The Financial Decoder Jill Schlesinger back on the show today. Yeah, yeah, it's not technology, but we do mention online banking, so we guess that counts. Anyway, we talk about how credit card companies are like drug dealers, and how to break the habit.

Congress recently passed legislation that would prevent some of the bad practices that credit card companies engage in, but Jill reveals to us that for the most part it won't prevent much. Credit card companies will just have to tell you how they are screwing you. Be prepared for your credit cards to have annual fees and higher rates in the interim.

After the break, Jill warns us to stay away from the credit consolidation, negotiation or settlement companies. According to her, you don't have to pay some lawyer to do what you can do already, by calling the credit card companies yourself or writing them a letter. If you are in the endless debt circle, ask them for a break on the interest rate for a year or two. Keep in mind that the companies want something instead of nothing.

Finally, we talk about how the experiences of growing up in Jewish and Chinese households share so much in common. Namely, our love of mahjong. So much so that we all flip out when we see an automated mahjong shuffling table! Send in your feedback as usual to the404 [at] cnet [dot] com. Jill and Wilson might make a weekly date of their financial and economic talk. Let us know if that might interest you. Look out for Jill's recommendations for credit cards and checking accounts later.

UPDATE: Check out Jill's blog post on MoneyWatch about credit card companies. Plus she gives us a little love.

I got the Jesus phone and a Platinum Plus card. Isn't that enough street cred for you?

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

I'm not a fan of protective case for gadgets (which, as long as they function, are fine the way they are, even with a few scratches). For this reason, the only things I've put on my iPhone 3GS so far, and only when I travel, are the Mophie Juice packs, which add more battery life to the phone.

I just, however, found a new protective case that I actually am going to use more regularly, for the sake of convenience. It's the Case-Mate I.D. case.

Unlike other protective cases that try to be as slim as possible, the I.D. case deliberately bulks out at the phone's back to create a small pouch that's just large enough to fit two credit cards or, in my case, my driver's license and a library card (yes, I read).

Of course, you can swap these out for any two cards you want. The point is this is very convenient, especially when the iPhone is something a lot of us don't want to be separated from. And I would like to stress the inseparable notion, as you definitely don't want to lose the phone and the two important cards attached to it.

Despite the added functionality, the case actually only adds another 2.5 mm (about one-tenth of an inch) of thickness to the phone, compared with other purely protective cases.

Other than that, the Case-Mate I.D. is very much like most protective cases. It comes with an easily attached protective film for the phone's screen and another protective layer for the back of the phone (so the card won't mess up all the fingerprints you've gathered).

The Case-Mate I.D. works with both the iPhone 3G and 3GS. It comes in eight colors and costs $30, which is a little more expensive than other cases that add no extra usability to the phone.

Case-Mate I.D. case -- photos

It's no surprise that Jeff, Wilson, and Justin don't know jack about the economic financial crisis, so we invite CBS MoneyWatch.com's Editor-at-Large Jill Schlesinger on the show to break it all down. She preps us with tips on what young people can do to secure a stable future and she gives us three very important ways to keep the money we earn.

(Credit: CBS MoneyWatch.com)

First of all, be sure to have six months of living expenses in the bank. If you don't have a steady, stable job like a tenured teaching position, a three-month rainy day fund in the bank will do you some good, if, God-forbid, something happened. Second, pay off your debt. Sounds obvious, but most Americans haven't saved a dime since the '90s.

Last thing she says is to take advantage of your company's 401k. Yes, your parents retirement and pension funds might be gone, but if you're like us, in our 20s and barely employed, you should throw money into your 401k. If you want, Wilson will manage your 404k--if you want a negative return on your investment.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to show off all of your submissions for our logo contest, but let's face it: some things are more important than logos. But rest assured that we're going to go over ALL of them on tomorrow's show, not to mention a huge "Calls from the Public" to make up for today. Keep sending in your submissions to the404 [at] cnet [dot] com--they've all been amazing. We've gotten so many that we're EXTENDING the contest to next week! Don't forget: all submissions should include a JPG/PNG as well as a high-res file. Thanks all!

