VoteChooser.com

A friend of mine shared a web site with me that I find simultaneously fascinating and appalling.

It's called VoteChooser.com and it is basically a 10 question quiz that matches your political ideology against the platforms of the various presidential candidates. It's interesting because this draws in some folks who wouldn't normally think/talk/engage in presidential politics. I gave it a try and found it confirmed what my gut impression was-- so it's at least consistent when you have an opinion or preference already in mind.

On the other hand, I'm appalled that choosing the next leader of our nation can somehow be reduced to something comparable to the latest Quizilla creation ("Which presidential candidate personality type are you??!"). Can something so important really be condensed to just 10 questions?

Makes you think, doesn't it?

Marketing Advice: Pick Product Names Carefully

I'm eating at Arby's the other day and notice a promotional poster for their newest item: Chicken Snackers. I mention it in passing to my lunch companion, who asks: "Why on earth would anyone want to eat a chicken's knackers?"

At first, this seems like a comic moment-- the classic sort of miscommunication between Brits and yanks that you'd see on Fawlty Towers. But it got me thinking about the number of products I've seen lately that are either double entendres or plays on vulgar expressions. Maybe there's a Brit executive at Wendy's now who is having a good laugh at us yanks? Think about it-- a snacker is the person who eats the food; the food item being eaten is called the snack.

Technically, the product should be called "Chicken Snacks," right? "Chicken Snackers" would be the people who come in and snack on chicken. You'd have to almost deliberately go out of your way to call it "Chicken Snackers"-- and I think there are enough phonetic savvy people in Arby's marketing department to know that "Chicken Snackers" and "Chicken's Knackers" sound identical if said rapidly enough.

Is this the "future face" of marketing-- snarky product names that have a laugh at the consumer? Or am I just being way too cynical about the product naming process some companies use?

Random Access #213

(warning: random brain dump in progress, no logical/coherent threads are to be anticipated)

new library in Fairfax City, attended opening. Very impressive site, but crowd was pushy and rude. Should write entry about features of the new library. Wish I had cell phone camera for pics-- write about features, problems with the old library, how the new library solves them, etc., ignore the people aspect.

All my friends seem to be unhappy at the same time. It's not my job to make them happy, of course, but they all turn to me because I'm "the one who listens." They ask me for advice, I point out one or two things they can try new/different, and they go right back to the same bad habits they were doing before they asked me for advice. (sigh) Maybe it's just the full moon.

Tried a new breakfast place yesterday. They serve salmon/onion omelets. Good to know for my desire to eat salmon more often. Need to get that recipe. Should caramelize the onions first, though.

House renovations are underway. Very early in the first phase at this point. Turns out the attic insulation situation is not as bad as we thought it was-- now it's just a matter of putting down plywood for flooring and turning the attic into a storage unit. How do you fit 30 4' x 8' boards in a Honda Prelude, anyway? ;)

Finished Seth Godin's "FREE PRIZE INSIDE" book yesterday (in the nice quiet study room of the library). Well, okay-- still need to read the end notes, but the main text is done. Plenty of interesting tidbits there, I'm sure.

Moviefone IM chatbot is finally back online. Too funny-- for weeks, whenever I tried to use it, I got a message that it was offline for a short time, but would return soon. The "short time" was at least two weeks. Of course, there was no way to contact anyone at Moviefone to let them know their chatbot was AWOL. (AWOL isn't right acronym, but I don't know a better one)

I should write a chatbot someday. Not sure what it would do exactly, which is a major thing. Perhaps a koan bot? You say "hello" to it, and it comes back at you with a zen riddle? Hey, I've seen worse ideas.

