A Huffington article caught my eye just a few minutes ago:
Arsenio Hall On Falling In Love With Fatherhood
I kinda grew up with Arsenio Hall. I've watched the show, saw the movies, and, as you can surmise from the title of this post, listened to his CD. He's a very talented celebrity. It's a shame that I have to highlight those words in this day and age, but it seems to be a rarity among celebrities now - to actually have a talent.
I was relieved to know that he shares the same positive attitude that I have toward being a father. And that he feels true regret when his work-life draws him away from his son. ** caution: mild-crying in video link **.
So, what is the bigger picture? How did Arsenio and I end up with this "fatherhood gene"? Hopefully, this is a quality that many of you want to foster in your own relationships, so where does one start?
Being a dad is about sacrifice. There is that saying about "putting away childish things". That's a good start. You can't help with homework or make a well-balanced lunch if you're Ghost Reconning 16 hours a day.
Sacrifice in moderation. That's not to say you can't also indulge once in a while. Finding these personal balances is the challenge for the dad, the mom, and all the family members. Ghost Recon isn't the hit-game it is without good reason and golf club manufacturers need someone to sell their items to.
Patience. Sure, being a dad will cost you the coloring in your hair. But that's not really the patience I'm referring to here. It's about waiting for that male to REALIZE that he is ready for fatherhood. Some are thrust (ahem) into it and others evade it as long as they can. I always had a close connection with my own dad (the genetic and behavioral similarities were just too strong to ignore) - realizing that he was ready for fatherhood made my acceptance easier. Dragging someone into fatherhood when they clearly are not ready-willing-and-able may be doing more harm than good to everybody involved.
Support. If someone is afraid of being a father, that is, actually, a good sign. They recognize the responsibility of being a dad for this child. It means they are genuinely concerned about the welfare for this being. Now, the next step is to help them with those fears. Let them know they are not alone with this. Relatives immediate and distant can step in - in my case, family from hundreds of miles away came out of the woodwork to help with a newborn. Behold the power of baby. If relatives are in short supply, there are social programs to assist with childcare (google for Child Care and your state of residence for links and info). And, as each day passes, the fears will subside and confidence will grow - all the proof you need will be in the face of that kid.
Support in moderation. Just like the sacrifice. There are instances where the dad just WON'T be able to be there. This was Arsenio's situation and it is my situation. It's not by choice - not by a longshot. It's just the circumstances of work, or health, or something else. I've been pretty lucky to be able to provide for my family as I have, but that comes with the understanding of late-work-hours and being on-call during some weekends. We all want to be involved with raising our own but you also don't want to sacrifice your job-income in the process. Finding this balance that you are comfortable with is key. And if you see the need to improve your work-life balance, then pursue that and really WORK toward that.
I'm going to mention NPR radio once again - they have this piece called "Story Corps". Often it's two people just relaying their feelings. When it's a father and child, the majority of the time, the dad always wished to "be there more" for the child, but kids are REALLY APPRECIATIVE of the dad in spite of that.
In summary, we would all do well to adopt Chunky A's attitude toward being a dad.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Doctor Sleep
Despite what you may think of me, I must confess that I am not an avid book reader. I do find stories fascinating and received much of my education from comics and graphic novels, but when faced with 1,000+ pages, I start thinking "how much time is this actually going to take? And who will feed the kids in the meantime?"
With that being said, I did manage to complete Stephen King's "Doctor Sleep". I chose to start reading this for a number of reasons:
I was exposed to "The Shining" movie way before I was supposed to - kinda explains a lot actually
I have read other King short-stories and was hoping for a well-edited (seriously, no grammatical errors or typos) novel. I was not disappointed.
