More Tech Talk

I love my new iPhone. Mostly. I migrated from a Treo 650,  which is a pretty big change.  Sort of.  I've been using Palm OS PDAs for 10 years and been through at least 5 different devices. Since I made the commitment, the PDA and its desktop counterpart(s) have run my life, both personally and professionally. Suffice it to say there were a few adjustments when making the switch. 

Anyway, I'm really liking this thing. For the most part. Just this week I think I've solved two of my biggest complaints. First is that the iPhone lacks a To Do list. That's an issue for me, as I use the  To Do List not only for tasks, but also as a place to organize thoughts. Because a task can be "undated," I can, for example, jot down ideas for my next newsletter, or blog entry. Enter Toodledo. Huh? Check it out. It's really cool. It does a ton more than task management too. 

At my day job, I keep track of my personal calendar, email, etc. through Google's Gmail and Calendar. With the Treo, I kept my calendar in sync with Gcal, using a really neat service provided by Goosync. Goosync will allow pretty much any cell phone with a calendar to sync wirelessly with Google's calendar and contacts. Goosync has promised iPhone support very soon, so when that's up and running, I'm good to go.  Also, Toodledo interacts nicely with Gcal. Oh, and Jott will allow me to record on the iPhone with my voice, transcribe what I say to text, and automagically add it to Toodledo. VERY NICE for someone like me who gets a lot of ideas when driving. 

I'm excited to finally have this part of my life back in order. I've had the iPhone for a month or so and been looking for solutions. Some general comments about the phone: The built-in GPS has come in really handy. The 3G network is a bit spotty in areas where I drive, but when it's available, it's fast. Also, the phone seamlessly switches among the various wi-fi networks I use and the 3G service. The keyboard took some getting used to, but I'm liking it now. The 3rd party apps are pretty cool. The screen is really crisp and bright enough to see in bright sunlight. On the "needs improvement" side, it seems odd to me that there is no copy/paste function. The calendar is a bit linear for me and feels like a step backward from Palm. Bluetooth works only with headsets. And the battery life is a little suspect and inconsistent. However, considering this is only the 2nd generation of a product that is just over a year old, it will be exciting to see what it can do down the road. 

Technology and Landscape Design

It's been awhile since I last posted. It's primarily because of the demands of the season, and this post will be brief for the same reason. 

I'm sure many others have discovered some of the new features in Google Maps. Briefly, if you enter an address, quite often there is an interactive street-level photo linked to it. So if you are headed out, for example, to meet a new client, you can do some homework and take a sneak peek at the front of the property. Aerial photos are available too. It's pretty cool. 

There have also been some interesting things captured by these cameras, like they guy on a Chicago street pointing a gun at a kid , and people photographed entering/exiting some types of businesses that they would probably prefer to remain private! See some fun examples here: 

Abovetopsecret.com and Mashable.com

Here's a funny spoof of the technology. 

Also, if you use Internet Explorer on a Windows machine, check out Microsoft Virtual Earth. You get full 3-D aerial photos. Pretty cool. 

More soon on the APLD conference I attended recently.

What Are You Worth?

What is your expertise worth? Your time? Your knowledge? I think it's fair to say that each of us as a professional has a different value to different people. To someone who wants some bushes and a couple flats of annuals, I'm overpriced. But for someone who is looking for a complete landscape makeover, I'm the guy. Maybe you're in between.

When you price yourself, do you put a price on your time (per hour, day, etc.)? Or do you put a price on what you are worth to someone who wants or needs you?

I've long been puzzled by the fact that a plumber gets a better hourly rate than most landscape designers. As a profession, they have done a good job of putting a value on their services. One might even argue there is an entitlement mentality among them, but the point is, they have created a market where what they do is valued, rather than how long it takes to get it done.

It's a totally different animal, but somewhat related. It's baseball season and I'm a very enthusiastic Cubs fan. Yes, I'm on the "big blue bus." Anyway, consider Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano. His contract pays him $16 million dollars for 2008. That's a lotta lettuce!

Is it worth it to the Cubs? Sure it is. But let's do the math. He will probably start 30-35 games this year. Call it 33. He averages 210 innings per year and, say he throws 100 pitches per game, so 3300 pitches. The math in round numbers: $485,000 per start; $76,000 per inning pitched; and $4850 per pitch. And not all the pitches are good ones.

Is that a bit ridiculous? Yep.

The lesson is to price the job based on your value to the client, rather than the time you spend. The challenge, of course, is how to create that value and communicate it's worth to the client.

this begs a host of other questions too. More on this later.

No One Asked Me (Again)

I keep forgetting to blog this. It's no longer new or news, but it's still disturbing. Well, the logic, or lack thereof, is disturbing. The City of Chicago this year instituted a tax on bottled water. Hmmm...if it weren't punishment enough to pay for something that comes out of the faucet. 

Of course, it's a greenwashing strategy. It is not described as a tax on water, but a tax on plastic. They claim that the disposable bottles are a big problem and that taxing them will help the environment. Sure. Lots of plastic out there, but only water being taxed? So far.

If the goal is truly a strategy to keep these bottles out of the landfills, make it a deposit. Many states use deposits on cans and bottles to encourage recycling. If you think about it, a tax is paid every time you buy a bottle of water. If you are careful, you pay a deposit only once. 

Design and Voice Mail

In my last post I criticized some bad system design. One was a poorly-designed voice mail system, and the other a poorly designed phone support system. Both result in a company's being perceived as user-unfriendly. 

On the other hand, you have different fingers. Also, there are a few who "get it." Take, for example, American Taxi. I use them all the time for travel to/from O'Hare airport. Their automated phone system is really well-designed, efficient and user-friendly. There is virtually no wait when you call. All you have to know is the phone number(s) of your pickup  location and destination. The system is very clear and easy to understand. Also, you can order a taxi from their web site if you choose. Good design.