Saying Goodbye

It is with deep regret that we inform the readers of the blog that Mark Yannone died on 17 July 2009. Pursuant to his wishes, there will be no memorial or service. Anyone wishing to send letters to the family may send them via email to cherieyannone@aol.com. All notes to the family will be delivered directly.

Google, Blogger

Google spends inordinate amounts of time finding different ways to display the word "Google" on their home page, but a company whose name is synonymous with "search" still reports search failures that have been awaiting repair for more than three years!

From Blogger's Known Issues section:

The search field in the navbar does not always find all results. — latest update on Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Search results from the navbar and the Search Box gadget are currently unreliable for some users.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope to have it fixed shortly. — latest update on Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Even the custom Google Search gadget for blogs is defective and poorly designed. Site searches are grossly incomplete, and configuration of the gadget does not allow customization of the placement on the page (justification, for example).

Google has dropped the ball on search capability and has made feedback impossible. How long does Google think they can get away with "apologizing for the inconvenience" and doing nothing about it?

Google

Google introduced a new browser named Chrome. The title of its home page, Google Chrome - Download a new browser, would lead you to believe you could download it there, but you can't. Nor can you discover the system requirements for Chrome before deciding to download it.

These are screw-ups of basic elements. They would be likely to be fixed rapidly if Google hadn't screwed up in yet another area: There is no contact information! Google pretends to offer access via Help, but it's a nightmare that promises to be a complete waste of time. I just checked ... it's a waste of time.

How can Google screw up so many promising products? Are they on drugs? Is it sabotage?

Google

The very first Google mystery of the universe I discovered has remained unchanged since I first discovered Google, which was ten minutes after they opened their doors to the world.

Here is a snippet from their Corporate Information page that contains their corporate philosophy:

Ten things Google has found to be true

1. Focus on the user and all else will follow.

From its inception, Google has focused on providing the best user experience possible. While many companies claim to put their customers first, few are able to resist the temptation to make small sacrifices to increase shareholder value. Google has steadfastly refused to make any change that does not offer a benefit to the users who come to the site:

• The interface is clear and simple.
• Pages load instantly.
• Placement in search results is never sold to anyone.
• Advertising on the site must offer relevant content and not be a distraction.

However, Google.com's home page has always had two buttons below its search box and large Google logo:

One button is labeled Google Search, as though we might not know where we would be searching when we click it.

The other button is inexplicably labeled ... I'm Feeling Lucky. This apparently is for people who want to do a Google search, but when they get to Google's home page and enter a search term, they are suddenly overcome by a feeling that they are now lucky! Those people are prompted by that button to abandon their Internet search and pursue their new feeling of being lucky.

When Google personnel were questioned about the odd labeling of the second button, they had no explanation. Their only comment was "this is one of our most popular buttons." One wonders what the other popular button is.

The weird button has remained unchanged.

Despite Google's corporate philosophy that calls for a clear, simple interface that's free of distraction, the one button that is needed to begin a search became two buttons whose labels are wordy and highly misleading. Reason, logic, common sense, user feedback, and corporate philosophy have all been flatly ignored. Maybe that explains Google's PageRank of its own home page of 10 out of a possible 10, y'think?

Lordy, lordy, lordy. If Google can't handle the proper labeling of a button -- just one button -- what hope have we of ever seeing Gmail evolve beyond the mess that it is?

Google

One of the mysteries of the universe is Google's Gmail. Gmail just doesn't fit with the design principles of the Google User Experience team:

1. Focus on people – their lives, their work, their dreams.
2. Every millisecond counts.
3. Simplicity is powerful.
4. Engage beginners and attract experts.
5. Dare to innovate.
6. Design for the world.
7. Plan for today's and tomorrow's business.
8. Delight the eye without distracting the mind.
9. Be worthy of people's trust.
10. Add a human touch.

In direct opposition to these stated goals, Gmail can be described thusly:

• It is just barely useful.
• It is very time-consuming.
• Ease of use, speed, visual appeal, and accessibility are ignored.
• It lacks standard features that would make its use intuitive.
• Innovation is dead last on my Gmail wish list.
• The design is for people nowhere, not everywhere.
• I wouldn't dare trust my business with unaccountable Gmail.
• There is nothing beautiful about Gmail. It is a mess.
• Trust? I can't control my Gmail!
• That's just what I need: quirky design elements. Are you nuts?
• Feedback? Please! Good luck with that! Try it.

