why can't they make a decent spray bottle?
I have at least 4 or 5 spray bottles in my house for various cleaning fluids . . . kitchen cleaner, bathroom cleaner, window cleaner, all purpose cleaner, and with every bottle, when I get down to the last inch of fluid, I can no longer use the bottle if it's tipped more than 10 degrees from upright-- which, btw, it almost always is. Surely it would not be that hard to make a bottle that would allow me to access the last little bit without coaxing it out . . . otherwise i have to just toss it . . .
today's aggravation vented.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
more mass pike insanity
here in massachusetts, along with the big dig that rest of the country paid 14 billion for, we have a road called the mass turnpike. It was supposed to become free after the tolls paid for its construction, but once it was paid for they just kept charging tolls. lovely.
Anyway, all that aside, they instituted transponders for cars so we can pay our tolls automatically. You have to pay something like 20 bucks for the transponder tho, plus I don't care for the government knowing where I've been. so for that, and being a cheapskate, I have never bought a transponder.
Trouble is, the road was designed for everyone to stop at the toll booths, but now you have some people stopping at the booths and others just slowing down to 30 mph . . . and after the toll booths, you have to try and merge back into traffic. The fastlanes and the stop-and-pay-cash booths are mixed together willy-nilly. so when you pull out from the stop booth, you need to merge with someone in the next lane who may be cruising thru the booth next to you at 30+mph. Even if it looks like no one is coming, you can't really tell. 8 lanes converge to 4 within 50 yards, and all at different speeds . . . oh well, at least the toll booths aren't crashing down on my head.
Anyway, all that aside, they instituted transponders for cars so we can pay our tolls automatically. You have to pay something like 20 bucks for the transponder tho, plus I don't care for the government knowing where I've been. so for that, and being a cheapskate, I have never bought a transponder.
Trouble is, the road was designed for everyone to stop at the toll booths, but now you have some people stopping at the booths and others just slowing down to 30 mph . . . and after the toll booths, you have to try and merge back into traffic. The fastlanes and the stop-and-pay-cash booths are mixed together willy-nilly. so when you pull out from the stop booth, you need to merge with someone in the next lane who may be cruising thru the booth next to you at 30+mph. Even if it looks like no one is coming, you can't really tell. 8 lanes converge to 4 within 50 yards, and all at different speeds . . . oh well, at least the toll booths aren't crashing down on my head.
more research is needed
every once in a while i will be watching the news and some new medical study will be announced that completely contradicts some other medical study. Then I am bombarded with a bunch of statistics that I told may not apply to me at all . . and at the end, without fail, I am told "researchers agree, 'more study is needed.'"
Just once I wish some researchers would say, "ok, that's it, we've studied this as much as it can be studied, we're done, no more research is needed. We're all going to get new jobs."
Ths might be possible. However, I agree that more research is needed.
Just once I wish some researchers would say, "ok, that's it, we've studied this as much as it can be studied, we're done, no more research is needed. We're all going to get new jobs."
Ths might be possible. However, I agree that more research is needed.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
a review of gmail
well i was told to try out gmail, google's e mail service, so i have.
okay, first the pros:
using gmail means your email data sits on a google server someplace. while i was first a little skeptical of this, having that extra storage in cyber space is a cool thing-- assuming they never crash. I occassionally use it as critical backup for smaller files. they offer a couple of gigabytes to start. after 3 months i have used up 4% of the space.
having all your e mail on a remote server, both sent and received, means you can access it all, including attached files, even if your computer drive dies or if you're on someone else's computer. and here's the real bonus-- you can google your own email to find any old messages, info, names, pictures, attachments, etc., that you have sent months ago. the ability to search all of your e mail messages with google search is the strongest element of the service. it's great for finding phonenyumbers in an e mail form 3 months ago.
it also has a spam filter that so far has has trapped all incoming spam quite magnificently while only grabbing one bulk mailing from a friend. another truly fabfeature. on those two alone it's worth getting.
okay, the cons:
The address book leaves a lot to be desired, it's very clunky compared to eudora, which is much more agile. eudora will take any name you click on and immeditely put it in the "to" field where in gmail, if you have multiple addressees, you have to check the box next to their names, then click compose . . . and hope they all migrate in there. there is a shortcut address feature, if you type a letter in the to field all the addresses that start with that letter appear under it to choose from, but you can only pick one at a time, again, clunky compared to eudora. also they do have a list of most recently mailed names on the left side which is helpful for small circles of friends, not much use to me.
one feature that is sometimes problematic: in big mailings that get you lots of respopnses form different people with the same subject line, sometimes some messages get slightly lost in that thread . . . you may not notice the second of 2 messages if they arrive the same time. you can explode views of threads tho, making it easier to look thru converations.
