Perpetually empty handed guest usually stops getting invitations. I grew up with this kind of etiquette and I would like to tell everyone that it pays many dividends.
The situation at hand is boat invitations. Boats are expensive and most of the time consuming. When people invite you to go boating with them - you are benefiting from thousands of dollars that are spent maintaining and mooring the vessel. I highly advise absolutely everyone to grab something to bring to the boat. That something can be alcohol, food, water, snacks or whatever else you think fits the situation. In US you are not required to bring anything "to the party" however I haven't heard anyone complain about a guest having something that adds to it.
In Russia showing up empty handed is guaranteed to raise some eye brows. Couple of situations are exempt:
1) if you are a little kid and have no means of income
2) if you are known to be going through a tough time (in this case you are still obliged to apologize for showing up empty handed).
3) if you show up somewhere all the time so the formalities are forgotten (I am sure Cramer used this clause)
If you are having doubts about what to bring it is customary to call ahead and ask. Most likely you will get 1-2 "no you don't need to bring anything" that's just the Asian influence on Russia where a ritual is required to ensure that everyone is fully comfortable with bringing a gift.
People that might think that adopting this Russian custom is impractical are very mistaken. Over the years I have received repeated invites and made great first impressions by staying true to this rule. Let me tell you that no one ever complained about a bottle of wine or desert.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Stuff just creeps up on you!
The past two days I have been packing, sorting and dumping stuff. I am donating over a thousand dollars worth of household items, furniture and clothing. The amount of stuff that accumulated is insane! I actually have been resisting purchases for the longest time. I can't believe the number of things that gradually crept into my life.
I see a lot of similarity between belongings and mold. They make their way into your house and settle into the corners.
You scrub them out, you toss them but they keep coming back one little corner at a time.
I see a lot of similarity between belongings and mold. They make their way into your house and settle into the corners.
You scrub them out, you toss them but they keep coming back one little corner at a time.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Innovative government? Yes it's possible
I finally see a government that is actually looking to use electronics to stop killing trees. Thanks Ann Arbor City Attorney for stepping into the 21st century!!!
http://annarborchronicle.com/2009/04/09/more-zoning-nope-street-repaving/
The city and county have already combined their data centers (hardware). On Monday, council authorized a contract worth $263,371 to integrate document-management software as a part of the “City/County IT Enterprise Content Management Partnership.” Based on the cost breakdowns, this particular contract appears to involve city departments.
Chronicle inquiries with the county yielded the insight that the county uses the OnBase system and that the city will be building their applications on the same technology infrastructure. This allows the city to pay for licensing, but not have to buy new servers. Descriptions of the work the individual city departments will be undertaking:
- City Attorney Scope: Implement workflow for contract tracking. Will initially use professional service contracts as the starting point. The developed process will provide visibility into where the contract is at all times. Includes eSignature process from Docusign and full routing for approval, including external signers.
- Purchasing Scope: Requesting Accounts Payable workflow for invoice coding and approval and simple workflow for Purchase Order requests.
- Accounts Receivable Scope: For storage and retrieval of scanned or electronic documents.
- Clerk Scope: Configure OnBase to store and retrieve the following scanned document types: Annexation, Ordinance, Council packets, Minutes Contracts, Easements/Deeds, Liquor licenses and Traffic Control Orders.
- Project Management Scope: Replace eCabinet process and convert existing eCabinet documents to the OnBase platform.
- Assessor Scope: Bulk load of Assessor property cards into OnBase.
Comcast Economy Internet
I am paying over $50/month for my high speed Internet through Comcast. Since I am moving I started looking around and there are some interesting offers out there.
As I was calling Comcast to possibly cancel my service they proposed an economy offer which is $27/month!
They also told me that they will move the moving fee for me so I can stay with them.
The economy package has a cap of 1.5 Mbps. I tested my current speed with the CNet broadband test and with my current subscription I don't get much more then 1.5 Mbps anyway.
They switched me immediately and now I am saving close to 50% off my Internet costs.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
21st Century Shopping Experience – Apple Store
This weekend I went to the U-Village Apple Store to check out some MacBook bags. I walked in and was looking at a few bags for my 13” MacBook.
An Apple Genius came up and asked me if he could help. I told him that I am wondering if I should get a 15” bag to allow for a bit more room.
The Genius told me that a couple of people he knows used the 15” bag and it worked fine.
Since I didn’t have my MacBook with me I figured maybe they could put one into the bag and let me try the whole package.
The Genius took me to the 13” MacBooks and we tried putting one in the bag. Everything worked great!
