F1 TV – Your User Experience Sucks!

In 2014, I finally became frustrated enough with my cable providers crazy pricing schemes that I gave up and cut the cord.

It was a good experience, with one small fly in the ointment – I could no longer watch Formula One, which had been a passion of mine for many years, and a rare instance of something both my wife and I could watch together. Well…if we are honest, she slept through most of it, but liked the bits she was awake for!

Then, in early 2020, we watched Formula 1: Drive to Survive and it reminded me of what we were missing. So…in January, 2020, we signed up for F1 TV, paying the full year subscription and then waiting for the races to start.

Except…they didn’t. Because of Covid they started cancelling races, with not even the first race being run. And they could not tell us when (or even if) they would restart.

This is where it starts to get strange

• I asked them to cancel my subscription because they couldn’t actually deliver what I had paid for.
  • They refused, saying that I should have cancelled within 30 days of signup.
• I pointed out that 30 days after I signed up they were still planning to show the races.
  • They still refused, sticking with I had to cancel within 30 days
• I asked if they bought something from an online vendor who later stopped making that thing, would they still expect the vendor to keep the money?
  • They still refused, sticking with I had to cancel within 30 days
• I called the credit card company, disputed the charge and got my money back.

Of course, later that year they did start showing races but, by then, I had lost the passion to watch.

Fast forward to 2021

We have been cooped up for a year, and the latest season of Formula 1: Drive to Survive airs. Cue desire to watch again and so we tried to sign up.

I tried to sign up online. I filled in the form, including credit card info, etc. Hit submit and…nothing.

In case you were not aware – I was in IT for a long time. I am the guy people come to with computer problems. This was not user error. There were no error messages it just…did nothing. My wife even tried…same deal.

OK, so we signed up through Roku and that worked.

We went for the cheaper deal that didn’t provide live races since I am in the USA and most races are done before I get up. We then found out that the cheaper deal doesn’t allow you to watch qualifying (which is at least half the fun) and there is a two day delay before you can watch the actual race.

This means watching races in the evening on week nights, which would not be my preference, And there is also a very high likelihood that we will hear the results before the race.

Soo…we opted for the full plan.

Except…we couldn’t

There is no option to upgrade. Any other system out there would have an upgrade button and you pay the difference. Not F1 TV.

If you order through Roku, then you have to manage through Roku. The only options Roku gives are to cancel or keep. No upgrade.

Fortunately, we went for the month to month option (not getting stuck with a yearly subscription that can’t be honored again) so we have had to cancel the existing subscription and wait for it to expire. As we still have access until the end of the month I can’t buy a new subscription until that is over!

So now I’m stuck with the crappy coverage until mid April where I hope I can upgrade to the full version.

Internet subscriptions are not a new thing. This should be basic stuff. Having forms that work, give meaningful error messages when they don’t, allow upgrades to plans…these are all normal.

I am exactly the type of customer you want. I know how to use technology, I stream, I have multiple devices, and I am interested in your product…and you are losing me!

I hope, once I finally get in, that the product itself is good. But…to date…I have not been impressed.

America. Can we talk about the gun thing?

America,

Let’s talk.  No, I mean really talk.  We have a problem with guns and I think it’s time we got things out in the open and took some sensible measures to address it.

I’ll start. I’ll lay out some ideas for discussion and then give details why I think that way so that you understand where I am coming from.

Then it’s your turn.  I hope you will participate because…well…I love you and I want us all to get back to being normal again.  Can we give that a try?

Here are my thoughts on a 7 step program to recovery.

1. Look at the patchwork of laws that exist across the country, rationalize those down to a smaller set of sensible, workable, laws.  Then enforce those laws completely.  
2. We need to study the causes of the gun violence and use that information based on actual science to inform the work of #1
3. We need to take a good, hard, look at what is covered under the second amendment.  Anything not covered – see #1
4. We need to make access to medical care a right for all citizens.  I think this also needs to be part of #1
5. We need to get guns out of schools.  
6. We need to start talking to each other instead of shouting from the sidelines.  
7. We need to say a big “Thank You!” to the kids from Parkland who have shown amazing strength both following the events and the personal attacks hurled at them afterward.  They are kids – Stop it!  

