9 Things I Learned From Friday's Snowstorm

For those of you in the Detroit area, you got a chance to experience the first major storm of the snow season on Friday. Most of the schools were out for the day and it seemed like half of the workforce was home as well. According to the National Weather Service, the area received between seven and 12 inches, most of it coming down during the morning period.

This led to a long commute for myself (I drive 30 miles one way each day from Westland to Troy) and it also provided some lessons for me to learn. I thought I would share some things I learned from this unordinary day.

1. Good Samaritan's still exist.
I witnessed 3 acts of kindness on this day. 3 different people helped stuck cars right outside my window at work. Each time, a car got stuck in the snow coming out of a parking lot or going in. Another person ended up stopping within 5 minutes, got a shovel out of their trunk, shoveled the snow away and then helped rock and push them on their way. It made me proud to see fellow Detroiter's help each other out. It was pretty cool to witness 5 stories up.

2. Yes, you can get stuck in 10 inches of snow
These weren't really snow drifts, it was just snow from the day that these cars were getting stuck in.

3. And yes, your bumper can get ripped off trying to get your car unstuck.
Yep, I saw it happen. One of those good samaritan's ended up connecting it back on so the person could drive away with some diginity.

4. If you don't feel comfortable driving faster than 10 mph on the highway, you probably shouldn't be driving during a snow storm.
I passed at least 4 vehicles that were on 3 and 4 lane highways driving around 10 mph. The average speed of everyone else was 30 mph. What's even worse, each of them had their hazards on. It just seemed that driving way to slow was just as unsafe as driving too fast. I would suggest you stay at home or maybe you should consider spending the night in the office so you don't have to drive in during the storm.

5. Just because their are 3 lanes on the road, doesn't mean you should go 3 wide on the road.
You can't see the lanes, so why not follow everyone else. Most people were taking a safe approach and staying away from other vehicles. The closer everyone is to each other, the better chance a spinout will take out more vehicles. Is it really worth it?

6. Your SUV/truck obeys the same laws of physics that my car does.
Really, it does. No, seriously. I'm not kidding. If you drive 55 mph and you expect to stop in the same distance as a car moving at half that speed, it's not going to happen.

7. Sometimes it's worth it to pay the neighborhood kid to snowblow your sidewalks and driveway.
My wife worked from home during the day and a neighborhood kid stopped by to ask if he could snowblow our walk ways and driveway (for a donation of course). I'm sure glad she said yes. It saved us a ton of time since we were going to have to shovel the 8 inches of snow. And, it rewarded a kid who's actually out doing work and helping people in the community, instead of a kid who's out throwing eggs at parked cars (see #9)

8. You will feel bad for your dog if the snow is up to their chest.
I feel really bad for our dog. She hates the cold. She goes outside, shivers, goes the bathroom and comes back. The only problem is, the snow is too high to even do that. We cleared out a path for her, but it's still pretty sad.

9. Teenagers in Milford have nothing to do on a Friday night other than throw eggs at parked cars.
We were at a Christmas Party and when we were ready to leave, we found a nice frozen omelette on the side of our vehicle. Needless to say, we had to stop at a self-serve car wash at 1:30AM in the morning.

Gmail Team Introduces Themes and Colors

With email hooked up to my Samsung Instinct, I don't always sign in to my Gmail account on a PC. I happened to log in today and notice something a little different. Gmail now offers colors and themes for your inbox. The Gmail team announced it on their blog earlier this week.

While I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to my desktop (I still use the old-school Windows desktop theme instead of the XP theme), I think it's great that Google continues to evolve their products. They create products that are robust and simple and then continue to make them better.

There are 15 new colors and 15 themes for your inbox. The funniest them by far (probably because I'm such a geek) has to be the "terminal" theme. It changes your entire inbox into a green-screen AS400/Bboard theme. Classic.

Technology Archives from Kyle's World of Content

I decided to port some older technology posts from my other blog, Kyle's World of Content, to this blog. It will hopefully give you some perspective and context for my current blogging. I hope you enjoy!

Is It Really A Genuine Advantage, Microsoft?

When I turned on my computer today, I noticed the "Yellow Shield of Protection" on display at the bottom right hand corner of my screen. You know, the "Updates are ready for your computer" message where you usually just click through. And why not click through, it's not like you would run into any problems. Right?

