Well, this morning, clear as day, I glanced at the "pudding" links and discreetly above the links was the phrase "Sponsored Links." Below the links Google explains the sponsored links. I truly had not seen these explanatory tags that were in plain vision. Google was not spying without permission but erring on the side of full and plain disclosure. One can refer to my oversight as the "Duh-factor"...Duh, Laura! But I actually believe it reveals how we use the web or interact with computers in general.
Here are various explanations. When doing e-mail, I am extremely focused. I look at the content of the message and concentrate my efforts on responding. I block out what I deem peripheral to my essential task. Another explanation: The site is new to me and I still have not explored all of its features. This is not a behavior specific to computers: it is how I actually operate in the real world. When I am new to a place/task, I figure out only the minimal necessary that will allow me to function effectively straight away. Once I am working effectively then I accord myself the luxury to explore further, to meander. I guess I am very pragmatic. Yet another explanation: The right margin with the links only shows up when you are reading the e-mails; it is absent from the in-box page. This formatting variance between two typical pages of the site, in short the inconsistency, does not help me become familiar with a space dedicated to links. Since the space is not present on every Gmail page, my eye is simply not trained to either linger there or inquire about the space.
These comments reveal how each individual interacts in distinct ways with computers. When I was doing user testing on the usability of certain web sites, I was always amazed how users on occasion failed to see the obvious links on the home page. This is perhaps why certain sites or programs such as Dreamweaver allow users multiple options to accomplish the same task: it is not a one-size-fit-all world out there.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Pudding, Gmail and No Free Lunch
Thanks Peter for your post on Pudding.
My initial thoughts: I must say I find it bewildering that one would give permissions to a commericial agent to "spy" on one's phone conversations and to knowingly sollicit a barrage of advertisements, albeit well-targeted ones. I have maintained great friendships far and wide thanks to the telephone. On many levels, the privacy of my conversations is sacred. The fact that I would breach that confidence to be monitored even by a machine makes me uncomfortable. It is certainly a service that I would easily pass up.
My Discovery: Well, given my sentiment, you can imagine my surprise at discovering that Google was "pudding-ing" my e-mail correspondences! I am new to G-mail and, at first, it was not really registering with me what was going on in the right margin of my inbox. It was only in my recent collaboration with Dave that I started noticing lists on the right of the inbox thematically linked to the content. At first, I thought that they were perhaps links that my correspondent was posting for me. It was not until I opened an e-mail from a French correspondent and watched all those right hand links covert to a series of French links that I realized I was being pudding-ing. While this does not bother me at Amazon - books are peddled to me based on previous purchases or previous searches, scanning e-mail correspondences does. I guess it is the price one pays for "free services." I am now considering perhaps another e-mail service that will not subject e-mail to such trolling. On some level, I should just trust that the systems will not be abused. Is it purely machine generated with no trace beyond the instant it posts? Hard to know and a leap of faith.
Just one more reason for me to detest e-mail!
-Laura
My initial thoughts: I must say I find it bewildering that one would give permissions to a commericial agent to "spy" on one's phone conversations and to knowingly sollicit a barrage of advertisements, albeit well-targeted ones. I have maintained great friendships far and wide thanks to the telephone. On many levels, the privacy of my conversations is sacred. The fact that I would breach that confidence to be monitored even by a machine makes me uncomfortable. It is certainly a service that I would easily pass up.
My Discovery: Well, given my sentiment, you can imagine my surprise at discovering that Google was "pudding-ing" my e-mail correspondences! I am new to G-mail and, at first, it was not really registering with me what was going on in the right margin of my inbox. It was only in my recent collaboration with Dave that I started noticing lists on the right of the inbox thematically linked to the content. At first, I thought that they were perhaps links that my correspondent was posting for me. It was not until I opened an e-mail from a French correspondent and watched all those right hand links covert to a series of French links that I realized I was being pudding-ing. While this does not bother me at Amazon - books are peddled to me based on previous purchases or previous searches, scanning e-mail correspondences does. I guess it is the price one pays for "free services." I am now considering perhaps another e-mail service that will not subject e-mail to such trolling. On some level, I should just trust that the systems will not be abused. Is it purely machine generated with no trace beyond the instant it posts? Hard to know and a leap of faith.