It's the Halloween season
I needed something else on my iPad besides Cisco CCENT Study Exam Guide
So, what did I think of the book? I liked it. Stephen (yeah, we're totally on first-name basis) goes after some pretty obvious "bad guys": drug-addicts, child abductors, molesters, pedophiles, abusive parents, those who prey on the elderly and infirm, drunk drivers and more. I was hoping for a white-collar criminal, too (I was imagining where in the plot line it would have fit and it wouldn't have been too much of a stretch). Seriously, corrupt banking executives and hypocritical politicians are more-terrifying to me than a junkie on a bender.
One other thing - I have this habit of trying to envision the movie-adaptation of anything I read. I cast Jessica Lange as the Antagonist, Rose the Hat. Powerful, elderly, gruff, and sexy. Edward Norton as Daniel. He can do bottom-of-the-gutter and recovering addict.
**spoiler alert**
happy ending
With that being said, I did manage to complete Stephen King's "Doctor Sleep". I chose to start reading this for a number of reasons:
I was exposed to "The Shining" movie way before I was supposed to - kinda explains a lot actually
I have read other King short-stories and was hoping for a well-edited (seriously, no grammatical errors or typos) novel. I was not disappointed.
It's the Halloween season
I needed something else on my iPad besides Cisco CCENT Study Exam Guide
So, what did I think of the book? I liked it. Stephen (yeah, we're totally on first-name basis) goes after some pretty obvious "bad guys": drug-addicts, child abductors, molesters, pedophiles, abusive parents, those who prey on the elderly and infirm, drunk drivers and more. I was hoping for a white-collar criminal, too (I was imagining where in the plot line it would have fit and it wouldn't have been too much of a stretch). Seriously, corrupt banking executives and hypocritical politicians are more-terrifying to me than a junkie on a bender.
One other thing - I have this habit of trying to envision the movie-adaptation of anything I read. I cast Jessica Lange as the Antagonist, Rose the Hat. Powerful, elderly, gruff, and sexy. Edward Norton as Daniel. He can do bottom-of-the-gutter and recovering addict.
**spoiler alert**
happy ending
Thursday, September 5, 2013
The Social Identity of...Your Car
We had used Waze for the first time on a road-trip from Massachusetts to North Carolina. Let's just say social-driving is a fun way to be alerted of law-enforcement presence. I'd imagine Google recognizes this as well and is one of the reasons why they paid a billion dollars for it.
On my morning-commute today, I meandered through traffic and started thinking more about social-driving. The radio started playing a news article about Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia and last night's episode of Mythbusters was still fresh in my memory (specifically, the one about driving and how it is affected by sleep-deprivation and alcohol).
So I posed the following question: Can Waze alert other drivers about the condition of the driver and the car?
Right now, Waze can depict your car-avatar as any number of icons - I'm guessing based on your veteran-status or "attitude" by how many minutes you've been waiting in bumper-to-bumper gridlock.
But what if it went further?
What if Waze could actually access the computer in your car? Engine status, tire pressure, brake condition, fuel consumption, exhaust, spark plug misfires, alternator voltage - you get the idea. The CAR would have its own social profile.
Even further than that, the social profile could take into account HOW its been driven. How many speeding or parking violations you've had, how many times the turn-indicator has been used (or left on inadvertently), how COURTEOUS you are in letting others in your lane, whether you (*cough* wife *cough*) tailgate or don't follow lane markings.
Your driving behavior would be quantified and attributed to you.
"But what if a bad driver borrows my car? Wouldn't that tarnish my car's otherwise immaculate social profile?" NPR actually did a story last week about younger drivers and how they see a car not as a symbol of freedom, but more of an appliance (incidentally, their cell phone is seen as the new status of freedom). Manufacturers like Volkswagen have acknowledged this and are developing technology to adapt their vehicles - in essence, your social profile would be downloaded into the car when you drive it. Your driving preferences (seat and mirror position, transmission shift points, suspension feel, brake and acceleration profiles) along with your contact, gps, and in-car entertainment data would be recorded and, when it came time to transfer cars, migrate with you.
In this scenario, then, your driving behavior would just be another set of ones and zeroes to be uploaded into your new car very similar to the backup/restore process a teen undergoes when they acquire a new cellphone.
