Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with cards

Where can I get a set of loteria cards in Toronto?

greatgefilte — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:14:25 -0800

Where can I get a set of loteria cards in Toronto?

How can do I do those crazy card tricks?

jasonspaceman — Sat, 03 May 2008 19:47:31 -0800

I've recently been enamored by card tricks that appear to be magic. Can anyone suggest reputable teachers/mentors and study guides?

Help me clear up some conflicting info.

Ceci n'est pas une marionnette de chaussette — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:46:27 -0800

Two quick computer hardware questions before I try setting up a new drive. Ok, so I'm going to be buying some new hardware soon and I just want to clear up any confusion before I buy something I don't really want.

I'll looking to buy a PCI-X RAID controller card but I only have open basic PCI slots on my motherboard. Are PCI-X cards backwards compatible by default? My local computer store rep says no, but a geeky friend claimed yes, and the rep must have been thinking of PCI-E.

Also, I'll be putting together a 3.75TB array, but it won't be my boot disk. Will I have any problems with that under windows XP SP2? Again some folks have told me XP can't handle anything above 2TB at all, when others have said it'll be fine as long as it's not the boot disk.

So I guess both of these questions come down to the fact that I trust you, dear hive mind, more then random sales reps or computer dudes I know.

Thanks!

Cynicism or Honest Mistake?

Rafaelloello — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 10:27:04 -0800

US Bank Credit Card(REI VISA Card) My bank account was double-billed for my full payment. I have been using this account and paying online for about a year with no prior problems. **Preamble: I have been paying bills on the internet since the day after Al Gore invented it, and have traded stocks online since Charles Schwab introduced its DOS-based "Equalizer" software circa 1991 on a 2400baud modem, so I know most of the ins and outs of online financial transfers. More to the point, I know to *NEVER* hit the authorize("submit", "make payment" or whatever button twice). End Old fart Seniority claim**

Anyway, My US Bank REI Visa card that I use for just about 99% of my day-to-day purchases was double-collected this month, to the tune of $2900 X 2. This is the only credit card I have that doesn't have the "automatically pay my full balance every month" option, but there are certain other advantages to using it, so I still use this as my mainstay, manually making my online payment every month.

Last Sunday, still several days short of the payment due date, I was able to log on No We're doing maintenance right now... message, just a regular logon, was able to access my account. When I went to pay, the site told me that I had no payment account set up and I would need to set one up, which is crap because I already have a payment account set up and have been using it every month to pay this card for almost a year. I figured they were doing maintenance and just logged out.

Monday mid-day I logged in and everything looked fine and I paid my full balance as usual. I can't remember what, but something wasn't right/didn't look right at the end of the transaction. I know not to use the "back" button, not to reauthorize, etc. so I just closed the browser and decided I would look on Tuesday and wouldn't be the least bit surprised if I saw no payment, as I figured they were probably toiling with a weekend upgrade gone awry.

Tuesday I checked and guess what? I've got two payments for $2900 credited to my account. Wonderful. Called customer service and they agreed to fix it post haste. I told them that it was even OK if the money came out of my account twice and went back in once, even if it took a day or two (luckily I have enough to cover the double payment, I know a lot of people would be in a much worse situation if a large payment was double-taken). Today I checked online and no further activity indicated in either account(both withdrawals taken from my payment account, Wed, I think). I just fired off a nasty email to my CC company.

I'm willing to accept the remote possibility that I caused this situation through fat-fingering. I just thought I would check in and see if anybody (particularly those that pay their bills in full every month) have seen any other strange goings-on. I know I'm providing $2900 of additional short-term liquidity to US Bank that I wasn't planning on. I was merely wondering if anyone else has found themselves in a similar vessel?

How to craft a condolence card?

Dasein — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:22:30 -0800

My girlfriend's grandfather has just died. I would like to send some flowers to her mother and her grandmother, but in this kind of situation I never know what to say on the cards that sounds sincere without being too sentimental. I'd like to send two bouquets. The will be to her mother, which I'll send in the morning. I would also like to send a second either to her grandmother directly or to the funeral. Any ideas on which would be most appropriate?

