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• Commented on Ben Popken Says Farewell To Consumerist.com
  I miss you already....
• Commented on Now You Can Watch Baseball Live On Your PS3
  I should add that I'm referring to Extra Innings, not MLB.tv, which is terrible....
• Commented on Now You Can Watch Baseball Live On Your PS3
  It's great not just for people who follow an out-of-market team, but also people who play fantasy baseball and want to check in on "their" players, or if there's a particularly good matchup or pitcher that you want to watch....
• Commented on VOTE: Choose Who Gets The Last 5 Spots In The 2010 Worst Company Tournament
  Agreed....
• Commented on Whatever This IKEA Couch Is, It Must Be Good For Napping
  I have that couch and it is amazing for napping....
• Posted to The Consumerist
  Don't Forget a Flu Shot for the Holidays "Holiday gatherings can be an ideal place to catch an infection. Here are three good reasons to get an H1N1 and seasonal flu shot (or nose spray) right now." [Consumer Reports Health]...
• Posted Heads-Up FedEx Driver Makes Bonus Delivery Attempt to The Consumerist
  Reader Chris and his girlfriend were spared a long rush-hour drive through hideous Boston traffic because a FedEx driver making a large delivery to a single location had the good sense to load up his spare truck space with packages bound for nearby addresses. Chris writes:Hi consumerist, Just wanted to pass along "above and beyond" kudos to a Fedex driver who saved us a ton of time today. Backstory: I work from home in the Boston area when not traveling on business. Since I've been doing a lot less travel recently my GF and I have gotten in the habit...
• Posted to The Consumerist
  Eight Medical Tests You Don't Need "More than 40 percent of routine preventive exams included D-rated tests, according to a 2006 study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Many of those tests should be limited to people who have symptoms or risk factors for specific conditions. Listed below are several tests that healthy and average risk people generally don't need." [Consumer Reports Health]...
• Commented on FTC Online Mall Teaches Tweens About Online Privacy, Scammers
  Tween may refer to: Preadolescence, the stage between middle childhood and adolescence in human development, generally in the age range of 10 to 14 years of age. Because the FTC's release indicates it's aimed at 5th-8th graders, this term is...
• Posted FTC Online Mall Teaches Tweens About Online Privacy, Scammers to The Consumerist
  This month, the Federal Trade Commission unveiled You Are Here, a virtual mall where kids can learn to avoid online scams, spot misleading ads, and learn good habits to be smart consumers. From the FTC's release: At the FTC’s online mall, visitors play games, watch short animated films, and interact with customers and store owners. They can design and print advertisements for a shoe store, investigate suspicious claims in ads and sales pitches, learn to identify the catches behind bogus modeling schemes and vacation offers, and guess the retail prices of various candies based on their supply, demand, and production...
• Posted to The Consumerist
  How Not to Take a Holiday Photo "Why didn't I get my shot? There were a number of things I didn't dothat would have made this a very memorable shot. So that you don't suffer the same fate, here's a short list to check before taking your holiday shots with your digital camera:" [Consumer Reports Electronics]...
• Posted to The Consumerist
  Is Romance Ruining Your Waistline? "A study looked at almost 1300 'romantic partners' and found women who lived with a partner for at least a year increased the likelihood of being obese. For men, the odds of being obese doubled after 1 year of cohabitation. The study also found that couples who lived together for two or more years were significantly more likely to have at least one partner be obese, and they were also less physically active than couples who were dating. " [Consumer Reports Health]...
• Posted McDonald's Manager To Transgender Woman: We Don't Hire [Gay Slur] to The Consumerist
  A Florida McDonald's has been sued for refusing to hire a transgender woman. The applicant, 17-year-old Zikerria Bellamy, says that after she didn't check a gender box on the application, then reluctantly selected male, she was refused an interview by two managers, one of whom then left her an bigoted voicemail. According to the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, Florida agencies in the past have ruled that gender identity is a protected class under Florida's human rights law, and the McDonald's manager didn't help things by leaving a voicemail insulting the applicant and telling her that "we don't hire...
• Posted to The Consumerist
  Repellents and insecticides linked to birth defects in baby boys "New research from England suggests that there’s something else to be careful about during pregnancy: insect repellents and insecticides. Researchers looked at 471 baby boys born with a malformation called hypospadias, where the opening of the penis appears on the underside, rather than the tip." [Consumer Reports Health]...
• Posted to The Consumerist
  Eight Ways to Cut Your Cell Phone Bill "Looking to shave some dollars from your monthly cell phone bill? Here are 8 tips for cutting costs, whether you’re switching carriers or just looking to fine-tune your service plan. " [Consumer Reports Electronics]...
• Posted to The Consumerist
  You’re Worth It: 12 Holiday Gifts to Yourself "Here are 12 health-enhancing gifts you can feel good about buying yourself this holiday season or anytime. All are based on our independent testing and research, so you know they’re worth buying." [Consumer Reports Health]...