Spare me the Googley nonsense. If you are going to offer an email client and service, sit down with users during the design phase. Watch and listen. Hide the sharp objects in the room.

PayPal

WARNING! PayPal has begun a new scam. Thirty-six hours after being notified of an order via PayPal, PayPal sent out an e-mail titled "Payment Review Outcome: Cleared, OK to Ship." The body of the message reads as follows:

Dear [redacted],

We have completed our payment review and have cleared the transaction below. This payment is now eligible for coverage under the Seller Protection Policy.

You can now ship the item.

Payment Details:

[The rest has been redacted.]

Meanwhile the product has already shipped!

AOL

If AOL's advertising-strangulated browser gets any slower, it'll go backward. AOL's philosophy is obvious: I bought my hardware, software, and bandwidth solely for AOL's convenient delivery of massive amounts of highly irritating advertising to my eyeballs, and I'm to pay a premium for the opportunity to be enraged.

Enough!

Update 05/11/09: If you, too, are irritated by AOL's ads, tell tech support so they can pass the word to the developers. And don't hesitate to send your own ads to tech support, with an apology for the inconvenience, of course.

Bayer, FDA

Bayer knowingly shipped HIV-contaminated product to Spain, France, and Japan, with the help of the United States Food and Drug Administration.

GoDaddy.com

Bob, a little more attention to your Web site's user interface and a little less attention to gratuitous sex and annoying marketing would go a long way with your customers and prospects. Your site has evolved over the years, and the result is not as useful as it needs to be. Beef up the usability and you won't have to use so much T&A to sell domain names and Web hosting.

Update 05/05/09: Here is one example of many: Several days ago we attempted to redirect one of your domains to another. Your site said it would take a few minutes. Hours went by, then tech support said it could take 24 hours. The next day tech support said it could take 48 hours. We're still waiting to hear what tech support is going to say today.

Blogger

Sidebar lists need to be able to contract (-) and expand (+). That would make them much more useful.

Humanscale

The Humanscale Freedom Chair

A swivel-recliner office chair of unparalleled form and function, featuring leading-edge technology that makes adjustment a breeze, the Freedom Chair has a unique counter-balance reclining system that almost eliminates the need for knobs and levers to provide customized body support and freedom of movement.

This chair even comes with its own video and interactive guide.

One of the best chairs in the world also suffers from a lack of feedback.

Headrest: Self-adjusting and instantly adjustable.

Back: Instantly adjustable.

Armrests: Gel-filled and instantly adjustable.

Seat: Gel-filled and quickly adjustable. Damn! It doesn't tilt!

Footrest: Footrest? What's a foot?

Update 06/04/09: Little by little, legs are beginning to be acknowledged by chair manufacturers. At this rate they should discover that humans have feet in about, say, eight or nine more years. Can you wait?

YouTube.com, Adobe

Another day of messing with Adobe's Flash and YouTube. At the moment I can reach YouTube.com, but I can't log in. It just hangs, inviting me to broadcast myself.

Hey, YouTube! Broadcast THIS!

More messing with Flash ...

Uninstall, reboot, install MSIE version, install Firefox version. A few hours later it all began to work again.

Somebody needs a spear in his ear. Barbed, so it won't fall out. Flaming. Let's add a poisoned tip.

YouTube's support for the showinfo parameter returned the next day. Eventually I was able to join a YouTube group. Hold me back!

YouTube.com,Firefox, Adobe, Macromedia, Mozilla, Microsoft, Google

To provide feedback to YouTube, you can join a forum. Maybe someone from Google/YouTube will read it.

To join a forum one must sign in to YouTube. So you sign in.

Then you go to the forum. To post on the forum, one must join the group. So you click on "join."

No luck. To join the group, one must sign in to YouTube. So you sign in, go to the forum, try to join the group, and fail because you must first sign in.

"Note: If you can’t post to the Forums because you are repeatedly being asked to log in, these steps should fix the issue."

LOL! I won't provide the link to "these steps" because the "solution" is not a solution.

I called their offices. No one was home.

Bottom line: YouTube.com doesn't want to hear from anyone.

YouTube has been malfunctioning for days now. There is no solution. No feedback. This reminds me of horror stories of another communist economy where the only thing that worked was one English tank. How about you? Does it ring any bells with you, Boris?

