MOVED

This blog is still alive and well, but moved and better set up at Semplicity.

Cheers,

Scott

NOTHING LOCAL, PART 1 : Turning Computers Back Into Pencils

...how Optimus Prime feels about Microsoft Small Business Server

Once upon a time, we used pen and paper to record and calculate. If we made a mistake, we used an eraser. If a pencil lead broke, we sharpened it. If the pencil lead was low-quality and constantly breaking, we threw the pencil away and picked up a newer, better one.

So answer this: If you had a pencil that was as reliable as your current computer, would you keep it? Or throw it away and buy a new one? Have you ever had a computer that was as reliable as a pencil?

Me neither.

In early 2006, I became responsible for running a company that needed several changes, not least among them, a new way to manage its information. The office was structured as a peer-to-peer (P2P) network with each machine performing a different function for the collective and networked to each other with equal authority. Company data was spread across four computers and no backup solution was in place.

“I know,” I thought. “A client-server network will do the trick.”

I then called our third-party IT tech who set us up with Microsoft Small Business Server, centralized all of our data, and wrote backups to one of the client computers. Problem solved.

In reality, we paid $800 for the server and its software, and a year later it had cost us an additional $4,000 in IT man-hours. And after almost $5,000, it still didn’t do all that we needed. Not the “solution” I had hoped for. Can you imagine how excited you'd be if, rather than getting your job done, you spent two years sharpening a pencil? ("Dear Mr. Gates...")

Enraged by wasting money on a crappy product, I went searching for the real solution, and now -- almost two years after buying that Microsoft piece of crap -- I’ve found it.

My search started with a simple, but challenging idea: “I want to turn all of our computers back into pencils.”

If a computer dies, we could go to another workstation (in the next office, at home, down the street) and begin work IMMEDIATELY. No need to spend a day configuring profiles, installing software, restoring data from backups -- essentially "sharpening pencils" -- and WASTING TIME. True plug’n’play computing would be the result. If we could really turn our computers back into pencils, then any computer would do the job anytime, anywhere, and with any platform (Mac or PC).

Making computers as disposable and as expendable as pencils would be ideal, I thought. The idiosyncrasies, crappy product development and rush-to-market approach of today's technology would no longer interfere with work-time productivity. The sheer numbers of available computers -- in the world, in this town, in my house -- would ensure that one was always available. Just like a pencil.

And that would mean... no downtime. Ever.

NEXT UP...

PART 2: Cloud Computing for Small Business
* Maintenance-(and-cost)-free collaboration for small business with web-based applications
* Google Apps, 37 Signals and more

And yes, I'll address the big, scary, Google's-too-powerful, privacy issue too...

Push-Back Email

Blackberries are all the rage. "Push email"* has become the latest multi-tasking tool that keeps Pavlov and his dog in chapter one of Introduction to Psychology.

Unfortunately, the interruptions caused by push email effectively reduce your IQ by 10 points - 2.5x greater than smoking marijuana.** If you’re trying to be productive -- to GET SHIT DONE -- a drop in your IQ is the last thing that any experienced producer would recommend. So, unless you are deluded into thinking that activity equals productivity, why would you employ push email as a time-saving device when in effect, you would perform better by smoking a joint?

The answer is likely two-fold. First, you're probably thinking that REACTING FAST is the same as producing effective results. WRONG. Second, you probably also think that there is such a thing as multi-tasking. WRONG AGAIN.

If you can literally react and get results, then you are truly a genius, up there with Mozart and Stephen Hawking. Unfortunately, based on the number of true geniuses in the human population, the probability of you being one of them is slim.

The fact of the matter is that communication is not a result in itself; it’s a tool to get results - like a pencil or a calculator. Meetings, discussions and email are not work; they're communication ABOUT work. Communication produces nothing, but it MAY equip someone to ACT, and thereby facilitate producing a result.

All those highly paid consultants pine away abut the importance of communication, when, in effect, if you are required to communicate, it means one of two things: You either have a finely tuned machine where everyone is well-equipped... or the ship is sinking, and no one knows what's going on.

“So what the hell does this have to do with Blackberries?”

Well, if you’re a Crackberry fanatic -- don’t worry, I was once too -- then the truth is that you are likely reacting to email in short, insufficient responses because your previous response was also short and insufficient. But you FEEL productive because, you’re not just driving in rush hour, but DOING SOMETHING too.

In effect, however, in order to delude yourself into thinking that typing with your thumbs has made you supremely productive, what you’re really doing is ensuring that the cycle of inefficient communication will continue. And that means that when you're out for lunch with your wife and your pants pocket starts vibrating, all your Crackberry has done for you is reassure your wife that she’s right: you never listen to her.

