Free Money with Bitcoin Faucets

Yes, it really is true. You can get money for nothing.

Well, for almost nothing. You generally have to perform some task: click a button, view an ad, visit a website, complete a survey. Sometimes it’s an enjoyable task, like playing an online game. Often it requires just a few seconds every hour or so.

The amount of money you get is tiny — generally fractions of a cent at a time — although there …

Read More

Lightning Strikes Bitcoin

I have been following Bitcoin for a number of years now —  since it was below $1,000, which is ancient history as far as Bitcoin is concerned. I haven’t “invested” in any Bitcoin, because I don’t feel as though Bitcoin is an investment at all — unless, of course, you think a lottery ticket is also an “investment.” (I do own a little Bitcoin, however, which is fodder for another post…)

But Bitcoin, to …

Read More

Fun at the Farmacia (Life in Italy)

You may or may not know that in 2012 I had a minor heart attack, caused by a blocked coronary artery. My cardiologist cleared the artery and inserted a stent, and I’ve been in good shape ever since. But he also put me on some daily medication: three different prescription drugs, plus a baby aspirin, every day.

As we were planning our move to Italy, I had to give some consideration to making sure I …

Read More

Using a U.S. Credit Card in Italy, Even When They Don’t Want You To…

Assuming you have notified your credit card company ahead of time that you’ll be traveling or living outside of the United States, using your U.S.-issued credit cards in Italy should not be a problem. They are “every place you want to be,” as the advertising slogan goes. Restaurants, grocery stores, tourist shops — pretty much every business around accepts credit cards, and the country where those cards were issued is basically irrelevant.

There are situations, …

Read More

Adventures at the Anagrafe (Life in Italy)

Voice of the Narrator (who sounds remarkably like William “Bill” Conrad): “Last time, you remember, our hero was waiting for the local police to arrive at his apartment to verify that he actually lived there. They needed to do this because he had applied for residency in his new town of La Maddalena, and this police check was part of the process.

“Just after the closing theme and the running of the closing credits for

Read More

Quietly, a Mass Exodus from the U.S. is Underway

As I have gone through the process of claiming my Italian citizenship and now moving to Italy, I’ve learned a lot of interesting things. Perhaps the most surprising one, to me at least, is the sheer number of people who are doing exactly what I’ve done: claiming their citizenship by birthright and then moving — permanently — to Italy.

I am in a Facebook group called “Americans Living in Italy.” That group currently has …

Read More