Just one more reason for me to detest e-mail!
-Laura
Buyer Beware: Short-term Warranties
During my router set-up, I learned about short-term warranties and the privileges they afford.
The router came with a thirty day warranty. Within that timeframe, I apparently could have called the company as often as I liked to ask for help with set-up and the product. Also, were there to have been any serious product failure, I would have been able to return it.
I purchased my router last April. I started the set-up process shortly after purchase but did not complete it. I started by trying to get all the necessary information before embarking on the process. I had one initial, fruitless conversation with my ISP and planned to folow-up. Well, I did not follow-up until 5 months later. In the meantime, I forfeited the privileges accorded by the short-term warranty: free customer support.
Even though the warranty had expired, the company granted me one free inquiry. I used my initial call to garner the requisite information. But when I stumbled again in the set-up, I called back. This time there would be a charge for the support services. I was quoted a half-hour rate ($36.00) or an unlimited rate for 6 months of all types of computing support ($65). Unsure whether the problem could be resolved in an half-hour, I opted for the unlimited service. The technician was helpful and I plan to see how helpful they will be for random inquiries.
So lessons learned: Use products immediately so, if there is a warranty, you do not forfeit your privileges unwittingly. Also if one needs to return an item, it usually has to be returned within a month.
Best, Laura
The router came with a thirty day warranty. Within that timeframe, I apparently could have called the company as often as I liked to ask for help with set-up and the product. Also, were there to have been any serious product failure, I would have been able to return it.
I purchased my router last April. I started the set-up process shortly after purchase but did not complete it. I started by trying to get all the necessary information before embarking on the process. I had one initial, fruitless conversation with my ISP and planned to folow-up. Well, I did not follow-up until 5 months later. In the meantime, I forfeited the privileges accorded by the short-term warranty: free customer support.
Even though the warranty had expired, the company granted me one free inquiry. I used my initial call to garner the requisite information. But when I stumbled again in the set-up, I called back. This time there would be a charge for the support services. I was quoted a half-hour rate ($36.00) or an unlimited rate for 6 months of all types of computing support ($65). Unsure whether the problem could be resolved in an half-hour, I opted for the unlimited service. The technician was helpful and I plan to see how helpful they will be for random inquiries.
So lessons learned: Use products immediately so, if there is a warranty, you do not forfeit your privileges unwittingly. Also if one needs to return an item, it usually has to be returned within a month.
Best, Laura
From Oy Vey! to Yippee! : Router Set-Up Challenges
One of the goals I set up for this session was to successfully set up a router so I could have wireless access within my home.
After a few uninterrupted hours, several phone calls and 65 buckaroos later, I did succeed on Monday morning.
Oy Vey!
The challenge in set-up was not a technical issue but rather a question of accessing critical information and making erroneous assumptions. It had less to do with hardware than dealing with support services and abandoning assumptions. In order to setup the router one needs their Dynamic or Static IP address, subnet mask number, the router address, and both the primary and secondary DNS (Domain Name Server).
I had some of this information but not all of it. Most I could get from my own computer under the heading "System Preferences: Network" but the rest had to be provided by the ISP or so I thought. The other challenge was the misleading assumptions I made based on my interaction with the set-up program, and with technology in general. I also did not trust my intuition when interacting with my computer.
The hard copy directions where brief and, in the end, insufficient: it is only enough to guide you to the on-line instruction manual/setup wizard. Of course, this approach of instruction-giving presumes you will not fail to get to the critical on-line crossroad on the way to successful setup.
I managed to get to the on-line set-up wizard. Although I was missing a couple of bits of the key information, I thought I would try set up anyway, presuming the program would be "smart" and glean all the information from simply running through the systems. What led me to make this assumption is that one of the early set-up screens leads the user to believe that it actually can read how the system is configured. Trusting this was the case, I proceeded with set up. Well, I assumed wrong. The Wizard was not smart enough to read key system information. First problem: contrary to the Wizard's suggestion, my IP address was actually dynamic and not static. This fact was critical in the set-up because dynamic and static each had their own distinct configuration. I suspected that my IP address was dynamic: everytime I looked up the address under the system preferences, it was different; but I chose to disregard my intuition and trust the softwares' analysis instead. Second problem: the missing information was not furnished by the wizard. I figured as much but I thought it was worth a try.