Need to get into/finish Chris Anderson's "The Long Tail." And then pick up Godin's next book, "Unleashing the Idea Virus." I read all these non-fiction books, but . . . never seem to get the opportunity to apply them. is that a bad thing? Should I do something about that? I want to live in Seth Godin's world, where people are competent and honest! ;)

Dunbar's number seems to keep cropping up in places for me lately. I'm thinking I should create a new blog, restrict it to private invite only, and then invite only "my" 150 people as fellow authors. Do I even know 150 people? I've got 147 contacts in my cell phone (with 103 left), but a lot of those are companies, restaurants and services. Companies have blogs, obviously, but I don't think that really counts towards my 150. ;)

Thank you, Mr. Henry Kingman

Some time ago, I signed up for the Linux Devices email newsletter. The goal was to keep up with current developments and products as I learned/re-learned about Linux. It's not the world's greatest newsletter in terms of design and presentation, but it's got one or two interesting nuggets in it every issue, so I stay subscribed to it. The other day, a copy of Windows Devices showed up in my mailbox. I thought it was a little odd, but figured it was probably some cross promotional gimmick-- you know, something along the lines of Netflix's recommendation feature. Except instead of "Based on the fact that you rented Kill Bill 2, you might enjoy Natural Born Killers . . . " it's actually, "Since you've been subscribed to our Linux Devices newsletter, we thought you might also find our Windows Devices newsletter to be of interest."

I skimmed it, nothing really grabbed me, and deleted it without a second thought. A day or so later, I got the following email referencing the Windows Devices newsletter I'd received.

From: LinuxDevices.com Editor
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:39 PM
Subject: A message from the editor of LinuxDevices.com

Dear LinuxDevices newsletter subscriber,

Earlier today, you may have mistakenly received the WindowsForDevices
newsletter, because I accidentally set one of the knobs in our
newsletter scheduling tool incorrectly. Please accept my personal
apology. I regret any concerns or inconvenience the erroneous email may
have caused.

Best wishes,

-Henry
--
Henry Kingman, senior editor
DeviceForge Group
Ziff Davis Enterprise

I consider this remarkable. Bear in mind, I live in the DC Metro area-- where "Virginia is for lovers" slogan has been replaced by "It wasn't me; I didn't even know about it!" I've worked for organizations where people have lied in writing to avoid responsibility for minor, insignificant mistakes-- so to see someone send out an email that publicly accepts responsibility for their own actions, and then apologize for them, is a pleasant surprise.

Asus rolls out Eee PC in Japan, Windows XP standard - Engadget

Asus rolls out Eee PC in Japan, Windows XP standard - Engadget: "Dubbed the Eee PC 4G-X, the Japan-centric laptop is apparently identical to the regular 4G model, with the notable exception that it now comes pre-loaded with Windows XP Home Edition as standard instead of the usual Linux OS."

This baffles me-- I was under the impression that Linux was even more popular in Japan than it is in the US. Why on earth would they offer Windows XP as the standard there? It seems backwards to me.

Snow day controversy?? You're kidding, right?

Let me get this straight.

With everything going on in the world economy, presidential politics, and foreign policy, we are transfixed by the poor telephone behaviour of a high school student and a school administrator's wife? No wonder the rest of the world thinks we are idiots-- we get worked up and polarized about insignificant nonsense like this, but stand back in total apathy when there's genocide and atrocities going on around us in the world.

Some things never change.

Newsflash: There's no innocent party here. Both the kid and the wife were out of line.

There's also no winner.

Prediction #1:

The Tistadt family will soon be getting an unlisted number. Mrs. Tistadt will learn to leave the PR stuff to the professionals who get paid to do it. The school system, reacting to the PR flap, will rush to create new policies to prevent this from happening again. The outcome of these new policies will be school system employees who become reluctant to communicate with their clientele for fear of violating those policies. Everyone gets less service as a result.

Prediction #2:

In a few years, when "Dave" Kori tries to get a full time job, the people who receive his resume will run his name through Google. They will find the archives of this news story and read about the manner in which he chose to exercise his first amendment rights. Would you hire someone with a history of using technology to publicly embarrass people to represent your organization? Or would you pick someone else who has shown restraint and can work within the system to get things done?

Now, can we PLEASE discuss something more interesting/relevant/significant/important to humanity?

