Companies requiring identity confirmation when calling YOU

I've had two occurrences this week of companies calling me and asking me to provide my date of birth to identify myself before they will speak with me. Having a tech and security background, I sort of balk at this.

In both cases this was legitimate. One was the doctor's office and the other the pharmacy. So, I get it, they want to identify me before discussing private medical details. But I have the phone registered on my account in my possession, and in most cases that satisfies the 2FA requirement. And they called me! If somebody is out to steal your identity, maybe you shouldn't lend them your phone.

I refused to provide any sensitive personal information in that situation, and they talked to me anyway.

My concern is that if this becomes commonplace, then people will let their guard down and readily provide their personal information during a very rudimentary phishing attack. Spoofing a phone number is unfortunately still very easy.

What should healthcare providers be doing in this case? Thoughts? Do you draw the line at date of birth or just social security number?

Small No Kings protest in front of Charlotte Tesla showroom yesterday

I drove by and there was a small gathering there. There was a No Kings sign and an appeal to honk if you support democracy. I didn't hear any honking, but I honked!

Penn Station Ghost Pepper Cheesesteak review

It's ghoul-sploitation season!

Penn Station East Coast Subs is new to me. They've been running ads for this sandwich relentlessly, so I thought I'd try it out. I'm a bonafide chilihead so I'm a sucker for this sort of thing. I got a regular and it was 10 bucks and change with no chips or drink.

Penn Station is a bit misleading as the chain was founded in Cincinnati. I'd place them squarely between Subway and Jersey Mike's in terms of the overall experience and value. This is not a very creative Halloween offering, it's basically their standard cheesesteak but with seasonal ghost pepper cheese. There are no black buns or spooky orange sauce here. You can get that cheese on other sandwiches if desired.

I stuck with the basic components of bread, meat, cheese, and grilled onions. No mushrooms or mayo for me, nor mustard. These aren't the Philly way. I was also asked if I wanted pizza sauce on it (!)

All in all, it was decent. The heat is a 4 out of 10, a nice burn that builds but isn't going to wear most people out. The bread is good, and the meat is good. The regular is a nice size that was just right.

I wasn't blown away but if you have the itch for some heat and are near one it might be worth a stop.

Judas Priest - Trial By Fire

This was released in 2023 and is a return to form for Judas Priest. This song has been picked up by Ozzy's Boneyard and has become an instant classic.

One Big Beautiful Bill lets ACA enhanced tax credits expire

This issue has been overshadowed a bit by the Medicaid cuts. The ACA premium tax credits will expire this year and won't be extended.

https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/how-will-the-2025-budget-reconciliation-affect-the-aca-medicaid-and-the-uninsured-rate/

I was considering early retirement last year in my mid 50's and the ACA premium tax credits weighed heavily in my decision. I would have been eligible for them had I retired due to my low taxable retirement income. Those tax credits aren't means tested, it's all about your MAGI. So, in a way it would have been gaming the system because I have adequate 401k and Roth 401K savings. I asked my company's benefits plan experts what they thought about Trump extending the credits, and they thought he had no choice but to extend them. I deferred with that opinion and predicted they would expire. Sadly, I was correct. It's back to the salt mine for me.

The Underpants Gnomes' three-phase trade plan

Phase 1: Collect tariffs
Phase 2: ?
Phase 3: Profit

What are the most insidious YouTube videos in 2025?

OK can we officially flip the script on eggs?

Trump boasted he would "immediately bring prices down" on his first day in office (referring to groceries). He's had almost three weeks, to say nothing of the time he had as president-elect to make his phone calls. So, what gives? A dozen extra-large white eggs are over $6 in SC.

Two follow-up questions Bret Baier forgot to ask.

1) You've mentioned Musk finding fraud several times, can we expect indictments as a direct result of this investigation?
2) During your 2016 presidential campaign, you promised to eliminate the federal budget within eight years. Is this promise still in effect?

A good political interviewer will test claims and inquire about metrics for goals.

Cooked eggs on a stainless fry pan!

I'm not that skilled at cooking but purchased an All-Clad 11-piece D3 stainless 3-ply bonded cookware set last year which includes frying pans. I really like the set but have mostly butchered eggs on the frying pans. After watching a few videos I've settled in on a process which worked for me today:

Start the pan at low heat (1) and preheat for 3 minutes. Test with water. If the water simply evaporates, increase heat by one and repeat. Once the Leidenfrost effect is observed (water forms dancing droplets), the correct temperature has been reached. This occurred at level 3. I then seasoned the pan with butter and nothing else for maybe 10 seconds, so it didn't burn.

The eggs did not stick this time. I've randomly had success prior, but now I have a repeatable process. I don't need to start from 1 now, I know that level 3 is optimal and can preheat for 3-5 minutes straight from there.

This is probably old news for some, but it took me a while to get there. Eggs are too expensive to ruin these days!