By the time I realized what had gone wrong, there was no way for me to go back and correct the first mistake, claiming my IP address dynamic and not static. Now I am blurry about why I could not go back. Maybe it was because it seemed like I had lost internet access and could not get back to the wizard and the on-line directions. I had lost sight of the critical set-up crossroad and was lost in the wilderness. I had to troubleshoot both problems.
First I tried to get all the critical information. Surprisingly, the company that provided the router had the key information and not the ISP as I had assumed. This discovery took a few phone calls to the following: the ISP, to the store where I had purchased the router, and finally the router's own help desk.
Second, I went back to the set-up wizard and realized I needed help with the set up. When I tried to pull up the wizard page, nothing happened. I phoned the router support services and the router techician told me to type the router address number into the address window and bingo! the wizard reappeared. This is the key step that I never would have thought to do without the help of the technician; this very knowledge is what justifies the fees. It was strange typing a number instead of a typical web address. Although after the fact I understood why it worked, habit would have simply prevented me from putting a string of numbers where I usually put text. The router technician walked me through all of the steps. Once we actually began the process, it took roughly a half hour to have it up and running.
Yippee!
It is such a thrill to no longer be tethered to one desk in my home. The mobility to work anywhere in the house is terrific for all the obvious reasons. For me however, with winter coming, the ability to work from a warm room is key. While parts of my house can be heated with either the back up oil system or wood, my study is in a part of the house heated only by wood stove. It takes time to warm up parts of my home with the wood stove; last winter there were hours lost on-line because I simply could not work in a cold room. This is why I am thrilled with this new mobile access.
There have been other lessons learned in this process I shall share with you in briefer posts.
After a few uninterrupted hours, several phone calls and 65 buckaroos later, I did succeed on Monday morning.
Oy Vey!
The challenge in set-up was not a technical issue but rather a question of accessing critical information and making erroneous assumptions. It had less to do with hardware than dealing with support services and abandoning assumptions. In order to setup the router one needs their Dynamic or Static IP address, subnet mask number, the router address, and both the primary and secondary DNS (Domain Name Server).
I had some of this information but not all of it. Most I could get from my own computer under the heading "System Preferences: Network" but the rest had to be provided by the ISP or so I thought. The other challenge was the misleading assumptions I made based on my interaction with the set-up program, and with technology in general. I also did not trust my intuition when interacting with my computer.
The hard copy directions where brief and, in the end, insufficient: it is only enough to guide you to the on-line instruction manual/setup wizard. Of course, this approach of instruction-giving presumes you will not fail to get to the critical on-line crossroad on the way to successful setup.
I managed to get to the on-line set-up wizard. Although I was missing a couple of bits of the key information, I thought I would try set up anyway, presuming the program would be "smart" and glean all the information from simply running through the systems. What led me to make this assumption is that one of the early set-up screens leads the user to believe that it actually can read how the system is configured. Trusting this was the case, I proceeded with set up. Well, I assumed wrong. The Wizard was not smart enough to read key system information. First problem: contrary to the Wizard's suggestion, my IP address was actually dynamic and not static. This fact was critical in the set-up because dynamic and static each had their own distinct configuration. I suspected that my IP address was dynamic: everytime I looked up the address under the system preferences, it was different; but I chose to disregard my intuition and trust the softwares' analysis instead. Second problem: the missing information was not furnished by the wizard. I figured as much but I thought it was worth a try.
By the time I realized what had gone wrong, there was no way for me to go back and correct the first mistake, claiming my IP address dynamic and not static. Now I am blurry about why I could not go back. Maybe it was because it seemed like I had lost internet access and could not get back to the wizard and the on-line directions. I had lost sight of the critical set-up crossroad and was lost in the wilderness. I had to troubleshoot both problems.
First I tried to get all the critical information. Surprisingly, the company that provided the router had the key information and not the ISP as I had assumed. This discovery took a few phone calls to the following: the ISP, to the store where I had purchased the router, and finally the router's own help desk.