OK…take a breath.  I’m sure you have a lot of questions and I will try to answer them here.  Then, if you need more, well see #6.  I’m happy to discuss, but I will not respond to being yelled at, called names, etc.

Let’s go one by one.

#1 – Rationalize laws

I’m not a gun expert, nor a lawyer.  But one thing I am certain about is that adding more laws on top of existing laws isn’t likely to solve the issue.

Most laws on the books are already:

• Duplicative
• Confusing and contradictory
• Inconsistently enforced

I understand why the pro-gun people say that after a mass shooting is a bad time to talk about it because when people are hurting is a terrible time to write new laws.

But it is the perfect time to talk about it and get the ball rolling on some meaningful change. But, that change has to start with understanding the problem first and that takes time.

Which leads me nicely on to…

#2 Study the causes of gun violence in America

We need to take a good hard look at the root causes of gun violence and then see what we can do about it.  This needs to be actual science.  You know, the proper peer-reviewed type of work that we used to do before people started believing their Twitter feed and stopped thinking for themselves.

We can’t expect to fix a problem if we don’t know what is the underlying issue.

Once we have those facts we can start to take a good hard look at ourselves and start making meaningful changes.

#3 Look at what is covered under the second amendment

I’m OK with people owning guns.  Really.  But I do think that we need to take a look at some of the types of guns and their capabilities.

If the second amendment really was to enable the people to resist the government then we should be loading up with tanks and rocket launchers, because your rifle isn’t going to do much against a fully armed Apache helicopter.

I don’t think personal tank ownership is a good idea though because, well, where would we put them all?  And who would move them when street cleaning rules are in effect?

Based on the above I personally don’t believe that “weapons of war” should be covered, and that extends to assault rifle type guns.   I see very few situations where people need to have a high powered, semi-automatic rifle with a 30 round magazine.  So, let’s go through a few use cases

• Home defense
  A good friend of mine is very pro-gun, ex-military and highly trained.  His view is that the best gun for home defense is a pump action shotgun.  His reasoning was simple.
  • They look evil
  • The sound of one of those being cocked is enough to send most sensible people running for the hills
  • People that are under stress and scared are terrible shots.  A shotgun doesn’t need to be aimed accurately – just point and shoot and you’re going to get them with some of it
• Hunting
  • If you need a 30 round magazine for hunting then perhaps you might be better spending time to develop your skills.
• Target shooting
  • My experience of these things is that they are generally more about accuracy, and that takes time.  So is it really a big inconvenience to have to reload slowly?  It might actually help.
• They look bad-ass and are fun
  • Yes, they do.  And I bet they are a ton of fun to fire.  Maybe there’s a place where you can go to rent them, fire off some rounds, and then leave them locked up in that place?
  • But, we have to recognize that these things are open to abuse.  The safety of kids in schools and people in theaters trumps your fun I’m afraid.
• Zombie hoards
  • If you really are worried about that then perhaps you have a reason to own an assault rifle.  Or perhaps that leads on to…

#4 Making access to quality medical care a right for all citizens.

If owning a gun is a right then surely this is just as much of a right.  In part, because it might provide some much-needed help to those people suffering from mental illness that might otherwise do harm with guns, either to themselves or other people.

If you think that medical care should only be available to the rich then you and I have nothing more to discuss. 

And don’t kid yourself that “those people” have adequate medical coverage already through social programs.  If they did, people wouldn’t spend vast amounts of their income on medical care, and it would not be the #1 source of bankruptcies in America today.

#5 Get guns out of schools

We often hear that “the thing that will stop a bad person with a gun, is a good person with a gun”.  Frankly, as we have seen in Parkland, that isn’t the case.  And arming the teachers is a terrible idea for the following reasons:

• We can’t seem to adequately provide school supplies and training for the job teachers already do.  How are we supposed to fund the training and equipment for this?
• School security is not the job they had in mind when they choose that career path.
• What do you think is going to happen if a SWAT team shows up to an active shooter situation and sees a bunch of people running around with guns in their hands?  It’s just going to add to the confusion.