I was sold and I was ready to buy. I looked across the busy store and thought to myself “it’s going to be a drag to wait in line in the back”
The Genius proceeded “Are you going to be paying with a charge card today?” I was going to use my credit card. The Genius said: “I can just process everything right here”
I couldn’t believe it. I handed over my credit card and the Genius swiped it through a little device he had with him. “Would you like me to print your receipt or just e-mail it to you?”
Wow! E-mail the receipt? Perfect! I almost started to give him my e-mail address and then… the Genius told me that he has an e-mail address on file.
That was the best shopping experience of my life. Way to go Apple!!!
An Apple Genius came up and asked me if he could help. I told him that I am wondering if I should get a 15” bag to allow for a bit more room.
The Genius told me that a couple of people he knows used the 15” bag and it worked fine.
Since I didn’t have my MacBook with me I figured maybe they could put one into the bag and let me try the whole package.
The Genius took me to the 13” MacBooks and we tried putting one in the bag. Everything worked great!
I was sold and I was ready to buy. I looked across the busy store and thought to myself “it’s going to be a drag to wait in line in the back”
The Genius proceeded “Are you going to be paying with a charge card today?” I was going to use my credit card. The Genius said: “I can just process everything right here”
I couldn’t believe it. I handed over my credit card and the Genius swiped it through a little device he had with him. “Would you like me to print your receipt or just e-mail it to you?”
Wow! E-mail the receipt? Perfect! I almost started to give him my e-mail address and then… the Genius told me that he has an e-mail address on file.
That was the best shopping experience of my life. Way to go Apple!!!
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Seattle Coffee Shops
Seattle is known for its coffee, but I don’t believe enough has been said about its amazing coffee shop culture.
I am sitting at Café Vita on Pike Street. It’s a very clean outfit with about a dozen wooden tables and a free WiFi. Almost all of the tables are taken by creative looking individuals, students and young professionals. People are sipping on their lattes, eating their pastries and typing away on their laptops. Rolling stones are playing in the background. There is definite creative static in the air.
I am sitting at Café Vita on Pike Street. It’s a very clean outfit with about a dozen wooden tables and a free WiFi. Almost all of the tables are taken by creative looking individuals, students and young professionals. People are sipping on their lattes, eating their pastries and typing away on their laptops. Rolling stones are playing in the background. There is definite creative static in the air.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Internet Explorer 8
If you are wondering what Internet Explorer 8 has for you... my answer is *NOTHING*
I am writing this on blogger using IE8 and there is absolutely nothing in this browser that makes me want to launch it over Firefox or Chrome.
Assuming that some alarming bugs are going to be fixed before release it's still not interesting. Talking about bugs - Microsoft's own product Outlook Web Access doesn't work right with this new browser.
If you want a very fast browsing experience - go with Chrome.
If you want customizations or plug-ins - go with Firefox
If you like hiding what you are doing on the internet - Chrome again.
There are some catch up features that IE8 has, but those features have been out on other browsers for a bit.
IE8 says that "web slices" is the next big thing. Honestly I think Microsoft designers have missed the mark on that. I don't want to learn what Web Slices do for me, just like I didn't want to learn what Active Desktop could do for me.
What people want is:
- predictable browsing due to standards compliance
- compatibility
- speed
- customization
I believe more or less in that order. So if you haven't got IE8 on your machine you can safely skip downloading it.
I am writing this on blogger using IE8 and there is absolutely nothing in this browser that makes me want to launch it over Firefox or Chrome.
Assuming that some alarming bugs are going to be fixed before release it's still not interesting. Talking about bugs - Microsoft's own product Outlook Web Access doesn't work right with this new browser.
If you want a very fast browsing experience - go with Chrome.
If you want customizations or plug-ins - go with Firefox
If you like hiding what you are doing on the internet - Chrome again.
There are some catch up features that IE8 has, but those features have been out on other browsers for a bit.
IE8 says that "web slices" is the next big thing. Honestly I think Microsoft designers have missed the mark on that. I don't want to learn what Web Slices do for me, just like I didn't want to learn what Active Desktop could do for me.
What people want is:
- predictable browsing due to standards compliance
- compatibility
- speed
- customization
I believe more or less in that order. So if you haven't got IE8 on your machine you can safely skip downloading it.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
What I have been working on for the last couple of months
For those of you who are wondering what the heck kept me super busy over the past several months - today the PR wire has a release about DocuSign Dev Center.
As a platform company we needed a developer center. This is a place where people can download the SDK, discuss features on the forum and a centralized center for information.