Asus eeePC + Apple Airport Express + Canon PIXMA MP530 = a long evening

I've just spent way too many hours trying to get my Asus eeePC to print to the Canon MP530 printer connected to thee USB port on my Apple Airport Express.

I could post links to all the suggestions I tried which didn't work and impress you with stories of my tenacity-- but chances are, if you've found your way here, you are looking for a solution and have wasted enough time already.

Here's what I did:

1) unplug Canon's USB cable from the Airport Express and plug it in to the USB port on your eeePC.

2) Add a printer, but make sure you use the local printer option. Your eeePC should automatically detect the printer on your USB port, as well as a FAX port.

3) Choose the USB port and continue. The wizard will automatically figure out the driver(s) to use. Be sure to print a test page-- you will need the info on the test page for later steps.

4) After the test page prints successfully, disconnect the USB cable from the eeePC and put it back into the Airport Express.

5) Add another printer on the eeePC, but this time choose a network printer. Don't use Windows or Unix; select "Other" and then use AppSocket/HPJetDirect port.

6) Here comes the potentially tricky part: you need to figure out which TCP/IP port your Airport Express is using for printer communication. It's supposed to be 9100, but for some reason mine is using 9101. I found using the "Find" button in combination with the little port scanner tool to be very effective in determining which port to use.

7) Once you've pinned down the port info, you're going to need to specify the printer model and driver. This is where the printer test page comes in. Use the
information on the Model: line to figure out the printer model and driver to pick.

For example, I used the Canon Multipass C2500, with Foomatic + bjc600.

8) Print a test page to confirm everything is working right.

Trust me, this way is much easier than some of the crazy stuff I was seeing on the forums.

Digital Coaching

Seth Godin opines we don't have enough digital coaches in the world. It's time-- people need them, the marketing tools are there, etc.

He's probably right. Most people use about 10% of their software's feature set, and consider the other 90% too arcane to be bothered about studying. I worked in an office where people kept accidentally overwriting each other's data because they didn't know about the "Share Workbook" feature in Excel-- and that was an IT shop!

This gets me thinking-- with Blogger's integration with YouTube, it'd be easy to create some screen video captures, complete with narration on how to do things like, share workbooks in Excel. Throw out some free samples, and then give access to the "premium content" to monthly subscribers. If things go well, hire other folks to help generate the content-- maybe a specialist for each MS Office application. I even have a catchy name for the company/website: Teknowledgy!

Naturally, I didn't find out that there was already a blogspot blog by that same name (since 2004, no less) until after I started kicking around the text treatment:

A poetic interlude, from my friend, B

I understand you
better than you think
or at least the
quest

and maybe by
telling you it'll all get better
it's not really you
I'm telling . . .

but
me

High Fidelity

Author Nick Hornby gave an interview on our local NPR station a couple of weeks ago. I caught only the tail end of the interview, but the themes of his works sounded interesting. I went to my local library and checked out a copy of "High Fidelity." Strangely enough, I found myself hesitating to read it.

I was a voracious reader when I was younger. I plowed through dozens of fantasy and science fiction novels. But, let's be honest, when you are younger you can spare the time and energy to be voracious and obsessive about something because you don't have all those adult "hobgoblins" competing for your time and attention.

What if I couldn't finish "High Fidelity?" I know, considering the theme of the work, this seems ridiculous and farcical-- but part of me was concerned that I couldn't muster the necessary attention span and spare the time to really enjoy this book. And I wanted to enjoy this book. I needed to enjoy this book because it would be the first full fiction book I'd read in months.

Can you forget how to read? It sounds like a dumb question, doesn't it? But, if you take three years of ballroom dance, and then never dance again for a year, it's awful difficult to dust off the cobwebs. What if I'd forgotten how to turn off the analytical/technical parts of my brain and just read for pleasure? Or, worse yet, what if I tried to read it and found myself stuck in that critical/analytical mode of thought and killed all the joy a person normally gets from reading a good yarn?

