Jason M. Hanley :: Custom Software Developer

I’ve recently gone from a 5-year period without any cable television to a condo that has a tv in every room.

When I’m eating, I’ll often turn it on for a half hour or so, possibly getting sucked in for an hour show.  I usually watch TBS, Discovery, Comedy Central, or Sci-Fi.

I had forgotten what constant bombardment from commercials feels like.  The television is relentlessly telling me:

1. Eat more cheap, yummy fast food!  $1 for burgers! $2.99 for a full, greasy meal complete with a 1 gallon soda!
2. But you’re fat, so take diet pills, and join Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig to buy “magical” food that will effortlessly make you lose weight.
3. You have to buy an American car or truck to make jobs and support the economy!
4. 3 different companies have the absolute lowest car insurance rates.  And people saved an average of $400 by switching from any of them to another.
5. Did you not pay your taxes?  Were you deemed ineligible for government benefits?  That’s not your fault!  Sue them!
6. You need at least 5 different prescription drugs based on self diagnosis of vague symptoms.  Talk to your doctor today!

…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Even though on a conscious level I know all of these things are ridiculous, I can’t help but wonder what effect they’re having on my subconscious.

No wonder North America is such a mess.  Can anything be done to promote a more positive, proactive message?

The Green Party seems to be using media and technology well so far in this campaign. I was surprised to see how quickly and effectively they were able to mobilize Canadians to help them secure a spot in the public debates.

Far from scientific, I’ve taken a quick “poll” of the official party pages on Facebook, a few days into the campaign. Currently they look like:

• Green: 2,417 fans, 142 wall posts, 24 discussion topics
• Liberal: 969 fans, 83 wall posts, 3 discussion topics
• Conservative: 654 fans, 75 wall posts, 5 discussion topics
• NDP: 437 fans, 19 wall posts, 2 discussion topics

I wonder if these numbers actually reflect the voting preferences of the “Facebook demographic”. Someone should do a more scientific study. Any volunteers?

Today I experienced something I learned about in a Services Marketing course while doing my MBA at Laurier. It’s what’s called “Service Failure.” I’m sure you’ve all experienced it one time or another.

This is when a service business promises you a certain experience, then fails to deliver.

In this case, it was a not-to-be named local haircutting salon I’ve been going to for a year or so. I always make an appointment, arrive on time, and typically wait 10-15 minutes before being started on.

Anyone who knows me is aware of my strict adherence to deadlines and schedules and my general annoyance at people who don’t.

To me, making an appointment with someone is a promise that they will be available at the specified time, barring an unforeseen calamity.

Nonetheless, I put up with the 10-15 minute wait because most places aren’t much better.

Well, today I came in on time, as usual, and was told, “Just finishing up here. Have a seat and I’ll be with you shortly.” I sat down, texted a bit, watched the general goings on. Then I went outside, and started talking to my girlfriend on the phone.

After talking on the phone for a while I looked at my watch and noticed over half an hour had passed since I arrived. I looked in and my haircutter was still cutting the last person’s hair.

So I left. They called me later on and asked what happened. I explained to them a half hour wait was unacceptable and I wouldn’t be coming back. They offered a free haircut, but obviously it’s too late at that point.

This is a service failure handled incorrectly. You see, we also learned in the course about a “service recovery.” This is a failure that you turn around into something that makes the customer happy.

What they should have done is realize when I came in that they wouldn’t be able to get me started within a reasonable amount of time. Then, they should have offered to reschedule the appointment, and possibly offer compensation for the wasted visit. Or, even better, they could have called me earlier in the day to reschedule when they realized they were running behind. Better still, they could be more realistic about their scheduling so they actually finish their appointments on time.

If you own a service-based business, pay attention to the promises you make and what you deliver. Customers aren’t all that demanding. They don’t need their expectations exceeded - just met - consistently.

If anyone knows of any good hair cutting places within walking distance of Uptown Waterloo, let me know.

It’s getting more and more difficult to differentiate between the different types of spam. Just glancing at the last part of subject line, it looked like porn spam.

Subject: Linux bash/perl programmer……….HOT HOT HOT and URGENT

Turns out it was actually recruiter spam.

Body: This is *** from ***.. Please let me know your comfortability ASAP…. I need a guy he must have at least 2 years of experience that his primary job is to write bash or perl script on linux machine.

After several months of development, I’m proud to announce that the Syllogistic Software team has completed its latest product – the Learn PHP Tutorial Video, found at http://www.LearnPHPTutorial.com/

“That’s great,” you say, “but what is PHP?” Glad you asked! PHP is a web programming language. In fact, it’s a web programming language I’ve been using since version 3 was released in 1998. Hard to believe it’s been around for 10 years now.

Since we use PHP on a daily basis to create dynamic web applications for clients, it was only natural for us to produce a training video to help others do the same.

So have a look at the two free sample chapters we’ve posted, and don’t hesitate to pass our link on to anyone you think might find it useful.

If you have any comments, suggestions or questions about the videos, try out the Support feature on the website. Look forward to hearing what you think!