Forgive me if I'm thick, but what could the following, posted on amazon.com when one wants to see the hidden price of an item, possibly mean? I've read through it a few times, but every time I read it it seems progressively to degenerate into abstruse mumbo-jumbo:
"Why Don't We Show the Price?
"Manufacturers sometimes ask that retailers not display a price if it drops below a certain amount. The 'click here to see price' message indicates that the price of the item is so low that the manufacturer requested that it not be advertised (that is, displayed). In a brick-and-mortar store, you would probably have to ask a salesperson what the price of the product is. At Amazon, by clicking on 'click here to see price' you are essentially asking to see the price, at which point we show it to you."
Whaaa?
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Spoonalicious
Remember this when you go out to eat at a nice restaurant: A Timeless Lesson on how Consultants can Make a Difference for an Organization.
Last week, I took some friends out to a new restaurant, and noticed that the waiter who took our order carried a spoon in his shirt pocket.
It seemed a little strange. When the waiter brought our water and utensils, I noticed he also had a spoon in his shirt pocket. Then I looked around and saw that all the staff had spoons in their pockets.
When the waiter came back to serve our soup I asked, "Why the spoon?"
"Well," he explained, "the restaurant's owners hired Arthur Andersen Consulting to revamp all our processes. After several months of analysis,they concluded that the spoon was the most frequently dropped utensil.
"It represents a drop frequency of approximately 3 spoons per table per hour. If our personnel are better prepared, we can reduce the number of trips back to the kitchen and save 15 man-hours per shift."
As luck would have it, I dropped my spoon and he was able to replace it with his spare. "I'll get another spoon next time I go to the kitchen instead of making an extra trip to get it right now."
I was impressed. I also noticed that there was a string hanging out of the waiter's fly. Looking around, I noticed that all the waiters had the same string hanging from their flies. So before he walked off, I asked the waiter, "Excuse me, but can you tell me why you have that string right there?"
"Oh, certainly!" Then he lowered his voice. "Not everyone is so observant. That consulting firm I mentioned also found out that we can save time in the restroom. By tying this string to the tip of you know what, we can pull it out without touching it and eliminate the need to wash our hands, shortening the time spent in the restroom by 76.39 percent.
I asked after you get it out, how do you put it back?" "Well," he whispered, "I don't know about the others, but I use the spoon."
(With thanks to Stefan. No, he was not the waiter.)
Last week, I took some friends out to a new restaurant, and noticed that the waiter who took our order carried a spoon in his shirt pocket.
It seemed a little strange. When the waiter brought our water and utensils, I noticed he also had a spoon in his shirt pocket. Then I looked around and saw that all the staff had spoons in their pockets.
When the waiter came back to serve our soup I asked, "Why the spoon?"
"Well," he explained, "the restaurant's owners hired Arthur Andersen Consulting to revamp all our processes. After several months of analysis,they concluded that the spoon was the most frequently dropped utensil.
"It represents a drop frequency of approximately 3 spoons per table per hour. If our personnel are better prepared, we can reduce the number of trips back to the kitchen and save 15 man-hours per shift."
As luck would have it, I dropped my spoon and he was able to replace it with his spare. "I'll get another spoon next time I go to the kitchen instead of making an extra trip to get it right now."
I was impressed. I also noticed that there was a string hanging out of the waiter's fly. Looking around, I noticed that all the waiters had the same string hanging from their flies. So before he walked off, I asked the waiter, "Excuse me, but can you tell me why you have that string right there?"
"Oh, certainly!" Then he lowered his voice. "Not everyone is so observant. That consulting firm I mentioned also found out that we can save time in the restroom. By tying this string to the tip of you know what, we can pull it out without touching it and eliminate the need to wash our hands, shortening the time spent in the restroom by 76.39 percent.
I asked after you get it out, how do you put it back?" "Well," he whispered, "I don't know about the others, but I use the spoon."
(With thanks to Stefan. No, he was not the waiter.)
Saturday, January 27, 2007
That's Amore
It's hilarious to see the street fights break out among the residents of New York City when the question "Who makes the best pizza?" is posed.
Patsy's? Totonno's? Carbone? Mimi's? Napoletana? Luzzo's?
Don't you wish we had a choice like that?
I finally picked Luzzo's out of a hat. A charming Italian guy--with an accent straight out of The Godfather--took my reservation for 7 pm (!) on a Friday night for a party of six.
See the menu below (click to enlarge):
Patsy's? Totonno's? Carbone? Mimi's? Napoletana? Luzzo's?
Don't you wish we had a choice like that?
I finally picked Luzzo's out of a hat. A charming Italian guy--with an accent straight out of The Godfather--took my reservation for 7 pm (!) on a Friday night for a party of six.
See the menu below (click to enlarge):
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Badgering Chowhound
I’m having a really great time hassling the Manhattan denizens of the Chowhound boards. It’s great to be able to turn it around for once. On montrealfood I was being driven up the wall by people who’d write in and want me to plan their eating itineraries for their three-day stays here. I didn’t mind so much actually providing them with one, but then to not even get a reply to that email . . . it’s like being a sales dude and having someone make you explain the details on ten different models and then say thanks and walk out . . .
Anyway, I’m going to be in Manhattan with the Tiny Tornado for a couple of days in March and I wanted to know whether I should go to Peter Luger or Old Homestead (for steak) and Totonno’s for pizza . . . well, the folk over at Chowhound certainly came through.
