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I created a new avatar at Face Your Manga and I wanted to show it off. It doesn't look exactly like me, but I think it's in the general vicinity! |
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Speaking of ghosts, today I was reading "Stalin's Ghost" by Martin Cruz Smith. It's the latest in the series of Arkady Renko novels. The series, about a Russian investigator in Moscow, is a favorite of mine.
I was reading along, happily minding my own business. On the bottom of page 58 (the hardcover edition; I don't think it has been released in paperback yet), I read this:
"Arkady and Platanov took one end of the bench, the pensioners Antipenko and Mendeleyev took the other end."
Fair enough. Down towards the bottom of the next page, I read this: "Six elderly riders got on, including those two ancient riders from the night before, Antipenko and Mendeleyev."
WTF? It was same subway ride. I reread carefully, and I now think I have spotted a genuine continuity error; something the editor probably should have caught. I'm not bringing this up to gloat, but because, after putting the book down, and seriously questioning my sanity, I went to Google. Then Yahoo. I searched diligently, using numerous combinations of keywords, with no luck: there was no mention of this error.
I am specifically posting about my experience so that the next anal Arkady Renko fan who comes along and does the same search will find at least one entry about this minor continuity error, and he will know that he is not alone.
Hail to you, Sir or Madam! I salute you!Current Mood:  quixotic |
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Have I not been here in a long time or WHAT? At least it hasn't been an entire year.
I don't really have much to say; just wanted to break the chain of silence. Now, if I do have something to say, it won't have to carry the additional weight of being the first post in such a long time. Because I am concerned for that hypothetical future post's emotional well-being. This post is emotionally stable and secure enough to take the hit. So go ahead, heap your heightened expectations on this post. We can handle it! |
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I've started a Bookcrossing Meetup at the Velocity Cafe - 2127 Lincoln Blvd., in Santa Monica on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. The first meeting is next Tuesday, 3/13 at 7pm. Tell all your friends!
If you want to join the group and stay regularly informed:
Click to join SM_Bookcrossing_Meetup
Current Mood:  excited |
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11/28/06 5:25pm at 202 S. Beverly Dr. in Beverly Hills:
I requested a cup of fair trade coffee. He said they weren't brewing it today, went to the shelf to look for the beans, didn't recognize the bag. I pointed out the Cafe Estima bag to him. He instantly and without prompting offered to make me a presspot. I gratefully accepted. He made it. I drank it. It was good.
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| » Quickie Starbucks Challenge - #6 11/21 10:30AM |
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This one will be brief. 11/21 10:30 am I went into the Starbucks @ 9824 National in Palms, L.A., CA.
Busy; long line. I asked for a Venti of fair trade coffee. Without batting an eyelash, he said "we're not brewing it right now, but if you don't mind waiting, I can make you a press pot. It'll take about 5 minutes."
I said that would be terrific.
End of challenge!
Nov. 21st, 2006 @ 10:44 pm
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| » Starbucks Challenge #5: Leading by the hand |
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10/12/06 6:50pm - Starbucks @ 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica, on 3rd St., just north of Santa Monica Blvd.
I stepped to the counter, asked for a venti of Fair Trade Coffee. Newbie at register gave me blank look. She looked to her co-worker for help, who stepped over, and seemed to be examining the cash register for the answer. After a few moments, I helpfully volunteered: "The Cafe Estima?"
"Oh I think we have some of that in the back!" And off she goes. She comes back and starts to hand me the bag.
"I wanted a cup - brewed."
"We're not brewing that right now,"
"How about fixing me a presspot?"
"Oh! Ok!" The Barista #1 asks her how she rings that up, and I told her just like a regular venti drip. Barista #2 goes to work on the presspot, and says it'll be five minutes. Five minutes later, she asks me what size I ordered, fills the cup, caps and sleeves it, and hands it to me, "Here you go! Sorry it took so long!"
The coffee tasted fine.
