10. January 2011 by Frank Goad.

2011 looks to be an interesting year. The economy is picking up, technology is marching ever faster and we all are going mobile.

The Environment: The world is getting greener, and that is a GREAT thing. Sure, clean air and less carbon is a good thing. Just as good is our ability to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources. Now, if our infrastructure holds up (the wires that bring us the “juice”) gets some of the additions that the utilities and the government keep discussing, we’ll be able to continue using less oil. Even diesel trucks are getting cleaner. Caterpillar released a hybrid bulldozer in 2010 - yes, it uses electricity and diesel - after years of research and it looks like a winner. That should help them continue to be a major world player. After all, the railroads have been using a system like that for years, so why shouldn’t transportation and construction benefit, too?

The bad news is that glaciers continue to melt at an ever faster pace. You might think, “So what?” It means that the delicate balance of this earth is dangerously out of kilter. This isn’t me preaching, it’s me saying that denying it is whistling past the graveyard. You don’t have to re-make your or your family’s life, just take it one little change at a time. Make one environmentally sound act a habit (recycling, taking bags to the grocery, driving a wee bit more conservatively - you know what to do) and, once that’s something you automatically do, add another.

If you need motivation, just remember this one saying: We are only borrowing this world from our children - how will you return it to them?

The Economy: Unless there is a disaster of Biblical proportions, Americans should end the year better than they started it. There are those pessimists (yes, more prognosticators) who say that the Republicans will do nothing to fix the economy until after 2012 election but, since they now have the House, that’s giving the Dems two years of ammo, and that doesn’t seem wise to me. Those darlings, Goldman-Sachs (yes, I know - they have a history, but they’re not stupid, either) said this about 2011’s economy:

“Our revised forecasts for 2011 and our first forecasts for 2012 tell a story of continued global recovery. Most striking, given our long-standing downbeat view on the US, we now show a substantial acceleration in our US growth view.”

They’re even saying that there has been growth since ‘09, but not enough to budge employment. They think that could well change this year. Let’s hope so.

As to dire economic predictions, some of these folks are clueless, some are born pessimists (”It’s gonna storm!” Ten days later it does, “See, I told you so!”) and some will do anything for a headline. In the end no one knows, but a stubborn willingness to cooperate with pessimists will make even the worst of times better. (For the ultimate proof of that philosophy, read Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning.” You’ll never see life the same way again.)
Technology: Texting is mainstream now and around 2.5 billion (yes, billion) text messages are sent every day (I think my daughter is a major contributor to that).

Last year, we saw “hacktivism” – hacking by political activists – really play out in ways we couldn’t have predicted. The Stuxnet worm that attacks the Siemens software that runs chemical plants, manufacturing facilities and (gulp) nuclear plants caused much head scratching in the security world and, for some time, was bare contained, if it was at all.

It seems we’re in that age where a virtual vs. physical crime world is being played out, and the balance seems more and more to tip into the virtual world. We truly are headed into a 1984/Brave New World/I Robot era that will pit the best and brightest on both sides of the line against each other. The lure of easy money with diminished chances of apprehension are drawing many bright young minds into the cyber crime world. It seems the release of the new Tron is rather timely.
There is hope, though, in the form of companies like IBM, HP and other large multi-nationals buying or merging with security firms. While they’ve not ignored security, it has always seemed like an afterthought to me. With these combined forces, perhaps computer security will be stronger than ever because:
• The big companies have the resources and capital to create better security measures
• They “bake” security into their products to create systems that can better defend themselves
• They have a global view that allows them to track trends, activity and malware better
My prediction is that Blockbuster closes most of its stores in metro areas because there are so many ways to get movies streamed in … and out. Slingbox and other devices, including Dish Networks new unit (with a service called TV Anywhere), allow you to watch TV and other content anywhere you can get a reasonably fast connection (meaning Wi-Fi, 4G or LTE at this point).

