A couple days ago the ubiquitous grocery store bar code turned 35.
Here is the article
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/technology/26barcode.html
I didn’t write it. Lauren Weinstein did.
But I can point you to it at http://www.nnsquad.org/bandwidth-caps.html.
Sometimes I wonder if home builders have ever arranged furniture.
It seems they try to save a dollar or two by putting electrical outlets smack dab in the middle of a wall right where you will put the sofa, bookcase or bed.
Not only that, they are still installing duplex outlets.
Look at your house. How many duplex outlets do you have with more than two plugs plugged in through a cascade of outlet expanders and extension cords?
And I’ve yet to see a modern kitchen built with enough outlets!
Somehow, even as Reddy Kilowatt (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reddy_Kilowatt and http://www.toonopedia.com/reddy_k.htm) was promoting electricity in homes, no one bothered to mandate the use of more outlets.
Even today, I’ve yet to see any builder put in enough electrical outlets.
(PS: the number mandated by the building code is not enough.)
A while back while talking to The Phone Company (ATT) about a problem, I agreed to let them talk to me about other services I could buy.
One of those seemed good: unlimited long distance for a fixed rate each month.
The rate is $20.00 and even using my great cheap long distance service (http://www.OneSuite.com, which I still recommend), it was a good deal given the volume of my calls). So I said yes.
Then last month I got an email. I emailed back to ask if I could call. The reply said yes and sent the number. So the bill comes with almost $200.00 in long distance charges. (For several calls like that.)
So why is the bill hundreds of dollars if I am getting unlimited calls? Because the unlimited calls are US Only and these calls were to CANADA at a rate of almost $1.00 per minute.
I Hate The Phone Company.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_President%27s_Analyst and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUa3np4CKC4 and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062153/.
If you happen to watch network TV, you are likely to be subjected to the audiovisual creation Comcast is attempting to use for advertisements.
Video #1
(Depending on your browser security settings, may need to click twice to start the video. If you are receiving this via email, or want to open the YouTube page with the video, just click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGflGJ8nuW8)
For me, these ads are incredibly wasteful and wrong.
I believe they are wasteful because I believe that the overwhelming majority of people don’t choose Comcast because they are best, but because they have almost no choice.
I believe they are wrong because they are attempting to confuse the benefits of roads with the benefits of destinations.
One of the wonderful distinctions of the internet is that people recognize that getting your internet service is the road; it isn’t where the stuff is … it is just how you get your stuff.
Alas, the cable companies don’t want to be “how you get your stuff”. They also want to be the provider of the stuff itself.
Sorry. I don’t want Comcast to be affiliated with the destinations on the internet in any way shape or form. I just want them to give me a functional road to get there.
Things will be a lot better when this finally ends.
(Depending on your browser security settings, you may need to click twice to start the video. If you are receiving this via email, or want to open the PhotoBucket page with the video, just click here: http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/PerthPurplePenguin/vids/?action=view¤t=cvUMHvLZ.flv
Today, I received one of my favorite mailings … Lauren Weinstein’s Blog … You can read the posting here: http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000448.html
It seems that the people who designed T-Mobile’s services didn’t do what I would consider “a good job”. As Lauren explains:
All callers who hear your personalized voicemail outgoing message are then offered the opportunity to send a numeric page (”press 5″). Unfortunately, this paging prompt is presented to everyone hearing your voicemail message, even when you have paging turned off — which is in fact the default state.
I couldn’t believe this so I called T-Mobile. Guess what … it is worse than that.
Their system actually does let you turn off the paging. However, note: even if you turn off the paging it keeps telling people they can page you!!
In my private correspondence with Lauren, it seems that their support people didn’t, at least at first, see the problem. They thought that turning it off was enough. The problem isn’t that you can’t turn it off. The problem is that even if you do, it keeps prompting people to page you.
I wonder how long this will take to get fixed.
As to it’s urgency and necessity, please read this and decide for yourself.
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.
Well, that’s what Computerworld said.
And, it is what PHP said too (www.php.net/archive/2008.php#id2008-08-07-1). I’d considered it dead since 03.Jan.2008 with the release of 4.4.8 (www.php.net/ChangeLog-4.php#4.4.9). But it managed a few more breaths.
Of course users should migrate to PHP5. But gee, it is hard to blame them for not doing it yet. After all, post-beta version 5.0.1 has only been out since 12.Aug.2004 (www.php.net/ChangeLog-5.php). You really can’t expect technology people to turn on a dime you know.
See article at www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1239055978
