I have mixed feelings about 2009. In some ways it feels like a lost year. It went by really quickly and I feel like I'm in the same place that I was last year...only with more clutter and less money.
Good things happened, but bad stuff happened, for sure. Let's get that out of the way first.
On the personal level, some of my friends died, some of my friends' parents died, I got ripped off by an evil businessman, I had family issues, I was often sleep-deprived due to a noisy downstairs neighbor, and my workplace was a tempest.
On the larger front, lots of people suffered financial hardships this year while others ran off with the money and got away with it. The war in Afghanistan got bigger. Services got cut everywhere while prices kept going up, and the "change we could believe in" from 2008 turned out to be barely noticeable nuances brought to us by the same people who gave us the last 10-15 years.
But now here's a few good things from 2009.
* Creative Commons music and netlabels are really flourishing. Take a look at Phlow Magazine's advent calendar (with guest music curators) for 2009 and sample the vast amount of good music that's coming out on the 'net. You really don't need radio anymore.
* My city (San Francisco) implemented a law that requires you to separate your trash from your compostable food waste with separate bins. I found this practice really easy to adjust to (though messy!) and along with recycling plastic, paper, and cans every week, I feel less wasteful. It was really easy to do.
* Several people that I know found their groove this year. They finally pursued their creative dreams and started doing what they felt passionate about, and it worked for them financially and psychologically. Kudos... I raise my glass to you.
* iPhone apps! Thank you for the second year in a row to the developers who made cool applications for iPhone...I can conjugate verbs in French, look up bus/train schedules, play word games, read Facebook and Twitter updates, tune my guitar, monitor my calorie intake, manage my project database, discover new music on Last.fm or Pandora, check news around the world, and of course send email, find maps, and all the usual wonderful stuff from the same little device.
* Farmer's markets -- they're nothing new, but in 2009, they started popping up in more neighborhoods and more towns than previously, and it's been a wonderful thing to go back to the basics and buy real food when it's in season from local growers.
These are just a few things I can remember that made 2009 look better than 1999 for me.
So here's to 2010, whatever may lie ahead. Onwards!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
My genetic destiny...
Recently I had my cholesterol tested for the first time in about four years. I actually figured that it was just fine, and that I should just test it to confirm that. But to my surprise, it was higher than expected and higher than it should be. So I went to my doctor.
I like my doctor. I don't see her that often, but what I like about her is that she's not like most doctors -- she doesn't hand you pharmaceutical samples or give you prescription drugs without a real medical necessity, and she has a pretty good sense (usually) about the underlying cause of any affliction. She generally prescribes holistic practices like yoga and self-help things that make sense. So I figured it was OK to see her about the cholesterol.
As I expected, she talked to me about what the numbers really mean and how I was in a "watch" zone but not a critical one. She prescribed to me two things: a MUFA diet and an interval exercise regime. This was fine by me: I already ate (though not consistently) most of the foods in the MUFA plan, and I already go to the gym, but due to my workload and other pursuits, I'd been slacking off and also replacing some of my gym visits with red wine.
The problem is: I already live a much healthier lifestyle than most Americans. I seldom go places in my car -- I usually walk or take the bus. I don't eat much meat and I already don't eat gluten or fast food. I've gone to a gym for years, but not as diligently as I used to go. And although I'm not as pencil thin as I was when I was younger, I'm not overweight, either. So why is my cholesterol coming out so high? I guess it's my genetic destiny....
My father has many of the major afflictions that plague the modern world-- heart disease, diabetes, and now Alzheimer's. And I gambled that I would not end up like him because I don't live on bacon and hamburgers (like he did). I've made regular exercise a part of my life for years, plus I take herbal supplements, use both eastern and western medicine, and lead a different life--but now I'm beginning to wonder if my genetic destiny isn't catching up with me. After all, I know people who weigh much more than I do, eat worse than I do, and exercise less -- and their cholesterol is just fine!
Of course, in the meanwhile, I'm reading what I can about the subject and about diet and disease -- not for the first time, but again -- and last month, I started cutting the amount of sugar, wine, and cheese in my diet and started the MUFA regime more stringently. I also started going to the gym again--religiously--every other day. So far I've lost six pounds and I have a lot more energy. But what about my cholesterol? Stay tuned -- I think I'll check it again in about 2-3 months.
