Author Archive for Ehren

Following the Twitter Folly

Published
by
Ehren
on November 18, 2008
in Interests, Mentions, Ponderings, Unthinkables and applications
. 5 Comments

Recently with the introduction of Qwitter, a twitter user is notified of any person who un-follows them. Normally I could care less but what I’ve noticed is that more and more people are following me one day and un-following the very next. I don’t really mind that they’re un-following me, but what I find ridiculous is the fact that they clicked “follow” without looking over what sort of information or conversation I provide in the first place. This is really the only legitimate reason that I can think of why anyone would follow and then un-follow within such a short time frame.

Maybe it’s just the way I use twitter, but I don’t follow anyone that I intend on un-following. I look over their blog, their previous tweets, and the conversations they contribute to.

I refer back to my original post on how I use twitter.

Looking up User rbbkkqukeuke

Another rather interesting folly is how the odd twitter user (rbbkkqukeuke to be exact) gets 63 followers. Obviously a bunch of these followers have no idea that they are following a bot or spammer — some users automatically follow anyone who follows them, while others don’t bother checking who it is that they are following.  This just goes back to my original point that people don’t invest the time.  This is time that ironically would serve themselves in the long-term.  Of course … could it be that common mob sense dictates something else?

Do you check who is following you? Do you look up more information on who’s following you before following them back? How would you respond?

Keeping this idea in mind … does this carry any implications for the future? Does this mean that there are a growing number of people who use twitter that demand absolute relevancy from the people they follow? It’s difficult to gauge but I have a feeling this represents a certain kind of people who want to be provided with some form of instant context that reveals to them who’s worth following and who’s not.

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That Doom Song

Published
by
Ehren
on November 16, 2008
in Aspirations, Mentions, economics, fun and video
. 0 Comments

We’re all concerned to some degree.  We’re all worried to some extent.  That said, I’ve been hearing a few too many doom songs lately over the news.  If the current system is not working, then this is the best opportunity and time for anyone to experiment and push forward their new ideas.

Otherwise, we can keep listening to the doom song — courtesy of GIR, from Invader Zim, a favourite animated television series of mine created by the very talented Jhonen Vasquez.

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Three Movies to Inspire a Weekend

Published
by
Ehren
on November 10, 2008
in Aspirations, Mentions, Unthinkables, fun and weekly inspiration
. 1 Comment

I’m not necessarily talking about really big movies that play a significant role in cinema. I’m just talking about the movies that were likely pretty well known to most kids growing up during the 80s but are probably well-forgotten nowadays. Of course this post isn’t about that but more so just focusing on a thought that crossed my mind the other day about what movies would provoke memories and aspirations of the past — not just a feeling of nostalgia. Sometimes it’s just good to look at how film was imagined then compared to today and how certain movies had an impact on your creativity.

Nothing like The Last Starfighter to focus those aspirations. Sure the movie isn’t that well scripted and the action is not that great — but the idea that one can beat a video game and then end up saving the world? Classic. Yes I know there is Tron as well, but that’s older and well — more like a subtle political commentary.

Of course, who could grow up in the 80s without watching The Goonies? Forget Indiana Jones … this film probably summed up for a generation what it felt like imagining ourselves with friends stepping out on an adventure. Funny thing is that when I watched this as a kid, I always thought the adventure was so much grander. I must’ve been thinking of a totally different movie or my perspective was messed up. Either way — whether it’s your time, my time, their time — this is a good waste of an hour or so.

Lastly for the weekend, I’d say *batteries not included where an old diner manages to survive the redevelopment of an area with the help of the tenants of the building and some extraterrestrial beings — no E.T. was not here.

**********

Okay okay, so if inspiration isn’t what you seek and fighting back is more to your style then I’d recommend The Warriors. A gang in New York has to fight their way back home after being framed for the murder of the leader of another much more powerful gang. It’s all about survival.

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Be Kind to Your Customer Service Rep

Published
by
Ehren
on November 2, 2008
in Mentions, Unthinkables, marketing and philosophy
. 2 Comments

I’m a very customer-oriented individual — I believe that business interests as a priority are one step below customer concerns; but I am close to proposing that the classic age-old policy of the “customer always being right” be either thrown out or be amended.

