iTunes Feedback on the Kodak Gallery iPhone App

Nearly every other software application I've used that's built by Kodak misses the mark, so why am I surprised and disappointed that this is no exception? With so many good examples out there, it's hard to understand how anyone—let alone a billion-dollar company—could mess up an iPhone picture viewer. There are kids out there writing web-based iPhone photo apps that run on private servers yet work and look better than this.

Kodak's entrée into the iPhone world seems clunky, buggy, and laden with quirky and gratuitous UI touches that mar the application's usability. From the login page with its ultra-small text size to the legal terms you have to accept [thanks, Kodak, you may be the first company to bring that experience to my iPhone], ultimately leading to photos that you can't pinch to zoom.... Well, once again Kodak has built an application that blatantly ignores and defies established user interaction models, and the result is nothing short of disappointing and embarrassing.

My rating: 2 stars

Watch the tiny thumbnail as the photo loads. Exciting.

Feedback for U.S. Airways

I just received your "open letter" about oil prices. I'll tell you what: when you start providing accountable customer service again, stop gouging for basic flight benefits like baggage and snacks, and start demonstrating in even the slightest way that you care about your customers' comfort and satisfaction...then and only then will I give a crap about how this short-term turn in fuel prices has contributed to your long-term inability to manage your corporate budget.

Feedback for classmates.com

I thought I should share with you why I just canceled my classmates.com membership. I've been using classmates.com since 2002--long before social networking, as it were, really took off. Between now and then, many other online services have launched that offer similar or better services. Most of these, like Plaxo and LinkedIn, facilitate networking without requiring paid membership to access key features, and they do it without the indiscriminate splattering of offensive advertising throughout their site.

Today, a page I visited in classmates.com launched a window that impersonated a system message, prompting me to install "security" software. I couldn't close the window without being redirected to the advertiser's own site, and they implemented this in a way that made navigating back to classmates.com nearly impossible. If you're going to treat your members with this kind of disregard, I'm not interested. Thanks for helping me get in touch with some of my old friends over the years; now it's time for me to leave.

Comment Card at Sheraton Stamford

Overall, what did you like best about your stay with us?

There is coffee in the room and the tub is clean (which was not true last time)

How could we improve your overall stay?

I'm a Gold member of [the Starwood Preferred Guest program]. Treat me like one. Let me know what benefits I'm getting. Apologize if (like tonight) you can't put me in a preferred room.

Did our employees take care of you in a friendly, efficient and responsive manner?

No. Since there's no ice bucket in the room, I called for one. It took 30 minutes to get here. Every time I'm here there are problems. Every time.

Please let us know the names of any employees with whom you had a particularly memorable interaction.

Are you a member of the Starwood Preferred Guest program?

Yes. But sometimes I have to ask, "what's the point?" I have to say that the practical application of preferred benefits is, at best, inconsistent.

Date of stay: 3/5/08

Room number: 4062

Additional feedback written on back of comment card:

• Your maid [awakened] me by knocking, even with my lock in the "privacy" position. Later, she walked in on me while I was getting ready, without knocking.
• The hook on the back of the bathroom door is broken.
• You've charged me a room service fee [for service] I did not [request or receive].

Response to Netflix

I am enormously disappointed to see Netflix abandon its HD DVD customers in favor of supporting just the Blu-ray format. Clearly Blu-ray looks like the inevitable winner in the wake of confusion left by this unfortunate format war. However, many consumers invested in HD DVD hardware over the past year or so [I’m included in that lot]. This decision by Netflix to stop stocking discs in the HD DVD format leaves these people with few options. Also, there are likely to be upcoming HD DVD titles that are unavailable in the Blu-ray format for a while. Netflix, you’re simply going to deny your customers of these titles in HD altogether? Even with Blockbuster switching [who really cares, right?] and retailers now clearly favoring Blu-ray, many consumers took comfort in the fact that some major studios still support the HD DVD format and that, all the while, Netflix has provided unwavering support for both formats. Until today. Until now.

I understand the need to gain economies. I understand the costs associated with distributed fulfillment. So here’s my plea, Netflix: Continue to offer titles in the HD DVD format as they’re released and as long as demand exists, but centralize the distribution. This allows for a smaller inventory while continuing to serve customers with the latest in high-def content. When customers select movies in the HD DVD format, they’ll do so knowing that the distribution process may take a little longer. That’s OK. I’m willing to wait a little longer for a title in a high definition format that I can use.

Eventually, one format will prevail, but that day hasn’t truly arrived yet. That day won’t arrive until all the major studios abandon support for and discontinue the release of titles in the other format. That day may be tomorrow, but from what I see, it’s at least five months—if not a full year or so—from now.

Respectfully,

Richard
Long-time Netflix customer and HD DVD adopter (doh!)