RECAP: This visit was a triumph of excellent customer service training over product and policy education. The baristas new almost nothing about fair trade coffee, what it was, what it meant, etc. They didn't know about the presspot-on-demand policy. But with a little help, and a few suggestions, they were happy to accommodate me, and were consistently pleasant.
I wonder what is level of obligation here? Should I be educating Starbucks personnel? Is the primary purpose of the Starbucks challenge to gather information about the effectiveness of Starbucks's stated policies in the field, or to raise the awareness of the front line workers, or both?
I suspect it's a little of both, so I try to explain a little bit why I want what I want, without coming off like an eccentric or as a know-it-all. Most baristi seem receptive, provided they're not too busy to really listen.
It changes the tenor of a Starbucks visit, but I think it's worth it if it can improve the general situation, even a little bit.
Oct. 13th, 2006 @ 10:03 am
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| » greenlagirl digs me! |
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I got a mention in greenLAgirl's blog for my participation in multiple Starbucks Challenges. It made my day.
Oct. 1st, 2006 @ 04:12 pm
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| » Starbucks Challenge #4: A Revisit |
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Same Starbucks, different results...
This challenge took place at the Starbucks at Olympic & Sawtelle - the same as the one in my Challenge #2. It was 10am, once again pretty busy.
I asked the Barista for a venti cup of fair trade coffee. She gave me a blank look: her mental processor was trying to make sense out of the request and then her system froze.
I helpfully said, "The Cafe Estima? That's Starbucks' only blend of fair trade-certified coffee."
"We're not brewing that today," says she, turning to the chalkboard for confirmation.
"Were you aware that it is Starbucks policy to....[blah blah blah presspot on demand blah blah blah - I really try to come off friendly and not a know-it-all and not just a guy who is holding up the line because he won't shut up and drink what they're serving]"
Our Beleaguered Barista's eyes had glazed over about half-way through: she was waiting for my mouth to stop moving. She turned to Somebody More Senior with an "I'm being harrassed by a deceptively polite rabble-rouser" look. More Senior Barista steps up and says, "oh we're brewing the Estima right now."
"Well then, why does it say Verona?"
"We ran out."
"Ok..." I'm confused now. "I guess I'll have a venti of that please."
She serves me. Her skillful use of illogic has effectively neutralized my arguing skills. I take my coffee and sit with my colleague.
I don't have a particularly skilled coffee palate. I know what I like and what I don't. I tried to tell if I was drinking Estima or Verona. I don't THINK it was the Estima, but short of a chemical analysis, I can't be sure, and my CSI kit was in my other pants.
1) Was it Estima, or did the Barista lie to me to get me moving? I don't know. If she was lying, she was skilled enough, without overdoing it, to make a very convincing performance.
2) If she wasn't lying, why didn't they change the sign? Do they not care what they serve? Just call it whatever because nobody can tell the difference? Why try to pass Estima off as Verona? Why not proudly proclaim, "We're brewing Cafe Estima!" ?
RECAP: I either got a cup of Estima falsely labeled as Verona, or more likely, a cup of Verona, falsely described as Estima. Either way, the uncertainty added a bitterness to my coffee that made it impossible to enjoy.
Sep. 29th, 2006 @ 02:13 pm
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| » Starbucks Challenge #3 |
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Well here we are on challenge number 3. It took place on 9/26/06 @ 4pm at the Starbucks in Gower Gulch - corner of Sunset & Gower in Hollywood.
I'm beginning to see a pattern emerge, or at least variations on a theme:
It was pretty busy. I made it to the counter and requested "A Venti cup of Fair Trade coffee, please."
Newbie Barista: "What?"
I explain that the Cafe Estima is Starbucks' only Fair Trade Coffee.
Newbie Barista: "We're not brewing that right now." She thinks hard, then, like she's doing me a HUGE favor, "We could make you a press pot if you don't mind waiting."
