I called 1-800-GO-FedEx today to reschedule the package shipped from Dbuy.com to my home. I cannot be there for several days when the package is scheduled to deliver. I am wondering whether they can directly hold the package or leave it to my leasing office.
When I was connected, I was welcomed by a sweet voice: "Welcome…, if you know the options, please speak it. Otherwise, please speak to following options: …." every option is long, and it takes me time to understand all the options. I was still not sure which option I should choose. I have to repeat the menu 3 times to figure out all the options, and I think I should choose the one "change a shipped item". (Stupid design #1 — why a company spend so much money on this voice recognition system? It is even worse than the not-so-good menu option thing. I still like citi's customer service line. I can go directly to a rep who appears to be able to help me 95% of the time. )
It took me twice to manage to let the computer understand my words (discrimination?). I then was connected to a person (not a representative!?). The person told me that he cannot help me. I should redial the number and directly speak "representative". I swore there wasn't such an option. If there were, I would normally directly go for it.
I spoke "representative" and got one. She told me, they have to deliver the item on Mar 30 as scheduled. Even though I told her that I won't be there. And then I have to call again to reschedule. (Are they crazy? what is that? I felt so bad for the delivery person) I asked her whether she can put a note in the system (as what UPS normally does) so that I don't have to call again after March 30. She said no. (???????) I hung up with a million question marks…
Infomation System Design is really about to facilitate the business process and make the customer happy. I don't know what happens to their IS manager? This system design will definitely go to my case study next semester.
News (Link): Blogger resigned due to charge of plagiarism.
As a blogger myself, I couldn't help but wonder, "What is the boundary?"
The growth of Internet satisfies people's desire of talk about whatever they like. However, how many people are really talking about something created by their own brain? Lots of my friends posting funny jokes and articles from other website. Cute pictures are downloaded and re-uploaded to their own website. Are those plagiarism? What is the fine line?
The answer should lie in the definition of blog. If a person writes a whole paragraph of other's article into his own diary, there wouldn't be such an issue. But as an online diary, it does not only serve a purpose of diary, it is open for everyone to read. However, it is supposed to be informal. How serious should you treat a blog? Some very serious and some not. Most blogs are provided by amateurs like me, who just want to talk. But some people are now writing blog for a living. Those people are paid to write things from their own creative mind. However, regular readers cannot tell.
A better regulation mechanism should be provided for my personal opinion. (1) website ratings (analogic to academic journals) to help readers understand the reliability of the source. (2) definition of online plagiarism (how should you refer to the source you are using). However, too strong regulation may restrain creativity.
Online blogging could, and has the strong potential to, evolve to the publication source of next generation. Maintaing its vitality relies on the balance between rigorous and relevance.
Loved the current theme so much for so long. When I started to design my own homepage at the univ website, I couldnot be satisfied with any of the other designs. I just want this look! But how? I don’t know those fancy web scripts. I tried to read the source file and couldn’t get it through. Norman provided such a simple solution. It worked! Just save this page to your local disk and use front page to edit it. Gosh! that’s it. People generally spent so much time wondering and wondering for a solution. And when they know the answer, the first impression is “why haven’t I thought about that before?!”
For those rookies like me, hope it helps. 
Saw a new post from a website (link) about how to use ipod for Skype. Fantastic idea! Still confused though. Isn’t ipod without networking function? I got to check out. The link is for people who is curious. Will update once I figure out more.
Article says ipod mini 4GB should be used. Won’t be it just for that. I still like the original black/white tone of ipod. Won’t buy one with a vulgar color look like no differece with a mediocre brand mp3 player. :p
Today, when I was listening to the podcast, an interesting dicussion caught my attention. “How many features shall a technology product have”? There are so many fany phones, which you can use to check emails, send instant messages, and even buy stuff from eBay. But how many times people are really using all those features? When people purchase the product, many features might excite them and stimulate their desire. But there is some downside of such products. It usually takes people more time to figure out how to use different features. And users are also easily confused.
From an economics point of view, a temporary utility stimulated from the fantasy of “having it all” when purchases leads to over-purchase, a sub optimal outcome since a large degree of customers will regret. How to correct this inefficiency? Well, customers have to be more rational, not making a purchasing decision at the first stop. Second, regulators have to be more aware of such kind of promotional behavior of merchants. Rules have to be imposed to some extend.
An outstanding counter example is the ipod. A simple mp3 player becomes a fantacy of millions. However, without the support of itune and podcast, it cannot last long.
NPR is my all time favorite source of listening to news. And ipod is my favorite MP3 player. The combination of these two websites could be the most exciting news I have heard recently. Downloading the news to my little cute ipodshuffle and listening to it on the road, I felt very modernalized. Today, the technolgoy section of the NPR radio I podcast was a report of the current issues of podcasting and blogging in China. Funny and familar stories about the man2 tou2 dispute and the mu4 zi3 mei3 were all reported. Things are wild. While wondering what will foreigners feel about those untraditional stories, I was amazed about the fast development of China’s technology. I feel proud.
After moving to CA, I spend far more time driving and walking than I used to as a student in Austin. I was desperatingly seeking for something interesting to do and NPR podcast was really the best solution. For all my friends who may want the same thing, I strongly recommend. Let’s make our life fancier.
At the start of this week, people were stilling talking about when google stock will fall. The debat were still hot when it actually falls. As personal feeling, the fall is such a natural thing since it was obviously over-evaluated. However, how much it should fall? Another interesting observation is, when Google falls, Yahoo went up a bit. Are they correlated?
Google used to serve as the only stimulant in the crappy IT industry. It prooved that technologies themselves are still of value. The main issue is how human uses them. The true business value of IT relies on human’s innovative views. However, every technology has its upper limit. The true value of an innovation is fixed. It cannot go forever. So if the market is rational, google stock should go back to a reasonable level and not down forever. (what is the reasonable level then? and how many markets are actually rational?)
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Blogging has been hot for a while. It seems I am already late in catching up it. Still, it is a nice idea to share my limited thoughts to the world. Maynot be a perfectly perfect one, but it not only help people understand me. It shall help myself find out exactly what I want, especially when I am still struggling to understand it.
If your computer, which stores your most sensitive and private info, is used to make a phone call…
