A confession: I don't like signing emails. I find it stupid. You know the message is from me, after all your email client tells you that before you open it. What's the point of salutation and signing? What does, Sincerely, Cinserely tell you that you didn't already know?
Turns out there was a good reason for the signing. That's from the days of snail mail and before there was such a thing as a typewriter: the presence of a signature was the only certain way to know who wrote you a letter. I remember the days when you'd get one, and you'd turn it over to read who sent it. If I had known I would feel old just for admitting I had ever read a hand-written letter, I would have believed everything science fiction told me.
But now I write emails, and I got used to doing a lot of things that you couldn't really do with paper. For instance, I reply inline - breaking up long messages and replying to a question right beneath it. Or I make creative use of the Subject: header. Of BCC: myself to have a record of sending the message.
More often than not, I won't sign an email. It's not that I forget, and it's not that I am too lazy. It's that I find that a truly pointless activity. I will typically close my message with a friendly greeting to the family or coworkers, or a wish for something fun, but rarely sign. It's a tradition we keep on, just because we don't think about it.
2010-07-16
2010-07-14
Is USB the New Outlet?
I just got a refurbished Garmin Edge 705 (review to follow) along with a bunch of craptastic free sample gadget from China. The thing they had in common? Instead of having dedicated chargers, they all came with an AC/DC converter to USB.
It used to be that you were flooded with dozens of different chargers. After a while, you'd forget which charger belonged to which gadget and you had to label them. Every time you'd move, then, you'd have this monstrous mess of chargers that you couldn't get rid of, because you had long forgotten what gadgets they belonged to.
There were craptastic adaptable chargers with dip switches for current and voltage and different tips. You constantly risked destroying your gadget by choosing the wrong voltage, so they were really just an item of last resort. It was a nightmare.
It used to be that you were flooded with dozens of different chargers. After a while, you'd forget which charger belonged to which gadget and you had to label them. Every time you'd move, then, you'd have this monstrous mess of chargers that you couldn't get rid of, because you had long forgotten what gadgets they belonged to.
There were craptastic adaptable chargers with dip switches for current and voltage and different tips. You constantly risked destroying your gadget by choosing the wrong voltage, so they were really just an item of last resort. It was a nightmare.
2010-07-09
YHIHF: Do Internet Shopping Companies Ship by Access?
It's been a few months now that I noticed something odd going on. Whenever I buy something on certain online shopping sites, nothing happens for a while. Then, when I log on to check what's happening with my order, mysteriously it ships on the same day.
It all started with this deal site. I ordered a refurbished computer, and while the site stated they were shipping within two days, after four I had no email confirmation, no tracking number, nothing. When I went to the site, it said it was undergoing construction, and that sent me into Scam Prevention Mode. I sent them an email demanding an update and alerted my credit card company.
Next morning, UPS faithfully delivered my computer. Overnight shipping. At that point, I thought they had just somehow messed up and wanted to make up for it.
Then I started noticing it with other sites. At first, it was an argument with a big online vendor: I checked their Super-Saver Shipping box for my new Acer laptop, and they sat on the order for a week. When I told them their policy was that free shipping allows them to perform a slow shipping, not a slow fulfillment process, they gave me drone talk for a while, but then made it happen. (Coincidentally, the laptop ended up arriving the day before I unexpectedly had to fly to Germany for a funeral.)
It all started with this deal site. I ordered a refurbished computer, and while the site stated they were shipping within two days, after four I had no email confirmation, no tracking number, nothing. When I went to the site, it said it was undergoing construction, and that sent me into Scam Prevention Mode. I sent them an email demanding an update and alerted my credit card company.
Next morning, UPS faithfully delivered my computer. Overnight shipping. At that point, I thought they had just somehow messed up and wanted to make up for it.
Then I started noticing it with other sites. At first, it was an argument with a big online vendor: I checked their Super-Saver Shipping box for my new Acer laptop, and they sat on the order for a week. When I told them their policy was that free shipping allows them to perform a slow shipping, not a slow fulfillment process, they gave me drone talk for a while, but then made it happen. (Coincidentally, the laptop ended up arriving the day before I unexpectedly had to fly to Germany for a funeral.)
2010-07-03
Comparing eBook Readers
The local Best Buy has a display with different eBook readers, so I got a chance to hold them all in hand and compare them. Nice way to entice customers, by the way!
Price wars are all the rage right now. The new Nook reader came out, and the price dropped to $149 (no 3G). Amazon followed suit and dropped the price of the Kindle to $189 (with 3G, compared with $199 for the nook 3G). Sony interestingly still sells ebook readers, and those were on display, too.
Admittedly, considering that the device is not the major buying factor for either Barnes & Noble or Amazon, the price of the device is still way too high. At the very least, the companies should offer discounts for buyers of the respective devices to cover their cost, since you are buying something that ties you to a particular vendor (still).
Of the devices on display, the Nook clearly had the upper hand. The Sony readers were quite nice, but the decision to put the touchscreen on top of the e-ink dims the latter considerably, giving the whole reading area a washed out, grey-ish look. The price is right, though, and Sony e-readers are not affected by the usual Sony price inflation.
Price wars are all the rage right now. The new Nook reader came out, and the price dropped to $149 (no 3G). Amazon followed suit and dropped the price of the Kindle to $189 (with 3G, compared with $199 for the nook 3G). Sony interestingly still sells ebook readers, and those were on display, too.
Admittedly, considering that the device is not the major buying factor for either Barnes & Noble or Amazon, the price of the device is still way too high. At the very least, the companies should offer discounts for buyers of the respective devices to cover their cost, since you are buying something that ties you to a particular vendor (still).
Of the devices on display, the Nook clearly had the upper hand. The Sony readers were quite nice, but the decision to put the touchscreen on top of the e-ink dims the latter considerably, giving the whole reading area a washed out, grey-ish look. The price is right, though, and Sony e-readers are not affected by the usual Sony price inflation.
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