Category: Observations Page 24 of 88

An Apple a Day from Flickrs' US Government Works collection - https://www.flickr.com/photos/marine_corps/6800235568/

Hands off my Apple

On February 17, 2016

Yesterday, Apple posted a letter to its customers. This letter talks about the current San Bernardino terror case and what it means for all of us. The U.S. Government is asking Apple to build a backdoor into the operating system. Currently, there are parts of the devices even Apple is unable to get access to. The government wants to change that so only they can get into them. But that’s not how back doors work.

The backdoor into your phone is like the door on your house. You can walk in the door. You can lock the door. You can add another door to it but it’s still a door anyone can use. This is a hugely important issue. Encryption gives us privacy. In this age where every last private detail is up for sale, I appreciate Apple taking a stand.

For many years, we have used encryption to protect our customers’ personal data because we believe it’s the only way to keep their information safe. We have even put that data out of our own reach, because we believe the contents of your iPhone are none of our business.

Apple doesn’t need to know the contents of my iPhone.

The FBI is requesting a backdoor be built into the iPhone/iPad operating system. This would allow anyone to bypass all the security features on those devices.

Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession.

The U.S. Government wants access to iPhones. Now you may not think that sounds so bad. But once a backdoor is opened, you can’t close it.

The U.S. Government will have a backdoor to get access to iPhones and bypass all security features of the device. Does that sound good to you? Law Enforcement should have this access to fight terror and apprehend criminals, right? That’s great! I’m all for catching criminals and fighting terrorists. But what about this?

The Chinese Government will have a backdoor to get access to iPhones and bypass all security features of the device.
ISIS will have a backdoor to get access to iPhones and bypass all security features of the device.
Hackers will have a backdoor to get access to iPhones and bypass all security features of the device.

There is nothing to prevent others from using this same backdoor to get access to your phone. Once the U.S. Government can walk in, so can China, or Iran or ISIS or Anonymous. Anyone with the technical ability can find and access the backdoor and all of your private information is now public.

Once you make a door, that door is open to anyone. Right now, that door is a steel-enforced concrete wall. Don’t smash a hole into it and install a door.

Nine Inch Nails Covers

By Carl

On February 5, 2016

In Observations

I love Nine Inch Nails. I don’t hide this fact. I remember listening to The Downward Spiral as my anthem of teenage angst and anger. I grew up in a tiny town (2,000 people) in a high school of 550. I felt like a freak and a weirdo. Nine Inch Nails was the music I lived on. I’ve had the privilege of seeing Trent Reznor perform live five times. This music is the soundtrack to my life and today I fell into a hole of cover songs so I thought I’d share a few of them with you. There are many, many more online but these all stood out to me.

Going to see Nine Inch Nails live is as close to a religious experience as I’ve felt. The crowd and the emotions and the music washing over me is one of the best feelings in the world. I always come home hoarse, sweaty and exhausted. But feeling so energized and amazing.

Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie performing Hurt

This song gives me chills. Bowie and Reznor’s voice are amazing together.

Johnny Cash covering Hurt

The Best Cover Song Of All Time. Cash takes Reznor’s words and comes to them from a vulnerable place and gives the song a whole new, incredible meaning.

Sevendust covering Hurt

Hurt is an incredible song and it’s nice to see another version of it. This one by stripped down and live on stage.

Linkin Park covering Wish

Wish is a great, if not forgotten song. This is a fun, live cover.

Flyleaf covering Something I Can Never Have

I remember Reznor saying years ago he wanted to work with a female vocalist. It finally came to fruition with How To Destroy Angels. I love Reznor’s music with a female vocalist. This is a great cover of a beautiful song.

Corey Taylor covering Something I Can Never Have

The lead singer of Slipknot’s acoustic take on a haunting track was meant to be performed acoustically. Taylor has an amazing voice.

AFI covering Head Like A Hole

Early NIN sounds like electronic punk. AFI’s cover of this old NIN track fits perfectly.

Kawehi covering Closer

Closer is a song I don’t listen to much because it got so much play when it blew up in the 90s and I got tired of it. It became a party anthem for it’s “I want to fuck you like an animal.” But Kawehi’s cover is a rare and unique take on the track so I included it. The best part of Closer remains the piano at the end.

Event Planning Rule 6 – Organize Yourself

By Carl

On February 4, 2016

In Observations

Rule 6. Organize yourself.

Event organizer is a misleading name. It’s their event and they should have it together and be the expert on their own event. But, they often offload that work on to the person supporting them.

This means you have to be organized, whether the people you’re working for are or not. It’s your job to make everything work. It’s your job to assure success as much as possible. It doesn’t matter if you’re planned and scheduled if you don’t have the information you need.

If you write down the information but leave it behind, it can’t help you. If you need a specific link and don’t have it, it’s as good as never scheduling it.

A practice I adopted early on in event planning was coming up with a list of questions. My first reply when was this list. It gave me everything I need to know to be successful. Some of them were basic. What is this event? Where is it? What time? How many people are you anticipating attending in the room and online?

Are we recording this session? Do you need Closed Captioning? Will there be a sign language interpreter present? What about a photographer?

And others were just for me. Is this date and time firm? Do you have a slide deck? If not, when will it be available?