I needn't have worried. I started reading last night at the "opening mic night" and finshed the whole book within three sittings over 24 hours. Nick Hornby is a fantastic writer, in my opinion-- he doesn't get all artsy and fancy with the writing technique; he stays out of his own way and delivers the story. I'm not going to recap the plot here, because let's be honest-- most everyone has seen the movie with John Cusack and won't bother to invest time in reading the novel.

Thank you, Nick Hornby. It's nice to know I can still just read and enjoy it.

Are you talkin' about ME?

Most of my friends are neurotics. So am I; it's probably why we get along so well. ;)

I mention this because-- well, first of all, it's a great "excuse" to stop writing. You know, the old "I had this idea for a blog entry based on something that happened between a friend and I the other day," but there's no way I can write about it without infringing upon their privacy, or offending them, or whatever.

It's all crap, of course. Do you think Mark Twain had this problem?

I'm trying to picture Mark Twain (before blogs, email, the WWW, the proliferation of computers) going through his mail. He notices the postmark on one of the envelopes is from a friend in other state. He eagerly opens the letter because he hasn't heard from this person in a while-- and the letter says only:

"Dear, Mark:

I just finished 'The Diary of Adam and Eve. That part about trying to knock the moon out of the sky by throwing rocks at it-- you were writing about me, weren't you?

Sincerely,

Mabel"

(sigh) It's an age old problem. We "writer types" (as in real writers who get paid to write, as well as us neurotic types who deal with the gaps between the real world and our internalized mental models by putting our hyperactive streams of thoughts down in written form) observe human behaviour in every person we meet. We wonder why people choose to do things, or not do things, or why they do it in a particular way. We wonder why we do things, or fail to do things that we thought we really wanted to do. We wonder why we can't seem to stop thinking about it.

Relax, Mabel. Mark Twain isn't writing about you to single you out for ridicule or rebuke. He's writing about you as a way of talking about all of us-- trying to show that we are all hopelessly without a clue and faking it like mad, filling those empty moments of doubt, despair and disappointment with caffeine, college classes, careers, family traditions, cardio workouts, technological gadgets and the latest fads from self-help gurus who are more than happy to sell us a subscription to their monthly newsletter.

It's called "the human condition."

>> So, was that blog entry written about me?

> I try to write snapshots about human nature. If you see a piece of yourself in the entry, chances are that lots of other people see themselves, too. At least, I hope so-- or else I did a piss poor job.

IMAP is back

Fired up Thunderbird this morning-- partially out of habit, and partially out of curiosity. Of course, I wasn't expecting it to work, but it did!

So, I logged back into my gMail account, and the IMAP portion of my account has returned.

Double weird, huh?

Hey, where'd the IMAP go?

A couple of months ago, I set up Thunderbird (Mozilla's email program) as an IMAP client for my Gmail account. I didn't really need to, per se, but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Today, when I fire up Thunderbird to check my Gmail, IMAP fails completely. I log into my gmail account via the web, and all IMAP-related settings on my account have been completely removed. It's not just disabled-- it's completely vanished.

Weird, huh?

U Asked 4 it

Google Analytics has this great feature that lets me know what keywords people used when they wound up here via a Google Search engine result. It's a great way to find out what people are looking for, which means you can do a better job of giving them what they want.

1) Jonah Chanticleer's blog

(comes from the following keywords: jonah+chanticleer, "jonah+chanticleer," an+error+occurred+blog+jonah)

Congratulations! You were looking for my blog, and you've found it. So, go ahead and use the "Add Bookmark" feature of your web browser so you can return again any time you like. Or, if you are feeling really precocious, take advantage of the RSS feed on this site.

2) Error 500

(comes from the following keywords: 500+illegal+eprt+command, what+does+error+500+has+occurred+mean, 500+illegal+eprt+command+service+not+available)

This is actually two different items.

If you are getting the error message, "500 Illegal EPRT command" while trying to use FTP, chances are your OS X firewall is preventing you from making a full and proper connection. I am not an expert on firewall configuration tweaking, by any stretch of the imagination, but you've basically got two choices: enable the FTP service on your Mac OS X machine (which increases your potential vulnerability) or learn how to use ipfw to fine tune your firewall configuration.

