The Ambitious Paradox

March 10, 2010

Comcast Nightmare, or How NOT to begin a customer relationship

Posted by jasonact under Comcast, comedy, personal, technology
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Kari and I decided a while back to switch our phone and internet service from AT&T to Comcast. While it costs a little more, we’d grown to believe that the quality of service, not to mention the significantly faster internet, would be well worth the price. I got online to order service and expected to soon have the service up and running.

Boy, was I wrong. What followed was the most comically ridiculous series of errors I’ve ever experienced. Time after time Comcast consistently shot itself in the foot. Here is the summary of misadventures that I emailed to Comcast customer support this morning:

I initially tried to schedule installation online. It consistently got to the “Live Chat” portion of the process, and the website would report an error. I tried this numerous times on many different days and times using 4 different web browsers (calling on the phone was not as convenient).

Eventually, when I got a person on the phone (after winding through a ridiculous automation system), the person on the other end went through the process only to find that the scheduling system was down, and I would have to call another time and start the process all over.

@ComcastCares on Twitter had me send a detailed email we_can_help@cable.comcast.com, and the recipient of that email passed me on to a local rep.

The rep called and left a single message on my cell phone. When I returned her call, I got her voicemail and left a message, but I never heard from her again. She never called me back.

I called the toll-free number back 2 days later and scheduled and installation appointment for February 27 (8-11), which at the time was 2 weeks away. February 27 came, and the installation people came out to the house 30 minutes before the scheduled window was to close. They said they could not install because my house (30 years old) had never been wired for cable TV or it needed to be rewired, and they didn’t have the right supplies. (Don’t you think it would have made sense to find out what was needed BEFORE coming out?)

We rescheduled for the following Saturday, March 6. I later received a phone call saying that March 6 couldn’t work because Comcast could not transfer the number until March 8. (That would’ve been very interesting for me if the February 27 installation had gone as planned.)

I rescheduled the installation a third time for Wednesday, March 10. I had to take off from work to wait for them. I wouldn’t have minded if the installation had actually taken place. Instead, all I did was wait until a Comcast rep called me at 10:55am (5 minutes before the 8-11am window closed). She said that the installer was stuck at another job and wouldn’t be here on time. Tough. I had an 11:30 meeting that I had to be at. I wasted 3 hours of my morning waiting. I couldn’t wait anymore. I was so irritated, I just told her to cancel the installation altogether because I have no faith that it will ever happen.

If any one (or even two) of these problems had happened, I could understand. Problems come up, and you deal with them and move on, but this has become ridiculous. I’d like to say I think you can help me, but I have to wonder whether any subsequent attempts will be met with yet another problem. None of this has instilled any confidence in Comcast.

Now, I’m not one to complain about customer service. I understand that large companies such as Comcast (especially those that outsources a lot of its labor) can have a hard to making everything go completely smooth, but this became worthy of the Three Stooges. I appreciate the concern shown by @ComcastCares and @ComcastMelissa over Twitter, but all they did from a practical standpoint was direct me to an email address that may or may not have helped. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Comcast didn’t want my business! I’m seriously considering obliging them and just sticking with slow AT&T.

January 31, 2010

Why I didn’t want to want the Apple iPad (and why I failed)

Posted by jasonact under Apple Inc., iPhone, technology, wishlist
[4] Comments

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few weeks, you probably know that Apple Inc. announced the iPad on Wednesday, a new tablet computer that they’ve positioned to compete in the burgeoning netbook market. In the lead up to the announcement, I tried to convince myself that I would neither want nor get one. For one thing, I couldn’t imagine where it would fit in my life. Between the iMac and my iPhone (and occasionally Kari’s Macbook Pro), I have all of my computing needs met. That middle space for a netbook/tablet just didn’t seem to exist for me. Additionally, most pundits expected Apple’s new creation to come in at around $800-1000, which would definitely put it out of the price range for a product that wouldn’t replace anything I currently have. Approaching the announcement, I thought I had properly convinced myself that no matter how cool or intriguing the product was, I wouldn’t want it in the same way that I wanted the iPhone 3 years ago, or even the iPhone 3G almost 2 years ago. With my mind at ease, I eagerly awaited to see it and dismiss it.