So what to do?

1) Push back. Turn off the email notification on your handheld. This’ll reserve phone calls and text messages for interrupting you at random which, these days, is plenty. It'll also let you distinguish urgent messages from non-.

2) Check email when YOU want to; not when the sender wants you to. If it’s urgent, they’ll call. (See #1.)

(Note: if your co-workers have become accustomed to your Pavlovian personality reacting to HipMail, then it’s probably a good idea to let them know that they should no longer depend on an immediate response. And if it really is urgent and they still email, well... encourage them to further their career by working for a competitor.)

3) Give up multi-tasking. It’s a myth. It’d be better to call it “multi-distracting.” Multi-tasking is based on the idea that we can do more than one thing at one time. We can, I guess, but never very effectively. Usually it means that three tasks will take three times as long to do if done concurrently rather than consecutively.

4) Start Gap-Tasking instead. In contrast to Multi-Tasking, Gap-Tasking allows you to tick off menial tasks while someone else is wasting your time. This is where smartphones really earn their adjective. Let's say you're in line at the local deli... why not kill some email while they make your sandwich? Or the doctor's office in Canada, where the 21st-century sense of urgency and service is enthusiastically kept at bay. You're in for a long wait -- get those thumbs a-typing.

Even better, when the nurse calls your name, and your in the middle of a thumb-tapping flurry, say, "Just a minute, please. I'll be done shortly. Thank you for your patience."

* For those unfamiliar, "push email" is what allowed Blackberry to quickly gain so much market share. Unlike their competitors, rather than leave it up to the user to decide when to check email, a typical Blackberry setup automatically downloads your email for you, and then rings or vibrates to let you know that new messages have arrived. Sometimes the messages are important, most of the time they're not -- just like Pavlov ringing a bell when feeding a dog. Eventually the food can be removed and the dog will salivate just by hearing the bell...

** The IQ/pot comparison was taken from The Age of Speed by Vincent Poscente. Great book. You should read it.

Security & Speed

Dear Fellow Airline Travelers,

If you are passing through airport security and you have metallic objects in your pockets, take them the f&%€ out BEFORE you get to the body scan. Those handy gray bins are really handy for scanning your junk while you simultaneously walk through. Amazing, eh?

Thank you.

Sincerely,
The Rest of Us Who Are Waiting Behind You, Hoping You'll Get Your Shit Together

Food as Fuel

The following is my contribution to an email exchange on fueling for performance:

Hello lads. I've been thinking about this for the past week or so, because I think that both food prescriptions and food "freescriptions" have their place. It depends on the sport-type and the goal.

The number one performance contributor (WAY above fuel choices) -- especially when juggling devoted sport, full-time work and kids -- is inviolate consistency. By "inviolate consistency" I mean regular practice of the pursuit at the willing expense of spousal tension, less income, missing special events, neglecting vehicle maintenance, not shoveling the walk, etc. Consistent, indefinite practice will trump diet plans and steroids every time, even at low intensity.

In my opinion, most of the appeal for diet plans comes from a lottery mentality that looks for the "winning ticket/magic bullet" that will short-cut true commitment. "Maybe if I just change what I eat, then I'll be rad." It can't happen, which is why most people will always be mediocre athletes: they won't commit to the process.

However, at serious skill levels, the real impact of food measuring depends entirely on the nature of the sport -- macro-movement-based or micro-movement-based. I define macro-movement sports as anything that a 5-year-old can successfully mimic in the playground -- i.e. running, jumping, lifting, throwing, Crossfit, climbing a ladder, etc. Essentially, basic human skills that we are all naturals at, and where refining technique only makes a real difference at an internationally elite level. In the spectrum of climbing types, macro-movement sport would also include alpine climbing since 99% of the time your weight is on your legs, movement pattern demands are not complex, and the true crux is always mental.

I define micro-movement sports as pursuits that humans can become incredibly skilled at, but pursuits that do not come naturally -- i.e. they are not skills that we had to use in the jungle when we were knuckle-dragging. These are refined human movements that take at least a decade to be good at -- despite what two-month punters wish for and banter about. Examples are gymnastics, most martial arts (especially brazilian ju-jutsu where the black belt average is ten years of dedicated training), ballet, bouldering, sport climbing, etc.

