The simple joys of simple technology

The purpose of technology (as I understand it) is to simply our lives and allows us to enjoy it more. As we all know, that's sadly not true.

However, I've discovered a new email reminder that lets me know when the wind is up near where I sail. It's from Sailflow and you can set it for certain wind levels. I set mine for 10 knots. I only started subscribing a few weeks ago so the opportunities to react have been few, until today. Around 1 p.m. I was resigned to watching college football and Notre Dame get their butts kicked yet again on a gorgeous late summer day with hardly a cloud in the sky. Then I got the alert shown above. Winds from the NNE at 12 knots. Perfect. I jumped out and out the door I went with my daughter. What a day, what a sail. And I am thankful for technology's role.

Recent reads -- Saturday Rules

Saturday Rules
Austin Murphy

I used to love college football and have only recently regained my interest due to my son's passion for it. Austin Murphy, who writes for Sports Illustrated as his day job, covers the 2006 season and focuses on a few key rivalries. It's a good read if you're passionate about college football and know the players.

There are several great interviews with various players and coaches but it's hindered by the fact that reporters just don't get the access they used to. Pete Carroll of USC seems to be the most open and provides some great color. But others, such as Lloyd Carr of Michigan, are not only very quiet but they don't allow their players to be interviewed. I guess they have good reasons for that but it can make for some dull coverage and in the end lets the writer guess what people are thinking.

Travels -- London

Was there for a day of meetings but arrived a day early to mingle and meet with several folks on assorted projects.

Lesson learned -- read the weather forecast ahead of time. Fall has arrived in London. I arrived and was not prepared and had a rather chilly 15-minute walk to the flat of a couple we know who transferred to London this fall. Had dinner at a local pub where I learned first hand they won't give you your check til you ask for it. In London I suppose they don't worry as much about turning over tables.

I was staying out at the airport, near where my meeting was scheduled, and decided to take the Tube to Paddington where I would hook up with the Heathrow Express. At that hour it probably would have been faster to cab but I was looking for some local color and that I got since the Circle line was down and had to take a rather circuitous route to get to Paddington where I picked up the Heathrow Express. Despite the hour-long ride, I am reminded how easier (and more advanced) other public transit systems are compared with my hometown, New York.

First, there are people (friendly ones at that) to answer questions. Second, the maps are clear and understandable. Third, I understand what is being said on the speakers. Fourth, it's clean.

Granted, I don't travel the subways much these days and the few times I have, I have noticed an improvement. Still, New York has a long way to go to catch up to other cities, London in particular.

One final note -- housing. My friends shared with me how much they're paying a three-bedroom flat that is 1,500 sq. ft. It's a nice place and appropriate for their family. The costs, though, left me speechless.

The last mile (or at least the last few feet)

I recall an article a while ago describing a situation at a daily newspaper. A reader kept calling to complain that his paper was ending up in a puddle and he couldn't read it. There was much annoyance at the reader in the newsroom until one executive (I think the publisher) finally explained that this matter was as important as all the good work being done writing and editing . Why, because from the reader's perspective all that journalism was worth nothing until the reader could read it. Thus, the newspaper should do everything it could to solve this problem and those in the newsroom have a stake in the matter.

I mention this because I just canceled my sub to a newspaper because of its erratic delivery schedule. I won't mention the paper's name but this has been a constant problem for an entire year. Meanwhile, I've read several trade articles about how this paper is attempting to increase circulation with all sorts of programs, mostly involving content and reader studies. As one who has made his living (sort of) off content I am certainly pleased they see the value in content and commend them. However, until they can understand the importance of getting the product on my doorstep by 7 a.m. all that is worthless.

Granted, the paper has an online edition which I can access but I (and others) still value the paper edition.

Perhaps this is all pointless since the paper version of newspapers is dying anyway. However, I mention this not just to vent (my main purpose) but to illustrate why newspapers (and other manufacturers) never seem to fully understand the customer experience. They spend millions on all sorts of studies, programs, CRM systems, you name it. But the root cause of their problem is they don't understand or experience the interface between the product and the customer.

Travels -- Santa Monica

Am here for our annual gathering. Great view and got a walking tour of Hollywood last night although I always wonder what people think of America when they seem something like Hollywood Boulevard which in many ways looks no different than any other street in America with tons of lights.

Highlight was Graumann's Chinese Theater. Tried to get good pics of the hand and foot prints but my camera was not up to it. This one is of Bob Hopes' square.

A pleasant experience at a government office (really)

Visiting government offices (motor vehicles, passport, etc.) is usually a trying affair and tests my patience to no end.

Today I got my passport renewed at the passport office in Norwalk and am still recovering from the experience.

I first visited the local library (Stamford) earlier this week and was greeted by a short line and a very helpful and pleasant woman who explained everything to me in plain English. I found out that since I travel overseas frequently and can't wait the usual four to six weeks for my passport to be returned I could make an appointment in Norwalk and pay an additional charge.

I called the reservation line and went through the automated process to book time. Normally such decision trees drive me insane. The decision tree for the passport reservation was intuitive and helpful and allowed me to book my time this morning.