I like my doctor. I don't see her that often, but what I like about her is that she's not like most doctors -- she doesn't hand you pharmaceutical samples or give you prescription drugs without a real medical necessity, and she has a pretty good sense (usually) about the underlying cause of any affliction. She generally prescribes holistic practices like yoga and self-help things that make sense. So I figured it was OK to see her about the cholesterol.
As I expected, she talked to me about what the numbers really mean and how I was in a "watch" zone but not a critical one. She prescribed to me two things: a MUFA diet and an interval exercise regime. This was fine by me: I already ate (though not consistently) most of the foods in the MUFA plan, and I already go to the gym, but due to my workload and other pursuits, I'd been slacking off and also replacing some of my gym visits with red wine.
The problem is: I already live a much healthier lifestyle than most Americans. I seldom go places in my car -- I usually walk or take the bus. I don't eat much meat and I already don't eat gluten or fast food. I've gone to a gym for years, but not as diligently as I used to go. And although I'm not as pencil thin as I was when I was younger, I'm not overweight, either. So why is my cholesterol coming out so high? I guess it's my genetic destiny....
My father has many of the major afflictions that plague the modern world-- heart disease, diabetes, and now Alzheimer's. And I gambled that I would not end up like him because I don't live on bacon and hamburgers (like he did). I've made regular exercise a part of my life for years, plus I take herbal supplements, use both eastern and western medicine, and lead a different life--but now I'm beginning to wonder if my genetic destiny isn't catching up with me. After all, I know people who weigh much more than I do, eat worse than I do, and exercise less -- and their cholesterol is just fine!
Of course, in the meanwhile, I'm reading what I can about the subject and about diet and disease -- not for the first time, but again -- and last month, I started cutting the amount of sugar, wine, and cheese in my diet and started the MUFA regime more stringently. I also started going to the gym again--religiously--every other day. So far I've lost six pounds and I have a lot more energy. But what about my cholesterol? Stay tuned -- I think I'll check it again in about 2-3 months.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Then and now
Recently, I came across some 40-year-old newspapers, and I've started scanning some things of interest in them. I thought I'd start with this ad for some popular record albums that were on sale for under $3 each, brand new. They include artists that were extremely popular at the time, like Jimi Hendrix, Simon & Garfunkel, the Supremes, Donovan, the Mamas and the Papas, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, the Monkees, and -- oddly enough -- Tiny Tim.
All of these albums were on sale for less than $3 per LP, and the normal price ranged from $3.70 to $4.59, brand new. The artists listed above were some of the heaviest hitters of that generation, and some of the music in this ad is still being played on radio stations today. The artists lived well (so well, in fact, that a few of them met an early demise), the record companies did well, and everything seemed to be be pretty copacetic in 1968. People could afford to buy albums, artists could afford to be artists.
Fast forward to the 21st century. Today, these same albums would be about $15 if you bought each one on a CD, and approximately $10 per album if you bought them as digital MP3 downloads. We read all the time about how the record companies are hurting, but artists like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison have been dead now for nearly 40 years and still selling music for them. Classic albums like these, whether the artists are dead or alive, are still selling, but they cost 2-3x what they cost then, even though the engineering costs and advances were paid long ago, and today's distribution costs (or even advertising, on this old music) are next to nothing. So what's the problem?
All of these albums were on sale for less than $3 per LP, and the normal price ranged from $3.70 to $4.59, brand new. The artists listed above were some of the heaviest hitters of that generation, and some of the music in this ad is still being played on radio stations today. The artists lived well (so well, in fact, that a few of them met an early demise), the record companies did well, and everything seemed to be be pretty copacetic in 1968. People could afford to buy albums, artists could afford to be artists.
