MassPerception.com

So what is with the little hood punks that ride BART . . . who think it’s cool to play some really awful hiphop/rap song over and over through the tinny speaker of their cell phone? Do you think it sounds cool to play overly distorted, clipping audio so that EVERYONE on the train can hear it? Seriously!!!! Half the time, it sounds like you’re playing a ring tone clip . . . over . . . and over . . . and over. And don’t get me started on the wannabe’ gangsta’ rappers that think you need to sing along for full effect. Good gawd, get some headphones and shut the hell up!

/rant

Now, just gotta wait to come out of the tunnel so I can hit the post button . . .

bart, hip hop, public annoyances, rap, technology gone bad, ring tones

Interesting way to combat junk faxes as illustrated in David Lazarus’s column today:

But my absolute favorite suggestion came from several people who’d probably appreciate it if I keep their identities under wraps. When junk faxes proliferate, they say, they take some black crepe paper, feed it into their fax machines and then tape it into a never-ending loop.

Then they dial the number of the junk faxer and allow the Black Fax of Doom to do its dirty work at the other end of the line, wherever that may be.

I hope the original sender didn’t use an innocent from: fax number when they sent their junk fax . . . as you could inadvertently end up attacking an innocent fax machine with this “countermeasure”.

advertising, blowback, countermeasure, junk fax

Are you that f@$king stupid? Seriously . . . a little lighted sign being mistaken for a BOMB?!?!

Now come on . . . what’s this “hoax device” b^llsh!t that you’re spreading? Can’t find a real law to enforce to justify this screwup?

There’s a problem with your charges of placing a hoax device . . . it’s called intent.  Were the devices intended to be a fake bomb, or were you just over excited by your recent anti-terror training?  Who’s the terrorist now?

insanity, homeland insecurity

Ok, so Apple, Inc released their much anticipated “iPhone” today, and it’s an awesome package to behold . . .

The Good:

• Great Interface . . . one that only Apple could envision and execute!
• Well Rounded Feature Set!
• Marvelous Design!
• It’s Gorgeous!

But I’ve got a few issues that will need to be resolved before I will buy one:

1. EDGE?!?!? Apple, are you serious? Have you tried an EDGE data connection on Cingular? Calling it painful is generous . . . at best! A couple of facts about EDGE:
• It’s inadequate for video streaming and/or near real time media downloads. Less than 80k of throughput . . . in real world use, much less!
• Cingular is in the process of deploying UTMS/HSDPA 3G networking, and there should be a fair amount of coverage in metro areas within the year.
• There are many phones on the market with combined GPRS/EDGE/UTMS data support, why limit the iPhone?
• This handset has to be usable for at least as long as the carrier commitment (2 years minimum for this deal). Launching a “revolutionary” phone with yesterdays data access is inexcusable.
• The cellular ecosystem does not allow for the same upgrade cycle that Apple has enjoyed previously with the iPod. The cost of upgrading hardware mid-contract is prohibitively expensive. Who here has experienced the sticker shock of replacing a lost or damaged handset? What’s the price of this phone without a “carrier subsidy”? Enough said.
• I really hope the hardware is capable of 3G/UTMS/HSDPA out of the box . . . just waiting for a code to activate, like the recent stealth roll out of the Pre-N WiFi cards in recent Apple hardware?
2. 4/8Gb Storage? Not enough to use it for a video media player
• I hope the slot below the camera lens (on the left side of the phone) is a removable media bay (CompactFlash I Hope, but I’ll settle for SD).
3. WiFi Access:
• Where is the seamless VoIP integration that can roam between the Cingular and WiFi network?
• Open WiFi is not ubiquitous in the US, and most public access is fee based.
• Cingular, your signal sucks in my house but I have great WiFi coverage.
4. And now no user installable applications . . . according to The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

apple, cellular, cingular, wifi, iphone

I’m in love . . .

Looks like GM (of all companies) may have the first working, commercially available, electric vehicle on the market.  Dubbed the “Volt” . . .  expect the name to change before it is released.  The new EV is expected to have a 40 mile battery only range, with a small fuel powered engine that exists solely to charge the battery . . . that’s right, this car has no direct drive linkage to the fuel powered motor making it an EV rather than a hybrid!  The EV batteries are expected to be fully charged by the fuel motor within 30 minutes . . . even as the car cruises at 70MPH!

Concept and marketing photos of the Volt are available at AutoBlogGreen.
It appears that the new EV will have a modular architecture that allows for different charging motor technologies to be installed based on local markets for alternate fuels . . . such as E85, E100, Hydrogen and Biodiesel.

I want one . . . with my current driving commute of less than 3 miles a day . . . I’ve already been looking at a long available EV . . . the Segway to fully eliminate all fossil fuel burning from my commute . . . after all, I can’t force BART to use solar, hydro or wind power for the trains . . . at least not yet
This could actually be considered for my next car.  I refuse to buy another gasoline driven vehicle.  Yes, this even means a hybrid is out of the question.  World events and true national security requirements dictates that we remove ourselves from the global oil economy sooner rather than latter.  I don’t think that the current generation of cars being sold today will have a useful life span beyond 5-7 years due to the expected high price (in dollars and lives) or crude oil.  Those in the oil business in the US better get in gear and figure out what their business continuity plans are post Oil . . . or they go the way of the dinosaurs.  Come to think of it . . . maybe they will be THE next energy source, quite literally

ev, alternative energy, crude oil, energy independence, hybrid, oil, real national security, electric vehicle

Funny thing happened today at work. One of my coworkers (whom is working on the final project for her MBA program) came to me for assistance. It seems that she’s stuck, with five pages left before she hits the minimum length of her paper as dictated by her Instructor, she’s run out of content to write.

By all accounts the paper look fine; it’s clear and complete and would appear to fulfill all of the requirements of the assigned project . . . except for the minimum page count. I recommended that she fill the remaining pages with a case study on the effects of requiring minimum page lengths for papers in an MBA program; I recommended she title the essay “Indoctrinated Waste”.

After she stopped laughing at me, she declined my advise citing her impending failure on the final project . . . we agree to disagree

Seriously, why would an MBA program worth anything require minimum document lengths for a final project (or any project for that matter)?  It’s like rewarding a project lead for coming in at or over budget, while penalizing a project lead that delivers a project under budget. This lesson reinforces the wrong goals for an effective business person . . . efficiency should be the goal of any project.

Scores are not calculated (in a properly run business) by the length of your documentation, rather you’re measured on speed of delivery, completeness and accuracy of the final product. Business communications should be made as clearly and succinctly as possible . . . any more is waste and is a distraction to the business goal.

Business reality dictates that this MBA project should be scored based on the minimum number of pages required to effectively and accurately communicate the intended message. Additional scoring should be based on the speed at which the project is completed, with the lowest positive score for speed being assigned to a project turned in on the actual due date.  Alas, this would require the faculty to think critically about the project scoring process, and spend time actually grading the project objectively based on real world business goals.

One more illustration of what is wrong with higher education today; the collective “Institution” continues to turn out college grads that are ill equipped to handle today’s business world . . . and in a large number of cases, actually present a liability to the company that hires them.

business, efficiency, mba, higher education