The other possibility is that you are trying to run a cgi script on your web server, but the cgi is doing something that prevents your web server from generating the output you want. It's hard to suggest any solutions without knowing more about what language you are using (e.g. Perl, etc.) but every language has its quirks and idiosyncrasies. In Perl, for instance, you had to "prime" the web server for output before actually printing any output, or the script would throw error 500 codes all over the place. Find a good reference book on the language you are using and it should help you work it all out.

3) BBC America's Closed Captioning ad campaign

(comes from the following keywords: bbc+america+closed+captioning)

It's a British thing-- you wouldn't understand. (Although the one that mentions the Queen is much funnier.)

4) Linux and Networking

(comes from the following keywords: broadcom+for+puppy+linux, "damn+small+linux,+wpa2")

Oy! I said I was pro-Linux-- not a Linux pro! ;)

All right, here's the deal-- there's a company named Broadcom and they make chips that are used in some makes of wireless networking adapters. Problem is, the folks at Broadcom aren't friendly to Linux developers and refuse to share information with them. This means it's harder to get Linux working with those kinds of wireless adapters. But it's not impossible. Some very clever Linux folks have come up with workarounds to get partial support.

Now, before you go rushing off to try out that link-- you might want to read a little further. Linux distributions have something known as kernels. This is sort of like the "core guts/heart" of the operating system. There are versions of kernels, such as 2.4 and 2.6. My understanding is that Damn Small Linux uses kernel 2.4 while Puppy Linux uses kernel 2.6. The reason I'm mentioning this to you is because I didn't find it necessary to do anything above and beyond the basic configuration steps to get my Broadcom-based wireless adapter up and running in Puppy Linux. If memory serves me correctly, the Broadcom partial support is built into kernel 2.6, but not into kernel 2.4.

Which brings us to Damn Small Linux and WPA2. Whew! I'm going to have to punt on this one, folks. I couldn't get DSL to work with my broadcom based adapter at all, let alone with WPA2 encryption. My advice is, if you're just starting out with Linux and want as little frustration as possible-- consider using Puppy Linux instead. If you insist on using DSL, you'll probably learn a lot more about the underlying mechanisms, but you're going to be spending lots of time reading about Linux and resorting to trial and error. Consider yourself warned.

5) The "Secret email list" scandal at Wikipedia

(comes from the following keywords: durova+wikipedia+-circus)

I've already said my piece about this, so I've got nothing more to add-- except why is it that every time I see a promotional photo in print of Jimmy Wales, I'm reminded of that weird eye thing that Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo do in "Feel This Audiobook?" If he's trying to appear more dramatic by making his eyes wider, someone please tell him to stop-- otherwise folks are going to think he's got hyperthyroidism.

6) Google Analytics code validation problems

(comes from the following keywords: google+analytics+code+not+valid, google+analytics+code+valid, google+analytics+script+not+valid)

Good news! The latest revision of Google Analytics code has been written so that it will pass Strict validation. No, really-- no need to thank me. ;)

7) iTunes Smart Playlist errors

(comes from the following keywords: itunes+smart+playlist+error)

I'd like to be able to use the smart playlists in iTunes to easily copy any podcasts I haven't heard onto my iPod automatically. This should work easily-- and no, it's not just the whole "type" versus "genre" glitch, either. The actual podcasts show up in my smart playlist, but will not copy across to my iPod when the Autofill feature is invoked.

It's worth noting that if I build my smart playlist to include both podcasts and new music that I've purchased from iTunes, that the music purchased from iTunes will actually transfer over while the podcasts will not. I have no idea what that means, but I think it's a clue.