Well, I clicked to open and instead of blindly clicking through, I decided to review what would be installed. I found the following "tool" was going to be installed:



It's a Windows Genuine Advantage Notification tool installation. Now, I'll give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt. They are really trying to get people to buy a real copy of Windows. After all, they are a business. The problem comes into play when this tool installs and then tells you your copy of Windows has been compromised, similar to the situation I had when I tried to reinstall my copy of Windows XP on my laptop (even though the Product Key was stuck to the bottom of it). Then that person will have to jump through hoops to fix the issue. All this tool really does is hurt consumers who really did pay to get the software. Those who got a copy without paying have already figured out how to get around this system. How do you think they installed it in the first place?

Needless to say, I'm not installing the tool right now until I can review the patch later. If I do run into problems, I don't want the hassle right now and I'm just not prepared to switch over all my PC's to Linux, yet...

The Lesser of Two Evils: ISP Caps or ISP Snooping

I recently read an article posted on PCWorld.com titled "Comcast's Cap May Mean Less Snooping on Your Net Browsing". In it, author Erik Larkin comments on the latest news about Comcast and the bandwidth caps they are starting to enforce on their customers. He states since they have caps, there won't be any reason for them to snoop on the use of your internet traffic because it won't matter. As soon as you hit the cap, you'll be done until next month. Why snoop and shape shift the data if everyone has the same bandwidth to use.

I think there's a few reasons to question whether such a "policy" would happen with Comcast or other ISP's for that matter.

1) ISP's make money off of that data
- Would you give up a revenue stream of around $5 per user?

2) ISP's need the data to market their own products
- We already know other companies pay for the data, why wouldn't Comcast keep the data and figure out how to make it work in their favor. They already get it for free.

3) There are other entities that seem to have "legal" interests tied to the data
- Governments, the RIAA, Hollywood

Although the discussion about whether Comcast will stop snooping because of this cap is interesting, I think it's really missing the bigger picture. The real issue is, the cap is really going to stop consumers from realizing and utilizing the innovative products and tools offered on the internet. Web sites like YouTube and Hulu and Netflix will go unwatched while intensive web programs will go unused. Web based companies will have to adapt, maybe causing quicker sites and less intensive programs, but possibly less quality.

If ISP's like Comcast want to keep consumers happy and continue to promote innovation on the internet, caps need to lifted and the full potential of the internet can finally be realized.

How Not to Make a Customer For Life

A prevailing theme at my place of work is "Making a Customer for Life". A customer that comes back for more every time. A customer who doesn't care about other companies are out there, they just know the company they are with right now is the one for them.

Do you want to know how not to make a customer for life? Give them a reason to look for other options. Make it difficult for them to continue to be a loyal customer. Sometimes change hurts when you're a customer. They may stay with your brand just because it's easier not to change, but if you make it difficult, then the will to change will push them over the fear of the change.

I've experienced this first hand in the last few weeks. I, being a fairly loyal customer of Microsoft, decided I needed to make a change. It wasn't because I wanted the change, but because the circumstances I was in encouraged the change.

Here's how to not make a customer for life:

1. Make it difficult for your customers to get replacement media

I know, it's my fault. I lost the Windows XP CD. I should've made a backup (which I would've lost). But it shouldn't be this difficult to get a replacement. I looked all over Microsoft's support site. Didn't find it. I searched the maker of my laptop, Toshiba. Didn't find it. Shouldn't this be in a FAQ? What were my options? I could either download it from a P2P network or borrow one from a friend.

2. Take away the customers ability to install software they own

I ended up trying to install Windows with a friends CD. Shouldn't be a problem, right? I have my product license key stuck to the bottom of my laptop. It wouldn't install with it. I was lifting up the laptop, typing 5 characters at a time. It would never take. Even if I used a different key, I knew from past experiences that Windows won't update any of the service packs without Windows being authenticated.

3. Assume your customers don't have any other options

I could have called Microsoft or Toshiba. But I didn't want to have to. I'm not usually home during the hours of their support line and it was a hassle for me. It was at that point that I looked for other options. My laptop couldn't handle Vista and I wasn't planning on buying a new PC. So I started looking into Linux, settling with the Ubuntu operating system. I'm blogging from my laptop right now, using a free OS that has everything I need.

I'm not convinced Linux is the answer for everyone. What I am convinced of though, is that technology companies need to start thinking they are the ones privileged enough to serve the customer instead of thinking the customer should feel privileged to use the companies product.

It's not like I'm ditching Windows, but they did give me a reason to try something new and challenging. So, I guess I can thank Microsoft for something.

