Herding Cats: Citigroup Hacked, NBA Lockout and the eHarmony Crazy Cat Lady

^{Image courtesy of ICanHasCheezburger}

This week we have credit card fraud news, things to get for free and for a dollar, the presidential election season, NBA lockout news, Anthony Weiner (groan), and crazy cat ladies seem to be getting younger.

Consumerism Commentary: Hackers Steal Credit Card Numbers From 200,000 Citi Customers - A good head's up for everyone, not just Citi customers.  The good news is that when this happens, credit card companies jump on it and customers aren't liable for fraudulent charges.  But it's still a VERY good idea to keep a close watch on your credit card bill to check for strange charges that fraud protection might miss.  Watch those debit cards as well, as it's harder to reclaim debit cash than it is a fraudulent credit charge.  The bad news is that you can have every bit of anti-spyware or anti-virus on your computer, and this won't protect you from a bank's central database getting hacked.  You can at least alert the bank to a charge, which could alert the bank to a potential hack.

Mint.com: The Geek's Guide to Getting Almost Anything for Free - Always trust a geek.  There is such thing as a free lunch--well, maybe not a free lunch, but free stuff.  Check out this post for good sources for finding free stuff.  It's not totally off the wall.  I'm going to be moving soon, and if I can't unload stuff after a garage sale, I might just give it away.  Better than moving stuff I don't need, so Craigslist is a good place for just this situation.  Free samples galore are also possible.

Wisebread: What Can You Buy for $1 These Days? - Not as good as free, but still pretty good.  Wisebread lists everything you can get for a dollar.  Some of these are silly, like a foot massage in the Philippines.  So how much does it cost to get to the Philippines?  But some of these are useful, and show that there really are dirt cheap bargains out there.  Not quite the bargain of penny candy, but maybe the dollar is the new penny--and in 50 years, these things will seem like a crazy bargain.

Bargaineering: Pawlenty Suggests New Tax Structure & The Google Test - The presidential election season is swinging into gear, and first up with an economic proposal is Tim Pawlenty.  While the mantra of Republicans has always been "low taxes," it's not quite feasible to rein in debt without raising taxes.  Cutting every program won't solve the problem, as it could increase other problems like unemployment and curtail consumer spending.  Also, can't quite get on board with the Google test, "If you can find a good or service on the Internet, then the federal government probably doesn't need to be doing it."  Uh, what?  Everything is on the internet. 

Fox Sports: Fruitless talks make lockout inevitable  - So the ratings are up this year for the NBA finals--and with good reason because it's been a great series--but it looks like a lockout is inevitable.  The owners say that costs are going up, while revenue is stagnant in a down economy. In a $4 billion a year industry, it's hard to see how a deal couldn't be made. But players looking for more money to add to their already-bloated salaries aren't so sympathetic either.  In the meantime, go Mavs! 

CBS News: How to Know if Your Significant Other is Cheating Online - No way to talk about this week without mentioning Anthony Weiner.  In internet time, it seems like the distant past--or maybe I'm just sick of hearing about it. In the wake of the scandal, there have been a lot of articles like this one.  Some of these tips are good, though "goes on Facebook a lot" applies to millions and millions of non-cheating people.  Better to not have suspicion turn into paranoia. 

Meanwhile, here's a keeper, and this week's viral hit.  Pretty absolutely certain it's fake though.



I think she likes cats, though I may be reading into it. So how about you:  Tried online dating?  Love cats?