So, in this near-future, we'll be able to see who the good and bad drivers are. We'll be able to predict which cars will be more-likely to let us in that merging traffic lane and which ones we should stay away from. Waze will have excellent driver points and "bitch on wheels" profiles - data which may seem invaluable to us but downright killworthy to, say, a car insurance policy maker.
Well, that last sentence may be crossing the line into Orwellian territory, but you get my point. If a driver agrees to let Waze access car computer and service record data, then this may be one way Waze and Google leverage that data. Would knowing where the bad drivers are be worth some online ads flashing across your gps screen? If the car in front of you was about to have a blowout tire or the car behind you had only one good brake pad left, wouldn't you want to know that information?
What else can we put out there? How about sleep records for truckers? Truck drivers already keep logs of how many hours they have been driving - would consumers be more loyal or appreciative toward a company that makes this information known? Instead of calling that "How am I driving?" telephone number, we could access it directly from the truck's cpu.
Let's get even more social. Let's incorporate this information into, say, a Match.Com profile. Not only does the car have to look clean for that next blind-date, it has to be well-maintained also. Your date may have a steady job and likes kids, but he's prone to fits of road-rage. She, on the other hand, upgraded her own brakes to ceramic pads and slotted rotors (i.e. a keeper).
This can be a positive force for improving the safety and overall mood of our commuters. The downside is the potential for this information to be used against us - whether it's from another commuter or an insurance company or some other business entity.
See you on the roads.
On my morning-commute today, I meandered through traffic and started thinking more about social-driving. The radio started playing a news article about Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia and last night's episode of Mythbusters was still fresh in my memory (specifically, the one about driving and how it is affected by sleep-deprivation and alcohol).
So I posed the following question: Can Waze alert other drivers about the condition of the driver and the car?
Right now, Waze can depict your car-avatar as any number of icons - I'm guessing based on your veteran-status or "attitude" by how many minutes you've been waiting in bumper-to-bumper gridlock.
But what if it went further?
What if Waze could actually access the computer in your car? Engine status, tire pressure, brake condition, fuel consumption, exhaust, spark plug misfires, alternator voltage - you get the idea. The CAR would have its own social profile.
Even further than that, the social profile could take into account HOW its been driven. How many speeding or parking violations you've had, how many times the turn-indicator has been used (or left on inadvertently), how COURTEOUS you are in letting others in your lane, whether you (*cough* wife *cough*) tailgate or don't follow lane markings.
Your driving behavior would be quantified and attributed to you.
"But what if a bad driver borrows my car? Wouldn't that tarnish my car's otherwise immaculate social profile?" NPR actually did a story last week about younger drivers and how they see a car not as a symbol of freedom, but more of an appliance (incidentally, their cell phone is seen as the new status of freedom). Manufacturers like Volkswagen have acknowledged this and are developing technology to adapt their vehicles - in essence, your social profile would be downloaded into the car when you drive it. Your driving preferences (seat and mirror position, transmission shift points, suspension feel, brake and acceleration profiles) along with your contact, gps, and in-car entertainment data would be recorded and, when it came time to transfer cars, migrate with you.
In this scenario, then, your driving behavior would just be another set of ones and zeroes to be uploaded into your new car very similar to the backup/restore process a teen undergoes when they acquire a new cellphone.
So, in this near-future, we'll be able to see who the good and bad drivers are. We'll be able to predict which cars will be more-likely to let us in that merging traffic lane and which ones we should stay away from. Waze will have excellent driver points and "bitch on wheels" profiles - data which may seem invaluable to us but downright killworthy to, say, a car insurance policy maker.
Well, that last sentence may be crossing the line into Orwellian territory, but you get my point. If a driver agrees to let Waze access car computer and service record data, then this may be one way Waze and Google leverage that data. Would knowing where the bad drivers are be worth some online ads flashing across your gps screen? If the car in front of you was about to have a blowout tire or the car behind you had only one good brake pad left, wouldn't you want to know that information?