Ironically, the announcement went pretty much as I expected with a product that I pretty much expected. The new iPad is essentially an oversized iPod Touch, complete with the ability to run almost all iPhone apps. Of course, web browsing is expected to be a better experience with the larger screen, and the iBooks ereader app is nice, but without E-Ink, I knew it wouldn’t be replacing my new Nook anytime soon. I thought the iPad-optimized version of Apple’s iWork office suite was very cool, but since finishing school, I haven’t used such software very often, so that wasn’t a deal-maker. I was pretty satisfied that while Apple introduced a cool product, it was a cool product I could do without.

Then, I began to think. I thought about how many pundits said that it wouldn’t replace a laptop or desktop computer. I thought about how I generally don’t like to sit down at the desk with the iMac to work on that computer. I thought about how lately I’ve preferred to do as much of my computing tasks as possible on my iPhone because the OS is just so fun and easy to use, despite the small screen and virtual thumb keyboard. Slowly, it began to occur to me that the iPad might be exactly what I am looking for. It provides the iPhone OS that I love with a larger, more useful screen. The multitouch, gesture-based UI is perfectly suited for such a device. It allows full, ten-fingered use of the iPhone OS’s virtual keyboard that I actually enjoy using. I even “realized” that I do more word processing than I thought I did, and the VGA video adapter means that I can connect the iPad to a projector for Keynote presentations. Suddenly, it occurred to me that the iPad wouldn’t be a replacement for my Nook or my iPhone. It might actually be a replacement for my desktop computer. Of course, it doesn’t have the power and capability of a full-featured computer, but the majority of my computing tasks (certainly my day-to-day activities) consisted of tasks that the iPad should be able to handle. The other 4-5% could be done on my now less important iMac. Now, the iPad is not without its faults. I really believe in order for it to be the kind of device I want it to be, it would have to have some way to access Hulu, which it a Flash-based site. Since neither the iPhone nor the iPad allows Flash (which I’m typically grateful for), neither can play video from Hulu. Right now, that’s my biggest problem with the iPad, but it’s by no means a deal-breaker.

So, I’ve talked myself into wanting the iPad. I didn’t want it to happen, but there it is. I could definitely see myself using this as my main computer, capable of doing roughly 95% of my computer work. It’s light and portable. It handles (most of) the web brilliantly. It plays all kinds of media, and despite the lack of E-Ink, it looks like it could be a decent ereader in a pinch. It has a really incredible suite of office software, optimized for the interface. I think it’s also safe to assume that third-party developers will soon develop some iPad-optimized apps that will further expand its functionality, and existing iPhone apps will continue to work in the mean time. Altogether, this may come closer than anything else to fulfilling Macintosh founder, Jef Raskin’s, dream of the computer as a completely intuitive “information appliance”. That sounds much more enjoyable to me. It also sounds potentially better able to integrate with my life than a traditional computer. Eventually, I hope the iPad can help me move into that that phase of at-ease computing. Now to convince Kari that such benefits are worth the $499 starting price…

September 17, 2009

Currently Listening: Muse: The Resistance

Posted by jasonact under Music, currently listening
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Muse's new album tries to point towards something grander than we can imagine.

If I haven’t talked to you about music in the last 4-6 months, then you may not know that Muse has slowly but surely been emerging as one of my favorite contemporary rock bands. Their music is epic, bass-driven, ostentatious, and emotional, sometimes to the point of appearing almost like a parody. The first Muse song I heard was “Time is Running Out” from 2004’s Absolution. The college radio station I listened to in East Lansing, MI at the time play that song regularly, and I really grew to enjoy it. Nevertheless, Muse didn’t really enter into my primary musical consciousness at the time. Then I began hearing more songs from 2006’s Black Holes and Revelations, and I was more impressed. “Knights of Cydonia” ultimately did it for me.

