The Churchforge Blog

Blog Update

2010-11-04T14:29:00.000-06:00

If you subscribe to this RSS feed, please head over to http://www.rickyanderson.me/.

I am condensing the two blogs I write (Churchforge and the Network Administrator Diaries) into one.

Thanks!

Home Aloan

2010-10-15T12:06:00.001-06:00

This post has been moved here. This space was just on loan.

The Globetrotter

2010-10-11T19:38:00.002-06:00

This post has been moved here. It had a great time getting frisked by the TSA on the way.

Mr. Newman

2010-09-06T09:39:00.002-06:00

This post has been moved here.

Stuff Popping Around In My Head

2010-08-21T10:41:00.003-06:00

Stuff Popping Around In My Head has been moved here.

Office Coffee Etiquette

2010-07-12T15:22:00.002-06:00

This post has been moved here. It's on a caffeine high, and won't stay still.

Secret Office Signals

2010-07-09T10:32:00.002-06:00

This post has been moved here. Don't tell anybody.

What If?

2010-07-05T22:50:00.002-06:00

What If? has been moved here.

Risky Business

2010-06-07T18:54:00.003-06:00

Risky Business has been moved here.

When I'm Seventy

2010-06-01T19:30:00.002-06:00

When I'm Seventy has been moved here.

Exposed: What Every Christian Should Know About Porn

2010-05-17T22:15:00.003-06:00

Exposed: What Every Christian Should Know About Porn has been moved here.

The Tale of Ye Olde Faithful

2010-05-01T17:47:00.003-06:00

The Tale of Ye Olde Faithful has been moved here.

The “Is that contestant on American Idol a Christian? Scorecard”

2010-04-06T07:52:00.001-06:00

70. When they show their hometown, the community has gathered in the local church to watch the finale = + 2 points

To add up your score with over a 130 other ideas on this scorecard, visit stuffchristianslike.net.

This is part of a guest post Jon Acuff, author of Stuff Christians Like. Check out his blog, and buy his book. Thanks, Jon!

Imaginary Conversations With an Evolutionist

2010-04-05T16:34:00.001-06:00

Evolutionist: Why don't you believe in Evolution? Everyone knows it's true.

Christian: I believe in a Creator. His thoughtful design is everywhere. Evolution doesn't make much sense. It's a theory founded on science from the 1800s. Even Darwin admitted, "I am well aware that scarcely a single point is discussed in this volume on which facts cannot be adduced, often apparently leading to conclusions directly opposite to those at which I have arrived."

Evolutionist: We have evidence of small changes in certain species. We can't expect to find examples of every micro change that took place. It's a long and complex process.

Christian: Doesn't a 'process' imply order? Evolution tries to discredit the idea of intelligent design, but the evolutionary process itself, if true, is evidence for intelligent design! Anyway, there's too much assumption and guesswork involved. I just can't look at a monkey and see my ancestors.

Evolutionist: The DNA of a monkey and a human are 98% identical! How is that not proof?

Christian: There's still the problem of origin. For instance, who painted the Mona Lisa?

Evolutionist: Leonardo da Vinci.

Christian: Who painted La Belle Ferroneire?

Evolutionist: Leonardo da Vinci.

Christian: How can you tell?

Evolutionist: He signed them. The styles are similar. The paints are similar.

Christian: So, if you didn't look at the finished product, but just analyzed the components - the canvas, the brush strokes, the paint, etc., you would think the paintings are nearly identical. Yet, when looking at the finished product, they're completely different. You wouldn't assume one painting magically turned into the other. Just like us and monkeys.

Evolutionist: I guess so.

Christian: Now let me ask YOU a question. Why do you not believe in a Creator?

Evolutionist: I guess it's because if there really is a Creator, then I'm not in charge. I don't like that idea. I want to run my own life. I don't want the responsibility and accountability inherent with a Creator.

Christian: The real issue isn't the details, it's the source. I don't believe in evolution because it denies my Creator the glory he deserves for the greatest masterpiece ever created.

Lying Jeans

2010-03-11T19:15:00.002-07:00

Lying Jeans has been moved here.

Abandon All Hope of a Perfect Wedding

2010-02-23T18:19:00.002-07:00

Abandon All Hope of a Perfect Wedding has been moved here.

Flights to Kansas City, Part 3

2010-02-18T16:12:00.002-07:00

Flights to Kansas City, Part 3 has been moved here.

Flights to Kansas City, Part 2

2010-02-16T12:51:00.002-07:00

Flights to Kansas City, Part 2 has been moved here.

My Many Valentines

2010-02-13T19:17:00.002-07:00

This post got hitched and moved here.

Flights to Kansas City, Part 1

2010-02-11T18:59:00.002-07:00

Flights to Kansas City, Part 1 has been moved here.

Mrs. Wheeler

2010-02-07T13:34:00.002-07:00

This post has been moved here.

Why Men Will Not Go Shopping

2010-01-31T10:06:00.002-07:00

Why Men Will Not Go Shopping has been moved here.

Against All Odds

2010-01-26T08:38:00.001-07:00

This post moved here, because it was cold.

Random Topics I've Had In My Head Today, In No Particular Order

2010-01-14T15:47:00.002-07:00

Random Topics I've Had In My Head Today, In No Particular Order has been moved here.

Christmas Grapes

2009-12-28T19:59:00.002-07:00

Christmas Grapes has been moved here.

What About the Christmas Carolers?

2009-12-20T18:13:00.002-07:00

This post has been moved here, fa la la la la, la la la la.

Fun With Accountants

2009-12-03T16:26:00.002-07:00

Fun With Accountants has been moved here.

