Weather Belongs to the Government

It's raining in Minnesota today.

Naturally, I'm interested to see how long it's going to rain and if there's a risk of frost so that I might cover my last crop of tomatoes overnight.

So, I navigate over to NOAA.gov because they seem to be right, most of the time.

This is the National Weather Service's site, so it's where every other news channel goes to get their weather information, as well.

However, when I went there today, I got this message:

So, evidently, weather reporting is a government function and if the government shuts down for a day, they won't leave up the last prediction set with the posting date and time.

This seems to me to be someone who is a little miffed at being not paid for the day and is demonstrating an "I'll show you" moment.

For the rest of us, I guess we'll only find out about the weather if it's an emergency because the people remaining behind to report on hurricanes and tornadoes evidently can't tell you that it's going to be rainy and mid-50s today.

Reply to All

I think that this is the one function that really ought to be disabled in email...at least for everyone EXCEPT the originating author.

The rules of email say that you should never Reply to All, anyway unless you're the author because the author is the one that has asked for your feedback- not everyone else that was unfortunate enough to be listed on the CC list.

And I have found that the larger the CC list, more likely it is that people, who would normally remain silent, feel compelled to add their two worthless comments in the Biblically long email.  And the comments are always things like:

"I agree"

or

"I'm good with that"

or

"I'm free at 2 also" (no comma)

or...the one I ABSOLUTELY HATE:

"Thanks!!!!!!!"

It seems that the longer the CC list, the more exclamation points are birthed at the end of the globally beneficent "Thanks".

Let me tell you as someone who has to wade through the shotgun-style email blasts like panning for a possible gold nugget:

You're all a bunch of freakin' morons.

Please, for the love of all that is brief:

DO NOT REPLY TO ALL WITH YOUR PATS ON THE BACK OR ATTEMPT TO USE EMAIL AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR, GEE, MEETING TO DISCUSS SOMETHING.

Email is not a forum.

Email is a letter.

Please don't use up my valuable inbox bits with your CC reply vomit.  It makes me want to spam you back something fierce.

Tech Support

Just a word on Tech Support...

Generally, these are underpaid young men who don't care what your problem is because they are in the middle of playing Gears of War 8 on their computers are work....That's if they're American.  Once you manage to get through the "You're bothering me" mentality, they're usually able to help.

But that's only if you manage to contact them.

Generally, companies put their Contact Us? number on the header or footer of their websites.  BUT NOT ANYMORE.  This ultra-boiled down, hide everything from the user Look and Feel means that trying to find the Tech Support number becomes a little bit of an exercise in detective work.

But the WORST example of hiding the Tech Support number has got to be WebEx.  They have "Help" and "Contact Us" buttons all over, but you have to actually log in to view the number!

Now, I understand where companies are going with this next hurdle that you have to overcome before actually addressing your problem, but, did they really think this through?

I mean, it reminds me of the other classic Tech Support scenario where you say you can't log in to your email and they say that they're emailing you instructions.  It's just as "helpful" and definitely makes me want to do business with a different business.

Can You Do This Math?

Today, I went to get my hair done.

Since it's a full hair highlighting by a pro, it's $100, which is shockingly on the cheap side nowadays.  At the end of the appointment, I was rather unethically told that the prices had gone up to $115.  When I looked shocked and repeated back, "$115?" the receptionist said that the prices had gone up "3 to 5 percent for the whole salon".

Now, this made me quite ticked...for two reasons.

One, yes, the price went up.

Two, they didn't notify me during ANY of the reminder emails or phone calls that the price had gone up, nor did they discuss it when I entered the salon, nor while I was sitting down to get my hair done.

But the part that REALLY pissed me off was this:

The difference from $100 to $115 is, uhm, 15%!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It's not 3-5%, which would be $103 to $105.

When I pointed out this mathematical discrepancy, the woman (no, she was a brunette) cocked her head and actually said, "huh?"

And while it disgusted me to have this thought cross my mind because of the prejudicial nature of it, I had it none the less, which was, "So, this is why you're working at as a salon receptionist...because you can't figure out the percentage on $100?"

At least I didn't say it.

But I really wanted to.

Mickey

So, my husband was pointing out the question to my daughter today:

"Yeah...do you think it's strange that a mouse has a dog for a pet?"

Overlooking the obviously upsetting point about putting bounds around my daughter's imagination, it did make me think of this question:

When you got to Disneyland, Mickey is big- like an adult.  However, in all the books and cartoons, you always see human's knees at his eye-level...

...in other words, kid-sized.

So, why is it that he's big at Disneyland?  Would it be more appropriate to have Mickey played by small people?

The Shell Game

I have to say- the new Gmail and YahooMail designs make me think of the shell game...

You know, "Where's the bead?"

What happen to all of my controls!?  You morons have removed the obvious controls for people that required a single click to execute and moved them under a series of menus which require multiple clicks to get to, for example, my calendar.  

It used to be I could just click one button- now it's at least 3!  And that's only if you know where you're going!

You've completely forgotten how to be good designers for your customers.  

And it's to the point that I now am refusing to use EITHER of your sites.  I would rather use Windows Live Mail than Gmail...and that's saying something because Windows products are filled with tons of usage issues.

But all of that is better than stumbling around in a constantly boiled down webdesign.

Don't Read The Fine Print

  I found this ad in the newspaper on Sunday advertising an orange-colored, "natural flavored vanilla" milk.

The gist of the ad is that there is a product that is "natural"...without hormones, without corn syrup....and even 35% less sugar!

But I have to ask you:  if you're looking for something healthy for your child to drink (I assume this is for kids, because I can't imagine any adult drinking a "natural flavored vanilla" orange milk), are you really going to buy into this product as being the ideal choice?

I mean:

1. Milk that's orange...uhm, food coloring?
2. 35% less sugar...I looked at the fine print and the chocolate milk as 18g of sugar PER SERVING.  They don't even disclose how much is in the vanilla version.  And they DON'T describe the serving size.
3. While the orange one is "naturally flavored", they don't make (can't make) the same claim about the chocolate one.

So....

uhm, Yum?  

I guess I shouldn't be too quick to judge...after all, I did enjoy a few glasses of banana Quik in my childhood.

But, I think I will be passing on this as a choice for my family.