Fast forward to the 21st century. Today, these same albums would be about $15 if you bought each one on a CD, and approximately $10 per album if you bought them as digital MP3 downloads. We read all the time about how the record companies are hurting, but artists like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison have been dead now for nearly 40 years and still selling music for them. Classic albums like these, whether the artists are dead or alive, are still selling, but they cost 2-3x what they cost then, even though the engineering costs and advances were paid long ago, and today's distribution costs (or even advertising, on this old music) are next to nothing. So what's the problem?
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
(972) 428-5200 -- persistent Texas telemarketer
Every single day I've been getting at least one phone call from the same number: (972) 428-5200. Sometimes it's as early as 8 a.m., other times not till 9 or 10. They never leave a message, but it's obvious from the timing, the constancy, and the number itself that it's an aggressive telemarketer.
I looked up the number, and it seems a lot of people are getting persistent calls from this location. According to the 800notes website, these calls are coming from a company called TransTech Merchant Group (or, alternately Summit Merchant Solutions) in Texas.
Some recipients of the call say that the caller is allegedly selling check imaging services, while other people report that the caller claims to be from their credit card company, and that they're calling to discuss some charges on the bill. Both of these calls are emanating from the same number. I have not picked up the phone to see which one I'm getting-- maybe I'm getting both. The caller does not leave an automated, prerecorded message. From what other people are posting, perhaps the telemarketers have a live human fishing for information at the other end. Some people continue to receive the calls, even if they answer the phone and say "no."
No legitimate business calls people like this every day.
On a happier note, I seem to have stopped getting the expired car warranty calls. Is this new outburst of calls from the same group?
I looked up the number, and it seems a lot of people are getting persistent calls from this location. According to the 800notes website, these calls are coming from a company called TransTech Merchant Group (or, alternately Summit Merchant Solutions) in Texas.
Some recipients of the call say that the caller is allegedly selling check imaging services, while other people report that the caller claims to be from their credit card company, and that they're calling to discuss some charges on the bill. Both of these calls are emanating from the same number. I have not picked up the phone to see which one I'm getting-- maybe I'm getting both. The caller does not leave an automated, prerecorded message. From what other people are posting, perhaps the telemarketers have a live human fishing for information at the other end. Some people continue to receive the calls, even if they answer the phone and say "no."
No legitimate business calls people like this every day.
On a happier note, I seem to have stopped getting the expired car warranty calls. Is this new outburst of calls from the same group?
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Persepolis Now
If you aren't familiar with Marjane Satrapi's graphic novels or her movie, "Persepolis," now's the time to read them. In these stories, she reveals what it was like to grow up as a young girl during the Iranian revolution, and all the changes it brought to her life and to her family.
With all the events going on in Iran right now, I highly recommend that you read the book(s) and rent the movie. It's an amazing, moving story, and somehow again, very timely.
With all the events going on in Iran right now, I highly recommend that you read the book(s) and rent the movie. It's an amazing, moving story, and somehow again, very timely.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Adriana Kaegi ... "ooh la la" live
In my chillout podcast episode #45, you heard Adriana Kaegi's sultry "Ooh La La" from her new album, "TAG." Here you can see her perform it live in Manhattan. Listen to that sweet saxophone from Charlie Lagond, too!
ADRIANA live @ Joe's Pub singing "Ooh La La"
ADRIANA live @ Joe's Pub singing "Ooh La La"
Things I Love About Living in SF
Tonight I was riding on the Muni metro and I was playing a game on my iPhone called "WordWhirl." It's one of the many free apps and you don't have to be connected to the Internet to play it...you just need to make as many words as possible out of a letter scramble in a prescribed amount of time.
Anyway...
The train was very crowded. Suddenly I heard a guy say ...."chosen."
And I realized that he'd guessed the 6-letter word that I was missing in my game. I had less than 30 seconds left. I looked at him. "Thank you," I said. "I couldn't help it," he said. We then discussed our favorite online word games until my stop came up.
This is one of the reasons why I like living where I do...
Anyway...
The train was very crowded. Suddenly I heard a guy say ...."chosen."
And I realized that he'd guessed the 6-letter word that I was missing in my game. I had less than 30 seconds left. I looked at him. "Thank you," I said. "I couldn't help it," he said. We then discussed our favorite online word games until my stop came up.