But my main question: what do I say on the cards? I didn't know her grandfather well, since he hasn't been in great shape the last few years, but I'm not sure that's even relevant. The problem I have is that "My condolences" seems not personal enough, "My sincere condolences" seems insincere," etc.

How do you convey your personal sympathies briefly, sincerely, in a manner that will be appreciated?

Recommend an internet print shop?

wubbie — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:44:51 -0800

Recommend an internet print shop that offers the standard business cards and letterhead, but prints on an actual press and not just (gross) digital printing with glossy coatings? Also interested if you know of any internet-based shops offering production effects like embossing. I know some are offering spot gloss varnishes at this point.

Is it time for a credit card?

fogster — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:31:50 -0800

Should I sign up for a credit card right now? If so, from where? I'm an unemployed college student. I'm due to graduate in May, and currently have no job since I'm a full-time student. (I'm looking for "real" jobs for when I graduate.) I'll delve into (much) more detail in a minute, but the basic gist is that people keep telling me I need to get a "real" credit card to build history, but I think now may be a bad time.

I should also disclaim that I'm extremely contemptuous and distrusting of the credit industry. I believe that they, as an industry, have gone out of their way to exploit people with financial problems; I find it repulsive that they're exempt from usury laws; I'm yet to find a credit card company that doesn't engage in one sleazy practice or another. More than anything, though, I have major issues with credit reporting: I never asked to be put in a database with some random third-party group, and I think my financial data is the last thing in the world they have a right to know anything about. I realize that it's very helpful to banks, but that doesn't appease me. Not only is it a (creepy) invasion of my privacy, but I have major issues with them being the definitive word on whether I'm creditworthy or not. (It'd be like if I spontaneously declared that I was the "Job Rating Bureau" and kept files on every person in America, every time they've been disciplined at work, every place they ever worked, for how long, and also reported when people applied for jobs. And then, when someone went to apply for a job, the company would contact me to ask what I thought of them. Oh, and employees could only see my ranking of them once a year. And that's only because Congress forced my hand.)</rant>

So I acknowledge that some of my reluctance is that opening a credit card is "giving in" and playing by their rules. But I also think it just doesn't make sense at this point in my life:

- I have no job. I last had a job this past summer.

- I have about $2,000 to my name. It's in a local credit union, which has also issued me a (Visa-branded) "check card," which works as both a debit card and an ATM. The money just comes out of my checking account. This works very well for me.

- I have around $10,000 in student loans. I consider myself pretty prudent in this regard: they don't officially become payable until I graduate (and then I have the ridiculously long time they allow), but back when I did have a job, I worked on paying down monthly accrued interest and a small amount of principal.

- My 2007 tax return was for about $7,000 in income. (I consider this quite good for a no-skill summer job, but the point is that current debt, technically, outweighs my annual income. Further, I don't even have the job anymore.)

Also, I was turned down for an auto loan a couple years ago. (I had about $13,000 in the bank, and was seeking to buy a car for about that amount, but my mom convinced me I should try for a loan to build credit rating. So I applied for a $4,000 loan and was turned down.)

As I understand it, applying for a credit card and getting turned down would hurt my credit further. I almost signed up for the Costco AmEx card, but this thread got me worried about AmEx's apparent obsession with putting accounts under "financial review" at inopportune times and demanding years of financial data. If your answer is that I should apply for a card now, I'm also soliciting recommendations for a company that doesn't seek to cheat me too badly. I should note that, because I hate spending money I don't have, I expect to pay cards off in full, so I'm actually not too sensitive to interest rates.

I have no military links, so USAA is out. And thanks for reading this far; this came out to be a long one!

Good Accounting Software Recommendation

deadparrot — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:23:22 -0800

I work for a billing company and we would like to use an accounting software that can process credit cards and deposit the funds into our clients respective bank accounts. Does anyone have any experience doing this or have any recommendations?

