Moving In the Right Direction

I should have known that watching my 5-year old son play in his second soccer game was going to be interesting when, on the way to game, he told me “The best part of the game is getting MY OWN water bottle”. About 5 minutes later he revised that statement by proclaiming “The best part of the game is getting to wear MY OWN uniform”. And I’m certain, had the ride taken any longer, this would have continued.

Coaching a group of 5-year olds must feel comparable to trying to capture three dozen superballs that just dropped off your kitchen counter.  Their bounce is unpredictable, they’re elusive, and their sheer numbers wear you down.

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Lincoln’s team is made up of three boys and one girl. The girl was the only player who seemed to realize that a soccer game was taking place. One boy wandered over to the sideline of the opposing team and struck up a conversation with anyone who would listen. Another boy was kicking the ball towards the goal when a ladybug landed on his jersey which suddenly became  a lot more interesting than the game. When his hat wasn’t pulled over his eyes, my son got in a few good kicks, some of which, were booted in the right direction. During halftime, one of boys excitedly ran up to his dad and said, “I think I’m sweating!!”

The coach spends most of his time getting the kids moving in the right direction. Good things happen when everyone is moving in the right direction. Kicking the ball into the goal is almost an afterthought with this group. The kids are most excited about the pre-game jumping jacks, the orange slices at half time and the water bottle at game’s end. Oh, and I can’t forget how “cool” it looks if one ends up with a little mud on the uniform. Nothing tells your sister how hard you played like mud on the uniform.

I loaded Lincoln and Anna in the car after stopping for lunch. As we drove home Lincoln said, “Dad, do you know what’s the best part of the game?” I replied that I wasn’t sure so maybe he should tell me. “The best part is when you take us to McDonalds and I get my OWN ROOTBEER”.

The pretty much puts today’s game in perspective.

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ThreatFire Protection

I came across a review for ThreatFire in the latest edition of Maximum PC which named it one of nine winners of their “Kick Ass” software awards. ThreatFire is an anti-virus program, but it instead of only being able to protect against known viruses and malware, it looks for malicious behavior making it effective against many “zero-day” exploits.  

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I’ve installed ThreatFire on my three computers at home. It’s small footprint and easy installation routine make it simple enough for anyone to use. When ThreatFire notices potential malicious behavior it pops up a warning giving you the chance to shut the program down or allow it to continue. When I opened Outlook, ThreatFire noticed a plugin (Xobni) was attempting to access my .PST file and notified me.

I figured it would be a good idea to install ThreatFire on my kids computer which I did. But I think it’s just as valuable on Kim’s and my mine. Going forward, I will run ThreatFire and ETrust together.

–Link to ThreatFire download

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Dominos Pizza Tracker

I’m tending our 4 kids tonight while Kim is out on the town with some friends. I didn’t feel like opening a can of chili so I decided to hit the Domino’s website and order a couple of pizzas.

When I finished my order I was taken to a screen called the PIZZA TRACKER where I could keep an eye on my pizzas as they rolled down the assembly line. I’ve heard of car companies who do this which makes sense when you’ve placed an order for an expensive item. But a fricking pizza?

I figured maybe this tracker would pacify my kids and keep them from asking WHENSTHEPIZZAGONNABEHERE. I moved the tracker page over to my 2nd monitor and caught myself watching it as intently as my kids. I could see that “Vicki” prepped and baked my pizzas. Someone named Eric boxed and was set to deliver them to me.

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About 15 minutes later the doorbell rang. I opened it and said, “Hey Eric, do you have our pizzas?”. Eric didn’t see the humor in my comment but I made up for it with a big tip.

Initially, I wasn’t sure about the usefulness of the Pizza Tracker. But after one use, I’m convinced I should be able to track everything I order online in real time.

Damp Hair Hugs

The time just before the kids go to bed are some of the most hectic, loud, pull-your-hair-out-wanna-scream minutes of the day. At least one person is crying while another is running around the house naked. And that’s just the parents.

My goal at this point is to settle the kids down enough where I can catch them two at a time and fling them over my shoulder like sacks of potatoes. Then I make a beeline for their rooms before they can escape my grasp or give me a wet willie. 

