Saturday, July 3, 2010

Saturday morning coffee

- It's not been the best of weeks for Apple. First was the highly publicized "EVO vs. iPhone" YouTube video, which was making the rounds, and then yesterday's admission that the company has exaggerated its signal strength by displaying too many bars on the screen of its ultra-successful wireless phone. (In fairness, the aforementioned YouTube video was followed by one portraying the benefits of the iPhone over EVO, but, at last count, the anti-iPhone version was far more popular based upon number of hits.)

- Don't you think it's interesting that the period of time around the founding of the United States of America--so rich with colorful characters and compelling storylines--has had so little of that material find its way to the big screen and little screen? Other than The Patriot (Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger) and the HBO mini-series, John Adams, what else has been produced in the past 20 years?

- Are doctors becoming the new example of lousy customer service? We all have had episodes of showing up on time for an appointment only to wait, sometimes for very long periods of time, because the doctor is running late. Insurers usually pay a certain amount for each patient which doctors see, thus causing the physician to want to visit with as many patients as possible. Thus these short time slots are often double-booked, making it easy for doctors to get delayed and causing a ripple effect of waiting, particularly for those with appointments in the afternoon. The lesson here--try to make your appointment first thing in the morning.

- You know I'm a NASCAR fan. But, the cynic in me has to question the timing of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s success at Daytona. In 2001, Dale's father was killed in a crash at the Daytona 500. "Little E" came back to Daytona in July and won an emotional Pepsi 400 at the track. Last night, in the Nationwide Series, Earnhardt, Jr. drove a throwback blue-and-yellow Wrangler sponsored car with his father's #3. And, once again, Dale Jr. won--his first win in two years. Coincidence? Maybe...but it does give rise to conspiracy thoughts of race fixing.

- In case you missed it (and I hope you did), Kate Gosselin said she wants to do a Christmas album. Please...PLEASE...stop already. The 15 minutes of fame are over.

- Kansas Citians, if you haven't visited the Riverside Red X, north of the river and west of Briarcliff, it's well worth the trip. The wine, beer and liquor selection is first rate with good price specials. And, for those not worried about their diet, I believe every brand of chip and salted snack is sold in the market. It's quite the place--and quite the crowd.

- Happy Independence Day, everyone. Enjoy your holiday tomorrow!

No comments:

Post a Comment