What else can we put out there? How about sleep records for truckers? Truck drivers already keep logs of how many hours they have been driving - would consumers be more loyal or appreciative toward a company that makes this information known? Instead of calling that "How am I driving?" telephone number, we could access it directly from the truck's cpu.
Let's get even more social. Let's incorporate this information into, say, a Match.Com profile. Not only does the car have to look clean for that next blind-date, it has to be well-maintained also. Your date may have a steady job and likes kids, but he's prone to fits of road-rage. She, on the other hand, upgraded her own brakes to ceramic pads and slotted rotors (i.e. a keeper).
This can be a positive force for improving the safety and overall mood of our commuters. The downside is the potential for this information to be used against us - whether it's from another commuter or an insurance company or some other business entity.
See you on the roads.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Breaking Blad
Disclaimer: Okay. I will admit it. When it comes to my daughter, I am a pushover. It started seven years ago with her birth and has not abated. Her tiny pinky finger has grown but I am still wrapped around it.
Now to our story. It is summertime. School is out. Summertime means summer vacations. Summer vacations mean driving to exotic locales. Driving means being cooped up inside a minivan with my wife driving and me relegated to in-car-entertainment duties.
For several hours.
Being inside a moving minivan for several hours usually means having to stop for a bathroom break. Especially when you are dealing with bladders that are only seven years old.
Such was the case last week. My daughter politely peeked up from her laptop (okay, she was borrowing mine, but since her content was playing on it at the time, she was the owner) and asked to stop for a restroom break.
To which, my wife/driver said "Okay honey" and kept driving.
Past a few shops, strip malls, and fairly well-maintained restaurants.
Five minutes later, my daughter starts feeling the effects of that strawberry smoothie even more on her insides and requests a bathroom with more urgency in her voice.
And it just so happens that the minivan has now passed from the security of suburban sprawl and into the wilderness of no-mans-and-no-indoor-plumbing-land.
You know that scene from "The Simpsons" where Homer is frolicking in "Flushing Meadows" with toilets scattered all over the hillside? We were in the total opposite of that.
Anyone who has been within earshot of a child needing to go to the bathroom realizes the logarithmic progression a whiny-voice takes as time elapses. After 20 seconds of no stopping, the voice becomes grating. After 30 seconds, it progresses to agonizing screams. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It absolutely will not stop until a bathroom is found.
I asked my wife later why she didn't stop when my daughter first asked and she replied:
"Oh, you never stop at the first request."
Now, I value our marriage. I keep a level-head through a lot of situations. I pondered this for a minute. Perhaps this is some form of bladder-training that I was unaware of. Maybe our daughter had a false-alarm before that I didn't know about? Or by compressing the total number of bathroom breaks to cut down on travel time? (it should be known that we were not on any sort of deadline to meet)
Still, when it comes to biohazardous waste, I would gladly err on the side of caution. My wife, however, got to deal with a pair of soaked girlshorts. She blames it on two teenagers that were hogging the restroom at the McDonald's - I say if you would've stopped at the Food Lion several miles back, you would've had a larger pee-window to operate in.
Lesson learned - my daughter's bladder does not bluff.
Now to our story. It is summertime. School is out. Summertime means summer vacations. Summer vacations mean driving to exotic locales. Driving means being cooped up inside a minivan with my wife driving and me relegated to in-car-entertainment duties.
For several hours.
Being inside a moving minivan for several hours usually means having to stop for a bathroom break. Especially when you are dealing with bladders that are only seven years old.
Such was the case last week. My daughter politely peeked up from her laptop (okay, she was borrowing mine, but since her content was playing on it at the time, she was the owner) and asked to stop for a restroom break.
To which, my wife/driver said "Okay honey" and kept driving.
Past a few shops, strip malls, and fairly well-maintained restaurants.
