Punderings

I can’t duck out of this one. I know I’ll get cut down to size, and it’s dangerous to post something like this without enough clearance. September’s sweet singing to the coming college constituents is driving me to dare to dive into the pool over at UniversalHub: Beantown bloggers bet on when the fell fate will befall some incoming buffoon:

When will the first truck be peeled back like a sardine can on Storrow Drive?

Now I think Adamg was fishing for some entries with that title, but it’s a good one, and it’s a good pool to be in. When I think about it, I really look up to those that drive on Storrow – and to those who look up before they drive on Storrow.

In any case, I”ll come out from under my rock and give my prediction: the first stuck Storrow truck of September will not be a U-haul, but will be a major rental companies, and it will happen before 11:30am on this Thursday, as some foolish new freshman is being driven to school by their father. I know it’s a stretch up to believe it’ll be that early, but hey, someone’s gotta go first.

Hey, anyone have a graph of the number of stuck Storrow trucks for the past few years? Or anyone wonder how much the local truck rental places would pay someone to stand by the likely onramps on Saturday to attempt to wave off clueless rental drivers?

Yes, Virginia, there’s still time to get a great deal on ApacheCon with the super Early Bird discount, which now really truly will expire on Friday, August 29th. Given the gas crisis, early airfares are still your best bet so be sure to book travel soon.

Don’t forget our special Voluntourism day, the following Saturday, November 8th after the conference. We’ll be working with a local New Orleans charity to help do some good in the physical world working in their city, to help match all the good that the ASF does in the electronic world.

Special note for those who’ve had issues registering last weekend: fixes have been applied, so if you haven’t finished registering yet, please try again

They seem to be in trouble, and I’m not sure what to do. Poor Starbuck!

On one hand, they are closing stores left and right – and even though MA was to be spared, they later announced we are not, losing 7 or more stores locally. On the other hand, I see even more “Help Wanted” signs in their front doors that ever before. Plus they’re pushing more and more benefits to cardholders: free refills, free shots, other giveaways that you never would have seen before.

They come up with a huge marketing thing for their new drink, hoping it can revivify their business. What is this vivivying magic they’ve come up with? A banana smoothie. Not what I expect from such an experienced vendor. You think a smoothie’s going to turn your business around? Think again.

Their desperation is showing in many other ways: when using my card to get my free in-store drip coffee refills, I got not one but three receipts, even though I never normally take them. One for the first cuppa, of course; then two for the refill. Not only did the staff patiently explain about their $2 for any cold grande after 2pm offer, but they also eagerly pressed their customer survey – CustomerVoice! – into my hand. This is about the third time I’ve gotten a survey in the past month, and it’s not like I’m in there daily to account for their sudden interest in my opinion.

Plus, they’re canceling their muffin contract, and ditching their breakfast sandwiches. I know there are a lot of mixed opinions about them – myself included: have you ever gotten a breakfast sandwich at the old ‘Buck that was actually assembled straight? I haven’t. But I still like them, and they’re actually reasonably priced for the ingredients, considering their corporate price levels. That’ll be a sad goodbye to the toasties in the morning some days.

What can we do to help them out? Poor little Starbuck, she’s tough but vulnerable these days.

Hmmm.

Oh, wait.

They are an evil corporate giant. Never mind. Let loose the dogs of capitalism, and if you enjoy it, update your schedule to use your card to take your break there: free wifi, free syrup, and the free refills mean it’s a great way to spend an hour in the morning, for those of you who like the coffee there. I mean, it’s good, although Starbucks is not as good as Peet’s.