8) Lojack for Macs

(comes from the following keywords: lojack+for+macs+installation+error, mac+os+stolen+call+home+lojack)

There are plenty of write ups about how to hack your macintosh so you can maximize the chances of recovery if it is ever stolen. Unfortunately, a lot of them seem to rely on having an iSight camera or software that doesn't work with OS X Panther. I wound up opting for Lojack. The software installation had a little snag involving Java, but creating a brand new account and giving it administrator privileges on my iBook seemed to resolve that problem.

9) The panda's gone!

(comes from the following keywords: panda+error+code+404)

Don't worry, he's not gone-- the web cam just doesn't have night vision. ;)

10) Sudoku and the DC Examiner

(comes from the following keywords: examiner+sudoku, what+happen+to+sudoku+in+the+examiner+dc, sudoku+puzzle++examiner, what+is+sudoku+pacific, sudoku+classic+error, sudoku+pacific+vs+classic, sudoku+solution, sudoku+pacific, %226+star%22+sudoku)

One of our local newspapers, the DC Examiner, features a daily pair of Sudoku puzzles. The first puzzle is a "Pacific Sudoku" while the second is a "Classic Sudoku." Generally speaking, I find the Pacific Sudoku puzzles easier than the Classic ones. I'm not sure why this is, but my theory is that the Classic Sudoku puzzles are built differently (perhaps by hand?) and lead would-be solvers down very specific paths, while the Pacific puzzles feel more like mass-produced, computer generated puzzles. I could be completely wrong, of course, but that's my impression of the matter.

About two weeks ago, the entire games page (including the Sudoku puzzles) was nowhere to be found in the DC Examiner. I think they had to make some room for their Top 10 Stories of 2007 segments, and the Games page was the quickest and easiest one to dispose of-- so don't panic, it's still here. Just be aware that if they ever need to make room again, that your puzzles are probably first on the chopping block, so you might want to stock pile a few.

If you're looking for the DC Examiner's sudoku puzzles online, I'm afraid you might be slightly disappointed. Although they seem to put all their news stories up in HTML format, you have to resort to searching the PDF copy to find the Sudoku puzzles. Find the page labelled "Diversions" and that should take you right to the puzzles. Although I am tempted to recreate the sudoku puzzles and post them here along with the solutions as a convenience/traffic draw, I suspect they would probably view it as some form of copyright infringement and send a cease and desist order. So, the best I can do is point you in the direction of their web site, with instructions on how to locate the puzzles in their PDF files. Sorry!

As far as solving Sudoku puzzles goes-- the "best" way is with good old fashioned pencil and logic. Of course, there are times when logic and a pencil can only get you so far, or you need the solution in a hurry. The best Sudoku solver web site I've ever seen hands down is P. Hull's page. This tool is amazing-- I've seen it solve diabolical puzzles that desktop programs fail to solve, and the whole thing is done in measly old Javascript.

11) Cheryl Crow

(comes from the following keywords: +cheryl+crow+nails+it+in+one+lyric)

Seriously, I had no idea Cheryl Crow was that popular. I just had that one lyric stuck in my head.

Deconstruction

Some people believe you must take something apart to truly understand it. This works well for literary works, beard trimmers, or grandfather clocks, but poorly for interpersonal relationships-- or gerbils.

Bad Writing multiplied by Technology still equals Bad Writing

I started write an entry about the "Tao of Technological Automation." I realized about three paragraphs in that it was a boring and pointless piece of crap, so I deleted it.

I've seen how lots of people use technology in the past two decades. Most folks don't "get it." I'm tempted to try to explain it one more time, hoping someone will get it-- but no one cares. No one wants to plan or do the homework involved. After all, that's tedious and means answering hard questions such as, which is more important: security or convenience.

Don't make us think, dammit, Jonah! Just give us the chrome plated appliance with the flashing lights, so we can all feel better about our new toy and it will effortlessly and magically fix all our problems.

Here's one final sobering thought for you: If you stop thinking for yourself when it comes to technology, then how much do you trust the people that are thinking for you instead?

