Cyber Monday

Well, we got past the turkey and the pumpkin pie. Those who shopped on Black Friday seemed to fare well. I didn't hear any reports of mayhem, which is the first time that Saturday's news casts didn't lead with a report of injuries at a mall.

Shopping online has more appeal to me, other than what I buy locally at our small businesses in town, but I am a little concerned about credit card safety. A report on 60 Minutes last night was not encouraging. The story was about how vulnerable credit cards have become to hackers who get into the systems of major stores like Target, Home Depot and others and steal credit card information. Cybercrime has become quite lucrative for criminals and scary for consumers.

The good news is that the major credit card companies will start suppyling customers with credit cards that have computer chip technology, and they believe that will make counterfeiting cards almost impossible. For online shopping safety, Apple and Google are creating their own payment systems to protect account information and there is always PayPal.

For consumers it is important to protect bank accounts with strong passwords that are not easily hacked. The security changes that credit card companies and retailers are making will take several years to complete, so we have to be security conscious on our end.

If you are going to be shopping online today, you might want to go over to Amazon and pick up a free book while you are there. This is the last day that my police procedural mystery, Doubletake, is free for Kindle and Kindle APPS. Here's what one reviewer had to say, "Wow - so much packed into this story. And then such a surprise ending! Seriously well paced. I am pleased to recommend this to my mystery reading friends. The main character was up to the task and the dialogue snappy. More please."

As part of a CyberMonday special Untreed Reads is offering hundreds of titles at 40% off. That includes my romance novel, Play it Again, Sam that was published by Uncial Press. Here is what one reader said, "Without being melodramatic as so often happens, Miller tells the story that so many women have lived... going through an unexpected divorce and rebuilding thereafter. It's realistic and believable as Sam works her way through the many conflicts she experiences... altogether, a most enjoyable read"

And now your joke for the day. This one is from JokerZ.com I couldn't resist steal...er, borrowing it when I saw it. Fair warning, some might find the punch line a little raunchy.

In the men's bathroom, an accountant, a lawyer, and a cowboy were standing side by side using the urinal. The accountant finished, zipped up, and started washing and literally scrubbing his hands, clear up to his elbows. He used 20 paper towels before he finished. He turned to the other two men and commented, "I graduated from the University of Michigan, and they taught us to be clean."

The lawyer finished, zipped up, and quickly wet the tips of his fingers, grabbed one paper towel and commented, "I graduated from the University of California, and they taught us to be environmentally conscious."

The cowboy zipped up, and as he was walking out the door, he said, "I graduated from Texas Tech University, and they taught us not to piss on our hands."

Hope you have a good week.