Feedback for NBC

I'm frustrated and disappointed that NBC has decided to walk away from iTunes--the leading online store for purchasing TV episodes to watch on a mobile device. While I'm sure the executives have everyone convinced that this was the right move, I believe that it was short-sighted. Like many, many other consumers, I have no interest in purchasing television content that I cannot take with me on my iPod--the market's leading mobile media device available today. I have no interest purchasing content that I cannot play on multiple devices around my home (with iTunes I can play the episodes on my iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, and on my laptop--all without an Internet connection). I have no interest in streaming TV shows on my computer while tied to my desk. And I have no interest in paying more for a season of episodes than I would pay for the entire box set of DVDs for that season. It's just not going to happen. So it seems that NBC has lost my business for video downloads. I suspect I'm not alone.

iPhone Beta Site Feedback for Amazon.com

[I] love the implementation of Amazon.com for the iPhone. LOVE it! It's  clean and concise--reminds me a little of iTunes on the iPhone. I hope to see add-to-wishlist functionality soon, as I'm more likely to add something to my wishlist while on-the-go than to actually buy it.

- Richard
Frequent Amazon customer and Amazon Prime member

Sent from my iPhone

An E-mail Reply to a Westin Hotel Manager

I recently stayed at a Westin Hotel and encountered numerous problems in my room. After reporting the issues to the front desk, I was comped with a generous number of Starwood points, and received a personal e-mail message from the hotel's front office manager. This was my reply.

Thank you. I truly appreciate you doing right by your customers, and I will accept your offer to try [your] Westin again. But frankly, it’s far more important that you correct the problems that the issues I encountered indicate. The multiple problems and inconsistencies in the bed linens and their application suggest a failure in housekeeping staff training and supervision. The disconnected phone suggests a problem with your maintenance staff. And my having to get dressed and visit the restaurant to get sugar for my morning coffee in the room was likely the result of a careless refresh of supplies.

I feel like the Westin brand has become very inconsistent over the past few years, and it’s very disappointing to me. Starwood hotels—in particular Westin hotels and above—are my preferred destination for business and personal travel. As I said before, I certainly appreciate the point comp, but I’m more interested in helping to ensure that Westin hotels continue to offer the quality experience that you and I should both expect.

Regards,
Richard

Feedback for Amazon and TiVo about Unbox on TiVo

I love Amazon Unbox video downloads for TiVo. When Amazon first unveiled Unbox, I was leery of its proprietary desktop playback solution. I don’t want to watch a movie at my computer. I want to sit back and use my remote—I don’t want to have to fumble clumsily with my mouse for some soft pause button hidden who-knows-where on the screen.

Unbox on TiVo solves this problem. I can go online anywhere to rent movies, Amazon pushes the movies to my TiVo automatically, and I can watch them on my TiVo, just like any other recorded video in my Now Playing list. Well, not just like. Almost just like. Unbox rentals expire 30 days after downloading or 24 after first playing them—whichever comes first. This is a pretty standard model, but it still sucks. It means that you likely can’t start to watch a movie one night and then finish it later. You also can’t shuffle Unbox content between your TiVo boxes, so you can’t start the movie in the family room, and then finish watching it in your bedroom using TiVo’s multi-room viewing feature. And it gets worse. Apparently, Amazon does not permit you to re-rent an Unbox video once it has “expired!”

I recently rented Stranger than Fiction from Amazon Unbox. If you’re unfamiliar with this movie, the movie follows a man whose life is being scripted by an author who kills off her hero in every book. The whole question of this movie is: will the hero die at the end or won’t he? I watched Stranger than Fiction at the end of the 24-hour period on the last of the 30-days’ viewing window. Five minutes before the movie’s end, my TiVo deleted it automatically. I had reached the end of my permitted viewing period. OK, anyone could argue that it's my fault that I waited until (literally) the last minute, but c’mon…there should be some slack there while it’s actually playing. Adding insult, I can’t rent the video again through Unbox. Amazon’s site apparently doesn’t allow it.

Were I renting from Netflix or from some brick and mortar store, I'd have the ability to re-rent something that I didn't get the chance to watch or to finish. If the movie rental business is ever going to work in the digital world, you're going to have to be more flexible and at least provide the minimum of services available through traditional retailers. Give me the option to extend my rental period (even if at a cost). Give me the ability to re-rent content. And give me more flexibility on when and where I can watch the video. If digital rentals can’t ultimately provide these options, then they’re doomed to stand behind the superior offerings of companies like Netflix and Apple—companies that better understand and respect how people want to consume media.

An E-mail Message to Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group recently announced DRM-free downloads through…who? Transworld, Passalong Networks, and Puretracks…who are these guys? There are some big brands, too, but who knew Google and Best Buy even sold music online? Rhapsody is about the only notable online music outlet in this line-up, but I don’t understand that choice, as most of their customers use Rhapsody as a music subscription service. Who’s missing here? Oh, right…the leading online music retailers, iTunes and eMusic.

