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

[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.