Author: spierzchala

I am heading out to meet with clients in the Seattle area on February 23 and 24. Will be a good time and I get to talk to a lot of cool companies while I am there.

Why, oh why, does Windows suck?
I wish I knew…
Off to install my 87 new critical security patches…still haven’t gotten an offer from anyone to ship me a WiFi enabled Linux Laptop, or a PowerBook for testing and “paid” blogging purposes…

If I had a cube (Note to self — never work for a company with an OPEN floor plan again), this would be the show I would watch.
My work area, no matter where it is, always has that post-apocalyptic je ne sais quoi to it…

Wil Wheaton. We all made fun of him when he was Wesley.
Now, he is an Adult. About my age (Ok, same age as my corporate VP younger brother). Same concerns, habits, pets, job interviews, hobbies and clubs we all have.
And he writes very well.
Read this to make your day.

Hans Henrik raises an interesting question in his blog: Is google ranking the results from blogs differently than for static pages?
If they are, then this begs the question, when will we see a blog search tool from Google? You know they have to working on one. They would be silly not too, especially given the move by Ask Jeeves this week.

Darren Barefoot posted about Google Maps.
Ummmm…wow. What more can I say? Clear precise maps. Great zooming. Clear directions. Took all of the best from everyone else and … well, wow.
Interesting comment from Jeremy Zawodny. And he works at Yahoo!, which had my go to map application for many years.
More comments from Geek News Central here.
John Battelle woke up and noticed it too! [here]
Ok, the Head Lemur sums it up. [here]
Ummm…wow. My hometown. No street maps, but it’s on the map!
But I still won’t work for you.

Seth Godin thinks Google Maps sexy too. [here]

Hence the need to target those frivolous Asbestos Lawsuits…
W.R. Grace indicted over asbestos claims.
I mentioned this a while back…some people close to The Obsfucator are tied to this asbestos thing.
I have no sympathy for the asbestos industry. A high-school friend of mine lost his father due to a one-time, one-day exposure to asbestos 30 years ago. This material is hyper-dangerous.
It killed Warren Zevon. [here] ‘Nuff said.

An old colleague of mine, Dr. Zulu-at-a-Bar-Mitzvah, has turned up on the streets again. He has managed to get new id with the name el Furioso printed on it, and is playing bass in a Vancouver punk band called Aging Youth Gang.
The good doctor was a plunker the last time I saw him; AYG is a definite throwback to the screaming thrash and punk bands of our shared youth, and his bass talents have come a long way in 15 years — I will let you try and determine what he has been doing for that time.
It brings back good memories from a time so long ago.

Great article on how FedEx needs automated customer tools, and humans too! [here]
The Takeaway.

For every anxious caller that FedEx diverts to its Web site, the company saves as much as $1.87. FedEx says its call centers handle 83,000 fewer calls per day than in 2000—currently 470,000 calls per day—a saving of $57.56 million per year. FedEx also claims that its Web site handles an average of 60 million requests to track packages per month. These requests cost FedEx 3 cents each or $21.6 million per year, but would cost over $1.36 billion per year if all those people called. Still, by allowing its customers to keep calling reps like Steward, FedEx spends nearly $326 million per year.

Can you imagine an economy of scale that allows you and your organization to save $1.87 for every call your call centre does not have to answer?

Silicon Valley Watcher has this tidbit that concludes that Ballmer may be “retiring” soon.
I agree that the Appearances of Bill have increased exponentially recently and that many stories have appeared of Microsoft’s lack of new “vision”. The question is whether Bill can provide the credibility and leadership that Steve Jobs return to Apple did.
I care less and less about “traditional” applications every day. The operating system is a way to get to the Internet. In that regard, can Microsoft really re-invent itself and move completely into a virtual world? Can Bill lead a company that has a great brand, but is increasingly not seen as innovative?
How will Bill Gates ensure that there is the internal leadership at Microsoft to allow him to truly walk away from the organization and be pleased with where the ship drifts? How is leadership developed in Microsoft today? Is it? Does Microsoft truly attract great leaders?