This is one of the reasons why I like living where I do...
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Idiocracy: Are we there, yet?
I don't know the name of this TV show and I've never seen it before tonight. It doesn't matter. But this evening I turned on my TV set for a few minutes and set it to a local channel.
A show was on that looked like it was a parody--or at least it could have been an outtake--from the movie "Idiocracy." This is a must-see dystopian movie that takes place in the future, where people are so dumbed down they can barely form sentences and clearly can't read. They sit in front of massive TV screens with super-sized sports drinks and watch "entertainment" shows about people jumping around and getting injured--an endless source of amusement for them.
Anyway, what I saw was very similar to the favorite TV show in Idiocracy. Various people, mostly overweight and hardly athletic, attempted to jump and dive into dumb-looking objects or through muck that appeared to be mud or pudding, apparently hurting themselves in the process. I kept the show on long enough to grab my iPhone and take a few photos with closed-captioning turned on.
Below, you'll see four photos from the TV show I saw tonight, followed by a YouTube clip that depicts the popular TV show from "Idiocracy" that seems eerily similar.
A show was on that looked like it was a parody--or at least it could have been an outtake--from the movie "Idiocracy." This is a must-see dystopian movie that takes place in the future, where people are so dumbed down they can barely form sentences and clearly can't read. They sit in front of massive TV screens with super-sized sports drinks and watch "entertainment" shows about people jumping around and getting injured--an endless source of amusement for them.
Anyway, what I saw was very similar to the favorite TV show in Idiocracy. Various people, mostly overweight and hardly athletic, attempted to jump and dive into dumb-looking objects or through muck that appeared to be mud or pudding, apparently hurting themselves in the process. I kept the show on long enough to grab my iPhone and take a few photos with closed-captioning turned on.
Below, you'll see four photos from the TV show I saw tonight, followed by a YouTube clip that depicts the popular TV show from "Idiocracy" that seems eerily similar.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Marin
No, I'm not referring to the suburbs north of San Francisco. This is a short, animated film made in France by three directors: Alexandre Bernard, Damien Laurent, and Pierre Pages. There's a gallery of stills from it that you can look at after you see the film. It's really very well done, and a sweet story. I saw a link to it on a blog this morning and thought I'd share it, too.
Marin from Marin ShortFILM on Vimeo.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Yann Tiersen in SF
On Friday night, I saw Yann Tiersen in concert along with Asobi Seksu. I've enjoyed Yann Tiersen's music in the past-- most notably, his movie scores for Amelie and Goodbye Lenin-- so I was happy to have the chance to hear him live.
Asobi Seksu delivered a dreamy, psychedelic opening act with plenty of synths, an art-pop lead singer, and some driving beats that made me think of Stereolab at times. And Yann Tiersen played a melodic but forceful hour of music with his band ... part French chanson, part post-rock bliss, and some wonderful moments where he played violin with his band driving behind him. His violin melodies are some of my favorites, and they evoke in me a nostalgia for a past that didn't occur in my own personal life, but makes me want to reminisce about it all the same (see "Goodbye Lenin" to see what i mean).
The only issue I had with all this wonderfulness was that the reverberating acoustics of the concert hall did not support the ear-shattering sonic intensity of the volume. That is to say: it was too loud, and I had to get some ear plugs from the bar. I don't understand why some venues turn up the volume so high in an environment made from wood and plaster and mirrors -- the loud volume bounces along the hard surfaces and often can turn into a din. Why not establish an acoustical environment that's more like a recording studio, with sound boards and bass traps and other room modifiers that allow you to hear the detail of the instruments without distorting them? I must be getting old.
At any rate, the music was great, and I think now I just want to listen to them on CD and adjust the volume and the EQ the way I want it...
Asobi Seksu delivered a dreamy, psychedelic opening act with plenty of synths, an art-pop lead singer, and some driving beats that made me think of Stereolab at times. And Yann Tiersen played a melodic but forceful hour of music with his band ... part French chanson, part post-rock bliss, and some wonderful moments where he played violin with his band driving behind him. His violin melodies are some of my favorites, and they evoke in me a nostalgia for a past that didn't occur in my own personal life, but makes me want to reminisce about it all the same (see "Goodbye Lenin" to see what i mean).
