Explain This To Me

Scott's Cheesecake

2010-04-18T21:12:00.001-05:00

Scott's Cheesecake

2 cups of your favorite cookies, crushed or ground
24 ounces cream cheese, 3 packages, leave out for 1 hour to soften
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 300°. Butter the bottom and sides of cheesecake pan. Press crushed cookies into bottom of pan. Bake the cookie crust for 10 minutes, then cool in refrigerator.

In a mixing bowl add sour cream and beat for 30 seconds. Add all cream cheese and begin mixing on low speed. While mixing slowly add sugar until all sugar is incorporated. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl. With mixer on medium speed, mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl combine eggs and vanilla and beat with fork until smooth.

With mixer on low speed begin mixing cream cheese mixture. While mixing slowly add egg mixture. Keep mixing until all egg mixture is incorporated.

Now add whipped heavy cream and fold into batter.

Pour batter on top of crust. Lower oven temperature to 250°. Bake for 1 hour. Check every 10 minutes until the cake stops rising and center is still a little jiggly when the pan is shaken.

Turn off oven, open oven door and allow cake to cool slowly with door open for 1 hour.

Place cake in refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.

Gun for hire

2010-01-28T10:28:00.001-06:00

You'll be amazed to learn what one man can do. Visit http://sites.Google.com/site/HireScottHoopes.

Until it's gone

2009-12-05T11:59:00.001-06:00

What is support? Perhaps it's best defined as something you don't know you have until it's gone.

Imagine a giant ball of business decisions poised atop a strong support system. Over time the ball grows as more decisions are piled on. As long as the support system grows and is augmented in concert with the ball of decisions, all is well.

If, however, the support is neglected, it breaks under the pressure and ultimately gives way. What have we left?

The ball, without it's support, begins to roll freely down hill. Rapidly it grows in size as it picks up more decisions on it's way down. Growing so large, so quickly, it soon implodes on itself and evaporates into the ether never to exist again.

The bigger they are

2009-12-05T11:47:00.001-06:00

The harder they fall.

Be careful what you wish for.

2009-12-02T19:02:00.003-06:00

You just might get it.

Destination

2009-12-02T11:56:00.001-06:00

Anywhere but here

Quiz II

2009-12-02T07:04:00.002-06:00

Q: Who will beat you to the promotion?

A: Anyone who runs their mouth more and produces less than you.

Good Bye Tommy

2009-11-19T19:18:00.004-06:00

We'll miss you!

Parke East Does Not Return Calls

2009-11-04T20:00:00.005-06:00

Want to talk to the management of Parke East Townhomes? You might be better off with email rather than telephone. Email Parke East Townhomes management at mailto:parkeeasttownhomes@maxus.kscoxmail.com.

More about Parke East Townhomes of Wichita, KS. Parke East Townhomes is managed by Tommy Bateman and owned by Maxus. They keep doing stupid things so I still have something to say about it.

UPDATE: I called the office again and got voice mail. I left the same message again asking for the status of the repairs to the electrical problem in my apartment. And once again my call was not returned.

If there were a situation in your apartment that prevented you from, say, cooking and heating your home at the same time, or maybe wash clothes and heat your apartment, then you'd expect someone to do something about it. Right? Yes! Ok, I'm not crazy then.

You'd like to think that if such a situation existed at Parke East Townhomes in Wichita that the management would do everything in their power to make it right as soon as possible. Maybe I'm asking too much. Could I at least hope that they would make it appear that they cared at all?

To do that they would have to at least return one phone call, yes? But remember, we're talking about the management of Parke East Townhomes of Wichita and the corporate culture of Maxus. In the Parke East Townhomes fantasy world - NO ONE GIVES A SHIT ENOUGH TO RETURN ONE PHONE CALL. Not even Tommy Bateman, manager of Parke East Townhomes.

Too busy? Too bad! You have a job to do. Get off your ass and do it. The management of Parke East Townhomes in Wichita does not even have the decency and respect for other human beings enough to dial 7 numbers and speak?

NOTE: And while we're on the subject, Maxus in North Kansas City, owner of Parke East Townhomes in Wichita, also does not answer concerned residents. A letter to Maxus went unanswered. Well, actually it was not even even acknowledged. Completely ignored. Now it should be clear to all that the lack of customer service practiced by the management of Parke East Townhomes is actually Maxus corporate policy.

You think the problem will go away if you hide from it? You hide and you will have that problem and one more really big one.

Or maybe you could pretend to be a competant, intelligent, decent, caring human being and treat people like you want to be treated.

I have the problem described in this post. And I have the other problem described here. I called to find out when it would be safe for me to cook and wash clothes again. No one returned my call. I called again the next day. No one returned my call.

Once could be a mistake. Twice could indicate a management problem. And if we didn't know so much about Tommy Bateman, Parke East Townhomes of Wichita, and Maxus, then it would end there. But this is not a mistake or just a management problem. It goes much deeper than that.

They really make me feel like part of the family

2009-10-26T18:33:00.007-05:00

More about Parke East Townhomes in Wichita which offers "comfort & a true home-like feeling." Parke Eaast Townhomes is owned and managed by Maxus Properties.

Did you hear the one about the apartment maintenance man who told the resident to fix it himself? Ha, ha , ha... Wait a minute... That really happened... to me!

In the middle of the week our shower starting running. We couldn't turn it off. More than a drip but not fully open. No matter what we did to the knobs the water would not stop. We called the manager's office. Tommy Bateman, manager of Parke East Townhomes in Wichita said to us "we're too busy this week. We'll get to it next week."

No, that's not end of story. It gets worse.

We said that was unacceptable since the management (Tommy Bateman) of Parke East Townhomes had recently asked residents to conserve water. He relented and told us someone would be out to fix it before the end of the week.

If you've been reading this blog you know never believe Tommy Bateman or anyone else at Parke East Townhomes. Of course the end of the week came and went. Why would he start keeping promises now, right? And Saturday came and went. Water still running and no one at Parke East Townhomes cares. Sunday morning when I tried to take a shower the knob just came off.

I called the maintenance 24-hour number and left a message. We had to actually call a second time and leave a message before we got a call back. We told him that we asked for it to be fixed the previous week. "I don't know anything about that," he said. We told him the knob was off and we were unable to take showers. He said "Don't you have your own tools?" I said "For what?" He said, "Put a wrench on it until we can get to it."

Let me say that it absolutely would suck to be on call for maintenance at an apartment complex. Especially one as old and shoddy as Parke East Townhomes in Wichita. And especially if your boss was incompetent and ignorant.

But...

Let me also say that if I take a job, I do it. I don't accept a job that requires being on call on Sunday morning and then get mad when someone has a problem on Sunday morning. But then these guys work for and were hired by Tommy Bateman, manager of Parke East Townhomes. Tommy is no customer-service king either.

I'm sure they'll give me more to write about. They can't help themselves. Stay tuned...

P.S. I still have a piece of shit trash screen door lying on my "private balcony" right where it was when Tommy Bateman promised me it would be fixed. I still have to find out if Tommy was born this way or if Maxus trained him to their specifications.

Welcome To Parke East Townhomes

2009-10-23T06:11:00.017-05:00

From the series about Parke East Townhomes in Wichita offering "comfort & a true home-like feeling" owned and managed by Maxus Properties.

Parke East Townhomes of Wichita, owned by Maxus Properties, has a web site that describes the views around the property as "the lush scenery of the outdoors." Yes it is a beautiful area and best of all I see it every time I come home.

Ok, maybe that's not very flattering. But perhaps Parke East Townhomes of Wichita is like any other apartment complex with its trashy parking lots. The "park-like setting with mature, natural landscaping featuring 2 beautiful court yards with sparkling swimming pools, landscaped waterfalls" sure sounds wonderful and inviting. Let's take a look.

Hmmmm. Beginning to wonder a little...it did say "lush scenery" didn't it? Park-like? Oh, maybe they have really great lighting. Geeeez! That last one is from right outside the manager's office! Well I guess he's spending so much time dreaming up phrases like "lush scenery of the outdoors" that he can't even see the real scenery of what looks more like a landfill. The pictures prove one thing, the manager of Parke East Townhomes is definitely not taking care of the property. If he can walk by this one light everyday and still not care, what do you think he feels about the rest of the property and the people that live there? How little respect he must have for the residents of Parke East Townhomes that he prefers they live in a trash dump. Those dirty, unworthy peasants.

Parke East Town Homes of Wichita: Friendly Helpful Staff and 24-7 Maintenance

2009-10-20T15:31:00.010-05:00

From the series about Parke East Townhomes in Wichita offering "comfort & a true home-like feeling" owned and managed by Maxus Properties.

A helpful staff and 27/7 maintenance might mean that the ground and apartments are cared for. Or it might mean it is some one's intention to do so but incompetence or ignorance is keeping them from fulfilling the promise. Or it might just be a line of bull.

Before I get started I want you to know that our move-in date was delayed four weeks because Parke East Townhomes management repeatedly postponed our move-in because, according to Parke East Townhomes, the apartment was in disrepair and they were working diligently to properly prepare it for us.

That might mean the apartment would be in as good as condition as possible when we were finally allowed to move in. Or it might mean someone intended to properly prepare the apartment before we moved in but ignorance and incompetence kept them from doing so. Or it might just be a line of bull.

What ever it means, I know one thing for sure. If you take four weeks to get an apartment ready then AT SOME POINT DURING THAT TIME THE PARKE EAST MANAGEMENT MIGHT ACTUALLY WALK INSIDE THE APARTMENT AND SEE THAT THERE ARE MAJOR PROBLEMS.

