Just an update for readers. I'm trying to change the template to the Test-Lab blog to make it more readable and enjoyable.
In doing so, I've mangled some of the info I had here before.
Stay tuned, I hope to have the site back in perfect form...with a new look...by Tuesday, May 12, 2009.
Thanks!
Jeff
South Shore Country Club - Low Hanging Fruit
4.26.2009
I'm a golfer. Sometimes. Recreationally.
And one of the things I've learned over the years of playing different golf courses is that some facilities are very adept at capitalizing on the simple revenue builders that present themselves.
Others, like South Shore Country Club in Hingham, fall dismally short of creating a win-win for their bottom line and their patrons.
What am I talking about? Let's go with real-world examples, shall we?
My brother and I were on the eighth hole at South Shore and we felt some hunger pangs. We looked at each other and agreed that we should call the clubhouse and order some lunch.
1 - The reason we had to call ahead was because the snack shack at the turn was closed. On a Saturday. In the middle of the day.
2 - When we called the pro shop, they said they didn't have the phone number for the restaurant. Good work.
3 - Thankfully I had an iPhone with me. I went online and found the restaurant/catering number. We called it. The phone rang and then went to voicemail.
What's the story? No snacks sold because the shack was closed. A quick $2 hot dog and a Gatorade sold to us instead of two $7 sandwiches.
Put a phone in at the eighth tee box that rings directly in the kitchen. Guessing that 50%+ of people playing would call ahead for a meal.
ALSO, if people could call ahead for their meal, the course would see more play and generate more revenue.
How? Because the people who still need to eat after nine holes are going to slow up play while they wait for the ONE person working on a Saturday to get their hot dogs.
Other failures during Saturday's round? No water in many of the coolers on the course. No ranger on the course ANYWHERE at any time...ON A SATURDAY. And finally, the starter was hanging out in the pro shop while cart after cart of players lined up at the tee box, bogging down play for the rest of the day.
By the way, golf courses aren't alone in this. My friend Rachel Happe just had an interminable 11-hour ride on the Amtrak Acela train. She told the world via Twitter that the train had no food in the cafe car and that the train - supposedly a modern transportation marvel - was not wired for Wifi.
Are companies not thinking about how to make a buck? Are they that complacent?
No wonder we're in a depression/recession.
What failures to capitalize have you seen lately? Please share in the notes here.
-30-
And one of the things I've learned over the years of playing different golf courses is that some facilities are very adept at capitalizing on the simple revenue builders that present themselves.
Others, like South Shore Country Club in Hingham, fall dismally short of creating a win-win for their bottom line and their patrons.
What am I talking about? Let's go with real-world examples, shall we?
My brother and I were on the eighth hole at South Shore and we felt some hunger pangs. We looked at each other and agreed that we should call the clubhouse and order some lunch.
1 - The reason we had to call ahead was because the snack shack at the turn was closed. On a Saturday. In the middle of the day.
2 - When we called the pro shop, they said they didn't have the phone number for the restaurant. Good work.
3 - Thankfully I had an iPhone with me. I went online and found the restaurant/catering number. We called it. The phone rang and then went to voicemail.
What's the story? No snacks sold because the shack was closed. A quick $2 hot dog and a Gatorade sold to us instead of two $7 sandwiches.
Put a phone in at the eighth tee box that rings directly in the kitchen. Guessing that 50%+ of people playing would call ahead for a meal.
ALSO, if people could call ahead for their meal, the course would see more play and generate more revenue.
How? Because the people who still need to eat after nine holes are going to slow up play while they wait for the ONE person working on a Saturday to get their hot dogs.
Other failures during Saturday's round? No water in many of the coolers on the course. No ranger on the course ANYWHERE at any time...ON A SATURDAY. And finally, the starter was hanging out in the pro shop while cart after cart of players lined up at the tee box, bogging down play for the rest of the day.
By the way, golf courses aren't alone in this. My friend Rachel Happe just had an interminable 11-hour ride on the Amtrak Acela train. She told the world via Twitter that the train had no food in the cafe car and that the train - supposedly a modern transportation marvel - was not wired for Wifi.
Are companies not thinking about how to make a buck? Are they that complacent?
No wonder we're in a depression/recession.
What failures to capitalize have you seen lately? Please share in the notes here.