One after another, each child is delivered to his or her bed where the next escape can be plotted. We say prayers, give hugs, and an occasional high five before I retreat to my computer in the basement to recover from the ordeal.

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Yet I know what’s coming. As much as I’d like to think I did an admirable job of tucking them into bed I know that Luca is quietly tip toeing down the stairs. She’ll come up behind me and ask for one last hug. She wrap her hands around my neck while her cute, blonde and damp hair smacks me in the face.

Damp hair hugs from my 7 year old daughter. Best part of the day? You bet.

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Saying No

This month’s Fortune Magazine has an interview with Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, who’s company Fortune named the most innovative in the same issue. Jobs is a master at answering the question he wish had been asked. But this time he kept on topic and gave direct answers most of the time. One idea he mentioned struck a chord when he discussed where where Apple places its focus:

People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of many of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done.

As the company I work for makes a play into new opportunities, I’m left to wonder if that’s such a good idea. It’s tempting to run after the new technology and convince yourself that gaining "first mover advantage" is worth the investment and risks. It had better be something where we can not just be a player, but be the best. Otherwise, we’ll be mediocre players in many markets. Boring.

Apple knows what it does well and it executes near flawless campaigns that ignite consumer passion and excitement. They don’t make dozens of computer models like Dell or HP. They don’t feel they have to be involved in every single software and service niche like Microsoft does. They aren’t trying to be all things to all people. They are focused on those products where they shine brightest. What they end up with are iconic products like the iPod which kick ass and take names.

Where does your company focus it’s people and investments? Does it know what it does better than anyone else?

–Link to Jobs interview

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When Your Dad Is The Coach

“NOW PLAY SOME DEFENSE!!” the dad yelled as his 14 year old son ran down the court after hitting a three point shot to tie the game. I sat on the sideline watching this boy’s face turn from jubilation to sadness. The excitement of the shot he’d just nailed was wiped off his face as fast as it took the ball to swish through the net. No matter what this boy did his father was there to point out what he’d done wrong.

Watching this father coach his son by tearing into his every wrong move brought back a flood of memories. I know this boy’s father who is the basketball coach at a local high school. He’s a good man. So is my father who was a high school coach for many years and coached me in basketball, baseball and football. But I can relate to how this boy felt tonight because I’ve been in that same situation a few times. Like the time I played my first football game in 9th grade. I caught the only touchdown our team scored and was so excited to tell my dad who wasn’t able to watch the game. He picked me up from the game and when we got to the car he turned to me and said, “Coach said you played poorly on defense”. Excitement dashed. Touchdown forgotten.

When your father is the coach you’re expected to be a good athlete. I was able to get into the school gym to practice any weekend I wanted. My dad would spend hours working on my shot, tossing baseballs and footballs so I could improve my skills. For that I’m very grateful because I know he made me a better athlete which lead to earning an athletic and scholastic scholarship to college. I knew I had to be better than my competition or my dad would start the other player. He was careful not to play favorites when it came to starting games and playing time.

But there are downsides. By far the toughest part to manage was the coaching didn’t end when the buzzer sounded or the last out was recorded. In fact, most of my coaching took place at the dinner table. When I played a good game, the meal was enjoyable. When I didn’t play well, I just wanted to be left alone. I know my father meant well. He wanted me to reach my full potential just like his dad demanded of him. To his credit, he backed off me as I matured and moved onto the varsity teams.

I have a good relationship with my father today. As good as it’s ever been. The good times we had in athletics together far outweigh the challenges we had. As my children begin to play sports I continually remind myself that how I react to their performance can have a lasting impact on how much enjoyment they derive from the experience. Watching Luca play soccer last year, Kim had to remind me to chill out a number of times as I yelled for my daughter to be more aggressive with the ball.

One of my goals as a father is to find the positive is my children’s performances. Be it sports or music or school or whatever.Even if they misjudge a pop fly or miss open shots or play the wrong key, I can encourage my kids by searching for the good. Even if that means saying, “Hey, you really hustled out there today. Great job.” I don’t want to be like the mom in American Beauty who, after watching her daughter perform cheers tells her, “You didn’t screw up once!”