Check it out!!!
http://www.docusign.com/news_and_events/press_releases/2009-02-26.php
As a platform company we needed a developer center. This is a place where people can download the SDK, discuss features on the forum and a centralized center for information.
Check it out!!!
http://www.docusign.com/news_and_events/press_releases/2009-02-26.php
February 26, 2009
DocuSign Releases New Developer Center for Electronic Contract Execution (ECE)
Free Resources, SDK and Forums Enable Developers to Integrate and Test Drive Electronic Contract Execution for Third-Party Applications at No Cost
SEATTLE - February 26, 2009 - DocuSign Inc., the industry leading provider of on-demand electronic signature and electronic contract execution solutions, today announced the launch of the DocuSign Developer Center. This comprehensive portal provides software developers, enterprise architects, systems integrators and independent software vendors with free resources to learn about, create and test solutions powered by DocuSign technology. Complete with an SDK, open standards-based application programming interfaces (APIs) and a Developer Forum, the Developer Center is available to the public now by visiting http://www.docusign.com/devcenter/.
Despite the focus on business process automation, organizations mail or express ship millions of documents for signature every day, relying on a slow, expensive and inherently non-secure paper-based process. DocuSign's on-demand electronic contract execution automates this business process and enables companies to eliminate the antiquated "print-ship-sign-copy-return-scan" cycle, dramatically reducing costs and accelerating business. With the new Developer Center, DocuSign is providing developers a fast path to integrate DocuSign's online contract execution into applications including existing ERP, CRM and HR systems. Now developers can quickly offer their company and clients the power and productivity of electronic contract execution.
"In today's economic climate, corporations are clearly focused on three critical and essential activities: cutting costs, securing revenue, and retaining customers. Our customers tell us daily they have slashed operating costs, raised revenues, and improved customer retention by closing deals electronically which may not have happened otherwise," said Tom Gonser, founder and vice president of product strategy. "We are excited to provide developers the tools needed to drive the critical benefits of online contract execution into their organizations."
The DevCenter At-a-Glance
The DocuSign Developer Center provides developers access to the most robust and flexible electronic signature and electronic contract execution APIs available today that can be used to reduce costs associated with contract execution processes, while driving untapped business opportunities. DocuSign APIs adhere to the latest version of the WS-Security (web services security) protocol to ensure the integrity and confidentiality DocuSign-powered web services messaging. The cornerstone of the Developer Center is DocuSign Connect, a suite of integration services designed to extend DocuSign service capabilities into existing systems or new applications. DocuSign Connect includes:
* DocuSign Connect API - Enables the exchange of information between the DocuSign platform and enterprise business applications, allowing developers to create custom DocuSign enterprise Web applications.
* DocuSign Connect Service - Is a standards-based web service that pushes DocuSign contract transaction data into disparate applications over HTTPS protocol.
"Open APIs like the new DocuSign Connect are becoming the essential glue that makes the best SaaS services a truly integral part of enterprise IT, said John Musser, founder, ProgrammableWeb. "Enterprise and third party developers can use this new breed of APIs in the cloud to tailor solutions to work with existing corporate systems from CRM to ERP. DocuSign's just-launched Developer Center has the key elements that we''ve seen make a difference in getting developer's the resources they need to succeed.."
DocuSign Developer Community members receive access to all of the tools, tips and resources needed to develop and deliver a DocuSign-powered solution. For more information about the DocuSign Developer Center, visit http://www.docusign.com/devcenter/. To start using DocuSign Connect, sign up for a free developer account at http://www.docusign.com/devcenter/sign_up/register.php
About DocuSign Inc.
DocuSign is the DocuSign Inc., the #1 provider of on-demand software services for electronic signature and online contract execution, empowering individuals, small business and global enterprises to operate faster, more efficiently and profitably with enhanced security and compliance. DocuSign is the only Web-based service to fully automate the entire contract execution process. To date, more than 16 million signature events have been executed using DocuSign. Experience the service at www.docusign.com, and for regular updates go to blog.docusign.com.
DocuSign and the DocuSign logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of DocuSign, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other marks are property of their respective owners.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Open Letter to Swedish
Dear Swedish Cherry Hill Hospital,
This is an open letter to you since you have no e-mail or web form to communicate with you.
First of all I'd like to thank you for admitting me to the ER on January the 6th. I thought I broke my rib and was in a lot of pain. I didn't have any surgery done and just had a CT and XRays to make sure that there was no internal damage. Thankfully I didn't break anything and by now the pain is gone.
