Podcast IDs for Gnatline

The Gnatline Podcast got some real great podcast IDs over the past few months.

The first was from Frank Renton of the BBC show Listen to the Band. Thom and I were at the U.S. Open Brass Band Championship. He was the announcer for the competition. We cornered him and he agreed to record a quick intro. That one was fun.

The second was from Stephen Chao from the soon to be launched site WonderHowTo.com. We was also a previous president of USA Networks and Fox TV/News. He presented at my jobs sales meeting and agreed to a quick podcast ID for Gnatline. His was probably the most funny.

The final one as from an occasional Iron Chef America judge and founder of SeriousEats.com. He was also a presenter at the sales meeting. Ed Levine was very funny and a good presenter.

Customer Service

I know millions of bloggers have probably posted about bad customer service. But, I was exposed to a very unique experience this week.

I was picking up a movie from the video store. Their server had gone down and they could not access the cash register or movie database. A small line was beginning to form to check out movies and the staff was getting a bit agitated.

Eventually, the phone rang. The caller was asking if they had a particular movie in stock. Since the server was not working, he said he could not look it up at that time. He responded with "Leave your number and I'll call you back when the system is up". His co-worker said "Just make him call back".

This exchange is interesting. I have become accustom to less then stellar customer service. Though, I feel like the staff member who took the call attempted to take the extra step. If I had been the person calling, I don't think I would be that upset if I was asked to call back.

Is that where we are in the world? Just expecting a limited amount of customer service. I know these people aren't making piles of money but is there any pride in their work? When I was working at the movie theater concession stand I like to remember that I enjoyed my job and that translated a happier customer.

Oh well. I guess I am just getting old.

Now for Something Completely Different

When are you too old to throw a temper-tantrum? I am sitting in a PERL scripting class at a local college. Our teacher is very mellow and good humored. He was helping a student work on a script that wasn't working. The student claimed that the script was copied right out of the book. When the teacher pointed out that there were some differences in the script from the book, she stormed out of the class. He was not being condescending, nor mean, nor harsh. She just through up her hands like she didn't care and left.

After the student left the teacher said, "Now for something completely different." a la Monty Python.

She has since returned to her seat and is holding back tears.

First off, there is no crying in programming. It is just code. If you don't get it, don't do it. Go work with your Colorforms or My Little Ponies. Second off, she is at least 19 if not older. What does she expect to get out of her little fit? A shiny new corvette from her daddy...doubtful.

Grow up.

End Rant,
Nick

Meijer or Meijer's

I am curious. If you shop for groceries in the Midwest Area (possibly elsewhere), you have heard of a store called Meijer. How are you supposed to pronounce it? When you go to the store, you would go to Meijer. or Meijer's. Which one is correct?

The store was founded by Fred Meijer. Therefore you could say that you are going to the store that is possessed by Fred (i.e. Meijer's). However, the sign doesn't have an "s" on the end.

Some people just might not have thought about it. They just say Meijers because it has infiltrated their psyche. Is that a bad thing? Not really. Does it bug me? A little.

I know at least three people that have worked at the store and they say both. Interesting concept to ponder.

End Rant,
Nick

The Magic of Inter-Office Mail

Today is a very sad day. I learned that there is absolutely no magic in delivering inter-office mail.

For those of you who are not familiar with this phenomenon, most offices have the ability to mail documents between them. All you do is drop your document in one of these handy folders (see image to left) and it is magically delivered to the other office in a few days.

Do you know how this is done? Magic? No. I saw our office manager stuff my folder in to a Fed-Ex Over Night Folder... That's it. Inter-Office mail is just glorified Fed-Ex.

Tonight I will lament.

Nick

Jock vs. Geek

Hi everyone. I have had a Nintendo Wii for about 2 weeks now. It is definitely something that I recommend. Zelda: Twilight Princess is great, Trauma Center is great and the fribee, Wii Sports, is great. My whole family has played with the system as well as my friends and my co-workers and we all agree it is a very well designed console.

I brought it in to work today and my bosses husband played Tennis against me. I won. Why is this such a big deal? Yeah, he is not a hard core gamer. But, he is the Sports Anchor at the local TV station. That means that I, a Geek, beat the Sports Anchor, a Jock, at Wii Sports. A small step for me but a large step for Geek-kind.

Nick

First Blog Entry

Beware World. I am blogging. Actually, I am mostly harmless. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Over the next few years I will be exploring the World around me, commenting on the problems that annoy me and praising the achievements that impress me.

I look forward to talking to everyone out there. Feel free to share your comments on future posts.

Appearently, I am already part of the blogesphere: Here and Here

Thanks,
Nick