I don't usually say a lot about work here because most of you would be bored by it. However today is an exception as Southwest made a big splash with some new changes. I will let Southwest speak for itself for the most part. Here are links to the major changes:
Changes to the gate area
Boarding process chagnes
Rapid Rewards A-List and Freedom Awards
New Pricing Options
While I no longer work on southwest.com, my team spent about the last 10 months working on varies pieces in support of these efforts. It has been a fast and furious couple of weeks as we have put the finishing touches on things. Of course, we already starting to plan the next projects so there's no resting on our laurels.
Until next time...
PH
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Stupid Product Name
Disclaimer: The following is not an endorsement of the product mentioned.
Over the past few months I have heard a number of advertisements on the radio for Black and Mild Cigars. I have dismissed them because I have no interest, and the commercials are rather inane to boot. However I was checking out at Walgreen's this morning, and they have a wonderful tobacco display behind the cashier. I saw the afore mentioned Black and Mild Cigars, but I had trouble containing my laughter when next it them I saw Black and Mild Mild Cigars. No, that is not a typo. Black and Mild makes a mild version of their cigars! I hope they don't pay their Marketing Department very much.
Until next time...
PH
Over the past few months I have heard a number of advertisements on the radio for Black and Mild Cigars. I have dismissed them because I have no interest, and the commercials are rather inane to boot. However I was checking out at Walgreen's this morning, and they have a wonderful tobacco display behind the cashier. I saw the afore mentioned Black and Mild Cigars, but I had trouble containing my laughter when next it them I saw Black and Mild Mild Cigars. No, that is not a typo. Black and Mild makes a mild version of their cigars! I hope they don't pay their Marketing Department very much.
Until next time...
PH
Monday, November 5, 2007
Cowboys/Eagles Observations
How 'bout them Cowboys? That was truly an enjoyable game last night, wasn't it? They destroyed the Eagles; however, that Eagles team is just not very good anymore. While they have dominated the NFC East for the last few years, we can put the proverbial fork in them.
I'm not a professional sports writer so I'm going to leave the in depth analysis to those that are. Here you will find some observations on a lighter note from the fan's perspective.
Have you ever noticed that Wade Phillips often looks like he has no idea what's going on? On multiple occasions last night they cut over to him, and he just looked confused. Either that or he smelled something. It seems like you either get this look or the punching air reaction after a big play. Don't get me wrong. I think he is doing a great job. The proof is in the 7-1 pudding.
Jason Witten is one tough dude. Did you see him take a shot to the head, have his helmet torn off, and then run for another 20+ yards? After the play was over, he kind of looked like the guy from the Snicker's commercial a few years ago who, after taking a major hit, sat on the bench and proclaimed, "I am Batman!" Given the blood coming from his nose after the play, we can forgive the expletive that he let fly on the way back to the bench. However, he was back in a couple of plays later. 'Nuff said.
Coming in a very close second on the tough dude scale is Marion "The Barbarian" Barber. Would anyone like to volunteer to try to tackle him just for kicks? I love to watch him run over the other team's defense. I think he might have a bit of a Sampson thing going with that hair. Doh! I hope no one from the other teams reads this.
Is anyone more polarizing in football than T.O. Owens? It's as if someone went to the lab and combined Dione Sanders and Michael Irvin into one personality. Like Dione, it's much better when he is on your team that when he isn't. Do you think he enjoyed himself at all last night?
Next up: the New York Football Giants.
Until next time...
PH
I'm not a professional sports writer so I'm going to leave the in depth analysis to those that are. Here you will find some observations on a lighter note from the fan's perspective.
Have you ever noticed that Wade Phillips often looks like he has no idea what's going on? On multiple occasions last night they cut over to him, and he just looked confused. Either that or he smelled something. It seems like you either get this look or the punching air reaction after a big play. Don't get me wrong. I think he is doing a great job. The proof is in the 7-1 pudding.
Jason Witten is one tough dude. Did you see him take a shot to the head, have his helmet torn off, and then run for another 20+ yards? After the play was over, he kind of looked like the guy from the Snicker's commercial a few years ago who, after taking a major hit, sat on the bench and proclaimed, "I am Batman!" Given the blood coming from his nose after the play, we can forgive the expletive that he let fly on the way back to the bench. However, he was back in a couple of plays later. 'Nuff said.
Coming in a very close second on the tough dude scale is Marion "The Barbarian" Barber. Would anyone like to volunteer to try to tackle him just for kicks? I love to watch him run over the other team's defense. I think he might have a bit of a Sampson thing going with that hair. Doh! I hope no one from the other teams reads this.
Is anyone more polarizing in football than T.O. Owens? It's as if someone went to the lab and combined Dione Sanders and Michael Irvin into one personality. Like Dione, it's much better when he is on your team that when he isn't. Do you think he enjoyed himself at all last night?