Second, I went back to the set-up wizard and realized I needed help with the set up. When I tried to pull up the wizard page, nothing happened. I phoned the router support services and the router techician told me to type the router address number into the address window and bingo! the wizard reappeared. This is the key step that I never would have thought to do without the help of the technician; this very knowledge is what justifies the fees. It was strange typing a number instead of a typical web address. Although after the fact I understood why it worked, habit would have simply prevented me from putting a string of numbers where I usually put text. The router technician walked me through all of the steps. Once we actually began the process, it took roughly a half hour to have it up and running.
Yippee!
It is such a thrill to no longer be tethered to one desk in my home. The mobility to work anywhere in the house is terrific for all the obvious reasons. For me however, with winter coming, the ability to work from a warm room is key. While parts of my house can be heated with either the back up oil system or wood, my study is in a part of the house heated only by wood stove. It takes time to warm up parts of my home with the wood stove; last winter there were hours lost on-line because I simply could not work in a cold room. This is why I am thrilled with this new mobile access.
There have been other lessons learned in this process I shall share with you in briefer posts.
State of the Art Technology
In light of Leslie's remark on how past "State of the Art" technologies may seem so antiquated today, let's consider the horse drawn wagon.
One of the architectural thrills of my visit to Vienna was standing in the grand Hall of Pillars in the Austrian Parliament building. The marble hall was truly magnificent. The hall, 40 meters long and 23 meters wide, gets its name from the 24 corinthian pillars made of marble which frame the hall: each column is a monolith weighing 16 tons each. 16 tons! The solid 16-ton columns were brought to the construction site and carved in situ before being installed. It took a 24-horse powered wagon to haul each column from the coutryside of the Habsburg empire into the city.
I marveled at the ingenuity of hauling such a behemoth in an age before the motorized vehicle and thinking what madness to even entertain such a feat. But the feat was accomplished despite the lack of our facilitating modern day technology. While I gazed at th picture of 24-horse drawn cart with the enormous, solid smooth colum in tow, it dawned on me that the cart I was looking at was probably state of the art for the 1870's. The architect Theophil von Hansen dared to undertake this venture because he knew what technologies were available to him to accomplish his feat. And if they were not sufficient, he would improve on them because he was a man on a mission and nothing would stop him from realizing his dream.
I have not been able to find a picture of the column in transport but I have found a picture through Wikepedia of the Hall of Pillars. Of course the image does the reality no justice.
Image: Hall of Pillars
One of the architectural thrills of my visit to Vienna was standing in the grand Hall of Pillars in the Austrian Parliament building. The marble hall was truly magnificent. The hall, 40 meters long and 23 meters wide, gets its name from the 24 corinthian pillars made of marble which frame the hall: each column is a monolith weighing 16 tons each. 16 tons! The solid 16-ton columns were brought to the construction site and carved in situ before being installed. It took a 24-horse powered wagon to haul each column from the coutryside of the Habsburg empire into the city.
I marveled at the ingenuity of hauling such a behemoth in an age before the motorized vehicle and thinking what madness to even entertain such a feat. But the feat was accomplished despite the lack of our facilitating modern day technology. While I gazed at th picture of 24-horse drawn cart with the enormous, solid smooth colum in tow, it dawned on me that the cart I was looking at was probably state of the art for the 1870's. The architect Theophil von Hansen dared to undertake this venture because he knew what technologies were available to him to accomplish his feat. And if they were not sufficient, he would improve on them because he was a man on a mission and nothing would stop him from realizing his dream.
I have not been able to find a picture of the column in transport but I have found a picture through Wikepedia of the Hall of Pillars. Of course the image does the reality no justice.
Image: Hall of Pillars
Street Lamps, Worldview and Collaboration
One more thought on Vienna.
I was struck by the way the Viennese illuminated their streets. Rather than have lampposts on sidewalks with long-necked lamps arching over the street, the Viennese string their lamps smack above the road. As you walk down the street and look up, there are all these suspension wires crisscrossing the sky. To an American, this seemed somewhat impractical and labor intensive. However I must say the system illuminates the road far more precisely than our approach.
This example made me realize how cultures resolve similar problems in dramatically different ways. Something as simple as lighting a street can have two such radically different approaches, each having its virtues. The fact that people approach problems so differently means that distinct, viable solutions are possible. It also points to the value of collaboration and the need to learn from people who think and work differently from us. It is like the collaboration in our course: I have learned something about styles of work from each of my collaborators and I have also learned to be more aware of my own approach to things. All in all an invaluable experience.
