Sunday, July 13, 2003

Oh, my. . . If you search on Yahoo! Canada for "Sampson" this blog comes up #16. Four of the preceding 15 hits relate to Sampson County, North Carolina, and one is for um, uh, a condom store in Hong Kong. So how do I get ahead of the condom store? 10:58:19 PM    Questions? Comments? Flames? []

No kidding. "If you work 20 hours a day, your product will be crap." -George Colony, Chairman and CEO, Forrester Research, First Impression. [Fast Company] 10:48:14 PM    Questions? Comments? Flames? []

Why writers don't read the style guide Writers who won't RTFM. A liberal application of "practice what you preach" might make life easier for technical communicators. [Usable Help] I can give you three reasons writers don't follow the style guide: a 320-page book style guide a 208-page curriculum style guide neither of which are even remotely usable Next question? 10:42:08 PM    Questions? Comments? Flames? []

Surfing for WiFi ROI Eating Out and Logging On. Companies like McDonald's and Starbucks are capitalizing on the consumer's thirst for wireless Internet connections. By Bob Tedeschi. [New York Times: Technology] Now here's an interesting quote from a Starbuck's flack: "The typical wireless user stays for 45 minutes. Of the nonwireless users, 70 percent spend 5 minutes or less at the store; the remaining 30 percent linger for about 20 minutes. "We certainly believe that means they buy more coffee and food," she said." What's not addressed is the question of how many potential customers might be wooed into the store by free WiFi service. Both Starbuck's and McDonald's are charging, via their service providers, $5-6 for an hour or two. But hey, if I could get an hour, or even half-hour, of free access, I might actually bring the PowerBook into a Starbuck's for a little espresso. As it is now, I don't even go into Starbuck's. Period. At all. So they and Micky D's don't yet understand that the incremental increase in customers will really come from current non-customers, not from longer stays by existing customers. At least that's my theory, and I'm standing by it. And more WiFi news from the NYT: Walk-By Hacking. With a hand-held computer and a $40 wireless card, anyone can pull up user names, passwords and lots of other confidential information. By Erik Sherman. [New York Times: Technology] Happy to Share Wi-Fi, for a Fee. Drive through any affluent neighborhood with a laptop that can receive wireless Internet connections, or Wi-Fi, and you will not go far before finding a signal that will enable you to go online. By Saul Hansell. [New York Times: Technology] 9:26:37 PM    Questions? Comments? Flames? []

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