Traditional banks smartphone apps.

One of the things that the COVID-19 pandemic changed the most in my life, is that traditional banks have been pushing to make use of their mobile apps. As such, they have been making a lot of improvements on the user interface, and making it a lot easier to manage your money using their app.

Not only that, making payments and transferring money using the app has become a lot easier. So much so, that so far I've just needed to use the web page on my laptop for edits which I wasn't able to do on the app itself.

This has meant that I can administer my financial life where ever I am when the need arises, without needing to have a computer at hand. My smartphone has become a powerful tool to enable me to effectively manage my bank accounts without much hassle, and with all the information I need at a moments notice.

It has also meant, that my need for cash has been declining over the last year. Since it most places I frequent on regular basis, I can pay either by credit, debit, or app, cash has become less essential. I just have with me enough to pay for some food, or some bus fares.

Even then, most of the bus fares to the places I go the most can be paid electronically via a card that Jalisco's state government implemented last year. And with it I can also pay the light train fare in case I need to take it.

All of this, makes my life a lot easier. I feel a lot more in control of it.

Mexican personal finance management.

Since a couple of years ago, there has been easier to carry less cash in Mexico with several ways both businesses and people can pay for services electronically or with credit or debit card.

Banks have been making transfers to other people, and paying for services and taxes, via their apps a lot easier. I use the apps of Santander, and Banorte, and both have been making such transactions easier with each app update. Specially since March, when the lock downs started because of the pandemic.

Also companies that allow to take payments using a tablet, or an smartphone, have been making a lot of inroads. The biggest one has been Clip, followed closely by PayPal's iZettle.

Also PayPal, and Mercado Pago, have entered the Mexican market heavily.

For the time being, most people use their bank's app, or website, to manage their payments. Specially since in Mexico almost everyone with a formal job receives their payroll on a bank account that their employer set up for them, or which ever account they asked to be used for that purpose.

Even freelancers can asked to be payed via electronic transfer to the bank account of their choice, making it a lot easier for everyone.

The services offered by the likes of Clip, and iZettle, make it a lot easier small businesses, to take cards. Which for many of them, means an increase in their sales in substantial numbers. In some ways, in areas where the use of credit and debit cards is prevalent, those small businesses that haven't made the jump to accepting card payments is becoming an odd thing to find.

Even in lower income areas, businesses using either Clip or iZettle are starting to become common. Even some entrepreneurial cab drivers are starting to offer it as a way to attract more costumers to compete against Uber and DiDi.

In several cities of Jalisco, one can pay public transportation without the use of cash using a card called Mi Movilidad or another called Innova Card. And the fact that you can now add balance them at some of OXXO convenience stores make them a lot more practical to use.

Taking all of this together, makes the need of carrying large amounts of cash is becoming a thing of the past.

Remmina made home office viable for me.

Up to last week, I didn't have to do home office. As such, I haven't had to access the computer on work remotely. But when I had to work remotely last week, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to do so since I use Linux Mint on my personal laptop and Windows at work.

As such, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to access my desktop remotely in order to be able to work from home. This was compounded by the fact that the IT department of my workplaces had problems doing so in the past, so much so that they trashed the idea to move to Linux.

So, I had some hours to find a way to connect remotely in a way that wouldn't interfere with my ability to work from home. After a couple of hour I narrowed my search to Remmina, which had a lot of good reviews to work at a remote Windows desktop from Ubuntu or Linux Mint.

And so far, it has worked as a charm. I've no problems related to Remmina, just a problem at the server side. As such, this opens the door for me to continue use Linux Mint while the being able to do my work effectively since I can access all what I need with an Internet connection.

To be honest, this gives me another reason to stay with Linux Mint since I can access my Windows desktop at work with ease. And to be honest, with every update since I rejoined Linux Mint with the 18 release, I found the Linux Mint making it a better OS for the average user.

Two months down the road, I'm quite happy with Stori and Oyter.

After a couple of months of using a couple of fintech products, I've to say that they have been working rather well for me. Although there are ways that would make them better for me, overall both have high marks from me.

The first product is a credit card issued by Stori(link is in Spanish). Since its backed by Mastercard,I haven't had a problem with it. All the places on which I usually pay with a credit, or debit, card take it without an issue. Not only that, with the app update released a couple of week ago made it a lot more usable and got a redesign for the better.

Of the things I would like to see improve, is that your balance get updated at the moment you make a purchase and when a payment is made. This way it would make it a lot more practical and user friendly. Not only that, it would make less likely not to go over your credit limit by mistake.