At that point, More Experienced and/or Knowledgeable Barista tells Newbie Barista about presspot-upon-request policy.
They rang me up for a Venti. I sat down at a little table (they were hard to come by, so I wanted to stake out my territory). Experienced Barista comes over with the presspot, timer, and porcelain mug & saucer.
"I can do this myself if you prefer, but since you look comfortable, I could just leave this with you. When the timer goes off, press this [she indicates plunger] down."
"Thanks!"
RECAP:
1) Newbie Barista wasn't familiar with Fair Trade Coffee or the presspot policy, but to her credit, offered me a presspot of her own initiative.
2) More experienced barista set newbie straight.
3) Everybody was polite and friendly despite being busy.
4) I ended up with the entire presspot again!
Stay tuned for the next thrilling episode...
Sep. 27th, 2006 @ 10:56 am
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| » Starbucks Challenge #2 |
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Today I did my second Starbucks Challenge. Read about the first one here.
This one was on 9/18/06 at 9:45am at the Starbucks in West LA, on the corner of Olympic and Sawtelle.
I walked up to the counter. The place was moderately busy. I asked the barista for a Venti cup of Fair Trade coffee. She said, "OK!" and rang it up.
I thought to myself: too easy. "What are you pouring today?" She turned around and looked at the board and said "Sumatra!"
"No," I said, "I wanted a Fair Trade coffee." I was all ready to launch into an informative lecture, when the more experienced barista next to her said, "He means the Cafe Estima. We're not brewing it today. I can make you a press pot, if you like. It'll take five minutes."
"That would be terrific."
He put the press pot and an automatic timer on the counter so I could watch my coffee brew! When the timer went off, he grabbed a cup and said, "For here or to go?" I told him it was "for here"and he offered me the entire presspot!
So all in all, friendly, knowledgeable, and they went above and beyond the call of duty. I couldn't have been happier.
Stay tuned for further Starbucks adventures...
Sep. 18th, 2006 @ 11:38 pm
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| » CompuNerdsLA.com website is ALIVE |
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This is just an announcement that the new website for my business, CompuNerds, is up and running. You should go visit it, link to it, and tell all your friends about it. It is at:
www.CompuNerdsLA.com
Sep. 8th, 2006 @ 07:35 pm
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| » Starbucks Challenge |
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I've taken my first stab at a Starbuck's Challenge. The idea is to walk into a Starbucks and request a cup of Fair Trade Coffee and see what happens.
Most coffee growers in the world aren't making a living wage for the coffee they grow. Fair Trade certified coffee promises that the growers have been paid a minimum amount that is higher than the standard price of coffee; enough, hopefully, to survive on.
Starbucks carries one blend that is Fair Trade certified, the Cafe Estima. In their advertising, they imply that all their coffee is Fair Trade, but it amounts to about 1% of the coffee they buy.
The company has a policy where it will brew a french-press of any coffee upon request, even if it isn't what's on tap that day. The purpose of the challenge is to raise awareness among Starbucks employees about Fair Trade coffee, and to show the company that a demand exists.
So, without further ado, the report of my challenge:
9/8/06 4:05pm Starbucks, Santa Monica @ 2901 Ocean Park.
I sort of messed up. First challenge and I was a little nervous and I jumped the gun. Instead of requesting a cup of "Fair Trade coffee," I asked for a venti size cup of Cafe Estima. The barista told me that they weren't brewing it today, and started informing me of the daily choices (Anniversary Blend & House Blend).
I politely informed him that it was Starbucks policy to brew a presspot on request of any coffee, blah blah blah. He had never heard this, and went to the manager for verification. The manager instantly verified that this was true, and the barista cheerfully rung me up for one venti, after warning me that "it would take four to five minutes."
Six minutes later (I'm really not complaining; just reporting) I had a cup of Cafe Estima. It was full of grounds but again, I was just happy to have it. Furthermore, I want to emphasize that the barista and manager were friendly and accommodating from beginning to end.
