Why make things so hard Chevy?

Recently, Chevy has started an advertising campaign that features the fact that they have reduced the sticker prices on all of their cars.  For more information, they say, go to Edmunds.com and click on Head 2 Head.
 
Well, sure, why not.  I like the Edmunds site, so let’s see what’s there.  I go there and Head 2 Head is actually a banner ad.  Um, allrighty, I’ll click.  That’ll give some money to Edmunds, which is peachy by me.
 
When I click on the ad, rather than seeing a list or something that shows the reduction in prices for the 2006 models, I’m presented with a chooser to pick the model of Chevy I want to work with.  Hmmm, okay, 2006 Corvette.  Once that’s done, rather than getting any information about the price reductions, I’m presented with a list of comparable cars to compare the Corvette to.  Welll, that’s peachy, but not what I wanted.  I wanted information on how much the prices of various Chevy’s have been reduced. 
 
That information is not to be found.  Good job Chevy!
 
And yes, I recognize that a reduction in list price will probably have little to no effect to the actual price paid by a buyer.  And no, I’m not in the market for a 2006 Corvette – it’s just that usually any sale that Chevy has specifically excludes the Corvette, so I thought I’d see if they actually reduced the price.
 
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How to lose a potential customer in 5 seconds or less

I’m building myself a new computer since I have to give the old one to someone else.  While installing all the software necessary to work and develop in these modern times, I got jumped by a popup window from a product called "PDF Complete".  Apparently, this is one of the few products (seriously, with HP Workstations they don’t load up a ton of crap) that HP preloaded on this machine.
 
Well, if you’re going to inflict a popup on me to upgrade, when I haven’t even run your program yet, there’s only one thing I’m going to do – uninstall your program.
 
The thing is, if they just popped up the offer when I ran the program, that’d be one thing.  But jumping into the middle of what I’m doing, well, you get no respect or financial loving from me.
 
I should note that HP has started putting in the same sort of popup for QuickBooks for the machines we buy for our users.  There is no easy way to get rid of it and we no longer trust their builds since they are now putting crap on business machines, so we just reformat the drive and reload it.  Good job HP!
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Microsoft employees should be banned from using the word “So”

So, I listen to podcasts on the way to and from work, and let me tell you, nothing is more irritating that hearing some random Microsoft employee or intern start every sentence with "so".
 
So, if I ask an MS employee if the sky is blue, the answer will probably come back as "So…. yes."  Or alternatively, "So, not today because it is cloudy, so however tomorrow it’s supposed to be sunny, so it will be blue tomorrow".
 
So surely you can see how irritating this gets, right?
 
So, they use the word so so often it becomes mere audible filler.  So it’s kind of like, "um", except "um" isn’t abusing the English language quite so much.
 
So, see what I mean?
 
– Eric.
 
So.
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Tipsheet on avoiding procrastination…

A tip sheet on overcoming procrastination…
 
 
I’ll probaby read it tomorrow…
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Good blog posting about SQL Group By abuse

 

If you work with SQL and use Group By (who doesn’t?), check out the posting.

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VS.NET 2005 Help bug – “cannot find server”

Since I don’t have DotNetBugs.com up and running yet, I figure I’ll put this here for now…
 
After installing Visual Studio 2005, you may find that trying to access local help results in an error saying "Cannot Find Server".  If you look at the URL you can see it clearly isn’t attempting to access a server on the Internet, but rather content on your machine.
 
After spending much time Googling around, I found enough hints to get to the solution.
 
First, log out of your current user and log in as another user with Administrator priveleges.  Even if your current user has administrator priveleges, you must log in as someone else.
 
Second, navigate to the Local Settings directory for the user that is having the problem.  For example, if your login is Bob, and you are now logged in as Administrator, chances are that "c:documents and settingsBobLocal Settings" is the path you want.  Make sure that you have "Show Hidden Files and Folders" turned on in Folder Options in explorer.
 
Third, delete the "Temporary Internet Files" directory.  You won’t miss it.  Windows will recreate it as soon as it needs it.
 
Finally, log back in as yourself, then bring up VS.NET help.  At this point, everything will be peachy.
 
Hope this helps someone!
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Adventures in Not Getting It

I recently purchased a component for imaging from a company that for argument’s sake we’ll call LeadTools.
 
The product is fine, we’re quite happy with it and we’re about to go live with a tool that uses it.  That’s not where the "failure to communicate" occurs.
 
I purchased the product from their web site.  I provided them with my billing and company information, they provided me with the serial number.  So far so good. 
 
Yesterday, I received a card in the mail (how 80’s) from them thanking me for the the purchase and urging me to register the product with them. They conveniently provided the serial number, order # and customer # to assist in the registration.
 
Let’s think this through:  They sent me an physical letter asking me to register on their web site, along with all of the information, from their database, that I need to register.  So… we have a company who knows who I am, and exactly what I bought, asking me to go to their web site so I can tell them who I am and what I bought?
 