Cheers,
Laura
I was struck by the way the Viennese illuminated their streets. Rather than have lampposts on sidewalks with long-necked lamps arching over the street, the Viennese string their lamps smack above the road. As you walk down the street and look up, there are all these suspension wires crisscrossing the sky. To an American, this seemed somewhat impractical and labor intensive. However I must say the system illuminates the road far more precisely than our approach.
This example made me realize how cultures resolve similar problems in dramatically different ways. Something as simple as lighting a street can have two such radically different approaches, each having its virtues. The fact that people approach problems so differently means that distinct, viable solutions are possible. It also points to the value of collaboration and the need to learn from people who think and work differently from us. It is like the collaboration in our course: I have learned something about styles of work from each of my collaborators and I have also learned to be more aware of my own approach to things. All in all an invaluable experience.
Cheers,
Laura
Technology and Service
I lapsed on my regular tech blogging at the end of September because I was away on a trip. I thought I'd get on-line during the trip but in the end jet lag, touring fatigue and the simple desire to not break the magic spell of being truly away kept me from my daily blog.
My family and I traveled to Vienna to celebrate my folks 50th wedding anniversary. It was the first time I traveled to a place where I did not speak or even understand the language. All the staff spoke English fluently as well as several other languages. While at the desk engaging with the staff, it became instantly apparent I was not a German speaker and staff always graciously spoke English. What puzzled me however is the staff greeting me straight away in English and by name when I placed a phone call to the front desk. Granted we were staying at a Marriot hotel, an American chain, the clientele included German speakers as well as myriad of other language speakers, so it was not logical to address all guests in English even if it has become the international language.
It finally dawned on me, when the phone rang at the front desk, some form of caller id must pop up not only with my name but with language of address. In their effort to provide good service, the hotel has used this caller-style id technology to log critical information to help staff offer the best service possible to its guests. It was a service I appreciated.
I have been trying to think of other encounters with technology while on the ground in Vienna and I can't immediately think of one.
Of course these days in travel, interacting with technology is part and parcel of the experience. For instance, flying has become completely tech interactive. One can book their flights on-line, choose seats and meals, print boarding passes and the like. On can even sign on to services that alert passengers of flight status and delays.
Information is communicated rapidly and efficiently. For the one-hour layover in Paris, we needed wheelchair assistance to ferry my mom from one-gate to another. At the gate, a wheelchair assitant was there at the ready. Of course in France, where a nice balance between efficiency and mayhem reign, each ferrying experience was subject to wildly various styles of interpretation. In the end however the essential was communicated and the job got done.
-Laura D
My family and I traveled to Vienna to celebrate my folks 50th wedding anniversary. It was the first time I traveled to a place where I did not speak or even understand the language. All the staff spoke English fluently as well as several other languages. While at the desk engaging with the staff, it became instantly apparent I was not a German speaker and staff always graciously spoke English. What puzzled me however is the staff greeting me straight away in English and by name when I placed a phone call to the front desk. Granted we were staying at a Marriot hotel, an American chain, the clientele included German speakers as well as myriad of other language speakers, so it was not logical to address all guests in English even if it has become the international language.
It finally dawned on me, when the phone rang at the front desk, some form of caller id must pop up not only with my name but with language of address. In their effort to provide good service, the hotel has used this caller-style id technology to log critical information to help staff offer the best service possible to its guests. It was a service I appreciated.
I have been trying to think of other encounters with technology while on the ground in Vienna and I can't immediately think of one.
Of course these days in travel, interacting with technology is part and parcel of the experience. For instance, flying has become completely tech interactive. One can book their flights on-line, choose seats and meals, print boarding passes and the like. On can even sign on to services that alert passengers of flight status and delays.
Information is communicated rapidly and efficiently. For the one-hour layover in Paris, we needed wheelchair assistance to ferry my mom from one-gate to another. At the gate, a wheelchair assitant was there at the ready. Of course in France, where a nice balance between efficiency and mayhem reign, each ferrying experience was subject to wildly various styles of interpretation. In the end however the essential was communicated and the job got done.
-Laura D
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