I was looking over my credit card statement this morning when I noticed there was a charge for $9.95 that I did not recognize. The vendor listed in the statement was AZ BUSINESS PRODUCTS CALGARY CAN which added to my suspicion. I called Citi to see if they had any more information that might help me identify the charge before refusing it.

The operator was very helpful but the only other information for this charge identified it as a computer program or computer services transaction. I have other charges on my card that fall in the same category and I know exactly what they are so this $9.95 was becoming a fraudulent charge very quickly. Add this to the fact that I checked Google for the company name and the only couple of hits that were of value also reported it as an illegal transaction to their credit card companies.

I mentioned my findings to the operator who suggested that I report the charge as a fraudulent charge. He asked me a few questions about the charge such as if I might have authorized someone else to use my card or if it could be a newly scheduled recurring payment that I set up but had forgotten about. Neither one of these was the case so the Citi rep approved my request to dispute this charge and asked me if I would authorize Citi to investigate the vendor on my behalf. He also told me that I would not be issued a new card because of the fee being so low and being a one time event, a little strange if you ask me but I imagine they have the data to back up those decisions.

I checked my other bank account and everything is fine but I would imagine this could happen to a lot of people. I almost paid for the fraudulent charge without noticing it, if it wasn’t for the name of the company and the type of services they appear to offer, I probably would not have noticed. Just another reason to pay attention to those little details when conducting business online.

I was asked this question at the office today and it took me a few seconds to put together an answer. First because I was a little shocked to be asked but also because I wanted to give her the big picture about blogs. Blogging has become more than just a personal publishing platform but it has become part of many organizations and how they do business.

In other words, a blog is not just an online diary any longer. It is a communication channel which can provide many benefits to its author(s). I showed my co-worker a blog for a company where they discuss their product roadmap, I also showed her a blog being used by a software development team to communicate about their project, even our newly hired CTO is blogging about his own experiences here at our university. Web logs are certainly growing up.

I have been involved with sports all of my life. I am lucky to have met some amazing people and seen some incredible sites all because of my involvement in sports (soccer specifically but I am a fan of all sports). While I was still playing in a competitive level, one of my favorite things was going out for a run. Despite the effort you have to put in, there is something very relaxing about being out there on your own with your tunes and listening to your own body work. Not everyone finds this to be a whole lot of fun but I always enjoyed going out for a run.

One of the things that I always wanted to do was running a marathon, at least one during my lifetime. Since moving to Phoenix we have become familiar with the PF Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon which takes place every year in Januray. A few weeks ago we had the crazy idea that it would be fun to do it this upcoming January. At the same time, I remembered that I wanted to run my marathon before turning the big three-oh. Well, it just so happens that the PF Chang’s marathon takes place on January 15th, three weeks before my birthday. How’s that for timing for accomplishing objectives? Almost like a sign from above, a little scary ;o)

Sunny skies, soothing spas and poolside afternoons await on January 15th, 2006 at the third annual P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon. Featuring fantastic running weather, FLAT courses, and live bands at every mile, this is the most fun you’ll have in running shoes. Spend your holiday weekend in the Valley of the Sun and register today.

Sarah is training to run the half-marathon with a friend of hers, while I have started training for the full 26.3 miles. This summer I have been relaxing a little too much just playing indoor soccer and waiting for the outdoor soccer season to begin so I have some serious training ahead of me. To make sure I have the proper tools, I stopped by the Scottsdale Running Company (SRC) the other day to get professional advice on a new pair of running shoes. I learned a few tricks from Andy and the Brooks Adrenaline GTS™ 5 that I decided to get feel great. I’ve only put a couple of short runs on them but they already fit better than my old Nike pair.

So expect to see some more running bookmarks and the occasional update on the training progress. We’ll be attending the group runs that are organized by the SRC to keep us motivated in the next few weeks. Would anyone like to join us for a little weekend fun? If not, feel free to send some Advil since I am sure we’ll need some in the near future.

The rumor mill has been working over time these last few days with the possibility that Google might release their own instant messaging (IM) application. Well, the suspense has come to an end tonight with the release of Google Talk to the public.

The Google client is Windows only but you can access the service with any IM client that supports the Jabber/XMPP protocol. There are a couple of things that I like right off the bat, one of them being the tight integration it has with Gmail and combining VOIP and IM into one single application. Neither one of these are new but neither was webmail before Gmail came along, so we’ll see what Google has up its IM sleeve. A few things I found of interest:

• Your Gmail contacts are pre-loaded into Google Talk. Your most frequently-emailed contacts are at the top of your Friends list.
• Because Google Talk requires a Gmail username and password, if you’re not inviting someone at their Gmail address, we will also include an invitation to open a Gmail account.
• You can have multiple calls underway at once–but only one can be active at a time. The other calls must be on hold.

Everyone will be talking about this application tomorrow, so I will have to check out some of the reviews and opinions as they start flowing through. This reminds me that I need to go back and get our office IM server back up and running.

I am out the door in just a few minutes (waiting for Cesar) heading up to Prescott for this year’s Yavapai College alumni soccer weekend. When I was living in Texas, this was my annual visit back to Arizona but now it is just a 2 hour drive up the mountain. The school is putting some effort into the event this year so there will be some festivities before and after the game. The planned BBQ was cancelled due to some safety concerns. Of course, the real fun starts when we are away from school facilities ;o)

update: we lost 3-1 although we had a pretty good performance for being a time put together on the spot. Of course, the best part of the evening is hanging out and hitting the town after the game. I still cannot believe that you can get two drinks for $7 and it is not even happy hour!

update II: Philly has added a few photos from the alumni game at the YC Soccer gallery. Here is one of both teams taken before the game.