gadgetboy.org - The Weblog of John Federico

DIY QR Code Pet Tags

2012-01-22T19:41:47Z

After seventeen years of being a one-dog household, we decided to double our dog ownership.

We adopted a ten-year old chocolate Cocker Spaniel named Oreo whose owner was moving from a house to an apartment and couldn't take him. Given our history with rescue dogs, we know that it's typical for older dogs to be passed over for adoption since most families want younger dogs or puppies.

We didn't want to see him spend the rest of his life in a foster home (or worse) so we decided to welcome him to our family. He's a great dog and gets along well with our Lucy, a four-year old, black and white, parti-colored Cocker Spaniel.

Oreo has a microchip but we don't know who the vendor is, so we can't find the registry. That means that the old guy definitely needed new dog tags.

I started poking around the Interwebs and found a few interesting things.

You can get pet tags with QR codes!

Unlike many of the silly uses of QR codes that I see, this is a brilliant use of the technology: find a pet, scan the QR code on its tag and find out all about them including their owner's name and address, eating habits, favorite activities, medical history - the works.

One thing really bugged me, though: the only QR code pet tag solution I could find is managed by one company: PetHub. I tried creating profiles for both of our dogs but I found the service slow and buggy.

Plus, as a person who calls himself "half-geek, on my mother's side," I knew I could do better, so I did. ;)

Here's how.

Requirements

Standard Web Pages & Mobile-Optimized Web Pages. Anyone who may find the dogs should be able to load a web page to learn more about them. The pages should also be optimized for mobile browsers since someone may use a smartphone to read them.
Short URL. For those people who can't use the QR code on their phone or prefer to type a URL into a desktop browser, a short URL is required so that it can fit on the tag in a single line of text.

For the sake of longevity and flexibility, I want to be able to redirect the short URL to the page of my choosing in case I decide to change the location of the web pages later. This way, I don't have to pay for another set of tags should the ultimate destination change.

Note that most short url providers (bitly, tinyurl, etc) don't allow you to change the URL destination. (This is a spam prevention measure.) As a result, you may have to set up your own URL shortener. More on this later.
Bonus: SMS autoresponder. Texting is the lowest common denominator for mobile phones. If someone has a Feature phone they may not have a mobile web browser. Using an SMS response tool, they can always send a text message to learn more about the dog.

So, let's begin.

Pick a Code

First, decide what kind of QR code you want to use. QR codes can contain all different kinds of data: paragraphs of text, vCards, URL's - even commands for your phone to send an SMS message or launch an application. (These are usually platform dependent, though and not appropriate for this use case.)

The more data the code contains, the more complex the code will be to read. More importantly, depending on the QR code reader, your phone may not be able to act upon the data embedded in the code.

For example, I've encountered many QR code readers on the iPhone that simply don't know what to do with a vCard. (FYI: Qrafter is the best QR code reader for the iPhone.)

With this in mind, I decided to encode a simple URL in the QR codes for my pet tags. URLs seem to be the universal data supported on smartphone QR code readers.

The URL encoded in the QR code will be the short URL I mentioned in the requirements. More on this later.

The Destination

With that out of the way, it was time to decide where to point this URL.

You can create a mobile-optimized site using plain text files, basic HTML, mobile-optimized RapidWeaver themes, Wordpress.com, Blogger.com - whatever you want.

Since I'm very familiar with self-hosted Wordpress, I selected it as the platform for this solution. With the right plugins, it can serve up standard web pages as well as mobile-optimized versions.

If you already have a blog, you can simply create a post that contains the information about your pet and skip the section where I describe how I set up Wordpress for this project.

The Short URL

I registered my own domain (jfed.me) for this purpose. Again, this is so that I have ultimate control over the short URL's destination. Plus, it's just cool. ;)

The Setup

This my setup. Choose what works best for you.

1. Install:

Wordpress (Pick any theme)
Wordpress Mobile Pack plugin (For mobile-optimized pages)
W3 Super Cache plugin (For super fast pages. Optional, but definitely worth the few minutes to set it up. There are other caching plugins but this one is supported by the Mobile Pack.)
Yourls (a private, custom URL shortener)

2. Activate and configure the plugins

3. Create your pages. You can either create Wordpress Pages or Posts. (I chose Pages.)

4. Populate each page or post with information about your pet. (Contact information, vaccinations, favorite foods, toys, etc.)

Shorten the URL

Once you've create the pages with your pet's information, copy the url and shorten it using your Yourls installation or your URL shortener of choice.

Create a QR Code

Now that you've got a place to point interested parties and a short URL to get them there, you need to create a QR code. There are a number of sites where you can create a QR code but this is my favorite QR code generator - it's made by the same developer who created Qrafter, the QR code reader for iPhone that I mentioned above.

Simply enter the short URL and submit the form. (There are a bunch of options in this tool, but you don't need to be concerned with them.)

Save the image of the QR code to your hard drive. You'll need it later.