Put yourself in their shoes.   If your company came to you and said “Hey Mr. Lawyer/Dr./Chef.  I know you’re pretty busy anyway but would you mind adding building security to your list of tasks?  It won’t take much, but if there’s an active shooter situation – would you mind grabbing your gun and shooting it out with them?  Thanks awfully.”
I know some of with visions of grandeur might think that’s pretty cool.  But I also bet that at least 50% of those would wet their pants in a real situation.

Bringing more guns into schools is (IMHO) going to increase the number of killings in school, not decrease it.  Sure, it might stop a mass shooting but I worry we will instead replace that with a steady stream of 1 or 2 deaths across the country that adds up to more deaths overall.

#6 We need to start talking to each other instead of shouting from the sidelines

The Internet is a wonderful, and scary, thing.  It tends to amplify whatever we are doing so if we are shouting at each other, it just leads to more shouting.

It also creates filter bubbles that reinforce existing views to the point where people think anyone with a different point of view is just an idiot – and that is on both sides.

So, let’s debate things openly.  Preferably in person!  Yes, I know that is scary for the keyboard warriors but I think if we all sat down with a nice cup of joe I bet we would find that we are closer than we think.

We all love our children.  We all want a peaceful and safe world to live in.  Let’s start there and then we can debate the best way to achieve that.

Speaking of children…

#7 We need to say a big “Thank You!” to the kids from Parkland.

The kids in Parkland have been through a horror that none of us should ever have to experience.  They have taken that and, in just a few days, turned it into a movement that has moved the needle further than ever before.  They are to be applauded, supported and thanked.  Frankly, they have shown us what is possible. Whether you like it or not, they have taken a stand for what they believe in and that, my friends, is the most American thing you can do. 

And, for those who have drunk the cool aid that they are “crisis actors”.  Please go and do some actual fact-checking from a reputable source before you share that post in your news feed.

Phew!

Well, that was a lot.  Thanks for sticking with me.

Yes, I’m willing to concede I might not have it all right.  But I’m open to debating it and even learning a thing or two.  So feel free to leave a comment.

Want to meet for a coffee to discuss it?  I’m OK with that too – let’s figure out where and when.  I’m willing to learn and open my mind to new ideas…are you?

 

Solid Foundation Drone Building Class

Is drone building as cool as skateboarding?  Probably not!  But who says you can’t have both?

via Solid Foundation Drone Building Class – Avios Aerial MediaAvios Aerial Media

Equifax’s Instructions Are Confusing. Here’s What to Do Now.

By sitting on information about a massive data leak for two months, Equifax put over half the population of the US at serious risk of fraud. Now it turns out they may even be able to turn this into a money making proposition!

So, yes, your worst suspicions are now confirmed. Equifax may actually make money on this breach. We would expect nothing less from the credit reporting industry, with which few of us would choose to do business but nearly everyone has to sooner or later.

via Equifax’s Instructions Are Confusing. Here’s What to Do Now. – The New York Times

Similar to how it is illegal for criminals to make money from their notoriety, I think it’s time we had something similar for companies.  At the very least, any monies made need to be funneled into a fund to take care of the victims.

My Father’s Dragon

8 years ago I convinced Greg to record a children’s audio book for a group called Librivox.  Librivox provides thousands of free audiobooks that are in the public domain.

The book was called My Father’s Dragon, by Ruth Stiles Gannett.  It’s a fantastic story about how a boy uses his smarts to overcome various obstacles and it is made extra special (IMHO) because it is read by a young child.

Today I stumbled across that old recording on my phone and wanted to see how it was doing.  If I’m reading the site correctly it looks as though it has now been “read” over 70,000 times!

If you have young children I would recommend giving it a shot.  I bet they will love it!

