Client Service 601
We've all been exposed to what I call Client Service 101, an amateurish training provided by inexpensive firms to equip phone representatives to better deal with outraged customers, that outrage being caused by deficient products, services, and/or delivery procedures. It goes
I’m Crossing My Arms Here
The Boston Globe reported this morning that they've consulted with "body language experts" to decipher the meeting between Trump and Putin. I'm looking forward to their piece on "astrology experts" followed by "Loch Ness Monster experts." Whenever someone says they're reading my
Providence: The Incompetence of Small Numbers
Rhode Island has well under a million adults. Providence, the capital, is by far the largest city and the Greater Providence Area probably has about 400,000 people. But the state has almost 20 geopolitical jurisdictions, so it needs 20 chiefs
Why AI Isn’t Taking Over
There is a man in these parts who has $30 million in the bank. He takes no salary, but finances his life on disbursements and interest. When he tried to buy a house for his kids, he was told that
You’re Being Judgmental!
The most vapid epithet I know is: "You're being too judgmental!" We make judgments every day, about how to work with others, if we've been treated correctly, how to raise our children, what to do in crises. We praise people with "good
Things I Hate (All Right, Really Dislike)
"Not a problem." Phone calls in public restrooms. Megyn Kelly. (Much ado about nothing.) The smugness of the comics (Jon Stuart, Bill Maher) who attack people who are not present to defend themselves. The fiction that Hillary Clinton lost
Yes, But We Want More
I'm looking around my garage. Among the features on the various cars are: • Vibrating steering wheel when you cross a highway line without signaling first. • Self-correction and braking when you drive onto the shoulder without signaling. • Self-contained wifi. • Self-closing doors. •
The Personal Trainer University Course Curriculum
Course number and subject matter: 101: Counting to 15 by one. 103: Counting to 15 backwards by one. 201: Counting to 15 just using every third number. 205: Counting to 15 silently and just announcing the final three counts. 304: Behaving as if you're spotting
Overdone Smug Conceited Arrogant Revolting: OSCAR
I've been watching the Academy Awards since I was a kid on black and white television, with Bob Hope hosting. I was always in awe of the glamour and good humor. After we were married, my wife and I made
Hello? Anyone Home? Sounds Like A Recording
Polarized thinking means that you can't see both sides of an issue. (Don't forget that F. Scott Fitzgerald observed that the mark of true intellect is holding two opposing ideas in your mind at the same time.) It means that