April 04, 2007
Bank of America, Evil
Bank of America has never had a very good reputation with me. Banks that become too big and impersonal just stink. Depressing news came from them yesterday, too: they are cancelling their support of The Linux Fund. My Linux Fund credit card has been the only card I've ever used. When the card was owned by MBNA, it would donate 1% of all of my purchases to the Linux Fund, which then used the money to support open source projects. BoA I guess decided that altruism was not profitable, and decided to can the program. Full letter text below.
Dear KEVIN WIGHTMAN:Thank you for your participation in the Linux Fund Credit Card Program. Bank of America, the provider of your Linux Fund credit card, and Linux Fund recently agreed to discontinue the existing credit card program effective June 30, 2007.
What does this mean to you as a Linux Fund credit card customer?
We are pleased to upgrade your account to our WorldPoints® credit card program* with no annual fee. You will not need to do anything with your credit card. We will not be issuing a new credit card to replace your Linux Fund credit card until the expiration date, unless a new card is requested (provided your account is in good standing). Your account number will remaind the same.
Transactions made between your June 2007 statement closing date and July 1, 2007 will not earn points.
Starting on July 1, 2007, you will be eligible to earn points under the Bank of America WorldPoints program and your rewards can be viewed on www.bankofamerica.com/worldpoints.
Your new rewards program allows you to earn WorldPoints rewards that can be redeemed for merchandise, travel, gift certificates, or cash. This upgrade will not affect the use of your credit card, and you will begin earning points on your July 2007 statement.
With the new Bank of America WorldPoints program, earning points i seasy. There's no annual fee, and you will earn one point for each $1 of new retail purchases**. You may also choose to redeem your WorldPoints rewards for merchandise from leading brands such as Pottery Barn®, Sony®, and Gap® or at restaurants such as Ruth's Chris® and TGI Friday's®. Check out the WorldPoints rewards web site at www.bankofamerica.com/worldpoints for more details.
We encourage you to continue using your card, and we will continue providing you with the exception credit card service that you eserve. We also offer a wide variety of financial products. If you would like to discuss some of our exciting product choices, please call us at 1-800-421-2110.
Sincerely,
D. Reeves
Vice President
Bank of America*Continued use of the credit card requires account to be open and available for use in accordance with the terms of the Credit Card Agreement
**Certain restrictions apply to each benefit. Visit www.bankofamerica.com/worldpoints for additional information.
It's all so depressing. I wonder if/when the Linux Fund will find another credit card company willing to take them on. They really have done a lot of good for a lot of projects. Plus I like having Tux on my credit card...it puts me in a unique class of Geek.
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Further back...
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Previous Trips...
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Hiking Mount Whitney, 2007 
Spring Break in West Virginia, 2005
New Year's in Paris, 2003-2004
Coming to America, 2003
Protesting in Berlin, 2003
Prague Bier-Tour, 2002
Dresden, 2002
Recent Reading
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The Curve of Binding Energy
John McPhee follows famous physicist Ted Taylor in this piece that was -- and probably still -- ahead of its time.
Originally published in 1973, McPhee outlined the coming security and environmental issues surrounding the plutonium enrichment processes. For the most part, though, McPhee invites the reader to draw his or her own conclusions, although he does point out the ease with which any number of people could obtain the material (though not necessarily the manufacturing prowess) to make an atomic weapon.
The question still sits in my mind after reading -- are we being too paranoid, or not paranoid enough?
Rated 
by reid
on October 01, 2007
by reid
on October 01, 2007
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Zodiac
Zodiac touts itself as an 'eco-thriller,' and it is just that. Told from the first-person perspective of ST (or Sangamon Taylor), the book recounts a roughly six-month period of his life busting big corporations for violating environmental laws.
Not the tree-hugging political activist type, ST is equipped with chem labs, scuba divers, maps, and an organization (GEE International, the Group of Environmental Extremists) that masterfully brings the press into the fold to scare the public with the very real dangers posed by illegal dumping. It's sort of a Sierra Club member's wet dream -- a band of ecowarriors that actually get things done.
ST finds something odd happening in Boston Harbor during his tale: a new form of pollution that could poison everyone on the planet in a matter of weeks. His quest to uncover exactly who and what is causing the latest spike in toxins goes all the way up to the President of the United States, and could end up costing him his own life.
While a neat and fast-paced tale, the novel drags on a bit toward the end, begging disbelief from even the most forgiving sci-fi folk. While not as good as his latest offerings, it's still a great read for those that enjoy a good Stephenson novel (or even those who don't).
Rated 
by reid
on July 17, 2005
by reid
on July 17, 2005
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Cat's Cradle
A few years ago, I attempted to woo an online datee, and she immediately criticized me for my politics. I protested the war on Iraq, which was "a shame." She defended her position of complete noninvolvement by standing behind Vonnegut.
It may seem odd to open a review that way. My assumption is now not that she was an idiot, but that she had only read Cat's Cradle, and only with a rather odd viewpoint.
Cat's Cradle looks at a cold-war world where the personifications of religious, political, and scientific single-mindedness collide to destroy the world.
Vonnegut tells a masterful tale, but it makes me wonder what one person's indifference would do to prevent us from all dying? So for now I will continue to unblindly stop unjust wars, even while I'm only reading.
Rated by reid
on July 17, 2005
by reid
on July 17, 2005