So in Universal’s infinite wisdom, it’s believed that the best way to test the market’s interest in DRM-free downloads is to try them out in the least-popular online outlets? This looks a lot like a lame effort put forth by the leading music company to appease the market interests, while not wanting to piss off its industry cronies. If [against all odds, based on relative traffic to these outlets alone] this trial is successful, Universal really has no choice but to move toward a DRM-free music model, leaving the remaining holdouts with little argument. On the other hand, if it’s a failure [as it’s more likely to be, considering the figures from the chosen outlets], Universal can claim that they gave it a try, but the “market” demand wasn’t sufficient.

Clever. Disappointing, but clever. Twisted, sad, and deviant, but clever.

An E-mail Message to TiVo

I like TiVo's new universal Swivel Search feature [though I wish it didn't look so lousy in HiDef], but...seriously, what were you thinking with that name? Universal Swivel Search. Ugh! Your menus are getting so cluttered as you tack on new features without rethinking structure. They're even more confusing with the unnecessary branding of individual features: Amazon Unbox. TiVoCast. Universal Swivel Search. KidZone. What ever happened to TiVo being easy to understand and use for everyone in the household?

Recommendation: Rethink the TiVo menus and stop obfuscating features through branding. Instead of the above-mentioned menu items, how about Downloaded Movies, Subscription Programs, and Advanced Search instead?

TiVo's great features aren't any good to anyone if people can't find them.

- Richard
Long-time (three-time) TiVo owner, advocate, critic, and stockholder

Feedback for Disney

I'm enormously disappointed that Disney is not offering video titles in the HD-DVD format. While Paramount and Warner are supporting both formats, Disney has once again chosen sides in this latest of video format wars. I remember when about a decade ago, Disney made similar moves by supporting the Divx (Digital Video Express) format over standard DVDs. The Divx discs offered consumers less flexibility, while promising studios better protection of their content. Wow, déjà vu...that's very similar! A few years later, Disney realized the error in its judgment and threw itself into the Digital Versatile Disc market with uniquely-branded "Disney DVD" videos. Whatever...I didn't care about the artificial victory announcements. I was just glad the discs started to arrive on shelves. So now, about those HD-DVD discs...when should we expect to start seeing them?

Feedback for www.mycokerewards.com

Prologue: I attempted to send the following feedback to Coca-Cola regarding their newly redesigned mycokerewards.com.

The new mycokerewards.com site is a disappointing step backward in usability. Sadly, your new, Flash-based interface sacrifices ease-of-use for coolness. Five years ago, I might understand and tolerate that, but it's 2007--we now know how to make engaging and usable Internet applications with Flash. The many problems with your new site include: time-consuming and unnecessary animations that don't add even the slightest value; the white-on-white message that appears after entering a code is practically unreadable; it's harder to navigate between reward categories; unnecessary (click thru) pages appear when you select each category; text in the reward detail and redemption windows sometimes overwrites other text; and it's slow, slow, slow (or at least, that's the perception from waiting through all the animation). I have found many more problems in just the 15 minutes I have spent on the site today, suggesting that you should put this thing through a vigorous QA review. Even finding this feedback form was an unnecessary challenge because the feedback link from your FAQ popup didn't work properly--I had to copy and extract the URL embedded in the popup link on the FAQ popup window to get here. I seriously hope you take the time to test and remedy the numerous problems with this new site. As it stands now, this is...embarrassing.

Epilogue: Adding insult, my first attempt to send this message resulted in an error that read: Unable to Send Contact Us. Submitting the form again resulted in the same message, but with no way to close the error box. Ultimately, I succeeded in sending a very brief comment, with a link to read my comments here. This is one (or more) for the BUI Gallery.

Follow-up: A customer service representative responded, saying, "Thank you for contacting MyCokeRewards.com. We appreciate you taking the time to contact us regarding this issue. Our Technical Support team is aware of the problem and we are working in cooperation with the appropriate management..."

Management?

"...with the appropriate management to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. We thank you for your patience."

I guess they get just how bad this is.

Feedback for Condé Nast Publications

I notice that my renewal rate for Architectural Digest is nearly 50% higher than your current rate for new and gift subscriptions. If that's how you reward existing subscribers, you can assume I will not be continuing my subscription to your publication.

Follow-up: I was contacted by Condé Nast to tell me that, as a subscriber, I was eligible to receive any promotional rate for Architectural Digest currently available - including the significantly-less new-subscriber rate. So why did I have to make a fuss to learn that? Had I just blindly returned my renewal card without doing a little research and calling them to the carpet, I'd have paid half again what I should have. Doesn't that seem a little sleazy?

An E-mail Message to Smarthome

I am very disappointed to see that you've significantly revised (read: increased) prices on your Insteon products. While you continue to lag in releasing much-anticipated products to the Insteon line (motion detectors, wireless controllers, etc.) and the Insteon technical specification continues to be a moving target, I find it hard to understand how you justify such significant price increases for your products. Specifically, it appears that Insteon switches have increased in price anywhere from 15 to over 100 percent!

SwitchLinc and KeypadLinc devices have leap-frogged inflation costs since Insteon's introduction, but the real offense is with the devices from your ICON line--your supposed budget Insteon solution. Icon switches now cost as much as SwitchLinc devices cost last year. To be clear, this is more than twice their price just one year ago! How do you explain this?

