I subscribe to most of the right blogs, and have seen probably dozens of really top-notch typographic or infographical short movies. But yesterday I saw, for the first time, one of them actually on a TV. This one:
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights from Seth Brau on Vimeo.
For detail about the movie, this blog post explains it. The subject is the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which is 60 years old this year. We still seem to have enough dictators and warlords and other assorted jackasses, so it seems worth publicizing a bit more perhaps.
Anyway, it was much, much more moving on TV than in a tiny window on the computer screen. It would be nice to see these sorts of things instead of the horrible, fear-inducing terrorists are everwhere sports, and similar ads that actually get aired.
I'll note that the background is pretty yellow on ATSC at 720p, at least. It looks rather good, so I suspect this is on purpose.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Insulting your customers with poor process
Most process and customer service is bad, so it's more often exceptionally good things that are worth noting anymore. It takes something really bad to make me annoyed enough to tell everyone.
But today I am with my Dad getting an MRI for his ongoing cancer thing and we had to go to Shawnee Mission Medical Center. Most hospitals seem to have gone to this system, which I guess they think is providing extra customer service, where you have to check in at the front desk. Then they have you fill out some paperwork in a cubicle and someone – usually the person who has been with you the whole time – walks you to the department you are visiting.
SMMC tried this, and failed. It's particularly galling as they are just finishing a huge expansion, and the hospital is now topped with a large, green glass polygon. The reception desk is immediately inside the front door, so you have to wait in the drafty lobby. Did I mention the waiting? Two stations only, and you apparently (we pre-registered) cannot get out of there in under three minutes. Some people take over 10 minutes. We were in this line for a long time, and there's no need for it.
We didn't fill out paper at the cubicles, but I was there long enough that it was clear what was happening. The reception desk people, who take too long anyway, then make you wait in a waiting room. Eventually (based on the number of people there and how deeply they were into their magazines) they call you. Privacy of course means they cannot, so they say "Sheila, last name starts with D."
Escorts are the worst part though. As in some places, they are senile volunteers. But these guys sit there behind the main reception desk, drinking coffee and joking. So you come up and see a long line, two people working (and sometimes they walk away so its only one) and a bunch of folks not apparently helping. This is expressly annoying, and was overtly so not just to me.
But the poor escort system doesn't stop! The old men are not paying attention, and are hard of hearing. So, the reception person gives them a folder of critical info you need to get your procedure done (they give you nothing) then he wanders off and comes out several yards away and starts yelling your name. Even after I said it, and raised my hand he was confused and stopped everyone to ask "are you Scott?!" Then he helps you by walking slower than even old, sick people, and points out the way to the MRI department, which otherwise you'd never find, I guess.
Poor process can prevent people from concluding tasks, or it can be part of something they are already dedicated to or are required to do, and it just insults and annoys them. Don't think just because there is no immediate measure like dropped-carts and churn that poor process isn't affecting your customers and your bottom line.
We didn't fill out paper at the cubicles, but I was there long enough that it was clear what was happening. The reception desk people, who take too long anyway, then make you wait in a waiting room. Eventually (based on the number of people there and how deeply they were into their magazines) they call you. Privacy of course means they cannot, so they say "Sheila, last name starts with D."
Escorts are the worst part though. As in some places, they are senile volunteers. But these guys sit there behind the main reception desk, drinking coffee and joking. So you come up and see a long line, two people working (and sometimes they walk away so its only one) and a bunch of folks not apparently helping. This is expressly annoying, and was overtly so not just to me.
But the poor escort system doesn't stop! The old men are not paying attention, and are hard of hearing. So, the reception person gives them a folder of critical info you need to get your procedure done (they give you nothing) then he wanders off and comes out several yards away and starts yelling your name. Even after I said it, and raised my hand he was confused and stopped everyone to ask "are you Scott?!" Then he helps you by walking slower than even old, sick people, and points out the way to the MRI department, which otherwise you'd never find, I guess.
Poor process can prevent people from concluding tasks, or it can be part of something they are already dedicated to or are required to do, and it just insults and annoys them. Don't think just because there is no immediate measure like dropped-carts and churn that poor process isn't affecting your customers and your bottom line.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
No snowplows would have been better
Big snowfall this morning. And that's normally good, cause we like snow. But apparently every city in the area fired all people who know how to watch the weather report. So, it was almost un-driveable all the way from my driveway to Lawrence.
