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This has been a quiet month for me. Well, in regards to blogging atleast. Nothing really big going on that I’ve felt the need to write about. I’ve spent the month aggressively attacking my very outstanding debt. I managed to pay down $5000 this month which is a big chunk of stuff that was in collections. Out of 7 accounts that are Charge-Off’s on my credit report, I paid off 5. The two left is my smallest and my biggest. I should have those paid off in the next 4 months I hope. I’m also looking for a place to move. I need to be out of my current place by August 1. So I’ve been putting stuff up on craiglist and ebay hoping to get a few extra bucks and make my move a little less painful. Also my TV died on me. I have a 32″ Norcent LCD that starting giving me problems a few weeks ago. It’s in the shop right now and I hope it can be fixed for a decent amount. I should know in about another week.

I’ve also applied for a promotion at work. The only other guy going for it is above me so I’m kinda in a win win situation either way. One way I get the job or if he gets it, I make a move for his. Both will require me to move to days as I work nights now but with me trying to get my financial situation under control and moving to a new place, the extra income will be nice. Its so expensive to live by yourself here in CT, I’m going to have to move in with a roommate for the next 6-12 months. By that time I will start to have rebuilt my credit and have enough money to maybe get a place of my own again. So the next couple months will be interesting and possible steps forward for me.

Alec out.

Paypal has a beta program that allows you to order an RSA token from them for extra security. Anyone can head over to Paypal and sign up for it. Right now there is a one time fee of $5(free for Business accounts) that comes directly out of your Paypal account.

Naturally I ordered one. In the package was the key itself, a wallet card, packing slip, Top 10 safety tips and an “Activating your Security Key” card. Setup was pretty painless. Login to Paypal and click the Activate Security Key link. From there it asked for the serial number and then the current code from the key and finally another code from the key 30secs after the first one.

What happens is when you login to Paypal using your login and password, your taken to an additional page were you type in the current number displayed on your Security Key. The key changes every 30secs. If for some reason someone knows your login/password they still need to have that code to access your account. “Something you know and Something you have”. Its very seamless and adds an extra layer of security for the paranoid.

I’ve actually just started using Paypal as my main debit card leaving my bank’s debit card at home. I move what I will need into my paypal account and this keeps me from those impulse buys I always fall for and helps keep me on a budget. It is a little weird reaching for my keys everytime I want to login to Paypal but I do feel a little safer with all the phishing going on with Paypal and eBay.

You can also link the key to your eBay account but I haven’t gone as far as that yet. One other nice feature is you can attach the 6 digit number to the end of your password. This bypasses the secondary screen and logs you right in saving you some time.

[The PayPal Security Key]