oh, other features include google chat, so you can chat with other gmail users.
all in all, i am getting used to the clunky address book, and the spam filter and the search capability make up for anything i could complain about.
okay, first the pros:
using gmail means your email data sits on a google server someplace. while i was first a little skeptical of this, having that extra storage in cyber space is a cool thing-- assuming they never crash. I occassionally use it as critical backup for smaller files. they offer a couple of gigabytes to start. after 3 months i have used up 4% of the space.
having all your e mail on a remote server, both sent and received, means you can access it all, including attached files, even if your computer drive dies or if you're on someone else's computer. and here's the real bonus-- you can google your own email to find any old messages, info, names, pictures, attachments, etc., that you have sent months ago. the ability to search all of your e mail messages with google search is the strongest element of the service. it's great for finding phonenyumbers in an e mail form 3 months ago.
it also has a spam filter that so far has has trapped all incoming spam quite magnificently while only grabbing one bulk mailing from a friend. another truly fabfeature. on those two alone it's worth getting.
okay, the cons:
The address book leaves a lot to be desired, it's very clunky compared to eudora, which is much more agile. eudora will take any name you click on and immeditely put it in the "to" field where in gmail, if you have multiple addressees, you have to check the box next to their names, then click compose . . . and hope they all migrate in there. there is a shortcut address feature, if you type a letter in the to field all the addresses that start with that letter appear under it to choose from, but you can only pick one at a time, again, clunky compared to eudora. also they do have a list of most recently mailed names on the left side which is helpful for small circles of friends, not much use to me.
one feature that is sometimes problematic: in big mailings that get you lots of respopnses form different people with the same subject line, sometimes some messages get slightly lost in that thread . . . you may not notice the second of 2 messages if they arrive the same time. you can explode views of threads tho, making it easier to look thru converations.
oh, other features include google chat, so you can chat with other gmail users.
all in all, i am getting used to the clunky address book, and the spam filter and the search capability make up for anything i could complain about.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
press the yellow fuel key
well I stopped in at a mobil gas station today. I admit i ususally fill up at the discount stations but i figured, it's nearly christmas, i'll give the car a treat with some name brand commodity.
so i swiped my credit card in the self serve pump, i selected "credit" (see post below), i removed the nozzle, i selected the fuel octane/grade by pushing the big yellow box with the number "87" in it-- and no gas came out. I pulled the lever in the handle, no go. the pump kept beeping. I looked at the little screen (which is pretty much invisible if you are wearing sunglasses). it said "press the yellow fuel key." so i pressed the yellow box that said "87" again . . . and again . . . and again. still no go, still beeping. finally i happened to look at the key pad, and next to the various buttons, well i'll be darned, there was yet another yellow button that said "fuel key." so i pressed it. out came the gas.
i am confused. no other pump at other stations asks for this. But even more, why is the "fuel key" the same color as the "fuel grade" keys?? i try to be kind in these posts, but this was just an idiotic bit of design.
so i swiped my credit card in the self serve pump, i selected "credit" (see post below), i removed the nozzle, i selected the fuel octane/grade by pushing the big yellow box with the number "87" in it-- and no gas came out. I pulled the lever in the handle, no go. the pump kept beeping. I looked at the little screen (which is pretty much invisible if you are wearing sunglasses). it said "press the yellow fuel key." so i pressed the yellow box that said "87" again . . . and again . . . and again. still no go, still beeping. finally i happened to look at the key pad, and next to the various buttons, well i'll be darned, there was yet another yellow button that said "fuel key." so i pressed it. out came the gas.
i am confused. no other pump at other stations asks for this. But even more, why is the "fuel key" the same color as the "fuel grade" keys?? i try to be kind in these posts, but this was just an idiotic bit of design.
Monday, December 18, 2006
my earbuds are tangled
I just bought a new mp3 player, a samsung e250. It's nice. it has its problems, but it's nice. I also bought a $40 pair of earbuds at radio shack-- a bit of an impulse buy, but since I seem to do 80% of my music listening on earbuds i figured i would try them out. they actually sound very good. they also have an "earplug" effect, so they are a sort of noise cancellation device too.
my complaint, about this or any other earbud: the wires get tangled. no matter what I do, every time i want to put this thing on I have to go thru a process of untangling the wires. I have a firewire for my laptop that winds the wires around a spring loaded spool. for 40 bucks, why couldn't sony do that?
my complaint, about this or any other earbud: the wires get tangled. no matter what I do, every time i want to put this thing on I have to go thru a process of untangling the wires. I have a firewire for my laptop that winds the wires around a spring loaded spool. for 40 bucks, why couldn't sony do that?