Building Customer Relationships

2009-11-19T17:09:00.001-07:00

What does it take to keep you coming back?

What can a business do for you that will ensure you want to do business with them again as soon as possible?

I think it's the little things.

If I order something from you, I exchange my money for your widget or service. If we leave it at that, then each of us walks away satisfied. However, neither of us is dedicated to the other.

To reach that level of trust, a business needs to offer something extra. Something not originally promised, and not ever charged for.

If you're a small business owner, you probably read that last sentence and thought, "I can't afford to do that!"

The truth is you can't afford not to.

Let's take my favorite Chinese food restaurant for example.

It's called Hua Chang. It's owned by a Chinese couple that do all the work themselves - no employees.

When my wife and I arrive to pick up our carry out beef lo mein, it's a moment of high excitement. The couple throws a quick little party at the sight of our car. The wife peeks out the window at us, and begins waving enthusiastically. She calls over her husband, who joins in the waving.

When I enter, I'm immediately greeted with a smile and a warm welcome. They ask how we've been, and if we enjoyed our meal last time.

They make the food exactly the way it's ordered, every time. They thank us profusely. They're kind and genuine.

More than that, they're smart. They know I'll be back. They don't have to ask, because they know they've gone above and beyond.

Notice that nothing they did cost them one cent extra...and now I rarely eat at any other Chinese restaurant. They have my loyalty. I'm a dedicated customer.

Now let's look at the flip side.

I've dealt with HP for years. They've given me decent service when issues have come up. The computers, printers, monitors and servers work well. However, they've never once done anything to add a personal touch. This isn't an issue until a mistake is made and mutual trust is breached.

Their slogan is "The computer is personal again". I can assure you it's just a tag line, nothing more.

I recently had an issue with my personal HP laptop. It took thirteen (13) HP employees five (5) weeks to resolve the issue. I was lied to, in writing, multiple times. I had to threaten filing a fraud claim with the Better Business Bureau to get results.

In one of the emails I received, an employee had stated that HP 'regretted any inconvenience I may have experienced'.

I have $50,000 worth of HP equipment in my server room at work waiting to be configured and deployed. I took a picture of the server room and emailed it to HP. I requested an apology, a call from a supervisor, and some sort of gesture from HP to show they still wanted me as a customer.

Their written response? "We apologized in previous email correspondence". No real apology, no phone call, no gesture...and now no dedication.

My Chinese food is personal, but HP computers sure aren't.

Life Lessons

2009-11-13T18:16:00.002-07:00

Life Lessons has been moved here.

Change is inevitable in life.

That's a free lesson right there.

Things I'm Still Amazed By

2009-10-30T17:52:00.002-06:00

This post has been moved here. It caught the red-eye out of Dallas.

Selling My Niece

2009-10-18T19:25:00.002-06:00

Selling My Niece has been moved here.

Tips For My Future Kids, Volume 1

2009-10-06T14:30:00.001-06:00

This post has been moved here. Gotta keep the kids guessing!

Friendship By Proxy

2009-09-26T10:23:00.001-06:00

Want to be my friend?

Instantly, without having to earn my respect and admiration?

Then do something nice for my wife.

Recently, someone did something very thoughtful for my wife. It took two seconds, but it was exactly what she needed at the moment, and it had a huge impact. There was no second thought - just instant, loving action. It may have meant more even to me than it did to my wife.

I had just met the person that day. I don't know this person any better than I did before, with a slight exception - I now consider this special someone my personal friend. She can show up at my front door anytime, unannounced, and be welcomed inside.

I wonder if this is how God sees us?

Mrs. Jones

2009-09-21T13:11:00.002-06:00

Mrs. Jones has been moved here.

I'm Sorry

2009-09-12T07:01:00.002-06:00

I'm Sorry has been moved here.

Open Letters, Episode #4

2009-09-07T16:00:00.001-06:00

This post has been moved here.

Open Letters, Episode #3

2009-08-31T06:29:00.002-06:00

This post has been moved here. Click to verify if you need proof.

Open Letters, Episode #2

2009-08-24T07:30:00.002-06:00

This post chose to move here.

Open Letters, Episode #1

2009-08-17T18:59:00.002-06:00

This post has been moved here. It wasn't getting along with Open Letters, Episode #2.

Passive-Aggressiveness for Fun and Profit

2009-06-30T14:54:00.003-06:00

Passive-Aggressiveness for Fun and Profit has been moved here.

We Have Lost Our Minds

2009-05-29T18:26:00.004-06:00

The "friendly skies" have officially gotten a tad too friendly.

Congratulations!

Your yappy, ankle-biting mutt can now sit next to me on the plane.

Be warned, however...I have no qualms tossing Fluffy out the window at 30,000 feet if he won't shut up and/or pees on me.

Seriously, people - how we regard and relate to pets in this country is completely insane. I have seen people bring their wind-up toy dogs with them to work, grocery shopping and even to church.

They're animals, not people. And therefore, not every place that is appropriate for a person is appropriate for an animal. I know this comes as a shock to some of you with lesser mental capacities, but it is true.

Repeat after me (yes, aloud - even if you're at work):

"My dog is an animal, not a person."

Afghanistan Quarantines Its Only Pig Out of Fear of the Flu

2009-05-08T17:16:00.004-06:00

Well I would, too.

Oy

2009-04-22T08:30:00.002-06:00

Oy has been moved here.

Building a Lasting and Effective Business

2009-04-13T21:07:00.004-06:00

I've been seeing some positive changes at work lately. These changes have all stemmed from a recent leadership change.