The other day I walked into a Mr. Sub (a Canadian version of Subway, Quiznos, or whatever other sub sandwich chain you can add to the list). As I entered the restaurant floor, there was a relatively big man already ordering his sub so I just nodded my head at the guy preparing sandwiches and proceeded to wait patiently for my turn.

What I then observed was an astounding level of arrogance, the abuse of power as a customer, and poor regard for the person making the sandwich. While loudly talking on his cell phone, this man nit-picked at every detail of the sandwich that was being prepared — questioning each action that the person was taking to prepare the sandwich. Not only was this man ordering 3 subs, he was making life difficult and complicated for this Mr. Sub employee. Let me put it this way, if you can’t figure out what you want on your sandwich — stand aside and give it some thought before you order rather than changing your mind every two minutes while not talking on your cell phone.

I realize that customers demand quality but let’s also realize that this is an eight dollar sub. I don’t think the employee gets paid enough per hour to get abused in that manner. No simple “please” or “thank you” from the customer either when the transaction was completed. Making a sandwich may not seem like a lot of work to people but making a sandwich that a customer will like is!

Photograph by The Consumerist

I merely smiled understandingly at the guy preparing the sandwiches after the other customer left. Then something intriguing occurred, as I paid for my sandwich — I was told it was free cookie day. I was pretty sure that the guy before me never received a cookie. Now there’s an interesting policy to promote — it is worth noting that nice customers should always be rewarded.

I often have this argument with my dad because he will get outraged about a problem and puts the pressure on a customer service representative. Many people including my dad argue that it is the customer service representative’s job to listen and solve problems.  This includes accepting the frustration or anger vented upon them.

I completely disagree.

A customer service representative is to listen to the problem and attempt to resolve it. Granted, as a customer, we are saddened, upset or angered by something and demand some form of action — but I reject the notion that service people exist to be pressured and vented upon in order to correct a problem that may or may not be out of their control.

The inherent problem with this policy and ideal is that it permits consumers to identify the service employees as something other than human. You ask, what’s the big deal? I think it is because we’re subjecting generation after generation of people to accept that the customer is always right when that is completely untrue.

IF we intend on accepting this notion that the customer is always right — then the best customer service representatives (CSR) should be compensated as well as the executives in the boardroom. These service reps are the actual face of the company and confront the problems of the organization from day to day — why shouldn’t they deserve more? These are problem solvers that should be getting a decent salary instead of a measly hourly wage.

Don’t believe me? Let’s look at a few websites out there:

- The Disgruntled Burger King Employee
- Customers suck
- Not Always Right

Want more? Here’s a list on Google to look over.

Business experts tend to promote the principle of listening to the customer to decipher problems in the organization while others like Seth Godin have suggested simply refusing to do business with the customer, both of which don’t actually help the customer service employees.

I really do feel for customer service employees — especially with my past experience on the retail and fast food years ago. I believe the principle of karma is in play when it comes to the ideal of customer service. Let me put it this way. Working in the service industry — nice customers were always treated well and were remembered. Abusive customers were also remembered and while they also always got what they wanted, it may not always have been the best solution for them.

There are always hidden rewards for being nice to your customer service rep.  Just understand that they are human too.

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Late: The Great Office War

Published
by
Ehren
on October 30, 2008
in Unthinkables and fun
. 1 Comment

I realize I am likely quite late noticing this since it was out in June. Nevertheless I’ll post it because I thought it was a brilliant video and idea. Perhaps publishers should hold events like this. Even better, have editorial vs. sales and marketing vs. production vs. web — yes I added web in there :)


The Great Office War from Runawaybox on Vimeo.

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Free Music On-Demand - A Complete Follow Up

Published
by
Ehren
on October 23, 2008
in Mentions, fun and web 2.0
. 2 Comments

I’ve been studying the analytics for this blog for sometime and one of the most popular search terms for people arriving on this site has been “free music on demand”.  Apparently people keep arriving on to this blog post I had written in January.  So I figured maybe I should help these people out by pointing them in the right direction(s) instead of just leaving my exclamation about Last.fm.