Friday, December 15, 2006
i know the books are free, but . . .
don't get me wrong, i love public libraries in general. (altho i can never figure out why record companies sued people for sharing files electronically but not the libraries who share everything) . . . however,
my local library system, the minuteman library, changed their website a few years ago and i genuinely hate what they did. Basically, they only use the middle third of the screen for the advanced search fields. see here:
http://library.minlib.net/search/X
i suppose this is supposed to be nice artsy design style, blah blah blah, but this space-wasting formatting means no matter how large your monitor, and no matter how simple a search, you HAVE to put some data in, then mouse down then type some more data, then mouse down to find and hit the submit button.
i am sure this looks nice on some design sheet somewhere but having to put some data in, then mouse down then type some more data, then mouse down to find and hit the camoflaged submit button is just . . . dumb. I have complained about this and can't seem to get connected to the person(s) who do the web design. oh well . . . it IS free.
my local library system, the minuteman library, changed their website a few years ago and i genuinely hate what they did. Basically, they only use the middle third of the screen for the advanced search fields. see here:
http://library.minlib.net/search/X
i suppose this is supposed to be nice artsy design style, blah blah blah, but this space-wasting formatting means no matter how large your monitor, and no matter how simple a search, you HAVE to put some data in, then mouse down then type some more data, then mouse down to find and hit the submit button.
i am sure this looks nice on some design sheet somewhere but having to put some data in, then mouse down then type some more data, then mouse down to find and hit the camoflaged submit button is just . . . dumb. I have complained about this and can't seem to get connected to the person(s) who do the web design. oh well . . . it IS free.
you can't get here from there
Being a self employed presenter/ author kind of guy, I often have to navigate to places I have never been to before. And most websites have the sense to put directions to this or that hotel, meeting center, etc. of course i always love it when they say, "once you get to (this or that exit), follow the directions as printed above . . ." which adds copy/paste steps if i want them in hand when i go to the new place.
But let me ask this: how many websites offer directions FROM? How often have i successfully navigated myself through various Boston big dig collapsed tunnels, or the back roads to a country club hidden in the woods, only to find, when i want to go back home, that I have no clue how to get back to the highway i drove in on?
I admit, I am guilty of not mapquesting this information myself beforehand, as i generally don't think about it either. So as I am leaving a hotel lobby, I am always stuck asking someone, anyone, how to get to the mass turnpike. no one knows. webmasters, please take note.
But let me ask this: how many websites offer directions FROM? How often have i successfully navigated myself through various Boston big dig collapsed tunnels, or the back roads to a country club hidden in the woods, only to find, when i want to go back home, that I have no clue how to get back to the highway i drove in on?
I admit, I am guilty of not mapquesting this information myself beforehand, as i generally don't think about it either. So as I am leaving a hotel lobby, I am always stuck asking someone, anyone, how to get to the mass turnpike. no one knows. webmasters, please take note.
a question about the post office
well let me say that as a small publisher i use the us postal service a lot, and while speed of counter service varies from office to office, for the most part i am awfully satisfied with the service they provide.
so here is my question: why is it that in a world dominated by automobiles, virtually every street postal drop-in mailbox is designed entirely for pedestrian use? If i want to mail a letter and i'm in my car, i always have to park my car, get out, and drop it in the box. I don't mean to sound overaly lazy (altho i am) but this more a question of practicality; it's often not easy or legal to park near a post box. it's also a waste of time to have to go thru so much to get to it.
If boxes had drop slots facing the streets, maybe this would be unsafe with some idiot drivers veering left, but certainly some boxes could be placed on one-way streets and in post office parking lots without being an issue. besides, having people park illegally, or double park and jump out their cars and maybe slip on ice in the wintertime is a safety factor too.
just a suggestion.
i wonder who has the federal contract to build those boxes? . . . a great marketing opportunity!
so here is my question: why is it that in a world dominated by automobiles, virtually every street postal drop-in mailbox is designed entirely for pedestrian use? If i want to mail a letter and i'm in my car, i always have to park my car, get out, and drop it in the box. I don't mean to sound overaly lazy (altho i am) but this more a question of practicality; it's often not easy or legal to park near a post box. it's also a waste of time to have to go thru so much to get to it.
