"Video Agent" is essentially a video-conferencing kiosk that connects you with an off-site employee. Staples Canada is going to put them in 34 stores across Canada, one "live agent" per store in the copy area. On the other side of the screen will be one of six experienced sales reps located in a Toronto call center. They will have access to the full store layout and can tell you if your item is in stock in the store. The live agents will sport the same garb as a regular store employee.

According to a company representative, we could very well be seeing these in US Staples, and other US stores, within a year. Supposedly, they won't replace any store employees but will instead augment their number.

What do you think? Boon for customer service, or sign of the apocalypse? Press release, below...

STAPLES BUSINESS DEPOT AND EXPERTICITY

BRING FUTURE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE TO CANADA

STAPLES Becomes First Mass Market Retailer to Adopt Pioneering “VIDEO AGENT”

Two-Way Video Customer Service Stations in 34 Stores Across Canada

Seattle, WA – July 15, 2008 — Experticity, the pioneering provider of video-assisted customer support solutions, today announced that STAPLES Business Depot, Canada’s largest supplier of business supplies, has signed an agreement with Experticity to roll out the innovative retail “VIDEO AGENT” customer service stations to 34 stores across Alberta, Canada. Using VIDEO AGENT, STAPLES Business Depot can now provide shoppers with new ways to get expert assistance when shopping their stores. Customers can walk up to VIDEO AGENT station and engage in a live, two-way video conversation with a highly trained sales associate who uses the interactive Experticity platform to push content from the Internet to consumers or place orders for customized business supplies. The agreement follows a comprehensive pilot evaluation in which STAPLES Business Depot rigorously tested the VIDEO AGENT concept, using it both as a vehicle to help shoppers get answers as well as a new resource for small business customers to create business materials.

“Shoppers have more options than ever and are unwilling to wait around to find a knowledgeable sales associate to answer their question,” said James Pelrine, Manager of Process Improvement for STAPLES Business Depot. “The response to VIDEO AGENT over the past two years has been overwhelmingly positive. People love the convenience of a standalone station where they can talk to real people and get great customer service. In addition, we have determined that VIDEO AGENT not only improves our customer service levels but also contributes to our bottom line.”

STAPLES Business Depot has been pilot testing VIDEO AGENT since 2006, when it installed six stations in five Toronto stores (including the busiest store in Canada located in Fort McMurray, Alberta). The VIDEO AGENT is a self-standing unit that includes a web camera, microphone, a scanner, and a customized user-interface that enables shoppers and sales agents to engage in real-time conversation via high quality video. STAPLES Business Depot has staffed a call center in Toronto with six highly experienced sales associates who can be routed to any of the 34 stores in an on-demand fashion. Through “right-staffing”, managers at STAPLES Business Depot can maximize the utilization levels of their most knowledgeable employees and pool them across multiple stores, gaining new efficiencies while providing higher service levels.

“While the Internet has given consumers new options when it comes to shopping, they still want a more personal level of service. However, when they go to a store and can’t get the service they need, they’re more inclined to take their dollars elsewhere,” said DL Baron, founder and CEO of Experticity. “By integrating cutting edge, customer friendly technology into their store environment, STAPLES Business Depot has demonstrated its commitment to providing an exceptional retail experience, one that will help them succeed in a highly competitive market.”

About STAPLES Business Depot

The Business Depot Ltd. was founded in Toronto in 1991. It is Canada's largest supplier of office supplies, business machines, office furniture and business services for the small business and home office customer. The company is an everyday low price retailer. The chain operates stores in all provinces across Canada under the banners STAPLES® Business Depot™ and BUREAU EN GROS™. The company has over 13,000 employees serving customers through more than 265 office superstores, catalogue, and e-commerce. STAPLES® Business Depot™/BUREAU EN GROS™ is committed to making shopping easy by offering customers three ways to shop - online, by catalogue and in-store. More information is available at www.staples.ca.

About Experticity

Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Experticity is the pioneer of live on-screen expert staffing technologies and has been developing remote service solutions for the retail industry since 2005. Experticity's patent pending, proprietary right-staffing technology enables companies to load-balance live customer service staff from a remote location to service front-lines, using real-time, two-way video, audio, and data screens to provide customers with a personalized, one-on-one service experience. In 2007, Experticity was recognized by Red Herring Magazine as one of the Top 100 most promising technology companies in the world.