Tablets and ebook readers are sprouting like dandelions and the prices (as you’d expect) continue to fall. There are rumors of a tablet coming from India that will sell for $99 or less. This means that the schools that have been pushing to get laptops into students hands can now put tablets in them for much less.

Politics: What’s coming with Congress? You have got to be kidding. Predicting what that bunch of clowns is going to do is like saying exactly where the next meteor will fall.

I think what we will see is that,  in the wake of the tragic shooting of Rep. Giffords’ and the other poor souls, some of the fiery rhetoric will taper. With any luck, folks like Beck, Limbaugh, O’Reilly, Maddow and all the other blowhards – wait, I think we’re supposed to call them pundits and broadcasters – will realize that their screeching does more than help their ratings: It causes harm.

For a long time, I’ve been a broken record saying over and over that these folks have a main, overriding purpose. It is not to espouse truth and the American Way. It is to get ratings so that the broadcasting companies can sell more ads. They act all righteous and patriotic, but the real purpose is to get more and more listeners and enrich their coffers and those of their employers.

Please, please, PLEASE don’t fool yourself into thinking that they really care. If they did, they’d run for office where they can actually roll up their sleeves, get dirty and make a difference. As it is, way too many broadcasters are shrill voices that are often wrong or mean-spirited. Even Sarah Palin has gotten smacked around a bit in the wake of the Arizona shootings for previously using what looks like cross hairs on a map of political targets. They have responded with the typical eye-rolling over-response, bleating that casting any blame on them is “disgusting” and “revolting.” Whatever.

In the end, the year will largely come down to what we make it. Mine’s going to be good with last week being an exception (much weirdness right off the bat). I hope you’ll resolve to be of the same mindset. If not, scroll down to the video of the man with no legs and only little flippers for arms, and then try to tell me you’ve got problems.

Posted in environment, the economy, Frank Communications, Frank Goad, FrankyGee3, 2011, business, left wing, backlash, right wing, Frank, shipper, responsibilities | Print | No Comments »

8. December 2010 by Frank Goad.

I am absolutely furious and know there’s not one damn thing I can do about it. A person close to me - one of the sweetest, most gentle people on earth - was humiliated in an airport recently. It was uncalled for and showed how dangerous our government is getting. Why dangerous? Because we’re putting systems in place that have inadequate quality measures. Put another way, we’re putting incompetent, untrained people in positions of authority without proper guidance and oversight, then wonder why there are so many stories of abuse and humiliation in public places.

The person was going to board a plane, hence had to go through TSA security, and opted out of being irradiated in the x-ray machines (not the real device name, I know, but the effect is the same). They chose the manual search instead because this person has an ostomy bag – a huge burden unto itself – and didn’t want that displayed on a screen for all to see. The TSA agent feels the bag and takes them into a room for a search. But wait, it gets much worse.

In their infinite paranoia, the TSA agent orders them to put their clothes around their ankles and under their arm pits with everything inbetween exposed. They decide to swab for gunpowder - yes, gunpowder on an ostomy bag - get in the middle of the procedure, leave the room for another swab and leave the door wide open exposing my friend to everyone passing by. That is unforgivable and humiliating. If the agent were working for a private company, they’d have recourse. Since they’re a government agent, all the aggrieved can do is file a complaint, and that has all the impact of a paper fan in a hurricane. Even if the complaint is filed, it’s quite likely the employee will hear nothing whatsoever, meaning their incompetence will be perpetuated.

Now, imagine if that was you or someone you love. Who deserves that sort of rank humiliation? How totally incompetent or stupid can someone be? What’s worse is that, if you raise hell, then they lock you up and further humiliate you for hours to spite you for daring to show anything but ultimate patience in the face of unreasonable or incompetent behavior. We are at the mercy of employees who are often not suited for dealing with the public, much less security issues. To be sure, the TSA has some good employees, but what recourse do we have when dealing with those like this person had to deal with?

What’s worse is that, now that I’ve dared to speak up about this, it’s not unlikely that I’ll be put on some sort of watch list. I could well be the next person humiliated by a TSA agent and subjected to harassment. To be honest, I sort of expect it now. Why? There are myriad stories of folks who speak up and find themselves in the situation they protest about. As an American, this galls me.