As Muse’s new album, The Resistance, came closer to release, I started listening to more and more of their stuff, getting more and more excited. When it came available for preorder from iTunes, I immediately signed up, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it came with the new ‘iTunes LP’. So did the album meet my expectations? Below is my track-by-track review:

Uprising: Cool rock tune that had me from the beginning, but isn’t “great”.
Resistance: Starts slow, but eventually builds up to powerful, evocative chorus. Displays first major signs of a ‘Queen’ transformation. Might eventually content for favorite song on the album.
Undisclosed Desires: Includes synth beeps and beats that are fun and full of dance potential, but at its heart, it is a classic pop song, but I like it.
United States of Eurasia: The ‘Queen’ transformation is complete. This track is as grand and self-aggrandizing as anything Freddie Mercury ever sang. In Muse’s defense, however, Matt Belemy writes, “The song is from an imaginary musical about a ‘United States of Eurasia’, the search for peace and the accidental creation of a new super power challenging American primacy.” Now that’s a musical I’d like to see come to fruition, but unfortunately, the track goes out with a fizzle, covering Chopin’s Nocturne, op.9 no.2 as it fades out.
Guiding Light: Matt writes, “This track… is influenced by 1980s cheesy stadium rock!… These types of harmonics have been banned from rock music for at l;east 18 years, maybe longer.” Yeah, Matt. There’s a reason for that. It’s as cheesy as its namesake. Worst track on the album, IMO.
Unnatural Selection: We go from the worst to the best. Arguably my favorite song on the album, this track uses the fast, bass-driven, minor keys that build to powerful guitar rock that first drew me to Muse. It’s everything I love about this group, and I wish this album had more moments like this one.
MK Ultra: This is another good, faster rock song. Interestingly, it really reminds me of “Endgame” from the musical Chess of the 1980s. Maybe that’s appropriate because the album as a whole really evokes much of the cold war sense of desperation that is also in Chess. (They’re Muse; everything feels like armageddon to them. Right?)
I Belong to You / Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix: This is arguably the most pop-firendly song on the album. The syncopated piano is peppy but counter-indicated by the minor keys and Bellamy’s moaning, which gives it a eerie, ghostly feel, as if the listener has just crashed a party of the supernatural. Halfway through, however, it transitions into the famous aria from Saint-Saëns’s opera Samson and Delilah, before returning to the bouncy pop of “I Belong to You”.
10. 11. Exogenesis: Symphony, Parts 1, 2 and 3 (Overture, Cross-Pollination, and Redemption): The last three tracks have to be taken together because they compose a mini-musical that is as much orchestral as it is rock. Apparently, it’s the story of humankind nearing extinction, seeking refuge through space travel, but finally becoming at peace with its fate. One song flows into the next very effortlessly and beautifully. Technically, these songs may be the most beautiful and brilliant of the album, although it has taken me a number of listens to come to that conclusion. Frankly, the whole album feels like a concept album. I’m not sure why it takes until the last three tracks to get to the meat of the ‘concept’.

Because I bought the album as a digital download from iTunes, I also received an “iTunes LP” as part of the purchase. An attempt to revitalize the sale of albums, iTunes LPs actually feature some pretty cool features that certainly feel like a modern, digital throwback to Lps and CDs of the physcial media era. Aside from the random, useless photos, there are some very cool “making of” videos, possibly even cooler visualization, full song lyrics, and a brief description of each song written by Matt Bellamy. (That’s where I got the quotes included above.) This was a surprisingly fun experience for a digital download.

Altogether, I think I’m still digesting the album. Upon my first couple of listens, I have to admit that I didn’t like it very much. Upon multiple re-listens, however, I think that initial reaction may have been because it is not the album I was expecting. I think I expected some powerful, angry guitar and piano-driven rock. Although The Resistance has those elements, it also has so much more. This is definitely Muse’s attempt at a bombastic, larger-than-life concept album. Although I think it succeeds in that regard, I question the album’s replay-ability. How often will I really put this in? As often as Black Holes and Revelations? Probably not. Maybe that fact, more than anything else, is a good indicator of how I feel about it.

September 8, 2009

Adventureland: What an ironic title

Posted by jasonact under Kari, Plinky, movies
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While I can't say it's bad, ultimately I just don't care about the nostalgia that this film celebrates.

