Sunday, March 12, 2006

Better Buy That Shredder

Rob at Cockeyed.com has just announced the results of an experiment on applying for a credit card.

I get a heck of a lot of credit card applications in the mail. 

I almost always tear them in half and throw them away. Sometimes, if I am feeling particularly paranoid, I’ll tear them into little bitty pieces.

Is that good enough? Could a determined and dexterous criminal gather all the bits, tape them together and apply for a card in my name?

To find out, Rob tore up a Chase credit card application into about 15 pieces, taped them together, “changed” his address to his parent’s house, “changed” his phone number to his cell phone, and sent the application in.

Would Rob receive his card? It doesn’t seem likely. On its web site, Chase advises:

If you receive financial solicitations that you’re not interested in, tear them up before throwing them away, so thieves can’t use them to assume your identity.

But Rob did receive his card at his “new” address. And he used his “new” number to activate it.

Well, I gottta go. I’m off to buy a shredder…

Posted by Richard Bloch

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Monday, March 06, 2006

Everywhere You Look

There are seemingly endless choices of stock imagery art directors can choose from. So why is it that the same models seem to crop up over and over again?

The best known example is the “Everywhere Girl.” And I hope she was paid a fortune because her likeness is all over the web.

In fact, her image caused a bit of a ruckus about a year and half ago when she appeared on both the Dell and the Gateway sites simultaneously.

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Posted by Richard Bloch

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Sunday, March 05, 2006

Just Ask...

A guy named Tom Locke is testing out what he calls The $39 Experiment.

Basically, he’s invested in a roll of stamps to send letters to 100 companies asking for free stuff.

The results so far look encouraging.

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Posted by Richard Bloch

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Saturday, March 04, 2006

Won by Mercedes-Benz

When you were in school, your English composition teacher probably told you to use active voice and avoid passive voice in your writing.

I tend to agree. Active voice is more natural, more conversational, and more approachable than passive voice. But as with most rules for effective writing, there are exceptions.

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Posted by Richard Bloch

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