The only issue I had with all this wonderfulness was that the reverberating acoustics of the concert hall did not support the ear-shattering sonic intensity of the volume. That is to say: it was too loud, and I had to get some ear plugs from the bar. I don't understand why some venues turn up the volume so high in an environment made from wood and plaster and mirrors -- the loud volume bounces along the hard surfaces and often can turn into a din. Why not establish an acoustical environment that's more like a recording studio, with sound boards and bass traps and other room modifiers that allow you to hear the detail of the instruments without distorting them? I must be getting old.
At any rate, the music was great, and I think now I just want to listen to them on CD and adjust the volume and the EQ the way I want it...
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Auto warranty phone call: (786) 369-7342
I didn't answer the phone, but again, the caller ID showed up as "Warranty Alert." You know what that means: it's the same crew that calls my mobile, my work phone, and my home phone almost every day, and your phones, too.
This time it corresponds to a mobile phone number in Miami, Florida (OmniPoint Communications), but of course, it's likely spoofed.
These are the same people who are harassing millions of Americans every day and trying to swindle people out of money with a ludicrous scheme that, like the Nigerian millionaire letters, must be bringing in some money for them from somewhere. Surely there must be a way to track them down and stop them?
A quick search on the web shows that lots of people have been bothered lately by calls from this same number. On WhoCallsMe, one person even complained that when he tried to talk to an "operator" to get off the calling list (if only we could!), she blew a whistle in his ear. Just look at all the posts on this site from aggravated people who get these calls.
Interesting that we live in a country that has the means and the will to wiretap its citizens for whatever reason, but no one seems to take an interest in using technology to find phone scammers and stop them? Nor, for that matter, does our landline monopoly take an interest.
It's time to mobilize a concerted effort to get our elected officials and phone providers to put a stop to these hecklers. At the very least, take a cue from their own playbook: push the button to get a live operator, and then blow a whistle -- loud -- in his or her ear.
This time it corresponds to a mobile phone number in Miami, Florida (OmniPoint Communications), but of course, it's likely spoofed.
These are the same people who are harassing millions of Americans every day and trying to swindle people out of money with a ludicrous scheme that, like the Nigerian millionaire letters, must be bringing in some money for them from somewhere. Surely there must be a way to track them down and stop them?
A quick search on the web shows that lots of people have been bothered lately by calls from this same number. On WhoCallsMe, one person even complained that when he tried to talk to an "operator" to get off the calling list (if only we could!), she blew a whistle in his ear. Just look at all the posts on this site from aggravated people who get these calls.
Interesting that we live in a country that has the means and the will to wiretap its citizens for whatever reason, but no one seems to take an interest in using technology to find phone scammers and stop them? Nor, for that matter, does our landline monopoly take an interest.
It's time to mobilize a concerted effort to get our elected officials and phone providers to put a stop to these hecklers. At the very least, take a cue from their own playbook: push the button to get a live operator, and then blow a whistle -- loud -- in his or her ear.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
"Stand by Me" -- the global version
A friend of mine sent me a link to this video today, and I just had to post it. In it, you'll see an assortment of street musicians and tribal performers in various locations around the world who seem to be performing the same song together, thanks to some excellent sound and video editing. And wow, those singers are great. No autotuning for this crew.
It starts out slow and simple, and builds into something really majestic. Bet you watch this more than once....
Playing For Change | Song Around The World "Stand By Me" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.
It starts out slow and simple, and builds into something really majestic. Bet you watch this more than once....
Playing For Change | Song Around The World "Stand By Me" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Home Sweet Jackhammer
I live on a cul de sac. It should be a quiet street. But since about 2002, my neighborhood has been under siege by real-estate developers and property spinners, and it hasn't stopped, not even with the credit crunch, the recession, and the housing market doom and gloom.
At any given point, there are 4 to 5 projects going on within a half block from my apartment in either direction, and as soon as one ends, another one begins. As a result, my little street is one of the noisiest little blocks in the city. There's an enormous amount of commotion every day: from jackhammering.. to huge trucks driving backwards with their beepers on...to cement mixers... and back to jackhammering again.