Because macro-movement sports "come naturally", real performance gains happen primarily when fitness increases -- i.e. when the engine gets extra cylinders. Because micro-movement sports do not come naturally (to all of us, including Bruce Lee, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Chris Sharma), real performance gains happen primarily through STUDYING MOVEMENT, and NOT through fitness. "The best training for climbing is climbing."

(As a side note, if we were to take two beginner climbers -- one a master rower, and one a master martial artist -- my bet is that the martial artist would progress faster because a lifetime of studying movement will create a physical awareness that a lifetime of pulling hard on an oar cannot equal.)

That being the case, measuring your food ain't gonna help micro-movement sports worth a shit. If the only variable you're obsessing about is food, you ain't gonna jump from 5.10 to 5.12. I suspect that martial artists, gymnasts and ballet dancers would agree. You can inject whatever you want into your metabolism, and it'll never help you do a triple back flip on floor, giants on highbar, some fancy ballet move, or climb V13. For micro-movement sports, fuel choice doesn't #&^%ing matter.

However, measuring your food for macro-movement sports makes a HUGE difference, especially if the (Paleo) Zone is the recipe of choice... In those videos that Josh sent -- http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_JournalCoachNutrition1.mov -- Glassman is exactly right when he compares the performance gains of food-measurers versus non-. When doing macro-movement sports, micro attention to nutrient ratios and to portion size makes a huge difference. Given identical training methods, the food-measurer will pull away on a (Paleo) Zone food program (most likely due to accelerated recovery).

Once-were macro-movement athletes may anecdotally argue against this, but if so, were they eating the Zone prescription religiously for at least one month? (One month is typically the time frame where the Zone will "kick in.") Or were they eating primarily an outdated, carb-heavy prescription? Most will have done the carb-heavy latter. From what I've read, Mark Allen, the winningest Iron Man in history, stuck to a caloric training ratio of 30-30-40 for protein, fat and carbs -- the same as the Zone formula.)

HOWEVER, for true endurance events -- i.e. events lasting 120 minutes or more -- the Zone is insufficient as a fuel source. (I haven't found anything on it, but I suspect that even Allen changed the ratios when he was racing.) The Zone is geared toward short duration macro-movements -- like Crossfit, swimming pools and "distance" running. For true endurance events, you need to up the carb content slightly before the event, definitely during, and for a time period following relative to the length of the event. Not doing so will probably not sacrifice much in performance during the event, but it'll take much longer to recover afterward.

So if I were training for a macro-movement sport or event, I would do Crossfit primarily with at least one long (>90-minute) session per week (mostly to train recovery), and strictly eat in the (Paleo) Zone for all but the long session.

But right now I'm grimping, so I eat what I want.

My two cents,
Scott

Loyalty vs. Retention

...and soon the wireless "service providers" will be scrambling -- like that guy sitting on the toilet when the T-Rex shows up in Jurassic Park -- to make up for their ignorance of the former and their faith in the latter.

May there always be consequences: Hello, Ma Google

MOOHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Brutish Airways

I'm back. And I'm inspired, which, if you've read any of these posts before, you'll know that that means I'm pissed off. This time, at an airline.

Stragglers still exist. In an age where Apple, Google and Skype are give, give, giving to their customers and get, get, getting billions, you'd think that the airlines, banks, utility companies and cell phone "service providers" would get the point: there is a sharp difference between customer retention and customer loyalty.

British Airways is one of the stragglers. They're so far behind, they don't even give a shit about customer retention.

I've probably been on more airplanes than the average person, so let me say, based on direct experience, that I'd rather fly Aeroflot through Delhi than British Airways through Heathrow. Below is the breadth and depth of my recent correspondence with Brutish Airways to explain why.

The short version is that the trip was an unbelievable gong show and they offered us a $200 credit on future flights. Feel free to read further and use the credit. I sure as hell won't use it.

(Also... My apologies to anyone of British descent - sorry, Stewart - I was feeling a little ornery when I sent the first message. I get that way when a portion of my income, however fractional, ends up on a CEO's plate who doesn't appreciate it. (I think that all CEOs have to take personal responsibility for how their frontline personnel service their customers. You know, kinda like Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Sergei Bryn and the Skype Guy do.))


EMAIL #1
BOOKING REFERENCE: YRR4MJ
E-TICKET NUMBER: 125 243 8930284
PASSENGERS: Scott Semple

Dear Brutish Airways...

For this Customer Relations email, I didn't know how to classify whether this was an inflight, airport or baggage issue. I highly suggest you re-program the options to include "All of the above."

