I’m Keepin’ My Miles Under the Mattress! -Hackers take to stealing frequent flier miles

1) Family
2) Friends
3) Miles
We hold them near and dear to our hearts. We go on ridiculous trips and sign up for credit cards we don’t need just to get miles. And now, they’re in danger. As if we don’t have enough to worry about with identity fraud, credit card fraud and bank fraud –now they’re going after our precious frequent flier miles.

The problem very recently sprung up in Brazil and is spreading rapidly. Companies are bracing themselves for the problem to jump all around the globe. Once the miles are obtained by these criminals, they are used as currency to trade for stolen credit cards.

The scam is mainly run via email. The jackasses will send an email promising a prize, or “double the points” to get you to enter your frequent flier information. Bam, they got ya. The problem is, the emails can look pretty legitimate. Here’s an article from Security News Daily on how to tell a phishing scam from a real email.

 More from me on TBEX

My 3 Fave iPhone Apps -Photography

I am by no means a photographer, but I constantly have to take pictures of just about everything so that I have them in my arsenal for travel writing, food blogging, making people jealous on Facebook and all sorts of things. Given my track record with cameras, I am simply not to be trusted with one. Therefore, my iPhone is my little camera buddy, so I need to learn how to use it to it’s full potential. These apps allows me to take interesting and eye-catching pictures for my writing. And no, I’m not doing Instagram, cause I’m sick of it. We get it, sepia is cool.

360 Panorama by Occipital $.99

360 Panorama $.99 -It’s witchcraft I say! That’s the only explanation for how great this app works, and at only $.99, you can’t beat it.

As you’ve probably gathered from the title, you can take a complete 360 degree picture, taking panoramic apps to a whole new level. It’s extremely user friendly, and there are no more blurry lines! It takes a few tries, but if you get your technique down (match the lines) you can get a seamless panoramic shot. It even performs well in low-light.

You can email, tweet and Facebook your shots right from the app, and your panoramas go straight to your camera roll.

Tiltshift Generator by Art & Mobile Free

TiltShift Generator Free– I’ve been a big fan of this one for quite some time. TiltShift Generator adds a great hue and blur effect that creates colorful and unusual pictures. You can control saturation, blur, contrast and brightness. This app is my favorite for turning a so, so picture, into a rad shot.

I like to take the boring, straight forward shots of food, hotels and such, and transform them into artsy unique pics with TiltShift Generator.

Again, sharing via social media is very simple. Get creative and use this app on a panoramic from 360 Panorma.

Darkroom by Stepcase Free

Darkroom Free– This app helps with the two main problems I have with my iPhone camera. I’m workin’ with a 3GS, so low light is a big problem. Darkroom helps with this, but it obviously only does so much. It doesn’t replace flash by any means but it does help with picture clarity.

My favorite part of this app though, is that the shutter won’t go off until the camera is stable, thus reducing shaky hand blur. This is very useful when you’re taking pictures of yourself. You can click the shutter button and stabilize your camera, and then your phone will take the picture once it’s focused.

What’s the “Taco Ride”? Grab a margarita and I’ll fill you in.

Pitchers of vodka soda water!

First off, get your head out of the gutter, the Taco Ride is a bicycle ride that takes place every Thursday. Most riders (including me) start at Lewis Central School and ride 10 miles on the Wabash Trail to Tobey Jack’s Steak House in Mineola, IA. That’s 10 miles there, and 10 miles back. I know what you’re thinking, “Who in the hell would ride 20 miles ‘for fun'”? It really is fun, I promise! Riders usually park in the Lewis Central parking lot starting as early as 4pm, but you can arrive whenever you like. Me and my crew usually start at around 6pm. The trail head isn’t super easy to find but you’ll without a doubt be able to follow other riders there. Since magical trolls don’t pop out at night and keep the trail in running condition, they ask a tiny fee of $1 to ride the trail, so be sure and bring singles.

The broseph-in-law and sister enjoying tacos and margs.

1) If you’re a first time rider, go with a pace that you can stick to for at least an hour. The trail has a slight uphill the way there. Don’t get scared! It really is a very slight uphill.

2) When passing people, always pass on the left and yell “On your left” to ensure that the riders know you’re coming.

3) Don’t forget your iPod, water, and a bike light. The last one is a MUST. By the time you get done gettin’ your party on at Tobey Jack’s, it will be night fall, or near it. The first time I did the Taco Ride, I didn’t know any better and didn’t have a light…it was a catastrophe. Please, please for your safety and those around you, invest in a bike light. I’ll save you the time price checking, they’re $20 at Wal-Mart and Target, and they’re usually more at bike stores. Kinda pricey, but they’re worth it.

Margaritaville!

Check out the nice tail...I mean trail 🙂

About 3/4 of the way to Tobey Jack’s you’ll run into a big group of people, fun music and some benches, this paradise is called “Margaritaville”. It’s just a fun little stop on the way, where you can socialize, have a few drinks and maybe grab a “smoke”. Margaritaville is byob.

Back on the trail from margaritaville, you’ll coast the whole way there. From here on, there is a slight downhill. Enjoy it! In no time at all you’ll hit the very small tiny minute town of Mineola, IA. You will probably see riders taking the turn up to Tobey Jack’s, but if you don’t, it’s really the only right hand turn you’ll run into. Follow the crowd, the live music, and the smell of fried food!

The common special at Tobey Jack’s is 6 tacos and a pitcher of margaritas for $18…hence the name “Taco Ride”. They also have a full menu and full bar. This is a really fun place that gets packed fast. They have indoor seating, two patios, live music, dance floor complete with DJ and the drinks are stiff!

Once you’ve had your fill, hop back on the trail and coast home. I would recommend that you not drink too much in order to be safe on the ride back…but that would make me a hypocrite. Have fun!