So what's the difference between the old leadership and the new? What's keeping our office from returning to business as usual? I've seen the new leadership rise through the ranks over the years as they put into practice a few basic common sense leadership lessons. The very same lessons I learned in business school. Just a few tried and true principles that have proven themselves for years and years.

It starts with you

Who wants to sail on a rudderless ship? If you're in charge, act like it. Be kind yet firm.

How you act will determine how your employees act. Your actions, attitude and even the way you dress will set the expectations for those under you. If you are ethical, they will be ethical. If you act and dress professionally, they will act and dress professionally. If you are on time, they will be on time. If you follow through on your promises, so will they.

I had a senior several years ago who stood out in the crowd: The order came down (from the leadership that's currently being replaced!) that we would all work on Easter to meet a deadline. This senior decided instead that she would work Easter, not her staff. She put in almost twenty hours that day so we wouldn't have to skip Easter with our families.

Today, years later, she needed help meeting a deadline. She didn't need to ask me, I volunteered. I'm writing this post at 9PM. I'm still at work, writing bits and pieces of this while running queries for her report.

Suffice it to say she earned my respect. She did it by going first. Her willing sacrifice led to mine.

If you're upset your employees aren't following, your employees are upset you're not leading.

Say "Thank you"

Show your employees they're valued and important to you. If you've set the tone in the previous step, you already have their respect. When you respect someone, you want to please that person. Show your appreciation for meeting your expectations, and they will feel the sense of accomplishment from completing the task at hand and receiving acknowledgment from a leader they respect.

There are all kinds of employee reward programs. I believe this is the most effective available. It also costs you nothing. Remember, your employees have already agreed to work for you in exchange for a certain amount of compensation. They've named their price. True, money and perks motivate. However, these are subject to the law of diminishing returns. At some point, it quits being enough. I have yet to see when genuine recognition and gratitude have outworn their welcome.

As Mark Twain put it, "I can live for a month on a good compliment."

Give people what they need to succeed

I once had a manager that would start every Monday morning by making the rounds, cubicle to cubicle, checking on each and every employee. She would of course ask the status of your projects, but then she would ask if you had everything you needed to do your job that week. Could she get you some staples or paper clips? Was there a phone call she could make to cut through some red tape for you? Were there any conflicts with coworkers she could help you resolve?

This made me feel empowered. I knew I had her support. If I wasn't able to succeed, it would not be because an inept manager had held me back. Success was now mine to choose, not a lofty and unobtainable goal I'd be punished for not meeting.

Keep people in the loop

Too many times I've worked in top-secret environments. These places were structured this way not out of necessity, but fear. The leader would tell different things to different people, leaving us all in the dark as to the reality of a situation. This showed us we weren't trusted. If we were guilty of not being trustworthy before we were given a chance, why should we act any differently?

Turnover was high and morale was low.

The day we went out of business was a shock to us all, but it shouldn't have been. The tone at the top got us to that point, and continued to the end. We were told only a few hours before closing time that we would be out of jobs by the end of the day. We were also told to lie to any customers who asked why we were moving all our inventory out of the store by saying we were getting new carpet. The owner didn't want the mall staff to seize our inventory as payment for that months' rent. I refused, and was banished to the warehouse.

I still go to church with this lady, and I'll admit it's hard not being surprised every time I see her there.

Remember your employees aren't out to get you. If you succeed, they succeed. If they succeed, you succeed. That's why we call it a team.

Just because you happen to be the quarterback doesn't mean you don't wear the same jersey.

These steps are simple. Just remember that as easy as these principles are to implement, it's also just as easy to get busy and let them fall through the cracks, along with your most trusted and loyal employees...which are the precious resources that make your business weather the hard times and succeed in the long run.

Failure

2009-04-08T16:22:00.002-06:00

This post failed, so I moved it here.

The Garbage Man

2009-04-03T16:12:00.001-06:00

The Garbage Man has been moved here.

Willfully Ignorant and Obnoxious Christians

2009-03-28T10:42:00.003-06:00

This post has been moved here. Forward it to all your friends!

iTunes Improvements

2009-03-27T09:13:00.001-06:00

I use iTunes as my media manager of choice.

Well, actually there isn't a choice since iHave an iPod.

And if I'm going to be forced to use a certain program, I'd like to see some improvements around here. I'm talking to you, Mr. Jobs.

While iTunes works flawlessly 90% of the time, there are limitations that drive me nuts. Here's a list:

1. Support multiple users. XP supports multiple users. iTunes does not. My wife and I are constantly having to log into each other's accounts to close iTunes so that we can run it in our own session. I don't have to do this with any other program on my computer. Not Word. Not Firefox.

2. Treat audiobooks as audiobooks. I want iTunes to remember where I was in the book. Like Audible does. Like iTunes itself does for podcasts. I was given an audiobook as a Christmas gift last year. Getting it all sorted out and listening to it was so frustrating I almost re-purchased it from Audible. Only the fact that the book was on the subject of financial responsibility kept me from doing so!

3. Centralize the local iTunes library. Let my wife and I share our music libraries on the same computer. There is NO technical or legal reason this cannot be done. None. When she buys an album, it should automatically show in my library. I should not have to go find the files in Windows Explorer and manually add them. I'm not asking to share my files with the world, just my family - which is entirely within my fair usage rights.

I like iTunes. I really like my iPod.

Apple, please help me like using them even more.

Reluctantly Assimilated

2009-03-02T14:12:00.001-07:00

I didn't want to join. It was against my better judgment.

I am, of course, talking about Twitter.

I have some buddies that jumped on the bandwagon before me. They would microblog their mundane activities. I couldn't think of a bigger waste of time on something so uninteresting.

