tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39825727574471025892024-03-08T07:25:10.674-05:00without irony."You can't make somebody understand something if their salary depends upon them not understanding it."
- Upton SinclairAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-90090470947567988862008-07-06T10:37:00.002-05:002008-07-06T10:43:01.786-05:00Going green step #3: Switching to CFLs<a href="http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls">Compact fluorescent light</a> bulbs (CFLs) are more energy efficient bulbs. A 13-watt light bulb is the equivalent of a 60-watt regular light bulb. It's still not the most efficient light bulbs of all; I believe LEDs are more so, but they're expensive. Even CFLs are more expensive but maybe the energy savings will pay off.<br /><br />Only thing is that the light bulbs contain mercury, and there has been controversy about whether these kind of light bulbs will create an environment problem of a different kind. If you are thinking of switching, you should check out <a href="http://lamprecycle.org/">this website</a>, and definitely be careful about how you dispose it in general.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-63701674794607902032008-07-05T23:17:00.003-05:002008-07-05T23:19:47.156-05:00Going green step #2: Unplugging appliancesI'm going around unplugging the power strips and anything that I usually leave on standby but leave plugged in. I'm also doing my best not to use the AC. Sometimes I just use it to block out noise but I should try to do away with some comfort.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-30815346923429038212008-07-05T19:29:00.005-05:002008-07-06T10:43:33.625-05:00Going green step #1: Renewable energyI'm not sure if I'm the only one that's clueless about this, but I just found out from my utility website that I can switch to green power (wind, hydro, etc.) In fact, there were a bunch of companies that were doing it. The websites were more complicated than they should be, and many of them gave me error messages, unfortunately.<br /><br />In the end, I switched to <a href="http://www.sterlingplanet.com/">Sterling Planet</a>, which does wind and hydro power. It's not immediately clear where to find it on the ConEd website, so make sure you go to <a href="http://www.poweryourway.com/">this page</a>.<br /><br />Really, everyone should check out their utility companies and do their best to switch to green power that uses renewable resources if you can.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-70867074890029372312008-07-04T14:36:00.002-05:002008-07-04T14:39:41.524-05:00Movie review: Wall-E<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cinematical.com/media/2008/02/walle1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.cinematical.com/media/2008/02/walle1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Directed by Andrew Stanton<br /><br />Pixar has been consistently putting out good movies ever since it starting releasing feature length films. At the very least, they tell good stories that balance out enough its storytelling to appeal to young and old alike. For me, while I've always thought Pixar was a cut above the rest, there are always some parts of Pixar films that make me go "Oh, that's cute but kinda silly." I didn't get into <span style="font-style: italic;">Cars</span>, and even with <span style="font-style: italic;">Ratatouille</span>, it bordered on the silly for me. That's why it's such a pleasure to say that <span style="font-style: italic;">Wall-E </span>has exceeded all my expectations, and then some.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wall-E</span> is a movie the overflows with beauty; and not only in the visual sense, but on every level. It tells the story of a lonely garbage compacting robot who was left to clean up the mess that was left by humankind. His only companion is a cockroach and his endless sense of curiosity. Eventually, he runs into Eve, a robot probe that was sent out to discover whether Earth has become livable again. This has been Wall-E's only contact with "life" and, with boundless love, he pursues it to the ends of the galaxy.<br /><br />It's amazing that the first half of the movie has almost no dialogue in it. At times it feels like you are watching something like <span style="font-style: italic;">Fantasia</span>, where visual and music in combined to tell a compelling story.<br /><br />It is also Pixar's most political movie to date. For the most part, there isn't a whole lot of commentary in the other Pixar films. They usually comment on small stuff like family relations, friendships, and so on. But <span style="font-style: italic;">Wall-E</span> comments on the grand scale, and serves as a warning on pollution and environmental destruction gone uncontrolled. Moreover, it is a remark on human apathy, and how we can take control and make a difference. Knowing that Al Gore is on the Board of Directors at Apple, I'm surprised I didn't see Al Gore make an appearance. There are even elements of Huxley's <span style="font-style: italic;">Brave New World</span> in it, to say that if we take a moment to snap out of it and see the world for what it is, we can truly feels its beauty.