If boxes had drop slots facing the streets, maybe this would be unsafe with some idiot drivers veering left, but certainly some boxes could be placed on one-way streets and in post office parking lots without being an issue. besides, having people park illegally, or double park and jump out their cars and maybe slip on ice in the wintertime is a safety factor too.
just a suggestion.
i wonder who has the federal contract to build those boxes? . . . a great marketing opportunity!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
container store has it right
i don't want to sound like all i do is complain about retail experiences, so . . .
i went into The Container Store the other day. i love that store. I think i would go there even if they charged admission. There are so many nifty interesting things on their shelves. But there's something more special there. whenever I ask a staffer about a problem, they make it their mission to solve it. It's not just corporate obedience/policy at work, either. they have a genuine passion about their work and helping me find whatever it is i need. they all carry tape measures too, to check if the item will fit on the shelf etc where i need it. circuit city, take a lesson.
i went into The Container Store the other day. i love that store. I think i would go there even if they charged admission. There are so many nifty interesting things on their shelves. But there's something more special there. whenever I ask a staffer about a problem, they make it their mission to solve it. It's not just corporate obedience/policy at work, either. they have a genuine passion about their work and helping me find whatever it is i need. they all carry tape measures too, to check if the item will fit on the shelf etc where i need it. circuit city, take a lesson.
a nightmare at circuit city
I suppose I shoudn't complain about circuit city too much, after all, they do offer good prices on a lot of stuff. of course they do outsource their phone help to asia minor-- always a major strike against any company for me . . . but i had a most annoying experience at their Burlington, MA store last night that is worth blogging.
i needed to buy an mp3 player and a video camera. i knew exactly which models I wanted, i just wanted to pick them up and go on my merry way and get to the post office before it closed. you would think this would not be that hard to do, after all, selling such items is what they do all day everyday.
So after being ignored for a while, i asked one of the red-shirted staff about buying the camera. He was pleasant enough in a distracted high school kid sort of way. But all the cameras were locked up under the display counter and he had no key. (one would think salespeople would have keys at the ready for eager buyers, but . . . no.) finally we tracked down someone who had a key. even so, i was not allowed to touch the box-- the sales kid escorted me tot he service counter with it. I told him i wanted to shop for some other items-- he said fine, we'll just leave it at the counter for you. So for the mp3 player, I went through an identical process of having to hunt up yet another engaged-in-conversation-with-coworker youth who could had to find someone else who had a key, and again the product was carried by them to the front service counter.
So at this point i started to browse around for some dvd disks and other things. I finally had enough browsing and went up to pay for my new camera and mp3 player. no one there could locate it. much confusion. long story short, apparently i had not bought them fast enough -- and so within 10 minutes of being brought up, they had all been returned to their glass cages. so i had to go through the whole process all over again. it took almost 15 minutes to re-find all the people with keys. this system was vexing enough the first time, time is ticking away, it's almost five, no hope now of avoiding rush hour, and i have a carload of boxes that need to be mailed before the post office closes.
all in all this was one of the most aggravating shopping experiences I have had in quite a while. I don't blame the youngsters working in the store, i am sure they are doing what they are told, but whoever is training them and creating the systems for moving desired products from the floor to the check out counter leaves much to be desired. This store was not at all crowded, and yet I had to actively seek out attention from floor staff.
i forgot to mention, one counter person asked for one of my receipts (i ended up having to buy things separately) they forgot to give it back to me. when i went to pick up my items from another counter, they asked for the receipt, which of course i now did not have. the previous desk person left it out on their counter, apparently it was up to me to come fetch it when i discovered i no longer had it. if someone else had picked it up they would have been able to walk out with my camera.
i am having second thoughts about this camera-- i think i can find something better and cheaper on ebay. my experience with the store makes me feel guiltless-- even happy-- to return it.
i needed to buy an mp3 player and a video camera. i knew exactly which models I wanted, i just wanted to pick them up and go on my merry way and get to the post office before it closed. you would think this would not be that hard to do, after all, selling such items is what they do all day everyday.
So after being ignored for a while, i asked one of the red-shirted staff about buying the camera. He was pleasant enough in a distracted high school kid sort of way. But all the cameras were locked up under the display counter and he had no key. (one would think salespeople would have keys at the ready for eager buyers, but . . . no.) finally we tracked down someone who had a key. even so, i was not allowed to touch the box-- the sales kid escorted me tot he service counter with it. I told him i wanted to shop for some other items-- he said fine, we'll just leave it at the counter for you. So for the mp3 player, I went through an identical process of having to hunt up yet another engaged-in-conversation-with-coworker youth who could had to find someone else who had a key, and again the product was carried by them to the front service counter.