Let’s start with the big ones — or at least, the ones that I actually have used:

Pandora

Honestly, my favourite.  I had so many people I knew hooked on to it — and then they shut us out … that is, those of us who are outside of the U.S.  Simply enter in a few songs into the player that are to your liking and it begins to showcase music that has been deemed similar according to the “music genome project”.  You’ll get to give each song a thumbs up, in which case it would keep that in mind — or thumbs down, in which case it’d move on to another song.  I can’t remember but when I was still permitted to use Pandora, they had a limit on how many thumbs down you could give in a row within a specified period of time.  Pandora also allows you to create your own radio station or listen to your friends as well … or even mix ‘em up!

Last.fm

Second to Pandora, Last.fm continues to be a huge hit amongst fans of social media and general music aficionados.  With it, you can network with your friends or other people with similar (or different) interests and share songs of a wide variety that you give a thumbs up or down to.  Unlike Pandora, Last.fm bases its playlist on your network of friends and acquaintances which brings a whole different level of music exploration to your finger tips.

Musicovery

I discovered Musicovery not too long ago and it is brilliant way to discover new music by defining a mood.  Not only does it allow you to discover music but it’s got a great visualization of how different songs relate to one another.  Playing the music works similar to the other services in the sense that you can give songs thumbs up or thumbs down so that the system plays more music to your liking.  From my experience, it didn’t seem to work that well but on the level of discovering new and international music, Musicovery does the job pretty well.

Amie Street

I realize Amie Street isn’t an on-demand music player however IF you are seeking free music, Amie Street is a brilliant brilliant website to discover some new and upcoming artists on the scene.  I’ve found quite a few  but it takes time to go through the site and sort through what you like.  Of course, that depends on whether or not you’re a leader and like to explore — because if you’re a follower … you’ll end up paying up to 99 cents per song based on the level of popular demand.

Seeqpod

Seeqpod is a favourite in the office (shh…) when things just seem a little too quiet.  A relatively simple user interface, Seeqpod allows you to search through all sorts of media (mp3s, YouTube, etc.) but only allows you to queue up mp3s or other audio files.  The great thing is that you can then save your playlist and return, or even embed your playlist on to your own blog, website, etc.

Another neat element to Seeqpod is that you can see what other people are searching for in real time.  Good way to find new music.

Songza

Is very much like Seeqpod.  Search for songs you like and queue them up on your playlist.  Slightly more straight-forward cleaner interface and they feature artists.

—

Now on to stuff I haven’t actually tried but looks pretty spiffy to some degree:

Guitarati

This reminds me of Musicovery — playing music based on mood.  It’s really like a blend between Musicovery and Amie Street.  The difference with Guitarati is that you get to select music based on a diverse number of big colourful circles!  Oh … and you have to pay for some of the music but again like Amie Street, it varies based on demand.

Deezer

A French start-up that looks like it’s got potential.  To quote from the website: “The concept is simple: To offer, free of charge and legally, all kinds of music, from rock to hip-hop, jazz, electro and world music While at the same time, artists and rights owners receive a share of advertising revenue.“  So lots of free music of all kinds to enjoy.  Supposedly you can even download and store mp3s for yourself — sound good?

iLike

For those who have iLike attached to their Facebook or Myspace or <insert social networking site> … iLike works similar to Last.fm and allows for discovery of music through your network of friends.  I haven’t really touched this but it is likely just as popular as Last.fm — I guess when it comes to stuff like this, you have to ask — where are all of your friends?  I presume you’ll be joining them…unless you’ve got a rebellious streak…

—

Here are some other sites that seem interesting but I’m not so sure that I will likely make use of:

Free Napster

Wow… Napster… I haven’t touched Napster since my days in university.  This is their free version as opposed to their subscription-based site.  Seems to be good for all around music tastes but I left Napster a long time ago — don’t really intend on returning.