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wall-E</span> also takes a jab at corporatism, which is ironic considering that it's being distributed by Disney, which rivals McDonald's as the symbol of corporate conformism. I wonder how many pick up on that.<br /><br />I have a feeling that <span style="font-style: italic;">Wall-E</span>'s impact would be significant. As I felt walking out of the theater, I felt as if I've watched something historical. Maybe it'll just be the first animated film to win Best Picture at the Oscars, or maybe because this will get some people thinking more deeply about the environment, about human rights, and about the future.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-58520280480414012512008-06-27T16:05:00.001-05:002008-06-27T16:05:26.291-05:00I F-ing Hate Wal-MartDuring my cross country drive this week I was forced into getting an oil change at Wal-Mart. I thought I knew how evil they really were, but during my hour long visit they surpassed all of my wildest expectations of evilness and they tried to steal $24 from me.<br/><br/><a href='http://stonecipher.typepad.com/the_stonecipher_report/2008/06/a-quick-note-fr.html'>read more</a> | <a href='http://digg.com/odd_stuff/I_F_ing_Hate_Wal_Mart'>digg story</a>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-13282186468081443472008-06-27T15:58:00.001-05:002008-06-27T15:58:23.621-05:00Mercedes to go Green. ALL Green. No Petroleum by 2015.In less than 7 years, Mercedes-Benz plans to ditch petroleum-powered vehicles from its lineup. Focusing on electric, fuel cell, and biofuels, the company is revving up research in alternative fuel sources and efficiency.<br/><br/><a href='http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1800/69/'>read more</a> | <a href='http://digg.com/autos/Mercedes_to_go_Green_ALL_Green_No_Petroleum_by_2015'>digg story</a>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-20915834679481699782008-06-27T15:50:00.001-05:002008-06-27T15:50:56.090-05:00Volcanoes could supply up to 25 per cent of US power needsAs fuel prices soar, Alaskan officials announced the exploration of the state's volcanoes, saying they could be exploited to provide energy for thousands of homes.<br/><br/><a href='http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/06/26/eavolcano126.xml'>read more</a> | <a href='http://digg.com/environment/Volcanoes_could_supply_up_to_25_per_cent_of_US_power_needs'>digg story</a>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-20171586570285361892008-06-05T21:38:00.000-05:002008-06-05T21:39:15.889-05:00Bookshelf<iframe src="http://readers.livingsocial.com/people/106878/rolodex?embeded=true" style="width: 450px; height: 400px; border: 0" width="450" height="400" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-14313092787448906132008-05-16T10:31:00.002-05:002008-05-16T10:38:15.601-05:00product contamination: dog foodThe CDC has i<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL56867120080515">ssued a warning</a> about Salmonella found in dried dog food and might pose a risk to humans. There has been at least a few outbreaks in some states. They haven't listed the specific dog food brands yet but I will update this when they do.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-33805586624805499132008-05-15T22:51:00.004-05:002008-05-15T22:56:11.362-05:00boycott: hewlett-packardWow, it's been a long while since my last post. Apologies to my non-existent readers.<div><br /></div><div>I wanted to put Hewlett-Packard on the boycott list because I've been helping someone fix his laptop. I've been having trouble getting his Broadcom wireless to work properly and I was amazed that there is a <a href="http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?admit=109447626+1210906773662+28353475&threadId=1104931">long list of people</a> who are having similar problems. Turns out the HP doesn't much care for its consumers as few of these consumers have had satisfactory resolutions.</div><div><br /></div><div>I tried chatting with a technical support person. I have to say, tech support people are seldom helpful. They might be useful for those who have really simple problems, such as not realizing the power button is off, but others who are slightly more sophisticated usually don't find my help in tech support. That goes with most companies, probably.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, if you're looking to buy a laptop, steer clear of HP. These people won't do a thing until it hurts them where it counts.</div>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-78821898617135353722007-08-13T11:47:00.000-05:002007-08-13T11:55:08.634-05:00Lead paint in Mattel toysJust months after the massive product recall of pet food, another scandal hits the Chinese manufacturing market: lead paint in toys by Mattel. Over the weekend, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/13/business/13cnd-toy.html">a Chinese executive hanged himself</a> after allegations of the lead contamination hit. The news report goes on to say that Chinese manufacturers are often under pressure to cut costs, and so they tend to substitute cheaper labors and parts to save. I think this is again a good indication of why the corporate structure the way it is designed is fundamentally hauled and need a serious reexamination before more people are hurt in a serious way.