If it's not a right angle, it's a wrong angle. That's exactly the ethos that has inspired the type of precise, structured and rigidly useful gadgetry that we highlight in today's episode.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

EPISODE 138

The perfect father’s day gift for the Type A griller

Size your burgers your way

Cocoon’s laptop bag is perfect for type A personalities

Sensor-laden kokoro adjusts playlist to match the rhythm of your heart

GameDr destroys recreation of youth

Sony’s 400-disc BDP-CX7000ES Blu-ray Mega Changer reportedly coming soon

(Credit: Brando)

Ah, the wonders of modern technology--and the hyperspeed of the global marketplace. At the beginning of the year, people were writing almost incredulously about an MP3 player the size of a credit card from an Israeli company called Walletex. Then it went on sale at $150 for a 2GB model.

Now, only a few short months later, a competing 2GB card-sized player is being offered for just $42 by Hong Kong-based Brando, the ultimate purveyor in products of the lowest common denominator. Speaking of which, as items like this continue to plummet in price, we'll be happy to wait--just like USB drives, they'll probably be given away for free as logo-bearing swag before we know it.

(Credit: Sanrio)

You might've thought the World of Warcraft credit card was pushing it, but really, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Upon encountering the Hello Kitty Platinum Plus Visa on ThisNext, I initially thought it had to be a joke. But, no, a quick amount of Googling revealed that it's legitimate. Sanrio really does offer a Hello Kitty credit card, so that you can hop around the world in search of all things pink and shiny. Now, not only will the ubiquitous cat be telling you that you're fat or making you toast, but she'll also be helping you run your finances into the ground!

Luckily, the rewards point system is refreshingly normal--you get Visa's usual WorldPoints, not any kind of wacky frequent flier miles on the Hello Kitty Jet or discounts toward a Hello Kitty robot of your very own. That'd be pushing it.

Act now, and you'll get a free Hello Kitty sequined change purse! (What, no Swarovski crystals?)

(Credit: MagnePrint)

The way the particles land on a given credit card's magnetic stripe are as unique as individual snowflakes or human fingerprints--or so says a Magtek, the company that developed, MagnePrint, which records the unique magnetic media signature for all credit and debit cards scanned through its readers. The first scan by a MagnePrint reader creates a template against which all subsequent scans are compared.

MagnePrint is designed to prevent "skimming." Online carders buy credit-card information from a black-market database, then copy that information onto a blank physical card using a machine that costs about $250. The skimmed card is then used in an ATM or a retail environment, as though it were the original card, until the credit or debit limits are maxed.

Using MagnePrint, faux cards are identified quickly. Even if you were to rerecord the magnetic stripe information onto your credit card a second time (say you damaged your first card and seek a replacement), the magnetic particles on the second card would not match the original and would be flagged. The results are given in percentages, with around 80% considered to be enough of a match. The bank always has the ability to accept or deny the recommendations.

Advancements in security are somehow giving me the creeps lately. I know I'm not supposed to feel that way. As a consumer, I'm supposed to feel safer, more secure, protected. I certainly don't want anyone stealing my credit card data or my identity.

But after looking over some of the latest advancements at the CardTechSecurTech Conference that took place in San Francisco this week, all I can think about is Big Brother. Fingerprint readers, facial recognition software and biometric passports make me want to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head.

Maybe I've just gotten too paranoid. But on my first-ever trip to SeaWorld last month, I was required to offer a fingerprint to a biometric reader at the entrance. That was a first. I readily complied just to get my kiddos through the gate, but the more I think about it, the less I like it.

So I guess I'm craving security, but not too much security. You can check out the products of the not-too-distant future and decide for yourself.

(Credit: World of Warcraft)

The notion of "frequent gamer rewards" has been tossed around by trend specialists and pundits (like MAKE Magazine's Philip Torrone) for some time now as online gaming becomes more and more profitable and increasingly entrenched in mainstream culture. Now, it's a reality with the World of Warcraft Visa credit card.

You can apply for it now. With your first purchase on the card, according to the World of Warcraft site, you'll earn a free month of game time.

But you won't be able to buy yourself new weapons by using this card. The WoW Visa does not earn you virtual currency--rather, you accrue game time toward your subscription. It's unclear what the thinking was behind this decision, but it's true that there has been some controversy about bridging the gap between virtual and real-world currency, most notably the eBay ban on virtual goods earlier this year.

You can't brand the World of Warcraft credit card with your avatar (yet), but you can choose from 13 total designs. Whether or not you want to use this card when you pick up the tab on a first date, however, is up to you.

(Link via Boing Boing)