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Pandora's Box Opens

It didn't take long, but experimentation with WI-FI access on airplanes has already become problematic. American Airlines' flight attendants want filters installed to prevent in-flight porn viewing. It takes a certain bodaciousness to visit XXX sites in public; but then again, there are those who aim to join the "Mile High Club," so who can really be surprised at this development? Yet, as the article in CNet explains

Given that people are packed onto planes literally elbow to elbow, it's often hard not to at least glance at the laptop screen of the person sitting next to you. But airlines have not banned people from reading pornographic magazines or watching their own DVDs on flights. And it's just as easy for someone to view a DVD of an adult video on a laptop or flip through Hustler as it is to surf porn Web sites.

The truth is that it hasn't been a major problem on flights thus far. In fact, American Airline's spokesman Tim Smith told Bloomberg that the "vast majority" of customers already use good judgment in what's appropriate to look at while flying versus what's not.

To be sure, the airlines should be concerned about creating an environment for its employees - and customers - that could be deemed sexual harassment. I'm willing to trust my fellow passengers to have the good sense to leave the porn surfing for home. But if any of them tries to use VOIP -  I say ban them from flying for life!

How One Small Error Leads to a Big Problem

A NYC man is suing American Airlines for mislocating his dead wife's body. Apparently the cause of the problem was a simple typo:

Funeral director Kathleen DeRiso said the shipping error was caused by someone at American who punched in the wrong airport code. She said they wrote GUA for Guatemala instead of GYE for Guayaquil.

"It was not our error," DeRiso said, adding that the body was properly embalmed and "there was no decomposition." She said it was the first time in her 18 years of dealing with American that such a mistake had happened.

We know humans are not infallible, and that's why systems need to have redundancies built in. There should have been some technology, practice, or other means of double-checking the destination of such important cargo as a casket with a body in it. This blunder is just another reason people should not ship their live pets via passenger aircraft.

SMS: The Key to an Obama Victory?

I was one of the hundreds of thousands of Barack Obama supporters who waited anxiously all day Friday for the "we want you to be the first to know" text message announcing his VP selection. Mine arrived at 1:37 a.m. EST Saturday, late by several hours given that the major media, led by the A.P, broke the news about Joe Biden late Friday evening.  Color me disappointed.

One positive result, though, of Obama's text-messaging strategy is all the attention now being given to its real benefit: voter turnout. Among the many articles is fascinating blog post by author and consultant Tomi T Ahonen (hat tip to Tim Leberecht). In it he discusses the world-wide popularity of text messaging and points to research that shows its use can increase voter participation by more than 4%. His analysis concludes that if this year's presidential election mirrors that of 2004, the use of text messaging would tip Ohio, New Mexico, and Iowa -- and the electoral college victory - to Obama. Now that's a technological change you can believe in!

Credit crisis? What credit crisis?

With all the news and economic impact of the sub-prime mortgage loan fiasco and the associated credit card crisis, one would think financial institutions would have tightened up their approval processes for new lines of credit. A recent experience doesn't give me much confidence in that.

I'm planning to upgrade my PC (new processor, motherboard, memory, etc) so I can finally get decent frame rates on Crysis. My preferred online tech retailer  is Newegg, which consistently has great prices as well as an active community of customers who provide feedback about their purchases. Yesterday I opted to apply for a "Preferred Account," which is basically a company-specific credit card that offers various purchase promotions. I filled out the necessary info (after checking to make sure the site was secure!) and was stunned that I received instant (well, in no more than 10 seconds) approval for a credit line of $8000. Since it was Sunday and I doubt the credit department is fully-staffed on that day, the company obviously uses some automated process. Was it just a quick check of my FICO score or some complicated algorithm that led Newegg (or more importantly, its partner CIT Bank) to decide I was trustworthy enough to be extended a line of credit? And what about identity theft?

