Unfortunately, what they did was create a very pretty, and nearly unusable product.  They have taken the “less is more” idea WAY to far, eliminating the ability to forward email into a project, eliminating templates, milestones, time tracking, folders, private tags, and more.  What’s worse is the occasionally cavalier attitude on the forums where they generally point out that we probably didn’t use any of that stuff anyhow, but if we really miss it, we can just use the “old” version or that they are “considering” things (no roadmap or timelines there, thank you very much).  The real shame there is that the few things they did do in the new version they did really, really well (I love the changes to the calendar, for instance), but it’s not enough to make up for the losses.

Don’t get me wrong!  I’ve been a big, big fan of the 37signals approach – even when I strongly disagree with it.  Shaking things up is a good thing.  But this time it feels like they shook a little too hard.  I feel like an alpha tester when using their new product.  It’s not just limited, it feels downright incomplete.  So much so that I deleted all the projects I moved into the new system and went completely back to the old system.  Unfortunately, much of my use of the old system was based on the hope that there would be iterations that would make my problems with the system go away over time.  Now that it’s clear that that won’t happen (they make it clear efforts will be on the new system), I have some troubling decisions to make.  As it stands, I have more project management tools in Outlook than in the new Basecamp (and you know how much I hate Outlook).

I know that 37signals likes the idea of a customer outgrowing them.  I’m not sure they really meant to actively alienate their existing customer base. The 37signals team is on the forums, and they sometimes seem genuinely interested in discussing how or why features are being missed.   The question is whether I (and many others) will be compelled to move to another product because of the current limitations, or if the 37signals team will aggressively develop the most requested features to show that they are serious about keeping their most passionate customers.   Time will tell.

ThinkGeek :: What’s New

via Geek Toys : Character Building: The Tardis Mini Set.

Yet, in a prime example of do as I say, not as I do, I foolishly posted a rant on a Facebook page this weekend that was not only uncalled for, but entirely inaccurate.   So, I want to take a moment here to offer myself up as an object lesson, as well as toss out some much deserved kudos to the company who’s page I posted on.

Back in July, I bought an amp that I’m not particularly happy with.  This isn’t anyone’s fault but my own.  I could have not bought it, and I’m certain I could have returned it, but I kept hoping it would sound better to me… go figure.  Poor thinking on my part!  So, this Saturday morning, I’m listening to some music on it, and decide to go out and look at what it’s selling for.  Perhaps, I can sell it used or something?   When I discover it’s selling for just over half what I paid for it, I immediately rushed out to Facebook and crucified the dealer on their page (Audiotronics).  That’ll show ‘em!

Of course, two minutes later I realized the price I paid was perfectly fair.  The price didn’t drop on the unit for several more months.  So, feeling somewhat embarrassed at my rash behavior, I went back to their page and deleted my post.    One can’t help but wonder what the hell I was thinking in the first place, given that they’ve never been anything short of awesome to me in the past…

When I came in to work this morning, there was an email from Alan Guyes to me (at work, no less) offering to work with me, and explaining what happened with the pricing.  Now, think about this.  I posted, then deleted not two minutes later, and still the company took the time to look up my records, check on the complaint, contact me directly (not just through Facebook) and offer to help on a complaint from a purchase six months old.    It’s this sort of drop dead awesome service that EVERY retail company should be striving for, and I dissed them on Facebook.

Needless to say, I’m embarrassed and ashamed of my own behavior which is why I’m taking a minute to give them a shout out.  It’s a lesson hard learned for me.  It’s not enough to delete a post – at the speed of information the damage is done the moment you hit post.  I’ve (and all of us) got to be more cognizant of the thoughts that we share in a public forum.  There was a time when we were all taught to think before we speak, because what you say can’t be unsaid.  Never has this been more true than right now.

And to the Alan Guyes at Audiotronics – I’m really sorry, and you can expect me in soon to make a guilt purchase!  You’ve earned me as a customer for life, assuming you’ll have me.

Hey, I get it.  You’re trying to force us to use your Google+ platform.  But guess what?  This isn’t going to work for me.  Most of the people that read the articles I share read them because they can barely use the computer, so searching out relevant news is challenging for them.  Those folks aren’t even using Facebook, so they certainly aren’t going to use Google+.

So, my favorite RSS reader of all time is now a useless piece of offal smelling up my web experience.  Thanks Google, you guys really suck.

My lunch pretty much blows my entire per diem for the day. I guess I’ll have tap water for dinner. Thanks, Mickey.

Who knows?  I think it’s reasonable to assume that just about every device is tracking me, somehow.  I’ll know my Android phone is tracked by the cell towers, I know my online shopping is tracked, as is most likely all my surfing at work, my wife probably follows me around town, and we all know that those “vaccines” we get as children are really a bunch of microscopic tracking devices, right?

So, why worry about one more example?  Well, in this case, because it represents not a malicious intent, but just plain rank stupidity!  There is simply no excuse for Apple to have left a file like this completely accessible with a total lack of security at any reasonable level.  It’s an example of a culture of not giving a crap.  We’ve become so accepting of the cost of technology to our privacy that companies, programmers, manufacturers, and end users have stopped holding each other accountable.   We post personal information, pictures of our kids, our travel plans (I’m guilty of all these) with blatant abandon.  Hey, why don’t we go ahead and post the location of our spare key or bank pin while we’re at it?

So, if we’re so willing to give up our privacy, do we really have the right to blame a company for not protecting it?  What do you think?

So, it would seem that for now I need to accept the loss, and learn to live without. Farewell, old friend.

Salman Khan summed it up perfectly (I’m paraphasing here) “You’re about 80% able to ride a bike now, so time to learn the Unicyle”.  It really does feel that way.  What nut job actually thinks the kids we’re educating like this will actually be able to run our country in 20 years?  No wonder teachers are burned out.  Imagine the level of micromanagement that is going on in the classrooms right now.

You know, the more cynical side of me is convinced that this is our great leader’s way of moving us back to a time where ONLY the rich could get an education.  Think about it, it’s the perfect way to combat the “everyone should go to college” approach that the liberal leaders have promoted.  If we can effectively undermine the middle and lower classes ability to get a good basic education, they’ll never make it through college, and thus never be able to compete for jobs against those that have higher education.   Did you know that 70% of community college students require remedial education to get them to college level.  These are kids that GRADUATED from high school during the “no child left behind” system of education!

So, what do we do?  Do we accept that this is the best we can get and continue, hoping we as parents can make up the difference?  Do we put ourselves deeply in debt and forgo the possibility of saving for college by putting her in a private school that has a different philosophy and hope for the best?

What do you think?