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Vol. 3 No. 8 |
Newsletter of Menlo Innovations |
August 2004 |
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A Culture of Obsolescence - Menlo has been at the forefront of what it takes to build high quality, maintainable software. If you take a wide view of the history of software development, you begin to understand just how important this is. Dan Bricklin argues that we need to start thinking about software in a way more like how we think about building bridges, dams, sewers and other infrastructure. Imagine if every traffic light needed to be upgraded or "patched" like today's browsers or email programs. The cost would be astronomical and people wouldn't stand for it. So, why is software different? Well, according to Bricklin, one reason is the way it is sold. Many of the prepackaged software companies are structured to make their profits from services separate from the actual delivery of software code. Customers are sold on it because the software itself is relatively cheap. But once they commit to it, they often find out that customizations and support end up costing much more than first thought. Software vendors often times have special skills that their customers just don't have. These software vendors then will intimidate their customers to buy upgrades by stressing that if they don't, their current application will soon no longer be supported. Thus, a culture of obsolescence is born. |
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Frustration on the Phone - We've all been there, stuck that is in automated telephone system hell. All you want to do is get an answer, usually to a simple question and it takes 10 minutes to push a series of buttons only to get put on hold. You want to scream and often do. Now there is a software program available to detect frustration and then patch folks in directly to speak with a live person. How does it work? The program parses speech by transforming it into electrical waveforms. So the greater the intensity of voice, the higher the wave length. Once the wave pattern hits the level the computer is programmed to recognize as the frustration cutoff point, the caller will immediately be transferred to the operator. |
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Ten Facts about Trade, IT, Offshoring and Jobs - Is globalization sending the best American jobs overseas? If you get your news from CNN’s Lou Dobbs, the answer is "of course" and the only real issue is how many trade restrictions should be applied to stem the bleeding. Brink Lindsey, infers however, that Mr. Dobbs and his ilk need a lesson in economics. For instance, "the wild claims that offshoring will gut employment in the I.T. sector are totally at odds with reality. I.T. job losses projected by Forrester amount to fewer than 32,000 per year -- relatively modest attrition in the context of 6 million I.T. jobs. These losses, meanwhile, will be offset by newly created jobs as computer and mathematical occupations continue to boom. The doomsayers are confusing a cyclical downturn with a permanent trend." |
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How to Pick a Project Team - At Menlo we stress that in order to have a good project team you must have the right mix of talents and skills. Technical ability will only get you so far. It takes the right mix of "soft" skills, personalities and attitudes to gel and achieve results. Here are some tips from project managers about whom you need on your team and how to get them. |
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"Cool" new Technology - Imagine a power source so small, yet so efficient, that it could make cumbersome power plants virtually obsolete while lowering your electric bill. A breakthrough in thin film solid oxide fuel cell is currently being refined in labs at the University of Houston, making that dream a reality. |
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Get your next Software Project off on the Right Foot - How do you do it? The key is incorporating Anthropology. Yes, Anthropology. Find out how. Come to our next free 90 minute "Taste of Success" seminar focused on High-Tech Anthropology. A high-touch solution for a high-tech world. Bring your toughest software project stories to share. See you on September 23! |
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CD Rot - Dan Koster was unpacking some of his more than 2,000 CDs after a move when he noticed something strange. Some of the discs, which he always took good care of, wouldn't play properly. His collection was suffering from "CD rot," a gradual deterioration of the data-carrying layer. It's not known for sure how common the blight is, but it's just one of a number of reasons that optical discs, including DVDs, may be a lot more fragile than first thought. There are the new "do's" and "don'ts" for handling your CDs. |
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Where do old Web Sites go to Die? - You're happily trolling the Web, visiting your favorite sites. You type in www.meerkatfanatic.com, and a message pops up: "404 -- Page not found." Or a cheesy ad from a hosting service. Huh? What gives? It was there yesterday. Can you ever find them again? Sometimes. |
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Hurry! Sign up for a Menlo Class. - The Menlo Summer class schedule is out. Summer is a great time to buckle down and learn the real secrets of software success. |
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Need a Speaker for an Upcoming Event? - We love public speaking (yes, we really do!) and are happy to deliver inspiring messages focused on business success with information technology. Call us at (734) 665-1847 to schedule your next event. Look here for a list of some of the topics that we’ve spoken about in the past. |
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About Menlo Innovations |
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Menlo Innovations uses its unique High-Tech Anthropology™ practice to help our clients build killer software applications. If you are asking any of the following questions, consider having us perform a Fresh Perspective Assessment:
A Fresh Perspective Assessment provides detailed insights into your product's strengths and weaknesses. It also provides a roadmap for where to best invest your design and development dollars. Designing, building, and selling software products can be innovative, creative, and profitable. It can also be highly challenging. Sometimes a Fresh Perspective is required. Created in the spirit of Thomas Edison's Invention Factory in Menlo Park, Menlo Innovations is passionate about software innovations that make a positive difference in the everyday lives of businesses and their employees. Menlo Innovations LLC Coding, format, and on-site content copyright ©2004 |
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The Menlo Briefs is a permission-based newsletter. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter please visit our subscription page. If you have received this newsletter in error, please accept our apologies and use the link below to unsubscribe. ### |
Guerrilla Usability - Raise your hand. How many of you
have logged onto a web site in order to buy something or obtain
information and just gave up because it was so poorly designed?
Well, Oxford university student Matthew Somerville experienced the
same thing. One day he was trying to get information on a movie
from Britain's Odeon cinema chain without much luck. He got so
frustrated that he finally took matters into his own hands. Out
went the JavaScript, cookies and confusing menus that had
confounded many visitors looking for movie times. Somerville then
hosted a slimmed-down, simplified imitation on his own server!
Movie fans loved it.