19
March
2006
Completely voluntarily.
I suggested Zündstoff should pick up the phone scam info so more people in Switzerland would hear about it - instead the Zündstoff editor, who also works at the local TV station, decided that it would make a good TV piece. So tomorrow a camera team is coming to my house and will interview me about the incident, give their report a personal note. Great, so I get to tell a substantial part of Basel how I let my irrational hope completely overrule my better judgement. Just what I always wanted to do on TV. *hides in corner and makes ‘lala’ noises* 
Posted: Life
16
March
2006
Thought it might be a good idea to share this here, to make sure as many people as possible know about it…
On Tuesday I received a call from someone claiming to be ‘Ben Bradford’, a promotions agent from a travel agent called Best USA Vacations, and that I had won a trip to Florida and the Bahamas as part of a promotion for people who used their credit cards to pay for traveling.
I was very suspicious, but a part of me kept hoping that maybe, just maybe it might be true - and after I checked out their very real looking website and was assured multiple times that, after all, one could cancel any illegal payments made with a credit card, I let my hope overrule my better judgement and gave him my credit card number. Then ‘Ben’ described my ‘price’ in many details, before turning me over to his ’supervisor’ Michael, who congratulated me before transferring me to their ’security department’. After being kept on hold for several minutes, my brain finally managed to overrule that stubborn bit of hope and I hung up and immediately called MasterCard.
And voilà - someone had just tried to get a payment of $500 approved! Luckily the request had been recognized by MasterCard’s early warning system and had been rejected - because, as I was told now, since October 05, MasterCard refuses liability for payments made after giving up one’s credit card number over the phone. I was told to cut my credit card in half and that I’d be sent a replacement for free.
So all in all I was left feeling foolish but without any real damage done. I mean, the website looked so real - and even the US phone number they give you is answered by a ‘travel agent’, as I found out when I called it to give them a piece of my mind - I needed the catharsis, so it was worth the overseas call…
A friend sent me the link to this blog post, which shows that apparently that sort of scam has been going on for a long time, under different names, first in the US and now (since probably Americans have been put on their guard) in Europe. So be careful - those guys are very good at what they do!
Posted: Resources
7
March
2006
I finished uploading the photos taken during the record snow falls and during Chienbäse and Morgestraich (carnival traditions in the area). The last couple of days are something I sure as hell won’t forget…
Click here to see all.
Also, I made a couple of small films, to give you an impression of what it’s like to be there - rightclicksave, if you want to see them:
Chienbäse I
Chienbäse II
Morgestraich
Posted: Life, Photos
3
March
2006
Because storm Xandra is passing over Switzerland right now (luckily we’re quite protected so we haven’t felt it too much so far) I thought I’d share my favorite track from the soundtrack to the beautiful La Marche de l’empereur by the young French singer Emilie Simon. Such an energetic piece of music - especially if you picture the howling winds of the Antarctic… And, as a bonus, the one French song of hers I have.
Emilie Simon - Song of the Storm and Graine d’Etoiles
Links hosted on YSI, so they’re good for either 25 downloads or one week, whatever comes first.
Posted: Music
2
March
2006
It’s so strange - ten days ago I had the first brush with hayfever, and now it’s winter again. I like it, though - if there’s one thing this winter (apparently the coldest in 14 years or so) has shown me, especially in comparison with the awfully hot last summer, it’s that I really prefer cold to heat, although I used to say the contrary. After all, cold can be easily compensated by wearing a couple of layers, drinking a nice hot tea or wrapping up in a blanket, while heat can only be countered by closing all the shutters and moving as little as possible (at least in a country where aircon is the exception).
Anyway, the reason for this rambling:
Posted: Life, Photos
1
March
2006
With the move to Multifaceted-Abnormal.net I also completed the domain revamp - feels a bit like spring cleaning, which is why I chose the Spring Fairy theme. Pretty, isn’t it?
Edited: For some reason, the layout keeps switching back to the default style. Now that’s just weird!
Posted: Site
1
March
2006
I’m about to do the final step towards my new domain - it’s hard, chocolate dream has been me for so long, but I feel the need for a clean slate.
My new domain is multifaceted-abnormal.net.There’ll be a redirect to the new location - the domain name is still good until the end of April, after all. But please start using evamaria81 {AT} gmail.com if you want to reach me!
And a question: Does anyone want to take over chocolatedream.net? I’d feel much better if my baby didn’t disappear into the void on April 30th…
Posted: Site