I can say for sure that no one from Parke East Townhomes of Wichita management saw how bad the apartment was - or if they did then they truly are IGNORANT and INCOMPETENT!

For a full list of everything that was wrong with the apartment at move in, please read the letter to Maxus Properties from an earlier post. Here I will focus on the things that would have been clear to any Parke East management assuming they actually stepped inside the apartment and assuming they are not blind or dumb.

How about a screen door that has been on my balcony for more than 6 months! Screen doors are not brain surgery by far, but Parke East 24/7 maintenance is still incapable of completing this one little project.

Check out these shots of the most sorry, pitiful, amateur painting job I have ever seen.

How about light, simple plumbing. Come on, if they can't get a screen door to work how in the hell are they ever going to get a shower know to function? This know has been worked on a total of 4 times now. Looks great, huh? Oh, and IT STILL DOESN'T WORK RIGHT!

And on top of paying too much for rent, nothing could be better than also paying to heat and cool the outdoors.

All this brought to you by the "highly qualified team" of Parke East Townhomes of Wichita. Learn more at the Parke East Townhomes web site or call them at (316) 682-8834.

More on the great amenities and service available from Parke East Townhomes of Wichita to come.

Secure and Safe Apartments in Wichita

2009-10-20T14:45:00.009-05:00

From the series about great apartment community-like lifestyles at Parke East Townhomes in Wichita brought to you by Maxus Properties.

NOTE: Maxus Properties of North Kansas City, MO is listed as the landlord on my lease agreement. Although the Parke East Townhomes web site lists Everest Properties at the bottom of every page, I was never made aware of any landlord change and on many other internet sites, Maxus is still listed and owner and management for Parke East Townhomes of Kansas.

When we first met Courtney (who has since been promoted to manage her own property) of the "highly qualified" Parke East Townhomes management team, one of the biggest selling points she offered for why we'd want to move to Parke East Townhomes of Wichita was security. She told us that the two courtyards on the property are surrounded by a privacy fence with locked gates. No one can enter the courtyards from the outside, she said. Only residents have access to the courtyards, she added.

Little did we realize that the one gate she pointed out to us from afar was not locked - it was held closed with a length of rope. Here are some of the gates around the community as they appeared October 2009.

Nice, huh? If you think an open courtyard is not that bad, how about your own family's security? As a part of our move-in inspection, we pointed out to Parke East Townhomes of Wichita apartment management that our deadbolt was not properly installed. That was six months ago. They have still not corrected the problem. Here is safety and security at Parke East Townhomes owned by Maxus Properties:

The above conditions brought to you by the "friendly helpful staff" at Parke East Townhomes.

More to come about great apartment community-like lifestyles at Parke East Townhomes in Wichita brought to you by Maxus Properties.

Sparkling pools & Park-like grounds

2009-10-20T09:32:00.009-05:00

Post 1 of an on-going series on "Townhome living at Apartment prices!" at Parke East Townhomes of Wichita, KS.

Parke East Townhomes is located at 1000 S Woodlawn St.Wichita, KS 67218. Their office can be reached at (316) 682-8834. According to their web site they offer the largest and most beautiful townhomes in Wichita complete with scenic views from private balconies.

As of March 2009, Parke East Townhomes of Wichita is owned and managed by Maxus Properties in North Kansas City, MO.

I live in a two-bedroom unit at Parke East Townhomes of Wichita. Parke East Townhomes claims on their web site that two bedroom units rent for as low as $615. That is hard to believe since I pay $765 - a full $150 per month more. That is the equivalent of $1,800 per year higher than the lowest someone might pay for the same apartment? Maybe I have an especially nice apartment? Read below to see what I'm getting for $765 per month.

This is a letter I sent to Maxus Properties of North Kansas City in early October 2009 after 6 months of waiting for the Parke East Townhomes of Wichita management to act responsibly.

Dear Sir or Madam:

An incident occurred this week which I felt needed to be brought to your attention. This letter includes a long list of issues related to our dealings with the management of Parke East Townhomes and with the most recent issue I have no more tolerance for the mistreatment, mismanagement, and lack of customer service from the management of this property.

The problem began long before our move in when the management continuously delayed our move in, ultimately for four weeks. Their explanation was that the unit was in such disrepair that it was taking longer than expected to make it ready. For the delay, however, we were promised new appliances, new cabinets, and new carpet. We were not allowed to see the unit until the night before our move in, after our previous lease had expired and we were living in a hotel room. It was only then that we were told that Maxus would not allow for new cabinets and new carpet. In fact, that cabinets were broken and the carpet stained.

We were then told to complete the move in inspection ourselves and drop it off at the office. We were assured that all the issues we found in inspecting the unit would be taken care of immediately.

As noted on the attached inspection copy, this unit, after four weeks of delays, was not nearly ready for move in. It appears that management sent contracted laborers into the unit and then never inspected their work. That is if you assume that they would find the conditions unacceptable. The following items are from the move in inspection acknowledged and signed by a member of the staff.

· Stained carpet is indicated in every room (upstairs, ground floor, and basement). In “Additional Comments” it is noted that some stains are brown (some very large), and some are paint and joint compound left by the painters. Wouldn’t management have seen these stains prior to move in? Of if not, wouldn’t they clean the carpet after they were notified?
· Cabinets in kitchen broken.
· All three sinks (both bathrooms and kitchen) had drain leaks that left standing water in the cabinets underneath.
· There was no door on the closet in the entry way as noted under “Living Room.” This took months of us reminding management before it was finally corrected.
· Shower drain was broken making baths impossible.
· Shower dripped and had been dripping for some time since the tub was and still is rust-stained.
· None of the doors (glass doors or front door) had screens. Most of the units here have front screen doors but we were told after move in that if we wanted one we would have to purchase it and pay the maintenance man to install it.
· There was no strike plate for the dead bolt. The dead bolt just locks into the wooden door jamb. This is not secure and not the proper way to install a dead bolt lock.
· We were not given mailbox keys until 1 week after move in and one of the two keys did not work.

The following items after six months are still not corrected.

· We were told the carpet cleaners would be sent to our apartment to spot treat. They never came. We finally were too embarrassed for people to see the carpet so we paid to have the ground floor carpet cleaned ourselves. The brown stains are gone from the ground floor but remain elsewhere. The paint and joint compound remains.
· We still have no screen door for the front door. After four months of us asking for screen doors the maintenance man brought two universal screen doors. As the maintenance man admitted, the doors do not fit correctly, will not stay in the track, and will not close completely. He told us he would return to fix them but never did. One broken screen door still sits on my balcony right where the maintenance man left it.
· We still have no strike plate for the dead bolt.

Then, on Thursday, September 24, we called the office and spoke to the manager about the shower now dripping very badly and we were not able to turn it off at all. He explained that they were “very busy” and would not be able to get to it for “a week or two.” We told him this was unacceptable and he said he would have someone out by the end of the week.

Sunday morning, September 27, the shower knob just began spinning freely and we were not able to turn the shower water on or off. We called the maintenance number and explained that we were not able to use the shower and he said “don’t you have any tools?” We said no and that if we did we could not fix it anyway. He said “put a wrench on it until I can get to it.” Again we said that was unacceptable and he replied that he did not know when he would be able to get to it.

Three hours later he arrived. He said he did not have the correct tool or the correct replacement part to fix it. I was forced to take a shower with a pair of pliers. He told us he would return Monday to replace the stripped stem and the knobs that were also stripped.

Monday I return from work to find that he did not replace the knobs or the stem. He only replaced the washer in the stem to make the leak stop. The stem is still stripped and the knob still spins. It seems the only way I will be able to take a shower is to fix it myself. But then I would be held responsible for any damage. Is that even remotely fair?

The property lighting is also in disrepair. Many just have burned out bulbs that do not get replaced. Some are just completely broken and do not get repaired. And some have no fixture at all but have electrical wires protruding from them.

Of course you might expect us to bring these issues to the attention of management so they might be corrected. You might see how that has not worked in the past and why we don’t expect that to change. At best we are temporarily disregarded at many times just completely ignored.

I am sure this is not how you intend for your residents to be treated or for your property to be cared for. Maybe this is standard procedure for your organization. I don’t know. Maybe some of the problems documented here are actionable for us in terms of the remainder of our lease, expenses, and hardships. For now we are just hoping we can get through the next six months with only minor disappointments and inconveniences. Then we’ll find a better-managed, more customer-oriented property in which to live.

It has been weeks since I mailed this letter with no response. I guess that just supports my theory that customer service is not a Maxus strong point and the treatment I've received is not a fluke or due to one bad seed - it is Maxus standard procedure.

Oh, and would you like to see the Parke East Townhomes of Wichita scenic views from private balconies?

More to come...

Best 3 minutes of my life

2008-11-26T07:43:00.005-06:00

What is it about music? Of all the entertainment sources we have to choose from, how has simple music not only survived, but flourished? Think about it. We drive to music. We work to music. Sometimes we are doing other things without even noticing the background music. Music is the background of our lives.

No doubt music is an important part of our lives. And most of us our very steadfast in our musical preferences. We know what we like and what we don't like and we don't mind telling anyone who will listen. So what is it about us that makes some music hit a chord with us and other music not? In many cases it's not a clear distinction of genre necessarily, but song by song we either "feel" it or we don't.

OK, so we know what we like. But still we are sometimes stumped by the popular question "What's your favorite song?" Here there are two types of people. Those that will answer the question with the song of the week and those that will not really answer the question at all because they cannot.