<br /><br />In this particular incident, I wonder where you can place the blame. If the allegations are true, and I think the suicide seems to point to it being the case, then the manufacturers ought to burden most of the blame. However, I don't think that means the Mattel people, or whoever else manufacturers their products in China, are off the hook.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-30843271367282154052007-08-05T11:03:00.000-05:002007-08-05T11:08:42.033-05:00(Lack of) daycare tragedyI was disturbed by <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/04/toddlers.carolina.ap/index.html">this tragedy</a> of a mother who had to do a double-shift and had to leave her children in her car and ended up killing her children. Allegedly, her boss threatened that she would be fired if she didn't show up to work, so when her babysitter canceled at the last minute, she decided to leave her children with food, water, and a fan. <br /><br />It's tragic not only because of what happened, but because so many other countries offer daycare that it's baffling why people still suffer for it in this country. This could so easily have been avoided if daycare was indeed the reason. Not only that, but education (don't leave your children in the car, even with nourishment).<br /><br />There may be other circumstances that might be revealed as this case unfolds. The mother has been charged with homocide.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-63819590859701106752007-07-11T11:32:00.001-05:002007-07-11T11:33:02.142-05:00No End in Sight<object width="249" height="203"><param name="movie" value="http://www.noendinsightmovie.com/pages/page5/video4.swf"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.noendinsightmovie.com/pages/page5/video4.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="400" height="240"></embed></object>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-26004652978986779962007-04-20T13:12:00.001-05:002007-04-20T13:12:46.108-05:00Tribute to Virginia Tech<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/z21cksn1xl0' name='movie'></param><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/z21cksn1xl0'></embed></object></p><p>Although I didn't know the victims, I was moved to create this for them. Many (actually, all) of the tributes on YouTube seemed to focus more on the killer and violence instead of the lives of the victims, so I wanted to create this as a simple tribute that's just about the victims, with minimal commentary. So, here it is.</p></div>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-64501255920734320052007-04-19T09:06:00.000-05:002007-04-19T09:13:21.207-05:00the killer's parentsLike everyone else, I have utterly shocked by the events that happened at Virginia Tech. It was strange how it impacted me. I didn't know anyone there, but the tragedy hung over me like a dark cloud, and as more of the story unfolded, it became worse.<br /><br />To date, though, the media has covered a lot on the victims, the survivors, and the killer, but I was surprised how little has been told about the parents. Who are they? What do they feel? I cannot imagine how incredibly guilty and wretched they must feel, for their own son (whom they love, I'm assuming) to be part of this heinous crime; to see his photos uploaded on the media; to see his mad video rants reported on television and across the Internet.<br /><br />Understandably, they would want privacy, and perhaps the media is respecting that. The little I've read about, is that they were poor in South Korea before moving to the United States. I heard he had a sister but I'm not sure.<br /><br />Still, one can't help but feel that their lives are over. It has been devastated. And this killer, in all his self-righteous declarations, even if he hated the "rich kids", perhaps he ought to have considered how he also destroyed his own parents' lives.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-16992415076524203362007-04-07T08:17:00.000-05:002007-04-07T08:19:54.754-05:00book review: nickel and dimed"When someone works for less pay than she can live on - when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently - then she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made you a gift of some part of her abilities, her health, and her life. The "working poor," as they are appropriately termed, are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. The neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. To be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone else."<br /><br />Barbara Ehrenreich, <em>Nickel and Dimed</em><br /><br />I've heard about this book ever since it came out but never had the chance to read it. <i>Nickel and Dimed</i> is a pseudo-investigative report and sociological study of the working poor. In it, Ehrenrich, who in "real life" is a writer for magazines like Harper's, immerses herself as much as she could into three working class communities: in Florida, Maine, and Minnesota, where she worked as a waitress, house-cleaner, nursing home attendant, and Walmart salesperson. She describes the process of looking for the cheapest housing (within reasonable constraints, such as safety), jobs, the interviews, and the work experience.