Here was a great opportunity to demonstrate customer service. Looks like someone didn't get the email.
http://nosheep.net/story/battery-replacement-apple-vs-dell/
Battery Replacement: Apple vs Dell
August 30, 2006 on 11:06 pm In Professional
In the last few weeks Apple and Dell have both been placed in the inconvenient position of having to recall a pile of bad Sony batteries. Side note: how come Sony laptops haven’t had a similar recall, is their market share too small to justify it, or did they save good batteries for themselves? Back on topic, I have been in the unique position of personally being involved in both recalls. My Dell D810 has one of the bad batteries, I filled out the online form to get it replaced on Tuesday 8/15/06. There is also an Apple Mac Book Pro in my house which was affected, the online form to replace this one was filled out on Sunday 8/27/06.
The Apple replacement arrived yesterday, 8/29/06. This was a turn around of less than 3 days, especially impressive when considering one of those day, the request day, was a Sunday.
My Dell, however, is still patiently waiting for it’s replacement. Today is 16 days past when it was requested, so far that makes it more than 5x slower and counting…
Unrelated but furthering potential arguments, my Dell cost >$2300 and the Mac Book Pro cost <$2300. Both had 3 year warranties with educational discounts. Which computer, warranty, and commitment do you think was worth more?
This can't happen in the good old US of A... Can it? Might make an interesting speculative article for the Privacy Foundation.
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/02/1324207&from=rss
Identity Thieves Steal Homes
Posted by CowboyNeal on Saturday September 02, @11:09AM from the better-than-credit dept. Security The Courts
westcoaster004 writes "Identity thieves in Canada have begun targeting the homes of their victims. Recently, several cases of mortgage and title fraud have involved identity theft; several individuals have had their houses sold without their knowledge. Ontario's land-registry system does not currently protect homeowners from such fraud, but instead favors banks, mortgage companies, and purchasers. The provincial government is however working to solve the problem."
The logical replacement for Robert Parker? Can a butler robot be far away?
http://www.wired.com/news/wireservice/0,71714-0.html?tw=rss.index
"Lovely Stilton," the Robot Said
Associated Press 15:41 PM Sep, 02, 2006
TSU, Japan -- The ability to discern good wine from bad, name the specific brand from a tiny sip and recommend a complementary cheese would seem to be about as human a skill as there is. In Japan, robots are doing it.
Researchers at NEC System Technologies and Mie University have designed a robot that can taste -- an electromechanical sommelier able to identify dozens of different wines, cheeses and hors d'oeuvres.
"There are all kinds of robots out there doing many different things," said Hideo Shimazu, director of the NEC System Technology Research Laboratory and a joint-leader of the robot project. "But we decided to focus on wine because that seemed like a real challenge."
Last month, they unveiled the fruits of their two-year effort -- a green-and-white prototype with eyes, a head that swivels and a mouth that lights up whenever the robot talks.
The "tasting" is done elsewhere, however.
At the end of the robot's left arm is an infrared spectrometer. When objects are placed against the sensor, the robot fires off a beam of infrared light. The reflected light is then analyzed in real time to determine the object's chemical composition.
"All foods have a unique fingerprint," Shimazu said. "The robot uses that data to identify what it is inspecting right there on the spot."
When it has identified a wine, the robot speaks up in a childlike voice. It names the brand and adds a comment or two on the taste, such as whether it is a buttery chardonnay or a full-bodied shiraz, and what kind of foods might go well on the side.
Shimazu said the robots could be "personalized," or programmed to recognize the kinds of wines its owner prefers and recommend new varieties to fit its owner's taste. Because it is analyzing the chemical composition of the wine or food placed before it, it can also alert its owner to possible health issues, gently warning against fatty or salty products.
That capability has other useful applications. Given three ripe, identical-looking apples to analyze, the robot was able without taking a bite to correctly single out one as sweet and the other two as a bit sour.
But sommeliers need not fear for their jobs just yet. Of the thousands of wines on the market, the robot can be programmed to accurately identify only a few dozen at most. It also has more trouble with the task after the bottle has been opened and the wine begins to breathe and thus transform chemically.
"Wines are notoriously similar in their spectral fingerprints," Shimazu said. "The variation this robot detects is very subtle."
