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MicroMagic.us is a scam! Read all about it!

I've been scammed by an online computer parts store called MicroMagic.us (a.k.a. MicroMagicPC). I'm not the only one — reports abound at review sites I should have checked before pulling out the credit card. Today I spoke with a detective in MicroMagic's claimed hometown of El Monte, CA, and he is investigating.

It's an interesting story, so if you want to learn more about my MicroMagic.us aka MicroMagicPC.net RAM Scam, I've written all about it on a special web page.

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Jessie Stricchiola, a click fraud expert who frequently represents advertisers seeking refunds from Google and Yahoo, estimates that click fraud accounts for as much as 20 percent of the clicks in some industry sectors. The president of AlchemistMedia.com, Stricchiola said tens of thousands of advertisers, who pay Google and Yahoo by credit card, are being overcharged daily, adding that neither search engine has a large enough staff devoted to monitoring the problem or fielding complaints.

Hyperbole from selfish lawyers aside, click fraud is an interesting problem. It may never be fully solved, but can advertisers tolerate it like retailers tolerate (some) theft? I think it will eventually be accepted as a cost of doing business, with enforcers at ad syndicates in a contant arms race against this next wave of organized crime.

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Can you read people's thoughts just by looking at them?

Fascinating.

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The fact that dealing marijuana and controlled substances is illegal does not exempt it from taxation. Therefore drug dealers are required by law to purchase drug tax stamps.

Now here's a state that's really thought its tax code through. To outrageous consequences!

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Some really great stuff in here.

When the Korean family who runs the deli on my corner started selling pita bread, they decided to introduce it to their customers by setting it out on the counter underneath a hand-lettered sign that said "Perfect for fajitas!"

*That* is New York. It's accidental cultural collage — not in the self-concious "It's Shakespeare, but with black people in speaking roles!" kind of way but in the "There's a Popeye's Fried Chicken in Chinatown" kind of way, in the "Koreans run delicatessens and Iranians run bodegas" kind of way.

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A fun story about a guy whose job is to tempt pickpockets around the world. He earns their respect, perhaps by stealing his wallet back, and learns their techniques over coffee. Then he consults to business travelers and police departments. A short, sweet, unusual professional narrative.