Next up: the New York Football Giants.
Until next time...
PH
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Scattershooting 11/4/2007
Today seems like a good day for scattershooting so here goes.
Did anyone else forget to "fall back" last night? We did, and it wasn't until we had been up and had breakfast before we figured it out. To top it off, we still managed to be running late this morning, and we got to church after the first hymn started.
If you live in DFW, you know that the weather the past couple of days has been almost perfect. It doesn't really feel like the first week in November, but who could argue with a low of 60 and a high of 85?
Can you believe it is time to start thinking about Christmas shopping? I like to be done before Thanksgiving so that I don't have to worry about all the madness between then and Christmas. Where did 2007 go?
I opened a bottle of wine this afternoon. It's a nice lite Chardonnay from my birthday party. I haven't really had much wine this year, but it just sounded good. I also prefer white wines during the warmer weather which can't be with us much longer. Is there anything better on a cool/cold evening that a nice bold red? Some may say a nice winter warmer ale, and I'd be hard pressed to argue.
I'm excited about the Cowboys game tonight, but I wish that I hadn't gotten up an hour earlier than usual. What will feel like 11:00 p.m. is awfully late for an early bird who's now 10 years out of college. That sounded really old, didn't it? Perhaps that's what I am.
Until next time...
PH
Did anyone else forget to "fall back" last night? We did, and it wasn't until we had been up and had breakfast before we figured it out. To top it off, we still managed to be running late this morning, and we got to church after the first hymn started.
If you live in DFW, you know that the weather the past couple of days has been almost perfect. It doesn't really feel like the first week in November, but who could argue with a low of 60 and a high of 85?
Can you believe it is time to start thinking about Christmas shopping? I like to be done before Thanksgiving so that I don't have to worry about all the madness between then and Christmas. Where did 2007 go?
I opened a bottle of wine this afternoon. It's a nice lite Chardonnay from my birthday party. I haven't really had much wine this year, but it just sounded good. I also prefer white wines during the warmer weather which can't be with us much longer. Is there anything better on a cool/cold evening that a nice bold red? Some may say a nice winter warmer ale, and I'd be hard pressed to argue.
I'm excited about the Cowboys game tonight, but I wish that I hadn't gotten up an hour earlier than usual. What will feel like 11:00 p.m. is awfully late for an early bird who's now 10 years out of college. That sounded really old, didn't it? Perhaps that's what I am.
Until next time...
PH
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Take advantage of free programs
Marketing these days can be annoying - especially SPAM and telemarketing. However, there are some legitimate programs that you can take advantage of. Most of these are of the loyalty variety such as American's Advantage or Tom Thumb's Rewards Card. These typically cost you nothing, and they reward you for doing what you already do. So what's the catch?
While we do receive benefit from these programs, companies don't do it out of the goodness of their heart either. Every program that has a card has some sort of unique number associated with it, and the company has your personal information tied to that number - typically name, address, e-mail address, and maybe phone number. In order to earn program points, you have to present your card or give your number at purchase time. This allows the company to track your purchase behavior. Typically what you will see as a result is marketing that is targeted to you based on your purchase behavior, and you can usually control the frequency and delivery channel by which you receive it. With major, reputable companies it is usually a symbiotic relationship.
One of my favorite loyalty programs is Borders Rewards. If you know me very well, you know that reading is my major hobby. You essentially bingo every for every $150 you spend, and your prize is $5 in Borders Bucks. In addition, you can sign up for a weekly e-mail with discount coupons for sometimes up to 30% off a single item.
I think that this was really a survival strategy for Borders. Why would people stop by and pay full price for books when they can order them online from the convenience of their own home at a steep discount? I like to thumb through books before I buy them, but I would sometimes skip this to save money. Or other times I would look at the book at Borders and then go home to see how much it was online. Borders and other "brick and mortar" stores were in some ways becoming fancy libraries. However when I can slap down a 30% off coupon at the checkout, I am much less likely to shop at Borders and buy elsewhere.
Don't get me wrong. I still buy a fair amount of my books online at a greater discount. On most sites like Amazon, you still don't have to pay taxes so that is still an advantage. What Borders has done, though, is manage to take back about half of my spending on books. I would say that their program has been a success on me at least.
So look around, and make sure that you are not missing out on loyalty program benefits. For the major companies, all you are doing is helping them do a better job of giving you what you want.
Until next time...
PH
While we do receive benefit from these programs, companies don't do it out of the goodness of their heart either. Every program that has a card has some sort of unique number associated with it, and the company has your personal information tied to that number - typically name, address, e-mail address, and maybe phone number. In order to earn program points, you have to present your card or give your number at purchase time. This allows the company to track your purchase behavior. Typically what you will see as a result is marketing that is targeted to you based on your purchase behavior, and you can usually control the frequency and delivery channel by which you receive it. With major, reputable companies it is usually a symbiotic relationship.
