RSS MAD

Bravo Zappos, Bravo

It’s in the way that you use it.

It can’t be easy being Zappos. They have raised the bar. Now they have to meet it. Every time.

Thanks to the footbed incident, I finally had a need to call Zappos customer service. It is a much more soothing experience when a vendor starts by accepting their failure and moving forward to making things right.

Shame, Shame

To the person who returned the heat moldable footbeds which I just received from Zappos:

• On what planet can you trim a size 11 footbed shorter than a size 10 and heat mold said footbeds and still assert that the footbeds are “in the condition that you received them?”
• Was it really that difficult to exercise the manufacturer’s money back guarantee?
• Or did that mean you would have to eat the shipping yourself instead of having the Zappos pay for the return shipping, the re-stocking, the shipping to me and the shipping of another set to me.

Every person has their price. The price for which they’re willing to sacrifice their ethics. Congratulations, it looks like your price is about $10.

Phelpsiad

Some may think that NBC is turning the Summer Olympics into the Michael Phelps story. But as far as I’m concerned, someone at NBC Sports has managed to put together a persona that is a very close match to my tastes – the quest for eight has got me glued to my seat.

Bottom to Top

I’m sure that there is some rule that numbered lists must always have number 1 at the top. But given the physical reality of the number 1 lane at the bottom of my TV screen, do you think that NBC might make an exception and list the the lanes and participants in the same order that I’m going to see them?

Two weeks with Vista

The IT powers that be are ordering our new computers with Vista. And lacking a compelling argument against it, I’m now using a shiny new laptop running Windows Vista Business.

With two weeks of usage under by belt, I have to say “eh”. I haven’t found anything compelling for Vista over XP. While Vista starts up much faster, it shuts down much slower to make up for it. [And yes, I have looked at advanced settings on the Control Panel Performance for advice].

While I wouldn’t advise running away from Vista, I wouldn’t advise rushing to embrace it either. My advice would be to stall and hope that XP wins another reprieve.

That's my CSA

My farm was on TV over the weekend:

Worried about food safety? Buy a farm. Here’s how it works. Members of the CSA pay around $450 a year for shares in the Kavakos’ small organic farm. In return, they get a weekly delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables from June to November.

Now, I’m not the sort of person who drives out to the Catskills to gather their own food. But I am the sort of person who enjoys quality organic produce. Who appreciates new eating habits synchronized with the natural rhythm of the local area. And who is rewarded by a tighter relationship with the people who grow my food.

If you’re interested in a CSA (“Community Supported Agriculture”), then check out the nationwide directory of local farms at LocalHarvest and get in line for 2009.

Broncos Snubbed by HoF

As a longtime fan, I’ve never doubted that the Denver Broncos have been snubbed by the NFL Hall of Fame. But it is nice to have an independent analysis back that up.

According to this method, the Broncos have every reason to feel screwed by the Hall of Fame. This is a team with two titles and six Super Bowl appearances, plus nearly 50 years of history, but their HoF membership ranks down with the recent expansion teams.

It's Over

When is this going to stop? It’s hard to hear when you’re a person who’s passionate about performing and watching and believing in the results of cycling.

I was watching Stage 10 of the Tour de France, Pau to Hautacam, when I came to the realization that I didn’t really care. And now Riccardo Ricco is busted for doping, 9th overall with 2 stage wins.

I’m sorry, but it’s over.

Thank You ESPN

A belated thank you to ESPN for making it possible for me to watch Euro 2008 in HD.

Of course, as I was watching the US women playing Brazil this afternoon, I also have ESPN to thank for spoiling my ability to enjoy less highly skilled soccer.

We're Back

If it’s not broken, then don’t fix it.

The thing is, I really didn’t think that anything was broken. Until it went down for the better part of two days. So I applied for my golden ticket and Take the First Step is on a shiny, new shared accelerator.

It may be my imagination, but the response seems snappier than before.

Dutch +1

If the Netherlands is going to play like this, then they should get an automatic entry into any tournament they like. Two of the greatest counterattacks that I have ever seen – both started with the Dutch fending the ball off the face of the goal and both ended with the ball in the opposing net brief moments later.

Up 2-nil in the 75th minute, most teams would be playing the clock. The Dutch? They’re still probing for a 3rd goal.