Pretty soon, I was bookmarking their Twitter pages. Just so I could laugh at them, I told myself.

And then the unthinkable happened: every so often, I would want to respond to something they'd posted. Just a little commentary here, a bit of sarcasm there, or a casual question on something new they'd learned.

But to do that, I needed a Twitter account.

After signing up, I rarely updated my own status. I didn't have access to the site from work, and didn't think about it when I was home.

Then I found I could update my status via text message from my mobile.

I now have nearly 1200 updates.

Most of the time, it's about nothing interesting. Just yesterday, my own mother called my Twitter page 'boring'.

I do find it occasionally useful, though. Take today, for instance. My wife called me saying she had sliced her finger open on a rotary blade while sewing and needed to go to the ER. I used my mobile to inform Twitter where I was going and what I was doing.

Three minutes later, I had concerned replies from four of my buddies.

It's the perfect platform for blasting information to lots of people at once without using archaic email lists.

Those tracking the updates can choose how they receive them. Two of my buddies got the update on their mobile phones when I posted today. Another got it on his TweetDeck desktop application. The last saw it on Facebook, which I pipe my Twitter RSS feed into.

So, rather than laugh at my friends who twisted my arm into signing up, I now gladly join them.

Even if my mother does think I'm boring.

In Brotherly Love

2009-02-28T11:44:00.003-07:00

This post moved here when one of its brother posts tried to kiss it.

Being Selfish

2009-02-23T16:26:00.005-07:00

I'm selfish.

I didn't use to be. I used to be known as the guy who would help you out and couldn't be inconvenienced. I was everybody's friend.

I don't think the transformation happened quickly, or I would have noticed.

I think it started when I moved out on my own. I suddenly had all the time in the world. I could allocate it however I saw fit. My resources were entirely my own to do with as I wanted.

If I wanted something, I bought it. If I was interested in something, I devoted my undivided attention to it.

I still helped out with others now and then, but instead of 'Me' being the breaks between 'Others', the roles were now reversed.

I finally started becoming aware of this transition in small ways. The other day my best friend, who works at my church, called me on my way home. He reminded me I'd promised to help him with a few things at the church after work. My first thought wasn't "Oh, no! I forgot. I'll turn around now." It was "Dang! I wanted to go home and chill out doing nothing important at all until it's time to go pick up my wife from work. How inconvenient."

I was more worried about my own 'down time' then about being a man of my word. A million excuses raced through my head in an effort to push off my promise. I ended up turning around and helping him, but only after an internal struggle that lasted so long it was as frightening as it was ugly.

James 3:14 says, "But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth." Well, being selfish is nothing to boast about, and starting now I'm not going to lie about it anymore.

Proverbs 18:1 says, "An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment." Being selfish is downright unfriendly and stupid.

I hope that by realizing what I've become and calling it by its name, I can stop being selfish and start being a servant again.

Consoling Those in Grief

2009-02-17T06:07:00.001-07:00

Recently I've discovered how much of a miserable failure I am when it comes to consoling others going through rough spots in their lives.

It's not that I'm not sensitive to what they're feeling. I'm not oblivious or callous. It's that I don't know what to say.

A family friend recently lost her daughter to a nasty fight with cancer. When I saw her at work, on her first day back, I stupidly said, "How's it going?", as though I expected an upbeat response. I have no experience with terminal cancer. I know she hurts like she's never hurt before. But I just don't know what to tell her.

Whether it's a death, a job loss or even just a really bad day for someone, I'm usually at a loss for helpful words.

I always tell the person I'll pray for them, and I mean it. It's just that sometimes that feels inadequate. I don't know why, considering it's one of the most powerful things we can do for someone.

As a Christian, how do you handle these types of situations?

Yes, I Agree

2007-08-15T19:05:00.000-06:00

Us geeks install all kinds of apps and utilities on our systems.

I, for one, have never read more than a paragraph of the End User License Agreement (EULA).

This little app will read it for you and tell you if there's anything you need to worry about - VERY HANDY when you're installing software at work or on others' computers.

It's called EULAlyzer - download it here: http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/eulalyzer.html.

Make sure you read the EULA!

Geek Brown Bag

2007-07-10T12:19:00.000-06:00

Here's what we did in Picasa.

Get Out the Checkbook, Sergey!

2007-05-24T22:45:00.000-06:00

I hope Google's paying attention.

In addition to YouTube, DoubleClick and FeedBurner, there's another purchase it needs to make. Users can currently search, submit and syndicate content, but let's examine the big hole in this very profitable equation - content creation.

When someone sends you a link to a video on YouTube, how many times is that video submitted by the content creator? For me, it's almost never. It's usually to a Comedy Central or BBC clip. This of course leads to billion dollar lawsuits over copyright infringement. What if Google could equip its users with easy-to-use tools to create content of their own?

Enter Mogulus.

Mogulus lets users create their own videos. Whoopee, you say. So does Windows Movie Maker. This one's different. You can record, edit and publish videos without leaving Firefox. No software to install, no hard drive space to fill up. You can use built-in video effects just like CNN, too.

Want to edit a video with a friend on the other side of the planet? Edit it together and see the changes reflected in real time.

How many of us aren't sick of the local news? It's 3 minutes of Gloom 'n Doom, followed by a 2 minute medical report telling you bananas cause cancer but aid in weight loss, and capped off with 17 minutes of Live Team Coverage of the Fact It's a Tad Bit Windy Outside.

What if you could produce your own professional newscast? Now you can.

This is the missing piece in a growing push to take content creation out of the hands of the moguls and put it in the hands of the consumers - us. Mogulus.