Adding insult, your tenuously updated Web site continues to advertise that ICON devices are a "fraction of the price" of SwitchLinc devices. For clarity, that fraction is now a whopping 87%. Hmmm...not such a great deal any more, are they?

I really can't imagine what you're thinking with this new pricing strategy. While the repricing of ICON devices at SwitchLinc rates tastes quite a lot like bait-and-switch, it's your continued claims that Insteon is an economical solution to home automation that baffles me.

I've invested in Insteon already for my own home, but I have a hard time recommending this solution now as compared to more flexible and comprehensive automation solutions that don't really cost significantly more for initial adoption. Zigbee and Z-Wave technologies are closing in on SmartLabs solutions with more and more third-party support and adoption. I'd think that if you really wanted to compete with these technologies, you'd get your products to market and realize the advantages that your initial price points once gave you. Sadly, you've done neither.

Sincerely,

Richard
Early adopter, home automator, long-time Smarthome customer, blogger

cc: Dan Craig, CTO, Smartlabs; [this blog]

Solicited Feedback for Best Buy

I went to my local Tenleytown Best Buy in Washington, D.C. for one thing yesterday: a Vista-compatible digital audio sound card. After selecting a Sound Blaster card, I went to the counter in the computers section to find out if the card I’d chosen would work with Vista.

The first person I asked directed me to another person named Chris, who was currently helping a customer with a seemingly complex and extensive transaction. I waited for ten minutes without even an acknowledgment from Chris that I was waiting.

Another associate was focused on helping a business customer. Even though I was clearly waiting without assistance yet and he was also waiting for access to the same computer that Chris was currently using, he made no attempt whatsoever to help me.

Disgusted, I walked away and looked for a computer with Internet access, hoping I could just find out for myself if Creative had released Vista drivers for this sound card. No luck - all of the computers I tried were locked down and could not access the Internet.

Next I went back out onto the floor, looking for someone else working in the computer section who might be able to help me out. When I found someone, I explained my situation. He suggested I check at the counter in the...; I cut him off, since I’d already tried that approach. I volunteered that I was perfectly willing to find the answer myself if he could point me toward a computer with Internet access, so he whisked me away toward a PC where he quickly found that the proxy prevented him from accessing the outside world. Interestingly, it was as if this was the first time he’d ever faced this realization.

He and I then went back to the counter in the computers section, where Chris was now nowhere to be found, and nobody was around to help us. At this point, the guy helping me tells me that he can’t provide any further assistance. Can’t! When I ask to see a department manager, he doesn’t flinch or give his conclusion of failure a second thought; he just gets on the phone and calls for “any available manager for customer assistance.”

Five more minutes pass; no available manager shows. I leave, box in hand, chip on shoulder, concluding that it would be easier to just buy the item, check for drivers when I get home, and then return the item if the necessary drivers are unavailable.

My Best Buy experience ended at a register where the POS signature unit had been broken off the counter and sat loosely atop its base. The device rocked as I attempted to provide my signature, but it didn’t really matter, because (of course) it wasn’t properly calibrated.

The only redeeming point of my entire experience was that - despite my obvious chip - the cashier pleasantly reminded me (for the first time in as many years as I’ve shopped at Best Buy) to keep my receipt available for the attendant at the door.

So here is my parting thought: At 3 in the afternoon on any given weekday, shopping at Best Buy shouldn’t suck so much.

An e-mail message to Ben Woods

I just read your article about the RIAA's crying over CD prices. I'm not one to defend the RIAA on anything - especially their absurd argument about CD prices. CD prices were, however, MUCH higher when they were introduced. This isn't surprising - it was entirely new technology, and the initial production costs were very high. The initial CDs typically cost about $24.95! Seriously. I bought a few when they first came out, and it was a significant investment. That said, this happens with all media. Even blank, recordable discs were astronomical when they were first available; now they cost just a few cents apiece. It would probably be interesting to consider the cost trends of vinyl and cassette "albums" over their respective lives. Or an even more telling trend—the consumer-driven drop in initial release price of DVDs. Once listed at $34.95, DVD titles are now introduced at street prices of around $15. And now we're seeing high introductory prices again with high definition disc formats. This is basic economics! When is someone with the necessary clout going to finally debunk the RIAA's desperate arguments and claims about the recording industry? I am so sick of their whining....

Feedback for tvguide.com

You know how your own publication has jeered at the networks for BLARING commercials, while they (the networks) claim that they can't do anything about it? We all know that they can, of course...do something about it. Even I know how to normalize audio across multiple sources. Well shame on you, TV Guide. Not only do the pre-roll commercials you run on tvguide.com's Videos section SCREAM at an unreasonable volume, but you've also prevented visitors from pausing the commercials, you've prevented visitors from changing the volume of the commercial*, and you completely ignore visitors' volume selection for videos, reverting to the previously-mentioned unreasonable volume when playing each new commercial. Seriously? Tonight was my first and last visit to your new Videos section.