Yesterday, Mozilla delivered update 3.0.10 for Firefox, which ruined the Adobe Flash installation, which made YouTube unreachable most of the time and unusable the rest of the time, unless accessed via proxy like www.hidemyass.com. After multiple attempts to uninstall and reinstall Flash for Microsoft Internet Explorer and for Firefox, using the executable and the plug-in, I discovered that the order that worked is uninstall, install the Flash plug-in in Firefox, then run the latest Flash executable. If the executable fails to install, even though you have "all" applications and any browsers closed, then you have to check your MSIE tools | Internet Options | Security | Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins and set that to "prompt." Reboot. Try to install. Maybe it will work.

Adobe's Flash is so convenient, isn't it? Or is it Macromedia's. And is it Shockwave-Flash, Flash, or Shockwave (no longer supporting Windows 2000 aka Win2K aka NT5)? What's the difference? Who knows? Who cares? The year is 2009, but it sure smells and tastes like 1981.

Today, YouTube suddenly decided to disable the showinfo parameter, so all videos are displaying their ugly titles and ratings again. Disgusting. Nothing says "ignore me" like a misspelled title with an incorrect rating. Nice. Real nice.

At the top of a YouTube page titled "Discussions - Feedback & Suggestions" I find this:

You cannot post messages because only members can post, and you are not currently a member.

Description: Give us your feedback, let us know how we can make YouTube better. This is also the place to post your suggestions.

I need an English tank. I found a place to park it.

Cafepress

CafePress.com is effectively closed to new bumperstickers because the maximum image height is locked at 1.17 inches. The developers were notified 15 hours ago and have done nothing to fix it.

Skype.com

Before you download Skype ...

"If you still don’t find an answer, you can contact customer support from the Submit support request link on the bottom of the next page."

What next page? There is no next page and no way to reach them. Beware. They are as isolated and unresponsive as ever.

Twitter.com

Compile a complete glossary of Twitter commands, switches, and options and put it on the main menu. You would think this would be fundamental, especially when users are asking for one and other users have tried unsuccessfully to provide one on their own sites.

Update 05/17/09: After a second e-mail to Twitter, Twitter support sent back another list of useless links, blowing me off and completely disregarding what I asked. That's Twitter. They'll be gone.

Technology Review

When making videos

• Use a tripod.
• Eliminate background noise (wind, conventioneers, bystanders).
• Use a good microphone that picks up the intended sound only (no crackles).
• Speak loudly enough and slowly enough to be heard and understood (force yourself).
• Don't make distracting movements.
• Use a still background.

Gate.com

Gate's performance continues to deteriorate. Their advertised 99.99 percent uptime is a joke.

Nine hours have passed without FTP capability, and all they know is that "it is a global issue, and the administrators are working on it."

Bullshit. They will go out of business.

Update 04/05/09: No improvement. Gate's technical support is located in Bulgaria. Sometimes they answer their 24x7 phone and sometimes they don't. Mergers have left them dazed and confused, without direction or motivation.

Update 06/02/09: No improvement. Gate's technical support is still in Bulgaria and they still don't know anything about operations in Chicago except to say that "it is a global issue, and the administrators are working on it," and the ancient servers should be back up tomorrow sometime. This is what passes for 99.99 percent uptime. Technical support actually hung up on me in midsentence. Nice. After four calls in four hours, there is no progress. No one knows anything. The server is still down. They have to go.

Amazon.com

Is it any wonder the clicks are so much higher than the orders!

I just tried to buy a book from Amazon and almost gave up. And I'm an Amazon store owner with 30 years of computer experience who has been on the Internet since it started.

I had to log in twice. The first time, because I couldn't see anything else I could do on the page. I had to select the destination twice. I couldn't find the "proceed to checkout button" because it was in the wrong place. And I couldn't determine the shipping charges until I had entered my credit card number!

Holy shit! What the hell are you thinking?

Blogger

Blogger's poll widget can produce an unnecessary and unwanted scrollbar. To get rid of it, expand the widgets, and search for the word "poll" in your blog's HTML code. Look for these two lines:

<div class="widget-content" id="widget-content">
<h2><data:title></data:title></h2>

Swap the two lines to solve the scrollbar probem:
<h2><data:title></data:title></h2>
<div class="widget-content" id="widget-content">

Save your changes.

Update 03/03/09: What worked yesterday does not work today. Blogger is determined to insert a vertical scrollbar in the poll window. However, the fix indicated above was suggested to fix a font size problem and should be implemented.