It doesn't have to be just for newscasts, either. Any video you shoot can be edited and uploaded. This is a significant development, and a good fit for Google.

I hope Sergey reads this before Rupert does.

Missing!

2007-03-26T17:43:00.000-06:00

Name: Recording Industry Association of America
Alias(es): RIAA, Butch, The Enforcer, Mrs. Litiga T. Ion
Date Missing: 2010
Reward: $0.00

The more I see how the RIAA views and treats its customers, the more excited I am.

Let me explain:

People will put up with anything as long as there is no alternative.

For years, if bands wanted to be distributed widely enough to be noticed, they had to go through the RIAA. "Indie" was synonymous with "Hungry". To an up-and-coming band, it only made sense to sign your life away in return for a huge pile of cash. Production, marketing, distribution - all taken care of for you (never thought you'd get to be a rock star, eh?). And let's face it, you're an artist, not a business major. All best left to the professionals.

Now we're living in a different world. A digital world. Your fans keep tabs on you via your website. They listen to your latest tracks and buy your shirts and albums. News is instantly delivered to the people who matter most.

So you go see your label and have a chat.

"This Internet thingy is getting big," you say. "We should tap into this technology. There's a huge fan base out there and it makes marketing and distribution a snap. We can cut costs and increase profits."

"Ah, yes," comes the response. "About that. We looked into 'technology'. We found that we can use it, too. We can protect our content. That way, our customers cannot use the product they purchased in the way they want. This will make our content less widely distributed. And when supply is low, demand is high. High demand equals high prices. We'll make a fortune. See? You should leave the business thinking to us. We're professionals."

"Bwa?!?" you stammer in disbelief. "That makes no sense! You already distribute the content in another format that doesn't use this technology, so it's widely available for free. We have to make it easy for customers. We have to give them a reason to want to pay us for our product."

"Yes," they say. "They'll want to pay us for it or we'll sue them. We'll get their money either way - sometimes both, assuming we sue honest people as well. It's pure genius!"

Now if this were the old days, the discussion would end here and you'd simply be a misunderstood rock star, likely with bad hair. But this is the digital age. So you look around for alternatives.

You see this thing called 'iTunes'. Anyone can upload their content. Anyone. It's that simple. No contracts to sign - the store takes a cut and you take a cut. It's distribution and marketing all in one. Your customers get exactly what they want - no filler. So in order to make the most money, you're encouraged to make the best content.

Right now, this is where the story ends. There's still the problem of production. Until recently, Apple was not legally allowed to produce music under its own label. Now with that lawsuit settled, Apple has free reign. With more and more indie bands coming to iTunes, Apple is becoming a major player in the industry. If it wants, which I believe it does, Apple could be its own record label. No more ridiculously restrictive contracts between artists and labels. Apple can produce, distribute and market music at a higher profit margin, including for the artist, than any RIAA member ever could. And DRM could be optional - a simple check box when signing up for inclusion in iTunes. This security blanket would entice the bigger bands over. After a while, no one would check that box, simply because they will sell less music to the customer that wants to be allowed to say how he uses his purchase.

This is what I see in the RIAA's future. I no longer get as upset at the latest asinine and mind-bogglingly unfair or stupid thing the RIAA does. They're throwing it all away, one paying customer at a time. At this rate, they'll be done for by 2010.

Remember, Mrs. Litiga, Steve Jobs doesn't have to be the first, the smartest or the most likable.

He just has to be better than you.

Ahoy, Mateys!

2007-03-13T19:12:00.000-06:00

So I was thinking the other day about the RIAA, MPAA and the current state of copyright. We've all heard the rhetoric back and forth about the medium, delivery and protection methods of copyrighted works.

Customers want freedom to use their purchases how they want to, regardless of medium or location. Copyright holders want to be paid for their work. These interests don't seem mutually exclusive, but the major copyright holders certainly disagree, and even go so far as to make the glaringly stupid assumption that everybody is pirating their copyrighted works (Key quote: "Each of these devices is used to store unpaid-for material."). They make no attempt to differentiate between honest consumers and outright thieves.

Let's analyze this using the terms the RIAA and MPAA use - piracy. Let's say these mammoth copyright holders are shipbuilders. The ships will be the MP3s. The honest consumers are the businessmen who buy ships and transport goods and people from shore to shore. The thieves who illegally download and distribute stolen copyrighted materials are the pirates who commandeer the ships on the high seas.

The shipbuilders are losing money because the pirates are stealing their ships. So they raise prices. This doesn't affect the pirates, because they're not paying for the ships anyway. As the costs rise, the businessmen lose money, so some of them become pirates.

Due to increased piracy, the shipbuilders are losing even more money. So they decide to line the bottom of every ship with steel (DRM). This makes it harder for a pirate to make a quick getaway. Harder, but not impossible. The pirates continue to steal ships and simply remove the steel linings. And of course, the slower and harder-to-use ships tick off the businessmen, so more of them become pirates.

The solution, of course, is to police the waters and sink the pirates. This is more difficult and time-consuming than taking proper care of your legitimate customers, so the ship builders don't bother. It's easier to whine loudly and use inflated and unverifiable numbers to show how much they're getting shafted.

Then the shipbuilders' best salesman (Steve Jobs) comes along with a brilliant idea - Build fast, quality ships that are easy to use. Then your customers will be happy to pay you for your excellent product.

And what do the RIAA and MPAA say?

Shut up, Steve, and help us make thicker steel.

On a Roll

2007-03-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

We're looking for a new car. We've been making the rounds at new and used car dealerships lately, and we've had quite the gamut of customer experiences.

