I'm always open to reader suggestions so this week's article is about PayPal, one of the world's biggest online payment services. What is PayPal, what are the advantages and how do you use it? How much does it cost and what do you need to make payments through PayPal? What about security? Why does the payment behavior of family members matter? And of course: what disadvantages and criticism apply?
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Hotel portals are usually a delightful convenience. You enter the location where you'd like to stay plus how many, add the date and, just like that, you're presented with a broad selection of overnight accommodations. If, however, a handful of portals process 75% of all direct bookings, this can quickly lead to monopoly positions with the potential for abuse. It can even prompt the courts to take action over best price guarantees.
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One of my earliest memories concerns advertisements on TV. A famous soccer player had just finished shaving and was about to apply his after shave when, would you believe it, the flask was empty! His merry whistling stopped, he hesitated for a moment and then took out another flask to continue with his morning routine. The clip itself was boring but the star appeal affected me and I got my dad the same after shave for Christmas. Recommendations by friends or personal role models are even more effective, especially with young people, and the advertising industry blatantly exploits that.
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Confessions at the sausage stand are rather unusual yet I recently overheard one. A lady was whispering (surprisingly loudly) to her friend that she could remember exactly one phone number by heart. Her cellphone would take care of the others. While I was moving up in line, I thought about this and found I could come up with a total of seven numbers. This raised a question: how much could I really remember without tools?
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There are some things we don't talk about. Googling oneself, taking vain selfies, stuffing oneself with fast food or looking the other way to avoid conversation - we'd rather keep that to ourselves. The one thing where we always lie is when we're checking off T&Cs. Whether we install programs and updates or make purchases, we usually scroll through the often mile-long terms and conditions at lightning speed to click the "I agree" button. The show must go on after all! What we tend to forget: we're entering into a contract sight unseen.
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