The tip of the tongue, taking a trip to the foreignerland.

GrooveStix — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:51:23 -0800

I am in a search of a program that will help me memorize words... I am an avid reader, but since English is my second language, I've been using dictionary a lot. I've noticed that I had to look up the same words twice, thrice and so on, so for some time I've been thinking about making a word collection and sticking everything on my wall in a post-it-note fashion. Now, writing every word down will prove a tedious task. For example, I was reading Nabokov's Lolita (which by the way, molested me on more than one level) :) and I can't even remember how many times I had to look through a dictionary per single paragraph.

What I am looking for is software or something, that will automate the whole process, where I copy/paste a certain definition in the program (or whatever) and that would create (PDF perhaps?) pages that I can later print, cut and stick on my wall.

Does anybody know something resembling what I am describing?

Speciality Business Cards

Hands of Manos — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 15:39:57 -0800

Print shops that will do specialty cut business cards on good paper I'm in the process of designing my business cards however I'd like to have the ability to get a special cut or paper. I've been searching all over google for print shops that do this but I'd like some recommendations from the hive mind.

Examples of what I'd like a print shop to do would be like this:
example 1
example 2
example 3

and ESPECIALLY something like this:
example

I have a budget, but I'm willing to drop some cash on some special made biz cards. So please give me your suggestions for print shops that will work with you with stuff like this

"We're not worthy!!!!!"

arishaun — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:13:05 -0800

Help me write a mini-note in a holiday card to an influential person... This past April, I had the chance to go on a school trip that involved meeting some of my favorite all-time artists. My birthday happened to fall during the trip and the one artist I wanted to meet the most (who happens to be quite well-known) was scheduled for that day.

To make a long story short, this man went out of his way to make my roommate (it was also her birthday) and I feel quite special that day. He even gave us numbered and signed prints of drawing studies he'd done on our birthdays 10 years ago. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. So much so that I nearly cried right then and there.

I am now in process of making out my holiday cards and am including him as a recipient. I'd like to send him a note with the card letting him know just how much that visit meant to me without sounding too fan-girl. However, I'm stuck on this......what should I write?

Seventies cheese, anyone?

heavenstobetsy — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 09:03:33 -0800

I've decided to make my own Christmas cards this year. But I'm having trouble deciding what to say inside them. I've gone through the internet and have picked out random pictures of peoples families from the 70's at Christmas time. I just need something witty to put on the inside. Any ideas?"

I CAN HAS HOLIDAYS?

phaedon — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:56:09 -0800

Looking for a store that sells professional, customizable, high-quality Christmas cards. Quality and efficiency is everything. I work for an entertainment company that would like to be able to send cards to clients and prospective clients. Cards have to look modern (not overly-religious, sleek design), made of quality paper, preferably include a corporate logo that I supply, and include some kind of standard message, that again, I supply. Are there any online stores that could turn around a batch of such cards by Christmas? Cost-effective solutions a plus.

T minus ??? til debt free

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:46:49 -0800

How long will it actually take me to pay off this debt!?! Current CC debt as of this month:

Credit Card #1:
Balance: $21,360 @ 11.5%
Minimum payment: $427

Credit Card #2:
Balance: $4,442 @ 15.4%
$3,146 @ 1.99%
Minimum payment: $137

Total debt: $28,948
Total due each month: $564

Currently I am paying $950 a month towards the CC's, where I'm paying the minimum payment on CC #1, and putting whatever is left of the $950 towards CC #2. Once CC #2 is paid off, 100% of the money will go towards CC #1. Right now, $950 is the absolute maximum I can put towards the cards.

Every February when I get a raise, I'll put an extra $100 towards paying them off each month.

In April 2009, my $160 a month car loan will be paid off which will then go towards the CC's. My car is in great condition, and I plan on driving the car as long as I can until it dies.

Each February when I receive my tax return, I'll be putting $1000 towards the CC's.