So at this point i started to browse around for some dvd disks and other things. I finally had enough browsing and went up to pay for my new camera and mp3 player. no one there could locate it. much confusion. long story short, apparently i had not bought them fast enough -- and so within 10 minutes of being brought up, they had all been returned to their glass cages. so i had to go through the whole process all over again. it took almost 15 minutes to re-find all the people with keys. this system was vexing enough the first time, time is ticking away, it's almost five, no hope now of avoiding rush hour, and i have a carload of boxes that need to be mailed before the post office closes.
all in all this was one of the most aggravating shopping experiences I have had in quite a while. I don't blame the youngsters working in the store, i am sure they are doing what they are told, but whoever is training them and creating the systems for moving desired products from the floor to the check out counter leaves much to be desired. This store was not at all crowded, and yet I had to actively seek out attention from floor staff.
i forgot to mention, one counter person asked for one of my receipts (i ended up having to buy things separately) they forgot to give it back to me. when i went to pick up my items from another counter, they asked for the receipt, which of course i now did not have. the previous desk person left it out on their counter, apparently it was up to me to come fetch it when i discovered i no longer had it. if someone else had picked it up they would have been able to walk out with my camera.
i am having second thoughts about this camera-- i think i can find something better and cheaper on ebay. my experience with the store makes me feel guiltless-- even happy-- to return it.
well HP came through at last
Well it took 4 send-ins, but i finaly got my HP laptop back from repair-- this time it was packed properly and all fixed-- new top and back, new battery (wow-- not expected) so while we had our ups and downs, congrats to HP for sticking with it and making it right. they also called me to check and see if i'm happy now :-) haven't called them back yet. will post any noteworthy information. but unit is working great.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
fedex 1, HP zero
Well I just had to blog this . . .
Last week I called HP about my laptop again, just to update you:
1st send-in for service: replaced a fan but did not solve audio noise problem
2nd send, solved audio noise (was a software issue) but packing material fell apart on send back and dvd drive was damaged and top cover was banged up.
3rd send, they replaced the broken dvd drive and replaced the whole top of unit but didn't put it on right, now it won't close.
so i called them up to fix this latest problem.
here is the verbatim (except for cso #) chat transcript regarding sending it in to them:
Priscilla
Do you have the box that you received the notebook last time when you received the box.
justin
yes
Priscilla
Since you are sending the box for re-repair, send the notebook in the same box. Paste this CSO number on the box FGJxxx-01 and this service center address on the box:
Priscilla
HEWLETT-PACKARD REPAIR CENTER 45225 NORTHPORT CT FREMONT ,CA 94538 800-474-6836
justin
ok. i assume i ship fedex and it's prepaid?
Priscilla
Paste this service center address and CSO number on the box and send to the fedex.
Priscilla
Yes.
Priscilla
They will not charge you.
justin
othanks ok i can do that. will ship it monday. happy thanksgiving! that's it- jl
Priscilla
Thank you.
*************
okay, this converstaion occurred the monday before thanksgiving. The next day I found a fedex slip on my door which made no sense, something about an expresstag shipment. I figured maybe fedex had come to get the laptop (not expected) but I hadn't gotten it erased/ backed up/ passwords removed/ packed up and taped up yet, as that is a big deal, also i wanted to use it over thanksgiving.
well long story short, last night I finally followed the shipping instructions from the chat, put the cso number on the box, went to fedex late night service center (7 miles away, closes at 8:30) and went up to the counter lady and she said, "sorry, can't ship it using that number."
now bear in mind i had just had a very long day, I was very much looking forward to just dropping this off and going home and watching monday night football.
I used fedex's lobby phone (how great is that, to have a phone to use!) to call HP help. I was on hold for 10 minutes, listening to fedex ads, standing in the fedex place with my coat on and nowhere to sit. I finally got someone in marrakesh on the line. I had to give him my serial number, height, weight, etc etc, and finally told him i had a problem shipping. (why don't they have me in their database? why don't they just use the serial number to identify me, as that is always pasted on the unit, instead of some other fancy number?)
the fedex lady was watching me go thru this. she told me to solve the problem by getting HP's fedex number. great idea. but this guy from HP did not, as far as i could tell, know what fedex was. just kept saying "hang on a moment please" and then saying stuff that made no sense. Thoughout our conversation I kept telling him "fedex closes in 15 minutes . . . fedex closes in 6 minutes . . . " I figured i was better off hanging on the phone than going home and coming back and losing a day in the repair schedule.
finally the fedex lady took pity on me. She came over, looked at the box, said "hang up on india," and said, "this is not technically legal but i'll ship it using this number." (the number was from the time HP shipped the unit back to me.)
i had found a kindred spririt. also someone who valued perfromance over process.
