I wondered this myself, and posed the question to the Internet last year. Just last week, Mike, who now works in the New York office at Google, sent me an IM asking if he should ask Rainn Wilson anything. I suggested that he ask my question, and Mike, being an all-around good guy, did.
I recently read that it’s good to dream, as that’s when you can have creative breakthroughs. Actually, that’s not quite right… I read that it’s good to take breaks and go for a walk or something for a creative breakthrough, but when I started writing this post I thought the tip was to dream.
I recently (like, 10 minutes ago) woke up from a glorious nap after an exhausting day. And what was I doing right before I woke up? Dreaming about work. Here’s what happened at the end of the dream:
Some sales person was visiting Google to show off some new devices that I suppose he wanted Google to buy. After he talked for a bit and I advised him to “get to the demo,” we got hands-on time with the products. One of the products that I noticed, which at first didn’t appear to be functioning, was an inkjet printer. What caught my eye about it was a button for “Panini mode.” This is certainly relevant to my interests. I opened up the top part of the printer, just like one would to change the ink cartridge (I was preparing to tell the salesman that I don’t typically purchase inkjet printers), and inside was a hot sandwich! What an awesome demo. I was about to eat the sandwich when I realized that it included slices of banana, which I dislike. Still, excellent product idea.
How about this for customer service? I was watching a movie, Amazon automatically detected that I had a less than ideal connection, and without any prompting from me, they refunded my money.
Hello,
We noticed that you experienced poor video playback while watching the following rental(s) on Amazon Video On Demand:
Twelve Angry Men
We’re sorry for the inconvenience and have issued you a refund for the following amount(s):
$2.99
While Amazon Video On Demand transactions are typically not refundable, we are happy to make an exception in this case. This refund should be processed within the next 2 to 3 business days and will appear on your next billing statement for the same credit card used to purchase this item.
Please visit our troubleshooting page for tips on ways you can potentially improve your viewing experience:http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200256920
We hope to see you again soon.
Amazon Video On Demand Team
Earlier this month, I took a Chevy Volt for a test drive. Today, I drove a Nissan Leaf.
At the test drive event, they had a little sales pitch thing with equipment displays and videos that they led us through first. I think they stretched it out a little too much to keep people occupied while they were waiting to drive, and it was incredibly corny. The style was almost exactly like what you see in the old World’s Fair films, so I’m sure that in the future people will be laughing at the marketing pitches, because we’re laughing at them today.
But, marketing aside, the test drive was okay. I could only take the car on a pre-defined route through the streets of San Jose, so unfortunately I never got to go more than 35 MPH and spent a good portion of the drive waiting at traffic lights. The car handles just like any other car, and I didn’t notice the regenerative braking as much as I did on the Volt. I’d have to try it out on a highway to form a more informed opinion, but right now I think I prefer the Leaf over the Volt in terms of driving experience.
I wonder which car I’ll get to drive next.
Looking for a fun appetizer to serve at a party? Try stuffing cherry tomatoes with bacon.
There’s a glitch with the audio at the end, so just sing the theme song to yourself.
It’s always fun to get something new, but there are many things that can’t be replaced very often. Here are some ways I’ve found to get that same feeling of excitement in the interim.
A brand-new car!
I feel pretty good when I take my car through a $5 gas station car wash. But I feel great when once a year or so, I splurge for a full detail—polish, wax, and shampooed carpets. It can be a bit pricey depending on what you get, but it’s cheaper than a new car. Or, if you have a garage or other area where you can work on your car, you can do it yourself.
New apartment
One of my favorite things about a new house or apartment is the freshly installed carpet. Even though I try to vacuum regularly, any carpet can get grungy over time. I recently discovered the joys of owning and operating a steam cleaner, and it’s a lot easier than moving to a new apartment. Steam cleaning takes longer than regular vacuuming because you have to do multiple passes and refill/empty the tanks, but I actually found it kind of fun.* It reminded me of what my stage crew teacher used to say about sweeping the stage. He liked doing it because it was like a form of meditation.
New computer
I can get a good six years out of a computer. To get that “new computer” feeling, I recommend a clean install of the operating system (make sure to back up your data first!) and the addition of some fresh RAM. Don’t forget you can also physically clean your machine.
* Disclaimer: I really did enjoy it, but I also enjoy sitting in front of a front-loading washer and watching my clothes spin around. Seriously. So, I hope that sets the right expectations.
©2012 Michael Wyszomierski