My answer to "What's your favorite song?" is "On what day?" or "Under what circumstances?" Because no matter how you are feeling, no matter what's happened or not happened to you, no matter if you are alone or not, sick or well, there is a song that will be the best 3 minutes of your life. Your favorite song is the one that touches you in just the right way at just the right moment.

Music preference is emotional, and situational. And when everything comes together at the right moment, the song will be the best 3 minutes of your life. What other medium can do that?

Quiz

2008-08-19T12:51:00.006-05:00

Q: What is the shortest distance between 2 points?
A: Sit on your fat ass and do nothing but watch as someone else goes over to point B to do your job.

Q: What is the easiest way to change a light bulb?
A: If the light bulb is an original idea then just invite a bunch of air suckers to the meeting who think the purpose of a meeting is that others actually want to know what they think.

What's the matter?

2008-05-14T20:02:00.004-05:00

What's wrong?

What's the matter?

Are you OK?

Are you mad?

Annoying, isn't it? What's the worst thing you can do to someone that is quietly dealing with something that is troubling them? Ask them unhelpful (it is a word according to Princeton) questions like What's the matter.

Better yet, after they answer "nothing," which is the usual reply from someone that just wants to be left alone, ask them "Are you sure?" I know you've been in this conversation before:

Man sits quietly with an obvious look of deep concern...
Obtuse-but-well-meaning idiot says, "What's wrong?"
Innocent man in deep thought politely brushes-off dimwit with "Nothing."
The no longer well-meaning but now downright irritating dolt says "Are you sure?"
Now our victim has his original troubles to deal with as well as a pest of the highest order. He emphatically replies "YES!"
"Oh, sorry!" says clod.

Of course our victim sounds mad. Let's be honest: HE IS MAD. Yes, dodo pissed him off by not accepting the brush-off and continuing to insinuate himself into the man's thoughts. But shame on our troubled man for letting his feelings known. Oh how he has hurt the blockhead's feelings.

You want to know what's wrong? I'll tell you. What's the matter? Here's the matter: If another thickhead asks me if I'm OK I'll roll myself up into a tight little ball of rage and EXPLODE ALL OVER YOU! Now go away.

Automatic Carwashes

2008-02-07T20:59:00.000-06:00

BEWARE! Automatic carwashes can damage your car. Not the kind where you park your car and the sprayers rotate around your car, but the kind that you drive onto a track and your car is pushed through by rollers in the track.

I guess I've always had a fear that one of these things would go haywire and the rotating brushes or some other gadget would just plow through my windshield or rip off a mirror. But as it turns out, the things you see moving while sitting in your car running through the wash are not the real concern.

See, the moving brushes and pads and such are using electronics to sense the size and location of your car. I'm sure they could have problems as machines do and possibly damage your car but I have never heard of that happening. It's the track below your car. You can't see it and it knows nothing about your car. It just keeps rolling along, even when there is a problem...and there was a problem today!

I went to a gas station car wash today at Kellogg and Maize in Wichita today and paid $7 for a wash. I followed all the directions of the attendant. About half way through my car started lunging forward and back. Then the steering wheel turned slightly, seemingly of its own power. Then I could feel the rollers pushing their way under the wheels of my car while my car just went up and down, forward and back, but not really moving.

The system finally shut down after a few minutes. An attendant came and asked me to straighten the wheel. He then began pulling at something down below out of my sight. Then they started up the system again and my car began to move. Something, however, was still wrong. The car felt sluggish and the steering wheel was shifting left and right.

When I reached then end of the wash I began to pull forward and immediately sensed the problem - FLAT TIRE! I stopped and waited because surely the attendant would be coming around the corner to check my car, after all I was just extracted from the car wash. But no, no one came!

I got out of the car and yes, flat tire, but there was more - the wheel rim was gouged and scratched and the tire stem was completely gone. F*$%! When I brought an attendant over to see what they had just done to my car she explained that the tire cleaning brushes had tangled up in my wheel. As the rollers kept pushing along the tire brush would not (could not) let go. Because the rollers could not sense the problem (car not moving, DUH!), the tire brush ripped the stem clean out of the tire.

That caused the flat tire and pulled my wheel sideways in the track. The rest of the way was just salt in my wound and the rollers pushed my flat tire through the metal, unforgiving track. As I changed the tire I looked closely at the steering linkage and I am sure (not a mechanic) that it is also damaged.

I've had a tire replaced before. On my car it is about $120. Add new rim and possible additional damage and quite possibly it could amount to $1,000 or more. Now, of course, they filed a claim and assure me that I will be reimbursed completely, but is that really the point?

How about a track sensing system that knows immediately that cars are not progressing as expected so that no further damage is done? How about not pushing an already damaged car down a track that is not made to push a car with a flat tire? And how about an attendant who, while stooping down and looking directly at a flat tire, tells the driver that the tire is flat instead of just re-starting the car wash and leaving the driver to fend for himself?

What if I had not known I had a flat tire and got on the highway toward home? That attendant risked my life and the life of everyone else that I would potentially been on the road with.

What It Means To Be Human

2008-01-09T11:49:00.000-06:00

With the help of Harry Frankfurt I can finally articulate a real difference between humans and non-humans. In most cases non-human refers to members of the animal kingdom exclusive of humans. However, as will be illustrated later, humans move back and forth between human and non-human while animals always remain non-human.

How can a human become non-human and not vice-versa? The animal cannot acquire the characteristic that humans have, yet humans have the freedom to give up that human characteristic. That characteristic is the ability to form higher-order desires.

First-order desires, common to both humans and non-humans, are simple wants such as to own a new car, to get married, to eat a steak, etc.

Frankfurt defines free will as desires to be or not to be a certain way, or desires to have or not have a first-order desire to be our will. We identify ourselves with our higher-order volitions. Second-order desires are essentially wants-to-want, third-order desires are wants-to-want-to-want, and so on.

An example of a higher-order desire is that while I want to eat a doughnut for breakfast (first-order), I do not want to want to eat a doughnut for breakfast (second-order). I could take this one step further and say that it is my will to agree with my will, i.e., I want to not want to want to eat a doughnut for breakfast (want-to-not-want-to-want, third-order).

It is these higher-order volitions, what some refer to as free will, that separates humans from non-humans. Now realize that, in some cases, second-order desires will coincide with first-order desires, such as I want-to-want. In such cases the human may or not be aware of his will and thus may or may not be aware of himself. Consider the case, however, when a higher-order volition is in conflict with first-order desires, i.e., I want-not-to-want. The conflict requires a choice and it is this decision that brings forth awareness of will, and thus awareness of the self. Is this the intended meaning when it is said that humans are self-aware and possess ego, while non-humans are not self-aware?

The Non-Human Human

How, then, can a human become non-human? If a human loses or estranges his higher-order volitions he becomes non-human. Essentially when the free will that manifests in higher-order volitions is gone, the human is acting solely through first-order desires and is thus indistinguishable from non-humans. At what point does this occur? Can it be forced upon us?

Take our earlier example of the breakfast doughnut. At the instant my second-order volition, to not want to want to eat a doughnut, conflicts with my first-order desire to eat a doughnut I am faced with a choice. In the ensuing conflict I become aware of my self. If my ultimate decision is to not eat a doughnut then I have exercised my will and I taste freedom.

If, however, I eat the doughnut then at that instant my second-order desire becomes alien to me. I no longer identify myself as one who does not want to want to eat a doughnut. When I estrange my higher-order volition I lose my free will and thus no longer can be identified as human.

Frankfurt's reluctant drug addict is another example. A non-reluctant addict has higher-order volitions that coincide with first-order desires. That is, he wants-to-want to use drugs. The reluctant addict, however, is in conflict as he wants-not-to-want to use drugs.

Both addicts are human. When the reluctant addict decides to use drugs he estranges higher-order volition to not use drugs and becomes non-human.

Morally Responsible?

Frankfurt notes that when we decide in favor of a first-order desire our higher-order volitions feel alien to us. Because we no longer identify ourselves with a will that was previously our own, we feel an outside force has pushed us to make that particular choice. It feels as if our free will has been taken from us and makes us feel we had no choice at all. We may even feel that we are not to be held responsible for the consequences of such a decision because it appears the choice was never ours to make.

We must be careful with rationalizations such as these. I have yet to discover a situation where a human is confined to the extent that he truly had no free will and is not responsible for his actions. It is not as simple as to imagine that a gun was held to my head and I was to choose between eating the doughnut or death. However absurd, even in that situation I still have a choice and can continue to remain human, exercise my free will and identify myself as one who does not want to want to eat a doughnut in spite of the threat of death.

We Can Do Anything

2007-12-31T07:35:00.000-06:00

Given a distance, say 10 feet, you are allowed to take one step at a time equal to half the distance left. So the first step is 5 feet, the second is 2.5 feet, the next 1.25 feet, and so on. The question is how many steps does it take to reach the goal?

This is supposed to be somewhat of a trick question since the correct answer is that you never reach the goal. Moving half the distance with each step means you never actually reach the end.

There is a numeric answer, however. The number of steps is infinity, not quantitative, but a number nonetheless. The real curiosity of this puzzle is not that there is no answer but that the answer is incomprehensible. You see? Infinity is a number but one we cannot comprehend.

So, like the tree that falls where there is no one to hear, if there is a number that no one can comprehend, then is it really a number?

Dividing a number (distance in our example) by ever-smaller values is equivalent to dividing any number by zero. In our example, with each step taken, we move closer to our goal while at the same time the number of steps we'd need to reach the goal increases very quickly. Eventually the length of the little half steps we take will approach zero.