From the law firm's press release:

Apple told consumers that both the 20-inch and 24-inch iMacs displayed "millions of colors at all resolutions." Indeed, the new 24-inch iMacs display 16,777,216 colors on 8-bit, in-plane switching (IPS) screens, as did the previous generation of 20-inch iMacs. But the new 20-inch iMac monitors do not even come close, displaying 98% fewer colors (262,144).
 
While Apple describes the display of both the 24-inch and 20-inch iMacs as though they were interchangeable, the monitors in each are of radically different technology. The 20-inch iMacs feature 6-bit twisted nematic film (TN) LCD screens, the least expensive of its type.
 
The 20-inch iMac's TN screens have a narrower viewing angle, less color depth, less color accuracy and are more susceptible to washout across the screen.
 
Apple's Web site tells consumers that "No matter what you like to do on your computer — watch movies, edit photos, play games, even just view a screen saver — it's going to look stunning on an iMac."
 
In fact, the inferior technology of the 20-inch iMac is particularly ill-suited to editing photographs because of the display's limited color potential and the distorting effect of the color simulation processes.

Card & Payments writes, "The report, dated this month and drafted by a lab hired by U.S.-based mobile phone maker Mobicom Corp., clearly shows the Citi logo on the front of the tiny handset." They say Citigroup tested a similar technology last year in partnership with AT&T, and that the report indicates the phone is for the U.S. market.
 
We can't think of a single way this could be used to steal money from a Citibank account. Oh wait, yes we can.
 
"Citigroup Developing A Citi-Branded NFC Mobile Phone" [CardForum] (registration required)
(Photo elements: Getty and Mobicom)

The station's IT guy changed one settling in the BIOS.

"This is definitely something you can find out while you're doing your diagnostics or troubleshooting," 10TV's IT guy, Josh Waibel said.

Here's a summary of the results:

Circuit City FireDog
Consultation: $64.04
Diagnosis: "The hard drive is working correctly. Your operating system is fried on it, though," said the technician. "The operating system is essentially dead."
Additional Cost: $130 to reinstall the operating system.
Total Estimated Cost to Repair: $194.04

Best Buy Geek Squad:
Consultation: $62.98
Diagnosis: "It just clicked and that's usually an indicator that the hard drive's bad." "It's clicking - making some weird sounds - which is not a good thing."
Additional Cost: $80 hard drive, $39 hard drive installation, $129 operating system installation
Total Estimated Cost to Repair: $310.98

Micro Center:
Consultation: $74.67
Diagnosis: Repaired

Computer Technicians Put To Test [10TV](Thanks, M!)
Video [10TV]

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

When the $.25 is inserted, the doors close verrry slowly to give plenty of time to everyone:

What follows is possibly the longest and most awkward 20 to 30 seconds of a person's day. The door slips open like an elevator, but then it stays open, to accommodate those who need extra time getting in. Meanwhile, men and women in suits walk past. It is very difficult to look inconspicuous in a bathroom on a sidewalk in New York with the door open. There is just nothing to do but stand there. And the delay will not please those who are in distress.

When you leave, a weight-sensor built into the floor confirms that nobody is inside, then the entire room is washed and sanitized by a robotic arm.

"Greetings, Earthlings. Your New Restroom Is Ready." [New York Times]
(Photo: Getty)

Within five years, Pizza Hut aims to earn half its revenue from orders placed via computers and mobile phones, he said.

Pizza Hut is not the first to offer mobile ordering services, but the Dallas-based company says its service is the broadest and most comprehensive.

Domino's in September gave customers with Web-enabled phones the option to place mobile orders at nearly half of its 5,100 U.S. restaurants.

"Pizza Hut rolls out nationwide mobile ordering" [Reuters]

"Microsoft Helps Put Ads on Computerized Shopping Carts" [PC World]
"Microsoft Helps Build Ad-Carrying, Smart Shopping Carts" [InformationWeek]

Representatives at the Blu-ray booth at CES told BetaNews that the PlayStation 3 is currently the only player they would recommend, due to upcoming changes to the platform. But Pioneer, Samsung, Panasonic and Sony have all been selling standalone Blu-ray players to customers.

When asked why current players were released to the market when in such a primitive state, manufacturers blamed the release of HD DVD and said it forced them to come to market too soon. "We should have waited another year to introduce Blu-ray to the public, but the format war changed the situation." Okay, well how about we just don't buy any Blu-ray players for a while (not counting the PS3) until you guys decide to get your act together?

"Blu-ray: Early adopters knew what they were getting into" [BetaNews]

RELATED
"Where Things Stand In The Hi-Def DVD Format War"
(Photo: Getty)

Customers might tap a button to order their favorite drink, say a double-shot mocha, as they stroll up to the nearest coffee shop. When the drink is ready go to, the device—such as an iPhone—would chime or blink to let the thirsty one know it's time to scoop up the order at the counter.

The patent puts Apple's partnership with Starbucks in a new light. The technology promises to morph Apple from the business of simply selling gadgets and music and movies that can be played on those devices into an intermediary in all kinds of exchanges.

"Apple's Piping Hot Innovation" [Forbes via Dealerscope]

RELATED
Patent Application For "Wireless communication system" [US Patent Office]

"Home Sweet Gadget: How Our Technolust Helped Bring Down the Housing Market" [Wired]
(Photo: Getty)

Other applications of the patent include using it to create DRM content or to insert ads dynamically at playback of already downloaded content:

The playback token may be implemented as a digital rights management (DRM) license acquired in response to playback of the predetermined content. Another aspect involves a content insertion engine for inserting ads or other predetermined content into the playback of downloaded content.

The authors, Dierdre Mulligan and Aaron Perzanowski, point out that unless Sony deliberately tried to harm its customers, it neglected to properly evaluate its third-party DRM solutions before releasing them to the public—or else it would have been aware of the programs' potential for damage. From pages 1179-80:

Prior to inking the deal to provide XCP to Sony BMG, First4Internet's business focused on content filtering, particularly the automated recognition of pornographic images. Aside from an earlier revision on XCP used by a number of labels on a smattering of pre-release CDs, First4Internet had no apparent expertise or experience in content
protection software.

SunnComm, the company that delivered MediaMax, offered even more cause for concern. The company began as a provider of Elvis impersonation services. After a change in management following a false press release announcing a non-existent $25 million production deal with Warner Brothers, the company purchased a 3.5" floppy disk factory in 2001, displaying a disturbing dearth of technological savvy.

"The Magnificence of the Disaster: Reconstructiong the Sony BMG Rootkit Incident" (PDF) [Berkely Technology Law Journal via BoingBoing]

RELATED
"Universal Music CEO: Record industry can't tell when geeks are lying to us about technology"
Consumerist posts on the Sony Rootkit debacle
(Photo: Getty)

Searle, a chain of high-end boutiques in New York, is phoning husbands and grandmothers to tell them about the $478 silk dresses and $298 velvet scarves their loved ones have put on their "Dear Searle" lists. Bluemercury, a chain of 26 beauty boutiques, is inviting customers in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Princeton, N.J., among other places, to provide names of relatives and friends the store can call to suggest gifts.

Online retailer Net-a-Porter.com, which sells women's designer clothes and accessories, has gone a step further, offering videos that are emailed to husbands and boyfriends, telling them what the sender wants. First, the sender fills out a questionnaire, in which they pick from a list of pet names for the recipient, ranging from "Honey Bunny" to "Hot Stuff" to "Boo Boo." They can also select descriptors of the potential gift-giver, such as "macho" or "commanding."

Then an email is sent to the designated recipient, featuring a flirtatious blond woman called "Santa's Helper." She advises the viewer that "It's time we had a serious talk, Honey Bunny" (or whatever the selected endearment). The helper says the sender is "lucky, isn't she, to have a man like you?" and highlights a gift the sender has picked out, sometimes providing a link to her wish list. "Let's face it," the virtual helper says, "if she's happy, you're happy."

Hey, Honey Bunny, Stores Know What Your Wife Wants [WSJ]

Lacking any automated system for keeping track of all those diverted planes, Mr. Dillman and his colleagues furiously scribbled down details of where they had gone, how long they had sat there, and whether pilots had enough time left on their daily work limits to keep flying when the weather cleared.

Ultimately, 44 of the planes sat on tarmacs for more than four hours.

The kinds of programs American and others are installing are neither terribly expensive nor "a great leap" in technology, and thus could have been in place years earlier, Mr. Mogel said.

Not stranding passengers "is just a matter of will," he added.

Best Technology Blog 2007 [Weblog Awards]

Kraft is seeking unspecified damages. The Northfield, Ill.-based company also wants P&G to stop sales of the Folger's plastic coffee container, saying Kraft will be harmed if those sales continue.

P&G responded on Wednesday with a suit of its own in the same court, spokesman Bryan Brown said. The suit alleges containers Kraft uses for Maxwell House violate one of P&G's patents. The suit likewise seeks unspecified damages and asks that a judge rule to prevent Kraft from using P&G's patents.

The suits follow one filed by P&G against Kraft on Aug. 27 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. In that case, Cincinnati-based P&G sought a similar patent infringement ruling involving a different patent that it alleges Kraft uses in plastic containers for Maxwell House.

That case also sought unspecified damages and an injunction to prevent Kraft from selling the coffee in the packaging.

A fresh packaging system for roast and ground coffee having a top load capacity of at least about 16 pounds (7.3 Kg) comprising a container with a closed bottom, an open top, and a body enclosing a perimeter between the bottom and the top. A protuberance is continuously disposed around the perimeter of the body proximate to the top and forms a ridge external to the body. A flexible closure is removeably attached and sealed to the protuberance so that the closure seals the interior volume of the container. The container bottom and container body are constructed from a material having a tensile modulus number ranging from at least about 35,000 to at least about 650,000 pounds per square inch (at least about 2,381 to at least about 44,230 atm).

Kraft, P&G sue over coffee cans [AP]
Packaging system to provide fresh packed coffee [Google Patents]

This also opens the possibility that movie-download services from companies like Netflix and Blockbuster may be able to offer a way to purchase and create your own DVD hard copy. However, it's likely that in order to do this, you'd need to purchase special software and/or equipment and/or supplies—and since "studios are not likely to discount DVDs," we're curious to see whether they'll come up with competitive price structures (compared to Amazon, for instance) or choke off yet another possible revenue stream.

"Walgreen sees movie-burning DVD kiosks at stores" [Reuters]
(Photo: randomthoughts)

In the early part of this decade, cell phones started to become less about the phone call and more about the ring tone. Mobile-gaming types began to realize two things.

First, if kids were willing to pay $3 for a 10-second snippet of a 50 Cent song, they'd probably be willing to pay some nonzero amount for a game. Second, consumers aren't going to buy the cow when they can play Virtual Milkmaid for free. It's obvious where this line of reasoning leads: Goodbye Tetris, hello $7 Tetris. But Tetris isn't the industry's endgame. Established gaming companies—images of a potentially multibillion-dollar market dancing in their heads—have bought out mobile-game studios and set to work manufacturing slimmed-down versions of full-platform games. (Electronic Arts paid $680 million for Jamdat Mobile in December 2005, for instance.) If you've felt a primal need to play Age of Empires II in an elevator (just $19.95 on a Windows Mobile Smartphone), your long and burdensome wait is over.

Can You Play Me Now? [Slate]
(Photo: Hu.lag.way)

The CTO for the foundation says, "We had some last-minute bugs. We've resolved them." Production was supposed to have begun this month, but now is slated to begin November 12th, the same day the 2-week "Buy 1 Give 1" sale starts. Because of this, they will have trouble meeting consumer demand in North America while working to fill current orders from Peru and Uruguay before summer vacation begins in December.

We don't begrudge the foundation keeping its focus on the real goal of the project—you should just know that if you participate in the program, the odds are good you won't see your laptop in time to give it as a Christmas gift or anything.

"Laptop foundation production delay means shortage" [Reuters]

RELATED
www.laptopgiving.org

From Reuters!:

U.S. technology services company EDS outlined the concept in a study paper published this week.

It said the screens would reduce the need for lots of packaging for food, helping stores to tackle environmental concerns.

"Shoppers want barcode readers on their trolleys (shopping carts) to calculate the nutritional content and tell them when they have blown their calorific budget," said EDS's Sion Roberts, director of consumer industries and retail.

"It's high-time that the humble barcode is recognized as a practical and cost-effective solution to consumers' thirst for information."

Shopping cart goes high-tech [Yahoo! via Buzzfeed]
(Photo:scentzilla)

Half of HDTV owners who responded to Best Buy's survey "admit they are either not watching HD programming, or they aren't sure if they are. Of these respondents, 35% didn't realize they needed to subscribe to HD programming to watch HDTV." Ok, this is sad. Just... sad.

The survey also suggested that ignorance about how to set up the HDTV was a source of embarrassment:

While 41% of HDTV owners admit to knowing little to nothing at all about HD, they would not want to admit that to friends and family; Half (52%) of HDTV owners agree it would be difficult to admit their HDTV wasn't set up right after showing off to friends and family.

Best Buy HD Done Right Survey Results (PDF) (Press Release)
(Photo:epicharmus)

The One Laptop Per Child program has had its share of critics and setbacks over the past several years. For one thing, the "$100 laptop" is now the "$188 laptop" due to parts costs. Now a bigger problem is that that countries are dragging their collective feet on handshake agreements to purchase the laptops. Nicholas Negroponte, the guy behind OLPC, tells Newsweek,

"I had a handshake agreement with the leaders of three countries—Thailand, Nigeria and Brazil—all agreeing to buy a million laptops. That got it going. But between a handshake and a closed deal is a world of difference. Everybody has a pit in their stomach when it comes to going first."

"Give One, Get One" [Newsweek]

RELATED
xogiving.org
overview of the laptop's technology
footage of the laptop in action [CBS News - warning: Lesley Stahl]

The parent company, METRO Group, already uses RFID along its supply chain and to improve warehouse management, and plans to use the front-of-store RFID tags to speed up inventory replenishment and to help employees locate products faster. Their press release says that "If the customer desires, the Smart Chip will be removed by employees once the product has been paid for." (Why would you ever leave an RFID tag on once you've bought the item?)

We're not among the anti-RFID crowd in retail applications like this, where it's used to better track inventory and match real world items to a database of related information. In fact, we'd like to see even more features built into something like this. For example, the ability to request alternative sizes or complementary pieces via touchscreen, so that you can hone in on the right garment without making multiple trips to the dressing rooms. Or to be able to save lists of clothes you like into a wish list or database that you can access online later.

"RFID gives new kind of shopping experience to Galeria Kaufhof customers" [fibre2fashion.com - warning: press release]
(Photo: Getty)

Cellphones - six months. Prices drop quickly when a new model is on the horizon, or when multiple carriers are offering the same device.

Computers - as long as you can. Even a year-old computer is more than advanced enough these days for most "normal" tasks, and you can pick up last year's model for hundreds less.

Digital Cameras - wait one year. The editor of CNET tells SmartMoney, "Digital cameras are still a niche market, which means prices are slow to drop... But advancements have slowed somewhat, too." If you wait for a new model to come out, you can pick up the older one at a discount and only miss a "new design and a minor feature or two."

High-Definition Video Disks - wait until the dust settles.

Read the rest of the list and advice at SmartMoney.

"Early Adopters Miss Out on Best Gadget Deals" [SmartMoney]
(Photo: Getty)

If you're a subscriber, don't overlook the easy-to-miss 2-page spread, which has a tiny white plastic card attached to the page. At only 128MB drive, it's not going to win any capacity awards, but you can erase it and then have a free flash drive small enough to mail in a standard envelope if you like. Or swallow. Or insert into a custom case that you build yourself from hot glue and glitter.

In the past, we've found from talking to people in other parts of the country that these multimedia campaigns don't always cover an entire subscription base—so if it doesn't show up in your mailbox, don't blame us. However, CBS will also be distributing the flash drives to American Airlines customers this month, according to another source.

"Cadillac is CBS' Monday driver" [Hollywood Reporter]
(Photo: Chris Walters)

There are red flags to be found in each telecom provider's privacy policy. A close reading of Time Warner's policy reveals:

Along with knowing juicy details of your calling and viewing habits — those 900 numbers, say, or that subscription to the Playboy Channel — the company keeps track of "Internet addresses you contact and the duration of your visits to such addresses."

Time Warner not only compiles "information about how often and how long" you're online, but also "purchases that you have made" via the company's Road Runner portal, which provides access to thousands of goods.

On top of that, the company may monitor "information you publish" via the Road Runner portal, which should send a chill through anyone who accesses his or her e-mail through Time Warner's servers.

That's not to say Time Warner or any other service provider is reading people's e-mail or invading users' privacy in any other way. The point is, they're explicitly saying they could.

The unchecked accumulation of consumer data represents a monumental threat to consumers. Data is collected to be used. Precision marketing is a relatively innocuous manifestation of data mining when compared to the nightmare scenarios envisioned by civil libertarians.

Most troubling is that these revelations hid in broad daylight. The contracts signed by consumers are not secret, and yet nobody noticed that something was amiss until a reporter from the L.A. Times sat down and read the contract.

Your loss of privacy is a package deal [L.A. Times]
(Photo: ann-dabney)

Heath and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt explains:

We're recommending the implementation of this strategy in six cross-cutting building blocks. Let me review them for you. The first is, advance a common vision. Let me give you some commentary on that point. There are many different organizations who have specific responsibilities. And in some cases, they have different priorities that need to be melded into one common vision. In other words, rather than just looking at whether the border is secure, we also need to make certain that the products that are crossing them are safe and we can use the same technology in many cases to detect both. So a common vision.

The second is increasing accountability enforcement and deterrence. I talk about prevention with verification. Clearly, we need to have strong enforcement. The third building block is focus on the risks over the life cycle of the imported product. I've given you some — that's basically going from a snapshot to a video.

The fourth — and I'll dwell on this a little more — is on building interoperable systems. We found that there were data systems that — used by, for example, the FDA, where an FDA inspector would need to have five passwords to get into five different parts of the FDA system. We found that the Customs and Border Protection would have seven different sections of their system, and neither could access data of the other. We found that there were substantial systems being developed among the shippers and the retail and wholesale community, and they were not integrated. So there is a remarkably important opportunity here to create interoperability among systems, so that we can see the life cycle of the product and have much more efficient capacity to track and to screen and to respond.

The fifth building block is a culture of collaboration. This is not a new problem within any federal or public/private enterprise, being able to break down silos. And sixth, promoting technological innovation with new science. We saw many instances where field tests, for example, were useable for inspectors to make on the spot determination, as opposed to needing to take samples and send them to a lab.

The working group's recommendations can only work in concert with an effective inspection system. It is unreasonable and unaffordable to inspect every item arriving at our ports, but the government should develop a system that both streamlines operations, and holds importers accountable for importing products that comply with our safety laws.

Press Briefing on Import Safety by Heath and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and National Economic Director Al Hubbard [The White House via AP]
(AP Photo/Harry Rosettani)

The funny side to the story is that mobile phone operators like France's Orange Mobile don't like the idea, because it's a free one-to-one relationship with the consumer and therefore doesn't provide the phone operator a revenue opportunity. Or, to put it in hilarious corporatese,

"Bluetooth does not answer all our needs for mobile marketing," Jean-Noel Tronc, head of Orange Mobile in France, told Reuters in an interview.

On a related note, if you're going to Paris in future, 20 of the city's popular self-hire bike stations now beam free maps and guides to your phone via Bluetooth.

Get ready for ads on your cell phone" [Reuters]
(Photo: Foraggio)

Ms. Bratton, who is an online advertising industry veteran, said she believes she has found at least one good format for running advertisements within podcasts. In addition to placing a sponsor's advertisements at both ends of a show, she also inserts an advertisement in the middle.

"Say you're listening," Ms. Bratton said. "You'll hear an ad about sponsoring the show from the Omega Institute at the start. Then you get into the show, and halfway through there's a commercial break, where you have more detail on Omega's summer programs. Then at the end of the show the final commercial says, 'Find out more at eomega.org.' "

Ms. Bratton added, "I have the ability to not just have a single ad in front and end, but a series of them that'll tell the story."

Are the ads currently on podcasts tolerable? Do you even listen to podcasts? Tell us in the comments.

Podcasters Unite to Figure Out a Role for Ads [NYT]
(Photo: omar_chatriwala)

Via The Consumerist, I just watched [Customer Records His 7-Hour Delayed Flight In All Its Baby-Screaming Glory]

- and I'm honestly frightened to ever use Delta again. What's going to be done for these poor passengers, and what will be done as incentive for those of us who are now afraid to use Delta's services?

Without a decent response from you, I'll be canceling my Delta American Express. I will be looking for another airline to transfer my miles, as well. This is pretty scary!

Delta's response:

From: Customer Care
Date: Jul 10, 2007 9:34 AM
Subject: Re: Flight_Delay_Cancellation - Current and Future (KMM17442327I108L0KM)
To: [redacted]@gmail.com

July 10, 2007

Dear Ms. [redacted],

Thank you for your correspondence concerning the extended tarmac delay of one of our Delta Connection flights.

We are working hard to eliminate delays for our customers, especially those that result in delays onboard the aircraft. As always, safety is our number one concern. When weather, ATC delays, and other factors outside our control impact our ability to operate as scheduled, we try to do everything we can to minimize the inconvenience to our customers.