If you would prefer to download it see the page on Librivox here:

https://archive.org/details/my_fathers_dragon_0909_librivox

 

3D Printing Landscapes and Buildings

One of the uses I’ve been putting my drone to is creating high definition maps of areas. This is a relatively new service offering for Avios Aerial Media and I’m experimenting to find the best combinations of height, speed, picture overlap, and camera settings to achieve consistently good results.

The software I’m currently using is DroneDeploy which recently announced a host of new features.  But the one that really caught my eye is that you can now 3D print your images!

Think about that for a minute.

Let’s assume you really like that beautiful old church complete with steeple etc.  You can send your drone off to automatically capture images from all around it, upload those to the server and have someone 3D print a little replica of the church in a material of your choice.

Or you are about to start developing an area of land and need to show that to investors. Forget about maps.  Now you can print a 3D landscape of the entire area and drop it on their desk.

How cool is that!!

Back to the Future!

Around 2002 I was selected as part of an experimental group to create an internal consulting group.  Something like the “Big Four”, but without the constant loss of institutional knowledge.

This past Monday I re-joined the company as the head of that group!

Honestly, I’m very excited about it.  

The team has such incredibly deep knowledge that it’s somewhat daunting as I’m probably the least intelligent person in the room 99% of the time.  That said I have something most of them don’t.  No, it’s not my amazing good looks, it is my age!

All of the group are younger than me, several by a couple of decades.  I had to explain to one of the team members on Friday what backup tapes were!  (sic)

But I remember being their age too.  I remember wondering why we needed all these “old people”.  My technical expertise was top notch and people wanted me.  Why did I need to be nice to people?

Over the years, I have learned many lessons the hard way.  

I learned that emotional intelligence is worth more than technical expertise.

I learned that keeping a secret is worth more than blabbing to show you are in the loop.

I learned that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. And that asking for help is a gift to the helper and the helped.

I learned to give first without expecting something in return.

I learned to say “thank you”, and mean it.

I learned that my word is, and must always be, my bond.

I learned to give credit often and publicly.

I learned that mistakes happen and the only people not making mistakes are the ones not doing anything new, hard or innovative.

I learned that opportunities are often enshrouded with hassle, perceived risk and the need to overcome inertia.

I learned to accept that I don’t have all the answers and that should accept assistance when it is offered.

And so we embark on a new journey together.

The group is in an interesting place today.  It is really a collection of individual contributors rather than a team.  Smart, talented, and energetic individuals for sure.  But I think we can build something truly amazing if we can learn to support each other more.

Everyone you meet knows something you don’t.  If we can recognize that, learn to trust and lean on each other, and learn to ask for help when we need it then the group is destined to be something truly amazing.  I hope I’m up to the task of helping them on that journey.

After the election…now what?

[Thanks to John Stepper for putting voice to my feelings so eloquently]

Things did not turn out the way I hoped they would. What should I do next?

I could be angry, and make my anger visible with a nasty comment on social media.

I could search the internet for extreme examples and share those that validate my fears and beliefs, ignoring my confirmation bias.

I could taunt or confront people who have different opinions, mocking them for their obvious lack of principles and education.

I could defriend the few in my network who disagree with me, thereby repairing the small breeches in a social bubble I have carefully cultivated, one that brings me comfort that I’m surrounded by people who think like me.

I have done all of these things in the past, and it has yielded nothing but unhappiness.

I’m done. I am no longer willing to be part of the problem, to feed the escalation of polarizing, dehumanizing behaviors that seems to be the new normal.

It’s time to step up.

If I want more kindness and compassion, I can be kinder and more compassionate, online and in person, throughout my day.

If I see unkind behavior, I can speak up and offer my support.

If I want more opportunities for people faced with systemic bias, I can do something to give them a voice, to help them gain access they might not have otherwise.

If I want to improve how people relate to each other – to replace hate and fear with empathy and generosity – I can continue to develop and spread a practice that does that. I can make that my life’s work.

I am not angry. I am not depressed.

I am committed.

When Good Restaurants Go Bad!

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Willsboro, NY after a wonderfully relaxing family vacation on the shore of Lake Champlain.

