Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Monday, March 5, 2007
Quote
"You can't make somebody understand something if their salary depends upon them not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair
The sociology of customs
In the latest years, with all the terrorism paranoia, great delays are in place, not only on flight schedules, but also on customs procedures.
These long lines, started to get me thinking, as whenever arriving in the US, the waiting got a different feeling from other countries - not better nor worse, but different
On my last visit to Heathrow Airport, the difference became clear to me - virtually on every country, there is a single line for foreigners (of course, this single line is serviced by multiple agents ), while in the US there are multiple lines each serviced by a single agent
At first, this seems like a simple logistic choice, but allowing the creativity to kick in, becomes unavoidable the comparison with the sociological belief in place.
The ambitious-rewarding US model, could not be better illustrated by their multiple lines. Once getting into the country, two visitors arriving at the exact same time at the customs rooms may leave after a very different waiting period. Depending on driving such as attention, ambition and luck, the difference can be of hours before making the line and arriving at the booths.
While other countries have a more protective system, where assures that all visitors, being in a single line, will reach the booth simply by order of arrival (therefore, if 2 visitors should arrive at the same time, they'd reach the booth at the same time) - if this can be pretty frustrating by someone who is in a rush, it protects from unexpected situations or simply from the bad luck of being on a slow line
These long lines, started to get me thinking, as whenever arriving in the US, the waiting got a different feeling from other countries - not better nor worse, but different
On my last visit to Heathrow Airport, the difference became clear to me - virtually on every country, there is a single line for foreigners (of course, this single line is serviced by multiple agents ), while in the US there are multiple lines each serviced by a single agent
At first, this seems like a simple logistic choice, but allowing the creativity to kick in, becomes unavoidable the comparison with the sociological belief in place.
The ambitious-rewarding US model, could not be better illustrated by their multiple lines. Once getting into the country, two visitors arriving at the exact same time at the customs rooms may leave after a very different waiting period. Depending on driving such as attention, ambition and luck, the difference can be of hours before making the line and arriving at the booths.
While other countries have a more protective system, where assures that all visitors, being in a single line, will reach the booth simply by order of arrival (therefore, if 2 visitors should arrive at the same time, they'd reach the booth at the same time) - if this can be pretty frustrating by someone who is in a rush, it protects from unexpected situations or simply from the bad luck of being on a slow line
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Web2.0
As my great interest for the WEB2.0 continues, I will continue to post some videos relevant to the subjects...
Monday, February 12, 2007
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Blackjack vs BlackBerry
On a recent trip to Germany, I was unlucky enough and lost my Blackberry device ( yes, I did experience the "feeling of being naked on public" for a couple of days ).
As a replacement, I was encouraged to explore the BlackJack and, as being a very heavy Blackberry user for the last 4 years, I first sought some internet literature/advice about how these devices would compare. Even though I found a considerable amount of BlackJack vs Treo comparison - I could not find a single one with the Blackberry.
I'd just like to clear from the beginning that after the 30days period, I opted for the BlackBerry as my personal device.
Also, as I handle emails on 3 different languages on a daily basis, I am comparing the full keyboard models ( does not apply to the BlackBerry Pearl ), as the word recognition double keys does not work on multiple languages
- Camera: Works great on the BlackJack - too bad there's no flash. Both pics and video with good quality. The MMS function is also great, allowing the user to immediatly send the pictures/video taken. It's not available on the BlackBerry.
- Watching Video: With the 3g connectivity and windows platform, the BlackJack not only provides you access to viral videos on internet, but also allows you to download and storage videos on the phone as well as let the mobile version of SlingBox works perfectly. I was really impressed by the prospect of being able to watch my home television from anywhere, with virtually no delay and very high quality. This function is also not available on the BlackBerry
- IMing: The BlackJack already comes with AOL, MSN and Yahoo messenger as defaults, allowing full connectivity to internet users. Blackberry has its own messenger that even though does the job, has a very limited universe of users
- Address Book: Both devices very similar, slight advantage for the BlackJack as you may include pics on the address book, so when you receive SMS, Emails and phone calls, you actually get to see their pictures
- Battery: Simply no comparison, Blackberry may last up to 5 days, whereas the Blackjack, whenever heavily used, will last about 5 hours
- Connectivity: That's was one of the deal breakers I encounter, while BlackBerry has worked on developing a network of partners across the globe (through which one can use the device by a flat fee), for other manufacturers you will pay roaming fee. AS can be imagined, this may get quite expensive, specially if you plan to use the gadgets available on the blackjack (Slingbox, IMing, Picture/Video posting and etc)
Anyway, in the end, most of the advantages of the blackjack turned out to be canceled by either lack of battery power or usage rates.
As a replacement, I was encouraged to explore the BlackJack and, as being a very heavy Blackberry user for the last 4 years, I first sought some internet literature/advice about how these devices would compare. Even though I found a considerable amount of BlackJack vs Treo comparison - I could not find a single one with the Blackberry.
I'd just like to clear from the beginning that after the 30days period, I opted for the BlackBerry as my personal device.
Also, as I handle emails on 3 different languages on a daily basis, I am comparing the full keyboard models ( does not apply to the BlackBerry Pearl ), as the word recognition double keys does not work on multiple languages
- Camera: Works great on the BlackJack - too bad there's no flash. Both pics and video with good quality. The MMS function is also great, allowing the user to immediatly send the pictures/video taken. It's not available on the BlackBerry.
- Watching Video: With the 3g connectivity and windows platform, the BlackJack not only provides you access to viral videos on internet, but also allows you to download and storage videos on the phone as well as let the mobile version of SlingBox works perfectly. I was really impressed by the prospect of being able to watch my home television from anywhere, with virtually no delay and very high quality. This function is also not available on the BlackBerry
- IMing: The BlackJack already comes with AOL, MSN and Yahoo messenger as defaults, allowing full connectivity to internet users. Blackberry has its own messenger that even though does the job, has a very limited universe of users
- Address Book: Both devices very similar, slight advantage for the BlackJack as you may include pics on the address book, so when you receive SMS, Emails and phone calls, you actually get to see their pictures
- Battery: Simply no comparison, Blackberry may last up to 5 days, whereas the Blackjack, whenever heavily used, will last about 5 hours
- Connectivity: That's was one of the deal breakers I encounter, while BlackBerry has worked on developing a network of partners across the globe (through which one can use the device by a flat fee), for other manufacturers you will pay roaming fee. AS can be imagined, this may get quite expensive, specially if you plan to use the gadgets available on the blackjack (Slingbox, IMing, Picture/Video posting and etc)
Anyway, in the end, most of the advantages of the blackjack turned out to be canceled by either lack of battery power or usage rates.
2007!!!
After a quick trip to London, and after a long jet leg, I am back and ready to face 2007. Will resume posting asap
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