Highnote

From scanning through this website, it seems like a large number of “stations” set up playing various types of music.  I believe you can create your own as well.  Just a glance noted that the highest number of stations were hip hop related but there are a fair share of other genres being played.

Qbox

This is a download that allows you to stream music from social networking sites like Bebo or Myspace.  While the interface reminds me very much of iTunes, it isn’t really to my liking.  I like web-based applications that I don’t need to download on to new machines.  At the same time, this may be to your liking if you’re quite involved in MySpace and just want to queue up all your favourite artists.

Soundlantern

This reminds me of a blend between Highnote and YouTube.  People often upload their own remixes and there are a lot of channels that you can subscribe to.  Sort of like … stations?

Streamzy

This is like a slightly more complex looking Seeqpod or Songza.  The user interface is a little more slick.

HearWhere

Not quite an on-demand website, this actually seems somewhat interesting.  Primarily for concert goers, the idea is to listen to the tracks by various artists and decide whether or not you want to attend.  It primarily streams from other social networking sites.

—

I hope this has been helpful to you folks who keep arriving at my site looking for free music on-demand!  Now go listen to your hearts content :)

A few others that I haven’t checked out just yet:

8tracks

Muxtape

Hmm… if only I had all that music handy on my road trips. But the local radio station was still cool.

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The Scorecard of Awesomeness

Published
by
Ehren
on October 22, 2008
in Interests, Ponderings and fun
. 2 Comments

The other day, my colleague Erin Winzer and I had a brief discussion surrounding the idea of “levels” of awesomeness.  Actually, it was more like I was firing the questions at her while she was trying to working (shhh…).  I wondered about how would we rank levels of awesomeness?  So to call upon the wordsmiths or those who just want to have a little chuckle here is how I setup the Scorecard of Awesomeness.  What’s even more interesting is how we each define these rankings along with the personalization of each word.

Technically awesome by itself is defined as inspiring awe or admiration or wonder.

Generally speaking, we make use of adjectives to describe the level of awesomeness:
i.e. quite awesome, pretty awesome, totally awesome, fantastically awesome, extremely awesome.

Instead of doing that, I thought why not remove the awesome and have a range of adjectives each convey that awesomeness by themselves.

If you want to refer to something a little more mathematical or in some sense — outrageous, I’d recommend reviewing something like this from the Uncyclopedia.

So to create this scorecard, I needed to round up a number of words:

fantastic / wonderful / tremendous / terrific / marvelous / brilliant / phenomenal / amazing / magnificent / superb / glorious / great / outstanding / spectacular / solid / cool / sweet / excellent

Based on how I use these words, this is my own 5 scale result (#1 being most awesome of course):

The Scorecard of Awesomeness (aka. The Awesome Scorecard?)

1. Brilliant

2. Solid

3. Amazing

4. Great

5. Cool

What’s funny is that I really don’t think in terms of terrific, or tremendous, or phenomenal.  It’s also interesting that the words I chose also had 1 to 3 syllables.  What does that say about me?

Hmm… simplistic?  — Honestly, I don’t know.  Ultimately awesome will fit somewhere in the middle.

So how would you organize your own scale of awesomeness?  Perhaps you have words that I haven’t added?

Make your own!

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Inspiration of the Week - 20081019

Published
by
Ehren
on October 19, 2008
in nature, photographs, travel and weekly inspiration
. 0 Comments

Whew … what a week. Thankfully I did end up processing all the photographs from my recent trip to Colorado. But one photograph has kept me inspired throughout a challenging week sans the Canadian election. I guess it reminded me of the challenge I quite enjoyed as I hiked up the Great Sand Dunes. When I arrived, it wasn’t hot — actually there was quite the cool breeze however hiking on sand was a very different experience. There were times when I thought I’d slip and roll down the sand dune… which could be fun in some sense although I wasn’t intending on trying it out…

Great Sand Dunes of Colorado by Ehren Cheung

Great Sand Dunes of Colorado by Ehren Cheung

There were two kids up ahead who didn’t have any water whatsoever. I did end up providing some water to them but I hope they reached the peak — they were certainly determined to :)

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