After settling in and unpacking we headed out for something to eat.  We stopped first at a small grocery store attached to a gas station (which seems to be the norm in this neck of the woods) and asked the employees for a good family place to eat. Two of them recommended Zeke’s pub and, not seeing a huge amount of options, we decided to give it a try.

From the start the signs were not good.  A surly waitress waved a hand to the near empty restaurant and indicated we should take our pick.

(Warning sign #1)  The fact the restaurant was empty at dinnertime on a Saturday should have been a sign to turn tail and run, but we toughed it out and sat down at the only table that could fit five.

The menu contained the usual pub fare and so the men selected the usual assortment of burgers, while my daughter and wife went for pizza and fish and chips respectively.

(Warning sign #2) We were a little surprised when the french fry options were presented as “hand cut or frozen”.  I honestly thought I had not heard correctly because I have never been to a restaurant that offers you frozen french fries, even if that is what many of them actually do provide.  We all opted for the hand cut.  Perhaps that was a mistake as we will see later.

There followed a long delay in which we sat in direct line of the A/C and tried to stave off hypothermia.  We made it…just.

The food finally arrived and we tucked with gusto. It had been a long day and we were famished.  That enthusiasm soon faded when we discovered the food was tasteless. The menu said that Joanne was supposed to get two pieces of fish with her fish & chips, but she only got one. She was going to complain, until she tasted it and decided to just let it be.  Then we found the first long black hair in Joanne’s fries…then Greg found a long BLONDE hair in his burger…and at that point we were pretty much done.  We paid the bill and left vowing NEVER to return to Zeke’s again.

A couple of days later we stopped at Johnny’s Family Smokehouse just a little way down the road from Zeke’s.  What a difference!  The place was packed and we had to eat in the bar area.  We were greeted warmly, the menu was interesting and the food was excellent.  The pulled pork sandwiches were wonderful, the calzone tasty and we left feeling full and happy with a new discovery.  This place definitely warranted a second visit before we headed home!

As always happens on vacations the last day arrived far too quickly and, before we knew it, we were heading out for the last meal of the trip.  We asked the kids where they wanted to go and Johhny’s was a unanimous and resounding favorite.  They received no argument from us and off we went.

(Warning sign #1)  We pulled into the parking lot and, despite being Friday night, it was mostly empty.  Odd but this meant that the large open air section near the carpark was available and we opted to sit outside as it was a beautiful night.

As we walked to the door one of the kids pointed at the new sign which read “Johnny’s and Zeke’s”! The “Zeke’s” part was more of a footnote at the bottom of the sign… they seemed to be trying to make that part look unnoticeable. We should have turned around right then but the sign nearby read “The best of both worlds” so we figured that they must surely have kept all the good stuff…right?

(Warning sign #2) The menus arrived…they were the menus from Zeke’s. They were even the same cheap white paper, rather than the high-quality Johnny’s menus. The glasses were the cheap plastic glasses from Zeke’s also.  Both places had pulled pork so Joanne asked if this was the pulled pork we had the other night only to be told “No, this is a different recipe”.  I eyed the car parked nearby and absentmindedly fingered the car keys.

(Warning sign #3) The first thing out of the waiter’s mouth was a long list of things they were out of, which covered about half of the menu.

(Warning sign #4) The french fry options…you guessed it…now it was hand cut or frozen! Not only that, but you now had to pay an extra two dollars to just get the french fries, unless you would prefer your burger with cheap Lay’s potato chips straight from the bag (a Zeke’s specialty) .

I chanted the optimistic mantra that surely they would keep the best while we waited for the food to arrive.

(Neon warning sign #5) My optimism lasted right up to the point where the only other table requested to speak with the manager and then spent the next 30 minutes blasting her and then what I presume to be the co-owner with phrases such as “Disgusting and unsanitary”.  He reminded them that “shrimp scampi isn’t normally served as a soup” and that it was “not normal for the chef to decide what he would serve someone after realizing that they were out of what he had ordered.”