I recall a time when our basketball team was playing in the state tournament. We played the first half very tight. Our shots weren’t falling and we all hung a heads as we filed into the locker room. My father sensed the tension and the pressure we’d placed on ourselves. He ended that half time discussion by saying, “You’re not making a million dollars to play basketball. Let’s go out and have fun because that’s what it’s all about”.

That’s great advice I need to remember as my kids pass through the inevitable ups and downs of athletics. And life.

The Year of Web Services

Could this finally be the year that Amazon see some competition in the web services market? I got thinking about this while reading this excellent post from Dave Winer this afternoon. Dave believes that it makes sense for Google to release their offering as a free service and makes a good argument for doing so.

So we’ll have Amazon and Google in this space. There’s no way that Microsoft can ignore Google or Amazon. Anything Google does, Microsoft has to follow. I’ve already written about what a nightmare this could be for Microsoft so I won’t rehash it here. Suffice it to say that Microsoft will be playing by Google’s rules if Google can beat them to the punch by offering a free or nearly free service. Amazon’s services have already lowed costs substantially but I expect many hold outs will jump on the Google bandwagon.

Few companies have the resources and cash to build out such massive data centers like Amazon, Google and Microsoft will do. We all benefit when three large, competitive companies fight for our business.

If I were handicapping the race I’d put Amazon ahead of the pack with Google a close second and Microsoft a distant third. If Ray Ozzie were leading Microsoft, I’d give them better odds but it’s hard to imagine Balmer fully embracing services that could erode Windows and/or Office margins. Microsoft hasn’t shown it possesses the guts to release online versions of Word, Excel or Powerpoint. I keep hearing rumors this will happen but it’s hard to fathom what took them so long. Someone is asleep at the wheel in Redmond.

I’m using Amazon’s Simple Storage Service in conjunction with Jungle Disk and I love it! But I don’t feel locked in to their service. If Google or Microsoft put out a better product, I’ll move over. But does it have to be free? As Winer mentions, Google could benefit from having potential acquisitions already running their products and services on the Google Web Services platform, thereby removing one of the major hurdles to any purchase. Giving the service would make sense in this case.

I wonder if one reason Microsoft is willing to overpay for Yahoo is they feel Yahoo could catapult them into a better position to compete in this space with Google and Amazon? There’s power in combining Microsoft’s cash and human resources with Yahoo’s open source platform. 

Read Om Malik’s interview with Ray Ozzie where they discuss web services.

Teaching 14 Year Olds about Photography

This morning I arrived at my church to teach the Photography merit badge to a bunch of 14 year old scouts. We talked about the various parts of a camera, composition techniques (rule of thirds, framing, leading lines) as well terms such as shutter speed, exposure. aperture, and ISO.

Because the class is an elective, most kids that attended wanted to be there. I printed out pictures showing how different camera settings and angles can make a difference when composing a shot. They asked good questions and many kids had experiences to share with the group making for an interesting class.

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I had about 45-50 scouts in my class. When I asked how many had taken a picture with a digital camera, every hand went up. When I asked how many had used a film camera, only 3 hands went up. We discussed the pros and cons of using both formats, but it was clear most of these boy will never see or use a film camera. When we talked about the differences between point and shoot and digital SLR models one boy raised his hand and asked, “Why do I need one of those when I have a camera phone?” He wasn’t alone.

It’s exciting to think of how technology is shaping the lives of these kids. I thought about the kinds of cameras my children will be introduced to when they are only a few years older. Most kids these days are first introduced to photography through their phone. Most kids these days, have seen so many top stock photos from acclaimed professionals, that they have digested more photo art in their short lifetimes than true veterans of the past. That would have been hard to imagine just 10 years ago.

I suspect new technologies will become second nature to our children much the same way Nintendo and camera phones are seen by today’s teens. We still laugh about the time my daughter, who was 5 years old at the time, expressed amazement when she noticed her Grandma watching TV commercials. Incredulously, she asked, “Grandma, you can’t Tivo?”

The Muddled Art of Tipping

When did tipping become so confusing? I’m convinced that stupid TIP JAR ruined it for those who were providing excellent service and deserving of a tip. Now it seems like every small cafe, coffee shop, bakery, sandwich ship, and ice cream parlor puts a tip jar near the cash register. The jar is always in plain site and occasionally includes a cute but pithy quote that attempts to lessen the tackiness of the appeal.