<br /><br />She reveals the stunning reality that many people in the upper class (and perhaps even the middle) may not have known - that even as a healthy, single woman without any dependents, it was often times near impossible to survive. Moreover, that often times, these working class jobs require that the people sacrifice their own health, state of mind, families, dignities just so the rich could live in a little comfort.<br /><br />This might not be "news" to many, but I think people don't realize the difficulty that many working class people have to go through. The fact that the poor aren't dying in mass numbers might make people think that they're doing okay, or that they're surviving somehow. Sure, they're surviving, but they're also going through a great deal of suffering that is easily discounted. Just as <i>Fast Food Nation</i> had shown, many of these sufferings are invisible. These aren't only the backaches, sores and bruises that these jobs entail, but the human indiginities, the lost of individual freedom and voice.<br /><br />Ehrenreich also shows that there are many ways corporations can hold down their workers, such as forbidding them to talk to one another, or share salary information, and hanging over the constant threat of humiliation through random drug tests. Sometimes the naive notion that they can just "get a new job" is impossible when you have to take care of your children or a dependent.<br /><br />And I'm sure, there are many things that Ehrenreich didn't encounter, things that are far worse. At least the people she ran into were legal workers, many of which were Caucasians. The world of the illegal immigrants or minorities are possibly even darker, and more painful to consider.<br /><br />In the end, she asks us not to feel guilt, but <em>shame</em>. And as part of the elite who has be privileged to be served, I do feel utter shame at the reality that the working poor have to suffer through. I only pray that I can help correct the problems, or at the very least, not add to it.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-80839651771783510842007-04-03T13:01:00.000-05:002007-04-03T13:07:40.385-05:00activism update: what's been going onAs I wandered the hallways of my school I noticed that there were actually more Pepsi machines than Coke machines. I don't know if that means they're phasing out the Coke machines or what, but I never noticed the ratio and placement of these various vending machines. I did manage to get the student rep for my school to bring up the Coke banning issue in the next hearing.<br /><br />On the more global "international day against Coke", there's been more disappointing news. Actually, no news, which is perhaps why it's disappointing. To date (April 4th), the <a href="http://www.studentsagainstsweatshops.org/">Students Against Sweatshops</a> haven't updated their website regarding the boycott so I'm not really sure what went down. Perhaps they're still gathering their own information. I was contacted once by a member from that group who tried to put me in touch with a student from Columbia, but she didn't contact me.<br /><br />So, lessons learned? Well, that students are busy people and it's difficult, but not impossible, to get any kind of action going. Most social changes wouldn't have occurred if people (students or not) inconvenienced themselves to speak out against some issue. Sometimes I wonder whether our relatively easy access to information makes us lazy to take action.<br /><br />I'm still trying to decide which company to boycott for April. That announcement would be coming up in the days ahead. Stay tuned.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-4882073110033910502007-03-27T19:46:00.000-05:002007-03-27T19:50:47.235-05:00join folding@homeI just used my PS3 to sign up for Stanford University's <a href="http://folding.stanford.edu/"><em>Folding@Home</em></a><em> </em>project. The project basically uses millions of idle computers (and I guess game consoles now) to do "protein folding". I'm not fully sure what it is, but whatever it is, it's using your processor's power to help do medical research. How can it get better than that?<br /><br />I created a team called "end Iraq war". The team number is 61764. Now you can fight disease while being anti-war as well. How great is that?<br /><br />If any of you have PCs or PS3 turned on all day and sitting idle, why not help out the medical community?<br /><br />For more information, following the link: <a href="http://folding.stanford.edu/">http://folding.stanford.edu/</a>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-57576531700706723642007-03-26T17:13:00.000-05:002007-03-26T17:23:11.681-05:00turning on the water worksIt has recently been recently been reported that Coca-Cola is <a href="http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/03/21/ap3539804.html">investing in water initiatives</a> in Africa to expand supply. It's easy to be cynical about these altruistic moves. After all, they make billions of dollars, they can certainly afford to throw out a few million here and there if it makes them look good. A <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Social_responsibility_Coke_flunks/articleshow/1807210.cms">15-nation study</a> in Europe has shown that many people feel the same cynicism against corporations who don't seem genuine when they make these performances.