Proof that Microsoft works for the Devil.

I always thought that Microsoft might be secretly pursuing the Devil’s agenda.  All those conspiricy nuts are right, and I have the proof.

I was signing up for a Windows Live account and I got this.

Whew I’m glad I caught it before completing the registration.  Who knows what bad things might have befallen me.  Notice how the 666 is carefully inserted into the middle so as not to draw attention?  The middle six being lower then the rest seem very menacing as well.  Surely if they weren’t working for the Devil they would have algorithms to avoid the combination of 3 sixes in a row.

Technorati Tags: 666, bill gates, devil, microsoft

A way to give out / manage tickets?

At my work we have season tickets to the Pepsi Center here in Denver, CO.  The Receptionist is in charge of distributing extra tickets to employees.  This can become a bit cumbersome.  So I’m looking for a system (home made or premade) that can help her do this.

Ideally it would be something that the employees can log into and request tickets for any available events.  So it would have to have some sort of calendar with the events listed and number of tickets available.  It would have to go beyond that though.

The system would need to limit the number of ticket someone can request based on criteria we set (ie. minimum of 2 maxium of 4) and it would have to track the employees history and give preference to those who haven’t requested tickets recently.

If anybody has an idea for this please twitter me at http://twitter.com/thenitetechs.  Even a combination of technologies would be great.  Do you do thist kind of thing at work?  What do you do to easy the pain and harrasing phone calls?

Technorati Tags: management, ticktes

hi, my MotoQ still works (for me).

With all the buzz surrounding the new iPhone I just wanted to mention that I still use my MotoQ.

I have Verizon’s MotoQ 9m.  M for Music which is totally wasted on me.  Plus its just too darn expensive to buy music through Verizon’s vCast.  Since I’m on the subject of what I don’t like about the Q…  ok well it’s Windows Mobile which we all know is a dog.  I mean why can’t I exit out of certain programs like IE and Contacts?  Why do they sit there hogging up system memory until I open Task Manager and kill them?  There needs to be an Exit option on all applications on the Q.

Otherwise the Q has been very reliable.  The use of Active Sync makes it very easy for me to use the phone at work.  I have been recommending Window Mobile phones for everyone at work because of Active Sync.  Now that the iPhone has the same, I’m ok with reccomending it. 

I tried to use the Q as an MP3 player and listen to podcasts on it.  However I got an iPod for my birthday and its just so much easier.

So basically this is no resounding support for the Q or Windows Mobile but I have found it to be very reliable.  It just works and keeps working.  I won’t switch to anything new until it stops working.  My guess is that Black Berry users feel the same way.  Anyway that’s it, just wanted to say my Q works and I’m not switching.  Unless someone wants to give me an iPhone for free.

Technorati Tags: cell, motoq, phones

Farethewell Proflowers, I hardly knew ye.

This is a personal rant with no relevence to technology at all.  Actually it’s more of a rant meets and email.  Below is the emails between me and Proflowers regarding their use of the Easy Savers program.

The last time we ordered flowers my wife called me and asked “should I use this link to save $15 on my order?”  I told her it’s not a good idea because we’ll probably be signing up for some program that we’ll have to pay for later.  She didn’t sign up for it, however she did complete the transaction after backing out of the Easy Saver program.

ProFlowers Customer Care <wecare@proflowers.com>	Wed, Jul 9, 2008 at 9:19 AM
Reply-To: ProFlowers Customer Care <wecare@proflowers.com> To: jxxxxxxxxxx@gmail.com
Dear J, Thank you for contacting us. We really appreciate your feedback in the EasySaver Rewards program and I am so sorry for your poor experience. Rest assured, we take your comments seriously, and we are on your side. Let me take a moment to just summarize the program enrollment. After you make a purchase on our site, we offer a $15 coupon. If you click on that coupon you will land on a registration page to join our EasySaver program.  In order to enroll and receive the coupon, you must enter your email address and zip code which is the acceptance of the terms and conditions of the program.  Within the terms stated to the left of the “accept” button, is the enrollment process and states the charge of the program. Our goal is not to have you in the program if you did not wish to enroll and we apologize if this was confusing.  If you have not already done so and would like to cancel this membership, feel free to call EasySaver Rewards directly at 1-800-355-1837 and simple instructions will be provided to you to cancel. We totally understand your frustration and will attempt to clarify the enrollment process for future customers. To follow up, I am going to forward your valuable comments to our partner group that oversees the program. Our customer experience is of the utmost importance and we will do anything to improve your future shopping experiences. Once again, we apologize for your poor experience and we are here to help in any other way necessary. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are available for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Best Regards, Mr. Kit Medina Customer Care ProFlowers Send love, not like. Send ProFlowers. —–Original Message—– From: jxxxxxxxx@gmail.com Sent: Jul 9, 2008 7:09:27 AM Subject: Customer Submission: General Comments The following customer submission has been completed: Name: J Lynch Telephone: Email: jxxxxxxxx@gmail.com Order#: —————————————————————- Unfortunately you have lost me as a customer.  My wife, recently ordered flowers for her Mom.  The chocolate was missing but that’s ok, I understand those things happen.  The inexcusable part is that Proflowers partners with a disreputable company like Easy Savers. During the ordering process my wife called and told me that Proflowers has this great deal and she can save some money on the order (or maybe free shipping).  I told her to be careful a lot of sites offer these discounts if you try a service of some type. She says clicked on the link but then canceled out of signing up for Easy Savers.  However she did complete the purchase online.  At any rate I just got our card statement and sure enough there is a charge for 14.95 from Easy Savers. Proflowers should stick to its core business and not run the risk of irritating good customers for some “easy money”.

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M Lynch <jxxxxxxxxxx@gmail.com>	Wed, Jul 9, 2008 at 10:21 AM
To: ProFlowers Customer Care <wecare@proflowers.com>
We all know these tactics are very deceptive.  I understand they are effective, in the way telemarketers and spamers are.  Often people don’t understand the nature of what they are agreeing to because of the nature of the internet.  The internet is a fast moving place, where people click places they don’t mean to or don’t fully read a EULA.  Also people expect companies to protect their best interests, although I subscribe to “buyer beware.” My wife called me during the transaction to ask me about this deal.  I told her not to take it and she says she didn’t.  However I still got the bill.  If the Easy Saver program had asked for her credit card to be put in again, I’m sure these mistakes would never happen.  However Proflowers would probably have very little enrollment. We aren’t the only ones with this issue: http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/proflowers-easy-saver-c72200.html http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/unauthorized-charges-c77570.html http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/267/RipOff0267480.htm Not to mention the enormous complaints about Easy Savers as a company.  Is whatever sum Proflower’s get from this company worth lossing customers over?  Is Proflower willing to lose its good name by being assocated with such a company?  I have to assume the anwer here is yes.  Which saddens me greatly, I’ve always liked the flowers from Proflowers. Maybe think about it this way:  How much in advertising dollars does Proflowers have to spend to make up for the lost customer base because of Easy Savers? My final piece of advice:  Just because something is legal to do, doesn’t mean it won’t leave a bad taste in your mouth. Sincerely, M Lynch

Technorati Tags: easy savers, proflowers, rant