The second product I'm using, is a business account that comes with debit card called Oyster(link also in Spanish). With the account, a debit card is issued backed also backed by Mastercard. Personally, I use this account more like a savings one. Mainly to put money in account separate from the ones I use for my daily expenses.

The app Oyster offers is quite good, and I like a bit better than the one that Stori offers. And while I've no problems using my money by paying with the debit card, I can't withdraw it on an ATM without having to pay a fee. For my user case, its not really a problem since I use the account for savings, can pay with the debit card, or can make a transfer to other of my accounts with banks that have their own ATMs. But I can see this being a problem for some people who need to be able to make withdraws on regular basis.

I personally would recommend both Stori, and Oyster, to people who don't want to deal with a traditional bank, or their life style is one that managing their finances using their smartphone is a lot easier.

Podcasts I listen to learn about things, or just have get out of reality for a while.

One of the things I've picked up in the last year or so, is listening to podcasts. I found that, in my case, is the best way to learn or get a glimpse into the minds of people that have common interests with.

Some of my favorite are The Adam Savage Project, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast, AvTalk Aviation Podcast, and Basketball Time Machine Podcast. All of this podcast allow me either to learn about subjects I'm interested in, or simply get to know people that make possible things I enjoy consuming.

Another podcast that gives me an insight what motivates people to do something to make the world a better place is Este Podcast Salvara al Mundo in Mexico. It features people with project that are starting, or aren't all that well known, that are striving to have a meaningful impact in peoples lives, or in society at large. This podcast is in Spanish, but if you can is would really make you reflect about how you could do something good happen.

On the entertainment side of thing, a couple of new podcasts I enjoy are Fantasfic!, specially if are into reading and/or writing fanfiction, Fandom of One, and in Spanish Duraznos y Berenjenas. All of these three podcast really help me to get my mind clear when the world seems to get to heavy.

In a way, all these podcasts allow me to express the different parts of my geekdom.

2020 is the year that changed everything.

As the COVID-19 effects continue to drag on, it seems that how the new normal will be is not something anyone can predict with certainty. Every time that things seem to be setting enough to at least try to have a look, things change enough as to make predictions hard to make.

This time, the challenge is one that is faced globally. There is no country that has been speared, and we all have been affected by it in one way or another. The only thing that seems certain, is that every aspect of our lives has change in one or another. We are being forced to adapt, no matter if we like it or not.

The Internet, and the technologies around it, have gained far more importance than ever before. Not only that, those who know how to use them, or have the chance to learn them, have an advantage over those who don't have either of them.

Having access to them now is vital to be able to make out the most of the current situation or take the new opportunities as they present themselves. This gives a big advantage to those who already have what is needed to take on those new opportunities.

And more often than not, the best opportunities will be taken by those have access to those tools, and know how to use them effectively. As we stand, there is still a large group of people who either doesn't have full access to the tools we take for granted, or doesn't know how to use them effectively.

If there was a need to change the educational model, and the way we work, the pandemic made it painfully certain that we needed that change. Now, everyone is learning how those changes will look like.

Giving fintechs a chance.

I've been hunting for a credit card, and new savings account, for some time now. Until a couple of months ago, I didn't find anything that fit my needs or expectations.

For the credit card, my income wasn't enough, the fees that they had were to high, or they were secured credit cards that required a high deposit.

On the savings account side, the main problems were that they required so sort of minimum balance so no fee was paid, or a high initial deposit. Both are things that I don't like, since I don't have the money upfront, and I want access my money in case of an emergency without having to worry about maintaining a balance.

Then a couple of Mexican fintech companies came along, and I decided to give their services a try.

For the credit card, I decided to apply for the Stori(link in Spanish) classic credit card. The main reasons I decided to apply for it, where that isn't a secured credit card, it has no no annual fee, and that its backed by Mastercard. So far, I haven't had any major issues with it, and it may become a keeper for me if my credit line is increased with time.

On the savings account side, I decided to give a chance to a fintech called Oyster(link in Spanish). I selected the one with no fees, that comes with some restrictions, like no more than 30 electronic transfers a month. But, none of those restrictions come into play for the use I've plan to give it, and since my main accounts have me covered for the rest of my financial needs. And it comes with a debit card, so I still have access to my money to make purchases in case I need to.

The only major "ifs" that both fintechs have for some, is that neither have physical branches to go to. Yet, both have quite nice apps that give the control over the accounts most user will ever need. Not only that, transfers from my other accounts are a breeze to make, and most importantly they don't incur in fees for the amounts I'm planning to do.