Working with Text Messages

As I mentioned in my requirements, I wanted to see if I could figure out a low-cost solution for SMS autoresponders using infrastructure I already had in place.

For this, I chose Twilio and their OpenVBX software.

Twilio offers Voice and Text Messaging as a Service. Simply put, with a little code and a Twilio account, you can create applications that use Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) or SMS text messages.

If you don't code, that's ok - you can setup an instance of OpenVBX and use that. Even better - if you don't know how to install OpenVBX, Dreamhost offers a one-click installation process. All you have to do is tell Dreamhost where to install it in your Dreamhost account, then login using your browser to configure it.

Twilio charges $1 per month for a local number and 1 cent for each SMS message sent or received. The OpenVBX software is free.

I use OpenVBX and a Twilio number as a phone system for my company. I have a second number that we use use only for conference calls, so using that second number, I instructed OpenVBX to create an autoresponder, one for each dog.

(Note that I've replaced some of the numbers and email addresses below to keep them private.)

This means that when someone texts Oreo to (212) XXX-XXXX, they'll receive the following message:

Oreo is up-to-date on all of his vaccinations.

HE DOES NOT BITE though may growl if approached while eating.

http://jfed.me/oreo

or respond with "contact"

If someone responds with contact they'll receive the following message:

It's best to contact John at 201 XXX XXXX or

abc@newrules.com

You can also contact Denise at 973 XXX XXXX or

xyz@newrules.com

Create the Tags

So, where do you get pet tags with custom QR codes on them?

Etsy.

After a few searches on Duck Duck Go, I found Etsy maker "postlife." He has laser engraved dog tags on offer, mostly for wear by humans.

If they're good enough for humans, they're good enough for my dogs. ;)

The seller indicated that he could engrave both sides. Once I confirmed this, I paid him via PayPal and sent him the QR code I made for one side of the tag and text for the other side.

The back of Oreo's tag contains:

"Oreo"

Maplewood, NJ

Call 973-XXX-XXXX

Text "Oreo" to

212-XXX-XXXX

jfed.me/oreo

Lucy's is the same, except for the keyword that people send via text message.

So now, both of our dogs have new pet tags connected to me and my wife using a handful of modern communication tools.

It was a fun little project, but I hope no one ever has to use them. Funny how that works, huh?

Guest on Nonprofit Radio January 13th at 1 PM

2012-01-11T18:43:23Z

I'll be a guest on Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio talking about Podcasting for nonprofilts.

Join me - you'll be able to listen live or grab the podcast next week.

You Give a Kid a Kindle - Then What?

2011-12-27T02:47:25Z

My son loves to read, so my wife and I decided to get him a Kindle Touch for Christmas.

He recently turned nine and we think that he's responsible enough to care for an eReader - and what better way to demonstrate our confidence in him than to surprise him on Christmas day?

The problem that we had (as do many parents of young children) is the lack of parental controls on Kindle devices.

Kindles have gotten cheap enough that they can serve as suitable replacements for kid's books without breaking the bank (or a kid's back) but they're still designed with adults in mind: one-click purchases for books, games, apps, movies, music and audiobooks. (Sorry, Amazon, but that doesn't work in our house.)

So, I set about figuring out how to handle this with our son.

First I thought I would connect his Kindle to my Amazon account, then he and I would discuss the rules for making new book purchases: all purchase decisions would occur together, between him and me. The first time this rule was broken, the Kindle would get put away for awhile.

This sounds good in theory, but it definitely doesn't help us demonstrate our trust in him. (One-click purchases and kids just don't mix.) It also required that we share a Kindle library. Practically speaking, it's not ideal: his actions would be recorded as my actions and his purchase decisions would affect my Amazon Recommendations.

So, I thought I'd try a little experiment: does an Amazon account require a credit card? It turns out that it doesn't!

Amazon will let you have an account but prompt you for a credit card before each purchase. (But then keeps this card on file until you delete it.) Not a perfect solution, but better than the previous scenario.

The obvious downside to this approach is that I have to enter a credit card for each purchase, then delete it afterward so as to hamstring one-click purchases.

Then, I remembered that Kindle books can be given as gifts.

For parents who want to let their young kids use a Kindle, this is the solution:

Create a new Amazon account for your child (You'll need to enter a unique email address but luckily, Amazon doesn't ask about date of birth.)

Each time that you and your child determine that a purchase is appropriate, launch your Amazon account and find the book (or other digital media) that your child wants.

Under "Buy Now with One-Click" you'll see "Give as a Gift". Select that option.

Next, you'll need to enter the recipient's email address. If you have younger kids that don't regularly use email yet, be sure to select "Email the gift to me." (My son has an address, but he doesn't use it much.)

Login to your child's Amazon account and go to amazon.com/acceptgift. (I've been keeping my son's Amazon account open in iCab Mobile on my iPad and keeping a passcode on the app, so I don't have to continually login.)

