Tuesday, January 04, 2005

The Burris Newsletter changes its [blog]spots!

"Allow yourself to consider the impossible. You can worry about making it a possibility later." - Peggy Kennelly, a VP at IBM, in a web-streamed interview on ibm.com.
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A friend recently reported the results from an annual contest The Washington Post has to identify new, descriptive terms for some of the things we see and suffer. Here are three of my favorites from this year's list:
Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
Glibido (v): All talk and no action.
Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
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I had the opportunity to fly Independence Air (www.flyi.com) from Charleston to Greensboro (through Dulles) today (January 4). I arrived at 5:20a for a 6a scheduled Delta flight (through Atlanta), only to learn that the flight had been cancelled. (Cancelled when? Had to have been the night before when the flight from wherever didn't come into Charleston. "And why didn't Delta call you?", my wife asked, still a little sore because she had to take me to the airport. "Aren't you a Medallion flyer?" Yes, I am a Medallion, but I couldn't explain why they didn't call.)

My re-booked Delta flight wasn't going to depart until 10:38a, so I walked over to the counter next to Delta and inquired about Independence Air's ability to get me to Greensboro sooner. I could board a flight departing at 6:45a and arrive in Greensboro at 10:00a. For $202.

Let me point out several things, especially since I have often railed against the airlines in this space in the past.
- My original Delta flights departed at 6a and arrived in Greensboro (through Atlanta) at 9:45a. My new Independence flights departed Charleston at 6:45a and arrived in Greensboro (through Dulles) at 10:00a. Much more efficient.
- As a walk-up, one-way flyer, I would expect a normal airline to hose me with a high rate. But at $202, Independence was almost a no-brainer. It was as close to "impulse shopping" as you can get with air travel, I guess.
- The Independence Air experience was friendly, helpful and (I can't believe I'm actually saying this) satisfying. My expectations were exceeded in terms of on-time travel, service and comfort. (Now, I must say that the new carriers, the Southwests, JetBlue's and such, have successfully reduced our expectations about flying; that's been part of their success, I think. We don't expect more legroom or meals or any of those special touches. The new carriers tend to stick to the basics. It's almost as thought they say "We'll get you there on time if we possibly can and for less money." And the "less money" promise is virtually guaranteed.)

I don't need to rag on Delta today. (I will later if they fail to credit my ticket cost.) Because I think I may have found an alternative, at least for now.
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You're reading this newsletter in the form of a weblog, or "blog." That's not new; I've been posting my newsletter as a blog for almost a year now. Fortune, in the January 10 issue, says the blogging community represents the #1 tech trend in 2005. (Here's the link: http://www.fortune.com/fortune/technology/articles/0,15114,1011763,00.html)

The benefit of blogs, they say, is how they democratize the information process. (Lots of examples, from DanRatherGate in the fall to a fascinating story - on p. 47 - about IR'S Kryptonite locks). "It all sounds like so much insanity: a worldwide cabal ready to pounce on and publicize any error a company makes." But not all are negative. As surely as some blogs have outed bad products and practices, they've also promoted some impressive winners.

What I'm doing differently beginning this month is posting my blog myself. In the past I've asked Troy Martin, our resident interactive webspert (and rock star) to post for me. His expertise has been helpful in "Burris-izing" my postings, as he's added a small bit of programming to make my newsletter appear and function better. But part of the value of a blog is its ability to spark instantaneous dialogue about a topic or opinion. So I'm going solo now, removing the Troy-net, and posting for myself.

Also, with this posting I'll cease the formal monthly frequency, and I'll blog whenever: wherever I feel like it, whenever I have something new to write (or rail against). So I hope you'll bookmark this blog and come back, visit, and see what's up. Also, please feel free to comment to what you read here, whether you give feedback about something I've written or something someone else has added. A good blog is truly a dynamic dialogue, and I'm determined that this will be a good blog...at least for those who want to visit.

So as we begin a new year, let's all think of new ways to communicate, work, interact, cooperate, support and enliven the debate. Have a happy and prosperous one.

mb
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Mark Burris
P: 336.510.8697
mburris@burris.com
AIM: markburris@mac.com
Skype me: mburris
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B U R R I S
1050 Revolution Mill Drive - Studio 5
Greensboro, NC 27405 USA
http://www.burris.com

1 Comments:

Blogger Storm Bear said...

I was wondering what happened to the "Make It Happen" blog. Welcome to Blogspot!

2:59 PM  

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