One simple mathematical problem that leads to infinity is dividing any number by zero. So our riddle of half steps will always result in infinity regardless of the distance you start with.

In physics infinity is normally not used, however, physicists do recognize black hole theory. A black hole is created when a star shrinks down to zero size. At that point, ironically, it becomes infinite in mass and possesses infinite gravitational force. Mathematicians call an event such as this mathematical singularity, i.e. when the laws of mathematics breakdown.

If, however, infinity is a number, then it is possible to reach the goal of our puzzle even though we are always moving a distance that is less than the remaining distance. And if it is physically possible to, after taking infinity steps, reach our goal, it seems that there may be nothing that we are not capable of doing.

West Chester, PA - My Ancestral Home

2007-10-28T10:07:00.000-05:00

I had the chance to be in Pennsylvania last week and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to visit the roots of my family tree. West Chester and the surrounding communities are full of Hoopes family history. Take a drive through this part part of southeastern Pennsylvania and the town names, business names, and street names conjure up images of your lineage. I saw the family names of my ancestry everywhere: Hoopes, Brinton, Darlington, Taylor, etc. It is a beautiful area rich with history.

Hoopes Park, on Hoopes Park Lane, was named for my family. It is just a small neighborhood park in West Chester, but everyone likes to see their name on a sign.

Folke Stone Bed & Breakfast was originally built in 1732 by Abiah Taylor for his daughter Alice Taylor and her husband, Daniel Hoopes, Jr. The house was built on land granted by William Penn and during the 1800's it was a safe house on the Underground Railroad.

William Brinton, Jr (1670 - 1751) built this home in 1704.

Hoopes Reservoir in Wilmington, Delaware is especially beautiful in the fall. Construction on the reservoir started in 1925. It is dedicated to the former Chief Engineer of the Wilmington Water Department, Colonel Edgar M. Hoopes (1888 - 1931).

Daniel Hoopes was born in Yorkshire, England around 1670 and traveled to America on William Penn's last ship. Penn granted Hoopes 500 acres of land located in what is now the West Chester/Westtown areas of Pennsylvania. He built a small log cabin for his family to live in while he built them a house. The house was completed in 1723. It was a 2 story stone house. Daniel and Jane had 17 children and from those children came one of the largest families in the area. By 1930, Daniel's descendants numbered 20,000. All of Daniel's 17 children lived and died within 20 miles of the Hoopes homestead, Brooznoll. Brooznoll ("windy hill") is named for Daniel's wife's family home in England. In 1740, his son, Joshua, added a new section to the house.

Brooznoll stayed in the family for nearly 200 years. The original 500 acres has been divided up over the years and Brooznoll now sits on one acre. There is a 2-acre site across the road on which Daniel's log cabin is located. The former owners were the Connely's. Nancy Connely was born and recently died in the home. She lived alone and in her later years was not able to take care of the home.

Eventually, through Nancy Connely's trust, Brooznoll came into the hands of the Brandywine Conservancy. To raise funds for the purchase of a battlefield site, Brandywine Conservancy sold Brooznoll, and the 2-acre site across the road separately.

I've been told that prior to the public sale of Brooznoll, it was offered to Hoopes relatives at market price. Since they were unable to sell to descendants of Daniel Hoopes, the house was sold publicly.

The home is in much need of repair and Patrick and Sarah (current owners) intend to do it all themselves. It appears to me to be a labor of love. Sarah has taken the time to learn all that she can about Brooznoll's history and even researched early photographs so that their renovation can be as close to original as is practical.

I want to thank Sarah and Patrick on behalf of the Hoopes family. Not just for taking time out of their busy schedules to walk a stranger through their home. But for taking on the monumental task of restoring and caring for Brooznoll. Anyone unconnected to the Hoopes family could easily have seen Brooznoll as not worth the trouble. Anyone else could have torn it down to make way for more profitable ventures. Patrick and Sarah, however, are doing what Hoopes descendants have always wanted but never did; they are making Brooznoll a home again.

As a descendant of Daniel Hoopes, Brooznoll is a part of my history. For many of us, Brooznoll is like a "mecca." It is a place we must make a pilgrimage to. But Brooznoll is also Patrick's and Sarah's home and they should be afforded the same respect and privacy of any homeowner. They have already had their fair share of uninvited guests. One day, Sarah said, she pulled into the drive to find a man digging up her yard. He explained that he was there to dig up pieces of old plates so that he could reassemble them.

But Patrick and Sarah are very understanding, accommodating, generous people. They expect that these things will happen occasionally. So if you are thinking of visiting Brooznoll, go to the web site and contact Patrick and Sarah. Thank them for what they are doing and then do what I did. Ask permission to see Brooznoll at their convenience. You'll find, as I did, that they are very good people.

Airport Security pt. III

2007-09-09T20:57:00.000-05:00

OK. I posted before about the odd, undecipherable logic of the TSA's rules on what can and cannot be taken on an airplane post-9/11. To recap: How is 3.1 ounces of any liquid or gel substantially more dangerous than 3.0 ounces of liquid or gel. And why an ink pen is OK but a sharpened pencil is not. And nail clippers without the tiny nail file attached are allowed. And how matches are considered safe to carry in flight but not a lighter even though we have a widely-publicized, substantiated threat to air traveler safety that was nearly carried out using matches. And why we remove only our shoes during security check but not other types of clothing which could conceivably conceal as much or more than the sole of a shoe.

I have an update. The previous post was written after a business trip to New York. Today I arrived in Chicago and opened my checked garment bag to discover that it had been inspected by the TSA. I don't lock my checked bags because I expect to be inspected. In all reality, I'm glad bags are being inspected and do not mind when after being inspected, the bag is usually not closed correctly and my clothes are repacked in such a way to cause my business wardrobe to be wrinkled. A minor inconvenience, just like removing my shoes, that I am more than willing to tolerate in the war on terror. But today I discovered something I had to share.

In addition to the slip of paper the TSA agent leaves behind informing me of my bag being selected for inspection, this time I had an additional slip of paper. It seems, according to the paper, that the Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Regulations 49 C.F.R. parts 171-180 prohibit carrying lighters and matches in checked baggage. Just so you don't miss my point: MATCHES in CHECKED BAGGAGE!

It goes on to to say that while "you can still carry up to four books of non-strike anywhere matches...Regulations prohibit the carriage of lighters or matches in checked baggage." Let's brake this down: You CAN CARRY MATCHES ON THE PLANE, but MATCHES ARE PROHIBITED IN CHECKED BAGGAGE. That is, matches are safe in your hands on the airplane, amongst 100-200 strangers, with 3.0 ounces of your choice of liquid, but matches in your checked baggage, in the belly of the plane, out of reach of anyone who could touch them, is dangerous and strictly prohibited.

Sadly, I made the mistake of being logical and trying to outsmart the TSA by putting matches in my shirt pocket and my lighter in my checked baggage. The matches made it through security, onto the airplane, and are still here with me in Chicago. The lighter, alas, never made it to Chicago and the bottom of the paper tucked into my garment bag reads: "Removed: 1 lighter"

Goodbye Cruel World Elgin

2007-09-02T17:16:00.000-05:00

What follows is the story of my senior year of high school. Cross to bear, chip on my shoulder, thorn in my side, a distant memory, gone and almost forgotten. I attended a typical, average high school not worth mention until a twist of fate ripped me out of my cruise-through-life, cars & chicks, garage band existence, and threw me into the frozen outpost of Elgin. At that time in my life I didn't even know such places existed.

I arrived in Elgin at 2 am on the morning of my first day of senior year. A bad start to be sure and it foreshadowed the year to come. I met the principle that day. It was one of only two times our paths would cross that year. This day he sent me back out of the school for carrying cigarettes in my pocket. "I don't know how they do things at your previous school," he explained, "but we don't allow that here." The next time I spoke to the laissez-faire administrator would be the last day of school, commencement. It was then that we had an enlightening conversation about why of all those in my graduation class of 44 students, some were being allowed to walk in robes despite the fact that they had not actually graduated. "This is a farming community and these kids are not going to college, they are going to work on the farm. They do not need summer school or a diploma for that."

Then there was the shop teacher. I thought guys like this were the invention of sit-com writers in Hollywood for one-liner fodder. But the eight-fingered guy is real and he lives in Elgin. He was reduced to pointing at places where nails were to be hammered in the Residential Construction class he taught because his students could not be expected to interpret blueprints.

My favorite character, by far, was Mrs. Scripture. The English teacher that would grade an "A" research paper a "C-" because it offended her. Mrs. Scripture, sometimes in real life, things happen that do not sit well with us. It is life experience, and not something to be censored. Real life is closer than you think, not 20 miles outside of the insulated wasteland in which you hide. Take your holier-than-thou attitude and shove it up your [expletive deleted].

There were other characters also. Carmen, teen-aged daughter of a wanna-be rich family down the street. The jock, who when he was silent looked like the poster-child for the Swedish lineage that was rampant in this frozen hell. And when he talked, gave away his apparent learning disability. And the hair-lipped little misfit that followed him around like a puppy starved for attention. The police officer who only came to town on the weekends. A Barney Fife who would have been better suited as a rent-a-cop patrolling a shopping mall on the weekends to protect the patrons from juvenile delinquents.

Then there were my friends. The people who made tolerating the whole ordeal possible and helped me keep my sanity and got me through my senior year. Thank you, Ritchie & Lori, Missy, Jane & Duane, Dixie. Thank you Ritchie for the escape, the jams in the basement, and your friendship. Thanks, Missy, for the laughs. Thank you, Jane, for not making me feel like the outsider I really was. And thanks, Dixie, for the pizzas in the Legion, and for letting me stay at your house during one of the lowest points of my life.