Some of the mistakes it makes would get a human sommelier fired -- or worse. When a reporter's hand was placed against the robot's taste sensor, it was identified as prosciutto. A cameraman was mistaken for bacon.
The 2-foot-tall robot also is expensive.
"Buying one of these would cost about as much as a new car," Shimazu said. "We'd like to bring that down to 100,000 yen ($1,000) or less for the tasting sensor if we were to put it on the market." He said there is no plan yet to actually market the robot, though the sensor could be available as early as next year.
"We are getting a lot of business offers and a lot of interest," he said. "But we see this more as a symbol of our technological ability than as a profitable product right now."
Mie University engineering professor Atsushi Hashimoto, the project's other co-leader, acknowledged there is much room for improvement.
But he said the robot could be used in the near future at wineries to test the taste of each bottle without actually unscrewing any corks.
"It's still like a child," he said. "But not a completely ignorant one."
Industry experts note the shortcomings but agree on the robot's possibilities.
"I see the potential to analyze expensive and old wine to say whether it is authentic or not," said Philippe Bramaz of the Italian winemaker Calzaluga. "Auction houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's could use this technology to test wine without opening it."
This would never happen here, we respect our old geezers!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=403333&in_page_id=1770
Sorry, you can't have the internet... you're over 70
By HEIDI DORE Last updated at 22:00pm on 2nd September 2006
After walking the Great Wall of China and making plans for a trip to Russia, Shirley Greening-Jackson thought signing up for a new internet service would be a doddle.
But the young man behind the counter had other ideas. He said she was barred - because she was too old.
The 75-year-old would only be allowed to sign the forms for the Carphone Warehouse's TalkTalk phone and broadband package if she was accompanied by a younger member of her family who could explain the small print to her.
Mrs Greening-Jackson, who sits on the board of several charities, said: "I was absolutely furious. The young man said, 'Sorry, you're over 70. It's company policy. We don't sign anyone up who is over 70.'
"Later a young lady said company policy is that anyone over 70 might not understand the contract. [Does that explain all thise Supreme Court decisions? Bob] She said, 'If you would be prepared to go to the shop in town and take a younger member of your family we might give you a contract.'
"I have just completed a visa form to go to Russia. Last year we did one for walking the Wall in China and here is this person saying I would not be able to understand a basic form - and it was basic. It is pure ageism.
"Somebody has decided when you turn 70 you lose a lot of your mind. I find this is ridiculous."
When her case came to light on Radio 4's You And Yours last week, Carphone Warehouse admitted it had adopted an over-70 rule.
But the firm insisted it was not a blanket policy and claimed the guidance was to protect the elderly. A spokeswoman said: "It is not our policy to refuse business from adult customers of any age group. However, we do ask our agents to use their discretion when dealing with older customers."
She added that the discretionary rule had been introduced in response to complaints that staff had mis-sold products last year.
Liberal Democrat MP Paul Burstow, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on older people, described the practice as 'deeply offensive'.
He said: "It is nonsense to assume those over the age of 70 cannot understand this sort of package, especially with the huge explosion of 'silver surfers' using the net."
New laws next month will outlaw ageism in the workplace. But Help the Aged wants the rules extended to protect consumers. "We see companies putting in place arbitrary age rules all the time,' a spokeswoman said. "To deny people services because of their age is just crazy. There needs to be legislation to address this."
Perspective. Think of this in terms of electronic discovery (4,000 magazines on each hard drive you subpoena) and industrial espionage or identity theft (how would you detect let alone stop an employee from leaving with a “palm sized” hard drive full of your customer data?)
The Complete New Yorker Portable Hard Drive
In one of the first digital publishing initiatives of its kind, we are proud to announce the release of The New Yorker’s entire archive, February, 1925 - April, 2006, on a palm-sized portable hard drive.
... Over 4,000 issues of your favorite magazine now sit, ready for you to search and savor, on an 80G incredibly light-weight and travel-friendly drive. This high-performance, brushed-aluminum hard drive measures only 3" x 5" and can easily fit inside a purse or briefcase, so it’s a cinch to show off to your tech-savvy friends and co-workers. Plus, there is plenty of extra room on the drive for future updates.
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