Five minutes later, my daughter starts feeling the effects of that strawberry smoothie even more on her insides and requests a bathroom with more urgency in her voice.
And it just so happens that the minivan has now passed from the security of suburban sprawl and into the wilderness of no-mans-and-no-indoor-plumbing-land.
You know that scene from "The Simpsons" where Homer is frolicking in "Flushing Meadows" with toilets scattered all over the hillside? We were in the total opposite of that.
Anyone who has been within earshot of a child needing to go to the bathroom realizes the logarithmic progression a whiny-voice takes as time elapses. After 20 seconds of no stopping, the voice becomes grating. After 30 seconds, it progresses to agonizing screams. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It absolutely will not stop until a bathroom is found.
I asked my wife later why she didn't stop when my daughter first asked and she replied:
"Oh, you never stop at the first request."
Now, I value our marriage. I keep a level-head through a lot of situations. I pondered this for a minute. Perhaps this is some form of bladder-training that I was unaware of. Maybe our daughter had a false-alarm before that I didn't know about? Or by compressing the total number of bathroom breaks to cut down on travel time? (it should be known that we were not on any sort of deadline to meet)
Still, when it comes to biohazardous waste, I would gladly err on the side of caution. My wife, however, got to deal with a pair of soaked girlshorts. She blames it on two teenagers that were hogging the restroom at the McDonald's - I say if you would've stopped at the Food Lion several miles back, you would've had a larger pee-window to operate in.
Lesson learned - my daughter's bladder does not bluff.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Futurethought: Tagging Fat
I'm sitting at my desk and I'm contemplating my body fat.
(eats another cookie)
This got me to thinking: How much of this cookie am I going to retain?
I know that we're just scratching the surface regarding nanoscience and radiotags. But what if we could actually determine precisely where our excess body fat came from?
Right now, we just assume that the body fat is equally composed of these unused sugars - our body just manages to find empty pockets to store fat in (think a biological equivalent of an episode of "Hoarders: Buried Alive"). But are some fats more-prone to storage and less-prone to burning than others?
Tangent: I hear a lot of dietary talk about how a person gained four pounds and immediately tries to recall (guess, really) where the diet failed. "It must have been the mayonnaise I had on that sandwich last Thursday".
uh-huh. okay.
I've observed that my own weight can fluctuate five pounds, depending on the time of day I step on the scale. So, whenever I really want to make myself feel better, I weigh myself at 6:30AM. After dinner, I can step on the scale again, see that I'm 5 pounds heavier, and now the ice-cream doesn't seem so appetizing. Go to bed, wake up the next morning, hop on, and I'm back to my initial weight.
First thing: Weigh yourself the same way each time. Your actions should be based on the best data you can get. If you have a bathroom scale, use that exclusively. Don't mix using the bathroom scale with the Wii Fit board and the cargo scale on the loading dock. Same goes for time-of-day. Be consistent.
Back on topic - My goal here is to be able to determine my body fat came from Dunkin' Donuts. It won't stop me from going there, but it would make me feel better - proud in fact. I want sponsorships for my flab. If Goodyear can brand their spare tires, I want to do the same.
Sincerely,
Alex, who is 15% donut
(eats another cookie)
This got me to thinking: How much of this cookie am I going to retain?
I know that we're just scratching the surface regarding nanoscience and radiotags. But what if we could actually determine precisely where our excess body fat came from?
Right now, we just assume that the body fat is equally composed of these unused sugars - our body just manages to find empty pockets to store fat in (think a biological equivalent of an episode of "Hoarders: Buried Alive"). But are some fats more-prone to storage and less-prone to burning than others?
Tangent: I hear a lot of dietary talk about how a person gained four pounds and immediately tries to recall (guess, really) where the diet failed. "It must have been the mayonnaise I had on that sandwich last Thursday".
uh-huh. okay.