-30-
review: mind the gap
4.19.2009
Mind the Gap: A Novel of the Hidden Cities
Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
978-0-553-38469-7
$12US trade paperback, 370 pages
May 20, 2008
After Jasmine Town is a near-witness to her mother's murder, she finds herself alone and on the run, the words her mother had written in her own blood driving her away from home. Jazz hide forever. Her mother had told her for as long as she could remember never to run, to lose herself in a crowd, that running only drew attention. However, in a panic, she bolts into an Underground station and causes a fuss on the platform. Seeing an out, she takes it -- a narrow ledge beyond the platform which leads her to the doorstep of another life.
In what used to be a bomb shelter, she finds a storehouse of goods and foods. And a group of 'lost children' and their 'leader', who call themselves the United Kingdom. A group of thieves and pickpockets, these children rely upon these skills for their livelihoods. They take Jazz into their fold where all the paranoia her mother raised her with serves her and the United Kingdom well.
Jasmine Downe's story is one any fan of young adult fantasy, sleight of hand magic, and intrigue is sure to enjoy.
Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
978-0-553-38469-7
$12US trade paperback, 370 pages
May 20, 2008
After Jasmine Town is a near-witness to her mother's murder, she finds herself alone and on the run, the words her mother had written in her own blood driving her away from home. Jazz hide forever. Her mother had told her for as long as she could remember never to run, to lose herself in a crowd, that running only drew attention. However, in a panic, she bolts into an Underground station and causes a fuss on the platform. Seeing an out, she takes it -- a narrow ledge beyond the platform which leads her to the doorstep of another life.
In what used to be a bomb shelter, she finds a storehouse of goods and foods. And a group of 'lost children' and their 'leader', who call themselves the United Kingdom. A group of thieves and pickpockets, these children rely upon these skills for their livelihoods. They take Jazz into their fold where all the paranoia her mother raised her with serves her and the United Kingdom well.
Jasmine Downe's story is one any fan of young adult fantasy, sleight of hand magic, and intrigue is sure to enjoy.
book review: kim paffenroth - dying to live: life sentence
2.08.2009
Dying to Live: Life Sentence
Kim Paffenroth
Permuted Press, October 2008
978-1-934861-11-0
212pp, paperback, $14.95US
Twelve years after the end of the world, the survivors have come to a certain peace within their compound. They found other scattered groups of survivors who had barricaded themselves in various defensible places. These became part of their community. They've claimed some of the houses, the school, and a few other buildings. They've created farms for growing their own food. With no real form of government, they did have few rules and created certain rituals and such to help guide them through their changed lives. They even have created unique ways of dealing with the undead. And above all else, they live their lives with as much 'normalcy' as they know how.
Life Sentence is written as journal entries from two very different points of view which with certain inevitable eventuality collide together. One is Zoey, twelve years old on the threshold of her adulthood; her piece is written as the adult Zoey looking back at that time in her life. The other is one of the zombie 'survivors' who's able to read and write and through the course of the story learns who he was and who falls in love!
Paffenroth's writing is intelligent, poignant, and in more than one instance brought tears to my eyes (but I won't give any spoilers!). The parallels drawn between the survivors and the zombies is chilling and makes one think. A few scenes are a bit graphic but necessary to drive the plot forward; even so, these scenes are well written and well carried. It is a pleasure--and a fright--to see the world after the Dying to Live: A Novel of Life Among the Undead apocalypse, to see it through the eyes of the survivors, to learn how they've molded and adapted to their new world, to witness the horrors they experience in order to endure.
Kim Paffenroth maintains a blog at http://gotld.blogspot.com. Permuted Press is on the web at http://permutedpress.com.
Kim Paffenroth
Permuted Press, October 2008
978-1-934861-11-0
212pp, paperback, $14.95US
Twelve years after the end of the world, the survivors have come to a certain peace within their compound. They found other scattered groups of survivors who had barricaded themselves in various defensible places. These became part of their community. They've claimed some of the houses, the school, and a few other buildings. They've created farms for growing their own food. With no real form of government, they did have few rules and created certain rituals and such to help guide them through their changed lives. They even have created unique ways of dealing with the undead. And above all else, they live their lives with as much 'normalcy' as they know how.
Life Sentence is written as journal entries from two very different points of view which with certain inevitable eventuality collide together. One is Zoey, twelve years old on the threshold of her adulthood; her piece is written as the adult Zoey looking back at that time in her life. The other is one of the zombie 'survivors' who's able to read and write and through the course of the story learns who he was and who falls in love!
