Corey's Ramblings

March 12, 2013

My Weird Day in the World of eCommerce

I really hate the world of failblog - but I ran into two examples from the world of ecommerce that might really fit the bill. The reason I do not like failblog is because so many times it criticizes noble and honest attempts to do something good. In so many cases, there is good intent - but it just comes out poorly. It is good to remember that the easiest way to avoid failure is not to try anything.

But today, I came across two very odd examples of eCommerce gone wrong. Sure there are good intentions here - but it seems that with so many companies right now, the race is to see how few people you can have watching the shop. 10% cuts to the workforce over and over will take its toll. And maybe that has led to my two weird examples from eCommerce today.

A Great Price for a Computer - if you can get it....

So I found this today on the Best Buy site. I have purchased a great deal at Best Buy over the years. In fact, that is where I bought my last PC four years ago. I think that my PC is on its last legs, and I was thinking about the need to get something new. So I spent a few minutes and looking around today. I found a pretty cool looking Lenovo PC at a good price. And it was not sold out...so that is good. So all I need was to figure out if I can order it for delivery or store pickup. But it seems that it is not available for shipping. It is also not available for store pickup - but, if you are a masochist, you can check the stores for the item that you cannot pickup in stores. It seemed like a cool PC - keep looking....

Thanks for your purchase - here are three things you might want...or not.

If you have ever purchased anything at Amazon, you probably have been really surprised that the recommendations that came after the purchase really were quite good. They present recommendations better than just about anyone out there. And you can imagine executives sitting in meetings suggesting that they could do the same just as well. Some companies do pretty well. Most companies probably do not do as well. Which brings me to an email I received today.

When we shop at Sears, we get an email receipt (which is pretty cool). In fact, late last week, my wife went and purchased a sweater from the Lands' End store at Sears. But today, they sent me an email with the above recommendations for other things I like. They actually identified 3 things that were picked JUST FOR ME. The three items are things I have NEVER seen at a Sears store...and are very curious indeed. These items - picked JUST FOR ME - are a Comb Binding System (when you get reports that have those plastic coil bindings - this is Comb Binding) and two different literature organizers - which you would see in a sales office inventory closet - just like in the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan 1990 film Joe vs. the Volcano:

After having a paranoid feeling that someone got our card - bought all sorts of office equipment at Sears - and they are following up with more to purchase (this did not happen), we began to think the following:

How do you go from a sweater purchase to making a recommendation to buy some specialized office equipment and furniture? These are my thoughts....

People who wear sweaters might also be people who need a $2500 comb binding system.
People who need to organize literature are always cold.
When they saw in my occupation that I am a librarian, it was clear that I would have a need for this type of equipment.
People in Michigan love to comb bind documents and would do it all the time - if ONLY THEY HAD THE EQUIPMENT.
A random product generator made the connection between a sweater and equipment that has very rarely been sold to individuals.
The person who wrote the algorithm has always wanted a comb binding system...so shouldn't everyone.

And thus ends my weird day in the world of eCommerce. I think I am going to go to Meijer...you can get anything there:

This entry was posted in the following categories: Completely Off Topic!

Posted by cseeman at 08:18 PM | Comments (0)

January 05, 2013

Looking way way back to elementary school (Village School - Holmdel, NJ)

Over the Christmas break, I spent some time scanning photos that my mother had given me a while back. They, like all other photos, are heading over to flickr. I hope that my former classmates from Village School in Holmdel, New Jersey (the home of Bruce Springsteen....really) can find these images on the web.

So it is funny when I have a hard time thinking about what the boys did in Kindergarten and grades 1, 2, and 3. But when I think about these times for me....man, I have nothing.

So here I am, as a really young New Jersey kid....

Kindergarten (I am the middle of the bottom row).

1st Grade (I am the only one on the right of the second row).

2nd Grade (the 3rd from the left on the back row next to the teacher - who's name I cannot remember for love or money).

3rd Grade (ditto on the teacher - I am sporting the great jacket - 2nd from the left on the 3rd row).

These pictures are wonderful. I hope that other people who are from Holmdel finds them - maybe they will find themselves. And the Internet should be not about SPAM, viruses, or phishing - but random acts of kindness and sharing that helps make the world a better place. Think if we all did a little bit each day - what a library that would make.

This entry was posted in the following categories: flickr (photos)

Posted by cseeman at 04:22 PM | Comments (0)

December 28, 2012

Orson Welles' Les Miserables from 1937 (Old Time Radio)

Just saw Les Misereables today - just a great movie. So naturally, I was thinking - OK, there must be a radio version that is available.

I found a good one by the great Orson Welles. In 1937, before the Mercury Theater or War of the Worlds, Welles produced his first radio series. In this seven part series, you hear a great dramatization of this Victor Hugo masterpiece. As you might imagine, Orson Welles plays Jean Valjean. This was presented in seven 30 minute episodes. You can get more information on the series from this Wikipedia page. For more on Welles' Mercury Theater, see this page that includes links to the recordings.

This entry was posted in the following categories: Old Time Radio

Posted by cseeman at 09:09 PM | Comments (0)

December 24, 2012

Dragnet's Big Little Jesus (Christmas old time radio)

On this Christmas Eve, I am going to start wrapping up some of my favorite Christmas and Holiday themed shows that are available via old time radio. If you have Sirius/XM, you can listen to Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#82). He has a number of great programs available this week. You can also get a large number of these programs at a variety or resources on the web. One place to find these shows is the 500 OTR Christmas Shows from the Internet Archive. This is a great resources for many of these wonderful radio shows!