How is one supposed to determine who deserves a tip? We’ve all heard that waiters are paid less than minimum wage and rely on tips to make up the difference. So when the service is poor am I still expected to subsidize their wage? But normally I don’t have a problem tipping 18-25% for good service when dining out. The rules are understood by both parties.

But I’m confused when it comes to other situations. Am I expected to tip the gal who scoops my ice cream? What about the guy who makes my hot chocolate? Or the man who cuts my bagel? How do I know if they are making minimum wage and also rely on tips like the those working at the restaurant? At one ice cream shop the workers would break out in song whenever someone left a tip. It was bizarre. The staff looked about as excited as a group of overworked Red Robin waiters who gather around a table to sing happy birthday for the 15th time. By about the 3rd time, they are having a hard time rounding up other waiters so you notice the hostess and short order cooks getting in on the action. Whenever my waiter/waitress gets roped into singing at another table I will leave a bigger tip because I feel sorry for them.

Starbucks has been in the news lately for sharing tips with supervisors that were meant for baristas. Which makes tipping at Starbucks even more confusing since I want my tips going to the person who provided me with excellent service. How would know if the person helping me is a supervisor or hourly employee? Maybe Starbucks can put their managers in shirts than differ from the worker bees like McDonalds does.

I enjoy tipping for excellent service. But I question whether I need to shell out a few bucks to the person who scooped my ice cream or made my sandwich. Unless they do something out of the ordinary should the cost of the goods or service cover a fair wage for them?

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The Annoying Upsell

It wasn’t that long ago when the only reliable yet annoying upsell was, “Would you like an apple or cherry turnover with that?” Some bean counter discovered if every cashier was forced to annoy 100 people, maybe 5 would agree to the turnover. I won’t get into why it’s a bad idea to piss off your other 95 customers, but suffice it to say many business owners have jumped on the upsell bandwagon. And the wares they are hawking are far more annoying than a bite of hot cherry ooziness that burns the roof of your mouth. image

When I bought four tires at Goodyear I spent two minutes selecting (I had researched models from Consumer Reports and Car & Driver) the tires and the next 20 minutes deflecting the never ending list of products the lady shoved in my face. No, I don’t want to put it on a Goodyear credit card nor do I want to buy road hazard insurance (I like how they toss in words like “hazard” with the intent of making it sound like you’re declining something that will save your life) When I explained that I only insure items that would be a financial burden to replace (Like my house. If I blow a tire, I’m out maybe 150 bucks?) she looked at me like I was was a bigger tightwad than Al Bundy.

Two days ago we took two of our kids to get haircuts and the selling didn’t stop till we walked out the door 45 minutes later. They tried to talk us into getting our oldest daughter’s hair cut and even went so far to ask my my kids, “Should we make mom look pretty too?” in an attempt get Kim in the chair. I doubt Kim would have enjoyed sitting in the fire truck, or on the tractor or purple dinosaur while while watching Dora the Explorer during the ordeal. What made this experience especially annoying was the fact she wouldn’t take no for an answer and kept at us till we left. We won’t be going back.

And today I went to Kit’s Cameras to purchase a Nikon flash. I called the store to ask about the specific model (Nikon SB400) to confirm it was in stock. I showed up to the store 30 minutes later and spoke with the same guy I talked to on the phone. Yet, he’s decided he knows what’s best for me and tries to upsell two more expensive models. I told him I’d done my homework on the internet, which clearly went in one ear and out the other. I wanted to yell, “SHUT UP! I know what I NEED!!” After turning down the opportunity of a lifetime to purchase a customer card, extended warranty, extra batteries and several lenses, I made it out of the store in one piece.

No wonder I look to purchase more products on the internet from companies like Amazon and New Egg than ever before. Even if I don’t save much money I end up not having to deal with idiots who feel they know what’s best for me. I generally research most everything I buy and I don’t show up to the store in a clueless daze relying on the salesperson to guide me to the products he/she thinks are right for me.

Why do some companies continue to pester the majority of their customers in search of the small percentage who can’t say no to the cherry turnover? I want to support local businesses, but anytime a website provides better customer service than your employees, you’re not going to be around long.