Paffenroth's writing is intelligent, poignant, and in more than one instance brought tears to my eyes (but I won't give any spoilers!). The parallels drawn between the survivors and the zombies is chilling and makes one think. A few scenes are a bit graphic but necessary to drive the plot forward; even so, these scenes are well written and well carried. It is a pleasure--and a fright--to see the world after the Dying to Live: A Novel of Life Among the Undead apocalypse, to see it through the eyes of the survivors, to learn how they've molded and adapted to their new world, to witness the horrors they experience in order to endure.
Kim Paffenroth maintains a blog at http://gotld.blogspot.com. Permuted Press is on the web at http://permutedpress.com.
Able Planet Gaming Noise Reduction Headphones
1.25.2009
Better Headphones for me
Each day, I do most of my work with the computer on my lap, the telephone at my elbow and a pair of headphones around my noggin. This multi-tasking lifestyle requires me to be able to place a Skype call, record a podcast, chat with clients via iChat and use voice recognition software while reading email, writing columns and surfing the Internet.
In the past, I figured that all headsets and earphones were the same. Similar to the guy who might run to Target to buy a cheap pair of sneakers, I didn’t know that a good pair of shoes or a great pair of headphones could improve one’s experience so dramatically.
Now I know.
In the drawer next to me sits a pair of $30 Logitech headphones that I have decided to donate to science because the Able Planet pair of True Fidelitys I’m wearing are light, comfy, superior in sound quality and outstanding for transmitting audio.
The model I have is the PS500MM. They go for about $100 and they were designed as noise-canceling gaming headphones. But I love them for everyday use.
The sound remains clear no matter how high I turn the volume and the earcups are more like pads that sit on my hears instead of around them. This lets in ambient noise like my cell phone, the UPS guy at the door and the sound of the tea kettle boiling.
According to the packaging, the frequency response is 20-20k Hz and the microphone sensitivity at 1KHz is -65+/-5db. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I know they sound really good.
Friends and clients I’ve spoken to have let me know that I sound clearer to them as well. It might be the supremely adjustable boom microphone or the technology. Whatever it is, I like it.
The only drawbacks are that they come with two 3.5mm plugs that you have to insert into a USB adaptor (included) if your primary listening source is your computer. I can understand that this might be great for other sources - having a separate in and out - but to me it seemed like a lot of extra wires.
By the way, the inline volume control worked well, but the sliding mute button feels a little cheesy and I was afraid that I’d break it if I were constantly muting and unmuting my audio.
Until I find something that sounds better - or these fail to meet my needs - I’m sold on them.
-30-
Each day, I do most of my work with the computer on my lap, the telephone at my elbow and a pair of headphones around my noggin. This multi-tasking lifestyle requires me to be able to place a Skype call, record a podcast, chat with clients via iChat and use voice recognition software while reading email, writing columns and surfing the Internet.
In the past, I figured that all headsets and earphones were the same. Similar to the guy who might run to Target to buy a cheap pair of sneakers, I didn’t know that a good pair of shoes or a great pair of headphones could improve one’s experience so dramatically.
Now I know.
In the drawer next to me sits a pair of $30 Logitech headphones that I have decided to donate to science because the Able Planet pair of True Fidelitys I’m wearing are light, comfy, superior in sound quality and outstanding for transmitting audio.
The model I have is the PS500MM. They go for about $100 and they were designed as noise-canceling gaming headphones. But I love them for everyday use.
The sound remains clear no matter how high I turn the volume and the earcups are more like pads that sit on my hears instead of around them. This lets in ambient noise like my cell phone, the UPS guy at the door and the sound of the tea kettle boiling.
According to the packaging, the frequency response is 20-20k Hz and the microphone sensitivity at 1KHz is -65+/-5db. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I know they sound really good.
Friends and clients I’ve spoken to have let me know that I sound clearer to them as well. It might be the supremely adjustable boom microphone or the technology. Whatever it is, I like it.
The only drawbacks are that they come with two 3.5mm plugs that you have to insert into a USB adaptor (included) if your primary listening source is your computer. I can understand that this might be great for other sources - having a separate in and out - but to me it seemed like a lot of extra wires.
By the way, the inline volume control worked well, but the sliding mute button feels a little cheesy and I was afraid that I’d break it if I were constantly muting and unmuting my audio.
Until I find something that sounds better - or these fail to meet my needs - I’m sold on them.
-30-
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