, but the characters are engaging. Indeed, if you can get beyond the unreality of the story, each of the characters and each of their stories is very real and very poignant. Bottom-line: No reason to see it in a theatre or to stream at home, but okay for a TV flight.
Whether you already use Windows 10 or are making the switch from Windows 7 or 8.1, this extensive list of tutorials will show you how to do almost anything in Windows 10.
This treasure trove of Windows 10 tips and tutorials covers most areas of Windows 10. It's a great resource for anyone new to Windows 10, and Windows 10 users can find things they didn't know about or look for something specific. The tutorials are clear and easy to follow, often with more than one option to get something done.
The tutorials cover these categories:
• Network and Sharing
• Installation and Upgrade
• General Tips
• Browsers and Mail
• Gaming and Xbox
• Apps and Features
• Customization
• Virtualization
• BSOD (Blue Screen of Death)
• System Security
• User Accounts
• Hardware and Drivers
• Updates and Activation
• Backup and Restore
• Performance and Maintenance
• Mixed Reality
• Phone
In addition to the web page, the tutorial index is available on Google Sheets and can be downloaded as a PDF or an xlsx spreadsheet. Downloading the index makes it easier to peruse because there are many tutorials - the PDF file contains 127 US letter size pages. The tutorials and index are updated on a regular basis to keep up with Windows 10 changes.
All the Windows 10 tutorials from Windows Ten Forums can be viewed and the index downloaded here: Link to Tutorials Download
HomeAway.com is a great search site for finding vacation rentals. But other than that, there is much to dislike about HomeAway. Their service fee is high, especially given the extreme difficulty in dealing with them when you have a serious problem with your rental, such as when you paid for 8 nights but the place was uninhabitable the first night and the owner appears unwilling to refund what you paid for that night. There is no way to deal with that issue on the HomeAway website (it says there is a "Report a Complaint" but there really isn't. An announced 5 minute wait to talk to a rep can turn into a 30-minute wait, only to be connected to someone whom you cannot understand and will not answer any questions unless you explain to her what your complaint is even though you actually don't know yet if you have one yet because it's possible the owner just might do the right thing even though his stony cold silence does not bode well.
I have been taking a serious look at jarred pesto sauce, and ran nine of them through some vigorous testing. Two came out clearly on top, one a bit pricey and the other not pricey and available at all markets, making it the winner. Here it is:
If you want to read the details of the study, as reproduced by Kitchn, with good tips such as why to eschew refrigerated pesto sauce in favor of jarred, here's the link: Link to Excellent Article re Pesto Sauce
Now that you've tamed the cyclone of crumpled wrapping paper and torn tissue paper, you're faced with one more unpleasant task: returning the Amazon package that inevitably has to go back. Maybe it's the wrong size, doesn't work, or -- to your horror -- the wrong item arrived before you could replace it.
Whatever the problem, returning unwanted Amazon items isn't as straightforward as it should be. That's because Amazon does its best to bury its easiest, most convenient and usually free return option beneath the retail giant's preferred ("cheaper") return methods.
Exhibit A: Amazon recently started offering free return shipping through Kohl's, which now accepts Amazon returns at its 1,150 department stores, so that's the first option Amazon offers you. Sure, that sounds like a great deal, but it's really just corporate sleight-of-hand.
After all, you shopped at Amazon because you didn't want to leave the house, right? Well, keep your keister planted right where it is, because I'm going to show you how to return items to Amazon the same way you ordered them -- without ever having to trek beyond your own front door.
Sure, you could take your Amazon return to your closest Kohl's store, but why?
Kohl's
When telling Amazon the reason for your return, choose wisely
The first thing Amazon asks after you start the return process is the reason for your return. Be careful, because the wrong reason could cost you -- literally.
Almost all returns to Amazon are free (whether you take them to Kohl's or not), but Amazon will charge you at least $6 (more for big, heavy items) for front-door pickup if you say you're returning a purchase for one of these three reasons:
No longer needed: You changed your mind and don't want the item any more.
Bought by mistake: You accidentally hit Buy it Now or forgot to delete an item from your cart before checking out.
