Scott Hirsch's dashboard

Scott Hirsch reported a problem in Google on September 09, 2008 21:33:

Google Calendar not creating events

i keep trying to create events in google calendar ... and then they don't show up on my calendar. No error message, no nothing. It just doesn't show up.

BTW, I have the Google*Gears plug-in installed, so if it's a connectivity issue, then Gears is not fulfilling its (albeit vague) promise of allowing me to work offline. Besides, I should still get an error message if it is a connectivity problem!

What's the dealio?

Scott Hirsch replied on September 09, 2008 19:58 to the question "etrade getting sketchy" in ETRADE:

i've had trouble lately, too.

Scott Hirsch asked a question in ETRADE on September 09, 2008 19:58:

etrade getting sketchy

Waiting for $ to clear ETrade to close on new apt. Since their stock dropped last yr it's hard to move funds out. Done with them after this.

Scott Hirsch replied on September 09, 2008 19:42 to the problem "After fraud on my ATM card, etrade was really difficult to get a resolution" in ETRADE:

I have my credit for the fraudulent activity ... but etrade seems to have lost my paperwork. This is craziness.

Scott Hirsch replied on September 05, 2008 17:26 to the question "why does chrome not integrate google*apps?" in Google:

the more I think about this, it becomes obvious that the business/tech press doesn't actually use Google*Apps ... you only see the flaws when you actually use these products the way they are positioned, as online alternatives to traditional software. That's why there's no real coverage on Google, just a bunch of business strategy mind-reading (which is fun, but not that helpful as journalism) and praise/criticism of the high-level product strategy (again, this is just gloss).

A month ago, the SF Chronicle published the first negative article on Google I can ever remember reading ... and it was basically about the scatter-shot product development that never seems to amount to anything meaningful in aggregate. The anonymous response I posted above makes it clear that this criticism is valid. I challenge more journalists to start looking at this issue!

Scott Hirsch replied on September 04, 2008 23:43 to the problem "V-Moda: build quality problems and terrible customer service" in V-Moda:

Just got this response from vmoda (form email) ... apparently they want me to BUY the new and improved headphones. what about getting a pair that work as part of the return policy!?!

--scott

snip

As we take our customers’ feedback very seriously, we wanted to let you know about new features that will improve the durability of our earphones.

We recently identified the plug of our Vibe Duo headphones as a point that has caused a higher-than-acceptable return rate by V-MODA’s strict quality control standards. In light of this discovery we have completely reengineered our plug to a sleek, durable design that has proven to withstand the rigorous wear presented by daily use. Using a 45-degree flexible design, the reengineered plug allows an optimal range of motion while maintaining a sturdy metallic core fused to a 24-carat gold-plated plug.

This new plug will be incorporated into all VIBE and VIBE Duo products and will be available soon at shop.V-MODA.com. The updated products will remain compatible with the Apple iPhone, the iPod, an array of smartphones and all other portable music players.

We firmly stand behind V-MODA’s One-Year Premier Warranty on all of our products. If you are experiencing problems with a V-MODA product, please consult our warranty page for detailed instructions on our warranty program. Should you need to contact us, please visit our contact page or email us at support@v-moda.com. Our customer service team is here to promptly serve you with any questions you have regarding our products.

Thanks for being a part of the V-MODA culture.

Rock on,

Scott Hirsch replied on September 04, 2008 23:33 to the problem "V-Moda: build quality problems and terrible customer service" in V-Moda:

To be honest, I'm kinda irritated with Apple ... I brought this design flaw to their attention almost a year ago and yet the continue to suggest this product online and carry it in their retail store.

FYI ... if you go to the apple store and tell them the problem (and raise just a little hell), they will give you a free pair of the apple iphone headphones ... which honestly, also blow out pretty often, but suffice until you can get a better pair)

Scott Hirsch started following the problem "V-Moda: build quality problems and terrible customer service" in V-Moda.

Scott Hirsch started following the idea "Six ideas that would make Gmail better" in Google.