One of my favorite loyalty programs is Borders Rewards. If you know me very well, you know that reading is my major hobby. You essentially bingo every for every $150 you spend, and your prize is $5 in Borders Bucks. In addition, you can sign up for a weekly e-mail with discount coupons for sometimes up to 30% off a single item.
I think that this was really a survival strategy for Borders. Why would people stop by and pay full price for books when they can order them online from the convenience of their own home at a steep discount? I like to thumb through books before I buy them, but I would sometimes skip this to save money. Or other times I would look at the book at Borders and then go home to see how much it was online. Borders and other "brick and mortar" stores were in some ways becoming fancy libraries. However when I can slap down a 30% off coupon at the checkout, I am much less likely to shop at Borders and buy elsewhere.
Don't get me wrong. I still buy a fair amount of my books online at a greater discount. On most sites like Amazon, you still don't have to pay taxes so that is still an advantage. What Borders has done, though, is manage to take back about half of my spending on books. I would say that their program has been a success on me at least.
So look around, and make sure that you are not missing out on loyalty program benefits. For the major companies, all you are doing is helping them do a better job of giving you what you want.
Until next time...
PH
Friday, November 2, 2007
Homedics Massaging Chair Cushion
As I mentioned earlier, I selected the Homedics QRM-400H massaging chair cushion as my Vine product in November. My review is now up on Amazon, and this is the product that by far I use the most of all the items I've gotten so far. I fire it up first thing in the morning as I'm having breakfast at my desk and reading my e-mail. I also use it when I need to warm up - sometimes it's like my office is at the North Pole!
Until next time...
PH
Until next time...
PH
Thursday, November 1, 2007
On maturing...
I would like each of you to think back to that time in your life when you had everything figured out - when you knew everything there was to know. I'm talking about somewhere around age 19-20. It is amazing how in the 15 years since then I have realized just how little I really understood at that point. While this topic is rich enough to blog on for years, I have a specific topic in mind.
When I was in high school and college, I went to great lengths to avoid any course related to psychology or sociology. With a strong appreciation for math, physics, and chemistry, I shunned these "touchy-feely" subjects and wondered why anyone would want to waste their time on such matters.
After having been a manager for over five years now, I understand quite well why someone would want to "waste their time" on psychology. I spent the first five years of my career writing software, and I dealt with the very rational, consistent computer for the majority of my day. Computers are very predictable in the answers that they give you. However, I quickly discovered that people are not at all that way.
Much to my surprise, I also found the challenge of managing people to be far more stimulating than working with the computer full time because of the unpredictable nature of people. I've also found that people can be very difficult to understand at times, and it is not explainable through math, physics, chemistry, Java, UNIX, or any other of the exact sciences.
Since then, I have played catch up through self-study in acquiring some knowledge of psychology. I have read a number of books on leadership, management, and communication. Right now, I am reading a book directly tied to psychology called Toxic Coworkers: How to Deal with Dysfunctional People on the Job. It is a rather practical book that describes a series of personality disorders (narcissists, sociopaths, etc.) and gives types for dealing with bosses, coworkers, and subordinates who display these traits. While anyone could benefit from reading it, it should be required reading for managers.
Needless to say things I once thought "touchy-feely" are actually quite practical and necessary. Isn't it funny how time humbles us?
Until next time...
PH
When I was in high school and college, I went to great lengths to avoid any course related to psychology or sociology. With a strong appreciation for math, physics, and chemistry, I shunned these "touchy-feely" subjects and wondered why anyone would want to waste their time on such matters.
After having been a manager for over five years now, I understand quite well why someone would want to "waste their time" on psychology. I spent the first five years of my career writing software, and I dealt with the very rational, consistent computer for the majority of my day. Computers are very predictable in the answers that they give you. However, I quickly discovered that people are not at all that way.
Much to my surprise, I also found the challenge of managing people to be far more stimulating than working with the computer full time because of the unpredictable nature of people. I've also found that people can be very difficult to understand at times, and it is not explainable through math, physics, chemistry, Java, UNIX, or any other of the exact sciences.
Since then, I have played catch up through self-study in acquiring some knowledge of psychology. I have read a number of books on leadership, management, and communication. Right now, I am reading a book directly tied to psychology called Toxic Coworkers: How to Deal with Dysfunctional People on the Job. It is a rather practical book that describes a series of personality disorders (narcissists, sociopaths, etc.) and gives types for dealing with bosses, coworkers, and subordinates who display these traits. While anyone could benefit from reading it, it should be required reading for managers.
Needless to say things I once thought "touchy-feely" are actually quite practical and necessary. Isn't it funny how time humbles us?
Until next time...
PH
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