Better price available: You find the same thing at, say, Walmart for less than what you paid for it at Amazon.
However, if you choose any of these options as you process your return shipping method, the cost for UPS Pickup will be absolutely free:
Inaccurate website description: Example: The photo shows a deep royal blue, but the item is a light sky blue. Similar to but different from "Wrong item was sent" (see below).
Item defective or doesn't work: Could be that it's broken or simply doesn't do what it's designed to do (for example, a can opener that spins up but doesn't cut the lid off).
Product damaged, but shipping box OK: The box isn't dented, cut or scratched, but the item inside has cosmetic or mechanical damage.
Item arrived too late: The item was delivered past the guaranteed delivery and missed, for example, a birthday.
Missing or broken parts: Similar to "Item was defective or doesn't work" but applies not to the item itself but the attachments, etc. that come with it.
Product and shipping box both damaged: Somewhere between being boxed up and arriving at your door, the package was mishandled, and the product arrives broken.
Wrong item was sent: If you received a completely different item, not just that the size, shape or color wasn't what you selected (see "Inaccurate website description").
Received extra item I didn't buy: Something extra got packaged with your order, and you feel obliged to return it.
Didn't approve purchase: Someone, either in your family (a child, a spouse) or a friend (say, one on whose computer you logged into Amazon and forgot to log out) ordered something and you got charged.
Free UPS pickup is our favorite option for Amazon returns.
Angela Lang/CNET
Your refund method doesn't affect return shipping
Next you'll have to choose how you want your money back. The quickest way is to receive a credit to your Amazon account, which Amazon will issue as soon as UPS scans your return into its system, but then you're stuck spending the money at Amazon.
You can also have the funds put back on your debit or credit card. But even though Amazon will issue the refund as soon as UPS takes possession of your return package, it still could take another three to five business days to show up in your account.
The choice is down to you. Whichever way you go, though, you'll still need to decide exactly how you want to send the item back.
Don't accept the default return shipping method
When Amazon asks you to select a return shipping method, Kohl's Dropoff will almost always be the default pre-selected option, but it's not the one you want (unless you need to go to Kohl's anyway).
To get to the UPS Pickup option, you'll have to scroll down and possibly even click on a link that reads something like 2 other return options.
When you finally see the option for UPS Pickup, it should also show the cost as $0.00 (unless, of course, you choose one of the three return reasons that cause Amazon to charge you for this service). Tap or click UPS Pickup then select Confirm Your Return.
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All that's left is packing everything up and setting it out
Follow whatever instructions Amazon gives you, which will probably just be to print out a packing slip and place it in the package with your return.
Tape up the box good and tight -- even over the return label so it won't get damaged -- then put the package near your front door so you don't forget to set it out on the next business day.
You might even want to set a reminder on your phone or with a digital assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant so you don't forget.
If you do happen to forget to leave your return outside for UPS, in the best case scenario UPS will leave a note and attempt pickup two more times. Worst case, the UPS driver will leave a prepaid mailing label that you'll have to apply to the package yourself, then you'll have to cart the thing to the nearest UPS Store or UPS Dropoff location.
Contrary to what some have said (including a part-time reader who often has good recommendations but who blew it big time on this one) that each of the six episodes is better than the previous one, the third is not, and the series then deteriorates over the rest of the episodes. After watching one unreal scene after another, where the writing deteriorated into bad dialogue, and unpredictability devolved into predictability, most viewers just wanted it to be over. In sum, it is such a shame that a series can start off so great and then poof. Oh well.
When it's sunny on the Florida coast, and your rental house has electricity and the coffee makers magically start working, it's beautiful, and earns its motto--The Sunshine State.
Microsoft will be releasing the Microsoft Edge Chromium based browser next month via Windows Update. If you don't want it to be installed automatically here's how to prevent it.
Microsoft's Chromium Edge browser is set to be released January 2020. It will be rolled out to users via Windows Update for all PCs running Windows 10 1803 or newer approximately mid-January.
Microsoft has released the Microsoft Edge Blocker Toolkit that blocks automatic delivery through Windows Update but still allows manual download and installation. It can be used by individuals or businesses who want to prevent automatic deployment. The tool creates a registry value that blocks automatic downloading.
