Sleep, dreams, reality, and online banking

[mtbc]

This morning is unusual in that I noticed something from the real world affecting my dream. I dreamed that I was somewhere around Boston, using Google Maps on my cellphone to navigate a fictional instance of the rail network, when my real cellphone alarm went off and, for a moment, I thought that the alarm was on the dream-cellphone.

I set a 6h alarm even for Sunday because the consistency makes the Monday alarm far more palatable when it comes. Annoyingly, this morning was one upon which I awoke prematurely then did not easily fall back to sleep although, in the end, I must have, given that I was caught dreaming.

Incidentally, thinking of cellphones: I shall soon close my account with Virgin Money. Apparently, online banking is not an option, and I trust mobile operating system security so little that I do not want to use a personal banking app. I had already closed an account with Clydesdale Bank for similar reasons. With luck, this isn't a trend. I would consider a two-factor-only or read-only app but not a general banking app.

Comments

[wpadmirer]

I cannot imagine setting an alarm on a weekend if I don't have to get up. In fact, I've been enjoying not setting an alarm on the weekdays when I don't have to get up!

[mtbc]

You may be better than I at coping with Monday mornings after a weekend sleeping in. (-:

[wpadmirer]

I wake up easily and fully awake, so that might be part of it.

Pat is slow to wake up and he hates Monday alarms.

[mellowtigger]

I don't know what your financial goals are, but I highly recommend Privacy.com for maintaining online security. I still need to write up how it has saved me from money loss.

[mtbc]

Thank you. They look plausibly interesting though amusingly unclear in the how it works. I wish more regular payment card providers offered that kind of service built-in (virtual card numbers with constraints). So far I've had very little practical trouble mostly because I carry a range of cards so, while I wait for dispute resolution on one (which happens only every few years), I still have plenty of credit elsewhere, like the jolly time HSBC locked one of my cards just as I was heading out on vacation. So far everything problematic I've had reversed without issue but that's a small sample size.

[thewayne]

I have pretty good faith in my bank's app, Bank of the West, FNB Parabas. No idea if they have any branches in your neck of the woods. Never had any problems. And if you don't update within X generations of OS updates, the app won't work. They update frequently.

In contrast to our local bank's app which hadn't been updated in over a year, last time I checked. I never installed it once I saw its update history.