Let me start off by saying I have an irrational fear and loathing of car dealerships and salespeople. I've been hounded to no end before, and through bad experiences, I wouldn't say I trusted a single person I met at a dealership. If a long-lost relative was assigned to show us around at a dealership, I'd hide my wallet, watch and wedding ring beforehand. I do not trust them as far as I can throw them, which, being a geek, isn't very far to begin with. I'd rather get a root canal from a blind, rabid orangutan before talking to a car salesman.

So...

At the first one, we weren't hounded. We were allowed to calmly approach a salesman and describe what we were looking for. Then he showed us the best fit. Not the best vehicle to get him the maximum commission, but the best vehicle meeting the needs we described ('Goes 'vroom' and has extra trunk space for rowdy children'). He spoke calmly and clearly. He volunteered to show us the used car lot, where we found several cars that met our needs and were even cheaper. He gave us his card and thanked us for coming. I left wondering how in the world it had seemed smooth and painless. I was perplexed when I couldn't find any way we had been tricked or cheated. I...don't tell anyone...actually wanted to go back.

At the second dealership, we were ignored. Completely. We sat down and waited. Nothing. After far too long, I was about to start throwing dollar bills around to get some attention, but my wife came up with a much better idea -

At the third location, we got the world's most apathetic salesman. While it was much better than having a pushy salesman, we were amazed at how much this man simply did not care. The lot was so jammed full of cars and radio station promotion vans that I didn't know how to navigate my way out of the lot to test drive the car we twisted his arm into showing us.

"How do I pull out?", I asked naively.

"I don't know", was the awesome reply.

"We'll definitely be needing the GPS option", I countered.

On the test drive, we had to force information out of him. I think he was annoyed with us for interrupting his afternoon nap. When asked about the reliability and maintenance frequency of the car, he told me that the oil only needed changing every 100,000 miles.

"100,000 miles!?!", I gasped.

"Yeah."

"100,000 miles!?!", I asked again, beginning to get annoyed.

"Well, you know, maybe 10,000 or whatever."

"10,000 miles?"

"Well, we changed my wife's at 6,000."

"Oh, so like, nowhere near 100,000, then."

"I guess."

The man never asked our names, and certainly never gave us his. We left, laughing ourselves sick.

So let's analyze this - three dealerships, three different experiences. We were lucky enough the man we were impressed with worked at the dealership that had the car we were most interested in, too. He called me the next business day and asked if I had any follow-up questions or concerns. Again, he came off as helpful, not pushy.

Who would you give your money to?

Oh, did I mention that the first salesman is a Christian?

Hmmm...I guess even despicable car salesman can make a difference.

Biblical Tug-of-War

2007-02-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

There has long been an extended and tired debate over who holds the copyright to translations of Biblical text.

The circular argument goes like this: Christians claim God wrote the Bible through human hands, and many different ones at that, so no one entity can claim ownership. The copyright holders' agree they didn't pen the text themselves - they claim copyright on the translation of the text. They say anyone is free to use the Bible as they see fit, but when their particular translation is used, their permission must be given. The thought behind this is that the company devoted resources, in the way of time and money, so the company deserves compensation. Both arguments seem to hold merit.

The most common translation users want to freely use is the NIV, copyright held by Zondervan. They can charge upwards of $10,000 for a license to reproduce their translation in digital format, in addition to the usual royalties charged on a per user basis. This can seriously hamper a ministry's ability to spread the Gospel.

So who wins? Can developers pull the "My Dad is bigger than you" argument and ignore the law in an effort to tell others about Jesus? I think the answer is yes, but the better question is "Should they?"

1. While the laws are worldly, so are the consequences. If you're a developer who ignores the laws, you must be fully willing to pay the price.
2. We're supposed to set an example. How does it look when we tell the world stealing is wrong, and then turn around and do the exact same thing?
3. Other freely available translations exist. This would be a totally different ballgame if we were being told we couldn't spread the Gospel at all, regardless of translation and format.

It was mentioned on the Churchforge forums that one possible solution is to simply ask. Now, I know that many of us have already done this, but what would happen if we all did it? And even if the copyright holders still refuse, it only encourages development with other translations. Success with these will demonstrate to the copyright holders the demand and usefulness of freely available Biblical translations. Their stance could change down the road.

So pray about it and respond proactively. Be an example to the world.

If you believe God trumps man, let Him do so.

Give Us the Money and No One Gets Hurt

2007-02-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

Have you ever worked in customer service? Most of us have, whether it was slinging burgers for the clown or hawking clothes at the mall.

Now let me ask you this: Have you ever threatened your customers?

If that last question made you do a double-take, there's hope for you yet.

I got a call the other night from Wells Fargo, who holds our mortgage. The lady on the other end hardly let me get out a "Howdy" before she interrupted me with a terse dissertation along the lines of "I am with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. This is an attempt to collect on an outstanding debt. This conversation is being recorded for use in any court proceedings brought forth by your default on this outstanding debt. What is your address, for our records?"

Now, at this point, I'm a little miffed. I know for a fact we paid the mortgage. Not only did we pay it, we paid it on time, which happened to be last week. I pulled up our bank account online while she was busy being rude and threatening me with legal action. Sure enough, I can see the check has cleared. I can even print a scanned image of the check. I'm positive it'll match the amount and date printed on the receipt from Wells Fargo. This lady doesn't have a leg to stand on. Armed with this knowledge, I proceed forth boldly.

