My Sync 2.0 Update Failure Story

The Sync 911 / VHR update for me has been a total crapshoot on my '08 Focus SES. Being an IT guy myself trying to get the upgrade at a small local dealership has taught me a lot about the update:

The first dealer I went to - a big-city dealer, had no idea what the update was and updated me to 1.3 which I already had. When I found out they didn't do the update after waiting all day, they told me it would be $100 to do it, and come back another day. Oh, and your car has to be in before 8 AM in the morning to consider getting looked at that day.

So, I went to another dealer - a small local one. There the mechanics were cautious about doing the update with me because they could "feel" something was bound to go wrong. They had never done a Sync 2.0 update before. After 2.5 hours of waiting, I come to find that they didn't have a USB male-to-male cable in possession, and the mechanic had run out to the store to buy one. Also, the update was failing, and my Sync was dead. It wouldn't turn on.

So, now I'm involved because I'm an IT guy and the mechanics aren't. The issue was that for some reason the updater wasn't talking to Sync.

It turns out, this update needs to be done at the dealer because your car's ECU must be updated to be compatible with the new Sync 2.0 features. And it's no small ECU update. The Sync 2.0 update process first does about 7 or 8 minutes of updates on your cars computer (the ECU) - and a hefty update it does. Afterwards, all my car "dings" are totally different and fun-sounding! (when you put your key's in and stuff).

After the ECU systems are updated, the Sync update initiates. This is where my update fails. As soon as the update connection with Sync is initiated, Sync suddenly turns off and radio static is heard. And that's when Sync's dead, only revivable by disconnecting the battery, and reconnecting it. So, Sync is either supposed to turn off, or it crashes when the update is initiated. The update process then time's out, being unable to communicate with Sync. Now this means you have to go through all 7 - 8 minutes of the ECU updates again. My ECU got flashed about 7 times today trying to do this update. If you're curious, All the updates are actually done in Internet Explorer 6 through Ford's website. Scary.

Through out all this, the dealer's little laptop also didn't have ActiveSync installed (The updater said you needed it installed), which is a free Microsoft download, so I downloaded & installed it for them. Then there was a special configuration setting that needed to be on so I set that. Then, their special USB cable didn't have a driver installed for some reason (what USB cables need a driver?). The driver in the box amazingly came on a floppy (the laptop didn't have a floppy drive) - so I had to put the floppy in another computer, transfer the driver to my USB thumb drive, and then manually install it from the thumb drive on the laptop we were using. After all that, we tried the Sync update again and still no go. One more battery disconnect / reconnect and I was on my way with an updated ECU, but still Sync 1.3. And 5 hours gone.

So it's important to know that these same things may be happening at your dealer as well - missing software, computer drivers, wrong software configuration settings, etc that would be preventing the mechanics from their update in the first place.

The mechanics said they would put in a ticket with Ford. Here's my ticket, Ford.

Why the MacBook Air ISN'T Expensive

The first question someone asks when they see Apple’s new MacBook Air is “how much is it?”. Upon being told it’s $1799 ($1699 education), their first reaction, however, is near disgust. For an average consumer or even techie people like you and I, the price does indeed seem high. However this is not the case - the MacBook Air is not expensive by any means for what you’re actually paying for. The average consumer is not educated in basic business practices or knowledge, and thus they don’t understand why a product like this has such a high price tag. What would bring the price of the machine so high, from a business prospective?

1. Research & Development (R&D) - R&D would have been the biggest cost incorporated into the MacBook Air. For the thinnest laptop in the world, Apple definitely had to drop some money on research to create it. The design on this product probably spanned years, and thousands of hours of professional engineering pay time.
2. Production - Being the thinnest laptop in the world, the MacBook Air is probably very expensive just to produce. Those parts are really small, you know?
   
3. Custom Intel processor - Intel actually went out of their way for Apple and the MacBook Air - a smaller custom Core2Duo processor was designed specifically for the MacBook Air. I’m sure Intel charged a pretty penny for that.
   
4. Introduction to the Market - It’s common business knowledge that you introduce a new product into the market at a high price, to offset initial manufacturing, R&D, and marketing costs. The initial cost for the setup of up a plant to start producing the MacBook Air is high. Also, a products marketing budget is biggest upon its introduction to the market. Apple is spending lots of money on marketing the MacBook Air right now, and that is also incorporated into the price. Apple showed their practice of the market introduction teqnuqie with the iPhone. The introductory $600 price of the iPhone was lowered to $400 a month after it's initial release.
   
5. High grade aluminum - The MacBook Air isn’t made of plastic like other laptop computers. It’s made of industrial strength high grade aluminum. That’s expensive.
   
6. 1.8” Hard Drive - The 1.8” hard drive is the same one used in the iPod Classics - they are expensive little drives when compared to the standard 2.5” laptop drives. The optional 64GB SSD is obscenely expensive, but I applaud Apple for offering it because SSD is itself being introduced to the market - and thus is extremely expensive at the moment. There are, actually, people who will buy the MacBook Air with the SSD Hard Drive, and the more that do, the better it is for SSD Drive prices in the industry. Remember the first iPod mini, which was 4 GB of SSD and cost $250? Since selling so many iPod’s with SSD memory, the prices for them have dropped immensely.
7. 802.11n wireless - 802.11n wireless is a hot new technology, and is expensive. Not to mention its 802.11n technology that can actually fit into the MacBook Air.
   