*It's worth mentioning how poorly you've implemented the volume control for commercials. I've noticed that you don't actually prevent me from attempting to change the volume. Indeed, I can click the volume icon and move the slider. In response, however, not only do you not change the volume, but you pop up another browser window that, in some browsers, displays an error message. Sloppy. Really sloppy. Your customers expect and deserve better.

I encountered problems when I attempted to submit this feedback online at tvguide.com. The customer support section requires that you select a feedback category [note that it doesn't tell you this...it just requires it]. Since there isn't a category appropriate for web site or online video content, I didn't select one. In Internet Explorer, I received this error:

We are having a technical problem. Please try later.

In Firefox, absolutely nothing happens when you click Submit. Nothing - categories selected or not. Nice error-checking, team...very nice.

Feature Suggestions for TiVo

I have HD TiVo (Series 3). I wish it would:

1. Display the caller ID information for incoming calls. Your most direct competitor - Windows Media Center - already offers caller ID support.
2. Allow me to watch content from TiVo Series 2 devices elsewhere in my home. There's no reason that transferring external content to the HD device would jeopardize the digital content on the HD device.
3. Provide me with the subscription content like TiVoCast, Rocketboom, etc. Series 2 devices can do it - why not Series 3?
4. Let me know the remaining storage space and alert me know when a show is in immediate danger of being deleted. Again, Media Center can do it.
5. Give me an option to avoid recording two scheduled programs at once during typical viewing hours. Dual tuner is great, but if TiVo schedules two recordings at the same time, I still can't watch anything else. With an option that avoided simultaneous recording when possible, TiVo could attempt to schedule other showings of an episode at an alternate time.

A letter to D-Link

To Whom It May Concern:

$25 worth of hardware.
Seriously?

Please find enclosed one (1) mounting kit, previously missing from my shipment to you when I exchanged my “defective” D-Link 8-Port gigabit desktop switch (DGS-1008D) under RMA number CS-135234. Per your cross-shipment agreement—which stated that I would be billed “standard replacement pricing” for missing parts—my credit card was charged $25 for the missing mounting kit. Now that I have found the mounting kit, I am returning it, too, hoping that you will refund the difference to my card.

Unfortunately, my product exchange experience with this network switch has pushed me away from D-Link completely, and I am now strategically replacing my home network switches with those from another leading brand. Let me outline the facts that led to this:

• In the early part of 2006, I purchased three new network D-Link Gigabit switches, upgrading all of the fast Ethernet (100 Mbps) switches on my home network.


• In May 2006, I called D-Link technical support to explain a problem that I was experiencing with the new D-Link switch to which my network laser printer was attached. Specifically, whenever the printer awakened from power-saving mode, the D-Link Gigabit switch would restart itself, dropping the network link to all of the connected computers and running through its startup diagnostic cycle. Your technical support desk was unable to help me—they had no record of such a problem with the switch and questioned whether there was anything wrong with the switch itself. Nonetheless, I was given the option to exchange the unit through your Return Merchandize Authorization process, so I did. With no other option at my disposal, I agreed to accept a $199.99 charge if I did not return the original product within 15 days of your sending its replacement. It’s worth noting that the product retailed for about $100.


• With a reminder message from D-Link, I installed the new unit that had arrived and returned my original device. Unfortunately, I failed to notice the small heat-sealed plastic bag with what you refer to as the mounting kit. To clarify, the mounting kit in question consists of two screws and two plastic wall anchors. In a few days I was notified that I was being charged $25 for the missing mounting kit. Twenty-five dollars! That’s really your “standard replacement pricing” for two screws and two plastic wall anchors?!? It’s worth noting that the cost of these components at my local hardware store is under $1.50, including tax. I checked.


• The new unit suffered the same problem as the original. Each time my printer spun up from sleeping, the switch would reset. Ultimately, I decided to start replacing my D-Link switches with another brand. These work fine.

The epilogue to my story takes place two months ago, when I stumbled upon the D-Link Gigabit switch in question on Amazon.com. Reading the numerous customer reviews, I found that the problem I had experienced with the switch is quite common. Numerous customers report that the D-Link 1008D switch was extremely sensitive to power surges and habitually resets itself when printers or other devices draw extra amps at startup. How odd that D-Link’s own technical support folks didn’t know this.

Regretfully,

Richard
Former D-Link customer

cc: The World According to Richard (my blog)

It is now February 2007, and I have not yet received any feedback from this letter. No correspondence and - though not surprising - no reimbursement. Maybe I should have insured the envelope for $25.

An e-mail message to Fox Broadcasting

I was really interested in watching Vanished, but the season started so early that I missed the pilot and started recording episodes a week or two into the story.

No problem…I figure I’ll watch the pilot online. So I go to Fox’s site to stream it. No luck. Apparently, Fox is only streaming episodes for a limited time. Very limited. [Blink] Hey…it’s gone! It…vanished. I’m weeks late, so no luck there.

