I’ll take 4 packs of AcuVue lenses and a metal detector

Should I be concerned that the optical center where I have my eyes examined also sells metal detectors and telescopes?

I guess I can sort of understand an optical center deciding to sell a telescope since it requires optics and at least one working eyeball.

But I’m trying to understand what it took for them to offer several models of metal detectors to help me UNCOVER HIDDEN TREASURES IN MY OWN BACKYARD! I like how the box shows some guy in the process of finding a diamond ring or extremely rare coin. I’m sure if I bought one it would only serve to rid the earth of 4000 beer tabs.

I can only think of three possible reasons a business like an optical center would carry metal detectors:

  1. The person doing the detector selling is one WORLD CLASS salesperson. The “selling ice to Eskimos” type of character. 
  2. The markup on detectors is just too good to pass up, even if they have nothing to do with your line of business.
  3. It makes for one unpredictable “upsell”

It’s very possible that I’m just overlooking the link between glasses/contacts and metal detectors. Maybe customers who purchases glasses suddenly discover a whole new visually exciting world to explore and what better way to do that than with your head to the ground waiting for audible *beeps* telling you where to dig?

I guess I shouldn’t be too concerned since this summer, when I went in for my annual checkup, they were selling electric guitars.

The Small Details that Make a Difference

Most products I use work. They do the job for the most part, but they fail to delight. Every once and while a product comes along that includes a detail or feature that’s so impressive, that it elevates the experience to a higher level. Such small details can make the difference between merely doing the job vs. delighting the user.

Below are a few products that include a small detail or feature that’s delighted me lately:

The Tivo Remote – How come most remotes are such a pain in the butt to use? Tivo comes along and create a remote that makes others feel 20 year old. Tivo understands the remote is something that users actually “feel” each time they use their product. They created a remote that just feels right in your hand. It’s balanced and elegant. Most remotes include buttons that are all the same size. But the Tivo’s buttons are big and colored. Even my three year old can use it without trouble. These small details set the product apart from anything else on the market.

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Which remote do you think more time and research went into? Link to Tivo.

The Moleskin Notebook – Lots of small details set this notebook apart but my favorite is the ribbon placemarkers. Such a tiny detail can save a lot of time each day. No more thumbing through pages looking for where I left off. I can immediately turn to an open page and start taking notes. I keep a couple on hand at work and a small Moleskin on me at all times to jot to down ideas and short reminders.

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The ribbon placemarker makes for quick entry while the elastic band keeps it closed when not in use. Link to Moleskin store.

Tweetr

I love unexpected but smart animation like the one John Ballinger added to my favorite Twitter application for Windows. The one I’m talking about is the quick “cube spin” that happens when I click on a persons icon. It’s just enough to let me know what I’ve clicked while adding something unexpected. I love it!

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You can see the first icon just as it starts to rotate. Link to Tweetr site.

Nikon D40 Camera

How can a DSLR be easier to use than a point and shoot? That’s what I asked myself after using the D40 for a few weeks. Being new to photography, I was concerned that a DSLR would be difficult to use and I’d spend too much time futzing with settings and hunting down menus instead of taking pictures.

Then Nikon comes along and sets a new standard on DSLR ease of use with the D40. Here’s a camera that knows its user base is made of first time DSLR owners. The menus are a pleasure to use! I can’t overstate that. During my few training classes I was mixed in with Canon DSL owners, many of which had less experience than I did which wasn’t very much to begin with. The instructor would ask us to change certain setting on our camera and it was funny to watch many of the Canon owners struggle to do so. Many had purchased too much camera for sure. After comparing the D40 to similar Canon models I decided on the Nikon mostly due to the camera’s ease of use and super clear menu system. Not only are the menus easy to navigate but they help you understand different settings by giving you a dynamic thumbnail image that shows setting changes in real time. Why can’t all cameras be this intuitive? DPreview has a full of screen of D40 menus here.

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A smart and concise menu system makes the D40 a pleasure to use. Link to D40.

BMW Steering Wheel

BMW does so many things right which helps explain their obsessive fans and years of automotive accolades. I love how the instrumentation is clear and simple. I love how they angle the controls towards the driver. Every knob, switch and button has just the right about of tension and feedback. In just minutes behind the wheel and you can tell this is a car that was created and assembled by fanatics. But my favorite interior detail is the steering wheel. Only the most useful buttons have been included, and they fall right where your hand expects them to be. Each button has a little bit different shape so you can use each without looking down. BMW also figured out the best angle to mount the steering wheel. This isn’t easy to describe but the wheel just feels like it’s always in the right place. Other cars I’ve owned required frequent adjustment to the wheel or seat or both and sometimes the arrangement never felt right. It’s as if BMW measured my limbs and figured out the ideal position of each instrument. It’s uncanny how this works but it does work!

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A driver-centric cockpit can be found on all BMW models

Fred Meyer, Nordstrom and Applebees

I like how Fred Meyer places a bottle of hand sanitizer near the grocery carts as you walk into the store. There are also hand clothes there to wipe off your cart if you do desire.

Nordstrom probably deserves a post of its own but one thing I’ve noticed is how clean they maintain their restrooms. I’ve never been in one where a toilet was taped off or a stall divider broken. There’s never water puddled up on the counter or paper towels strewn on the floor. Nope, someone at Nordstrom understands that even their bathrooms are a reflection of their brand and service.

A small detail I’ve noticed when we’ve been to Applebees for lunch or dinner is that, when they see our family walk towards the door, someone always heads to the door to open it for us. A small detail, no doubt, but a very helpful one when you’re trying to heard three wild kids in the right direction. They do the same on the way out, and it leaves a good impression each time we enter and exit. Very nice touch.