A few days ago I got your bill and I honestly thought it was some sort of a mistake. Your fees for admitting me and doing two diagnostic procedures were over $11,000? All of that, by the way, was not broken out into any items but just was one line.
I think from my initial wait until the time a cab picked me up I spent about 3 hours at the ER. It was hard to believe that being that would cost me $60 a minute. Yes, this is not a miscalculation: it's $60 a minute, $1 a second, north of $3600 an hour.
I have been to the ER before and I usually expect a bill for $1000-$1500, but an order of magnitude difference with no warning from anyone?
And here is the tragedy of US Medical system. No one talks to anyone about options or pricing meanwhile these kinds of fees can seriously bankrupt an ordinary US Citizen. The second part of the tragedy is that once my insurance got a hold of the bill I instantly got a $9,000 reduction. I am almost certain that if I wasn't "represented by Premera" this discount would be pretty hard to get.
Just to add insult to injury it turns out that your radiologist and the physician will all bill me separately on top of the $11,000.
This is not an attack on any of the personnel that helped me. They all seemed to be great people. I come from a family of doctors and my mother is currently an MD working in urgent care - I know MDs are great people that care! This is some honest feedback to the way you run your business.
The business is being run on a principle of surprise charges. How does anyone know that going to your ER will result in $100, $1,000 or $10,000 in fees? There is absolutely nothing on your website that gives any indication of any of the fees you might try to charge me. All the costs and fees are carefully hidden. If you don't have a big insurance company on your side you could really be screwed.
Can you do something about it? I believe so! I work in software and some very complicated procedures can be grouped together and priced at a predictable level that makes sure that your business operates and patients don't get $11,000 bills they don't expect.
This is an open letter to you since you have no e-mail or web form to communicate with you.
First of all I'd like to thank you for admitting me to the ER on January the 6th. I thought I broke my rib and was in a lot of pain. I didn't have any surgery done and just had a CT and XRays to make sure that there was no internal damage. Thankfully I didn't break anything and by now the pain is gone.
A few days ago I got your bill and I honestly thought it was some sort of a mistake. Your fees for admitting me and doing two diagnostic procedures were over $11,000? All of that, by the way, was not broken out into any items but just was one line.
I think from my initial wait until the time a cab picked me up I spent about 3 hours at the ER. It was hard to believe that being that would cost me $60 a minute. Yes, this is not a miscalculation: it's $60 a minute, $1 a second, north of $3600 an hour.
I have been to the ER before and I usually expect a bill for $1000-$1500, but an order of magnitude difference with no warning from anyone?
And here is the tragedy of US Medical system. No one talks to anyone about options or pricing meanwhile these kinds of fees can seriously bankrupt an ordinary US Citizen. The second part of the tragedy is that once my insurance got a hold of the bill I instantly got a $9,000 reduction. I am almost certain that if I wasn't "represented by Premera" this discount would be pretty hard to get.
Just to add insult to injury it turns out that your radiologist and the physician will all bill me separately on top of the $11,000.
This is not an attack on any of the personnel that helped me. They all seemed to be great people. I come from a family of doctors and my mother is currently an MD working in urgent care - I know MDs are great people that care! This is some honest feedback to the way you run your business.
The business is being run on a principle of surprise charges. How does anyone know that going to your ER will result in $100, $1,000 or $10,000 in fees? There is absolutely nothing on your website that gives any indication of any of the fees you might try to charge me. All the costs and fees are carefully hidden. If you don't have a big insurance company on your side you could really be screwed.
Can you do something about it? I believe so! I work in software and some very complicated procedures can be grouped together and priced at a predictable level that makes sure that your business operates and patients don't get $11,000 bills they don't expect.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
iPhone can now get Hotmail
Oh joy oh joy!!!
I've had my hotmail address forever!!! Now I can get that mail on my iPhone via POP3.
It's still not as nice as GMail which supports IMAP. The main advantage of IMAP is that I can make things as read or unread and they will be marked as such on the GMail server.
Still this is a lot better then before.
In my iPhone 3G I just typed in my full hotmail address and it figured everything out.
Here is a Microsoft blog post for those who want to go to the source:
http://mailcall.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!CC9301187A51FE33!49799.entry
I've had my hotmail address forever!!! Now I can get that mail on my iPhone via POP3.
It's still not as nice as GMail which supports IMAP. The main advantage of IMAP is that I can make things as read or unread and they will be marked as such on the GMail server.
Still this is a lot better then before.
In my iPhone 3G I just typed in my full hotmail address and it figured everything out.
Here is a Microsoft blog post for those who want to go to the source:
http://mailcall.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!CC9301187A51FE33!49799.entry
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