I arrived at the office this morning to find plenty of parking, no long line and very helpful security guards. The whole process took about an hour, which is a reasonable amount of time, and everyone I encountered was pleasant and helped through the process. (On one form I had not filled in the right info, an infraction that in previous visits would have sent me to the back of the line with a stern warning. Today the omission was pointed out and fixed in 20 seconds.)

After I paid (with a debit card) I then was told when I would get the new passport (this weekend) and given a URL so I could track its status.

I'm speechless. I can think of countless for-profit institutions that could take lessons from the State Department.

Recent reads -- Mine's Bigger

Mine's Bigger
David A. Kaplan

A book about Tom Perkins' 289' boat, Maltese Falcon. (Link to yacht's Web page.)

Having visited the builder, Perini Navi, many times in Viareggio I was interested in this book and project for countless reasons. I remember seeing the first drawings of this around 2000 and wondering out loud not just about its length but the rig. I also interviewed Perkins for the New York Yacht Club newsletter when the boat was first launched and went for its first sail.

During my interview, and while reading the book, I was struck by several things:

1. The extraordinary amount of risk analysis that went into this. In short, Perkins wanted to make as sure as he could that his radical ideas would work and spent $10 million testing the hull and rig concepts. In the end it worked but he figured it was better spending $10 million and not building the boat than spending $120 million and creating a failure.
2. Perkins' ability to come up with some pretty extraordinary ideas and to get things done. Much is made of his ego but it strikes me that without someone like Perkins boats like this would never get built. Obviously without Perkins nobody would have bought such a boat. But it was his push and drive that got this done. He spotted the hull in Turkey and was the one who agreed the rig concept was worth trying. A boat builder, acting on its own, would not have created this idea.
3. The magnitude of forces. A boat this large is not just a design feat but an engineering feat. The forces on the rig and hull and come into play are beyond our comprehension. Lots of time is spent talking about Athena and Mirabella V, two comparable yachts, and the limitations they face on tacking and jibing. (For example, Mirabella can't jibe according to its insurance policy.)
4. How every one of these large boats has an incredible interior design that oftentimes proves impractical, if not unsafe. For example, the galley does not have gimbaled stoves and the author tells a story of flying across the head (called bathroom on these boats) and banging his head (as in the compartment that holds his brain) because of the beautiful, yet slick, marble floor. Along the same lines, I have also been amused at the arrogance of some designers who have no problem designing these dangerous features and then blaming the builder for not following instructions or, worse, not understanding that a sailboat heels when it sails. Part of a larger topic of how common sense seems to have taken a back seat on these boats.

Having said that, what was created is truly an amazing feat. Worth reading.

Travels -- Iceland

Was there this week for a meeting that included half North Americans and half Europeans. We thought this would be a good halfway point to meet since it's about 4 to 5 hours from NY and 3 from Europe.

We had mixed reaction to this unusual location for a one-day meeting but I am a big fan of new and different places. Others were less enthusiastic mainly due to airline schedules. (Our global meetings always have to reconcile the desire to be near an airport with frequent international flights -- Chicago, New York, London, Frankfurt -- and the desire to be in an inspiring, new location.)

Reykjavik certainly met the second desire although the one day we were there it was 50 degrees, cloudy, rainy and foggy. The map tells me the hotel we stayed at (Nordica) was near the water but I can't provide visual confirmation. I did hear the faint sound of a fog horn in the distance so I guess I can provide audio confirmation.

I had hoped to stay a few days but the second day of meetings got moved to London and I wanted to be back for the weekend. Some interesting lava and volcanic formations were spotted on the ride to the airport.

We also had some excitement while there: (Link to full article.)

Eight Russian military jets with the ability to carry far-reaching bombs, flew off Iceland’s south-southwestern coast yesterday without notifying Icelandic authorities. The jets also flew near Norway and Britain, where they were followed by local military jets.

Where to sit at your next meeting

I just came across this (rather late, I know) but it's in interesting look at the psychology of where people sit in meetings. It's from BusinessWeek and Aili McConnon. (Link to full article here.)

I am not sure how to run a good meeting but I do know what makes up a bad meeting, having attended countless ones.

A couple of insights:

• The boss (alpha) sits at the head of the table, facing the door to see who comes in first. (Nothing new there.)


• The yes-man (person) sits to his/her right.


• The yes-but person sits to the boss' left.


• The main opponent sits directly opposite the boss.


• The mediator sits in the middle.

What if you just want to fade away and not be noticed? Sit at the opposite end off the side or along the wall.

Vanities

I stumbled across this one -- an article from The Independent on how much effort some journalists put into making sure their entries on Wikipedia are up to date and not tampered with. (Link to full article here.)

Stephen Glover points out:

My impression is that some journalists think about little else than the on-line encyclopaedia. Are they in it? If so, is their entry being tampered with by hostile forces? If they are not included, why not? Should they in that case write their own entries, or will this little act of vanity be exposed in a gossip column?

With all that journalists have to worry about today (making a living, writing relevant material) interesting they would be spending their time doing this.