   So there are seven causes of the MacBook Air’s high price. When you get down to it, you really are paying the premium price for sheer portability. Maybe if you sit down and think for a while of the cost implications of running a corporation and introducing a new product, you’ll be able to better understand why the MacBook Air actually isn’t so expensive.
   

CompUSA Falsely Advertises Mail-in Rebates

A couple months ago, I was in the market for a new dual-monitor setup. Luckily, I found a good deal at CompUSA online.

I ended up purchasing two Acer X221WSD monitors on sale for $210 a piece.

Along with the low price was an included mail-in rebate. The rebate on the site clearly advertised a $30 refund towards each monitor purchased. This essentially would bring the price of each monitor down to $180.

You can clearly see the screen clipping of the rebate advertisement stating: "$30.00 Rebate on each", followed by "receive $30 via mail on each".

Now we have to catch the fine print. You can see at the bottom of the advertisement that it states: "Limit One (1) $30.00 Rebate Per SKU". And since any item in a companies inventory has just one SKU, both my monitors have the same SKU. This technically limited me to one (1) $30 rebate, and not two. I contacted the CompUSA eRebate program, and this is what they had to say:

"Thank you for participating in the CompUSA eRebates Program.

Our records indicate that you purchased 2 of REF ACER X221WSD 22 WS LCD Monitors. Unfortunately, this offer had a limit of one so we will only be able to honor one rebate.

If you have any further questions, please contact us at support@erebates.compusa.com or 1-888-716-8555 Monday - Friday 8:00am - 7:30 pm Eastern.


Sincerely
Taconnie S
eRebates Customer Service"

I replied with the picture above attached to the e-mail, and never heard back.

I just received my mail-in rebate: one (1) $30 check for two monitors.

Buyer beware!

Mac Develeoper Plans Wii / iTunes Integration

Want to enjoy pictures, movies, and music on your Nintendo Wii? Wii Transfer developer Manton Reece has something in store for you then.

Wii Transfer, a Mac only application, already plays music from iTunes, and views pictures from iPhoto on your Wii. Soon, video streaming will be added to the feature list. Wii Transfer's primary feature, however, is converting videos on your Mac to Wii format, which are then playable on the Wii from an SD card.

Wii Transfer is a very simple application: leave it running on your Mac to allow the Wii to browse your entire iTunes or iPhoto library over wireless. Performed through the Wii Opera browser, Wii Transfer is actually running a small website on your Mac which is viewable from any web browser.



As of now, Wii Transfer supports playing both MP3 and AAC files from your iTunes library. It will also view your iPhoto pictures, and photocasts. I really like the iPhoto integration - I can view my friends flickr feeds right from my television - because they're set in iPhoto on my Mac. iTunes playlists and album covers, as well as iPhoto albums are supported. Photo viewing also sports the Apple-esq smooth transitions from picture to picture.

However, The media sharing features of Wii Transfer feel quite underdeveloped. A minimal interface, and buggy playback handicap the software. This is because Reece originally thought the movie conversion features were more important, thus his development resources were allocated as so. Recently, I asked Reece some questions about the future development of Wii Transfer:
_________

Me: First of all, why isn't this feature it's own product? I don't
think it makes much sense to include a music player with a video
converter, when it has so much potential. Why not create a second
project called "WiiTunes" or something and have it be devoted to
this feature? Many people would buy it (I have no interest in the
video conversion features).

Reece: This is a good suggestion, and one I've considered. The truthful
answer is that I didn't know how well the music sharing feature would
be received, so I hesitated to make it its own product at first. Now
that most of my customers are buying it for the music alone,
eventually I will transition it so that that is the core feature. I
won't take away the other features, but they will be secondary and
less prominently featured. The movie conversion will be supplemented
with movie streaming so that it works more consistently together (no
SD card).

Me: Second, it seems the interface could be much more refined and
pleasant if a simple, pretty CSS template were used. Right now,
white text on a black background seems pretty underdeveloped.

Reece: Point taken. The interface will definitely keep improving.
_________

Wii Transfer looks to be becomming a "Front Row" for the Wii - a simple solution for consumers looking to bring their media into the living room. Cheaper than an Apple TV or XBox 360, Wii Transfer should find a good niche in the marketplace.

Wii Transfer can be purchased online for a humble $14. A free limited demo version is available.

Propaganda: Marijuana vs. Alcohol Commercials

Propaganda: chiefly derogatory information, esp. of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view (Oxford Dictionary).

Am I the only one who notices the mainstream anti-marijuana propaganda put out by our government?

First, let's take a look at a the average Budwieser commercial on American television:

Anheuser-Bush promotes alcohol as a way to have sex, party, have a great time with friends, and most of all: be cool.

Now let's take a look at the latest marijuana commercial on television:

The message against marijuana is clear: If you use marijuana, you are a complete and absolute lonely loser.