Welcome to The Straits of Tech blog

Let me introduce myself. My name is Kyle Harrison and this is my blog. I plan on sharing my love for technology, business, and my beloved city of Detroit with you. My goal is to enhance and engage the internet community. In order to help me reach my goals, please leave your comments or seek me out on twitter. Thank you and enjoy!

Obama Continues to Use Internet Buzzwords on Google

I have to thank my twitterfeed again for finding this. User @chownage notes that when you google the word twitter, it comes up with the popular micro-blogging tool first, but then the second link is to Barack Obama's twitter page. I would think this might confirm Obama's campaign includes paying for better page ranks in search, especially since the same thing was happening when you searched Facebook last week and now it's gone. I guess it could be popular enough to make it to the top.



I'm still a little torn on whether it's a great idea or just over the top. Not that anything illegal is happening. It just seems like polotics is all about association and if you're associated with up and coming internet companies and buzzwords like Facebook and Twitter, it's probably better than being associated with oil companies and an old regime.

Cropper Makes My Life Easier

Cropper? What can Cropper do for me? Well, I don't know exactly what it can do for you, but I know what it has done for me. This easy to use tool allows you to take a snapshot of anything on your screen in any size by simply double-clicking. It's great for blogging, documentation, and technical support. A co-worker introduced it to me at work and I use it everyday. I can size the snapshot, then double-click and paste to an email or Word or PowerPoint. Such a great tool.

I just used it for the first time at home in my last blog post and I thought I would share it with you.

Cropper was created by Brian Scott. You can read his blog post about Cropper, including all features and fixes. You can download Cropper here. Enjoy!

Barack Obama and Facebook

Does anyone find it odd the second search result from typing in Facebook into google is Barack Obama's Facebook page? Does that mean there's that much interest in that page or it's the most relevant page for Facebook in Google indexes? Interesting...



Update: I have to thank @chownage from my Twitterfeed for letting me know about this interesting find.

Samsung Instinct Fails to Upload YouTube Videos

If you've been following my Twitter feed at all, you've noticed I've been trying to start using my Samsung Instinct for more than just it's phone calling capabilities. Today, I thought I would upload my first video to YouTube. I think it would be cool to share with family, friends, and the public the things I get to witness in my life.

The process seemed to be fairly simple. I registered my phone with YouTube, then shot a quick 25 second video of my sleeping dog. I then uploaded it to YouTube, received a confirmation that it was uploaded and then proceeded to YouTube to view my work.

What I found was a cute video of the dog, but no audio. After searching to see if I did something wrong or if there was a problem with YouTube or the phone, I came across a forum thread that describes in detail what the problem was. Apparently, Samsung and/or Sprint failed to make sure the audio codec they were using would work with YouTube.

The irony in it all? Back when the phone was released, Sprint kicked off a marketing campaign where they would pay you $20 to upload videos of the Instinct to YouTube. Apparently they never consulted with Samsung on whether that was a good idea(you know, since they never tested to see if the phone can upload videos properly to YouTube). It kind of makes me feel like the marketing team at Sprint probably never used the phone themselves.

Too bad for me, I guess. I'll either have to wait for a fix or start looking for another option. Here's the video if you care to watch, without the audio of course.

Web 2.0 - Contribution is Key

I've spent most of my night cleaning up Google Reader, trying to ship eBay auction items, tinkering with my new phone, and learning about more things I won't have time to use. I turn into a technology-sponge when I sit at my computer. I just enjoy plowing through all the feeds and info. According to Google Reader, I browsed through almost 1200 items today, and we didn't I wasn't even home from our 3 day weekend until 4PM.

All this to say, did I just waste the last 5 hours? Did I do something productive? Did I affect anything in a positive way? I don't know. Maybe someone will read something I have done and say, well done, who knows. I think I need to train myself to contribute to the web 2.0 sphere, not just feed off of it. Although I really haven't found the time to get involved in FriendFeed yet, my limited experience with it has taught me if I want to contribute, I can't sit on the sidelines. If I really want to learn, I have to be involved and open up. I can read 1200 items in a day, but have I shared with anyone what I have learned or how it makes me feel? I want to be part of an interactive web, not a self-affixed knowledge sponge. I need to start finding ways to sqeeze the sponge after it has been soaked up. Once I start squeezing, hopefully my experiences can be shared with others in a way that inspires.

Can You Be a Casual Internet Junkie?