I've observed that my own weight can fluctuate five pounds, depending on the time of day I step on the scale. So, whenever I really want to make myself feel better, I weigh myself at 6:30AM. After dinner, I can step on the scale again, see that I'm 5 pounds heavier, and now the ice-cream doesn't seem so appetizing. Go to bed, wake up the next morning, hop on, and I'm back to my initial weight.
First thing: Weigh yourself the same way each time. Your actions should be based on the best data you can get. If you have a bathroom scale, use that exclusively. Don't mix using the bathroom scale with the Wii Fit board and the cargo scale on the loading dock. Same goes for time-of-day. Be consistent.
Back on topic - My goal here is to be able to determine my body fat came from Dunkin' Donuts. It won't stop me from going there, but it would make me feel better - proud in fact. I want sponsorships for my flab. If Goodyear can brand their spare tires, I want to do the same.
Sincerely,
Alex, who is 15% donut
Saturday, June 22, 2013
How To Really Hurt A Guy
This won't be a lecture about pressure-points, nerve bundles, or physical pain.
This is about going after a man's heart.
Earlier today, Patrick Lovato died. He would be the father of Disney celebrity Demi Lovato. Demi's personal life has been well-documented to a fault in the media and, judging by her success, she's not letting it get in the way of her blossoming career.
What I did not know, because I do not follow Demi that closely, is that Patrick divorced Demi's mother when Demi was only two. Since then, Demi has estranged herself from any contact with Patrick. A recent quote from Demi:
“Sometimes there are people in your life that you have to cut out. It sucks when it’s your own father. But I know what’s best for me.”
True to her word, she (as far as we know), denied Patrick the contact that he wanted right up until his very end.
I consider myself really, extremely, astronomically lucky. I continue to love my wife and have loved her for twenty-four years. A lot of understanding, sacrifice, and compromise on both parts is needed for a relationship this strong. I have two incredible children and wish to be with them every second of my existence - even when I don't. The impact I have in their lives is significant and vice-versa.
What really scares me is not having any of that.
I do not know what marital difficulties Mr. and Mrs. Lovato had. Perhaps it was about money. Maybe it was about infidelity. People seem to run into these incompatibilities 49% of the time...
But I do know that I would do anything and everything for my daughter's forgiveness. The article states how driven Patrick was to get just a single phonecall from his daughter. Perhaps the wound he left Demi just festered too long. There was no perceived benefit that Demi saw in granting this man an audience.
Patrick is gone now. Demi can continue with her career with this part of history out of her way. Clearly, he left this world with some regret. Hopefully, others will recognize this and try to make their peace with their loved ones before time runs out.
This is about going after a man's heart.
Earlier today, Patrick Lovato died. He would be the father of Disney celebrity Demi Lovato. Demi's personal life has been well-documented to a fault in the media and, judging by her success, she's not letting it get in the way of her blossoming career.
What I did not know, because I do not follow Demi that closely, is that Patrick divorced Demi's mother when Demi was only two. Since then, Demi has estranged herself from any contact with Patrick. A recent quote from Demi:
“Sometimes there are people in your life that you have to cut out. It sucks when it’s your own father. But I know what’s best for me.”
True to her word, she (as far as we know), denied Patrick the contact that he wanted right up until his very end.
I consider myself really, extremely, astronomically lucky. I continue to love my wife and have loved her for twenty-four years. A lot of understanding, sacrifice, and compromise on both parts is needed for a relationship this strong. I have two incredible children and wish to be with them every second of my existence - even when I don't. The impact I have in their lives is significant and vice-versa.
What really scares me is not having any of that.
I do not know what marital difficulties Mr. and Mrs. Lovato had. Perhaps it was about money. Maybe it was about infidelity. People seem to run into these incompatibilities 49% of the time...
But I do know that I would do anything and everything for my daughter's forgiveness. The article states how driven Patrick was to get just a single phonecall from his daughter. Perhaps the wound he left Demi just festered too long. There was no perceived benefit that Demi saw in granting this man an audience.