Elgin was the smallest town I had ever seen with my own eyes. They take their shoes off at the front door, plug their cars in at night, and don't plow the streets after a snow - because there is another big snow coming anyway. There is another small town right next to Elgin called Millville. It is a town of hard-working, hard-drinking folk whose town appears to be the pile leftover after someone swept the floor of Elgin but couldn't find the dustpan.

Towns like these don't put the welcome mat out for strangers. And once inside their walls, you'll never be given the chance to forget that you do not belong.

If you find yourself on Highway 42 northeast of Rochester, just keep driving. If however, you absolutely have to stop, don't forget to take your shoes off at the front door. Because shoes in the house, police on weekdays, blueprints, cigarettes, snowplows, and dirty little curse words are things they just don't do in Elgin.

"I'm lookin' California, and feelin' Minnesota"

You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble this Blog

2007-06-08T21:30:00.000-05:00

Reverse engineering is an important, oft-used method of technological development. That is, it's how we learn and, hopefully, progress. The Supreme Court, in 1989, said, "the competitive reality of reverse engineering may act as a spur to the inventor, creating an incentive to develop inventions that meet the rigorous requirements of patentability." Reverse engineering is the incentive and the drive for inventors to improve our life.

Then why do some try to prevent reverse engineering? Intellectual property rights, trade secrets, copyrights, profits, etc, are justifications to the prevention of reverse engineering. So should we be unhindered by the justifications? What is your definition of improvement? If a person reverse engineers a product to copy it he has not improved it. If he claims ownership to the copy, that is copyright infringement, to be sure.

But if the reverse engineering led to a discovery that the product was faulty or dangerous? If he found it could be manufactured faster, better, safer, or less expensively? If he took it apart only to find that he could produce the same product and sell it at a significantly lower price would it be wrong to allow him to do so?

No. The Supreme Court gets it and so should the rest of us. Do we not teach artist majors to paint or sculpt by having them study the work of past artists? Do we not visit the local bar to hear the local band play cover music? And don't our 1st graders learn to read by reading books written by others?

Will the art majors continue to only mimic the artists they studied? No, they will add their own style and technique to hopefully create better art. Will the local band spend the rest of their lives playing the music of others? That's certainly not their hope. They want to create their own music in their own style, but only after learning by following in others' footsteps.

The 1st grader will not learn to read by inventing their own language but rather by reading others' work. Then they will eventually be writing their own works (homework).

And just to be clear: "Copyright does not cover ideas, processes, procedures, systems, or methods of operation."

New Investment Opportunity

2007-02-03T13:52:00.000-06:00

The post office has received approval for yet another postage rate hike. The 1st class, 1 ounce letter will soon cost .42. That's an increase of .03, 7.7%. Many of us are used to buying those two or three cent stamps after every postage rate increase. Well, this year is the last time you'll have to do that.

The USPS is touting a new idea: the Forever Stamp. The Forever Stamp will always be valued at the current postage rate for a 1 ounce letter. That is, if you buy a Forever Stamp at the new rate this year of .42, when postage rates go up again in the next year or two, it will automatically be worth the new rate. No extra postage, no premium, no exchange. It simply rises in value as the rate rise.

What you're thinking now is if one stamp this year is worth .42, and next year it might be worth .45, then what about 1,000 stamps? 10,000 stamps? A million stamps?

While they believe they will limit the quantity of stamps per customer per visit, the USPS has not totally tackled this question. First Class stamps could be expected to rise 1, 2, 3, or even 4 cents per year. The USPS currently claims they have risen an average of only 1 cent per year over the last 5 years. That's still 2%-3% per year. Not too bad.

The $420,000 you'd pay for a million Forever Stamps could be better invested elsewhere, yes. But your return on other investments is taxable at some point, right? But an increase in the value of stamps is not taxable. What's the return on a million Forever Stamps? In one rate increase - $33,000. In one year - $12,600. In five years - $63,000. Something to think about.

Customer Service, pt. II

2007-02-03T13:20:00.000-06:00

The post office does not refund or replace stamps that are defective. I'm not talking about individual stamps or small booklets you buy for personal use. Large mailers, like those that fill your mailbox with advertising mail, use large quantities of stamps. These stamps are produced and sold in rolls of 3,000 and 10,000. They are made to be used on automatic stamping equipment.

It is a common and expected standard to guarantee products to be suitable for their intended use. Buy bread that turns out to be moldy, the store will give you a new loaf. Buy a stereo that does not play, get your money back or a replacement stereo. Just fill in the blanks: Buy _____ and _____ doesn't work, get money back or get a new ______. Right?

Not the USPS. And don't tell me it's because they're a government office. They are not. They are regulated (like other monopolies) but otherwise they are an independent organization. An American company selling goods and services to American customers in the American market economy. As a monopoly, however, they do apparently make the rules.

Buying a roll of stamps from the USPS will cost you $1,000 to $3,900 depending on the denomination. Any time prior to opening the roll, you may return it for a refund. If you open the roll, there will be no refund. It is yours no matter what. This is like telling a new car buyer the warranty is good until you open the door!

The only way to know if the stamps will work as intended is to open them. These stamps are die cut on a thin paper backing. Sometimes, though rare, the die cut is done with too much pressure and the paper backing is cut. And sometimes, the die cut is not deep enough and the stamps are still stuck together. Other times, the amount of glue used causes the stamps to stick to the backing such that the machine cannot peel them off. Either way, the stamps cannot be used as intended, for the purpose for which they were manufactured and purchased.

But since the plastic wrap has been removed from the roll, according to the USPS, it is non-refundable. The substandard product that got past whatever quality-control policies the USPS might have (if any), is yours to keep at full price.

They do offer mailers one other recourse. You can get 90% of the value of the stamps refunded if you apply them to empty envelopes. What the F!@#?!? You bought the stamps to use on a machine to apply them to a large mailing and they will not work because of the poor manufacturing. And if you want your money, some of it anyway, you have to figure out how to apply them to empty envelopes! If you could do that you wouldn't be asking for a refund.

If you manage to get the stamps applied to empty envelopes you can submit those envelopes for refund. As long as you submit requisite paperwork (it is a monopoly after all) and wait up to 6 months. Then and only then will you receive 90% of the value of the stamps. How much do you think it will cost you to get those stamps that will not run on an automatic stamper onto those envelopes? That, plus the 10% the post office keeps, is the cost of doing business with the USPS.

Snooze Button: Detriment To Society

2006-12-28T13:36:00.000-06:00

You know those people that regularly show up for work 5 or 10 minutes late? Not occasionally, but 3-4 times per week. Where do these people come from? Are they waking up in time to get to work on time? If so, where are those 5 or 10 minutes going? If their not getting up in time, why doesn't it occur to them to get up earlier?

I have a co-worker that regularly appears for work around 8:10 am. Most of the time she will say as she walks in that she was stuck at a railroad crossing. It seems obvious to me that her trip to work is taking 10 minutes longer than she estimated so logically she should allot 10 minutes more for her travel time. GET UP EARLIER!

But what is it that keeps people like this from just adjusting their morning routine in order to get to work on time? Better still, why not plan to get to work 5 minutes early? Do they think that it's no big deal to be late 10 minutes, especially if they work 10 minutes past quiting time? Or do they know it is wrong to be late but believe the world owes them something? Either way - WRONG.

Because we share this planet with other people we are expected to be guided by a minimum of respectfulness to others. Your coworkers are prepared to work at the correct time. Others depend on you. You are not the only person on the planet so get your ass up and get to work!

We can probably trace this problem back to the advent of the snooze button. Before then, the alarm woke you up, period. Now, we have the choice of getting up or stealing another 9 minutes. And another 9 minutes, and another, and so on. A friend of a friend does exactly this. By the time he's done hitting the snooze button he has slept passed his alarm time by 45 minutes.

But it's not really sleep, is it? It is not called the sleep button, or slumber button. Snooze is not sleep, especially in 9 minute intervals. The next time you reach for the snooze button, think about what you are getting for your stolen 9 minutes. Then get up and do something more constructive like getting to work 9 minutes early.

Call For Blacklist Regulation

2006-12-27T15:00:00.000-06:00

Spam is out of control, no doubt. We have a small company and we alone receive 20,000+ emails each day and 80% is identified as spam. It is a huge problem. To block legitimate email in order to quell the spam volume is definitely not the solution. Blacklists tend to do just that. Blacklists are lists of domains and IP addresses suspected of spam. I say "suspected" of spam because many of these blacklist providers do not actually investigate a spam report before listing the address as a source of spam.

Blacklist procedures vary from provider to provider so how you get listed and how you get de-listed depends on who owns the blacklist. The lack of standards is the biggest problem with blacklists. For example, we have the Federal CAN-SPAM Act that provides a complete legal definition of spam. I assumed that in order to be blacklisted I would have to violate the CAN-SPAM guidelines. But at least one provider, mail-abuse.com, uses their own definition of spam that does not resemble CAN-SPAM at all. From http://www.mail-abuse.com/spam_def.html:

(1) the recipient's personal identity and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other potential recipients; AND
(2) the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent; AND
(3) the transmission and reception of the message appears to the recipient to give a disproportionate benefit to the sender.

The CAN-SPAM Act does not require "deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission." Neither does CAN-SPAM measure spam by a ratio of benefit between the recipient and sender. And have you ever sent an email that was applicable to more than one person? Of course you have. But mail-abuse.com is allowed to define spam outside of accepted standards.