Kari and I had a rare opportunity to rent a movie to watch after the kids went to bed on Sunday. She said she wanted something with romance. I was in the mood for a comedy. We settled on Adventureland because it had both elements and it seemed to have gotten relatively good reviews. Plus, it stars Jesse Eisenberg, who I really enjoyed in The Squid and the Whale. Frankly, I was disappointed. It was cute and harmless, but ultimately uninteresting. Perhaps I’ve grown weary of these nostalgia films centered around kids in their late teens or early twenties struggling to find love, meaning, and themselves. I found the characters likable but predictable. It wasn’t much of a surprise when one character did or said something, and nothing ever surprised me over the course of the film. It’s not that it was bad. I just wasn’t interested in them.

Eisenberg simply plays a more confident and mature version of the same character he played in The Squid and the Whale. He even carries over the same esoteric, literary geekiness from that film, but in doing so, he loses much of the wounded, emotionally fragility of his character, rendering him much less interesting or sympathetic. Kristen Stewart plays Eisenberg’s love interest with the same apathetic, too-cool cuteness that defines her character in ‘Twilight’. Although she does show a bit more emotional depth this time around, especially in the later scenes that reveal much of her character’s own vulnerabilities, that depth is usually overshadowed by her apathy that leaves the audience wondering if she really means what she says or is just playing a part. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, while often amusing as cast members on SNL, were just weird and out of place, as if they thought they were in an extended SNL sketch that didn’t work. (You know, the ones that air after “Weekend Update”.)

Ironically, the one actor whose performance I liked the most was Ryan Reynolds. I say ironically because I typically can’t stand his frat boy style of comedy. He was remarkably toned down but effective. He wasn’t going for cheap laughs or playing to the mouth-breathers. Instead, he had an understated strength in his performance that played more like a dramatic role than a comedic one. He certainly wasn’t the comic relief in this film, and it worked very well.

Ultimately, I just didn’t care enough about the main characters. By the end I wasn’t even rooting for the guy and girl to get together. I watched the film with the same amount of interest that I sometimes look at old photos from high school: “Aw, isn’t that funny?” “I remember that.” “Huh. I wonder what happened to him.” But my conclusion is always the same: “Man, I’m glad I’m not at that stage of life anymore.” I guess that’s why I’ve tired of these films. They celebrate a time in peoples’ lives that seems so carefree and blissfully ignorant of the real challenges that await them. They are content with a few good friends, the occasional romance, and the more occasional weed. But I choose not to celebrate that time. I’m glad to be done with it, and I never want to go back. Not because it was all that bad, but because I like my life now so much better. Relationships, activities, expectations, problems, and successes are more nuanced and multifaceted now, with complexity that I find both interesting and challenging. A film like Adventureland just seems too simple, predictable, and boring by comparison.

April 29, 2009

A Call For the End of Partisan Politics

Posted by jasonact under politics, struggles, wishlist
[3] Comments

Partisanship happens when you care more about your party than an open and honest dialogue.

I recently had an online conversation with a friend about my disdain for partisan politics. This very good man with good values is a conservative Republican, and we have engaged in numerous political conversations since getting back in touch over Facebook and Twitter over the last few months. Throughout many of those conversations, though, he would often make a comment indicating that the true Democratic agenda was merely a power-grab. I was offended by this, and decided to tell him so while explaining why I don’t like the current political rhetoric, and I believe partisan politics is the real enemy of political advancement. Below is most of the letter I wrote to him:

I’m glad to call you a friend, and I really enjoy our political discussions. We have many ideological disagreements, and I enjoy discussing them with you. But there is one aspect that I don’t enjoy, and I feel I have to let you know in the hope that you might be more sensitive about it in the future, at least with me.

In most of the conversations we’ve had, you have made a statement that greatly offends me. At some point, you make a broad generalization that all Democrats want is power. Either that, or you might make some other sweeping derogatory comment about Democrats as a whole. I find this very offensive for a number of reasons.

1) I am a Democrat. Many members of my family are Democrats. Many of my friends are Democrats. My Great-Uncle was DNC Chairman in the late 1970s. My Dem roots run deep. I attend Dem rallies, campaign for various Dem candidates, and I’m friends with some actual Democratic politicians. So when you make such insulting statements, you ARE speaking of me, my friends, and my family. You often say or imply that I am not a typical Democrat. I have to disagree. I am not that unusual. Although I could be wrong, I think it’s safe to say that I know personally more Dems than you do. Most are wonderful people who want to do good in the world. Most are actually selfless people who don’t mind paying taxes to help those less fortunate. Most truly believe in justice and equality, and they work to promote it. Many of us are practicing Christians who live by Christian values. I know this because I know those people. I am one of those people. I feel a kinship with them, and I feel comfortable with them.