Me: If you're from Wells Fargo, and you hold the mortgage to my house, you don't need me to verify it - you have it sitting in front of you.
Grumpy Wells Fargo Lady (GWFL): I need to hear you say it.
Me: I don't even know who you are.
GWFL: I'm from Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, as I said before.
Me: I don't know that this is a Wells Fargo number. What's your name and employee number?
GWFL: I told you I was with Wells Fargo!
Me: Fine. Whatever. [I give the lady my address]
GWFL: Do you intend to keep your house?
Me: Of course.
GWFL: As your primary residence?
Me: Of course.
GWFL: Then you will need to pay us $X immediately, tonight, during this conversation, plus the late payment fee of $X.
Me: So you're saying you haven't received payment yet?
GWFL: That is the purpose of this call. How will you be paying for this today?
Me: I won't. We already paid you.
GWFL: No, you haven't. We have no record of any payment received on this debt.
Me: That's funny. I'm looking at my bank account right now and I can see for myself that not only were you paid, you were paid on time. We also have a receipt showing the same. Which would you like faxed to you?
GWFL: [Long pause, lots of typing.] Oh.
Me: Yes?
GWFL: It does show a payment.
Me: Amazing. Just like I said. So I trust you've taken care of your little 'late fee', correct?
GWFL: Of course.
Me: And you have corrected any erroneous information you may have reported to the credit agencies?
GWFL: Of course.
Me: Very good. Now, next time you might want to actually look at the account of the person you call before you accuse them of being a deadbeat. Have a good night.

Three key terms were missing from the Wells Fargo side of the conversation: 'Hello', 'Sorry', and 'Thank you'. With these included, this would have been a much different discussion.

We've owned our home for almost three years, and we have never, ever missed a payment. Not once.

If their records show no payment has been made by the due date, I understand someone calling me to clear it up. That's fine. But don't be rude and accusatory to a customer with a record so clean and shiny it squeaks. It's bad business. Insulting and treating with disdain the very people who give you money is not the way to win repeat business and loyal customers.

Sure, they'll continue to get my money for this mortgage. I can do nothing about that except refinance with someone else at a higher interest rate than I have now. But even then, they'll just turn around and sell my mortgage to Wells Fargo and I'll be back at square one.

What I can do, however, is a double-whammy. I will never do my personal or business banking with Wells Fargo. If they don't know where their money is, why would I trust them with mine? If they won't treat me with respect and decency, why would I want to deal with them more than I have to now?

I also can do things like post this escapade on my blog, letting everyone know how they dealt with me. I'll also tell my friends and family. Someone, somewhere, is bound to be influenced in their banking decision.

How wonderful for Wells Fargo if that influence were positive!

I Am the Taxman

2007-02-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

What do you use to file your taxes?

Or, more specifically - If you file your taxes electronically, what do you use?

I've used several services, from fly-by-night operations that no longer exist, to TurboTax and TaxCut.

The fly-by-nights were great for free filing when I was in school and my taxes were simple. But now that I'm married and own a home, my taxes are slightly more complex and it's more important than ever I file them correctly.

A while back, I used TurboTax. While it did the job, the software was slow and clunky, possibly because of all the options it offered. I suppose if I owned several homes, an industrial truck fleet and a jewelry smuggling business, TurboTax would be right up my alley. But paying for the software on top of the federal and state filings left me feeling gyped.

2 years ago, I tried TaxCut online. I had heard of H&R Block and decided they couldn't be any worse than the others. I didn't have to buy any software off the shelf. I don't see the point to this anyway, since each version is only good for the one time you use it. Doing it online makes sense.

This is the third year I've used H&R Block. I find it simple and straight forward. I'm not bombarded by options and confusing tax-ese, but the detailed explanations and options are there should I need them.

So now that I've shamelessly given them a free plug, what do you use and what do you like about it?

To Vista or Not to Vista?

2007-02-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

After a service pack, you bet!

Yesterday OneSeventeen, Sam and I went to Albuquerque's Microsoft Across America event.

Now, to be honest, we were mostly in it for the free copy of Office 2007 ("Thanks, Uncle Bill!"). However, being in charge of our respective organization's computer systems, we were more than a tiny bit interested in seeing Vista firsthand (Shhh...don't tell anybody). The betas were colorful, but the RC2 installer crashed on me completely, so faith was running a little low, at least for me.

It was absolutely hysterical how many things went wrong during the demonstrations (multiple demonstrations, multiple presenters). At one point, the guy actually said the words, "No, no, no, you dirty dog, no!" Doesn't get much better than that, eh? I guess Murphy's Law was punishing them to its fullest extent. Now to be fair, a few of the issues were not due to Vista but rather to networking and virtual machine issues. But it was still a riot!

I did see some pretty neat things, like the BitLocker. It's built-in disk-level encryption with the capacity to monitor what goes on and off the computer, and in what form (USB, CD, etc.). We are currently running two third-party apps for this purpose on our laptops. These programs are slow and clunky, but if they were built into the OS, I imagine it would work a little better.

Also, the instant search feature is amazing. No more looking for anything on your computer - at all. Click Start, type what you want in the search box, and there it is. Instantly. It looks for everything, including applications, documents, emails and favorites. For instance, if I type 'calc', the results show in the start bar, with the Calculator as the top result. Hit Enter, and I'm using the calculator. No more Start > All Programs > Accessories > Calculator. Very helpful if you've customized the start menu and can't remember where you put something.

If you and I are in a coffee shop with wireless capacity, we can start a virtual network. We can create shared workspace and open each other's documents. You are protected from other people in the coffee shop by password-protecting your virtual network. You are protected from me stealing your files by only sharing in the workspace exactly what it is you want me to see.

Ever use Yahoo Widgets? Built-in to the OS now ('Gadgets').

Assign XML tags to your files for easier searching, like del.icio.us.

Folder icons in Explorer show the contents of the folder, such as Word docs, music, pics, etc. You can also see if there are nested folders. All this without opening the folder itself.