End report. Hopefully more reports to follow.
Sep. 8th, 2006 @ 06:21 pm
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| » Mike Spinak Photography! |
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My little brother, Mike, is a nature photographer of the first caliber and his website is now live, so go visit mikespinak.com to see some amazing wildlife and landscape pictures.
Apr. 15th, 2006 @ 11:40 am
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| » Bookcrossing in the news! |
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I was interviewed for a segment about Bookcrossing by the local LA ABC news station and it aired yesterday.
Here's a link to the piece: http://youtube.com/watch?v=cH7cIwTqjzg
Mar. 1st, 2006 @ 04:54 pm
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| » Actual Advertising Plug |
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I can't imagine this will be very useful, but my guess is it can't hurt.
The guy who founded Bookcrossing.com has created Propsmart, in part to help support Bookcrossing, which is more a labor of love than a moneymaking proposition. So, if you are interested in buying or selling a home, I urge you to visit http://www.propsmart.com/. Anybody who would come up with Bookcrossing is someone I'd want to work with in other endeavors as well.
Oh, and Happy New Year!
Jan. 5th, 2006 @ 12:01 am
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| » odds and ends |
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It's been a while. I guess I'm not a very conscientious blogger. I did have a couple of things happen to me recently that made me think, "Hey! I should put that in the blog!"
I was walking to my local coffeehouse, the wonderful Velocity Cafe. I maintain an Official Bookcrossing Zone there, and I had an armfull of books.
Strange thing that happened to me Number 1: I found a three-inch-long rubber marlin on the ground. It's difficult for me to imagine a more random item to find just lying on the sidewalk, but there it was. When I was much younger, I used to walk around with my eyes on the ground, looking for discarded treasure. I'd come home with my pockets full of popsicle sticks, rubber bands, pebbles, soda can pop top rings, etc. Occasionally I'd find something really nifty, like part of a discarded odometer (I spent months twisting the little knobs, trying to get it to turn over 99999.9) or a superball. Never before have I found a tiny replica of a marlin made out of maleable plastic. It took me back to those heady days when the gutters were full of treasures.
It also makes me think fondly of my grandma, who passed away a few years ago. Her 95th birthday would have been December 8. Every day she'd take her little dog for a walk, and every day she'd find change on the ground. She'd collect hundreds of dollars through the course of a year. She also checked the change slot in newspaper vending machines and payphones. It's not as though she lived in abject poverty either, but she did live through the Depression in the Bronx, and I guess old habits die hard. Whenever I find change on the ground, I think fondly of her.
I took the marlin home, showed it to my bemused Beloved, and now it sits on my computer hutch, next to my Jawa, and a computer power switch that looks a bit like a small mechanical aardvark. The aardvark's nose extends and retracts.
Strange thing that happened to me Number 2: I passed a local homeless person who spends most of her time yelling at nobody in particular. This day, she says to me "You've got some books there! You like to read?"
"Yes I do."
"Let's see what books you got." Since I was planning on releasing these books to the world at large, I stopped, spread out the books, and told her she could have one if she'd like to. One of the books was entitled, "The Devil In The Shape of a Woman" and is about the history of witchcraft. She looks at that book, and nods knowingly, "Oh yes. There's lots of witchcraft around here. I spent the whole morning getting it out of the trees."
After sorting through several potential responses, I settled on the non-confrontational, "Well, that's good." And off I went to the cafe.
I feel a little bit better knowing that the trees of my neighborhood are free of witchcraft.
Dec. 15th, 2005 @ 01:32 am
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| » Greetings from new apartment! |
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Just a short entry to let you'all know that I am installed in my new apartment with my sweetie. We've got a lot of UNpacking to do, but after the long packing season followed by the moving, it is a relief to be in one place, and every day, things are getting a little nicer.