I was pondering this question over the last few days while I thought about my interests in the web 2.0 'sphere. Can you really be a junkie if you only have the time for it to be a casual interest? Sometimes I don't feel like I have time to keep up with the internet. I am signed up on so many sites that I don't have time to use. I just signed up for Freindfeed just because I heard it was cool. I could spend hours reading through feeds, writing reviews, updating a blog, or tweeting it up. I sign up for sites that I just hear about, I'm not even sure if I'll use it or not.

It really leads me to my next question. Why do I enjoy web 2.0 so much? Well, I think it comes down to contribution and interaction. I want to be able to learn and share with others. I want to have fun and intelligent conversations about technology, local issues, the economy. I want to learn what's interesting to other people that have the same (or sometimes differing) interests. That's what makes it so great. You don't have 1 site to check for news or opinion, you can see the ebb and flow of what's important to people everywhere.

For now, I think I'll be a casual junkie. I'll get to the computer when I can. It's a hobby. Maybe some day it will be more than that, but that's definitely not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for opportunities to open my mind and to contribute to the greater cloud of the web.

What I Really Look Forward to Reading Online...

If you've taken any notice to the Google reader shared articles feed, I probably read a blog called TechDirt the most. It keeps me up to speed on a lot of different things that are going on with media, patents, business models, and how it affects consumers, businesses and the world as a whole. Their articles encompass a lot of different subjects. They also post around 10 times a day, so there's always something new. I took a little break from content for about a month, so I'm trying to catch up to today's posts. Only 80 more to go. If you really want to keep up to date on what's going on in the technology world, with some great commentary and discussion, I suggest you check them out.

My Inconsistent Blogging

I just realized that I blog so little that my wife has taken me off of her list of blogs she reads. I'm probably still in her Google reader though. But can you blame her? I'm still pretty involved with Facebook, at least enough to keep up with the friends updates. I'm also a little enthralled with twitter right now, so maybe that's my new outlet. The content I do get to read I usually share through Google reader or comment on in either Facebook or twitter. So my web 2.0 usability just seems to come in waves. I really only keep up with 1 to 2 things at a time. We'll see if I can keep up with anything long enough where it is considered a sustainable hobby.

How to Make Friends and Influence Air Travelers

So, I'm currently sitting in the Rochester Airport waiting for a 5PM flight. Now, what do I do with my 4 hours of time before I'm ready to board. I could buy a book or a magazine. I could grab a bite to eat. I could people watch (I don't think I'll ever stop doing that in an airport). Or, I could take my laptop out and get some work done or surf around on the internet.

Here's my dilemma. Why do I need to pay $9.99 for 24 hour time slot to get on their network? I'm not paying for the internet at that point. I'm really just paying for the convenience of using their connection to the internet. As a result, I actually found a wireless network called "linksys". More than likely one of the offices or vendors in the airport have a router opened up.

Right now you're probably thinking I'm either really cheap or I'm stealing internet. Well first, I am cheap. I'm going to look for a bargain when I can. If I really wanted to get on the internet, I'd probably pay the $9.99. On the other hand, why isn't their competition? Why should 1 company have the right to charge? Secondly, I'm not stealing anything. Whoever owns the router decided it wasn't important enough to keep the public off of it.

So vendors, want to get on my "companies I like" list while I'm traveling? Open up your network so I can get on the internet. Even better, let travelers know you have free wi-fi and they just might stop in for a bite to eat. And to the airports who think it's a good idea to sign a monopoly contract with these ISP's. Don't. You'll have happier travelers and less complaints. Trust me.

Are Annoyances on the Internet Worth It?

I wanted to see what the top stories were over at the Detroit Free Press web site, and an animated flying bee went over the page and eventually landed on a banner ad on the right of the screen. Thank you to the programmer who just pushed me to never come back again. I'll go ahead and use Google Reader from now on. Try going to weather.com without some animated pop-up on your screen or having to see some animated dancing silhouette. Thanks to Firefox, I can now block them with ease.

Do you want to know why I use Firefox and RSS Readers like Google reader and I hardly have any applications added on Facebook? Because I think the internet is really annoying sometimes. Things like unsolicited pop-up ads, invitations, and busy sites just don't appeal to me.

I guess those are the things I will have to continue to deal with on a "free" internet. It's one of the biggest reasons I won't come back to a site. Unless I really need the info, I'll look elsewhere.

I understand ads (as you can see some of the ones on my own blog), but give me a reason to come back to your site or I'll continue to use tools that make my experience with the internet better.