Patrick is gone now. Demi can continue with her career with this part of history out of her way. Clearly, he left this world with some regret. Hopefully, others will recognize this and try to make their peace with their loved ones before time runs out.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Being a Whisperer
I have this friend. She is the best friend. She has this quirky talent of finding very objectionable people and adjusting their attitudes. "Troll Whisperer" and "Douchebro Whisperer" were just some of her nicknames.
I mention this today because I had just completed ordering a Triple-Play FiOS package from Verizon. I've had Verizon FiOS for several years now and discovered a bundle that would give me more channels and faster internet speeds for the same monthly rate. It's a minor shame that I had to find this out myself, but we can discuss broadband concierge services at a later date.
How does this tie in to my best friend? Let's see how well I connect these dots.
We're all intimately familiar with telemarketers. Those unfortunate souls who whore-out their work-hours by calling phone numbers and reciting a script trying to sell people things. We're all intimately familiar with cable companies. Those more-unfortunate souls who whore-out their work-hours by making us jump through hoops just so we can get online from the comfort of our own home.
Combine a telemarketer with a cable-company and you have a recipe for one of the most-hated individuals in existence. There are several million stories of the hell people experience when interacting with their cable-company.
But realize this. They aren't doing this to punish us. They're doing this because research tells them it works. They have a script that they read to you because the statistics prove that if you are asked to buy something three times, then you are very-likely to buy it - as infuriating as that sounds. Even if you threaten to cancel your subscription by asking them NOT to sell you something, they will reply "I understand. Let me tell you about our newest promotional package..." because EVERY manager above them knows the script is to be followed and zero-tolerance otherwise.
I could have completed my entire broadband upgrade online - but I decided to voluntarily interact with my cable representative. In a way, I felt much like my best friend. I knew this employee-of-Verizon was looking for another successful statistic. I knew that I was a potential 2-year contract renewal. I had this intrinsic value and I wanted to use it for the good of someone. So, I sought out a sales rep. We chatted about promotional packages and channel lineups while guiding me through webforms.
I got my package, the rep got his renewal quota, and I saved someone else 20 minutes of having to deal with this person.
Maybe there's a demand for this kind of service?
I mention this today because I had just completed ordering a Triple-Play FiOS package from Verizon. I've had Verizon FiOS for several years now and discovered a bundle that would give me more channels and faster internet speeds for the same monthly rate. It's a minor shame that I had to find this out myself, but we can discuss broadband concierge services at a later date.
How does this tie in to my best friend? Let's see how well I connect these dots.
We're all intimately familiar with telemarketers. Those unfortunate souls who whore-out their work-hours by calling phone numbers and reciting a script trying to sell people things. We're all intimately familiar with cable companies. Those more-unfortunate souls who whore-out their work-hours by making us jump through hoops just so we can get online from the comfort of our own home.
Combine a telemarketer with a cable-company and you have a recipe for one of the most-hated individuals in existence. There are several million stories of the hell people experience when interacting with their cable-company.
But realize this. They aren't doing this to punish us. They're doing this because research tells them it works. They have a script that they read to you because the statistics prove that if you are asked to buy something three times, then you are very-likely to buy it - as infuriating as that sounds. Even if you threaten to cancel your subscription by asking them NOT to sell you something, they will reply "I understand. Let me tell you about our newest promotional package..." because EVERY manager above them knows the script is to be followed and zero-tolerance otherwise.
I could have completed my entire broadband upgrade online - but I decided to voluntarily interact with my cable representative. In a way, I felt much like my best friend. I knew this employee-of-Verizon was looking for another successful statistic. I knew that I was a potential 2-year contract renewal. I had this intrinsic value and I wanted to use it for the good of someone. So, I sought out a sales rep. We chatted about promotional packages and channel lineups while guiding me through webforms.
I got my package, the rep got his renewal quota, and I saved someone else 20 minutes of having to deal with this person.
Maybe there's a demand for this kind of service?
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