Fast forward to this morning when I receive a call to verify that I did, in fact, open a new account with Newegg. I had provided my telephone number in the application, and as a fraud prevention measure, the call seems reasonable and appropriate. Except the rep who called asked no further questions, thanked me, and hung up. Couldn't an identify thief just as easily answered the question - and truthfully - as long as the telephone number on the app was his rather than mine? I've grown accustomed to answering all kinds of security questions on-line and off to confirm my identity; good thing I can remember every address I've ever lived at and the name of my elementary school. While it can be a hassle, it's also reassuring to know my financial institutions have implemented steps to decrease the likelihood of fraud.

But what are these firms, many of whom have shown such poor judgment recently in extending credit, doing to verify the veracity of the information provided in credit applications and the creditworthiness of the applicant? Consumers have grown so accustomed to easy credit that many of us would balk if asked to provide actual documentation of our assets or other intrusions on our privacy. Credit scores are a record of past bill-paying behavior and as such are a lagging indicator of one's current financial situation. Moral hazard and adverse selection have always been central considerations in risk management for financial institutions. If credit scores are the defense of choice against these, then it behooves us all to make sure the info they're based on is accurate. Maybe it's time to request a copy of my own from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion

The End of Air Travel as We Know It?

No longer will travelers be untethered from the Internet while flying. Starting today, American Airlines is making WiFi available for $12.95 on 767 aircraft flights of more that 3 hrs. duration. Think what this will enable: streaming video as an alternative to in-flight entertainment; instant messaging and e-mail access; RSS feeds that won't require content downloaded in advance. I am relieved to know that VOIP will not be available. The last thing one needs at 30,000 feet is a fellow passenger chattering loudly to someone back on land.

Students Who Use 'Clickers' Score Better On Physics Tests

This news report from ScienceDaily (2008-07-18):

Hand-held electronic devices called clickers are helping college students learn physics, according to a series of research studies. Students who used the devices to answer multiple-choice questions during physics lectures earned final examination scores that were around 10 percent higher -- the equivalent of a full-letter grade -- than students who didn't. ... > read full article

Use of clickers also appears to eliminate gender disparity in performance; while men scored better than women in traditional classrooms, when clickers were in use those differences disappeared. I think one possible explanation is anonymity combined with the social aspect of clickers reduces anxiety and makes it easier for actual abilities to shine through. To the extent that women, on average, tend to be more anxious when it comes to quantitative analysis or quizzes in general, then one would expect that women, on average, would benefit proportionately from practices that reduce anxiety.

Quality and Control Problems at the Red Cross

Today's New York Times has a front -page story on serious operations problems with how the Red Cross manages the collection, storage, and transport of blood. Failure to follow procedures and ineffective monitoring processes are two sources of concern, but information management appears to be a significant problem as well. Despite more than 15 years of efforts at an estimated $1 billion cost, the organization still lacks an single, centralized database to accurately capture and share vital information such as the names of ineligible donors and the whereabouts of tainted blood components. 

The issues at the Red Cross go beyond quality control and effective process management. There appears to be serious deficiencies in its compliance with FDA reporting requirements, and a whistleblower who had led an audit team charges that she was fired for pushing for disclosure of problems the team had identified. The Times based its reporting in part on publicly available documents and asserts (without further discussion) that some point to the existence of falsified records. I hope these disclosures will lead to effective and lasting process improvement. As they say, sunshine is the best disinfectant.

Billions and billions served....

del.icio.us Tags: technology,service quality

I appreciate it when my dentist's office leave a message on my phone reminding me of an upcoming appointment . My mail-order pharmacy does the same when a prescription is due for renewal, and those calls from an airline informing me of a schedule change are especially important. Nation-wide no-call lists have reduced the number of unsolicited sales calls Americans receive, there has been a steady increase in those automated,or "robo," calls. One estimate has the number at nearly 100 billion (99,958,000 to be precise)  per year at a cost of about half a cent.  This is a great example of how technology can replace human labor, reduce costs, and add value for customers. The downside: some people find the calls annoying.