The Internet – A Small Town Kinda Place

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The Internet is awesome. It has made the world more like a small town. However, part of being a small town is that news travels fast – and companies seemingly haven’t caught on to that yet.

Blogs, Twitter/Facebook/Social media, and Internet news sites have information moments after a company makes a decision (often before it is announced, due to information leaks).  Once the news is out the opinions start rolling in, and since the Internet gave us all a voice, we should use it to complain. We no longer live in a world where a business can silently screw us over with their decisions.

Recently, some companies have been reversing unpopular decisions due to Internet backlash (examples: Netflix/Qwikster split and the very recent $2 “convenience” charge for online bill pay from Verizon) which is a good thing. Since we now have a central forum to voice our complaints I hope another travesty like cable television will never arise.

Direct lines of communication will not work. You may think that a call to the corporate office will help; or an email to customer service will get your message across. Do you know what these are? Private “conversations” that can (and will) be ignored – it is just one voice. Now if you took your complaints to Twitter, for example, you join the massive list of complaints that are surely already there. There is safety, and power in numbers.

Eventually people will realize that a company will either listen to the customers, or ignore them. If it is the former then the company wants your business and deserves your support; if it is latter, however, then kick them to the curb.

Don’t sit back and take it; don’t assume you’re the only one. Go and voice your opinion. You can help bring a change.

Playing With Python

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Python (source: http://xkcd.com/353/)

It’s so true. I have been doing small programs to learn Python and I am loving it. My Python editor of choice is pyscripter. It gave me everything I was looking for in an IDE:
  • File Tabs
  • Auto-Complete
  • Line Numbers
  • Complete Control of the IDE settings
  • Colors
  • Hotkeys
  • Window Location
  • Open Source
    • Whenever I tackle a language I am unfamiliar with I start with the same test project: Create a Person class, create an Employee class that inherits from the Person class, and make a tester that creates both, adds them to a list and then iterates through them displaying the results.
    This is a simple task, but allows me to view the same concept in multiple languages. It also helps me learn what is the same and what is different.
    Code after the break.

    They just don’t make’em like they used to…

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    Devices today suck. Most devices have a lifespan of two years, if they are lucky. They crumble and crack and cease to work with only minimal abuse use. It’s not how I remember them. It’s not how I want my technology to be.

    Behold! The pinnacle of devices! (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gameboy)

    My things used to last. I could throw them across the room and know they would break whatever they hit. Today I have neoprene cases, screen protectors, carrying cases, shock absorbing skins and microfiber clothes all to ensure that whatever I have doesn’t end up a smoldering mess before the day is out.

    Sure, things might be smaller, faster, and more expensive nowadays. But what did we sacrifice? Ease of mind. I mean, would your iPhone survive a grenade blast? Doubtful.

    Grenade to the face and STILL playing Tetris.

    Not to mention that the original Game Boy had a lifespan of 9 years before being replaced by the Game Boy Color. You could still use NEW software on 9 year old hardware. I doubt we will see anything like this again.

    Today it’s all about the quick turnaround and it is making my wallet weep. It’s like companies design their products to fall apart just in time for them to reveal the updated version; and if so, that is just shitty.

    The updateoholic in me LOVES that technology is constantly updating and getting better. The cheap bastard in me hates that with the shorter life cycle of mobile devices, that prices have not plummeted. And the sentimental nostalgic in me wishes for a simpler time, where I can squint at my tiny green screen.

    Updateoholic

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    Hello, my name is Dylan, and I am an Updateoholic.

    What does that mean? It means I spend more time pouring over articles and newsletters looking for glimpses of soon-to-come features of software, than I do using the new features.

    It means that I perform the “Check for Updates” check on every device I own, in every piece of software I own, on a daily basis.

    It means I have a problem. Or do I?

    Updates are a good thing, they can add new features, fix old problems, or introduce new concepts. Most importantly, however, updates mean that the project being updated is not dead. The developers haven’t forsaken and forgotten their software. It means that whatever I have invested into the project (time, money, loyalty, whatever) hasn’t been a waste.

    Be good to your customers, update often.