Nevada Powerless

June 14, 2004

I was thinking there wasn't much to write today. But Jeff Beard's story about Dell's Horrific Tech Support reminded me that I'm still waiting for a call back from Nevada Power. Their support supervisor said that I was given bad information and then proceeded to suggest that I was "twisting the facts" when I had pointed out she said "she was not going to circumvent the normal policy to help me." I pointed out this meant she could but was not going to. That folks is what they call twisting the story.

I guess I'll have to file a complaint with the public utilities commission about the abuse at the hands of Nevada Power. If you take Jenina's word for it then a first-level supervisor at their call center is the highest power in the building. Sure sounds like all the call centers I've ever been in. Yup there are plenty of times where there are call-takers and their supervisors and nobody else.... wait that's not true. Read more about Nevada Powerless

Trouble for cycling

June 11, 2004

There was a good piece on Marketplace last evening about the challenges facing the sport of cycling. Following several years of struggling over drug usage a number of key sponsors are now on hard times financially and are pulling sponsorships. Later this year the U.S. Postal Service, who sponsors the team Lance Armstrong rides for, will end their sponsorship. The news follows on Saturn's decision to leave the sport as well. Meanwhile Armstrong will attempt a record-setting sixth win in the Tour De France next month.

Get some control

June 8, 2004

For the new place we looked at several internet options. After several conversations with a sales person at Ground Control we chose them for a satellite internet provider. Ground Control resells Hughes services among others and has an impressive array of options. Always being weary of the "you live too far away" option I carefully explored with them the availability of installers local to the Las Vegas area. I was told it would not be a problem. Now Ground Control is working through Keypoint systems as a sub-contractor. The story from Ground Control is that the truck of the person (evidently the only person) in Las Vegas broke down and they don't know when they will come to do the install. However they will be there tomorrow if I'll just OK the 8-hours of driving time (that I get to pay for) to have somebody come from California. Read more about Get some control

StorageTek's 10-Q

May 7, 2004

StorageTek says in their 10-Q filing on the 5th that their "future success depends in large part on our ability to attract and retain our key employees." It's almost comical the way in which they continue to focus on "key employees" (i.e. executives) who have proven time and time again that they are incapable of executing to get results while they continue to thin the already thin ranks of the people who actually do the work each and every day. For example recently they brought on two new executives with a salary in excess of three-quarters of a million dollars annually. Read more about StorageTek's 10-Q

Doing it on yur own

April 22, 2004

Matt Raible has an interesting discussion going about the differences in full time vs. contract work. Having just started a full time job that I love I can say that the grass can be as green on the other side. Matt has done excellent work and it is a large part of the reason he's so successful as a contractor. It depends, too, on what kind of work one wants to do. When I set out to look for the job I have now I had specific goal of being in the geographic region and my first choice was to move back into the academic arena. Read more about Doing it on yur own

What are your references

April 9, 2004

Fast Company has a good article by Seth Godin saying "You are your references". As I recently went through the process of being hired the thing that surprised me is that only one person from my new employer did a search and found my site. Seth Godin's article is correct in that pretty much every time I do business I check what others have to say about a person or company on the web.

Business