2) Your statements seem to imply that such people do not exist in plenty of other areas of life or that they are somehow more prominent among Democrats. Such statements simply are not true. If you want to talk about people just power grabs, I could make a great case for people such as Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh, Mitt Romney, and plenty others. *BUT* the difference is that I know that my perception of them doesn’t apply to the party as a whole. The Republican Party as a whole (and many in leadership) consist of good, honest people who are trying to make this country a better place. I may disagree with their ideology, but I admire their character. And their character is not that different than those of most Dems. People looking for a power-grab exist across all powerful demographics. Similar cases could be made for various church leaders, CEOs, and people in any other career of power. The power-hungry are there, but that doesn’t mean the whole is corrupt.

3) This is what I mean when I say I hate partisanship. It turns good people against each other, not because of the issues, but because of a partisan label. Partisanship is why it’s rare for liberals and conservatives to be able to engage in meaningful conversation about different ideologies: one or the other eventually turns to the “other side is inherently bad” argument, which only insults and for which there is no rebuttal, regardless of accuracy. This is why I don’t like talk radio that attempts to paint us all Red or Blue and assume what that means. I actually used to listen to Air America Radio when it first started, hoping it would provide a fresh voice for liberals like me. I soon stopped listening because they didn’t fulfill that promise. Although I may have agreed with much of their ideology, they were attempting to do to conservatives what Hannity, Savage, Limbaugh, et al. had been doing to liberals. I was just as offended by it and stopped listening. (My own untested theory about the immanent failure of AAR is that liberals as a whole have less of a stomach for that kind of thing than conservatives and stopped listening as I did, but that’s just my guess.)

So if we continue to have these political discussions, and I hope we do, I hope we can stick to our very real ideological differences, rather than broadly insulting the other side. I hope we can respect that there is power-lust and corruption on both sides. It’s a problem of Humanity, not a problem of Democrats or Republicans. I hope we can respect that the other side has formed their opinions and perspectives deliberately and thoughtfully, not carelessly, and we can respect those perspectives as such, even when we disagree with their conclusions.

Again, I’m glad to call you a friend and a brother in Christ. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and consideration. I hope I am not asking too much. I don’t think I am.

Thank you,
Jason

My primary point was that while you may disagree with the stance of Democrats (or Republicans, for that matter) on the issues and on ideology, to accuse us of manipulating the electorate for purely political gain does nothing to further the discussions that must take place. We must agree that such behavior occurs across the entire political spectrum in equal share and leave such accusations there. Only then may we be able to engage in an apolitical discussion of the issues at hand without resorting to the harmful rhetoric of partisan hacks. Leave that to the talk radio and 24-hour news people who have airtime to fill and ratings to grab.

So the next time you get into an ideological discussion with someone you know has vastly different views from your own, please don’t resort to mere insults and broad generalizations. Assume that they have thought through the issues as thoroughly as you (if not more-so) even if they have not. Engage in the conversation with the same level of respect that you believe that you deserve. Be well-informed. Stick to the facts and foundational elements of the issues, and admit it when you don’t know the facts or need to learn more about them. If you find yourself mentioning Hitler, Nazis, or saying things like “All they want is…,” then you know you’ve entered partisan territory. It’s a nasty place. It’s a dirty place. And the sooner you get out of that place, the better.

April 9, 2009

A haiku about Slumdog Millionaire

Posted by jasonact under Haiku, Plinky, movies
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I saw Slumdog Millionaire last weekend, and it was powerfully moving. The depictions of the Indian ghetto and horrific crimes against children and humanity were incredible. Yet the love story was powerful and touching. I cried. (This coming from a guy who usually doesn't care for love stories.) You have to wonder how the main character kept his humanity, but I guess that's the point of the film. Now, a synopsis in haiku:

Gangsters and ghettos

Gonna find love of his life

Brothers to the end

March 28, 2009

Can I go back to “Where the Wild Things Are”?

Posted by jasonact under Books, Plinky, development, play
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Shall we assume that children’s behavior should always be nice and appropriate? Not so fast!

Recently I saw a trailer for the upcoming movie adaption of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. I immediately saw the artwork of the original book in my mind’s eye. The muted, neutral tones and the perfect pencil lines. I felt the myrth of King Max’s “rumpus”, and saw the gnashing of the Wild Things’ “terrible teeth”. (I was thrilled when I learned that Kari had gone out and bought the book that day.)

When I think about that book, though, the biggest part of my memory goes to the feeling of liberation that I remember as Max found the freedom to be wild. He tried to be wild at home, but he only got in trouble. When he went to the Land of Wild Things, however, he could use his imagination to be as wild as he wanted. When he got lonely, though, he knew he could go home to his hot supper.

I realize that we don’t always like it when our kids want to explore their wild side. We want them to behave, act right, not terrorize the dog or run in the house. While there is nothing wrong with those expectations, we also have to allow them to be wild sometimes. Being wild allows them to learn what they are capable of. They can feel free to resurrect their more base, animal instincts that most adults wish to suppress. Max found a way to do that in his world. But I want to do a better job of allowing my kids find it in theirs too.

March 8, 2009

Aidan and the Astros 3-2-2009

Posted by jasonact under Aidan, Kodak Zi6, Viddler, baseball
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Aidan’s first Little League game of the 2009 season was the past Monday. I still claim that Little League has no business starting on March 2, but what do I know? (Apparently it was done to give the All-Star teams more time to practice at the end of the season before the International Little League tournament begins, which means the Nasa Area Little League inconvenienced 95% of the league for the sake of the other 5%.)

Anywho, Aidan has really enjoyed playing baseball again this year, even though the skills are tougher and the other players are much better than last year. Also, I’m not a big fan of his coach, who I think is too competitive and does not focus enough on teaching the fundamentals and good sportsmanship, but again what do I know?

Aidan made a couple of outs and got a hit. Altogether, a pretty good game! Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to be there because I had clients scheduled late, but I plan on that being one of the very few games that I don’t attend. If anyone in the Clear Lake area is interested in attending, just let me know. It can be quite a trip.

March 3, 2009

Regan Dancing in the Living Room

Posted by jasonact under Dance, Kodak Zi6, Regan, The Bird and the Bee, Viddler, family
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My daughter, Regan, is not yet 4-years-old, yet it is very clear that she loves to perform. She often sings songs (in the car, in the bath, in bed, whatever), puts on shows directed by her 6-year-old brother, and is mesmerized by performing arts. Most of all, she loves to dance. She has been taking beginning dance class since September, and it is often the highlight of her week. Sometimes she just starts dancing randomly to music I have playing at home. These are the times that we see that she actually has some rhythm! This video highlights some of what I mean.

January 31, 2009

Stopping and Starting Junot Diaz’s “Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”

Posted by jasonact under Books, Plinky
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Good book, but my timing is just bad.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Whenever I start reading a book, I usually have to finish the book, even if I don’t particularly like it. The problem with Oscar Wao, though, was not enjoyment – in fact I was really enjoying the book – but simply timing.

It is the story of “an overweight Dominican-American man named Oscar, a “ghetto nerd” from Paterson, N.J., and a devotee of what he somewhat grandly calls “the more speculative genres.” He means comic books, sword-and-sorcery novels, science fiction, role-playing games — the pop-literary storehouse of myths and fantasies that sexually frustrated, socially maladjusted guys like him are widely believed to inhabit.” (from the NYT 2007 review) I really enjoyed reading about his sexual frustrations, his geekiness in the machismo culture hat he inhabited, and the genuine but failed attempts of his friends and family to help him step out of his nerdom.

The problem with finishing the book, though, was amply a matter of timing. I decked the book out from the library at a time when I was incredibly busy at work, and I had become involved in a community theatre production of Godspell. Consequently, I didn’t have as much time to read as I wanted, and I soon found that I had maxxed out the number of times I could check the book out from the library. I definitely plan to return to it when my life settles down a bit, maybe this Spring, Maybe when I retire, but eventually.