ING has spook software that will attempt to link you to your address and phone number. They called my parents' house looking for me, and my mom gave me their number and I had to spend a few minutes on the phone telling them stuff to prove that I used to live in that house and explain why I am no longer at that address etc. This is not enough hassle that I would have turned down fifty bucks to avoid it, but it is more hassle than I expected.
That is bad, as it is another barrier to me accepting this offer -- I don't have any way to talk over the phone (obviously).
But I'm sure there's software for it. Is there something that will let me communicate over a telephone by inputting words like I do on this forum? That is, I input the string I wish to communicate, and the software reads it through the phone connection. From what I know, such readers sound noticeably unlike humans, which will bother the bigots I plan to interact with.
Also, how feasible is it to use teletype when communicating with humans in cases where it must be done over a phone line?
If I gave you $50 you hadn't planned on receiving, would you consider giving it to charity?
Here's your chance to find out.
Just in time for the Tallin-Evans matching fundraiser, ING Direct has started offering a free $50 cash sign-up bonus. I've personally used ING for 10 years and referred over 20 people to similar promotions of theirs in the past so I can confirm that this is legit.1
It's a simple, effective way to get started as an optimal philanthropist for free:
Full disclosure: I was an SIAI Visiting Fellow in 2010. I've also used ING Direct as a customer the past 10 years, but otherwise have no financial interest in them.
[1] This isn't one of those bogus "intro" deals where you have to make sure you cancel the service later on or risk getting charged fees. ING has no fees, no minimum balance requirements, no sleazy marketing emails, and consistently good savings rates. If you want to use them for their good service after signing up, great, if not, no worries. All you have to do to qualify for the $50 is make 3 small purchases you were planning to make anyway with their new debit card. I know it's a trivial inconvenience, but I think it's worth it to be able to donate up to $100 to charity without actually spending any money.
[2] Profit denominated in warm fuzzies, karma, and post-Singularity catgirls.