The projects involve tearing down cottages and building huge McMansions, or taking existing cottages and lifting them up and building another floor below them, or leaving just one wall of the original cottage and building a McMansion around it, and so on. As each property owner finishes, the building goes up for sale (often it's been turned into two flats), and then new people move in and they must decide that they don't like the granite countertops or some such thing, and they begin to tear the places up again. The blue house in these photos is a case in point-- the new owners seem to be doing a sneaky remodeling and gutting project shortly after buying a newly remodeled bungalow.
Ironically, I moved here to live in peace and quiet and away from the chaos of other neighborhoods, and somehow the people who bought homes here cannot stand the quiet, so they've launched all this chaos. I'd love to hear birds chirping some day...before they tear down the remaining trees...
At any given point, there are 4 to 5 projects going on within a half block from my apartment in either direction, and as soon as one ends, another one begins. As a result, my little street is one of the noisiest little blocks in the city. There's an enormous amount of commotion every day: from jackhammering.. to huge trucks driving backwards with their beepers on...to cement mixers... and back to jackhammering again.
The projects involve tearing down cottages and building huge McMansions, or taking existing cottages and lifting them up and building another floor below them, or leaving just one wall of the original cottage and building a McMansion around it, and so on. As each property owner finishes, the building goes up for sale (often it's been turned into two flats), and then new people move in and they must decide that they don't like the granite countertops or some such thing, and they begin to tear the places up again. The blue house in these photos is a case in point-- the new owners seem to be doing a sneaky remodeling and gutting project shortly after buying a newly remodeled bungalow.
Ironically, I moved here to live in peace and quiet and away from the chaos of other neighborhoods, and somehow the people who bought homes here cannot stand the quiet, so they've launched all this chaos. I'd love to hear birds chirping some day...before they tear down the remaining trees...
Monday, March 23, 2009
Chill out mix
With all the podcasts I make myself, I never get enough music. One of my favorite mix artists is Deep Goa, so for some nice chillout time, have a listen to episode 25, from December 2008. This post is courtesy of www.mixupload.com.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Bi-Rite Foods featured in U.K. magazine
A while ago, I wrote about one of my favorite markets in San Francisco -- Bi-Rite Foods. This month, the wonderful U.K. magazine, Monocle, featured this grocery store in an article. I bought this issue of Monocle at a local magazine kiosk, but I think you have to subscribe or order a copy online to read the whole thing.
The bottom line is that some businesses are doing very well in this economy because they have what people want and need, they stay within a manageable scale, and they care enough about their customers, their quality, and their environment that this enthusiasm spills over and builds them a loyal and happy following. Isn't that how it should be?
The bottom line is that some businesses are doing very well in this economy because they have what people want and need, they stay within a manageable scale, and they care enough about their customers, their quality, and their environment that this enthusiasm spills over and builds them a loyal and happy following. Isn't that how it should be?
Thursday, March 5, 2009
"Warranty Alert" -- (201) 917-7310
I didn't answer the phone call when it came in, but remarkably, the caller ID on my phone actually read "Warranty Alert" and "(201) 917-7310." I do believe it was our friends from the "This is your final warning about your car warranty...." scammers. The ones who everyone in the USA gets phone calls from, but no one pursues.
The phone number, according to reverse phone lookups, corresponds to "Paetec Communications" in Cliffside, New Jersey. However, as we all know, these phone calls come from every state and from different phone numbers registered to different names.
Why no one goes after these people-who are clearly not involved in the warranty of our automobiles, but something far more nefarious-- is beyond me. But then again, guys like Bernie Madoff can steal $50 billion dollars, admit it, and not even go to jail. (If Bernie had only been growing a pot plant in his Manhattan apartment...he'd be put away already!)
And I'm just sitting here and googling that phone number into my computer, just like the rest of you. Are these people really that hard to catch?
The phone number, according to reverse phone lookups, corresponds to "Paetec Communications" in Cliffside, New Jersey. However, as we all know, these phone calls come from every state and from different phone numbers registered to different names.
