Pay anyone with an email address using Chase Quick Pay

Let's admit it. Money transfers between different bank accounts still sucks. Whether you are sharing an expense with a friend or someone is paying you for your services, you have to share your bank account number, last name on the account, zip code and some times even the routing number to let them send you money. Sharing these details through emails or IM is a security risk in itself. And it is not a good idea to share these details with people you can't trust. So, I found it very useful when I found Chase Quick Pay through which you can send or receive money only by sharing your email address.

Chase Quick Pay is a free service where you can register your checking or savings account from any US bank with an email address. Once you have registered an email address with your bank account credentials, you can start sending money to others by just entering their Chase Quick Pay email address or you can even request for a money transfer. The only catch here is that either the sender or the receiver has to have a Chase account. So, if you have a Chase account, you can send and receive money from people who are not on Chase.

If you are using this service, you don't need to give your bank account details whenever you need to send or receive money from someone. All you need to send them is the email address that you have registered with Chase Quick Pay. For more details on how to register and how to do the transfers, check these FAQs from Chase.

Disable Google Voice SMS Forwarding

Google Voice is a pretty useful service. If you are not using it yet, here is why you should use it. Free SMS to phones in US is one of the great features it offers. You can send free SMS to any phone in US. But, if someone sends an SMS to your Google Voice number, it will forward the message to your mobile phone and hence costs you money. All mobile phones listed under your Google Voice account are automatically configured to receive SMS. Google Voice has email notification for SMS messages. So, if you are OK with the email notification and want to save money, here is how to disable the SMS forwarding to your phone and receive only email notification when you receive an SMS on your Google Voice number.

If you have an Android phone, you are lucky. You can download the official Google Voice app and receive the notification instantaneously on your phone. Follow these instructions from Google.

If you do not have an Android phone, log into your Google Voice account and go to Settings -> Phones. Click on the 'Edit' button for your listed mobile number. Now, uncheck the option 'Receive SMS on this phone' and click on 'Save'. You will no longer receive SMS messages from Google Voice to this number. If you wish, repeat this for other numbers listed.

Make sure that SMS forwarding to your email address is enabled by going to Settings -> Voicemail & SMS and looking for the 'Forward SMS messages to my email' option. This way you won't miss being notified when you receive an SMS.

Keep your PC awake with Caffeine

All our PCs are configured to go to sleep mode or hibernate after a period of inactivity and it's a good thing. But there are instances when you want to keep your system awake even though you are not actively using your mouse or keyboard. For example, if you are watching a lengthy online video or a movie in your browser, you just want to stop your PC from starting the screensaver or going to sleep mode in the middle. Similarly, if you have connected your PC to a TV and watching a movie, you just don't want to go and move the cursor every now and then to keep the PC awake.

I know that some of the latest laptops do have an option to not activate the screensaver and sleep mode when something is in full screen mode or when you have connected it to a TV. But what if you don't want to run the program in full screen mode or you don't have the option ? You can use the free program Caffeine.

There is no installation. All you have to do is start the program when you want to keep your PC awake. That's it. For those who want to customize, there are several command line switches to make it start disabled or quit automatically after a certain period. I have been using this tiny program for over a month now and I'm extremely pleased with it.

Write down serial numbers of your gadgets

We all have a range of electronics / gadgets in our house. All our gadgets like TV, CD/DVD player, DSL router, wireless modem, microwave, laptop, mobile phone etc. have a unique serial number. Do you have a list of all your gadgets and their serial numbers with you ? Read on to know why it is important ...

Why are gadget serial numbers useful ? If there is a theft in your house, you need the serial numbers of your gadgets to prove the ownership, in case of a recovery. When a thief is caught and gadgets are recovered, police ask for you to provide the serial numbers of your gadgets as a way to prove the ownership. So, take some time and note down the serial numbers of your gadgets on a paper or in an online notebook (don't store it as a text file on your laptop ... you will not be having the list if the laptop is also stolen).

Indian Passport Renewal in United States

If you are in US and your passport is expiring, you can renew it from the Indian Consulate in SFO. This is available only to people who are in US on a non-visiting visa. If you are on a visitor's visa, you need to renew your passport in India.

You can renew your passport by mail or by appearing personally at the consulate. I have listed the required documentation below. If you are going personally, take all the original documents along with the photocopies. When applying by mail, all the photocopies need to be notarized if you are not sending the originals. The documents that you need are :

1. Original passport and a photo-copy.

2. Document that proves your status in US (Greencard / EAD / I-797)

3. Address proof. (PG&E Bill / Apartment lease / Driving License with current address)

4. Photos. Two 2" X 2" photos. ($4.99 at Costco / $7.99 at Walgreens / Free at epassportphoto.com)

5. $40 fee. No personal checks / credit cads. Take a money order / cashier's check or pay with your debit card with an additional $3 fee.

6. Self-addressed USPS express mail cover to receive the documents back (optionally, you can pick-up)

If you are newly married and want to add your spouse's name on your new passport, you need the following documentation.

1. Original passport of spouse and photo-copy.

2. Marriage certificate

3. Marriage photos and invitation card

4. Affidavit. Signed and notarized by both.

Fill the online application and get an appointment. Print out the 4 pages that come out after finishing the online form and fill the rest of the details with pen. Paste one photo on the first page and pin the other on the last page. If you are applying by mail, ignore the appointment date and send the documents by mail right away. If you are applying in person, visit the consulate on the day of the appointment.

Everyone gets the time of the appointment as 9am. Consulate is open from 9 to 12 only. So, be there by 9am and take a number to be called. Parking near the consulate is very less and you have to drive around to find a vacant space. So, give yourself additional time to find a parking space.

If you are applying in person, you will be given a choice to pick-up your new passport from the same place or get it by mail. To pick-up your passport, visit the consulate between 4 and 4:45 pm on the date given. To get it by mail, use self-addressed cover specified above.

For all additional questions and information, visit their website.