Category Archives: Computers

While looking for public information

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I almost got hooked by a scam when looking for real property tax info for an address in Honolulu.

The city makes this public information readily available on line at no cost. Yes, free.

But I made a mistake. Instead of going directly to the city site, I was lazy and just searched for “honolulu real property tax” and then clicked on an official-looking link that appeared to be affiliated with the city. It looked different than I recalled, but I didn’t see any other immediate red flags.

It quickly got strange, though, when I entered an address. Suddenly the search, which typically takes just seconds, stretched on for at least five minutes. I wondered whether the city was suddenly using a new and very inferior vendor to provide this service.

But the biggest surprise was yet to come.

A notice of a fee for the public information. And a fee with an explanation I still find confusing and ambiguous.

PAYMENT:
$1 PER PROPERTY REPORT
REPORT BUNDLE 720 PROPERTY REPORTS

PER REPORT RATE AVAILABLE VIA REPORT BUNDLE PRICING OF $30 EVERY 30 DAYS OVER TWO YEARS NOT INDIVIDUAL SALES
WE ONLY ACCEPT VISA AND MASTERCARD FOR PAYMENT, NO ALTERNATIVE CARD TYPES ARE SUPPORTED AT THIS TIME.
GET ACCESS TO OUR PROPERTY RECORD PLATFORM WITH RECORDS FROM HAWAII FOR AN ACCESS FEE OF $1, AND 720 REPORTS FOR INSTALLMENTS OF $30 EVERY 30 DAYS FOR TWO YEARS STARTING TODAY, 24 PAYMENTS TOTAL.

ACCESS FEE TODAY: $1.00
ACCESS FEE CONNECTS YOUR ACCOUNT TO OUR PUBLIC RECORDS DATABASE
REPORT BUNDLE: PROPERTY REPORTS ARE AGGREGATED FROM PUBLIC SOURCES AND DO NOT CONSTITUTE CONSUMER REPORTS, OFFICIAL OR GOVERNMENT-AFFILIATED DOCUMENTS.
YOU CAN CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNT TO END PAYMENTS AT PUBLICRECORDSDATA.US, 1-855-601-5805, EMAIL SUPPORT@PUBLICRECORDSDATA.US, OR USE THE LIVE CHAT FEATURE. CHARGES WILL APPEAR ON YOUR STATEMENT AS PUBLICRECORDSDATA.US.
SELECT PAYMENT METHOD:
VISA
MASTERCARD

Luckily, the possibility that I might be charged $30 a month stopped me in my tracks.

So I started again at the beginning, and this time immediately found my way to the familiar site of the city’s free system.

The lesson? If you find yourself online in a place that feels weird and is asking for money, run far and run fast!!

Cleaning up a damaged old photo

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I’ve scanned thousands of old images over the years that are now archived online either at Amazon or Google. I entertain myself from time to time by browsing through them and downloading a few of interest that I had forgotten about.

This morning I spotted this oldie of my mother holding me on her lap. According to a notation, it was taken sometime in 1949. As you can see, the photo was seriously damaged in storage for some seven decades. From its condition, I’m guessing it was made from a B&W negative that had been mistreated over the years.

Another guess is that it was taken at my grandparents’ home in Waipahu during a family visit to that side of the island. My 2nd birthday, perhaps?

After trying to clean up the damage using traditional photo software, I decided to give AI a try. For this, I turned to Google’s Gemini. My instruction was simple. Create a clean image from this old photograph.

It only took a few seconds to produce this pretty amazing result.

Of course, it raises questions. Which photo is more “authentic”? Although, in this case, I don’t know whether that matters. The result speaks for itself.

Houston, we have a problem

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Now that we’re here in Redwood City for several weeks of post-surgery rehab, we’ve discovered a new problem.

We are staying in a house on a flag lot with access via a long driveway off of Oakwood Blvd. Boulevard is pretty pretentious for this small street through a quiet neighborhood. It is, admittedly, a LONG driveway for a residential neighborhood.

And we are highly dependent on delivery services for groceries, some meals, and other supplies.

The problem is that Google Maps is simply incorrect.

It directs delivery drivers to the next street. But there is no access to this property from that street.

I now watch the progress of DoorDash drivers on my phone, and most have found themselves at the deadend of the next street wondering how to deliver our stuff. I try to head them off, or send texts explaining that they have to approach on Oakwood Blvd and not on any other street. But we’ve also run into a language gap with Hispanic drivers.

I can see how it happens. Because of the long driveway, this house is physically closer to the next street, but it can’t be accessed from there.

When I checked on how to flag the error with Google’s version of maps, it appears to be difficult or impossible, especially if relying on an iPad.

Apple Maps, on the other hand, provides accurate directions to the house.

But it seems Google has the delivery services pretty much locked up.

I try to tip to cover the “lost” time, but that’s not a good solution.

Just an aside on tiny tech

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I brought my five year-old iPad Pro on this trip, but didn’t bring it to the hospital with me. I usually rely on it when traveling, leaving my laptop at home.

So since getting out of surgery, I’ve relied on my iPhone 17 Air which has been much more useful than I expected.

I have been able to post on my blog and on Facebook, Follow threads online, get mail and texts, and even post photos in both places.

I’ve asked me to bring my iPad. The next time she visits, but this phone has been surprisingly effective in this unusual circumstance.

I’ve never relied on my phone so extensively, and it has held up well.

The hospital offers guest wifi, which isn’t speedy but does the job, and T-Mobile has bridged a few gaps.

Just FYI for other iPhone users.