Why no one goes after these people-who are clearly not involved in the warranty of our automobiles, but something far more nefarious-- is beyond me. But then again, guys like Bernie Madoff can steal $50 billion dollars, admit it, and not even go to jail. (If Bernie had only been growing a pot plant in his Manhattan apartment...he'd be put away already!)
And I'm just sitting here and googling that phone number into my computer, just like the rest of you. Are these people really that hard to catch?
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Why this Office Max store will fail
Office Max is #3 in the world of big-box office retailers (behind Staples and Office Depot). I don't know if this economy can support three big-box chains of office stores--not when you can buy so much for less on the Internet-- but if things continue to go downhill, here's why my local Office Max could fail.
It's not the location. Although this Office Max is located in the nowheres-ville zone of a freeway overpass, its neighbors on each side of the street (Best Buy on one side and Rainbow Grocery on the other) enjoy a booming business and lots of customers all day long. No, Office Max's problems are: bad attitude, bad service, and lack of innovation.
Let's talk first about their attitude. They don't seem to have issues with the hordes of people who go to the Best Buy on one side of them, but they're really hostile to the health-food store customers from Rainbow Grocery on the other side. I realize this is because they can see the Rainbow customers parking in their lot when there's no more room in the health-food store lot or on the street. In fact, it bothers Office Max so much that they put up a big, handwritten sign in their front window (what could be more impressive than that?) that warns Rainbow customers that they'll tow them away if they park there, and they have a tow truck stationed in the lot most of the time to make sure no vegetarians go untowed from their lot.
Here's an idea: why not "welcome" the Rainbow customers by offering any Rainbow shopper a 15% discount in their store with proof-of-purchase of Rainbow groceries? Imagine that--they'd increase their walk-in customer base substantially, because this area of the city has neither pedestrian traffic nor adequate bus service. There's NO walk-in traffic. The only people walking around the area (besides the aforementioned customers getting out of their cars for the other stores) are the legions of bums who live under the overpass. So that's my first bit of advice, Office Max: drive business to your store by offering your neighboring customers a discount...d'oh!
Well, but then there's problem number 2: customer service. The store is huge, wide, and monstrously bright. The ratio of customers -- at least any time I've been there -- to Office Max employees seems to be a solid 1:1. But try to get any of them to help you, or to ring you up at one of their many empty cash registers...forget it. In fact, you can be the very next person in line and wait 10 minutes for the clerk to help you. I'm beginning to wonder if they don't have a policy that makes you wait in line for a cashier simply to make their store look busier. So my second bit of advice to Office Max is: train your employees to serve your customers in a reasonable fashion, in how to talk to your customers, and make your employees knowledgeable about your products. Right now it seems like some of the people who work there couldn't get a job anywhere else and barely made it through high school.
Problem #3 is innovation. Let's talk about customer demographics for a minute. You're in a city that has progressive politics and you're sitting next to a hugely successful, employee-run health food store that's been in business for almost 35 years. Maybe you might want to think about providing some services that might draw them in (besides the neighbor discount). What about offering services that help people recycle their old computers, monitors, office equipment, and batteries? What about selling "green" office supplies? How about working on your store's Feng Shui, so you feel drawn in by appealing window displays (instead of a crazy-looking, hostile sign) and an inviting layout? And what about the aesthetic appeal of some of your products? Is there some reason why you have to sell the ugliest possible laptop bags, storage systems, day timers, and other gear? What if you sold appealing brands and styles, instead of just sacks of black vinyl? A lot of your merchandise has a 1970s "you don't have a choice" aesthetic. So my third bit of advice, Office Max, is that you offer services and merchandise that fit your demographic area.
Best of luck to you.
It's not the location. Although this Office Max is located in the nowheres-ville zone of a freeway overpass, its neighbors on each side of the street (Best Buy on one side and Rainbow Grocery on the other) enjoy a booming business and lots of customers all day long. No, Office Max's problems are: bad attitude, bad service, and lack of innovation.