(Flashing neon warning sign #6) Our neighbor said he couldn’t understand it because he knew the chef…and that was when we heard that we heard that the old chef had quit because he didn’t like the new arrangement.  Yes…it seems we were back to the “Chef” from Zeke’s!

We had plenty of time to listen to this tirade in detail because about 45 minutes had passed since we placed our order with still no sign of it appearing.  The waiter did come and tell us they were backed up, which was hard to understand considering they place was nearly empty.

I was now actively campaigning for an immediate exit after leaving enough cash to cover the drinks.  Joanne was much more hesitant as she had never left a place after ordering food.  That continued right up to the point where we pointed out that one of the things our neighbor complained about (and the reason for the disgusting comment) was that he found hair in his food.  The look on her face was priceless, followed by a comic swirling dust cloud as she headed for the car at top speed.  I pushed some money under a glass and, without a second glance, peeled out of there in a tire smoking dash for safety. We went to another restaurant and, admittedly, the food there wasn’t that great either. But it was hairless, and that was good enough for us.

As we were driving home from that other restaurant, we passed by the sad building that was once home to a wonderful restaurant. The parking lot of this PUB was completely deserted… at 9:30 on a Friday night. That was a sure sign that something had gone horribly wrong.

We now have a new phrase in the household.  To be “Zeke’d” is to take a great restaurant…and destroy it thoroughly. Also, whenever we pull into a restaurant, we double-check to make sure there’s no “and Zeke’s” on the sign.

Ahh, family vacations, they are all about making memories…and this one is going to stick with the family for a while!

 

Cutting the Cord – Two Years On

Two years ago I was finally ticked off enough with the continually rising cost of cable TV and cut the cord.

I missed Formula 1, and watching Wimbledon and the US Open was problematic, but overall life was good.

Last week I finally (long overdue) decided to cancel the home phone because the only people using that were telemarketers.

The person I dealt with was (for once) knowledgeable and didn’t try to talk me out of it. Instead he put me on to a deal that included high speed internet (60mbps) AND basic TV channels.  All for a monthly price of just $54!

So, two years after cutting the cord the TV is now back…but now I pay just $54 a month instead of $200.  My wife has been happily watching Wimbledon, I watched F1 practice last night for the first time in 2 years, and we haven’t had a telemarketer call in a week!

What did we learn in the past two years?

Pick the right device.

We started by using a Chromecast because they were cheap ($35) and I believed that Google would be able to expand quickly.  To use the Chromecast you need to use an app on a phone or tablet and this caused a lot of frustration.

Want to back up 30 seconds to catch the line you missed in your soap?  Grab your phone…unlock it…open the app (which probably closed)…if it’s an IOS device wait 30 seconds while it reconnects to the chromecast…then press backup…wait while it goes through…now keep pressing because by now you are 2 minutes further than you were when you started.  Arrgh!

It’s not all bad news.  It generally works pretty well if you play things from beginning to end, has a lot of services, and I can redirect the screen from my PC browser or Android tablet on to the big TV screen.

Ultimately though we came across a Groupon to buy a Roku device and now have a much more normal viewing experience.  Easier to navigate, no apps needed, and a normal remote control that reacts instantly.  My advice? go straight for the Roku unless you want to drive your family crazy.

What did we miss?

Some shows were simply too difficult to watch and we stopped.  Big Bang Theory was playable but only after jumping through hoops.  Tennis (US Open and Wimbledon) likewise required much hoop jumping.  And Formula 1 was impossible to watch.  F1 was the biggest thing that I personally missed.

Get rid of the home phone ASAP!

The home phone cost almost as much as the high speed internet…and no-one used it.  About 6 times a day we would get calls telling us our credit card interest rate could be lower or we had won a cruise.  Why was I paying nearly $40 a month for that? 

As soon as everyone had a cell phone we should have ditched the landline but, instead, we held on to this relic far too long.

Finally there?

Overall, the current setup looks like a good deal.  It took a while for the cable companies to catch up but it looks as though we are now almost at the point I wanted to be 2 years ago and my cable bill is 1/4 of what it was.

I’m off now to watch F1 qualifying for the first time in 2 years 🙂