Recent ATC computer failures and resulting gridlock are perfect examples of why the ultimate solution that will reduce passenger frustration with extended tarmac delays is to modernize our nation's antiquated ATC system. We must move from the decades-old radar and analog ATC system to more precise satellite navigation and digital communication-based ATC technology that will increase capacity. Please know that we will do everything within our control to prevent future occurrences of tarmac delays.

Again, thank you for contacting us. We will always welcome the opportunity to be of service.

Sincerely,

Kay Rose
Manager
Customer Care

What about when you lied to this guy's wife and said the plane had already left, even though she had just got off the phone with him and it was still on the ground? Would space lasers have solved that airplane conundrum, Kay? Or would an electrified grid of stardust have prevented you from announcing over the intercom that the pilot was making his way through the terminal, when he was really still in Newark? No amount of future-tech can overcome man's historical tendency to pass the buck.

(Photo: Maulleigh)

From Reuters:

The study tested the effect of the portable music devices on 100 patients, whose mean age was 77, outfitted with pacemakers. Electrical interference was detected half of the time when the iPod was held just 2 inches from the patient's chest for 5 to 10 seconds.

The study did not examine any portable music devices other than iPods, which are made by Apple.

In some cases, the iPods caused interference when held 18 inches from the chest. Interfering with the telemetry equipment caused the device to misread the heart's pacing and in one case caused the pacemaker to stop functioning altogether.

The study was held at the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Institute at Michigan State University.

After the switch to digital television, TVs will need a special converter box to receive a signal over the air. The converter boxes have not yet gone on sale, but are expected to hit the market in early 2008. Consumers who pay for cable or satellite service will be unaffected by the switch.

Most consumers are woefully unaware that any transition is underway, prompting the FCC to act. Effective May 25, retailers will be required to affix a "consumer alert" to television models that will require a converter box. We support educating the public, but we worry some scammy retailer may try to tell our grandmother: "You don't want that 13 inch black and white TV. See, it has a 'consumer alert' from the FCC. That means it sucks. Here, buy this 90" HDTV instead." — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

FCC orders TV warning [AP]
PREVIOUSLY: The Conversion to Digital Television Is Going To Be Unpleasant
(Photo: G nna)

ABC7 found some outraged analog phone owners to interview about the topic:

John Borg: "I have like eight bills here that show the charge and that times a lot of customers is a lot of money."

Ed Wolf found out upgrading also means a new contract that costs more and gives fewer minutes.

Ed Wolf: "There's probably a lot of other customers in the same situation as me and they don't even realize it.

Those lower monthly rates are no longer offered, but Cingular will give perks like free roaming, national coverage, and they promise fewer dropped calls.

Cingular also offered Ed Wolf a free razor phone if he upgrades. They offered John Borg 200 extra minutes, but Wolf says he'd rather hang on to his simple phone.

Ed Wolfe: "to me a phone is a phone. i don't need all these bells and whistles.

And Borg?

John Borg: "I switched to a new provider."

One of the big impacts is a lot of customers who were grandfathered in with low monthly rates are going to lose them when analog system ends next year. You may recall that was allowed by an FCC ruling four years ago and this is one of those ripple effects.

Cellphones aren't like rent controlled apartments, guys. If you have an old analog phone, don't wait until they shut it off next year to upgrade! Read our Confessions series on cellphones and get out there and negotiate! —MEGHANN MARCO

Cingular Charging New Fees To Some Customers [ABC7]
(Photo:Mr. Bill)

RELATED:How Joe Saved Hundreds Of Dollars Using Confessions Of A Cellphone Sales Rep

Congress has ordered broadcasters to shut off old-style analog TV broadcasts by Feb. 17, 2009, and replace them with sharper digital ones. When that happens, millions of households with pre-digital TVs that rely on antennas will need to have purchased and installed digital converter boxes that will cost a minimum of $60 each.

"I have a great apprehension that a great mess lies before us," House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., said Wednesday.

Lawmakers uneasy about digital TV switch [Houston Chronicle]

The waterproof cell is made of Chinese merchant bags and boasts shoulder straps and a storage pocket.

Video and project by Jenny Chowdhury for her NYU project. With a little bit of painter's tape, some dumpster diving and spray paint, you too can have an MBA in Design and Technology. Found at theapt.

Damn, we're supposed to read critically and form independent thoughts? What's next, do they expect us to vote?

Snarkey aside, it's a damn good step-by-step vivesection of the AP article and funny to boot.

"Good Journalism" [Daring Fireball]