Without standards or regulation, the potential rises for erroneous blacklistings. I was a victim of an erroneous blacklisting by SPAMCOP recently. When I followed their instructions to learn of the reason my legitimate email was blocked I found that it was an automatic listing not actually reported by, or investigated by, any human. They were kind enough to assure me that I would be automatically de-listed in as little as 3 hours. How convenient, thank you! Whose responsibility should it be if a blacklisting is erroneous or even malicious? According to SPAMCOP it is YOUR responsibility to investigate and fix the problem.

At http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=972, if SPAMCOP erroneously blacklists you then "You have the responsibility to see that your ISP provides you with reliable email service." After they make a mistake, you are responsible for fixing it. What if someone mistakenly or maliciously reports you as a spammer? Once again, according to SPAMCOP, you and your ISP are responsible for fixing the problem - "uses the procedures at SpamCop to point out the reporter's mistake."

It should be pointed out that some responsibility lies with the users of blacklist services. Many people mistakenly believe that using just one provider is enough. In fact, the best approach is to subscribe to several blacklists and use a scoring system that blocks email only after it is found on more than one list. This method does allow more spam through but it also allows legitimate emails through. Microsoft uses only SPAMCOP to block email for their customer service email addresses. One erroneous listing in SPAMCOP will shutdown communications between Microsoft and its customers. AOL manages their own blacklist. One erroneous listing will cut you off from every single AOL customer you have. My company was blacklisted by AOL. When we asked why, they implied that just one user labeled us as spammers and thus we were blacklisted. They also said it would only take 2 business days to get us de-listed. How convenient, thank you!

So why not just complain to those that are using these services? I did that to Microsoft. I thought they would be genuinely concerned that they were putting communication obstacles between themselves and their customers. Then today I saw that SPAMCOP specifically instructs blacklisted emailers, even undeservedly blacklisted, - "The one thing you do not want to do is to complain to those correspondents who are using an email service that uses the SpamCop blacklist. They probably really like the reduction in spam!"

I do not favor big government and applaud industries that effectively self-govern. But I have twice been the victim of erroneous blacklistings and I believe the problem will only get worse. The solution is not a solution if it creates more problems. Controlling spam while blocking important, legitimate email is not the solution.

Customer Service, DUH!

2006-12-26T10:34:00.000-06:00

I am not riding the Microsoft-trashing bandwagon. I am not joining the masses of people screaming and shaking their fists at Microsoft just because they are the biggest target. I happen to admire Microsoft in many ways. Innovators. Leaders. They are an Amererican Dream success story, a feather in the cap of capitalism. But if you read my previous posts you know I demand good customer service from even the biggest and the best, and even from those companies I cannot live without. Think about it - life would indeed be tough without Microsoft.

One of the most recent transformations of Microsoft is everything "Live." Fill in the blank and their is a product - Office Live, Live Search, Windows Live, blah, blah, blah. This year Microsoft rolled out Office Live which includes a free "professional" web site for small businesses. This could have been a truly wonderful product that would net Microsoft many loyal small business customers were it not for poor execution of a great idea.

Deception - Lures You In
Upon clicking the signup link for Office Live I was led to a form to fill out. Each step of the form was on the page but hidden until the previous step was completed. This continued through the whole page except for one section that did not automatically open - the "Selected Services" section. Why? Because it is in this section that you choose between the free and paid versions of Office Live. Hidden inside that section Microsoft had made my choice for me - it had selected the premium paid version.

Broken Links - Locks The Door Behind You
I was duped but I thought I would just make the change from the billing page. No. I am informed that since my account is new I must wait 4 or more days to make changes. There are other links on this page that might be of help, but no, they are all broken links. Every last one of them results in a JavaScript error, even the Customer Care and the Cancel Account links!

Obscurity - The Walls Begin To Close In
While I'm on the billing page I decide to see just how much the pre-selected premium service is costing me. This is the account billing page for Microsoft customers, right? I see the service to which I am subscribed, but the cost of said service is nowhere to be found. WHAT THE F*#%?!?

Customer Service - Keeps You Running In Circles
Truly frustrated now, I begin to search for a backdoor way to customer service. Eventually I found a link that worked. No email address or phone number, just an online form. That's Ok, at least I can get someone to help me. They ask for the phone number used when the account was created. Who was the genius that thought that one up? My phone number is published so how is that a secure way to ensure it is the account holder contacting customer service? I plod on and take the time to type the reason why I am unable to service myself. I point out that at this point I just want to cancel my account after all my troubles but none of the links on their billing page work, not even the Cancel Account link.

After submission, the web site reports that I will definitely receive an answer from a representative within 4 hours. True to their prediction, it was 3 hours and 58 minutes later when I received an answer. The almost robotic email instructed me to go to the billing page and select the link "Cancel My Account." This, even though I specifically told them that link was broken. WHAT THE F*#%?!?

Customer Service - Keeps You Running In REALLY BIG Circles
I reply to email and realize that now I would have to wait 4 hours more for a reply. Well, not exactly. About 15 minutes later I received an email informing me that my reply to customer service was blocked by SPAMCOP. WHAT THE F*#%?!? (SPAMCOP is known for automatically, and erroneously, listing IP addresses temporarily. They drop out automatically later but only after your emails are blocked for 3 or more hours.) I switch email accounts and try again. OK, reply comes about 4 hours later and tells me to use the "Downgrade" link at the billing page. DUH! They know I can't do that because they have blocked changes to the account for 4 days.

Well, I finally did get out from under Microsoft's thumb but it took over 20 hours. Then I spent the next 4 hours hitting the forums to get the word out. There are many satisfied Office Live customers, I'm sure. But go here (http://boards.live.com/officeliveboards/board.aspx?BoardID=756) before you sign up. It is a Microsoft-moderated forum of Office Live customers and may point out some of the pitfalls before you begin.

One last thing: Is it just me or is there something incomprehensible about broken links on a Microsoft web site? If I use the Microsoft browser to surf Microsoft web pages I have given Microsoft the ideal circustances to excel at web page authoring. If, under those circumstance, I find an error or two, I would be astonished. But to find an entire section of their site littered with broken links and code errors boggles the mind.

Wal Mart: Harass Customers, Grant Thieves License to Steal

2006-12-17T12:41:00.000-06:00

Wal Mart certainly does not owe its success to customer service. As a capitalist I have no qualms with their achievement of creating a distribution network that allows them to offer deep discounts that are unbeatable by their competition. As a customer, however, I must say that there is room for improvement.

In a departure from a their once proudly-boasted of 100% prosecution of shoplifters policy, Wal Mart this year announced they were relaxing their loss prevention efforts because the costs were prohibitive. Now, thieves who meet certain criteria will not be prosecuted but rather let go with a warning. If the thief is under 18 or over 65, they will be let go after their first attempt at shoplifting. For those between the ages of 18 and 65, as long as they steal merchandise under $25 in value, they also will be let go after their first offense with only a warning.

Wal Mart's justification is that it makes no sense to pay employees $12 per hour to pursue prosecution of a $5 crime. The National Retail Federation finds that many retail chains are adopting similar policies. Prosecution of petty theft "does not warrant the store resources or the judicial resources required," said Joseph J. LaRocca, vice president for loss prevention at the NRF.

While I totally disagree with this trend, I am content to allow privately-owned organizations to learn from their own mistakes. But is their justification logical? Give thieves the exact circumstances under which they will be allowed to steal? In order to concentrate their efforts on controlling those who steal more than $25? Because the labor costs are too high?

Maybe. But what about the Wal Mart employees that stand at the entrance and do nothing but greet you? Oh, they do prepare the shopping carts for you. By moving them 3 feet from the queue of carts to right into the walkway into the store. Pay employees to do that but not prosecute criminals?

Think that's illogical? It gets worse. There is one more service those "greeters" perform. After you've navigated the tight aisles clogged with unstocked merchandise laying on the floor, waited in line for 20 minutes, placed your merchandise on the conveyor, lifted your own bags from the carousel, you will plunk down your cash and be on your way. But the "greeters," who are not cleaning the store, stocking the shelves, or operating another cash register, will stop you on the way out of the store to make sure you, the law-abiding shopper, have paid for everything!

There is no logical argument, no justification or rationalization, for harassing paying customers while openly allowing thieves to go free.

NEWS - Wal Mart has a new gift program:

There are no restrictions or conditions.
You don't even have to wait in line.
Everyone is invited to take advantage of this one-time $25 offer.
Just walk in to your nearest Wal Mart store and choose one or more items totalling less than $25.
Then just walk out.
If you are stopped, just show your ID. You'll then be allowed to leave with your merchandise.

Note: Be sure not to pay for the item(s) or you will be stopped at the door and have to prove that you did actually pay for your merchandise.

For Audiophiles

2006-12-16T10:41:00.000-06:00

I have found one of the most well-designed, functional, delivers-on-its-promises, FREE software applications ever. If you have a collection of MP3s then playlists are something you are probably using or want to use. MusicIP Mixer is the best tool I've found so far. It actually analyzes your collection various ways. When you select one or more songs, it creates a playlist based on your selection.

MusicIP Mixer will also find duplicate tracks, and even fix your ID tags for you. It is fast, and accurate. In certain windows it will suggest additional free downloads that are similar to a track you have selected form your collection. With this feature you can easily discover new music and add it to your collection easily. The way it creates playlists is flexible and customizable.

I am not affiliated with MusicIP nor do I stand to benefit from this review. Over the years I have come to appreciate the time and effort required to produce a truly fine, functional application and make it available to the masses. MusicIP deserves credit for a wonderful application.