Let's talk first about their attitude. They don't seem to have issues with the hordes of people who go to the Best Buy on one side of them, but they're really hostile to the health-food store customers from Rainbow Grocery on the other side. I realize this is because they can see the Rainbow customers parking in their lot when there's no more room in the health-food store lot or on the street. In fact, it bothers Office Max so much that they put up a big, handwritten sign in their front window (what could be more impressive than that?) that warns Rainbow customers that they'll tow them away if they park there, and they have a tow truck stationed in the lot most of the time to make sure no vegetarians go untowed from their lot.
Here's an idea: why not "welcome" the Rainbow customers by offering any Rainbow shopper a 15% discount in their store with proof-of-purchase of Rainbow groceries? Imagine that--they'd increase their walk-in customer base substantially, because this area of the city has neither pedestrian traffic nor adequate bus service. There's NO walk-in traffic. The only people walking around the area (besides the aforementioned customers getting out of their cars for the other stores) are the legions of bums who live under the overpass. So that's my first bit of advice, Office Max: drive business to your store by offering your neighboring customers a discount...d'oh!
Well, but then there's problem number 2: customer service. The store is huge, wide, and monstrously bright. The ratio of customers -- at least any time I've been there -- to Office Max employees seems to be a solid 1:1. But try to get any of them to help you, or to ring you up at one of their many empty cash registers...forget it. In fact, you can be the very next person in line and wait 10 minutes for the clerk to help you. I'm beginning to wonder if they don't have a policy that makes you wait in line for a cashier simply to make their store look busier. So my second bit of advice to Office Max is: train your employees to serve your customers in a reasonable fashion, in how to talk to your customers, and make your employees knowledgeable about your products. Right now it seems like some of the people who work there couldn't get a job anywhere else and barely made it through high school.
Problem #3 is innovation. Let's talk about customer demographics for a minute. You're in a city that has progressive politics and you're sitting next to a hugely successful, employee-run health food store that's been in business for almost 35 years. Maybe you might want to think about providing some services that might draw them in (besides the neighbor discount). What about offering services that help people recycle their old computers, monitors, office equipment, and batteries? What about selling "green" office supplies? How about working on your store's Feng Shui, so you feel drawn in by appealing window displays (instead of a crazy-looking, hostile sign) and an inviting layout? And what about the aesthetic appeal of some of your products? Is there some reason why you have to sell the ugliest possible laptop bags, storage systems, day timers, and other gear? What if you sold appealing brands and styles, instead of just sacks of black vinyl? A lot of your merchandise has a 1970s "you don't have a choice" aesthetic. So my third bit of advice, Office Max, is that you offer services and merchandise that fit your demographic area.
Best of luck to you.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
"Top 25 Countries for Women" - doesn't include USA
I recently ran across an article and a slideshow online from Forbes about the top 25 countries in the world in terms of female empowerment and gender equality.
It listed the top 25 countries with these four attributes for women: economic opportunity, health and survival, education, and political empowerment. Not surprisingly, the Nordic countries ranked the highest (Norway was #1), along with several predictable European countries, including the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, and Spain. Some of the other highest-rated countries included the Phillipines, New Zealand, Latvia, and Sri Lanka.
Moldova (shown below, in a screen cap from the slideshow) ranked as #20. Trinidad and Tobago had high ratings, as well.
The USA was ranked at #27 -- not even in the top 25 (#25 was Cuba by the way). Of course, this doesn't make the USA the worst country on the planet for women. Other countries that fared far worse included Canada, Israel, and all the countries in the Middle East.
It listed the top 25 countries with these four attributes for women: economic opportunity, health and survival, education, and political empowerment. Not surprisingly, the Nordic countries ranked the highest (Norway was #1), along with several predictable European countries, including the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, and Spain. Some of the other highest-rated countries included the Phillipines, New Zealand, Latvia, and Sri Lanka.
Moldova (shown below, in a screen cap from the slideshow) ranked as #20. Trinidad and Tobago had high ratings, as well.
The USA was ranked at #27 -- not even in the top 25 (#25 was Cuba by the way). Of course, this doesn't make the USA the worst country on the planet for women. Other countries that fared far worse included Canada, Israel, and all the countries in the Middle East.
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