In summary... our entire experience with Brutish Airways SUCKED. Here are the details:

MAY 9th
BA102 - Calgary, Canada to London, England
*Flight delayed two hours on departure;
*We spent the evening waiting in the Calgary airport rather than at home with our 3-year-old son;
*Due to the delay in Calgary, we missed our connection in Heathrow, which turned a 2-hour layover into a six-hour delay.
BA348 - London, England to Nice, France
*Delayed an hour, turning a 6-hour delay into nearly (all-told) an 8-hour delay;
*Despite sitting at Heathrow for over 8-hours, the morons on the baggage department still didn't have enough time to get our bags to the flight to Nice. No bags on arrival in Nice.

MAY 11th & MAY 12th
*Despite being lied to that our bags would show up the next morning, they did not arrive at our hotel in Nice until 10pm on the second day (May 12th). Apparently the morons at Heathrow are also related to the morons in Nice, and it took them 48-hours to get our bags to our hotel. This delayed our travel plans out of Nice by a day and increased our hotel and food costs accordingly.

MAY 21st
BA347 - Nice, France to London, England
*Delayed 1.5 hours. At this point we were not surprised, having realized on our to-France journey that Brutish Airways couldn't fly their way out of a wet paper bag. The best part was that there was NO INFORMATION PROVIDED OR AVAILABLE on our connection in London. Despite promises of assistance at the gate in Heathrow and profuse apologies, nothing was done.
BA103 - London, England to Calgary, Canada
*After de-planing in London and wading through the moronic mess of Heathrow to our departure terminal, we see on the monitor that our flight status for our connection does not say "Departed," but "Go to gate 24." (Other more competent airlines often announce connection information prior to landing. I suggest that BA start doing the same if they want to be competitive.) After seeing the flight status, we immediately sprint across the terminal to get to the gate to find... that all the passengers are still waiting at the gate "to allow for other passengers arriving on late connections."

"Great," we think. "I guess we'll be able to go home today after all."

BUT NO. As we give the gate staff our PRINTED BOARDING PASSES to board the flight to Calgary, a shadow crosses her face. "Just a moment please..."

"We didn't expect you to make it," she said. "So we off-loaded you. We do have some empty seats, but I'm afraid they're all broken, see... [holds up paper with seat numbers on it] ...I have a list of the broken ones here. I'm afraid you won't be flying to Calgary on this flight."

So despite profuse apologies, unfulfilled promises and printed boarding passes, we end up wading through Heathrow again to wait 50 minutes for an every-15-minute bus, inhale a few packs of cigarette smoke, notice the "Warning: Asbestos. Do Not Disturb" signs at the bus stop, and finally climb onto a bus that takes us to a hotel for the night.

Meanwhile, our 3-year-old wonders why we didn't show up when his grandparents told him we would. (Don't worry, folks, I'll explain it to him when he's older.)

Thankfully, we found one BA employee who actually provided a genuine service. Christine Holton, Senior Connections Agent in Terminal 4, was very helpful in finding us a hotel and re-booking us on a flight home. Please feel free to contact Christine if you require corroboration of this story. Christine has a copy of my notes.

I do not want your promises or apologies. Your gate staff provided much of both, and without follow-up, their apparently honest sentiment was soon revealed as posturing and lies.

Terribly sorry, mum, but I'm all fed up wif English manners, deary. Time for the rubber to touch the road as they say, chum.

I WANT ACTION. I want you to DO something. We paid BA over $2500 for a 1st-world round trip from Calgary to Nice. What we received was less than third world. I've had better service from Aeroflot traveling through Delhi...

One of the gate staff in Heathrow, after reading my notes on our problems with BA said, "Wow, I guess you won't be flying with us anytime soon."

"It depends what gets done right now," I said. Dare I think that something will?

Sincerely,
Scott Semple


EMAIL #2
From: Scott Semple

Date: Jul 4, 2007 10:09 AM
Subject: Fwd: Brutish Airways

Hello British Airways,

On May 23rd, I sent in this summary of our unpleasant trip. The outline was sent through both email and fax. I am very disappointed that I have received no contact whatsoever. I can only assume that BA is indifferent to our experience and also to any future business.

I own a winter apparel company. Several times a year, myself and my staff must fly throughout the US, Europe and Nepal in order to attend tradeshows and meet with producers of our products. British Airways is obviously an option for these international trips, but I must say that until I receive some sort of correspondence and compensation for the horrible trip detailed below, we will not even consider flying British Airways again.

When we have a dissatisfied customer in our business, we do whatever is required to make up for our mistake. I think that most 21st century businesses operate in a similar fashion. As a major international airline, I would hope that British Airways conducts themselves in the same manner.