This is bad, folks, and we’re the cattle they’re herding. Please spread this post because our liberties and right to dignity are going down the tubes. Perhaps George Orwell was right.

Posted in strip search, airport security, watch list, Frank Communications, FrankyGee3, Frank Goad, TSA, training, Frank, backlash, damage, PR, Public relations, responsibilities | Print | No Comments »

6. December 2010 by Frank Goad.

While my wife and daughter were out of town this weekend, I “treated” myself to something seldom enjoyed: My own, personal “Band of Brothers” marathon. I spent Saturday watching all the disks, looking over the timelines (real history, not just the character’s time) and thinking about what those men went through.The story follows the men of the 101st Airborne, Company E, or “Easy Company.” Each company gets a designation from the phonetic alphabet. They were Easy, and there was Dog, Able, etc. – you get the idea. I’m explaining this so that Easy Company doesn’t get confused with an escort service (sorry, but this is important).

These men went through some of the worst experiences of WWII – literally, hell on earth. They were bombed, shot, burned and suffered exhaustion, freezing cold, hunger and mental trials beyond comprehension. There seem to be no words to adequately describe what they experienced. Still, they persevered largely because of the men leading them. Major Dick Winters is a first-class hero, yet remains humble about his role; Sergeant Carwood Lipton is another cut from that same cloth, and there were many others whose valor and compassion remain unmatched today.

Granted, not all soldiers made it through in that fashion. There were the weak, those who are predisposed to bad behavior or simply lacked character. There were officers who, once in the middle of pitched battles, cracked and became a liability. That happens in civilian life, too, and we all see it sometimes.

Even though their battles were over sixty years ago, their perseverance, courage and devotion stand today as models we should all emulate. There are countless stories like theirs throughout history and some are being written as I write this in battles a world away. The cloud that settled over us after Viet Nam distorted our view of what it means to be valiant and for many years robbed us of the realization that we owe much to our soldiers. To be clear, I did not serve, but know I would be a better man today if I had.

As a man, there are certain things many of us men are somewhat programmed to do. (Rather than start a fight over genetics, anthropology and so on, let me say this is my opinion and, if you don’t like it, keep it to yourself.) Men are meant to serve, and some to lead, but the best know the role of servant leader. Throughout history we men have fought, built, carried, dug and performed much (most?) of the heavy lifting required to carve a new or better life from whatever we are going through. That is our job, our lot and ours is to do so willingly and to the best of our ability.

On the other hand, I see our Congress and much of our government and it seems honor and service are words that have been erased from the majority. I see all around evidence that character and compassion do not carry the value they did. Even men leaving Congress or our state legislatures say that, compared to twenty or even ten years ago, the tone of those bodies is much darker and more about party politics than serving the public; more about winning personally that claiming a real victory for their constituents. They see winning for themselves or the party as the ultimate goal, rather than negotiating a better life for their constituents.

So, where are today’s heroes? Who can step forward and lead? I think we love our soldiers so much because they have a simple yet difficult task to do, and that is fight for a just cause. They demonstrate all the traits we value in human kind and do so selflessly knowing that the cause for which they fight could well take their life. They sacrifice daily for a salary that no elected official would consider worthy. Our police and firemen likewise go forth knowing that each morning they put on their uniform, it could be their last.

Wall Street showed us serious greed and cost the average person thousands of dollars - no honor there. The banking industry showed how slovenly a sector can be by foreclosing improperly on thousands of mortgages - workers scared to do right, managers scared to buck the higher-ups and the higher-ups scared of losing their bonuses. Time after time we hear of scandals; from Bill Clinton to “Dubya” to Charles Rangel to John Edwards to Larry Craig and on and on and on. It seems no one who is supposed to lead these days has the conviction or spine to do so in a manner that inspires the populace. What’s worse, some of those that are supposed to be on the “right” in many cases are sounding like the right wing German party that started around 1921 called the National Socialists, or Nazis. When you consider what I heard some people saying on the radio about gays recently (the debate over “Don’t ask, don’t tell” and the military survey), it was reminiscent of what the old newsreels sounded like; what’s being said about Jews, Muslims and others from the Middle East is no better.