OK, no problem. I’ll buy the episode on iTunes. Nope, not there. In fact, there’s nothing new there. That’s right…Fox has none—zero, zilch, zippo—of its new shows available for download through the iTunes music store.

It’s also not available for download or streamed viewing on Google, Guba, Amazon, AOL, or Yahoo!

So I won’t be watching Vanished this season. It’s a shame because I was really interested in this show. With the technology and media outlets available to content providers today, it could have been so easy! I was willing to pay to watch this episode that I missed, but Fox failed to make it available through any of the numerous delivery outlets. When will you folks get it?

D-Link DGS-1008D 8-Port Desktop Gigabit Switch

I suffered from the same problem with this switch that others here have reported [periodic resets]. I returned it to D-Link for a replacement, because they had no record of any customers having such a problem and no idea what could cause it. When the replacement device arrived, I experienced the same problem--whenever I sent something to my network printer, the switch would reset, dropping all connections. I believe I've isolated this as a power spike issue. Each time I experienced this problem, it's because my laser printer is coming out of sleep mode. Note that my switch is NOT plugged into the same power strip as my printer. In fact, I have my switch plugged into a surge/UPS block. One other point worth noting that I think speaks poorly of D-Link. Though they sent me the replacement product, I was charged twenty-five dollars when I hadn't included the original "mounting kit" in the return package. The mounting kit consists of two screws and two plastic wall anchors. TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS! Unbelievable.

An e-mail message to the SciFi Network

Wow…VERY disappointing news that you plan to cancel the long-running series Stargate SG-1. As a long-time Stargate fan, from the original movie to this series and Atlantis, I’m saddened by your decision to end this show that continues to deliver new and interesting stories, despite its long run. Even Anderson’s departure was handled adeptly, introducing Browder and (cleverly) Black. The tongue-in-cheek dialogue combined with continually intriguing mythologies make this a mainstay for SciFi. Or so I thought.

I hope you’ll reconsider this decision. Here we are just weeks into the new season, days after the celebrated 200th episode, and shortly after your inclusion of the series on iTunes for mobile consumption. This decision just doesn’t make sense. PLEASE, consider that television viewership has been at an all-time low this summer, as more and more people move away from traditional on-time, live TV viewing and adopt alternate entertainment experiences (gaming, web, etc.) and alternate content consumption habits (e.g., time- and/or place-shifting). As such, this series’ summer ratings alone may not be sufficient measure of its success.

Respectfully (and regretfully),
Richard
Washington, D.C.

Feedback for ABC.com

Streaming popular shows to the masses on abc.com...good. Streaming video ads with sound on the abc.com home page...bad. Experimenting with new advertising models...good. Disabling consumers' ability to pause or stop advertisements...bad. Please consider that automatically playing video advertising on your home page (with sound and no ability to pause or stop the ad) is invasive and um, rude. I applaud your efforts to consider new media delivery models, but please be considerate of your audience.

Feedback for News.com

I didn't think the sound quality on the daily news.com podcast could get any worse. I was wrong. This week, it sounded like Charlie was recording his segments from his bathroom. This in addition to the jarring "remote" interviews he's been doing lately where it sounds like Charlie's calling from a pay phone and the correspondent is back in the studio. That in addition to the fact that the audio level jumps from segment to segment in most podcasts and nearly every podcasts gets cut-off mid-word before Charlie can finish his final sign-off. And all of THAT just astounds me considering how tight, professional, and polished EVERY OTHER CNET PODCAST sounds. I don't understand. It's annoying enough that after 6 months, I just can't listen anymore.

One final (now daily) annoyance: has anyone noticed that the Mazda announcer's diction makes it sound like she's saying "interducing" and "mazzausa.com?" If I were Mazda and provided you with that loop, I'd be embarrassed. If I were Mazda and you recorded that loop, I'd be demanding my money back.

Feedback for Vongo

Wow...what a great concept! I love this idea. All-you-can-eat, er...watch, videos downloaded from the net for a subscription fee. I love it. However, there's one key problem with this model. The computer on which I download video is different from the Media Center computer at my television where I watch the video. Without a ten-foot interface or, even better, a Media Center integration point, there's no way this can work in my household (and - I suspect - many, many others).

As far as I've seen, Vongo has one of the best, most consumer-friendly, legal video download services available. As a project of Starz entertainment (think Encore and Starz TV), this has a real chance of success. I hope they don't forget, though, that people aren't likely to sit at their computer to watch a two-hour-long movie. Similarly, people with Media Center computers hooked to their big-screen TVs rarely use a keyboard and mouse from the couch to run "desktop-style" applications. I believe that they need to integrate with existing services like Windows Media Center to make this service a success.

A message to Disney

Hey...what happened to "Walt Disney World Resort: Plugged In?" That was such a terrific podcast--great content, professionally produced, and always interesting. While there are lots of fan podcasts about Disney, it's just not the same. If I didn't know better, I'd think the whole podcast idea was nothing but a big publicity stunt for the new Everest attraction. The timing of your cut-off would sure suggest that....