Here's the breakdown over the next few years:

December 2007: $950
January 2008: $950
February 2008: $1050 + ($1000 tax return)
March 2008: $1050
April 2008: $1050
May 2008: $1050
June 2008: $1050
July 2008: $1050
August 2008: $1050
September 2008: $1050
October 2008: $1050
November 2008: $1050
December 2008: $1050
January 2009: $1050
February 2009: $1150 + ($1000 tax return)
March 2009: $1150
April 2009: $1310 (car now paid off)
May 2009: $1310
June 2009: $1310
July 2009: $1310
August 2009: $1310
September 2009: $1310
October 2009: $1310
November 2009: $1310
December 2009: $1310
January 2010: $1310
February 2010: $1410 + ($1000 tax return)
March 2010: $1410
April 2010: $1410
May 2010: $1410
June 2010: $1410
July 2010: $1410
August 2010: $1410
September 2010: $1410
October 2010: $1410
November 2010: $1410
December 2010: $1410

I'm guessing it won't actually take 3 full years, but thats what the payments would look like.

If you feel more comfortable creating an Excel file, I've created a throwaway email address you can email the file to: helpmebecomedebtfree@gmail.com

Thank you!

Merry Fucking Christmas Cards

melorama — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:11:27 -0800

Where can I buy legitimately funny, sarcastic and/or offensive Christmas Cards? After seeing the greeting cards that The Onion are selling, I was wondering who else out there sells the best greeting cards in the same sarcastic/witty/snarky vein. I'm not looking for cute-funny, obviously-shocking-funny, or geek-funny. In other words, smart but unpretentious, sometimes twisted and sarcastic humor.

The style of card I'm looking for should appeal to someone who is a huge fan of things like The Onion, Chunklet Magazine, McSweeney's, etc.

What Debt Management Option is Best Here?

miltoncat — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:50:13 -0800

What is the best option as far as credit counseling/debt management/loan options? I am about $17k in CC debt. I cut them all up a year ago. I'm paying them as best I can, but with some interest rates as high as 30% I'm barely moving. About half my paychecks go to CC debts and I am scraping by.

Before you suggest them, I've done it all: Read Suze Orman, Dave Ramsey. Called about reducing rates. Sold items I don't need. Living modestly. I have done everything there is to do.

I need help but don't want to get suckered in. I'm considering these options:

1. Consumer Credit Counseling Services (CCCS). I've heard good things overall but am a bit worried since each one is an independent office.

2. American Financial Soultions (used to be Genus). Also heard good things, and since I would keep getting my statements each month, could add more to pay it down when I can.

3. Go to my credit union and see what I can work out. But I am scared, because I've bounced a LOT of checks this year (they pay them and charge me overdraft fees) and worry my credit is so risky they won't give me a loan.

Help...

We have an announcement!

arcticwoman — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 12:29:46 -0800

My partner and I are in the process of changing our surnames. When this is done, we'd like to send out some announcement cards to friends/family etc to let everyone know. Where can I find cards to that effect? I've googled "name change announcement," "name change card" and several variations on this, but all I get are letters announcing the change of a company/business name. I'm looking for something classy and cheery saying something like "arcticwoman and otherarcticwoman would like to inform you that they have changed their surname to..."

If pre-made cards like this don't exist, we'll have to make our own. What would be the easiest way to do this, and, other than the dry and perfunctory way I said it in the above paragraph, how would I word such an announcement?

How Much is Too Much for Holiday Cards

ThePinkSuperhero — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:29:59 -0800

What's the etiquette for photos on holiday cards? I'm thinking of doing one of the Shutterfly photo collage cards for this year's holiday card, because I have a lot of fun pictures from my year. But is that weird? Would it be weird if most/all of the pictures included me- or would it be weird if they didn't? If the card has 9 picture slots, what is the most number of pictures that should include my dog? Is it boastful to include pictures of my beach vacation? One great picture from my year is me on my birthday with a drag queen- is that too much for my grandparents to handle? Are there any rules to guide me on any of these issues, or am I on my own?