So what am I saying? Look around at those in government whom you elected to office ask if you think you’re getting your money’s worth. Are their actions such that you’d point it out to your children in hopes they’d be inspired? The last post here was praising Chief Bastin, and he is an exemplary man dedicated to bringing the best out in his men and running the department in the most efficient manner possible while building confidence in Lexington’s citizens. He is indeed rare.

Look at the companies you buy from - are they good corporate citizens? What can YOU do to demonstrate character? If we don’t start valuing honor, character, honesty, square-dealing and courage again, Nikita Kruschev’s prophecy of many years ago will come true: “I once said, ‘We will bury you,’ and I got into trouble with it. Of course we will not bury you with a shovel. Your own working class will bury you.”  The choice is ours.

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22. July 2010 by Frank Goad.

Several news items caught my eye this week and I was struck by how intertwined they are. Our former dependence on electronics is now a full-blown addiction, and we’re happily shoveling our money into these things. Despite the new tech, we’re seeing bad behaviors, forgetting the good behaviors, and we might not be as happy as we think we are.

First, Amazon reported that they now sell more Kindle e-book readers than hardcover editions: 180 Kindles for every 100 books. This is interesting in light of a recent report saying that electronic books and publications can take as much as 10% longer to read; the iPad was between 3% - 4%. I don’t own one (I read them on my laptop), but the folks I know who have one say they love the variety of materials at their fingertips. It reminds me of the joy I felt when I got my first MP3 player - I didn’t have to prepare for a journey by carefully selecting the CDs or (showing my age here) cassette tapes to take. That I could reach in my pocket and choose from thousands of songs at the flick of a finger brought a low-rent rapture. (It’s not an iPod though.)

Second, the availability of iPads is still low and folks are gobbling them up like candy. The “me too” crowd is announcing their own versions, so be prepared for an iPhone-Android sort of battle to play out on tablets. Why are they popular? Because of the number of apps that allow you to use an iPad like a reader and, moreover, a book. These apps come complete with simulated page turns, the ability to “dog ear” a page to mark it and all the other touches that help a piece of plastic behave like paper. That’s right - the goal is to make electronics “feel” like paper.

Third, Apple could soon overtake Microsoft in revenue. They have delivered a sort of seamless interoperability between platforms that Microsoft has never matched. Windows architecture is clumsy and MS has never relentlessly pursued simplicity the way Apple has. An iPhone has one button on its face; the iPad operates much the same. It’s a more hassle-free existence. There’s a price for that simplicity, though.

Fourth, if you plant your flag in Apple’s court, to a large degree, they own you. iTunes works well with Apple products and gives you a simple way to buy books, music, movies and software. Apple is now the largest supplier of digital music, but don’t bring a Zune, Zen or anything else to the party - it’s Apple or nothing. Which leads to …

Fifth, Apple is defending itself, along with AT&T, in the U.S. against charges of monopolistic behavior, just as Microsoft has. They told the public AT&T’s exclusive deal for the iPhone was only two years; now it turns out that it’s five. Three years ago, Apple got smacked by the European Union who called iTunes a monopoly. New tech, old behaviors.

Sixth, Apple is responding to a letter from U.S. Representatives Edward Markey and Joe Barton charging that Apple’s location-based services invade customer’s privacy. Apple has responded saying users can turn off these functions, but do they really understand what it is and does, and how to use it? So, again, you’ve planted your flag and there you are with them looking over your shoulder.

