80% off Restaurant.com: $25 Certificates for $2
Restaurant.com is offering a 80% off with the coupon code SAVE, resulting in a $25 “certificate” for just $2. Offer good until end of today, November 30th. I just checked it and it still works: Despite my initial skepticism about these things, many readers responded that they indeed found these certificates very useful in savings some money. Read their comments here. Here’s a example positive scenario. You find a restaurant on the list that you like that usually runs around $20 + tip per person (~$48 for a couple). You buy a $25 certificate for $2, which usually comes with a $35 minimum purchase + 18% required gratuity on full price. Dinner for two = $40 regular menu price Minus $25 certificate = $15 Plus cost of certificate ($2) = $17 Plus 18% gratuity on menu price = $7.20 Total price w/ tip = $24.20, or $12 a person + taxes In that case, you can save around 50% on the total bill. These might make good gifts to the right person, but I wouldn’t pass them off as worth face value!
My Ooma Phone Initial Setup Experience
I received my Ooma Hub/Scout phone system from Walmart today, and it is already up and running. Thanks for your comments, and here’s was my setup experience. It literally only took 10 minutes before I was both calling out and receiving calls on my new phone number. The best part is that I didn’t have to make any tech support calls to set it up! In the box, there is the Ooma Hub, the Ooma Scout, and the usual AC adapters and ethernet/phone cables. Since we only have one telephone base with 3 handsets, I haven’t even opened the Scout yet (eBay?). Before connecting anything, you go to Ooma.com/activate and type in an 5-digit ID code from the bottom of the unit. Then you can either go ahead an pick a free phone number (check number availability) or port your existing number. Porting costs $40 or is free with a 1-year subscription to their Premium service ($120). You can just pick another number for now to test call quality, and then port later. Next, setting up the hardware is pretty simple. If you are like my household and have a cable/DSL modem connected to a WiFi router, then you simply place the Ooma Hub between the modem and the router like so: After turning everything off and then on again, wait for the indicator light on the Ooma to go from red to blue to indicate that it is ready. You then connect your phone and listen for the distinctive dial tone. If you’ve already disconnected your POTS landline, you can plug the Ooma into any wall jack and use your existing home wiring to connect additional phones throughout the house. That’s it, I was done! (Okay, setting up my free voicemail took another minute.) I like that they didn’t ask for credit card information, as I’m hoping to not pay anything ever again! Made some long distance calls and so far the quality has been good. I’ll have to use it over the next few weeks to see how reliable it is and if it interferes with my broadband internet speed. If anything, I wish I bought this thing earlier.
Taleb s Thanksgiving Turkey
[image credit] I’m still in a tryptophan coma, but here’s a timely mention of the story of the turkey from Nassim Taleb’s book The Black Swan which I am (supposed to be) reading. The following excerpt is taken from the transcript of a Charlie Rose interview. —— CHARLIE ROSE: And what is the story of the turkey? NASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB: In the book, I have the story of a turkey that is fed for 1,000 days by a butcher, and every day confirms to the turkey and the turkey s economics department and the turkey s risk management department and the turkey s analytical department that the butcher loves turkeys, and every day brings more confidence to the statement. So it s fed for 1,000 days… CHARLIE ROSE: Gets fatter and fatter and fatter. NASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB: Fatter and fatter. On the day when its comfort will be at its maximum, there is going to be a surprise. There will be a surprise for the turkey. CHARLIE ROSE: Yes. NASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB: There will be a surprise for the turkey s economics department, all those Ph.D. s. Will it be — after all, there s maximum (inaudible)… CHARLIE ROSE: But it s not a surprise for the butcher, is it? NASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB: Not a surprise for Charlie Rose as well. Not a surprise for humans. It s a surprise for the turkey. So the whole idea here is we are not to be a turkey. —— Who or what might be the next turkey?