Can you recommend some business card scanning software?

mr_silver — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 04:21:34 -0800

Can you recommend any Windows software which will OCR photographed business cards, store them in a searchable database and work with Outlook? I'm sinking under a tonne of business cards and would like to scan them in. I know I could just go and purchase Cardscan which would do the job, but I don't really see the point in buying hardware when I have a perfectly good digital camera.

Plus, work won't reimburse me for the £130 that I'd need to pay for the solution (or the £50 if I got it from eBay) - and lets be fair about this - i'll be coughing up my own money just for something work related so I want to be prudent.

Can anyone make any recommendations on good business card scanning software? My requirements would be:

- Ability to batch load a large volume of card images
- High accuracy rate
- Keep original copy (or low res version) of the card image

I'm in two minds about where the information is held. I don't mind it being in the softwares database as long as it's good, does everything I need, is easily sortable and searchable and can export to Outlook.

On the other hand, I don't mind it just being Outlook, as long as I don't have to import everything into my default contacts folder. I have several hundred numbers and no need for them all to be synchronised to my phone and PDA.

I run Windows XP. I don't mind paying for the software.

If you build a 3-d paper card, they will come...

yohko — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:40:03 -0800

Where can I order custom printed popup cards? Or a punch to make my own easily? I'd like to send out Christmas cards this year that incorporate a popup feature, or some other sort of 3-d feature. I've seen plenty of these for sale at card shops, but I'd like to get about 300 of them custom printed or find a faster way to make my own.

Where can I order custom Christmas cards (or non-Christmas cards, even) that use popups? Or, where can I order a punch to make cards like this?

Do I have to show my cards?

yankeh — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:51:42 -0800

In No Limit Texas Hold 'Em Poker, when a player goes "all in" and you "call" them (but you still have extra chips) do you have to show your cards?

SD Cards by the pound?

Squid Voltaire — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:00:17 -0800

Surely I can buy 128 or 64mb SD cards for ridiculously low prices, now that they are so out of date. Right? I'm tired of sending around mix CDs--I'd much rather send out mix SD cards. And I could make a nice mix of 12 or 24 songs, with album art, &c., and put it on an old, old, out of date flash card. (Or, less optimally for me, an old 128mb USB drive, which I also have been unable to find for as low a price I want).

Now, these days twenty bucks gets you two gigs of storage, so I just can't believe that anyone really uses 128meg cards anymore. I would have thought that I could buy them by the pound! But the best I've seen is on eBay, where they seem to be about $5 or $6, after shipping charges if you buy in bulk.

Any suggestions?

Skill vs. Chance in Solitaire?

penciltopper — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 15:22:12 -0800

Is any given deal of standard Solitaire, perfectly played, "winnable"? Or is there an element of chance in each lay-out of the cards that makes it impossible to "win" some deals?

I discovered today that at one time there was gambling on Solitaire (pay for a deck, get money back for each playable card).

So I was puzzling out whether there was a house advantage, etc.

Math whizzes? Statisticians? Card Sharks? Game Theorists? Please ante up.

no-fee gift cards.

entropone — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 08:27:39 -0800

No-fee gift cards, in bulk? Does anybody have experience buying gift cards, in bulk, from a bank or credit card company? I am looking for ones that don't charge an additional fee, or that charge a very modest fee.

Unfortunately, in my internetting, I've come across a lot of seemingly purposeful lack of information, particularly from the larger banks and companies, who seem to not want to give the particulars of their deals.

Any information that anybody could provide would be helpful. Thank you.

Help me find a credit card that won't bend me over unlubed

clango — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 08:53:59 -0800

Are there any credit card companies with reputations for being decent to their customers? I've gotten the "free for 90 days auto-enrolled credit protector" crap for the last time. Currently running without a balance, planning to dispute this nonsense and then deny the company my continued business if possible. Visa/Mastercard are preferred, but my annoyance has opened my mind to other options.