Saturday, March 20, 2010

Tiger's Back/What About His Body Language?

The big news this week is that Tiger Woods is coming back from his infidelity-sex addiction rehab exile from golf in time to play in the Master’s tournament. I suppose it’s great news for die heart golf fans. Even better news for CBS, the network that will broadcast the event. Ratings should go through the roof. People will be glued to their sets to see if Tiger wins, comes close, or is so out of whack that he will start hooking balls into the trees. Being far from a golf on TV fan, I don’t know how much of the spectacle I’ll view.
One typical aspect regarding the scandal ,other than alleged mistresses coming out of the wood works for their fifteen to who knows how many minutes of fame, was when Tiger finally had his press conference, magazine shows had so-called body language experts on their shows to interpret the real meaning behind the words Tiger was saying.
Great! Or is it? I’m not saying body language reading doesn’t have its place, but it seems to me that these public figures caught up in highly stressful unfamiliar situations, might react like people caught up in highly stressful unfamiliar situations, thereby skewering their body language reactions. But what do I know? It’s just that seeing these interpretations all the time can be a little annoying.
Ah, but I have a solution. Hire body language experts to interpret the body language of the original body language experts.
That’ll work. Or will it?

Monday, March 15, 2010

Bitching About "Customer Service"

In the era where cell phones and related devices can do everything but vacuum the floor and brush you teeth for you, there is one aspect of the technology age that actually falls short of the old school way. And that's when you have to contact the phone company, banks, or businesses with a problem you have to address by phone. In the good on days, you would call these people up, and actually get a real live human being.
But of course, no more, no more, no more. It's the dreaded automated menu that comes up. Now, it's bad enough when you used to get only one menu. Now you get the pleasure of wading through sub-menus. Hit the wrong button by chance, and you're forced retrace your button pushing steps, taking up even more of your precious time.
If your quest requires speaking to a real human being you can get there, but only after Mr. or Mrs. Automation attempts to steer you away from it. Even then, no matter how early or late you place the call you get: "our representative are busy right now, please hang on."
As if that's not bad enough you either get the pleasure of listening to the most annoying elevator style music ever, or mini commercial about the company's great services, other than their so-called customer service.
I've sat and pondered how we can possibly get out of this situation. Then it hit me. After years of waiting for Jetson style technology we finally got camera phones and web cams. So it might be possible that we'll soon get robots and androids that can answer phones like real life human beings. Then, and only then, will customer service really be customer service.