To increase your continued listening audience, have you tried promoting it in your resorts? I'll bet guests would love to know how to keep in touch with what's going on after they've left for home from their vacation. Consider mentioning it in the TV loops that you produce for the resort hotel guest rooms. And promote it on your Walt Disney World web site home page. Give this one the chance that it deserves!

It seems that Disney has been eliminating just one after another of its programs designed for its most loyal fans and guests--first the Disney Club, then the Disney magazine, now this. Please re-establish your production schedule for "Walt Disney World Resort: Plugged In." There are definitely Disney fans out here who listen regularly and enjoy.

An e-mail message to Adobe

I notice that Macromedia Contribute is conspicuously absent from your MAX 06 session line-up this year. I certainly hope that this isn't an indication that Adobe is thinking about ending this product line. As an Advanced Certified ColdFusion Developer and web solutions provider, I've found that Contribute is a wonderfully easy and inexpensive Web publishing system. It's perfect for small businesses and for intranet management.

I realize that Adobe is probably making some hard decisions about which product lines to keep and which to eliminate, and I certainly hope that you choose to continue expanding and evolving this product's capabilities and usefulness. While I recognize that some products like FreeHand [didn't Adobe already divest themselves of that once for anti-trust reasons?] and Fireworks may seem in direct conflict with some of the legacy product lines from Adobe, Contribute clearly fills a publication workflow niche previously untapped by your company's offerings.

I look forward to seeing how you further adopt the various products and platforms gained through last year's Macromedia acquisition and hope to see your continued support of their various Web publishing tools and solutions.

A message to Warner Brothers

I just visited guba.com because I heard that Warner Brothers was offering feature films online. What a great idea! Oh, wait...no, it's not so great after all. Let me see if I understand this properly. I can pay $19.99 to download a video to my computer from GUBA OR I can just buy the DVD itself on sale somewhere for about $17. If I buy the film from GUBA, I get an encrypted file that I can only play on a Windows computer with Internet Explorer or on a Plays for Sure device--but not on a standard DVD player. If I buy the DVD, I can play it on any computer with any DVD player software and on any DVD player. Now...which option do you think I'm going to choose?

I have to ask, "What were you thinking, Warner Brothers?" This is such a poorly conceived idea, it's incomprehensible that anyone with any intelligence at any company could delude themselves into believing that this would be an attractive alternative for consumers. Why isn't it, you ask? (1) This distribution model gives consumers fewer viewing location choices, completely eliminating the most popular one: the DVD player attached to the home TV. (2) The selection of Windows' (and only Windows') DRM alienates many tech-savy consumers who choose not to use IE, Media Player, and/or Windows itself. (3) The price point is completely out of line. Ultimately, consumers get less in this model, so they should expect to pay less.

Do you want consumers like me to consider buying Warner Brothers content online? Here's what you need to offer: For 9.99 or less, let me purchase and download a file that I can play on any computer or TV in my home from a central file system. For 4.99, let me download either Plays for Sure (Windows) or FairPlay-protected (Apple) versions of the content, targetted for smaller, portable devices at 320 x 240. Then, and only then, will I consider buying Warner Brother content online. Until that time, I'll be sticking with DVD media.

Want to let Warner Brothers know what you think?

Leave them a message of your own.

A message to Home Depot

The shelves are a mess

The aisles are a mess

From the day it opened, I've been disappointed in the Washington, D.C. Home Depot. The problem is, it hasn't improved at all. At all times when I shop there, the parking lot is cluttered (not littered...cluttered) with trash; aisles are often blocked with baskets of random crap; shelves look like they haven't been reorganized in months; store personnel are generally unable to provide ANY assistance; and check-out clerks make it painfully obvious that they'd rather be home drinking. Can you blame them?

I've posted some pictures I took the last time I visited the lighting section of my neighborhood Home Depot. You (and the rest of the world) can view these pictures on my blog. Welcome to Home Depot. It's kind of sad, isn't it?

I don't want a phone call, I don't want a reply message. I want someone to do something about this shameful store. Fire people if you have to--you clearly need to make significant changes. In the meantime, I'll be driving to Maryland from now on to shop at Lowe's.

An e-mail message to the D.C. government's Customer Service center

As much as I appreciate the city's efforts to be responsive by sending follow-up messages for online requests, this District’s current mechanism of communication is more frustrating than it is helpful. For years this has been the case. I’ve been ignoring this issue, but I’d like to take some time now to address it directly. I recently received a response for an online request I sent to the DC webmaster regarding a problem with Real Property database search. The message (below) is more confusing than it is helpful. I offer these points for your consideration so you might improve your ability to serve the residents who take the time to provide the feedback you invite on the District’s site:

[I have interspersed the District's original message within my post, below. Some names and numbers have been removed or substituted to protect individuals' privacy]

From: imailagent [mailto:customerservice.eom@dc.gov]
Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2006 14:58
To: [me]
Subject: Email from the EOM (Intranet Quorum IMA00447391)

• Neither the From Address or the Subject give me a clue as to what this message is when I scan through my e-mail inbox. With all of the spam once receives these days, you should do everything possible to ensure that the recipients of these messages don’t inadvertently delete them just because they don’t recognize the sender or the subject matter.

