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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). W...

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 entertainmen...

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 ...

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 . ...

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 did...

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 acc...

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 ...