I'm growing accustomed to living with cats again, after a long interim without them. It's a continuous adventure and surprise. And I made my first cup of coffee in the new place this morning (I can't believe it has taken this long). Illy coffee with fat-free half and half - an unholy union of cream and...not-cream.
The siren song of the Unassembled Dressers calls to me. So, off I go!
Sep. 10th, 2005 @ 11:04 am
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| » Bookcrossing Experiences |
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I've been bookcrossing a LOT lately. If you don't know what Bookcrossing is, please check out this link.
The word was recently added to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary:
bookcrossing
n. the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise.
I'm a little fearful for the books I release now. I sometimes feel like a mama bird pushing the baby bird out of the nest.
I've had the opportunity to witness some interesting social behavior with respect to these books "in the wild." It says something about humanity and society. I'm not quite sure what, although I'm sure a psychology student could squeeze a master's thesis out of it.
When I leave a book somewhere, I always include a specially made, pre-printed post-it note prominently stuck on the front of the book. The note basically says: "I'm NOT lost. I'm FREE. Pick me up, read me, and pass me on." And then it has some more info and the URL address. The first part is in BIG (like 36 point) letters.
On multiple occasions, I've watched people stumble across a book, pick it up, hold it in the air, and say "did anybody lose this?" - entirely ignoring the post-it note. I don't think I am physically capable of not reading words in front of me, if they are in bold 36 point type. My eyes just read everything there is to read in the environment. I can't turn it off. Somehow, these people are looking at, but not seeing, or seeing but not processing the words in front of them.
Here's another behavior I find baffling:
This happens when I leave a book in a place of business. It occurs when the book is discovered by an employee or heaven forbid, a manager. Upon discovery, the book is instantly scooped up, and disposed of in the most expedient manner. It's seen as an obstacle; an obstruction which needs to be dealt with. No reading of labels or post-its occurs. It's as if the book doesn't fit into a neat category for the environment in question, and therefore must be removed.
On one occasion, a book was scooped up and put in a drawer, which I (perhaps optimistically) perceived to be the lost-and-found. I couldn't sit still and let Karma run its course this time. I had to intervene; to be the advocate on behalf of my book.
I was feeling especially proprietary because it had been what I thought of as a moderately clever themed release: a book about growing up Jewish, left in a deli.
I went up to the manager and in my friendliest, non-confrontational tones, introduced myself and tried to explain my release, and Bookcrossing in general. To his credit, he admitted in a straightforward manner that he didn't understand. He said lost items were put in the lost-and-found. Period. I argued passionately on behalf of my book, and although I don't believe he ever actually understood what was going on, he did relent, and allowed me to leave the book exposed to general public.
I wonder about our inclination to not touch a book left out, to try not to even acknowledge it, or to remove it from the environment. The biggest obstacle to a book's success seems to be this built-in social inhibition. It somehow feels wrong to pick up a stray book. I admit I sometimes feel - irrationally - that I'm doing something vaguely wrong when I release a book. I'm shy about releasing in front of people, and prefer to sneak a book out when nobody is looking. Why?
I can only imagine that as Bookcrossing gains more exposure, the resistance will subside, and that as we grow ever closer to "making the world a library," our neighbors will feel more and more comfortable borrowing from this library.
Jul. 14th, 2005 @ 11:12 pm
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| » podcasts are cool |
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I've been busy with mac technology lately. First I finally took the plunge and installed Mac OSX Tiger. It went remarkably smoothly. Tiger didn't break any of my programs. A few preferences were screwed up here and there, but they sorted themselves out on their own for the most part.
Yesterday I updated to iTunes 4.9. The big new feature is the ability to subscribe to podcasts - little audio programs based on thousands of different subjects. You can subscribe to them from iTunes, and it automatically gets the new episodes and uploads them to your ipod. I listened to a few podcasts while I put in my time at the treadmill at the gym. It really makes the time sail by.
So right now I'm thinking podcasts are pretty nifty.
Jun. 29th, 2005 @ 02:57 am
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