Customer service is alive and well at the Jefferson City Sears. I wish Phil had included the store manager’s name so I could stop in, buy something, and tell him why. Phil’s story could have ended differently. The store manager could have stonewalled him and lost a customer forever. And there, on Phil’s blog, for the world to see (and Google search)…a little nightmare to make you think twice about where you make that big purchase. Shoot, I might email the Sears corporate honchos a link to Phil’s story.
Yearly Archives: 2005
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
Got an email today from a life-long friend (who happens to be my age) who said something to the effect of “…I only plan to work for 6 or 7 more years.” My first thought was, why so soon. Then I did the math and realized he (and I) will be 63 or 64. Daaaammnnn. Is it retirement time already?
We can’t predict what will happen in the next 6 or 7 years, but I don’t plan to hang it up anytime soon. I think I can do 75 in a walk. Maybe longer. And as long as world continues to be populated by clueless and lazy people, I’ll have something of a competitive edge (I’m not talking about you).
“First National Bank, may we help you?
“Yeah, this is Steve Mays. I’m just checking on my fuck-you money.”
“Hang on a second. (Pause) Yep. It’s all there.”
“Cool. Talk to you next week.”
Napoleon Dynamite for the Utah State Fair
Marketing genius is getting Napoleon Dynamite (and Pedro) to be spokesmen for the Utah State Fair. You can check out Napoleon’s Sweet Ads here and I’ve saved one here (AUDIO) for posterity. Don’t you just know the out-takes on these were sweet!
More TV on your iPod
NBC has inked a deal with Apple to become the second network to sell television shows a la carte on Apple’s online iTunes store. More than 300 episodes from about a dozen prime time, cable, late-night and classic TV shows are now available for $1.99 apiece, viewable on computers or downloadable on the latest, video-capable iPod.
The programming spans from the 1950s to the present, including shows from “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Dragnet,” USA Network’s “Monk,” the Sci-Fi Channel’s “Battlestar Galactica,” and NBC’s hit series “Law & Order.” Sketches from “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” are also for sale.
I’m guessing that’s the toe-in-the-water list and we’ll quickly see last night’s stuff on iTunes in the morning. One more example of that Long Tail. Those programs were just gathering dust and now they’ll generate dollars.
Travis McGee’s measurements
On page 253 of John D. MacDonald’s Nightmare in Pink, Travis McGee shares his measurements: Jacket: 44 extra-long; Pants: 35 waist, 35 inseam; Shoes: 13C; Shirt: 17-35. I always pictured him as a larger man.
DirecTV offers smarter ad
An EarthLink spot came on DirecTV tonight and I noticed little Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down icons at the top of the screen. I punchedthe Thumbs Up button on my remote… the commercial paused…and the following offer was displayed:
“Right now, get a TREO 650 from EarthLink for $199 and get $10/month off EarthLink High Speed DSL. Interested? Allow us to send you a free brochure.”
The options were: “No, thanks anyway.” and “Yes, please send me a brochure!” I chose “No” and the ad resumed. I’m not big on coupons and special offers, but for folks that look for deals, this is a step in the right direction.
Road Trip (Des Moines and back in one day)
Des Moines and back in one day. Ten hours in the car with David. Almost nobody I’d rather travel with. Laughed my ass off. No voice mail, no email. Passed adult book store on trip home and made David turn around so I could take a photo for the masthead. So cold my shaking hands ruined the shot. It would have been a killer. “Adult Videos & Toys.” Just in time for Christmas.
Everything you ever wanted to know about the flu
Our little podcast experiment is rolling right along. In show #6, Henry talks about the flu. Who should get flu shots? Can they make me sick? Can I still get the flu, even if I get the shot? Is there a pill I can take for the flu? Are there different kinds of flu? Henry doesn’t tackle Avian Flu in this show because he thinks we are at much higher risk from the regular flu.
The good doctor is in Florida for a couple of weeks but we have three shows in the can. Next week the topic is Smoking; the week after, How to Start an Excercise Program.
Henry is having a lot of fun with this but wonders why more people aren’t downloading and listening to the show. I explain that we’re still kind of on the front end of the podcasting thing. According to a study by research firm Ipsos Insight, about 28 percent of web users know what a podcast is, but only about 2 percent of that group has actually listened to one. But that number is growing. iTunes lists more than 15,000 free podcasts.
Okay, now were talking more about podcasting than the flu but the segue was nearly perfect, so… I might have mentioned that four of my coworkers recently got iPods. These are all long-time radio people and I’m eager to hear their (user) experiences with podcasting. To what kinds of programs will they subscribe? When and where will they listen? What ideas –if any– will these new listening experiences spark?
Scott Adams on Best and Worst Jobs
Reply
Scott Adams finds it interesting that the guy with the best job in the world gets to blow up the guy with the worst job in the world.
“I have to think that the guy who fired the rocket by remote control loves his job. I have an image of him sitting in an air conditioned headquarters someplace, feet up on the desk, a bag of Cheetohs on one side, a Budweiser on the other, staring at his computer screen. It’s about 1 am and everyone else is asleep. The order comes through on e-mail saying something like “Blow up mud hut #4,7855.” So he takes a break from playing Doom and plugs that number into the GPS system and soon his drone is hovering over said mud hut, missiles ready to go.”
Let’s add Scott Adams to the short list of people I’d like to drink beer with after work.