I have not been a huge fan of Dragnet, maybe one of the most famous radio and early television programs out there. I recently showcased the sad Dragnet episode Twenty-Two Rifle for Christmas from 1949. Now I would like to showcase a much nicer episode. This story, called Big Little Jesus, shows how a much nicer side of Christmas. Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith receive a called about a missing religious statue of the baby Jesus from the Mission church in Los Angeles. While it is not a huge crime, they move forward looking at every lead and pawn shop to find this item before Christmas. Eventually, it turns up in the sweetest way possible.

It can be kinda corny, but is one of those radio episodes that really hits home with the true meaning of Christmas. I invite everyone to take 30 minutes, go back in time, and recapture the meaning of the holidays.

Here is a link to two versions of Big Little Jesus:
Dragnet's Big Little Jesus (Deccember 22, 1953)
Dragnet's Big Little Jesus (Deccember 21, 1954)

Here are some links to programs relating to Dragnet:

Dragnet Radio program episodes via the Internet Archive

Dragnet, “The Christmas Story” (a.k.a. “The Big Little Jesus”)

Big Little Jesus Script (December 22, 1953) from the Generic Radio Workshop Script Library

Old Time Dragnet Show with Adam Graham (fan blog with links to radio and television episodes)

Dragnet scripts from the Generic Radio Workshop

Badge 714 - the Dragnet Webb site

See also 500 OTR Christmas Shows from the Internet Archive.

This entry was posted in the following categories: Old Time Radio

Posted by cseeman at 09:22 AM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2012

Elgin Watch's Christmas Specials from the 1940s (old time radio)

On this week before Christmas, I am going to try to showcase some of the Christmas and Holiday themed shows that are available via old time radio. If you have Sirius/XM, you can listen to Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#82). He has a number of great programs available this week. You can also get a large number of these programs at a variety or resources on the web.

One of the really cool shows I recently discovered were the Elgin Seasonal Specials for Thanksgiving and Christmas in the 1940s. The shows were sponsored by the Elgin Watch Company of Elgin, Illinois. Starting in 1942 for the soldiers overseas, the Elgin Holiday Specials were two hour programs that featured the brightest stars in radio and the movies. Heard on these programs is Bing Crosby, Mario Landa, Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope and were all hosted by Don Ameche. The Internet Archives has five total shows (see the link below). One of the real treats takes place one hour into the show from 1945. Jack Benny gave a twisted performance of Sorry Wrong Number, one of the most iconic episodes of Suspense. Also, given that the program runs 2 hours, these are not commonly played on current radio programs like XM 82.

Here is a link right to the Elgin's Christmas Shows:
Elgin's 3rd Annual Christmas Show (December 25, 1944)
Elgin's 4th Annual Christmas Show (December 25, 1945)
Elgin's 7th Annual Christmas Show (December 25, 1948)

Here are all the episodes that are on the Internet Archive: Thanksgiving and Christmas specials sponsored by the Elgin Watch Company via the Internet Archive. See also 500 OTR Christmas Shows from the Internet Archive.

This entry was posted in the following categories: Old Time Radio

Posted by cseeman at 08:59 AM | Comments (0)

Nick Carter's Christmas Adventure (old time radio program)

I cannot remember when it was, but I heard recently a commercial in a show talking about how a radio would be a perfect gift for anyone this Christmas who spends so much time in the kitchen. Ironically, I listen to a lot of old time radio when I am baking in the kitchen - but with a bit more high-tech MP3s through my clock radio. So not quite like the housewives of old - but I guess the best I can do these days! So I will be listening to many of these programs while I am baking and preparing holiday meals.

One of the shows I really like is Nick Carter, Master Detective. He is...well, a master detective (bet you did not see that coming). On Christmas Day, 1943, Nick Carter's Christmas Adventure was broadcast. There are so many different programs that borrow from Dicken's A Christmas Carol, and this sorta does one better. Nick Carter starts out collecting money for his Settlement House Christmas Party and runs into a gentleman named Ben Rasper, who had many of the characteristics of Ebeneezer Scrooge. After turning down the opportunity to contribute to the party. Nick went out and figured out why we was so bitter this time of year. In the end, it is not ghosts from his past who change his views of Christmas, but some good detective work to find people from Ben Rasper's past to show him the true meaning of the holidays. So while it is not really at all like A Christmas Carol, it has so many of the elements without any of the spirits of Christmas present, past or yet to come!

Here is a link right to the Nick Carter Christmas show:
Nick Carter's Christmas Adventure (December 25, 1943)

Here are some links to programs relating to Nick Carter:

Nick Carter episodes via the Internet Archive

Nick Carter on Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs

Nick Carter on the Thrilling Detective Web Site

See also 500 OTR Christmas Shows from the Internet Archive.

This entry was posted in the following categories: Old Time Radio

Posted by cseeman at 05:37 AM | Comments (0)

December 19, 2012

Dragnet's Twenty-Two Rifle for Christmas

I have listened to a large number of Christmas radio shows with very happy and cherry endings. It is the holidays afterall. But this story does not have a happy ending. Maybe that is one of the reasons why Dragnet was one of the most popular series on both radio and television. From its start in the summer of 1949, it was the brainchild of its star Jack Webb (who played in a large number of radio programs including Pat Novack for Hire and Jeff Regan among others). Dragnet was known for its realism and attention to detail. In the show they broadcast for their first Christmas, Twenty-Two Rifle for Christmas, they tell the story of a child who could not wait until the 25th for his present, and the horrible consequences of that action. In the light of the horrible events at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday December 14, 2012, it is clear that guns are not a new problem. This episode is one of the most chilling that I can recall, where a child not only was the victim, but also the perpetrator.

Here is a link right to Twenty-Two Rifle for Christmas:
Dragnet's Twenty-Two Rifle for Christmas (December 22, 1949)

Here are some links to programs relating to Dragnet: