Keeping on the ‘cloak and dagger’ subject like the self destructing message tip I wrote about not too long ago, I came across this article which explains how you can ‘hide’ data inside of another file using file streams.

In the walk through, the author uses a text file as an example of how you can embed ‘invisible’ text within the file. While the text is not actually embedded, rather placed in an alternate file stream, for all intents and purposes it is not immediately visible to the end user… you have to know the stream is there it access it.

While I really cannot see any practical use for this either since if you were to send the file which has the hidden text in it, the alternate streams would not be transferred. Nevertheless, this is a pretty neat trick to hide stuff if you share a computer with others.

Today I called Verizon to find out what my cancellation fee would be (I was thinking of switching carriers) and was told it would be $155 if I canceled.

Ouch.

The sales representative then asked me why I wanted to cancel. I told him cost was a concern and I didn’t feel I was getting my money’s worth.

Then I found out there not one but three ultra-low-cost post-paid plans available. These are listed nowhere on the Verizon Wireless web site (and if they are, please post a link because I couldn’t find them.)

These are absolute basic no-frills plans with next to nothing in them, just so you’re aware. And bear in mind that yes, these are post-paid plans, not pre-paid (more on that in a moment.)

$34.99 a month

• 300 anytime minutes.
• Unlimited nights and weekends
• Free long distance in the continental US

$25.00 a month

• 100 anytime minutes
• 500 night and weekend minutes

$20.00 a month

• 50 anytime minutes
• 100 night and weekend minutes

A post-paid plan for $20 a month? Believe it. Verizon has it. Granted, it’s not even an hour’s worth of talk-time per month, but the fact of the matter is that YES, you can go that cheap on a post-paid plan. If you’re the type that only uses a cell phone for calling AAA and emergencies, this is perfect for you.

But you have to ask for it.

I was only informed of these plans due to the fact I mentioned cost was a concern.

A few notes on pre-paid plans

A PCMech reader once noted that the best way to go cheap with a cell phone is to go T-Mobile and buy a 1000-minute card that’s good for 1 year. And he was right.

It is in fact the absolute lowest you can go price-wise for a cell phone. Assuming you don’t go over the 1000 minutes in the year, you get a little over 75 minutes a month. The cost translates to under 8 bucks a month (not including the price of the phone itself or overages if any.)