Not real sure what HP had in mind in their shipping instructions but they sure ruined much of my night. Now I can only hope that they will fix this current problem without causing another one.
Last week I called HP about my laptop again, just to update you:
1st send-in for service: replaced a fan but did not solve audio noise problem
2nd send, solved audio noise (was a software issue) but packing material fell apart on send back and dvd drive was damaged and top cover was banged up.
3rd send, they replaced the broken dvd drive and replaced the whole top of unit but didn't put it on right, now it won't close.
so i called them up to fix this latest problem.
here is the verbatim (except for cso #) chat transcript regarding sending it in to them:
Priscilla
Do you have the box that you received the notebook last time when you received the box.
justin
yes
Priscilla
Since you are sending the box for re-repair, send the notebook in the same box. Paste this CSO number on the box FGJxxx-01 and this service center address on the box:
Priscilla
HEWLETT-PACKARD REPAIR CENTER 45225 NORTHPORT CT FREMONT ,CA 94538 800-474-6836
justin
ok. i assume i ship fedex and it's prepaid?
Priscilla
Paste this service center address and CSO number on the box and send to the fedex.
Priscilla
Yes.
Priscilla
They will not charge you.
justin
othanks ok i can do that. will ship it monday. happy thanksgiving! that's it- jl
Priscilla
Thank you.
*************
okay, this converstaion occurred the monday before thanksgiving. The next day I found a fedex slip on my door which made no sense, something about an expresstag shipment. I figured maybe fedex had come to get the laptop (not expected) but I hadn't gotten it erased/ backed up/ passwords removed/ packed up and taped up yet, as that is a big deal, also i wanted to use it over thanksgiving.
well long story short, last night I finally followed the shipping instructions from the chat, put the cso number on the box, went to fedex late night service center (7 miles away, closes at 8:30) and went up to the counter lady and she said, "sorry, can't ship it using that number."
now bear in mind i had just had a very long day, I was very much looking forward to just dropping this off and going home and watching monday night football.
I used fedex's lobby phone (how great is that, to have a phone to use!) to call HP help. I was on hold for 10 minutes, listening to fedex ads, standing in the fedex place with my coat on and nowhere to sit. I finally got someone in marrakesh on the line. I had to give him my serial number, height, weight, etc etc, and finally told him i had a problem shipping. (why don't they have me in their database? why don't they just use the serial number to identify me, as that is always pasted on the unit, instead of some other fancy number?)
the fedex lady was watching me go thru this. she told me to solve the problem by getting HP's fedex number. great idea. but this guy from HP did not, as far as i could tell, know what fedex was. just kept saying "hang on a moment please" and then saying stuff that made no sense. Thoughout our conversation I kept telling him "fedex closes in 15 minutes . . . fedex closes in 6 minutes . . . " I figured i was better off hanging on the phone than going home and coming back and losing a day in the repair schedule.
finally the fedex lady took pity on me. She came over, looked at the box, said "hang up on india," and said, "this is not technically legal but i'll ship it using this number." (the number was from the time HP shipped the unit back to me.)
i had found a kindred spririt. also someone who valued perfromance over process.
Not real sure what HP had in mind in their shipping instructions but they sure ruined much of my night. Now I can only hope that they will fix this current problem without causing another one.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
thermostats need work
i spent many years in the music business, and in that world, life is very much like that of an olympic athlete, you have to constantly challenge and test and push yourself all the time. Pity the rest of the world doesn't work this way.
Like most folks, I have a thermostat in my house. Like every other modern electronic thermostat, it has various timed settings so it automatically turns the heat up and down at different times of the day. You can get different thermostats that have slightly better this or that but basically they all operate in this manner.
Here's the thing: if I want to REALLY save energy, at bedtime I will (like many people) turn the heat way way down, to like 50 degrees. It takes a few hours for the house to get down to that temperature. Then, when it falls to 49 degrees, (usually at 4 am), the thermostat says, uh oh, time to bring the house back to 50 degrees.
So what happens? because the house and all the water in the heating system has become stone cold, the furnace has to run like mad to bring the house up just one degree. It does that, of course, but to do so it has a to run a long time. the house reaches 50 degrees, but by the time the heat gets to the thermostat, the system has built up a huge amount of residual energy. that huge amount of heat has to dissipate, which quickly brings the house (or some rooms in it, like my bedroom) up to 70 degrees.
It would be simple enough to solve this problem by having a time limit on how long a furnace would run in the early am hours, thereby making the rise in temperature more gradual and efficient. this is easily programmable. but the engineers have only thought within the box and said "the thermostat will turn on the heat until the thermostat feels heat." To the engineers who make and sell these things, i say, Sorry guys, you met your own standard of performance, but compared to what is possible to do, it's not much.
as we say in the music biz, "thank you-- NEXT!"