Misirlou (Pulp Fiction)

2006-12-08T22:33:00.001-06:00


Dick Dale. Cool! Thanks to http://rideyourpony-twighlightzone.blogspot.com/.

The 9 Lives of an Employee

2006-12-08T17:57:00.000-06:00

The question is how many chances are enough chances? How long do you give the benefit of the doubt in spite of someone continuously proving you wrong? This is a broad subject. In our civilized society we are expected to espouse the virtues of humanity, empathy, and good will. We are supposed to support rehabilitation. We are supposed to forgive and forget. But how much is too much? Where do we draw the line?

Many times I am faced with the dilemma of whether to rehire a previously terminated employee. There are many factors to consider. How long ago were they terminated? What was the nature of the termination? How was their performance prior to their termination? How long did they work for the company prior to termination? Ultimately, however, the question is whether rehiring this person will put the company on course for another problem.

The answer to that question is culled from their apparent rehabilitation. That is, whether they have learned their lesson and now choose to live by the rules. It is what we expect of convicted criminals when we give them a sentence that they serve and we release them back into society. This analogy makes termination sound like a punishment and deterrent which, of course, it is not. Rather, it is that they broke the conditions of the contract (whether of employment or social contract) and have had their privileges (employment or freedom) revoked.

So are they rehabilitated? They will say they are, but their actions are the only true evidence of rehabilitation and you can't test their behavior without giving them a chance to prove themselves. So we give them a second chance. And a third, ... fourth, ...

Where do we draw the line? You might be tempted to say no chances. That would be the ultimate protection for the company. Break the rules, you're gone. Period. And some companies have such rules. You might be surprised to know that a ban on rehiring can actually be a liability. But consider the drug addict. An otherwise perfectly good employee succumbs to the lure of illicit drugs. Performance fails, attendance drops, problems arise. They would eventually test positive on a random drug screen. They are terminated. What do you do when this ex-employee comes knocking on the door 6 months later looking for work?

Let's stop to remind ourselves of just how hard it is to rehabilitate an addict. I've seen failure rates from 30-95% for different programs and different drugs. With numbers like that we must assume that an employee terminated for drug use has a high probability of recurrence. So again, I ask, how many chances do they get? If it were a legal matter they would continuously get longer sentences for each occurrence until they found themselves in jail for life - no more chances.

Where would you draw the line in rehiring employees?

New York State Of Mind

2006-12-04T18:23:00.000-06:00

I'm in New York this week on business. My hotel is just a block from Times Square. This is my first visit to NY. It took me a while to adjust. I've lived in the Midwest for the last 25 years in several places from Indiana to Kansas. But I was Born and raised on the east coast. From birth to age 12 I lived in Baltimore, MD. It is another large metropolitan area much like NY except a little smaller.

During my time in the Midwest I have forgotten how to behave in a big city. I noticed how New Yorkers rarely make eye contact, talk quickly and always seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere. Life in the Midwest is very different. It's slower. People look each other in the eye. We greet strangers on the street. We talk slower. And we are not in as much in a hurry since we can drive most everywhere we go and it does not take long to get there. But I soon remembered that this is the way people behaved in Baltimore also.

New Yorkers do a lot of walking. The sidewalks are crowded at all times of the day. But the walking is necessary, because a distance I can drive in Wichita in 15 minutes would take an hour or more here in New York.

Don't get me wrong. New Yorkers are great and so is their city. I've had a great time and have been treated very well. The cliches are not fair, although I did almost get pick-pocketed. He must not have been very good or else I wouldn't have known he even tried. But he wouldn't have gotten anything anyway.

It's a great city and I recommend you visit if you get the chance. And if you do, make sure to visit the 9/11 memorial. It's a sobering, emotional experience. I think with the passage of time and the extensive news coverage some of us have become desensitized to the 9/11 tragedy. I'm glad I remember and will never forget. I'm glad I was able to visit the site. The target of the terrorists were Americans in general and not just those that happened to be in the towers that day. It could have been any of us. The victims were Americans and as such are part of our extended family. We should never forget.

Airport Security pt. II

2006-12-03T17:43:00.001-06:00

Take your shoes off? What in the world are they trying to prevent with that? Shoe bombs? Are shoes the only article of clothing configurable for bomb delivery? No. But of course, reactive transportation experts decide to start looking at shoes AFTER someone tries it. It seems so random and ineffective.

What about pants bombs? Shirt bombs? And my favorite, bra bombs? Believe me, if it is small enough to fit in the sole of your shoe then it will fit in just about any other article of clothing. And TSA will not start looking at the new clothing until after someone attempts to use one. I do hope that all these random prohibitions and procedures do serve as the deterrents I believe they are supposed to be.

I'm already suspicious. Let's be proactive about this before someone gets hurt. ALL BRAS MUST BE REMOVED FOR INSPECTION. And while you're already inconvenienced, shirts off too.

I would gladly wait in the long lines with my shoes off for a show like that.

Name Game | Plea For Help

2006-12-02T20:29:00.000-06:00

My other hobby: genealogy. I've done pretty well in the past 10 years. I have nearly 13,000 documented relatives in my family tree. But with all that information, one part of my lineage is very short. I do not have an extremely open family. On top of that, my paternal-grandmother past away about 18 years ago when I was a teenager and not into family history. She divorced my grandfather around 1947, 21 years before I was born. So with little to go on and a tight-lipped family, I have no information about my grandfather and thus that line ends with him.

Please help me find more about Albert R. Taylor, who lived in Baltimore, Maryland between 1944 and 1947, and who at some time was probably in one of the armed services. He was married to Catherine Julia Hoopes in 1944 and divorced in 1947.

Also, I have been able to trace the Hoopes name back to a man named Robert Howpe. Little is known about him despite being accepted by most Hoopes genealogists as the top of the Hoopes family tree. He had at least 11 children, some for which we don't even have names.

Please help me find more about Robert Howpe who lived in Yorkshire, England from 1518 to 1570. He is believed to have married a woman named Jane who also lived in Yorkshire from 1520 to 1595. Jane may be Robert's second wife.

Strange place to post this type of message but this is a mystery that has baffled even the most prolific genealogists. I figure I am playing the odds that if I post this plea in several places I will get lucky one day. If the names Albert R. Taylor or Robert Howpe sound familiar to you, please contact me through my web site at http://www.hoopesonline.com/.

Thanks all.

99.9% Perfect

2006-12-01T18:22:00.000-06:00

Sounds pretty good, huh? Just how good is 99.9%? Years ago I was a Production Supervisor at a plant that assembled parts for a very large appliance manufacturer. My staff was awarded several times for "exceeding contract quality standards." This meant that they had produced parts that were acceptable more than the minimum of 99.5% stated in the contract. On one of these occasions my staff was bewildered and even angry that I told them their "99.9% Perfect" status was not enough. I explained that their goal was not 99.9% but 100% quality. To celebrate 99.9% quality was the same as congratulating themselves for screwing up 1 of every 1,000 parts they assembled.

I'll put it in perspective for you.

If American car manufacturers assembled 99.9% safe cars then in 2005 we put 17,000 drivers in unsafe cars (16,912,553 cars sold in 2005)

If McDonald's was 99.9% clean then they would serve 8 bad hamburgers EVERY MINUTE! (8,500 McDonald's hamburgers sold every minute)

If your Internet connection was 99.9% reliable then the average web page would display 61 characters incorrectly (Average web page size 60Kb)

If our schools are 99.9% competent then this year we will graduate about 3,000 students that are unprepared for life (Approximately 3 million high school graduates)

If SPAM filters are 99.9% effective then email in boxes will fill with 100 million SPAM emails EVERY DAY! (Approximately 100 billion SPAM per day)

The definition of perfect includes words such as exact, absolute, complete, entire, and pure. Stating anything is 99.9% perfect is like saying you are partially pregnant. It's perfect or it is not and 99.9%, not matter how great is not perfect. And .1% failure, as insignificant as it is, is nothing to aspire to.

Airport Security?

2006-12-01T12:47:00.000-06:00

Tell me how it makes sense to allow matches on airplanes but not lighters. Explain how 3 ounces of any liquid is safe, but 4 ounces is dangerous. Clarify why a sharpened pencil is allowed but nail clippers are not. This may seem trivial but these examples are indications of the reactive, illogical, randomness of airport security.

I can take but not

I can take but not

I can take but not

For those of you that think these rules are protecting you. Consider in terms of deadliness, the pencil wins over the nail clippers EVERY TIME! In terms of volatility, 3 ounces is no safer than 3.5 ounces. And to light a fuse, a match flame is just as hot as a lighter flame.

I'm not suggesting that we not have these rules but I can insist that they are at least sensible. And, of course, that they are enforced.

Example: You must empty your pockets before entering the metal detector, right? Are you sure? What if you accidentally left something non-metallic in your pocket? Who would know? Do they check your pockets to make sure you've emptied them? No. It's an honor system. And we all know that those who wish to do us harm are at least honorable, right? If emptying your pockets at the airport will not be enforced then it is illogical to require it.

True Story: A friend recently flew back from vacation with a bottle of contact lens cleaner in his carry-on bag. It was a last minute purchase that did not get packed into his checked luggage. A large, completely full bottle of whatever weird chemicals they use to clean contacts. The TSA agent found it!

Whew! World saved!