Asking questions finds weakness in plans. Once we find the weakness in the plans, we can plan around them and be successful.

Time

Rushing leads to disorganization which leads to forgetting which leads to failure. Always arrive early. The quiet time before an event starts is for you to prepare yourself and organize your space. Organization is about making time to be successful.

I was always the first person to an event. I had time to get my computer and camera setup. I verify the links I need and content (slides, videos, audio) were available and working. The extra time is for troubleshooting. Links break and computers crash. Time is the different between success and failure.

I open the slides and go through them all one last time. I open the video and play it straight through. I listen to the audio over the sound system in the room. I had already done all this before. But everyday is a new day and failure always possible.

Space

Setup what you need where you can get to it. I setup my notebook and post-it notes so I could see everything without flipping pages. I like using a notebook because it gave me space for new notes or updating what I thought I knew.

If I was in a conference room in front of a laptop, I kept it all on my lap but still had it open and available if I needed it.

Having the information does you no good if you can’t find it when you need it.

Hands making a heart in front of a sun from Unsplash.com - https://unsplash.com/mayurgala

Service Smiles: Beauty among the garbage

By Carl

On January 29, 2016

In Observations

Service Smiles is an answer to the question What did I learn about Customer Service this week?

The Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste Services has an email list. They give updates to trash and recycling pickups.

Their notifications are clear and concise. It keeps me informed to any variations in the pickup schedule due to weather or other issues.

This is the most mundane of updates. There’s nothing sexy or exciting about trash and recycling pickups. Each new notice comes with a poem.

Alone, walking purposely uphill toward the bus stop,
Heavy grocery bags pulling your arms straight down.

So cold. Six degrees. They call it the Siberian Express.

I see you, and I gesture for you to climb into my back seat; I’ve replaced two regulators now, trying to roll down a frozen window.

“Where to?” “The bus stop.” “Where to, after that?” “The county road,” you say.

I make quick calculations of miles, of time, of traffic, of the dreaded round-about, And, against my cautious self, say I will take you home.

We travel together to get you there, and you tell me

You’re an unemployed social worker,
Your car is no longer useful,
You have health problems,
And you have grown children.

Now, in your 70’s, you live alone.
And they are doing well, so far away.

“No jobs around here, if you want to get ahead.”

Of me, you know nothing, except that I, too, am alone, With children doing well, so far away.

It seems enough.

—Patricia Simoni, “Timeshare”, recommended by subscriber DM

It’s nothing exciting. It’s not big and flashy and it won’t change minds or win hearts. But it made me smile.

The first few times I didn’t even read the email down far enough to see the poem. I saw it in the last one and went back and checked and there’s a poem in each message.

This mailing list is great customer service work. It fulfills its mission quickly. It says here is the current waste pickup schedule. And it adds some fun, ending with a poem.

This is great work and I salute whomever started this trend and hope they keep it up.

Event Planning Rule 5 – Write Things Down

By Carl

On January 27, 2016

In Observations

Rule 5. Write things down. (You think you can remember everything. Right up until you can’t.)

Every event has some details I need to remember. I started out thinking I would always know have them at hand. But the more events I ran and the busier I got, I was forgetting things. Every event is the sum of its parts.

The Parts

Event Date
Event Time
Local or Remote Event
If local, room number
Which account was hosting the event? (Of the four WebEx accounts I had)
Phone number for teleconference
Host Access Code
Participant Access Code
Closed Captioning link (optional)
Is the event being recorded?
Are we using a webcam?
Are we including remote video?
Is there a slide deck? (Do I have it?)
Is there any video or audio content? (Did we test it?)
Will there be a Question and Answer session?
How will remote participants ask questions?
Is anyone from senior leadership going to attend?
Is this event open to the public or agency-only?

I had to remember everything I needed to run the event successfully and answer questions the organizers would ask as we were starting. I also needed to work around any late changes or additions. Which included saying no to people who weren’t usually told no. (Which is a whole different topic in itself.)

Writing Is Remembering

I always carry a pocket notebook for any note-taking on the fly. But I also kept an event notebook with pages dedicated to the current events I plan. And yes, there was always more than one. Sometimes in the same day I’d have three or four to manage. From running the meeting to starting and handing it off, each event needed time and attention.

I also make good use of Post-It Notes. They were easy to keep phone numbers and codes on. I could jot down which camera angles I had preset to this particular event. I could write notes to people helping me. Those little sticky notes are a vital part of my work.

When I forgot something, the event suffered. If I needed a webcam and didn’t have it we’d have no live video. If we needed closed captioning for a transcript or reasonable accommodation and I didn’t book it, someone who needed it wouldn’t be able to enjoy the event.

Memory Fails

It’s easy to trick yourself into thinking you’ll remember anything. I won’t forget the phone number. I will remember to make the change you asked about as I was leaving my desk? Sure, I’ll take care of that edit to your slides and fix that typo?

But I won’t. I’ve forgotten to fix your typo on every version of the slides we used. I forgot you were going to have someone else speak mid-way through the event. I didn’t remember to book closed captioning despite you requesting it. Were we recording this event? The last thing I have in my notes was wrong. I’m sorry.

Memory is fallible. I write everything down I want to get right. And I want to get it all right. I want to get it right every time. I’ve talked about all the ways you can fail. I don’t want to be the source of failure.