I’m listening to Gram Parsons’ version of “Love Hurts” via Hype Machine, struck still by how fresh the song sounds, 35 years after it was first released. Emmylou Harris sings harmony, and their voices blend together so seamlessly that you can’t help but wonder what they’d have done had Gram’s demons not done him in so young (or if he’d have killed himself anyway after hearing Nazareth’s cover). So much raw, genuine emotion in that voice. Love DOES hurt, goddamnit, and this song makes you feel it. The Grievous Angel didn’t make it, but the angelic voice that remains, that of Emmylou, sure does. Thankfully. I spent a long obsessive weekend listening to her “Songbird” box set a couple of months ago and gained a whole new appreciation for her art...
Art is what makes us human, keeps us connected to the beauty that exists in the world, makes us think and inspires us and occasionally offends us too. Music, for so many of us, is an outlet without which life would be unbearable. The comfort of a familiar voice, a resonating lament that reminds us that these feelings aren’t always unique only to us, the joy of hearing a spectacular voice or searing guitar solo or thrilling live performance or an unstoppable rhythm or whatever it is that blows your proverbial skirt up, that raises the mundane to a higher plane, if even for the briefest of moments.
Art pulls us up above the everyday, of the have-to and the routine, of the forced smile and professional facade that barely conceals the beastly beating heart of the wild soul that seeks nothing more than escape, nothing more than the chance to thumb its nose and raise its middle finger at The Man.
Art enhances our emotions, makes the good better, adds contextual beauty to the intimate moments that define us and provides a richness to the experience of this short ride on the planet, the one lap we all get to run. Art reminds us that there is more, that life is deeper, that what we do for a living isn’t really life but rather a means to an end.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
AT&T Wireless: America's Telecom Travesty, continued...
A friend of mine recently sent some thoughts in response to my posting a couple of weeks back, Poison Ivy v. AT&T Wireless: which is worse? and it sparked an interesting thought...
His initial conceit was that as recognizably awful as AT&T customer service is, there is equal blame to be placed with RIM, the makers of BlackBerry devices. After all, they're paid in full by AT&T, which subsidizes the retail cost and makes up the difference (and then some) via onerous service contracts, so I should raise some hell with RIM too. Here is my response:
While RIM is certainly accountable in this (and I understand how it's all incestuously subsidized), my chief issues have been with AT&T. First, because their network sucks and I constantly have calls drop, people unable to hear me properly, etc. The larger issue with them is that their customer service is deplorable. Separate from any issues I have experienced with a faulty device or poor network coverage in the areas I frequent, the overwhelming frustration has been with the response from AT&T. It's a system designed to frustrate consumers into giving up. Rather than an empowered point of contact able to effect a true resolution, I get shifted around, patronized ("um, yes, I do understand that I need to see at least one bar in order to place a call..." true story), bait-and-switched, lied to, etc. I've complained to RIM and been offered tech help for just $45/hour, but the central issue is still with AT&T.
All things being equal among the 4 major cellular service providers in terms of technology and coverage, how does a company separate itself and stand out? Great customer service is one way. Give me a reason to brag about you. Make it natural for me to mention my positive experience. A million new subscribers are holding their shiny new iPhones right now, marveling at all the device is capable of...until they begin using it as a phone and realize the coverage and audio quality is the equivalent of dialing Nairobi from Harare...and then the call drops, inexplicably.
Here's a comparison: a few months ago, I dropped my COBRA coverage and bought an individual plan, privately. Different HMO provider, but same level of service and benefits, just $200/month less. While I didn't have problems per se with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the treatment and service I've received since joining Fallon is outstanding. My PCP spent considerable time with me during a recent physical; all of my follow-up appointments (I had a bunch of tests) were scheduled quickly and upon arrival at each, there was little time wasted-no waiting, no duplication of forms, just comprehensive treatment that included genuine explanations of all that was happening. While I may be one of _______ subscribers, at each stop along the way I've been treated as their most important subscriber, and I've been raving about Fallon as a consequence. With health care a major concern in this country and that industry having such a heavily negative public perception, how valuable is it to Fallon to have satisfied consumers speaking to other potential consumers about their happiness with said service? Strong word of mouth comes to them without incurring any additional marketing costs. How easy would it be for AT&T (or any number of companies, obviously) to achieve the same?
His initial conceit was that as recognizably awful as AT&T customer service is, there is equal blame to be placed with RIM, the makers of BlackBerry devices. After all, they're paid in full by AT&T, which subsidizes the retail cost and makes up the difference (and then some) via onerous service contracts, so I should raise some hell with RIM too. Here is my response:
While RIM is certainly accountable in this (and I understand how it's all incestuously subsidized), my chief issues have been with AT&T. First, because their network sucks and I constantly have calls drop, people unable to hear me properly, etc. The larger issue with them is that their customer service is deplorable. Separate from any issues I have experienced with a faulty device or poor network coverage in the areas I frequent, the overwhelming frustration has been with the response from AT&T. It's a system designed to frustrate consumers into giving up. Rather than an empowered point of contact able to effect a true resolution, I get shifted around, patronized ("um, yes, I do understand that I need to see at least one bar in order to place a call..." true story), bait-and-switched, lied to, etc. I've complained to RIM and been offered tech help for just $45/hour, but the central issue is still with AT&T.
All things being equal among the 4 major cellular service providers in terms of technology and coverage, how does a company separate itself and stand out? Great customer service is one way. Give me a reason to brag about you. Make it natural for me to mention my positive experience. A million new subscribers are holding their shiny new iPhones right now, marveling at all the device is capable of...until they begin using it as a phone and realize the coverage and audio quality is the equivalent of dialing Nairobi from Harare...and then the call drops, inexplicably.
Here's a comparison: a few months ago, I dropped my COBRA coverage and bought an individual plan, privately. Different HMO provider, but same level of service and benefits, just $200/month less. While I didn't have problems per se with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the treatment and service I've received since joining Fallon is outstanding. My PCP spent considerable time with me during a recent physical; all of my follow-up appointments (I had a bunch of tests) were scheduled quickly and upon arrival at each, there was little time wasted-no waiting, no duplication of forms, just comprehensive treatment that included genuine explanations of all that was happening. While I may be one of _______ subscribers, at each stop along the way I've been treated as their most important subscriber, and I've been raving about Fallon as a consequence. With health care a major concern in this country and that industry having such a heavily negative public perception, how valuable is it to Fallon to have satisfied consumers speaking to other potential consumers about their happiness with said service? Strong word of mouth comes to them without incurring any additional marketing costs. How easy would it be for AT&T (or any number of companies, obviously) to achieve the same?
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