Like most folks, I have a thermostat in my house. Like every other modern electronic thermostat, it has various timed settings so it automatically turns the heat up and down at different times of the day. You can get different thermostats that have slightly better this or that but basically they all operate in this manner.
Here's the thing: if I want to REALLY save energy, at bedtime I will (like many people) turn the heat way way down, to like 50 degrees. It takes a few hours for the house to get down to that temperature. Then, when it falls to 49 degrees, (usually at 4 am), the thermostat says, uh oh, time to bring the house back to 50 degrees.
So what happens? because the house and all the water in the heating system has become stone cold, the furnace has to run like mad to bring the house up just one degree. It does that, of course, but to do so it has a to run a long time. the house reaches 50 degrees, but by the time the heat gets to the thermostat, the system has built up a huge amount of residual energy. that huge amount of heat has to dissipate, which quickly brings the house (or some rooms in it, like my bedroom) up to 70 degrees.
It would be simple enough to solve this problem by having a time limit on how long a furnace would run in the early am hours, thereby making the rise in temperature more gradual and efficient. this is easily programmable. but the engineers have only thought within the box and said "the thermostat will turn on the heat until the thermostat feels heat." To the engineers who make and sell these things, i say, Sorry guys, you met your own standard of performance, but compared to what is possible to do, it's not much.
as we say in the music biz, "thank you-- NEXT!"
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
IE7-- what were they thinking?
well i saw the update to IE7 . . . yes, i admit it, i use Internet explorer, and yes, i am ashamed. I'm just used to it. so i did the update, as they said i could uninstall, and thank goodness. I installed it, went to find my favorites, and even tho in IE6 there are 2 ways to navigate to favorites, in IE7 there are only bookmarks in the tool bar. true, it invites one to import one's favorites, but once done there is no easy wasy to get to them, nor are they in their old order. what a pain. I uninstalled IE7 as soon as i could figure out how to do it. why is it people are always so eager to improve things that they lose things that work? if it ain't broke . . . i'd like to have the security improvements but not to the point that i can't get anywhere or have to relearn the whole thing. yeesh.
whatever happened to HP?
I have been a big fan of Hewlett-Packard over the years. I bought (for $1100 in 1993, when that was a lot of money) a laserjet IIIP printer, which is still running great. (thanks to moe at fixyourownprinter.com). Now I own an hp 1012 and 6122 printer. both work great.
so when i saw an hp laptop, even tho it was pricey, i jumped at it.
but from the get-go-- first, the salesperson told me it had lightscribe-- he was misinformed, it didn't. then it had this weird audio problem, noise from the hard drive and fan motors bled through to the speakers, sometimes very badly.
so i finally shipped it in via their mail-in warranty service, and they replaced the CPU fan and shipped it right back, but-- same problem. also the packing material they provided fell apart, so it got bumped a lot in shipping. I complained and they sent me another shipping box and back to california it went. this time someone else in the repair dept got it. they left some weird chinese websites and other software on it but i don't care as they fixed the audio problem -- apparently a system software upgrade. unfortunately, the packing material fell apart again, damaging the hinge covers and breaking the DVD drive. So i sent it back a third time. this time it came back with dvd drive fixed and new lcd / top cover to fix the broken hinge, but . . . the packing material fall apart again, and now I can't close it, as the top is no longer aligned with the latch holes. was this an error in the fix or caused by bumping in shipping?? also this time instead of sending me a box they accidentally scheduled a pickup, i told them this and they asked me to ship it back in the box i last received.
sigh to their credit they gave me another year's warranty for free, and i bought another year at a discount rate, which i thought was a good idea given that this thing is having so many problems. it's not so much that the unit is faulty, the problem is, they have this packing material that simply does not work. their poor packing materials and the hurry to get it out the door have resulted, not in faster better service, but a loss of the unit for almost 2 weeks total. i would have preferred that they kept it for 3 days the first time and fixed it and packed it right.
who is running this outfit, and what hurry-up mangement credo is making them so unaware of common sense?
HP, if you're reading this, I am happy to do a presentation on the importance of pacing in the workplace, and awareness of the customer being more important than process. :-)
sigh i miss the old HP where everything worked the first time.