The details are below. I look forward to your response.

Regards,
Scott Semple


RESPONSE #1
On 7/5/07, BA Customer Relations wrote:
>
>
> Dear Mr Semple,
>
> I am sorry to learn about the difficulties with your luggage. Thank you
> for your email.
>
> So that I can deal quickly with your claim, please could you send me
> good quality photocopies of the following documents, and include your
> case reference number. I have ticked the ones I need to see. Please do
> not send multiple times as it will delay our response time.
>
> ( ) Your baggage claim tag
> (x) The Property Irregularity Report (the baggage report)
> ( ) A completed copy of our Lost Baggage Questionnaire
> (x) Receipts to support the expenses you are claiming
> ( ) Receipts, card slips, insurance valuations, quotations or other
> documents to support the value of your missing/damaged property
> ( ) The Cabin Service report completed during your flight
> ( ) Your BA Executive Club number (if you're a member)
>
> As a preference, please fax to: 347-418-4813.
>
> Alternatively, if you do not have access to a fax you may mail to:
>
> British Airways
> Attn Baggage Claims
> PO Box 690098
> East Elmhurst, NY 11369-0098
>
> I should add that airlines have only limited liability when it comes to
> compensation in a situation like this. So if you had travel insurance,
> can I suggest you also inform your insurance company about what's
> happened.
>
> Once I have received the documents I hope we can resolve things swiftly
> for you.
>
> Sincerely
>
> TIMOTHY HOSEA
>
> British Airways Customer Relations
>
> Your case reference is:5641779


EMAIL #3
ATTN: TIMOTHY HOSEA

PLEASE READ THIS IN ITS ENTIRETY. "BAGGAGE" was selected as the Issue Type, because there isn't an "All of the above" option.

____________
Hello Timothy. Thank you for your response.

Unfortunately there seems to be some confusion over the nature of my
complaint. Our entire experience with BA was horrible; it was not
limited to our baggage problems.

Please re-read my previous email in detail, check BA's flight records,
confirm with Christine Holton in Terminal 4 at Heathrow if necessary,
and get back to me with how you would like to proceed.

I look forward to your response.

Regards,
Scott


RESPONSE #2
From: BA Customer Relations Date: Jul 6, 2007 8:07 AM
Dear Mr Semple,
In my office, we only handle baggage claims, I will pass your case onto our New York office. They can better help you with the issues you have.
Sincerely
TIMOTHY HOSEA
British Airways Customer Relations
Your case reference is:5647194


RESPONSE #3
From: BA Customer Relations [mailto:gsrreplies@contact.britishairways.com] Sent: July 10, 2007 12:16 PM Subject: Your Response from BA Customer Relations

Dear Mr Semple
I am so sorry your flights and baggage were delayed when you traveled with us recently. I can understand how anxious you must have been.
I am concerned by what you tell us, and I'm grateful to you for following it up with us. We set high standards for every aspect of the British Airways service. So if a customer has been disappointed, as you clearly were, we like to hear from them so that we can do all in our power to put things right for the future.
As an apology, I have arranged for you to have a travel credit of $200 each, which you or one of your family may use, with my compliments. You are welcome to put it towards the cost of any British Airways service. This credit is valid for a year from July 10, 2007 and is not renewable. Please note it cannot be used on ba.com.
This is an electronic credit, so there is no paper voucher. When you are ready to make your booking, simply call our reservations team at 1-800-AIRWAYS, quoting your reference, CR Credit 5554945. Our sales agent will make your travel arrangements and put this credit towards the cost.
Thank you again - and please allow us to restore your confidence in the British Airways service by flying with us again soon.
Sincerely
Mary Ellen Burke
British Airways Customer Relations
Your case reference is:5554945


EMAIL #4
And then I emailed again and said, "Uh, I don't think that's equivalent to the headache and hassle we experienced. A refund would be a good place to start."


RESPONSE #4
From: BA Customer Relations [mailto:gsrreplies@contact.britishairways.com] Sent: August 9, 2007 10:00 AM Subject: Your Response from BA Customer Relations

Dear Mr Semple
Thank you for your email.
I am sorry you were not happy with my response and offer of $200 Customer Credit each - for you and Ms Holbrook- Ambler. I hope you will reconsider.
Unfortunately, I am afraid, I cannot offer a refund on your ticket as it has been used.
I realize you feel we have not met our usual high standards this time, and I hope that we can show you the best side of British Airways when you next fly with us.
Sincerely
Mary Ellen Burke
British Airways Customer Relations
Your case reference is:5554945
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