But wait a minute. What's he doing with that bottle? He smelling it? Yes, he smelled it and determined with his superior, honed olfactory receptor neurons, that it was actually just lens cleaner and not some otherwise harmful substance. He LET THE BOTTLE GO THROUGH because he said he recognized the smell and it was safe. I don't even know where to start with all the implications of this scene. Does the TSA have a special olfactory training program for agents to specialize in smell-security? I'm sure he thought he was doing a good thing but who is he to selectively bend federal mandates?

And where was he when his co-workers threw away my perfectly good deodorant and toothpaste?

The only redemption to the otherwise ridiculous 3-ounce rule and other illogical prohibitions is that the TSA enforce them without exception.

I'm Not Bitter. Really!

2006-12-01T07:35:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I'm sure I sound like a bitter old man. It seems to me almost as if I've reached the crabby-old-grumbling-man stage far before my time. I'm confounded by the things I see, the behaviors, mindsets, disrespect, ulterior motives, rationalizations, justifications, ........... grrrrrrrrrr! See? Crabby-old-grumbling-man syndrome.

I spend a lot of time scratching my head and curling my eyebrows at people in general.

"Why did he do that?"
"WHAT IS SHE THINKING?"
"WHAT THE F***?!?!?!?!?"

Confusion is not bitterness, it is perplexity. Frustration is not anger, it is anxious dissatisfaction stemming from unresolved unpredictability. (Thesaurus working overtime today.)

Scratch Entitlement From Your Vocabulary

2006-11-30T16:37:00.000-06:00

Sorry to sound like an old dude but what has happened to the younger generation? First, I am a parent so, yes, I will end up sounding like a parent. But my girl is only 6 years old now so this doesn't really apply to her.

One of the most difficult of responsibilities I have as an Operations Manager is hiring personnel. I have been doing this for the last 5 years and it is becoming increasingly difficult. The young people in search of employment (sometimes not searching but waiting for it to fall in their laps) are not prepared to get anything other than minimum wage, low-skill, menial employment. It's a broad statement and unfair to the few exceptions, I know.

My applicants are largely not able to properly complete a simple job application. Misspellings, missing information, and poor penmanship will not get you a job. If you do happen to get past the job application, my company, as most others, requires a negative drug screen to qualify for employment. If you have any doubts that drugs are a problem today, you should see the number of people that I turn away on a regular basis because they cannot stay off drugs long enough to get hired.

My company trains our employees to fix and care for the machinery they operate. Mechanical skills are a prerequisite for this training so we also test job applicants on mechanical skills. Over the years I have noticed a tremendous drop in the average scores for this test. I attribute this to the ongoing cancellations of high school classes such as wood shop, auto shop, drafting, etc. In my area, we lost our last surviving auto shop class last year to budget cuts. Realize that the basic high school graduation requirements do not expose young people to the workings pulleys, inclined planes, and basic machinery. These are basic but necessary skills that our students are no longer learning.

Ten to fifteen years ago, the average employee at our facility had a mechanical score of 90% or more and none below 80%. These days, we've had to lower our standards to the point of accepting scores as low as 65% due to the extremely limited pool of people that can score any higher than that.

Worst of all is the sense of entitlement many job applicants have. Its seems as if, when they cannot meet the requirements of the job, the standards are too high and we should give them a job anyway. And their salary expectations are not in line with their qualifications at all.

There are no entitlements. Nothing in life is free. Everything requires effort, even the love of your family and friendship. You'll get nothing from me except the chance to prove yourself. If you come in with nothing but your hand held out then you'll leave empty handed. If you want it, you must earn it - from your paycheck to your freedom.

Invention: Graduated Brake Lights

2006-11-27T19:50:00.000-06:00

Some people tend to "ride" their brakes. That means they keep one foot on the brake pedal even when they are not slowing down. Others brake very hard. And the majority of us just brake enough to stop the car when and where it needs to be stopped. Sometimes that requires braking hard in an emergency.

In all these cases, all the cars behind us see is the standard brake lights. It would be helpful for the drivers behind us to know just how hard we are braking so they could react accordingly. Enter Graduated Brake Lights.

These brake lights give other drivers feedback as to how hard we are braking. I imagine adding this to cars could substantially decrease rear-end collisions.

Sorry Is No Eraser

2006-11-27T07:13:00.000-06:00

"I'm sorry." "It's OK."

That exchange probably happens a million times each day, but what are we really saying to each other? Translation: "Can we pretend it never happened?" "Yes."

We as sentient beings do not have to be sorry for our actions. We have the ability to prevent times of remorse by JUST NOT DOING THE THING THAT IS WRONG. No, I'm not talking about minor accidents and unforeseeable consequences. We are probably not really sorry about those things anyway because they are what they are and we can't stop them from happening.

We apologize for things we wish we hadn't done. Well, you cannot erase your actions with a simple "sorry." You are gifted with problem-solving and decision-making mechanisms in your brain that give you the ultimate power to prevent such actions for which you must repent later. Those things are called the "wrong" things, and it is up to you, when you arrive at the fork of decision in the road, to choose the "right" path.

I tell my daughter, who is six and spends much time apologizing, that being sorry is important but it is far more powerful, uplifting, and enlightening to have made the right choice in the first place. Too young to absorb this? I think not. In fact, I'm sure this is exactly what she should learn now - better to have made the right choice than to be remorseful for the wrong choice.

It's funny the expectations we have about apologies. You make a mistake, you are expected to say sorry. But when you apologize you expect a response of acquiescence. The very expectations of this exchange make the whole thing robotic and insincere. And the whole transaction, which should make the victim feel better, is designed to make the perpetrator feel better about not thinking first.

I do expect apologies when I have been wronged. I expect sincere apologies. And for my part, I promise to be sincere also. If it is not OK, then I will not tell you it is OK. You cannot erase what you did with simple words.

College: Anti-Education?

2006-11-26T08:43:00.000-06:00

Do you know many college graduates? I must start by saying that I am not, yet, but I am in school and am very near graduation. After reading further you might wonder why I went back to college to finish my education. Because I have to - because we as a society have made it a requirement.

I know some graduates and I must say that the thing they wanted most, the thing they at which they hoped to succeed, for which they hoped to be known, their dreams - were taken away from them by the very education that was supposed to guarantee them success. You see, whatever it was they they loved, and dreamed of doing, required a college degree in order to become their career. Securing a degree would make it possible for them to make it their life's work - and what a great life to be able to do the thing you love most.

I had a friend in my early college years that was a great writer. He was the most creative person I knew. His unique approach to subjects and creative mind made for some very interesting stories. Stories I would have paid for the privilege of reading if he were a published writer. And, of course, he had entered the English department at our University. Over the years I noticed a change in his writing as he progressed through his courses. One day I read a story he'd written and it was, as usual, very good. He said, it is not finished. I disagreed. He said all stories have to go through X number of re-writes before they are actually done. I asked whose rule this was and he said that is just how it is done. He then proceeded to tell me of all the other "rules" about writing. The things that must be present in a story, must be done to a story, for the story to be "done."

The result - he was writing his stories to fit someone else's "template" of stories. As you can imagine, over the course of his "education," his writing became bland and sort of mass-produced-like. My friend graduated, and is now installing cable. We have lost touch over the years but I am not aware of any writing he has done since college.

I worked with a guy that had a Masters in Marketing. By all rights he should have been a great marketer with his extensive education. He was not, however. In fact, his ideas and execution of those ideas were the worst I've ever seen. Sadly, he was probably very creative and enjoyed such work prior to his education.

The prerequisites we place on professional jobs is creating a workforce of mediocrity. Wouldn't we want creative writers and marketers, good engineers, and so on? No, we want college graduates first. Those are the fortunate ones to which we extend a job offer. They are certainly qualified in that they have learned the right way to do things, but they cannot think for themselves. They do it as their instructors have told them to do it. They may not be creative, resourceful, able to actually solve a problem. But give them a straightforward task and they can produce the expected, mediocre, mass-produced product.

Do we want our scientists, artists, writers, business owners, etc., to do things exactly as their predecessors have? Exactly like a college instructor wants them to?

So, if I feel this way, why am I finishing my degree after all these years? Because, as I said, we have made it a requirement for success. I have a family and it is my duty to make myself employable in order to provide for them. My intention, however, is to keep from falling into mediocrity along the way.

Overwhelmed With Stupefaction

2006-11-25T19:38:00.000-06:00

Why is it that most people's brains and legs come to a halt just after entering a doorway? You're walking up to your favorite store. You're moving across the parking lot towards the door as many other people are doing the same. Everything is moving along fine as you near the door. Then, suddenly, everything comes to a halt just as you approach the threshold. The people in front of you that were just managing to walk and think at the same time have suddenly gone comatose.

You've seen it before. The wide, glassy eyes. What has just happened? Was the change in scenery from outside to inside too much for them to absorb? Was there a major change in temperature that caused their synapses to fail?

No. Because you see this has nothing to do with entering a doorway. This kind of behavior can be observed anywhere the actions of one person will affect the intentions of others. On the road, in the store aisles, in line at the bank, movies, checkout, etc. It is the phenomenon known as "I Am The Only Person On Earth At This Very Minute." I have totally forgotten that there are other people waiting in line, other drivers on the same road, other shoppers in this store. I have totally forgotten that I share my surroundings with millions of other humans that are trying to do the same thing I am.

This condition, "I Am The Only Person On This Earth" is better known by those of us still using our minds and those whose parents taught us simple manners, as LACK OF RESPECT.

But please, like sleepwalkers, do not wake them up. Do not say a word to these people, because guess what? They will get ANGRY that you, the brain-user, has pointed out that they, they brain-dead, can safely use more than 1% of their brain.

So we, the awake ones, just continue to sigh and walk around you. You're welcome.