Wednesday, 17 November 2010
First, remember that I posted some new videos about the Watchtower Society’s latest brochure? If not, CLICK HERE. A couple of days after I posted those video, I received an email from a woman who wanted me to “tell my story” so she could put it on the Jehovah’s Witness Blog. I wrote back and said I’ve already told my stories in various other outlets and I gave her a link to one of them. But then she asked if she could use one of those. So I said, “sure,” and I proceeded to half-assedly mash a couple of my autobiographical articles together. She liked what I sent her, and now it’s posted on the home page to the JW Blog (click that link, above).
Second, want to take part in a prayer survey? If so, CLICK HERE.
Third, I received an email in my Hamline account. This account has been practically dormant for several months now, but last Friday, a man named James Scott wrote:
Dear Student,
We are looking for college students for our online market research program.
This is a part-time job position which offers a competitive pay, and allows you to set your own schedule. You will be asked to provide your opinions and feedback on a variety of topics including the quality, packaging, style, usability, and overall appeal of a number of different types of products and services. This in turn will benefit the companies that create or manufacture these items. The program is web-based and can be done from anywhere and at anytime.
If you are interested, please email me back soon, as positions are limited.
Sincerely,
James Scott
So I wrote:
Mr. Scott:
I’d be interested in learning more. If this is a strictly online job, I would probably have plenty of time to do this. However, if I have to invest any money up front, then this is a scam, in which case I do not wish to receive any response at all.
Thanks.
-James
“Woe, woe, woe!” you say. “That’s a pretty confrontational response for someone who claims to dislike arguing.” Yes, yes, very true. But see, this guy has emailed me twice before, and I had checked into his offer. Basically, you have to pay thirty bucks to register, and then (the site claims) you will start making money as you take online surveys. But I’m already signed up with other online survey-taking sites, that I DO get paid for and for which I did NOT have to pay anything up front. Second, why the upfront fee? If I’m gonna make the money back anyway, then why don’t they just set it up so that you don’t get paid for your first two or three surveys? Third, I can’t think of anytime I had to put money down first before making money, unless there was a good chance I wouldn’t make the money back (such as at casinos). So…I say it’s a scam. Mr. Scott is free to correct me.
Anyway, he wrote back:
Hi,
Thank you very much for your interest.
For more information please go to our website: http://www.UniversitySurvey.org
If you have any additional questions please fill in the form on our website or email me at j.scott@UniversitySurvey.org.
I look forward to doing business with you.
Best regards,
James Scott
So, today, I wrote:
Mr. Scott:
In my initial response to your email, I said “if I have to invest any money up front, then this is a scam, in which case I do not wish to receive any response at all.” The link to UniversitySurvey.org that you provided clearly shows that there is a membership fee, meaning I have to invest money up front. Though I appreciate your ability to construct emails in coherent English (something I can’t say for most of the spam I receive), your reading comprehension evidently leaves something to be desired. Thanks for deliberately violating my request.
-James
So he wrote:
[nothing]
Thursday, 18 November 2010
I found a quarter on the floor at work today. I stopped to pick it up. I was walking down the hall with a co-worker, and he said: “Ah, but would you pick it up if had been a penny?”
My quick answer was yes, a decision I made a long time ago. Specifically, it was in the 1990s, when I read the book The Straight Dope. Here’s what that book had to say on the topic: Is it worth it to pick up a penny?
The Straight Dope argues that, since we can pick up pennies at a rate faster than we can earn minimum wage, then it is worth it to pick up pennies. Sounded good to me…for about a day. But then I remembered: I was making more than minimum wage…so would it still be worth it for me? And then I also realized: “Hey, the money I pick up is in addition to the money I am making at my job.” Just like today, I found the quarter while ‘on the clock,’ and therefore made an extra 25 cents (after taxes!) that hour. Had I found the quarter this evening, while running errands, then I still would have made 25 cents more than I was otherwise making (which was zero).
Here’s an article that says much the same thing: More info on picking up a penny. (This article even considers if it’s worth it for Bill Gates to pick up a penny, among other insights.)
And in case that isn’t quit enough on pennies, here’s a more scientific approach (including factoring in the caloric requirements for such a task): Abstract on Pennies.