In America, alcohol is a substance that kills 85,000 people a year, and attributable to 40% of domestic violence and sexual offense cases. However marijuana, a harmless and responsible substance, is distinguished as something awful and pathetic.

This is clearly propaganda, and it's sad it is publicized by the United States government. Please do everything you can to help change marijuana perceptions in the country.

First-Ever Collegiate Campaign Videos Made

A group of UNC-Charlotte students have made the first-ever collegiate campaign videos on the internet.

The campaign videos were hosted on the media site YouTube, and distributed through the social networking site, Facebook.

School presidential candidate Justin Ritchie, and Vice Presidential candidate Tim Ernst came up with the idea. They felt it would give them a strong competitive edge against their opposing candidates.

Ritchie didn't want to do the average campaign video - he wanted something to grab the student body, and give them something to talk about. Ritchie & Ernst released four videos over the course of the campaign - each creatively highlighting important university issues - such as school spirit, parking, football, and construction.

Two of the videos reached the university's number one video spot on Facebook.

UNC-Charlotte is not a school of particularly high student involvement, and Ritchie and Ernst knew this. The marketing tools - handouts, flyers, and table tents, emphasized the point to vote for Ritchie-Ernst, nothing more. They were bright, colorful, and easy to read. Again, the same creativity found in the videos was found in the marketing.

Initially, the Ritchie-Ernst campaign didn't receive 51% of the vote - calling for a school mandated runoff election. The fourth and final campaign video, intuitively emphasized that a secondary election was at hand, and that students would need to vote again - for Ritchie-Ernst this time.

Election videos weren't the only thing in the Ritchie-Ernst campaign arsenal. A efficient and informative website, as well as beautiful marketing tools gave the campaign another edge.

Most of the promotional tools were devised and created by Rithie's friend and campaign manager, Marcus Hesse. Hesse directed and edited three of the campaign videos, and was a source of creativity on the team. Ritchie and Ernst fed campaign ideas to Hesse, who then came up with plans to incorporate them.

The Ritchie-Ernst campaign won the runoff election with 54% of the vote between two candidates. 1,421 students voted - as compared to only circa 500 in the university's previous runoff election.

First Campaign Video

Second Campaign Video

Third Campaign Video

Fourth Campaign Video

www.RitchieErnst.com

Official campaign flyer

Official campaign handout

Runoff campaign flyer

Runoff campaign handout

What's Happened to Bobby Lutz?

For the past eight years, the Charlotte 49er's have been road warriors, tearing up their Conference-USA competition and heading to five NCAA tourneys along with two NIT seasons.

2004 was the height of Bobby Lutz' career - an AP ranking of 17'th in the nation and a 7 seed in the NCAA tournament. It finally looked like UNC-Charlotte succeeded their dream of become of becoming yet another North Carolina basketball power-house.

Success was bliss, however, as the Charlotte 49er's would win no more. In that year's NCAA Tourney, Charlotte would lose a first-half 14 point lead against a vulnerable North Carolina State, only to lose by 14 points.

Despite the loss to NC State, the next pre-season brought Charlotte a New York Times "Sweet 16" pick and plenty of AP votes. However, just two weeks into the season, the now Atlantic-10 Conference Charlotte was called "The biggest disappointment in College Basketball" by FOX Sports - scoring a horrendous 9 points in a half against Mississppi State. Charlotte went on in the 2005-2006 season to lose many games by only a few points - including heart breaking losses to ACC foe Wake Forest on ABC Saturday television, and an arguably stolen double-overtime game at 3'rd ranked George Washington. Regardless, Charlotte surprisingly ended up a second-round NIT team.

This year, the Charlotte 49er's are currently a dismal 8-9 and not winning games. How is this possible? Charlotte is one of the highest funded and talented teams in the Atlantic-10 with the "Gatorade Mississippi State Player of the Year" David Booker, top Ju-Co recruit Carlos Williams, Leemire Goldwire & EJ Drayton (both part of the 2004 super team), as well as All-America Candidate De'Angelo Alexander. Out of high school, De'Angelo Alexander was ranked higher than Duke's JJ Reddick, and he went with Oklahoma to the "Elite 8" before transferring to then powerful Charlotte. Right now, De'Angelo is playing below expectations, and can't make shots. What would cause such great talent to perform so low? Bad coaching.

I have a theory about Bobby Lutz'. When he came to Charlotte, Bobby Lutz' was fantastic. Recruiting was, and still is, excellent. He took Charlotte to a whole new level, and won games. However, since, then, he hasn't really learned anything. Bobby still coaches his way - the exact way he did 9 years ago when he was competitive. Since then, the sport of basketball has evolved and moved on, and Bobby Lutz hasn't.

I realized this last year towards the end of the 2005-2006 season. In the last few seconds against St Louis, Charlotte lost at home by a successful last second inbounds alley-oop. "I have never seen a play like that before" Lutz' later stated. But I have - many times in fact - just by watching various TV college games.

Lutz is now forced to try new coaching methods with his team. Even though his team's style may look totally different (mainly disorganized), his signature 3 shooting still exists. If Lutz' doesn't learn anything new this season or next, he's history.