You can modify the registry manually or use the Toolkit. To use the toolkit, download it from Microsoft .
Run the .exe file, which will create three files.
Open an administrative command prompt and enter “EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd” (minus quotes) and press enter. The options to use the toolkit will be displayed. If you want to prevent automatic update, add the block flag to the entry so it reads: “EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd /b” (minus quotes).
To allow the automatic update, from an administrative command prompt the entry would be “EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd /u” (minus quotes).
To add the entry to the registry manually, back up the registry , then open Notepad. Copy and paste this into Notepad to create a reg file:
Save the file to the desktop or other location - give it a descriptive name with a .reg extension, something like BlockEdgeChromium.reg.
Click on it to merge the data into the registry. If you don't feel comfortable with those steps you can download and run the registry file from Bleeping Computer (starts download).
Microsoft Edge Chromium is shaping up to be a solid alternative to Google Chrome. Microsoft has removed the tracking and other intrusive parts of Google Chrome and added some of their own features that include privacy protections. You can download the Beta Channel (most stable), Dev Channel (weekly updates) and Canary Channel (nightly updates) for Windows 7, 8/8.1, 10, macOS, iOS and Android at the Microsoft Edge Insider site.
If Christmas movies have you down, don't be fooled by the title: Home for Christmas is an absolutely delightful and tender story in 6 parts (1/2 hour each). The lead, Ida Elise Broch is superb. The scenes are tightly written and are droll, amusing, heart-warming, or wrenching, or some combination, but always totally engaging. It's a Swedish series so unless you like dubbing, and who does, best to turn on the subtitles.
You can get really messed up if your ocean front house rental has electrical problems so there is no internet, no tv, no stove, no refrigerator, no washer and dryer, and more problems, such that the house is uninhabitable. A brush with death as a car came speeding around a corner as one is walking back from the pizza place across the street to the Hampton Inn where one went to for the night does put in perspective that there are worse things than a disastrous rental house. Also on the saving grace side might be the local handyguy, who is very nice and very helpful and has earned a nice tip whether or not the problems ultimately get solved, Upon reflection, tipping the handyguy just might be the best karma. All that said, two big lessons: (i) before signing up for any vacation rental, be sure the owner lives nearby or the rental unit is handle by an on-site management or realty company; and (ii) pray there will be a really nice handyguy nearby who shares your heritage.
Most, if not nearly all, major car rentals do not charge for a spouse as an extra driver. Alamo, unfortunately, does so charge $10/day. So, if you choose Alamo because its rate looks better than all the alternatives, if you want to have your spouse be able to drive the car as well, be sure to factor in that additional undisclosed cost before choosing and reserving a car from Alamo. That said, for your peace of mind and sanity, if you have been caught in the Alamo-trap, do not burden yourself by looking back to figure out how much your mistake cost you. Just take joy in knowing that you've warned others not to be as ignorant as you were, further confirming how your greatest satisfaction is doing whatever you can to think of others first.
The Senate on Thursday passed the most sweeping retirement bill since the Pension Protection Act of 2006. The SECURE Act, whose progressed had stalled until lawmakers tacked it onto a spending bill, aims to make saving easier. The House already passed the legislation, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law by Friday.
“People need to save as much as possible, and this clears away some of the hurdles to make that happen,” says Michael Townsend, vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs at Charles Schwab.
While the bill smooths the way for retirement savers, it doesn’t pave their path with extra cash. Most Americans haven’t saved nearly enough–in fact, a recent report from the Federal Reserve found that a quarter of Americans have no retirement savings at all–and the bill doesn’t include new incentives to encourage people to make retirement a priority amid other competing needs. “It’s almost like they’re ignoring the elephant in the room,” says Amy Hubble, a certified financial planner and the principal advisor at Radix Financial in Oklahoma City.