<br /><br />In general, I like to give corporations the benefit of the doubt as much as possible. I never believed that corporations were people, even though they reap all the benefits of being treated as an individual without any of the drawbacks. (See the excellent documentary <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Corporation-Mikela-J-Mikael/dp/B0007DBJM8/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-7169881-9928139?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1174947610&sr=8-1">The Corporation</a></em> for this argument.) Whether a board of managers sit together in a room and say "We don't really care about people but let's pretend we do by making all these gestures" is not something I want to speculate. Mainly, I don't want to give the impression that corporations can't do anything good.<br /><br />Of course, this doesn't excuse Coca-Cola or any other corporation for the ills they have committed. Certainly if all corporations made these gestures and others followed, our society would be a better place regardless of their sincerity.Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-55166666727528967942007-03-23T14:56:00.000-05:002007-03-23T15:19:39.916-05:00activism report: amy goodman interviews anti-coke activist ray rogersAmy Goodman, host of Democracy Now, talks to anti-Coke activist Ray Rogers in this <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/04/27/1435213">2004 interview</a>. In it, they talk about some of the details of the allegations, including the specific incidents that ties Coca-Cola to the crimes.<br /><br />Below is the introduction to the interview. I encourage everyone to check this out in full. You can <a href="http://www.archive.org/download/dn2004-0427/dn2004-0427-1_64kb.mp3">download the audio</a> or stream the video of this interview from the website.<br /><br /><em>"On the morning of December 5, 1996, two men on a motorcycle arrived at a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Antioquia, Colombia, where according to eyewitnesses they breezed past a guardhouse at the factory's front gate and onto plant grounds. The men approached Isidro Gil, head of the plant's union of bottling employees, and in plain sight of his co-workers shot him ten times, mortally wounding him. Just one hour later, another top union officer was kidnapped from his home, and that evening the union's offices were ransacked and burned to the ground. Two days later, after gunmen with the Colombian paramilitary group A.U.C. threatened further violence against employees, plant managers distributed union resignation forms to workers. All of them signed the forms. </em><br /><br /><em>"In July of 2001, the union representing Colombia's Coca-Cola employees filed suit in a federal court in Florida, alleging Coke contracted with paramilitary death squads to torture, kidnap, and murder union leaders at its bottling plants. Though the lawsuit was initially thrown out, charges of collusion with Colombian paramilitaries continue to dog the company. An amended version of the lawsuit was filed this month with the same federal court in Miami, and at Coke's annual shareholders' meeting in Wilmington, Deleware last Wednesday, Coke Chairman and CEO Douglas Daft went on the defensive, telling investors that his company had no role in the killings."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>- From <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/04/27/1435213">Democracy Now</a></em>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-56130890491099592982007-03-23T14:44:00.001-05:002007-03-23T14:44:21.839-05:00activism update: indians fight coca-cola<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/q_oTzbMIrtM' name='movie'></param><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/q_oTzbMIrtM'></embed></object></p></div>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-91000337437262373842007-03-23T14:42:00.001-05:002007-03-23T14:42:34.632-05:00activism update: WB 11 Investigative Piece On Killer Coke<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/Mey0RGYHspo' name='movie'></param><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/Mey0RGYHspo'></embed></object></p><p>Here's a somewhat dated piece by WB on Coca-Cola's alleged human rights abuses, with interviews with councilmembers and activists about their views on the issue. </p></div>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-14349555197012165752007-03-23T14:41:00.000-05:002007-03-23T14:02:05.612-05:00social awareness guide #4: this call may be recorded for quality assurance purposes...<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>When Vincent Ferrari tried to cancel his account, he met with the customer representative from hell. Good thing he decided to record the conversation and post it on YouTube (see below), creating great embarassment for AOL. (If you search for AOL on YouTube, this is the first thing that pops up.)