One of my many paradoxes is having a blog under my real name, but going to extremes to filter out spam, spyware, virii, cookies, scripts, pop-ups and ad banners. All my efforts have been gradual, and I didn’t realize how much cruft gets filtered until I was surfing in the library the other day. I […]
Netflix totally rocks but I’ve just cancelled my subscription. Huh?, you wonder. Well, it’s Spring, and now that the days are officially and noticably longer than the nights, I’m going to be spending any discretionary time I can outside. Yeah, I know I can just hold onto the three movies forever, but the temptation would
On a Netflix hiatus until fall Read More »
Last month, I was musing about my phone bill. One mystery was why I was being charged $0.02 more for the Federal Excise Tax than the 3% mandated. I called the phone company, but they were unable to provide any explanation. I asked the public utility commission, who provided the information below. The legal interpretation
My two cents (of Federal Excise Tax) Read More »
Self-checkout kiosks have been appearing in various stores over the last couple of years. Businesses believe they can save money by having one employee monitor mulyiple registers. Customers are sold these as a convenience. Here’s how it’s supposed to work: You place all of your items on the input tray While there are items on
Home Depot’s Self-Checkout Doesn’t Work Read More »
I saw just over half of the Pats vs. Cats game at my friend Jim’s place yesterday before my kids needed to go home, bathe, and go to bed. I had it on during their bath and the second half seemed like the first, all the action was in the latter part. Some quick thoughts…
Impressions of Superbowl XXX VIII Read More »
Dear Qwest: While watching the NFL playoffs the last couple of weekends (sadly, the only football I’ve had time for this season), I have seen several of your commercials touting your new tagline, “The Spirit of Service.” The commercial I just saw features an older couple eating ribs when the phone rings. They look at
Drinking too many Spirits of Service Read More »
A couple of years ago I was working on my MBA in one of the “Executive” programs, where the students work full time while attending classes full-time. The math is tricky, but essentially you get no sleep for eighteen months. Jill Bowman, then current director, wanted me to write a “Day In The Life Of”
A week in the life of… Read More »
Consumer Reports has an article on how bad software and product support is getting. In the last two weeks, I’ve had to contact various organizations’ support organizations for a variety of reasons, some tech and some not.