--jl
so when i saw an hp laptop, even tho it was pricey, i jumped at it.
but from the get-go-- first, the salesperson told me it had lightscribe-- he was misinformed, it didn't. then it had this weird audio problem, noise from the hard drive and fan motors bled through to the speakers, sometimes very badly.
so i finally shipped it in via their mail-in warranty service, and they replaced the CPU fan and shipped it right back, but-- same problem. also the packing material they provided fell apart, so it got bumped a lot in shipping. I complained and they sent me another shipping box and back to california it went. this time someone else in the repair dept got it. they left some weird chinese websites and other software on it but i don't care as they fixed the audio problem -- apparently a system software upgrade. unfortunately, the packing material fell apart again, damaging the hinge covers and breaking the DVD drive. So i sent it back a third time. this time it came back with dvd drive fixed and new lcd / top cover to fix the broken hinge, but . . . the packing material fall apart again, and now I can't close it, as the top is no longer aligned with the latch holes. was this an error in the fix or caused by bumping in shipping?? also this time instead of sending me a box they accidentally scheduled a pickup, i told them this and they asked me to ship it back in the box i last received.
sigh to their credit they gave me another year's warranty for free, and i bought another year at a discount rate, which i thought was a good idea given that this thing is having so many problems. it's not so much that the unit is faulty, the problem is, they have this packing material that simply does not work. their poor packing materials and the hurry to get it out the door have resulted, not in faster better service, but a loss of the unit for almost 2 weeks total. i would have preferred that they kept it for 3 days the first time and fixed it and packed it right.
who is running this outfit, and what hurry-up mangement credo is making them so unaware of common sense?
HP, if you're reading this, I am happy to do a presentation on the importance of pacing in the workplace, and awareness of the customer being more important than process. :-)
sigh i miss the old HP where everything worked the first time.
--jl
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
another credit card company complaint
here's is today's complaint:
I admit to being something of a dinosaur when it comes to paying bills. I write checks. paper ones. and yes I pay the 39 cents to mail it in. i like hard copy.
so when i sit down to pay a credit card bill, there is this annoying little advertisement on the back of the envelope that one must tear off before sealing the envelope. this is not a benign little thing-- it not only adds a step to the bill paying process and wastes my time and adds to junk in my wastebasket, clogging landfills etc., but it also creates a likelihood that i will forget about it and seal the envelope flap onto IT-- which makes it very likely that the envelope will get chewed up in the post services' many machines, get lost, etc. etc. and even if you catch it before mailing, it is a real pain trying to unstick it and seal the envelope. out comes the scotch tape. like i have time to do that.
I make a conscious point of boycotting any company that uses this advertising medium, and i invite you to do likewise-- my blog for today! --jl
I admit to being something of a dinosaur when it comes to paying bills. I write checks. paper ones. and yes I pay the 39 cents to mail it in. i like hard copy.
so when i sit down to pay a credit card bill, there is this annoying little advertisement on the back of the envelope that one must tear off before sealing the envelope. this is not a benign little thing-- it not only adds a step to the bill paying process and wastes my time and adds to junk in my wastebasket, clogging landfills etc., but it also creates a likelihood that i will forget about it and seal the envelope flap onto IT-- which makes it very likely that the envelope will get chewed up in the post services' many machines, get lost, etc. etc. and even if you catch it before mailing, it is a real pain trying to unstick it and seal the envelope. out comes the scotch tape. like i have time to do that.
I make a conscious point of boycotting any company that uses this advertising medium, and i invite you to do likewise-- my blog for today! --jl
Friday, September 29, 2006
kudos to one company that does it right
well like many people i am often caught waiting for a customer service rep and having to listen to some awful muzak interrupted by ongoing promotions for a company's many useless products that I have no interest in. I had to call AMEX the other day just to get my change of address updated and I was on hold to 15 minutes, and I couldn't really work on what I was doing because I couldn't turn down the sound of their music/ ads.
well imagine my surprise when I called moen for an issue with a faucet. Instead of having wait on hold with a phone held to a sweaty ear, they told me the expected wait time, and asked for my phone number-- and called me back when a rep was available. Why doesn't everyone do this?
Fyi, When I told them of my faucet problem, they asked when the faucet was purchased, and then they said it was under warranty. They said they would send me a replacement part, no muss no fuss no demand for a serial number etc. Just took my word for it! amazing. Moen wins my recommendation for best company I've worked with today.
well imagine my surprise when I called moen for an issue with a faucet. Instead of having wait on hold with a phone held to a sweaty ear, they told me the expected wait time, and asked for my phone number-- and called me back when a rep was available. Why doesn't everyone do this?
Fyi, When I told them of my faucet problem, they asked when the faucet was purchased, and then they said it was under warranty. They said they would send me a replacement part, no muss no fuss no demand for a serial number etc. Just took my word for it! amazing. Moen wins my recommendation for best company I've worked with today.
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