I just don’t get it.  Use your computers people!
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All quiet on the MidWestern front

Once again I’ve fallen into the trap of not blogging.  I find that I have 8,000 things to say, but none of them rise to the top to justify getting blogged.  That’s pretty funny to write given that I’ll put darn near anything up here!  That’s the beauty of real blogs – no editor to get in the way of ones thoughts, but also the curse.  Who knows if what I write is interesting to anyone besides myself?
 
So here’s a quick brain dump of whats going on in my world, for those who care, and for those who just happen to stumble across my rantings!
  • I’m spending time learning Visual Studio 2005.  This product is very cool! I’m looking forward to it being my full time IDE.  Hopefully the bugs that some people have encountered with it won’t be an issue for me and my team of kick-ass developers (most of whom have already fallen in love with the kit and can’t wait for us to move our main application over).
  • I’m intrigued by Asterisk, the open source phone system.  At our office we are using a Cisco phone system, and it works very well.  The problem is that I don’t see it being affordable for a really small office.  It looks like Asterisk might be able to do the job.  It’s pretty funny – I’d link to the Cisco site for more information on their product, but it is impossible to find a simple page that describes what they do in the VOIP world.  Instead there are 1000 pages that all describe bits and pieces.  I’m sure a good link is in there somewhere, but screw ’em – if they can’t make it easy, then no link love for them.  This research has nothing to do with work – I’m just curious.
  • Linux continues to intrigue me.  In the "good old days" I worked a bit with Unix, even on an IBM RT system.  While I find my lack of skill (currently) with Linux frustrating, I do know that if I pick up a bit every day, soon I’ll become capable in it.
  • Microsoft continues to push my buttons when it comes to open source.  Keep in mind, I am not an open source fanatic, but I appreciate what all the coders out there are doing for the greater good.  Recently MS has done such stupid stuff as tell the world that 3rd world countries don’t need open source software, and even going to the extent of having the UN remove any reference to open source in a document they had prepared for a summit.  From now through the next few years, MS needs to do the absolute minimum to piss off the world, instead, they keep on doing everything they can to make everyone hate them.
  • I’m working on getting my web site DotNetBugs.com up and running.  This will be a location to log and comment on any and all bugs that we run into as developers on the .NET framework.  This will be open to MS products and other products built on .NET.
  • I’m pining for an XBOX 360.  I don’t have enough toys yet – haven’t blown a circuit breaker at home in a long time!
  • Deb and I are going through some flying videos that we have – I need to get my license updated before we can go flying with her as a passenger – need my medical renewed and to spend probably 10 hours with an instructor to shake off the rust and get my biennial review done.  She’s pretty stoked about getting her pilot license, but the costs are a bit staggering these days.  I’m sure once we are both licensed, the urge to own a plane again will be strong!  In the meantime, she points out that in the 6 years we’ve been together, I’ve never taken her up in a plane.  Yikes!

Well, there we go.  I’ve got a bunch more on my plate, but this is what I’ve thought about already this Sunday morning.  Perhaps i need some Focusyn 🙂

If you do read this blog, plop a note in the comments, let me know I haven’t lost all my readers!

Time to go get some breakfast!

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Soap has an expiration date?

In this office, not only do we provide free hand soap, but I personally refill the dispenser when necessary.  Truly, I am a great man…
 
Regardless of my greatness, today I discovered that soap appears to have a finite lifespan.  While refilling the hand pump with SoftSoap, I noticed that the jug that contained the replacement SoftSoap had an expiration date on it of 07/07.  This is quite interesting.  I didn’t realize that soap "went bad".  I thought the presence of bacteria was what made things "turn", and I’m surprised to find that apparently SoftSoap is just as susceptible as milk.
 
I wonder what would happen if you used soap after it expired.  Perhaps for each second washing your hands with it, would more dirt appear? 
 
I might have to put a jub of the stuff in a cabinet in a few years and see what evolves in there…
 
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NetFlix lawsuit settlement – only good for the lawyers

Another class action lawsuit, another settlement that pretty much benefits no one but the lawyers.
 
Here is the salient fact:
It’s alleged that NetFlix deceived people with its unlimited DVD rental claims.
 
As part of the settlement:
The person who filed the lawsuit (class representivie) will receive: $2000.
Those of us who were supposedly cheated will get a free one month upgrade to the next higher level of service (read this whole posting!).
The lawyers who handled the process: $2.5 million dollars
 
Yup, you and me, we get a free month of upgraded service, the lawyers get $2.5 million dollars.
 
It gets better – for most people who get the free on month upgrade to the next higher level of service (from three DVD’s checked out at a time to four, for example) that free month upgrade becomes a repeating charged monthly upgrade unless you explicitly change your service back to the old service level.
 
So, to repeat: $2.5 million for the lawyers, $2000 for the guy who initially complained, and most people who sign up for the free increase in service level will then have to actively downgrade it at the end of the month or they will be paying Netflix more money every month (I suppose they have to afford the legal fees somehow).
 
The American Legal System. – it’s wonderful in its complexity, and how frequently it tries to screw the little guy.
 
 
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