Some changes for 2008

Just a quick heads up about some changes at this blog--

I've ditched the default style because it was tired. The new default style is W3C's Midnight, and you can still use the style selector to pick from the alternate stylesheets (Swiss, Steely, Chocolate, etc.) It's worth mentioning that this blog uses Javascript and cookies to pull off that style selector gimmickry, so if you don't have Javascript enabled or are paranoid about cookies, consider yourself warned.

Speaking of cookies, this blog also uses Google Analytics to track visitor statistics. This helps me figure out how few readers I have (LOL!), which posts get the most attention, which search engines and keyword searches are bringing people here, etc. Once again, this feature uses Javascript and cookies to do its magic, so if you are concerned about that as a privacy issue, I've made you aware and you can take appropriate measures.

And yes, I was finally able to log back in to Blogger late last night. I'm still not entirely sure what the problem was, but it was localized to my Firefox browser. Once I determined I was able to log in on the same computer with Safari, I knew it had to be a setting and/or Add-On within Firefox that was preventing me from successfully logging in. I wound up disabling all my Add-Ons and dumping all my cookies, and was finally able to get back in.

Locked Out?

Is it just me? When i try to log in, it bounces between blogger and google endlessly.

The Value of Membership

Note: I'm going to try my best to avoid being snarky in this entry, but I'm writing about a pet peeve of mine-- so I promise you nothing.

You're having a problem-- maybe it's a computer problem, or maybe it's a web page problem, or a problem with some consumer electronics item. Chances are, you pull up Google and perform a quick search on your problem. The first item in the search results looks very promising. Here's another person who's experiencing the same problem you have and they've taken the time to write the problem up on a web site forum. If you're really lucky, someone out there with more expertise than you has come up with a solution and shared it on the WWW.

You click on the link, and read the first entry in the thread. Sure enough, the person is experiencing the identical issue you are! As you scroll down to read the responses, you find that all of the responses are deliberately obscured and that in order to just read them, you *must* join their website first. I don't know about you, but that sort of behavior alienates me almost instantly.

Joining the website is always "free." All I have to do is provide a working email address. No reason for me to be concerned about that, right? After all, I'm sure the people who run this website won't spam my Inbox and/or sell my email address to a third party that would do that. Just because they resort to tactics like posting just enough content to get high rankings in Google, and then deliberately withhold the resolutions to problems to force people to join, there's no reason to think they might toe the line of ethical behavior in other areas.

So much for not being snarky. ;)

I'm going to let you in on one of the secrets that builds positive web site communities. If your content isn't of a proprietary or controversial nature, do NOT force people to jump through hoops to consume it. Let people see the quality of your content; if it's useful to them, they will bookmark your site and return to it in the future. Sooner or later, they will see a thread to which they feel they can make a positive contribution-- that's when you require them to sign up. After all, we want to give people credit for positive contributions, and keep trolls from diminishing the quality of our content by making people accountable for what they post with their account. It's a lot harder to find cynical motives in that scenario.

The Definition of "basic" and "free" confounds me

Either the cell-phone marketing types are playing games with language, or I've suffered a massive stroke and no longer am capable of understanding what "basic" or "free" means.

I recently went through the process of helping my mother replace her old analog cell phone with a new digital one. The goal was to get her a basic phone, because I knew if it came with too many fancy bells and whistles that she would never use it. Verizon was offering the Motorola W385 as their basic entry point to their digital service.

So, I start reading reviews on the phone and the majority of them are singing the praises of this basic phone. Then I look at the actual phone specs: it's got Bluetooth, a camera, GPS. What the-- when did a "basic" phone come with GPS in it?! And what features differentiate the "higher end" phones: telepathic interfaces? temporal displacement?!

I know, I shouldn't get so worked up about something that is obvious marketese.

Except then I start looking at AT&T Wireless' web site, because I've been contemplating upgrading to a higher functioning phone myself. I specifically check out the grouping of phones marked "Free" and start seeing prices on them, such as $9.99 or $19.99. I guess "free" has a new definition of "less than $20 USD?" C'mon guys, don't try to play word games on your customers before they decide to start distrusting you.