Time will tell if I change my mind, but so far I'm quite happy with them.

The snowflakes that offend because they stand up to create a better world.

It is somewhat ironic that the so called snowflake generation is called that way not because they are actually weak, but because they are standing up to all those things that previous generations just didn't do. And while at times those stances have been taken to extremes, it could be said that many of their detractors don't like the idea that they younger people will question them, and act in order to stand against wrongs not only committed against them, but also to others.

When people who justify doing something is right, or wrong, by saying that is has been done a certain way for since they can remember miss the point that isn't justification to keep doing that way. Just because our grandparents, and parents, did something a certain way doesn't justify keep doing so if there is a better way to do so.

Just because bulling wasn't called out, doesn't mean we shouldn't call it out now. That it wasn't called that way before, it doesn't mean that it didn't exist. So with many things like homophobia, acts of racism, and so on. And just because they were tolerated before, it doesn't mean we have to keep tolerating them.

What offends many about the so called snowflake generation, is they are actually calling them out for what they are. And as such, they are making them face what they don't want to face, such as their own racism, classism and homophobia. The anger that people have against so called snowflakes, is that they are being forced to start treating others in ways that makes them feel that they stop having the control they had over them.

They no longer can just expect to be respected and listened to just because they are older, or have a position of authority. Now they have to earn that respect, and actually listen to those on the other side.

And having to do so, is something they never thought they would have to do.

Just one more thing needed to make the Innova Card really the card for urban mobility in Guadalajara.

For a while now, I've been using a card call Innova Card to pay my bus fare when going to work, and I'm find it to be practical. Yet, there is one thing that prevents me for using it to is full potential.

The card used to pay:

And that is the fact that I can't get credit to it easily, because the machines that from which I can do so are only available on the light train stations. There is plans to partner with a convenience store chain called Oxxo so one can recharge the card more easily, but one is left to wonder why this wasn't done sooner.

What makes so attractive to me, is the fact that I can use it to ride on the light train and all the bus routes I use to go almost everyone in the city. Meaning that I don't need to worry to have some spare change to be able to get to where I need, on more than one public transportation system. For what I gather, I could also use it on the Macrobus, which would make it even more valuable for me since it would be grant me access to all major public transportation modes in the Metropolitan area of Guadalajara.

To be honest, the card is one of those ideas that need can be a lot more practical and its getting there. Yet, it feels to be moving all to slowly.

At least is integrating all the public transportation systems in Guadalajara to a single way to pay for them, it just need to have a more practical way to top it off.

The Internet can empower the people.

The advent of the Internet is still changing how we interact not only with each other, but with governments, small business and corporations. Add to this the advent of smartphones, which allow us to access the Internet on the go, the dynamics of power and how society relates to the government and corporations, has changed in ways are still being determined.

While I'm hopeful that smartphones, and computers connected to the Internet, can empower the people, we are still learning of to effectively use it. I know that there are some people, and groups, that already know how to use it; there is a long way to go before a meaningful percentage of the population can actually use it effectively.

Part of it, is because the education system as a whole still hasn't figure out how to give people the tools needed to do so. While some school are ahead of the curve, most people don't get the education that would give them the tools to actually be able to use all the resource the Internet gives us to use it to the maximum potential.

There is hope, if we don't kill each other first.

The narrative is not only at the hands of the media, and the governments, any more.

With people carrying smartphones connected to the Internet with them basically all the time, everywhere they go, it has become a lot more easier for everyone to share abuses committed by people with power basically as they happen. As such, it has become a lot harder to keep those abuses hidden from the public.

As the protests that have been occurring around the world, the protestors themselves have been documenting their struggle and capturing what is going on around them in order to have evidence of how their protest are developing. Not only that, they are also bringing to light how the authorities respond to them.

It has become harder for media, and the governments, to keep control of the narrative. Now the people have a stronger, and louder, voice on how the story is shaped. Social media, and other online forums, have given the people the platforms we need not only to organize in a more organic way, but have a wider reach for our message and a bigger impact on how the story is told.

While there is still much to learn by the people on how to manage social movements using the Internet, there is hope that we are learning how to do so. What is important, is that people are talking about those movements and what they are looking to achieve.

People having access to smartphones to capture the moment, and also to transmit live what is going on has proven crucial to help capture our stories from the onset. And also tablets and laptops play a role by helping to bring together what is needed to transmit an even deeper, and polished, message in different medias to even more people.

I've hope that these tools will help us to change things in a deep way.