Tuesday, January 24, 2023
CREDIT CARD CRAZY
As the Fed has increased its rates, Credit Cards have generally followed suit, raising their interest rates.
BEWARE!!!
Credit cards that were once reasonable, may now charge rates of 20% and more. If you have been late just once, your credit card rate can go to 30% and more. That means in about 3 years you pay as much interest as the amount of the original balance! 1! 2! 3! That is absurd.
If you pay your bill in full each month, there should be no interest on the amounts you charge during the next month. Be sure to check that!
Some credit cards are now offering loans on your available credit at a much lower rate than the usual, regular credit card interest. CHECK THE FINE PRINT! But it might make more sense to buy a $10,000 item, say, on an 8% loan, than on an 18% credit card, and it might be billed the same way !?!?!
Terms, rules, and rates on these loans and credit cards vary dramatically, and often change, so research before you take a new card (if you can figure it out from the fine print in the loan agreement), and check the interest disclosure on the monthly statement every month if you have a card already. It can help to have more than one card: use the card with the least current interest.
In some cases, your credit rating may improve if your average usage of available credit goes down. So, contrary to what you might expect, taking out a new credit card and spreading (the same level of) expenses over more cards, can sometimes improve your credit, by increasing your available credit while not using more of it.
Charges keep changing. Research and awareness are important to manage them! The ideas here are just a few suggestions of issues to consider.
Labels: credit cards, debt, fine print, interest rates, loans, the Fed
Tuesday, January 03, 2023
THE AMERICAN MULTIPARTY SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
Update> Feb 6, 2023 >> Defaulting on the debt would be terrible for the US. Caving in to budget reductions to pass the debt bill would be terrible for the US.
If there are just a few Old Republicans left in the House of Representatives, they should unite with the 212 Democrats to pass the debt bill. Better, if they join the Democrats that voted for Jeffries as Speaker of the House, form a coalition in the House, and create a moderate, pro-democratic, pro-republican, pro-American leadership for a coalition Speaker of the House, we can create a Congress capable of passing the laws that will help the US and Americans prosper.
Jan 3, 2023
The United States does not have a two-party government. There are currently at least three parties in government:
(1) the Mainstream Democrats, led by President Biden;
(2) the very conservative, right-wing Republicans, led by Kevin McCarthy; and
(3) the Extreme Right, anarchist, anti-democratic, anti-republican faction represented by GOP characteristics (Greed, Obstruction, Prejudice), currently opposing McCarthy in the vote for Speaker of the House.
There are
several other parties in the US. There
are the independent and progressive Democrats, who have been supporting Biden
to pass moderately progressive legislation.
There are the conservative Democrats, who have also been supporting Biden
so that moderately progressive legislation could pass. There is also the "Old Republican Party", that believes in a republic and democracy. They are mostly business (including
international business) friendly, socially conservative, and supportive of the
military. They are currently not a strong force in the current “Republican”
party.
In addition
to specific parties, there are also interest groups for every demographic, and
every geography. The interests of the coastal states tend to be more
international, more technical, and more social welfare supportive than the
interior and southern states.
Many democratic countries have coalition governments. For much of US history, there have been coalitions which grouped themselves into two "Party"s . Sometimes a Party would split, creating a year or a few years with a significant minor Party.
The "Republicans" are having trouble managing to create a working Party coalition. They could split into two Parties.
Right now, to create a House of Representatives that can function to support the needs of America, the Old Republicans should form a coalition with the Democrats to elect a Speaker of the House.
If there are
six or more Old Republicans left in the House of Representatives, they should
unite with the 212 Democrats that voted for Jeffries as Speaker of the House,
to form a coalition in the House and create a moderate, pro-democratic, pro-republican,
pro-American leadership for a coalition Speaker
of the House.
Labels: Biden, GOP, House of Representatives, McCarthy, Republican Party, Speaker of the House
Monday, January 02, 2023
CES XR HMD NEWS
Two (at least) new XR headsets are launching at CES Jan 5-8, 2023.
HTC VIVE is launching at CES what is reported (by SadlyItsBradley, Verge, and RoadToVR) to be a Mixed Reality HMD, comparable in price, and similar, but possibly slightly better in specs, to the META Quest Pro. It is reported to use color passthrough (ie capture and display, not see-through) tech to sense the outside world; to have depth sensors to measure the distance to objects, and possibly a slightly improved, new SnapDragon chip for processing.
HTC VIVE HOME PAGE
AT CES
Jan 5, 2023
10 AM PST -- 1 PM EST
SOMNIUM, a VR, Crypto based, Virtual Real Estate, Social Media Space, together with VRgineers, will be launching a PCVR Headset Dev Kit. The specs are impressive, including 2880x2880 display, and the ability to customize in a number of ways, including support for WiFi6.
DETAILS
https://somniumspace.medium.com/somnium-vr1-headset-devkit-available-at-ces-2023-jan-5th-8th-dd3e9dabd9b7
SOMNIUM BOOTH AT CES
15167 Central Hall, Tech East
SOMNIUM HOME PAGE
VRGINEERS HOME PAGE
Update: SONY and Sharp are also expected to show new HMD's, and Varjo has recently upscaled their HMD "focal" resolution.
Labels: AR, CES, Dev Kit, HMD, HTC, MR, PCVR, Somnium, Virtual Real Estate, VIVE, VR, Vrgineers, XR