I’ll stop despite being able to continue ad nauseum. What’s the point? I’m not saying that we’re being hemmed in. You have the choice to eschew all these shiny things and do like Wendell Berry and use paper and pencil, till the soil (mostly) with horses and live simply. We’re humans, though, and most of us are quickly bored and want new toys pretty regularly.  I’m just like all of you - I love tech (cameras in particular). These days, though, I’m wondering if it’s worth the cost. The care and feeding of this technology has a greater toll in time than capital, and time is the most precious thing we have.

Here’s an example: How many cell phones have you had? Why did you switch? Probably new features or “…it was a cooler model.” Did you love them all, or were some of them “dogs?” How easy was it to get your data to the new phone? See? You had to spend time to be able to use it as you wanted to.  While tech does give us advantages, they come at a cost.

The real point of this article is, make life easier for your customers. Let them have choices. Build rock-solid systems and be slow to change. This sounds old fashioned but, as I’ve been looking at businesses around Lexington, I’ve noticed that some of the most profitable are also the oldest. They’ve spent years or decades learning what makes their customers happy and refining that to an art. Why are Apple’s customers so dedicated? Above all, their products are simple, reliable and predictable.

A computer or system is only obsolete if it no longer serves your needs in a reasonable time (or if you can’t get parts - that’s a big one). The U.S. Treasury still creates coin press masters with a machine that’s over a hundred years old. Why? Why not? It works perfectly and there are no ugly surprises.

While Apple, Microsoft, Intel and other large corporations are battling for world domination, it seems that, for the average small-to-medium-business, having an army of loyal customers in an age of throw-away gadgets is a real key to success.

Ask yourself, do you have simple, reliable, one-button systems for your customers? Better yet, ask them how to build one.

Posted in building business, Frank Communications, Frank Goad, FrankyGee3, business relationships, relationships, advertisers, Frank, FedEx, backlash | Print | No Comments »

23. August 2009 by Frank Goad.

Oh my, it’s happened - some advertisers are tired of paid political pundits, inflammatory language and plain old bombast used to keep eyes and ears glued to their channel. Berkshire Hathaway’s Geico, Walmart Stores and Men’s Warehouse have, according to Advertising Age, “… taken steps to ensure that their ads will no longer appear during Fox News ‘Glenn Beck Show’. Procter and Gamble and and S. C. Johnson said they never intended to advertise there and ads were placed there by mistake. Clorox Company has said it’s taking its ad dollars out of all politically oriented talk programs” (For those unaware, Beck put his foot in it recently in a big way.)

It’s about time folks realized that many (most? all?) of the pundits on TV, radio, the Internet and anywhere else have a primary goal: Keep high ratings. Being measured and balanced about their views doesn’t get listeners and, without listeners, the folks carrying them will go out of business because no one advertises where no one goes. Folks forget that pundits are paid to be outrageous. It’s that simple. You can defend them but, in the end, they’re paid to be on the air and draw viewers or listeners.

You might say, “But what about the newspapers?” They’re trying to draw you in, too, but folks who are in broadcast have to keep you glued for thirty or sixty minutes or more; that takes emotion. A newspaper reporter or columnist only has to keep you for one column’s worth of time and there are different and (gasp) opposing opinions right next to yours. Going over the top makes you seem a bit daft because there’s another article inches from yours that could seem sane by comparison.

The other side of the coin has an engraving that shows Joe Sixpack or anyone else who listens, spouts and repeats without doing any real research on their own. I once had a guy tell me that he listens to Rush Limbaugh because, “… he speaks my language. He thinks like I do so I know I can trust him.” I asked him if he reads the newspaper, and he said, “No, they’re just a bunch of liberal ——-s.” It’s not about whether he does or doesn’t read the newspaper. The conversation revealed that all he does is listen to folks who think like him. Willful ignorance is no excuse.

My beef isn’t with people on the right or the left, it’s with anyone who blindly takes others opinions without trying to figure it out on their own. Please note that I said opinions, not facts. If you know the facts, then you can sort out the opinions. All of the pundits - right and left wing - have their foibles, misstatements and outright intentional misinterpretations. I would just appreciate it if folks decided to do a little research and stopped parroting things simply because it sounds good to them.

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