Scott Hirsch replied on September 03, 2008 19:34 to the question "why does chrome not integrate google*apps?" in Google:

I got this response from an anonymous source at Google ...

"all good points

the fast application switching you're requesting is difficult because of how the apps were built and goog's infrastructure.

I'm pretty sure the guys on the chrome team want to do what you are requesting, it's just tricky because it involves migrating front ends etc etc so that that experience isn't specific to chrome but all browsers... blah bah"

Scott Hirsch asked a question in Google on September 03, 2008 18:00:

why does chrome not integrate google*apps?

I'm shocked! This would have been such an easy win for Google, but for some reason they have not integrated the google "office" apps into one holistic experience ... seems like if you built the browser and own the apps, then this would have really provided a "wow" factor and given proof of concept that chrome is truly better at running apps.

Instead, just like in safari and firefox, Chrome still keeps creating new and multiple tabs every time I bounce back and forth between calendar, gmail, and docs. The end result is that at the end of the work day, I have about 10 calendars open and 9 docs home pages (of course, this doesn't happen because I'm vigilant about closing them).

Doesn't chrome know these tabs are already open? Jeez, if you guys want to compete with MSOffice, this problem has to be solved. Nobody wants to continue paying microsoft, but we need a real alternative that works.

and it seems so easy to fix!

Scott Hirsch asked a question in AT&T on September 03, 2008 17:51:

why is edge suddenly working?

would love to have this be "praise" for at&t ... instead i was just shocked that edge was actually working in downtown San Francisco this morning. ever since 3G launched it has been ridiculously slow or just plain doesn't work.

If I had any faith that this trend of operability would continue, I would be pleased. I will post back here when it stops working again and will be happy to eat my words publicly if I'm wrong and the acceptable level of reliability continues.

Scott Hirsch marked one of Alex's replies in Apple as useful. Alex replied to the question "MacBook Air OSX Menu Turns Black".

Scott Hirsch reported a problem in ETRADE on August 22, 2008 19:17:

After fraud on my ATM card, etrade was really difficult to get a resolution

First, took forever to explain issue
Second, took forever to get dispute forms
Third, they expected me to notarize dispute ... why? i have no idea.
Fourth, they threatened to cancel my dispute because I didn't turn the forms around in 24 hours
Fifth, more than 2 weeks later, i still don't have my credit.

Scott Hirsch replied on August 14, 2008 05:57 to the problem "Mint can't access my Salliemae account" in Mint.com:

finally got it to work after trying several permutations of the 7,000 security questions. Thanks!

Scott Hirsch marked one of atish's replies in Mint.com as useful. atish replied to the problem "Mint can't access my Salliemae account".

Scott Hirsch replied on August 13, 2008 23:51 to the problem "Mint can't access my Salliemae account" in Mint.com:

I figured that's what it was ... so i do suggest changing the error message (if you can). In terms of the security questions, I'm choosing the ones that i always answer the same, so i don't really know what to do other than keep trying.
thanks, though.

Scott Hirsch reported a problem in Mint.com on August 13, 2008 23:02:

Mint can't access my Salliemae account

Mint won't access my salliemae account ... tells me i'm using the wrong userID and/or password, but I know that this is not true.

Scott Hirsch replied on August 13, 2008 08:03 to the question "need more tasks to make it fun" in Orsome:

maybe i'm not totally getting it, but it seems that you should be able to "win" and go on to something harder ... like smaller bubbles or bubbles that have water in them (harder to push), or bubbles that explode. I like games with stages. or maybe you can have different things happen as the time gets closer to zero ... or something to shake things up a bit.

give us some tension and then the release ... o wait.:)

BTW, I'm obsessed with Dizzy Bee by Igloo Games.

Scott Hirsch asked a question in Igloo Games on August 13, 2008 07:40:

Why do I love Dizzy Bee so much?

Not much detail to add here ... just wanted to see if there were others out there who share my obsession with nintendo-esque cartoon games that seem to be designed for Japanese school girls. :)