Here are five things to know about the legislation:
Your RMDs Will Start age Age 72, not 70 ½
Staring Jan. 1, 2020, the new bill pushes the age at which you need to start withdrawing money from your traditional retirement accounts to age 72 from age 70 ½. These required minimum distributions, as they’re called, are Uncle Sam’s way of finally getting his share of your retirement savings that have grown tax-free for decades. Many retirees need the money from their retirement accounts to live on, so they’re already withdrawing a portion and paying taxes on it before the government requires them to do so. But those who don’t need the money and aren’t yet 70½ will now have more time before that requirement kicks in.
Those who are currently 70½ or older should not interrupt their RMDs but proceed with them as scheduled under current rules, Townsend says. Those who turn 70½ on or after Jan. 1, 2020, are subject to the new rules and will have an extra year and a half before they need to start withdrawals.
You Can Contribute to Your Traditional IRA After Age 70 ½
The law will allow you to contribute to your traditional IRA in the year you turn 70 ½ and beyond, provided you have earned income. This is currently prohibited (although there’s no age cap on contributing to a Roth IRA).
Working past the traditional retirement age of 65 is a great way to shore up your retirement savings. More baby boomers will likely do this if they can, so it makes sense to allow them to continue to save in their traditional IRA and enjoy the tax deduction. “That’s a no-brainer if you’re still working,” Hubble says.
You’ll Have to Pay Taxes on Inherited IRAs Sooner
The bill essentially eliminates the “stretch IRA,” an estate planning method that allows IRA beneficiaries to stretch their distributions from their inherited account — and the required tax payments on them — based on their life expectancy. If you named your grandchild as your beneficiary, for example, most of your account can stay invested for decades past your death, and your grandchild could continue to reap the tax benefits. But under the new law, most beneficiaries will have to withdraw all the distributions from their inherited account and pay taxes on it within 10 years. Exceptions are made for certain beneficiaries, including spouses and the chronically ill or disabled.
This provision is not retroactive and will not affect those who have already inherited an IRA, Townsend says. It will apply to those who inherit them starting on Jan. 1, 2020, and may affect the estate planning of those planning to pass on an IRA to a non-spouse.
You May See a New Annuity Option in Your 401(k)
It’s pretty straightforward to save for retirement in a 401(k), but it’s another matter to calculate how to turn your life savings into a sustainable income stream once you’ve retired. Annuities are insurance products that help with this complicated task by turning a lump sum into lifetime guaranteed income. However, many companies have hesitated to offer them in their 401(k) plan for fear that they could be held liable if something bad happens with the insurer. The bill gives increased legal cover to employers, and experts expect it to open the way for more annuity options in 401(k) plans.
Olivia Mitchell, professor of insurance and risk management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, cheered the development. She has studied what would happen if a person upon retirement at age 65 buys a deferred income annuity whose payments won’t start until age 85, and says her research shows that guaranteed income substantially increases well-being in older age. What’s more, such deferred annuities are relatively inexpensive, so this peace of mind comes at an affordable cost. Deferred income annuities in 401(k) plans are known as Qualified Longevity Annuity Contracts (QLACs).
Some critics have expressed concern that workers could be given the option of buying a complicated, expensive annuity that don’t understand and ultimately don’t need, such as a variable annuity. But employers will still have to analyze the costs of any annuity they’re offering to their workers, says Jim Szostek, vice president, taxes and retirement security for the American Council of Life Insurers. ” They’re going to have to do a cost-benefit analysis,” Szostek says. “They’re still on the hook for that.”
If You Work Part-Time or for a Small Business, You May Have a 401(k) for the First Time
It costs companies time and money to provide 401(k) accounts to their employees, and large companies generally have more resources to do so. About half of small and mid-sized businesses don’t offer retirement accounts to their workers, according to a 2017 survey by Pew Charitable Trusts.
But that could begin to change. The legislation makes it easier for small businesses to band together to offer retirement plans. Such multi-employer plans are rare these days because current law requires participating companies to be similar, like from the same industry. The new law removes this requirement to allow any combination of small businesses to join together to achieve economies of scale. The law removed another hurdle to multi-employer plans by saying that all members of a group can no longer punished if one company turns out to be a “bad apple” that fails to follow the rules.
Separately, the law would also require employers who offer to 401(k)s to expand access to part-time workers who work at least 500 hours a year for three consecutive years or 1,000 hours for one year.