<br /><br />While Vincent's experience may be extreme, many of us have tried calling customer representative or tech support before and encountered our own share of hilarious and/or annoying frustrations. My suggestion is: every time you want to call customer service, record the conversation. Whether you decide to post it on YouTube or keep it for your records, that's up to you, but you never know what it could be good for. Sometimes the people who answer your call don't always record the conversation. I imagine that they must be sitting at a computer that has predetermined codes or boxes that they fill, and that they are given limited authorization to make changes. (E.g. Toshiba had extended my warranty for a year but it never shows up on my account when I call until I remind them.)<br /><br />I'm not sure if recording and publishing these calls are any violation of any law so I don't want to encourage people to do that until you and I find out more. I don't think Vincent got in any particular trouble, and if it was a legitimate grievance, the company might be too embarassed to sue. Plus, even if you retract the video, given the power of the Internet, many others would've re-posted it.<br /><br />So, make sure when you hear the automated recording say "This call may be monitored for quality assurance purposes...", that you do the same.</p></div>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-46084379695865805162007-03-23T13:58:00.001-05:002007-03-23T13:58:48.501-05:00How hard is it to cancel AOL?<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/1_knvtpENoQ' name='movie'></param><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/1_knvtpENoQ'></embed></object></p></div>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982572757447102589.post-58386654421906530002007-03-22T22:04:00.000-05:002007-03-22T22:09:16.072-05:00book review: confessions of an economic hitman<p>"We must shake ourselves awake. We who live in the most powerful nation history has ever known must stop worrying so much about the outcome of soap operas, football games, quarterly balance sheets, and the daily Dow Jones average, and must instead reevaluate who we are and where we want our children to end up."</p><p>John Perkins, <em>Confessions of an Economic Hitman</em></p><p><em>Confessions of an Economic Hit Man</em> tells the fascinating story of how one man was hired as part of a network of "economic hit man" whose role is to trick developing countries into accepting huge loans that benefit no one but the richest, while at the same time allowing huge corporations to get rich by building huge infrastructure projects. The books takes the reader across the world, from Indonesia to Panama, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and others. </p><p>Skepticism is good. I personally believe that one should be skeptical and critical of everything you hear, even - or maybe <em>especially </em>- if it comes from a view aligned with your own. I admit to share an agenda similar to Perkin's, namely that I'm against global corporate dominance and imperialism, but I still wanted to bring in a dose of skepticism and ask: Is Perkins' book believable? </p><p>I have a two part answer to that. You can separate the book into two layers: Perkin's life story (which are subjective), and historical facts (which are less subjective and can be further researched). I'm not particularly interested in Perkins life or his psychological struggles, nor am I interested in its precise veracity. As he admits, he had made some changes to the specific dialogues, and I suspect he might have made up some scenes that serve more rhetorical purposes, such as serving as a platform for discussion. This is just my speculation, and to the extent that those scenes are fabricated, I don't really care. </p><p>Then there are the historical facts, which center on whether something actually happened. For the historical facts, I urge the reader (skeptical or otherwise) to look it up. If you live in a free country, these sources are readily available, although I would not start at a high school or even college history textbook. I would maybe look into something more reliable. </p><p>Regarding whether such economic hit man actually exist, that's harder for me to prove here one way or the other. I <em>have</em> tried to do research into it, and nothing has come up to disprove Perkins, although the burden of proof is on him. This is like someone trying to write about a government cover-up of extraterrestials: <em>of course</em> you don't won't find anything 'cause it's a cover-up! Well, I would keep an open-mind about it, and <em>do more research</em>. Read more, look up his sources, look into the history of corporations, governments, etc. I am more inclined to think the Perkins is telling the truth, namely because I grew up in some of the places he mentioned, and it "rings true" to me, but that's as far as I have. </p><p>If nothing else, Perkins book may serve as a platform for dialogue, and whether you agree with his specific recounting of events, I think that globalization and corporate rule has had an adverse effect on the world can be substantiated. </p><p>Perkins style is not particularly interesting, but then again he's not an author. In fact, if he wrote with the eloquence of Dickens, I might be <em>less</em> inclined to believe him.<br />So, my final advice: Whatever your views, whoever you are, keep reading, researching, follow-up. We should be critical of all views, especially those we agree with, because we are more vulnerable to manipulation there. </p>Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12315943737783306677noreply@blogger.com0