• Commented on Register Now For The Consumers Union Activist Summit
  CU works with Pew on food safety issues. Whenever I go to meetings at Pew or with people from Pew, I'm thinking about laser guns the entire time....
• Posted AT&T: Want To Tell Us We Suck? There's An App For That to The Consumerist
  AT&T has debuted an iPhone app that will let AT&T/iPhone users submit reports when they experience poor phone service. This will be a popular app. The new "AT&T Mark the Spot," available via the iTunes store, lets customers inform AT&T when they suffer dropped calls, failed calls, no coverage, data failure, or poor voice quality. The iPhone's GPS features are used to provide location data so AT&T can see all the various places in DC and New Orleans where I can't check my mail. Users can also report whether this happens once, seldom, often, or always. A screenshot of the...
• Posted to The Consumerist
  Five Tips to Help Beat Holiday Stress "So far this year, three quarters of U.S. adults report moderate to high levels of stress, according to a recent survey by the American Psychological Association. As you multitask your way through the season, here are 5 tips to help you cope with holiday stress." [Consumer Reports Health]...
• Posted Senate Introduces Bill To Rein In Early Termination Fees to The Consumerist
  Yesterday, four senators introduced legislation to make cell phone early termination fees be actually related to the cost of the phone. The "Cell Phone Early Termination Fee, Transparency, and Fairness Act" or "Cell Phone ETF Act" (we're not sure where the other TF went) would direct the FCC to require service providers to Prorate a customer's ETF over the term of the service contract Link the amount of the ETF to the cost the provider paid for the phone, minus whatever price the customer has already paid at the beginning oft he contract Clearly disclose the ETF at the beginning...
• Posted to The Consumerist
  Comcast/NBC Deal: What It May Mean for Consumers We've already weighed in, now check out why Consumer Reports and Consumers Union think this merger will hurt consumers. [Consumer Reports Electronics]...
• Commented on Diablo 2 Scammer Inadvertently Shines Spotlight On Self
  I slaughter cows for XP and unique drops in my backyard....
• Posted Why A Comcast/NBC Merger Is Bad News to The Consumerist
  As the Comcast/NBC mergepocalypse draws near, we wanted to remind readers of the ways that this is going to harm consumers (beyond the obvious things like 30 Rock being promised to come on between 6 and 10 pm and actually airing at 11:30). Join us for a sad look into the future. Let's Just Look At What Comcast/NBC Would Own TV Stations: NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo, Chiller, CNBC World, mun2, Oxygen, Sleuth, Syfy, Universal HD, USA Network, The Weather Channel, E! Entertainment Channel, G4, Golf Channel, PBS Kids Sprout, Style, TV one, Versus, CN8, Exercise TV, FEARnet, AZN Television, a...
• Posted to The Consumerist
  Get ready for more user-friendly bank sites—and more upsell "Online banking is going Amazon. Expect pop-ups, smart windows, slideshows, how-to videos, all the bells and whistles. Sarcasm aside, you have to wonder if the retail model is right for banking." [Consumer Reports Money]...
• Posted to The Consumerist
  Outraged By Credit Card Companies Tricks? Let 'em Know If you're fed up with your credit card company hitting you with more fees, higher APRs, and increased minimum payments, let them know. Consumers Union has set up a site where you can send messages to the biggest credit card companies telling them to cut out the sneaky crap and stop opposing credit card reform legislation. [Consumer Reports Money]...
• Posted Buy A Home, Get Free Can Of Food to The Consumerist
  As if the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers wasn't enough, Clayton Homes, a Tennessee-based seller of manufactured, modular, and mobile homes, is offering a little something to sweeten the deal: a can of pork and beans. Although there's no mention of the promo on the Clayton Homes website, an animated GIF running on the website for the Columbia Daily Herald lays out the details: buy a home from Clayton Homes before the end of the year, and receive a can of VanCamp's Pork and Beans in Tomato Sauce. Thanks Sherry!...
• Posted to The Consumerist
  "Q: Is it true that high-fructose corn syrup can damage your liver? A: It’s unclear, though there are other good reasons for limiting your intake of the sweetener." [Consumer Reports Health]...
• Posted to The Consumerist
  Black Friday: Last-Minute Shopping Tips Even though electronics goods are often at their lowest prices of the year on Black Friday, there are still a few tips to help ensure you get not only the best deal, but also some peace of mind once you bring the item home. [Consumer Reports Electronics]...
• Commented on You Can Buy Used ATMs On Craigslist
  Yeah that bothered me too, especially when the reporter kept calling it by its proper name and he didn't get the hint....
• Posted You Can Buy Used ATMs On Craigslist to The Consumerist
  Even if you always look for skimmers and hidden cameras when you use an ATM, you still might be a victim of identity theft if the ATM is later sold on eBay or Craigslist. A data security expert in Boston demonstrated this vulnerability. After searching Craigslist for a seller, he found a bar owner looking to liquidate assets. He paid $750 for the ATM, and after a hacker friend looked over the accompanying manual, he was able to get 1,000 account numbers to print out. Video is available here. His local Fox affiliate is running a series on the story,...

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