Them New Yorkers are fiercely proud of their food . . . you can feel it in their posts. Would that we could fire up the local community likewise.
I kinda liked that one of the posters said they’d been to montrealfood.com and would be asking me for recommedations for their next trip.
We all mellow, eventually.
Anyway, I’m going to be in Manhattan with the Tiny Tornado for a couple of days in March and I wanted to know whether I should go to Peter Luger or Old Homestead (for steak) and Totonno’s for pizza . . . well, the folk over at Chowhound certainly came through.
Them New Yorkers are fiercely proud of their food . . . you can feel it in their posts. Would that we could fire up the local community likewise.
I kinda liked that one of the posters said they’d been to montrealfood.com and would be asking me for recommedations for their next trip.
We all mellow, eventually.
Work for Peanuts
Does anyone else get pissed off when they receive a package packed with those goddamned foam peanuts? There are so many choices--bunched-up newspapers, air-filled plastic pouches, you name it . . .
So what the fuck is it with the peanuts?
So what the fuck is it with the peanuts?
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Ed's TV
Oh boy, did I just dive headfirst into the deep end of digital doo-doo.
Having won an “EDTV-ready” 42” plasma TV on eBay (US$686.00 for a floor model! Not bad, eh?) I set about trying to find out how to mate it with the ready EDTV thingy that would make it officially EDTV-complete.
But just try to set about getting around to finding your way clear to doing that. There are more acronyms floating around in the jargon-enriched HDTV universe than microphytes in the Sargasso Sea. Absolute confusion reigns supreme. I consider myself extremely tech-savvy (though weighted more towards the computer spectrum than the consumer electronic) but the consortiums that be could not have made this HDTV business more difficult if they had worked at it 24 hours a day for all the light years to Alpha Centauri.
First of all, what the hell do you need to make a TV an EDTV TV when it was only an EDTV-ready TV before? After searching the Internet for an hour, I still only have a vague clue.
You need a Box — that much is clear. But what Box? Must it cost the same as my incredible bargain of a TV? Will I be able to even tell the EDTV difference with my rheumy, overworked eyes? Should I give a flying fuck?
Why, yes! For I am a tech warrior. I will not rest until my EDTV-ready TV has found its soulmate. I will toss and turn after turning the EDTV-ready TV off every night, constantly wondering: Is the picture as Good As It Can Possibly Be? If it is 480p now, won’t it be much, much better if it is 1080i? What is 1080i? How can I get 1080i? Is 1080i cheap? Will I be able to even tell the 1080i difference with my rheumy, overworked eyes?
And thus it will go, night after night.
And who is going to put this thing up on my wall? Certainly not me. But it must go on the wall! Everyone who’s anyone mounts their new EDTV-ready TV on the wall. No pedestrian IKEA box with casters for me. On the wall it must go! But how to hide the unsightly wires that will snake from it to the cable box, the DVD player, the VCR and the soon-to-be EDTV box? Why, drill a hole in the wall! Yes! But who will do it? Is there a dude who travels from house to house installing 69-pound plasma TVs on customers’ walls for a reasonable fee?
Will he know where to find the EDTV box?
Wish I were Ed—he must be making a fortune.
Having won an “EDTV-ready” 42” plasma TV on eBay (US$686.00 for a floor model! Not bad, eh?) I set about trying to find out how to mate it with the ready EDTV thingy that would make it officially EDTV-complete.
But just try to set about getting around to finding your way clear to doing that. There are more acronyms floating around in the jargon-enriched HDTV universe than microphytes in the Sargasso Sea. Absolute confusion reigns supreme. I consider myself extremely tech-savvy (though weighted more towards the computer spectrum than the consumer electronic) but the consortiums that be could not have made this HDTV business more difficult if they had worked at it 24 hours a day for all the light years to Alpha Centauri.
First of all, what the hell do you need to make a TV an EDTV TV when it was only an EDTV-ready TV before? After searching the Internet for an hour, I still only have a vague clue.
You need a Box — that much is clear. But what Box? Must it cost the same as my incredible bargain of a TV? Will I be able to even tell the EDTV difference with my rheumy, overworked eyes? Should I give a flying fuck?
Why, yes! For I am a tech warrior. I will not rest until my EDTV-ready TV has found its soulmate. I will toss and turn after turning the EDTV-ready TV off every night, constantly wondering: Is the picture as Good As It Can Possibly Be? If it is 480p now, won’t it be much, much better if it is 1080i? What is 1080i? How can I get 1080i? Is 1080i cheap? Will I be able to even tell the 1080i difference with my rheumy, overworked eyes?
And thus it will go, night after night.
And who is going to put this thing up on my wall? Certainly not me. But it must go on the wall! Everyone who’s anyone mounts their new EDTV-ready TV on the wall. No pedestrian IKEA box with casters for me. On the wall it must go! But how to hide the unsightly wires that will snake from it to the cable box, the DVD player, the VCR and the soon-to-be EDTV box? Why, drill a hole in the wall! Yes! But who will do it? Is there a dude who travels from house to house installing 69-pound plasma TVs on customers’ walls for a reasonable fee?
Will he know where to find the EDTV box?
Wish I were Ed—he must be making a fortune.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
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