• Specifically, with regard to the From address, the sender’s email address: I have no idea whatsoever who imailagent is. Why would I? Why should I? It isn’t even as if this is simply an unrecognizable e-mail address—it’s the supposedly friendly display name of the sender’s e-mail address. This is the part of the name that you actually get to define. Suggestion: Change the name of the sender, the display name in the FROM address for each message, to DC Customer Service.

• Specifically, with regard to the Subject: What is EOM? What is Intranet Quorum? Why would I care? Why should I care? The message Subject here baffles me. It doesn’t help me understand what this message is about. It’s worth noting that the message itself doesn’t ever define EOM or Intranet Quorum—and it shouldn’t have to because those terms shouldn’t even be in the Subject or the message. They’re not useful or important to me, the message recipient. The number in the Subject line is equally useless to the recipient. I initially assumed that it’s a tracking number for my request, but reading further into the message reveals that it is not. My request has a tracking number assigned to it that, in fact, is not the same as the “IMA” number in the Subject. Strange. Suggestion: Change the Subject for each message to something more useful. In this particular case, that could be Acknowledgement of service request #475602.

• One more thing I notice before even opening the message: it has an attachment. With the many concerns about e-mail viruses spread by attachments, I would assert that sending an attachment in a message that the recipient doesn’t recognize is unwise. It might further encourage the recipient to discard the message without even opening it. Being both curious and careful, however, I first scanned the message attachment for viruses and then opened the message. To my bewilderment, the attachment is simply a text file that contains some XML with very basic metadata. I’m unsure why this attachment is included with the message that I received. At first I thought that perhaps it helps your automated system track any further correspondence on this request, but if I reply to the message I received, the file will no longer be attached to my response. So…why is this here? Suggestion: Do not include this attachment on the message that you send to the person who initiated the service request.

April 29, 2006

• The first piece of information in the message is a date. It is today’s date. This is helpful, I suppose, except that the date of the e-mail message itself gives me the same information. What would be more helpful is the date that I made the request—especially since this acknowledgement comes to me several days after making that request. Suggestion: Replace the correspondence date in the message with the (clearly labeled) request date.

Thank you for writing to Mayor Anthony Williams. We appreciate your comments and care about your concerns. This acknowledgement is in reference to your recent email.

• The message states, “This acknowledgement is in reference to your recent email.” I didn’t actually send an e-mail message to anyone, I completed a feedback form on the District’s website…so that’s a bit misleading. I’m assuming that your system uses the same form letter to acknowledge all requests. Suggestion: Change that sentence to “This acknowledgement is in reference to your recent request.”

Your request has been forwarded to [Jane Doe], the Mayor's point-of-contact at the . Please feel free to contact that office at [(999) 999-9999] or [e-mail address] regarding the status of your request.

• The message states, “Your request has been forwarded to [Jane Doe], the Mayor's point-of-contact at the .” Yes, that last sentence is missing…something. Is it “Office of the Chief Technology Officer?” Is it something else? Suggestion: Fill in the blank.

Your correspondence has been assigned the following EOM tracking number: 475602. Please refer to this number when referencing this request.

• The messages states, “Your correspondence has been assigned the following EOM tracking number: 475602.” Again, that EOM thing. What is that? No…forget that…I don’t want or need to know. Suggestion: Change the sentence to read “…the following tracking number: …”

If you receive no contact or reply from the agency within 5 business days, please call (202) 727-1000. Give them the contact's name, office, and tracking number and ask for a point-of-contact follow-up.

For future correspondence with the Mayor or to submit your e-mail address for his database, please write to mayor@dc.gov.

• Nowhere in the message is there any reference to my actual request. Nowhere. It doesn’t mention the request date, the request itself, or even the “Subject” that you required me to select when I completed the online feedback form. Suppose that I made a few requests over the past few days. Suppose that I made multiple requests on that same day. How would I know which acknowledgement corresponds with which request? I would not.

• Why not include the original request in the response? This would be extremely helpful for some context. Especially since the sender could have initiated multiple requests.

Believe me, I appreciate the ability to submit feedback and request services online through the District’s website. I also understand the complexity involved in managing and responding to all of those requests—I’ve supported (and built) such systems myself. Having this experience, though, helps me also understand how important it is for you to help those requesting support and providing feedback to receive the information they need to know that the District has received, understands, and is working their request(s).

Thank you for your consideration of my suggestions, above.

[Richard]
Resident of the District of Columbia

A letter to Congressmen Smith and Sensenbrenner

Congressmen Smith and Sensenbrenner:

I am infuriated that you are backing new legislation that would further limit consumers’ use of copyrighted material in their own homes. It is incomprehensible to me that you might actually believe that consumers should just surrender control of when, where, and how they experience and enjoy the content for which they’ve purchased usage rights. Despite the pleas of consumers, of the tech industry, and of studies and scholars, this l