Author Archive

A quick reply from GGB

November 9th, 2009 · · scorn, sf No comments

Last week, I noticed a change in the lane configuration for the evening commute on the Golden Gate Bridge. For some reason, they had switched from a 3 North/3 South configuration to a 4 North/2 South setup, which had the negative effect of backing Southbound traffic through the Waldo tunnel, while the Northbound side on the bridge seemed to be sparse for the most part. Initially I thought it had to do with the recent  closure of the Bay Bridge, or even Daylight Savings Time, but it soon became apparent that it wasn’t changing back to the way it used to be.

So, in frustration, I shot off an email this past Saturday to the contact address I found on the Golden Gate Bridge website, and just received the following response. Kudos to them for getting back to me so quickly, even though it wasn’t really with the response I was hoping for.

Continue reading »

Facebook invites are out of control.

September 22nd, 2009 · · scorn No comments

Facebook Event

Below is a “suggestion” I just sent in to Facebook. I doubt anyone will read it, but I figured it was worth a try anyway.

Don’t allow event organizers to contact invitees w/o RSVP

This is a big sore spot for me with Facebook that results in a high volume of social noise, and is one of the main reasons I avoid Facebook for long periods of time. Here are a few things you can do to help your users improve the signal to noise ratio, at least where events are involved:

1) Allow us to opt-out of event invites sent from specific users and fan pages. Some users and fan page operators are promotion dynamos, and the deluge of invites can be daunting. We want to still be friends and fans, but the constant chore of removing events is a pain. We’d still have the option to RSVP to events via their profile or the main time line of course.

2) Event organizers should not be able to contact invitees until we’ve specified an RSVP status. Going through and removing each event can be a lot of work, and giving the organizers direct email (meaning Facebook email) access to us until we do so is unfair. At the very least give us the option to turn this functionality on and off.

Just the latter of these two changes would make a huge difference, so I hope someone up there is actually reading this. The last thing I want Facebook to be (I think you’d agree) is work.

American Heritage – "shit"

August 5th, 2009 · · apple, scorn No comments
AH4

AH4 iPhone App

So Apple apparently didn’t approve the Ninjawords dictionary application due to “inappropriate” words. I wonder why American Heritage got a free pass?

Come on Apple… Stop being so evil. I’ve supported your stupid brand from back in the days when you were the underdog and I would be pelted with rocks and garbage for admitting to be a fan. Time do the right thing and change direction before you slide right into the role as the villain in your pivotal 1984 commercial.

More on the issue over at Mashable.

UPDATE: Apple’s Phil Schiller responds!

Beware Budget Rental Cars in Vegas

June 5th, 2009 · · scorn One comment - Tags:
Gas near the Rent-a-car center.

Gas near the Rent-a-car center.

Here’s a story about a bad experience with a business and how it was turned around by good customer service in the end.

Almost a month ago, Donna and I took a trip to Vegas to visit family. We had dinner plans off-strip, so we booked a minivan through Budget for the day because it would make it so much easier and probably cheaper than taking a couple cabs.

Other than it taking forever for the service agent to get us a vehicle, the pickup went without a hitch. I opted out of the “Fuel Purchase” option, because I knew there’d be plenty of gas stations en route when returning the vehicle. We got the van with a full tank and went merrily on our way.

Jump forward to the end of our trip. We’re packed and headed back to the airport. There was a gas station right off Las Vegas Blvd. that was only about a mile and half away from the newish “rent-a-car center“. We only had the car for a day, so topping it off was quick. I didn’t print the receipt, which I soon found out would be a mistake.

Continue reading »

Beware cheap bluetooth speakerphones.

July 31st, 2008 · · gaming, scorn No comments - Tags: ,

VR3I’ve been in the market for a bluetooth speakerphone for the car for awhile now. So far, my experience with my previous Garmin Nüvi 650, and my current TomTom 720 has been less then stellar in the actual phone call department. In general, I can hear the caller fairly well, but they can’t hear me. Which seems to be due to the fact that the GPS is a good distance from my face and the ambient road noise certainly doesn’t help. Sure they both have microphone options, but who needs yet another cable routed around their car? So I thought a visor mounted bluetooth speakerphone would do the trick.

I’ve had my eye on the well rated BlueAnt Supertooth3, but haven’t gotten around to ordering one yet. Instead, on impulse, I picked up the super cheap Roadmaster VR3 at Costco this weekend. Somehow I got it in my head that it was a Motorola product, which made me feel better for some reason. As it turns out, cheap applies to more than just price with this product.

Continue reading »