So it looks like there's some added features that are pretty cool. Nothing we haven't seen before, but it's now all in one place as it should be. But until all the bugs are worked out, I like XP just fine.

Now for Office 2007 (you thought I was done, huh?).

Wow. Finally, everything is intuitive. The menus at the top only show options relevant to what you're working on. No more File, Edit, View, blahblahblah. Really slick, and I can say that it's already stable because I was perfectly happy with the beta version I used last year. I personally believe it's been ready that long, they were just holding it back so they could release it in tandem with Vista.

So all in all, I think Vista is an excellent catch-up effort from Microsoft, and Office 2007 is a smart step forward.

The 80-Core Processor

2007-02-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

Intel made a minor announcement today.

Sign. Me. Up.

This, along with recent advances by HP, are making processors exciting again.

With this kind of processing power, imagine what we'll be able to do. Of course, this will also mean future advances in smaller gizmos, like cell phones and PDAs.

Now we just need to get bigger trucks, I mean tubes, for the Internet.

The Dramatic Decline of Microsoft

2007-02-11T00:38:00.000-07:00

Recently, as I was browsing Microsoft's SQL site for pricing information, I was asked to participate in an anonymous survey. Curious, I agreed.

Among general questions regarding the specific site's usability, etc., I was asked a few Microsoft-specific questions. Did I trust Microsoft? Did I view Microsoft as an innovative company? Would I recommend Microsoft to others? I was only given the option of using a 1 - 10 scale when answering these questions.

While I was interested in actually being able to give Uncle Bill my opinions, I really wanted to be able to tell him why.

Let's get something straight from the outset: I am not a Microsoft Hater. I'm writing this on Windows XP and manage 3 different Windows networks at work. All our computers use Office Professional. We house many of our databases in SQL Server. So any misgivings or bad blood between us is not because I want to see the mighty fall, but because I've watched in silent horror and amazement as Microsoft makes one bumbling move after another. It's like watching two cars skid across the ice towards a head-on collision no one can stop.

Some issues are bigger than others, but here's a few that come to mind:

WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) - While I understand and completely agree with your desire to enforce your right to be paid for the products you sell, let's be reasonable. The other day I installed Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11 and some PowerToys, one after the other. I had to run the WGA standalone program before each install! Shouldn't my OS be tagged with a registry entry after successfully proving I'm a legitimate user that tells WGA to lay off? The entry could expire after a period of time, say 30 days or so. I think it's a safe assumption that if I'm proven to be a legitimate user today, I probably still will be 5 minutes, 5 days or even a month from now, don't you?

Licensing Confusion - This one is entirely different from the WGA issue above. Am I legal at work? I honestly don't know. I know for sure that we are not running any pirated versions of any software whatsoever. But what about the number of licenses vs. the number of installations? We have OEM, ActionPack, retail and bundled software. I know that the number of total licenses does not exceed the number of installations for any specific piece of software, but I don't know if this is true for each type of installation for the specific piece of software. For instance, we may be running two copies of Publisher. We also have two licenses for Publisher. However, one of them is from an Office bundle, and the other is a standalone from a retail version. How do I know if the two installations were installed from the same disk for convenience? I don't, that's how. So I might be legal, and I might not. That's comforting! Microsoft offers a free utility program that supposedly scans your network and tells you what each computer on the network has installed and what type of license you need for it. However, the software has never run correctly. I get incomplete results, if any at all. I could call Microsoft for help, but then I'm just begging for them to come audit us and find a violation. So I continue monitoring the totals, and hoping Microsoft doesn't come knocking on the door with the BSA (Business Software Alliance, of which Microsoft is a member) and a federal marshall in tow.

Data Formats - ODF (Open Document Format) is a good idea. So why doesn't Microsoft support it? Because we might not need Microsoft later, that's why. Notice I didn't say 'want', I said 'need'. If I have all my company's information in Excel spreadsheets, I can theoretically open them in Open Office, but the formatting's a little funny, so we let them stay put in Excel. This ensures that I use Excel today and Excel tomorrow. Talk about vendor lock-in! What if at some point in the future I want to switch from Microsoft? Then I get to deal with the headaches. With ODF, if I want to switch vendors, I do. That's it. Talk about flexibility.

Versioning Confusion - How many versions of Windows Vista and Office 2007 are there? What do I need, and why do I feel like I'm getting tricked unless I buy the 'Ultimate' version? Yes, there's handy checklists of the features, but the explanations are intentionally brief. The thought process is that if I'm not sure, I'll play it safe and buy the most expensive one on the list.

Releasing betas as full versions to hit deadlines - Speaking of betas, Vista is here, and with it come a whole host of new bugs for us to play with. Microsoft was already years late for this deadline, so why the rush now? Our company is waiting for the first service pack before we'll even touch this one.

Web Standards Compliance - If not Microsoft, then who? Yes, IE7 makes great strides towards being standards compliant. However, it stops short here and there (i.e., box model rendering). Firefox was standards compliant at version 1. Internet Explorer is on version 7 and still can't cut the mustard?!? Come on, Microsoft - if you call yourself a leader, put it into practice.

Innovation vs. Litigation - When sued by the ECIS (European Committee for Interoperable Systems) on the grounds that the European release of Windows Vista would stifle competition, Microsoft issued a statement saying, in part, "When faced with innovation, they choose litigation." So, Microsoft, would you like to be the pot or the kettle? Do you honestly believe suing Linux users is going to make them want to come back to Windows? You're acting like a lover scorned.

So it's not that you can't compete and do a great job, Microsoft.

It's that you won't.