One problem with Mahalo: Dead Links

I was checking out the page at Mahalo for “Best Computer Speakers” and was interested in the Logitech models.

To see one of the problems Jason and his team are going to run up against, go to the Best Computer Speakers page and click on the link to Logitech Z-10. Or see the screen cap below.

Sure, this happens with Google, Yahoo and Live. But you don’t expect this to happen with a human powered search engine. The challenge to keep the pages current could prove to be as difficult as creating them in the first place.

I’ve noticed similar problems with Squidoo. There must be some type of link checking these companies can employ. Many people will give Google the benefit of the doubt. But it doesn’t feel right to encounter dead links at services that tout themselves above the general clutter of search.

It will be interesting to see how Mahalo handles dead or moved links. I can only imagine it’s a nightmare to keep up with, but it needs to be addressed as this isn’t the first time I’ve come access this.

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Apple still attacking Vista

Apple is still rolling out the anti-Vista ads. Vista has certainly had its share of problems but I’m hearing more and more complaints about Apple’s new Leopard operating system. Isn’t Apple supposed to be the company that makes stuff that “just works”? Scoble calls it the “brand promise” and he does a better job than I do of explaining it. Maybe the days of the major OS upgrade are over given these two giants can’t create an operating system that’s worth upgrading to.

If were Microsoft I’d go on the offensive and call out Apple and their problems with Leopard instead of sitting back and creating marketing crap like this. Yes, you’ll be speechless alright! Speechless to the point of frustration.

Hey Apple, that desktop background looks like someone went to WinCustomize and chose the worst rated background. Man, that’s bad.

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Bono sings Wave of Sorrow

U2’s, the Joshua Tree, is one of my favorite albums of all time. Probably top three. From what I can gather, this song was written back in 1987 for the Joshua Tree  but wasn’t included because Bono felt like it wasn’t quite finished. But it will be included on the upcoming, remastered 20th Anniversary Edition of the Joshua Tree that will be released on November 20th. I don’t know if other unreleased tracks will be included.

I like the song quite a bit. But the best part of this video is watching Bono try to recall lyrics he wrote 20 years ago. He also provides backdrop and context for the song, sometimes during the song!

I’m not sure how many times I’ve bought the Joshua Tree but I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve bought it three or four times. I wore out two cassettes before moving to CD. The only album I’ve purchased more is probably Pink Floyd’s, Dark Side of the Moon, my favorite album of all-time.

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Why is it nearly impossible to return software?

I bought a scale a few weeks ago at Fred Meyer. When I got it home, it didn’t work so I returned it for a full refund. Same thing happened with a portable blow-up mattress we bought at Costco. We had no trouble returning both items.

Compare that with purchasing software. You’d better do your homework because returning software for a refund is nearly impossible if the box has been opened. I suppose this has something to do with the fact that it’s easier to make a digital copy of a CD/DVD than to replicate a blow up mattress. But it can still make for a disappointing buying experience.

For example, I purchased a game called ShawdowRun that is supposed to run on Windows Vista. In fact, according to the fancy box, it requires Vista to run. Well, I tried installing it four times on Kim’s Vista machine with no luck. It would appear to install correctly but the game wouldn’t launch. Never mind this is a game released by Microsoft Game Studios.

But because I’ve opened the box, I can only return it to the store for the same item which does absolutely no good. I guess I could sell it on eBay for less than I paid for the game, but that’s not the point. I bought an item that was advertised to work, yet I have no recourse that remedies the problem.

The whole thing  leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I didn’t pirate the game. I didn’t make a copy of the game and try to return it. Software return policies assume I’m a criminal instead of treating me like a customer.

Costco can figure out a fair way for their customers to return computers and big screen TVs within a reasonable amount of time. If Costco can do this for large ticket items, why can’t software companies come up with a reasonable return policy?

I’m to the point where I just don’t trust much software anymore which means I’ll only buy programs I must have, like Turbo Tax, and continue to look for freeware options.

No time to work now, I’m busy shaking the toner

I worked for a company where to “shake the toner” became synonymous with “wasting time”. We had two printers from which to choose: One black and white, one color laser. Only management and those working on a design for a client were supposed to use the color printer. The rest of us were instructed to use the black and white model. I once made the mistake of printing to the color printer in order to avoiding shaking the toner. The error of my ways was pointed out to me almost immediately. image

There was one problem with the black and white printer: it was perpetually low on toner. I know laser cartridges can be given more life by a quick shake now and then. I’m not against being frugal, but the amount of time spent getting a basic print job to work was much too high.

Every week I’d see busy individuals spending 15 to 20 minutes at a time shaking the toner cartridge in order to get the printer working. These were marketers, developers and project managers doing most of the shaking. After I’d witnessed this foolishness for a few weeks, I approached our IT Manager and asked him why we didn’t keep a box of new toner cartridges near the printer. His response was that he wanted to do that but was instructed not to because we’d run the risk of going through more toner than was needed. If I recall correctly, the toner cartridges were in the $150/each neighborhood.

Yet it’s hard to imagine all the time wasted on what should be a very simple task. Most of our employees billed out at $150 or more so it didn’t take many trips to the printer to see that it would have been more cost effective to put a box of toner near the printer, even if we did waste the last few remnants of toner. Instead, we had erected a barrier to ensure that several hours were wasted each time the toner ran low.

Whenever I see internal business process that seem to be in place merely to waste employee’s time I refer to them as “shaking the toner” moments. Do you have any “shaking the toner” processes at your work?