Very little evidence of plowing, and mostly quite dumb. Like, the ramps from K7 to K10, not plowed. Barely passable at 5 mph. In fact, I only saw two plows the whole time, both on K10. And both were being marginally useful, severely impeding traffic and one actually tried to kill someone; dropped a side blade almost on top of a Civic who was about to pass, that threw so much snow in the air I (50 m back) had zero visibility for way too long. Then the plow veered from the left lane all the way to exit on the right.
All in all, it might have been more helpful to just have zero plows and we make our own way entirely.
Very little evidence of plowing, and mostly quite dumb. Like, the ramps from K7 to K10, not plowed. Barely passable at 5 mph. In fact, I only saw two plows the whole time, both on K10. And both were being marginally useful, severely impeding traffic and one actually tried to kill someone; dropped a side blade almost on top of a Civic who was about to pass, that threw so much snow in the air I (50 m back) had zero visibility for way too long. Then the plow veered from the left lane all the way to exit on the right.
All in all, it might have been more helpful to just have zero plows and we make our own way entirely.
Marketing usually trumps technology
About the early (like, soldering-things-together-in-their-living-room early) history of Cisco, the internet hardware and software company. Much of the product was software based, and with early networking no one even knew exactly why they needed such stuff.
"Cisco cleverly sold software that plugged into the wall, had a fan and got warm,'' Gorin said. "People had a long history of buying things that plugged into the wall, made noises and got warm.''Interesting history in general. From here: http://pdp10.nocrew.org/docs/cisco.html
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
All automakers are stupid
A while ago we started watching Top Gear. If American, you may never have heard about it (though it's now on BBC America, with a stupid schedule) but it's stupid popular. 385 million viewers every week. Tickets for the studio audience have a 21 year waiting list.
Anyway, they mostly race supercars against fighters and so on, but sometimes they mention or review (or play soccer) with small, affordable cars.
And I spend a lot of time in front of the TV with my computer, looking up the cars. Know what? NONE of the small cars are available in the US. And I mean, small cars from people like VW and Toyota. Companies with extensive US operations. Check out the Toyota Aygo. Solid size, not bad power, apparently drives (corners) well, etc. 51 MPG. FIFTY ONE. Off normal, every day, gas. $11,000. Or the VW Fox (no relation to the old one sold in the US), similar performance, not that much power but it's a city car. 55 MPG. $9,000.
And this is why all automakers are stupid-heads. Several years ago, new CAFE standards are mooted, and changes start. Fuel prices start climbing, and so on. Yet no one (not US makers, not US operations of traditionally foreign companies) does /anything/ about it. The above could easily have been tweaked to meet DOT standards, and imported years ago. Chrysler is also called "Daimler Chrysler." They could have made a US-badged merc A-class (to avoid sullying the mercedes brand). What auto dealer would like to have cheap, efficient cars for sale right now? And that's before I wonder what happened to 30 years of crazy GM concepts, or a solid decade of Bill Ford's purported environmental consciousness. To quote Airplane. They bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash.
And this is why all automakers are stupid-heads. Several years ago, new CAFE standards are mooted, and changes start. Fuel prices start climbing, and so on. Yet no one (not US makers, not US operations of traditionally foreign companies) does /anything/ about it. The above could easily have been tweaked to meet DOT standards, and imported years ago. Chrysler is also called "Daimler Chrysler." They could have made a US-badged merc A-class (to avoid sullying the mercedes brand). What auto dealer would like to have cheap, efficient cars for sale right now? And that's before I wonder what happened to 30 years of crazy GM concepts, or a solid decade of Bill Ford's purported environmental consciousness. To quote Airplane. They bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The new recycling bins are here!
No photo, as it's dark, and they look sad in our basement. But Mission still has, apparently, no changes in pickup policy but gave us all free wheelie bins for trash and recycling. I griped about not being able to find a wheeled recycling bin at all, much less cheaply, because we have much more bulk in recyclables each week than trash.
But now I have a new gripe. Nothing can be recycled. There's a sticker on top of the recycling one that says "NO recycles" or something equally non-english (I am too lazy to go back down and look) and it has all sorts of things we've been recycling. My favorite is shredded paper. So, you have to put your secret info on the curb, or just burn it in a really smokey, probably illegal fire.
And it's not just us. This is from somewhere else entirely, and has the same basic rules. Many even say to simply throw away shredded goods, and other products they cannot recycle. My new favorite is paper where the dye is soaked through the fibers, instead of just printed on top. Really. Yes, I am gonna sort that out of my recycled papers. Sure I am.
Okay, they have a reason for all of these, but how can anyone seriously write about zero-waste initiatives then tell you how half the stuff you want to throw away has to go to a landfill?
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