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I offer this again for my subscribers. It is part of the political discourse of our current election campaign.

Disclosure: I am a Barack Obama fan.

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This is part of the campaign dialog. I offer it as part of that dialog.

Disclosure: I am a Barack Obama fan.

This past week I received a great practical example of how not to design a system. Because of my recent stroke, changes are happening in my life. One of those is diet. Another is physical activity, the “exercise” word. That has prompted me to join a “gym”, specifically LA Fitness. That experience has provided me with my latest example of how not to do technology.

As I joined, they wanted my checking account number so they could autodraft my account each month for my dues. I got no problem with that but they wanted a check. I can provide my bank routing numbers. I can provide my checking account number. But a real check? I don’t use checks. I’ve never ordered any. So I just dropped by my bank on my next trip and had them quickly imprint a “counter check”. Should work.

Then I dropped by LA Fitness to make my initial payment and get the process started. Alas, as part of their automation processs they installed MICR readers on each desk. And rather than TYPE the numbers they “scan” the check. Alas for some reason UNKNOWN … my check would not scan. It was … for the process of getting me signed up … a catastrophic event. The sign up could not proceed. There was no apparent override (or at least they didn’t know about one). The failure of this technology step, the inability of the MICR Reader on the desk of the salesman was about to trash the sale.

Long story short, I went back to the bank, got a new check, went back to LA Fitness, and by then, they had figured out that maybe they didn’t have to use the MICR Reader anyway. But the experience once again showed the prevalent technology issue: Exception Processing: what to do when things go wrong.

Every new computer programmer learns this: 10% of the program is about doing things right … 90% of the program is about checking for and processing errors.  Unfortunately, even as computer programmers learn this they forget that human/non-computer systems also have errors. Like what happens when the MICR reader won’t read the MICR code.

I know why they use the technology to read the MICR. It reduces errors. It reduces mis-typed bank numbers and account numbers. But they didn’t address what to do when that fails.

And for this customer, telling me to go away and come back with another check seems like the wrong answer.

I encourage you to read forward in this blog but also to read backward.

There are a few themes that are going to be present for a while, specifically (1) my stroke and (2) the loss of my cat. But in each case, both events, especially the loss of my cat, continue to affect me deeply. If you are new and if you don’t read backward you may not know about my stroke and the loss of my cat. And these two items are VERY important to me. Yet I must keep moving and “forward” seems to be the best direction. Life is what happens while you’re making other plans.

A while back I posted here http://www.myephemerae.com/getting-on-an-airplane-the-tsa-experience and recently I received a comment from Cait Morgan that it required IDs at every stage of the process to board an airplane. That wasn’t my recent experience so I wrote others and asked for their comments. Some of those comments are coming in. I’d love to have yours too. (Please make them “there” instead of “here”.) Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure that was Cait’s experience. That said I would note that small airports see to relish their tight security more than big ones (like Dallas Fort Worth, Atlanta and Denver). Several years ago when I flew a lot more, security guards at small airports all seemed to believe it was their personal assignment and part of their sacred honor to individually save America while those at big airports seemed to believe they should follow the rules, confiscate fingernail clippers and cash their pay check while reminding us that they had the badges. Just my very biased opinion.

On Saturday, 27.Sep.2008 I was in a serious automobile accident in Huntsville Texas.

While headed south on I-45 from Dallas to Houston, another car lost control and cut across my path. We both ended up leaving the interstate and I rolled my car. My car is totalled.

We were lucky. I walked away and my passenger, my uncle, did too.

But I am devastated because I lost my cat, Spot. She was frightened and ran off in the confusion. She was seen alive and well after the accident but is now lost. And it truly breaks my heart.

She may be hurt, is certainly very afraid and will be hungry. She is completely declawed and completely black and is an indoor cat with  no idea how to feed herself in the wild. She is not yet microchipped.

You can see the location here http://snipr.com/jshlostcathere and get my “poster” here http://JSH.us/spot2.

I have contacted all the local property owners.

I am offering a REWARD because my heart is broken.

I am not particularly hopeful but if you know anyone in the Huntsville Texas area would you please let them know.

I am offering a reward.

Thank you so much.

I am in the process of recovery. You see, I have had a stroke. Fortunately, it was a teeny tiny one (which is kind of like saying that the nuclear bomb was just a small one). I had the “event” on a Sunday night then forced myself to work thru the week eventually going into the hospital on Friday.

Please, please, please, if this happens to you do NOT do what I did. When you think you are having a stroke immediately go to the emergency room. There are some things they can do if you get there fast enough. Within the first couple hours they can apply some therapies and treatments that make a difference. Do NOT do what I did. Do NOT wait.

I was very lucky. I entered on Friday. They admitted me and tested me. I had a CAT Scan (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_scan ) and eventually an MRI (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mri). The CAT Scan was easy. The MRI was terrible. A full hour inside a teeny tiny tube, loud as blue blazes and tiny. Good thing my claustrophobia is not severe. I left the hospital on Saturday and I’m doing pretty well.

I’m making changes in my life … those changes we’ve all thought about but haven’t made yet. Eating more healthy. Committed to gentle exercise. I’m joining a local gym. Gold’s Gym (http://www.goldsgym.com) has a great deal for AARP members. Not an AARP member? Just join. It’s cheap.

This is just a tiny start. But it is a start. Wish me luck