Category: Blog

How to Test Surge Pricing in the Uber API Sandbox Environment (Java/Android Rides SDK)

Uber has released a Rides SDK to open its API up to developers in a slew of different packages (Java, Python, Android, and iOS). But it’s new, so hunting down answers on StackOverflow or in its docs isn’t easy. One of the trickiest parts of Uber’s Rides SDK is handling surge pricing. You have to redirect users to a Uber page for them to confirm acceptance of surge… Read more →

Socket.IO’s CDN SSL Certificate Expires, Breaks Apps Everywhere

To paraphrase Chris Brown, these CDNs ain’t loyal. If you used Socket.IO for your web app, you may have run into a few issues today, 5/27/16. A few issues is probably a bit of an understatement, as any secure app that used Socket.IO’s CDN to serve their client the necessary library to communicate with their server today was crippled. The culprit? Socket.IO forgot to renew… Read more →

Macys.com Password Reset Mystery: How Macys.com Gives Spammers Email Addresses

I’ve noticed a regularly occurring email in my inbox: a password reset link sent from Macys.com. The problem with this? I didn’t try to reset my password!  Someone else is requesting a password reset using my email address. But since they can’t actually reset my password this way (since they don’t have access to my email) it’s weird that they would bother, right? Unfortunately, no, I… Read more →

Uber API Deep Linking [was] Broken for Android (Pickup Location)

Update 3: Good news everyone! The issues with Chrome for Android not properly passing the pick-up location to the Uber app appear to have been fixed! Update 2: I created a WebView app (NoSurge) for Android that manually handles the Uber deep-linking/Android intent and confirmed that this approach allows a user to correctly pass the pick-up location to the Uber app.… Read more →

Azores Cheap Fares Calendar

Europe on a Budget: Azores AND Lisbon for $415.20 (from Boston)

SATA Airlines is an airline most are not familiar with. It is the flagship carrier of the Azores, a place, still, that most have not heard of before. The Azores are a group of Portugese islands in the Atlantic nearly 1,000 miles from Portugal proper. They are volcanic islands with hot springs, waterfalls, stunning scenery, Europe’s only tea plantations, wineries, and some of… Read more →

So you want to travel for cheap…

I’ve been fortunate enough to learn a few good ways to score cheap flight tickets to enable my passion for traveling. I’m always asked by people how I get such good deals, and I figured I’d share some of the best ways to travel on the cheap. I’m only a good resource as far as the links I can provide, and… Read more →