Enter the redemption code that you received via email and the book will be added to your child's library.

That's it.

Your child will have their own Amazon digital media library without the sudden surprises that accompany one-click purchases. Plus, when they're old enough, they'll have an Amazon account they can call their own.

Virtual Sunglasses, Real Shopping

2011-11-29T21:43:31Z

I ordered a pair of prescription sunglasses from Eyefly.com through a great deal on Living Social. ($49 for a complete pair of glasses, shipped.)

That was pretty cool, but this is even cooler:

While browsing for glasses on Eyefly, you can take a photo of yourself with a webcam. The site uses software that will automagically place a 3D rendering of the glasses on your face so you can see how they might look. (Adobe Flash required.) :P

The software isn't perfect, as it automatically adds mirrored tinting to the sunglasses, but the "fit" is pretty good. See the photo above.

(No, I hadn't yet shaved. Or showered. Just ignore that part.) ;)

This is an excellent tool for selling a product online that people typically prefer to first try on. To add to shopper's comfort level, they also include Zappos-style free shipping and returns.

I will most likely get another pair from Eyefly because of this crazy-cool feature. (Though I wish they would allow me to add sunglass tinting to a regular prescription frame.)

[Eyefly]

Tether your Virgin Mobile MiFi 2200 to your Mac

2011-11-21T20:58:35Z

A while back I wrote a post about my experience searching for pre-paid mobile broadband. I ultimately chose Virgin Mobile USA as my provider but one thing that bugged me was that I had to use the MiFi 2200 mobile hotspot since there were no drivers for their USB dongles for OS X Lion.

I've always known that the MiFi could be tethered to a Mac using its USB cable, but I also thought that the drivers for Lion weren't available.

As it turns out, I get the best of both worlds with the MiFI.

Either the drivers were recently update during an OS X Software Update or I just plain missed the fact that you can tether the MiFi 2200 to your Mac running OS X Lion. (At least using 10.7.2. I haven't tried to tether using earlier versions of Lion.)

The process is simple:

1) Connect your MiFi to your Mac using its USB cable.

2) Go to the Airport menu in your dock, scroll down to the bottom and select "Open Network Preferences..."

3) Select "Novate...Modem" (Novatel Wireless Modem) from the list to the left.

4) Enter your Account Name (Device Phone Number) and Password (MSID) and click "Connect"

If your credentials are correct and your account balance is up-to-date, you'll be online in a few seconds.

Benefits to this Approach

If your Mac is plugged-in to AC power, you can work all day without worrying about the battery on your MiFi since it will be continually charged.
You can still share your 3G connection using your Mac's ability to act as an ad hoc hot spot. (The WiFi is disabled on the MiFi when it's charging.)
You don't have to worry about all the interference on the 2.4 Ghz band (aka "The Junk Band") that your MiFi uses for its hotspot. Since you're getting your data over the wire, you mitigate any potential network latency that can be caused by the "3G > Hotspot > Computer" networking you have to perform when using the MiFi's built-in hotspot.

Do you have any other tips for using mobile broadband with your Mac?

Live HD TV on Your Boxee Box

2011-11-16T14:10:56Z

Starting in January, you'll be able to watch live HD TV on your Boxee Box using a new USB dongle from the company.

Announced today, the device will cost $49 and will enable you to view live HD channels from your local broadcasters - ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX with no monthly fee as these are over-the-air (OTA) HD channels produced for your local market.

While this is certainly a nice add-on for those people who don't want to wait for their favorite shows to arrive on Vudu/Hulu/Netflix or other on-demand channels, Team Boxee is positioning this as an alternative to your cable subscription. ("Is it really worth $85 a month?")

While that's certainly a valid question, with only small exceptions most of the television that we watch in our house isn't available OTA. (Keep in mind, I have nine-year-old. Kids change the equation...)

Plus, Boxee doesn't provide DVR functionality for these OTA HD channels. Even though there's one show on ABC that we watch consistently in our house, we certainly don't schedule our day around it in order to watch it live - we watch it from the DVR.

With all that said, if you're a Boxee fan and an avid cord-cutter but still miss your live sports or other network shows, then this device is for you.

The Boxee Live TV dongle is $49 and will ship in January. You can pre-order one now directly from Boxee.

[Boxee Blog]

Wingstand Portable Tablet and Smartphone Stand

2011-11-15T17:11:54Z

If you're like me, you use a variety of gear to remain productive.

The mainstay of my workflow is my MacBook Air, with my iPhone being second in line, followed by my iPad.

In my opinion, any real work on an iPad requres a keyboard. Perhaps, if you grow up using an on-screen software keyboard, you might feel differently, but I get frustrated by the lack of tactile feedback that a real keyboard provides.

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that I frequently live-tweet some of the professional events that I attend. I don't always have a net connection for my MacBook or iPad, so the iPhone is my fallback device. It's these times that I wish my iPhone also had a full-size keyboard.

While this has been possible as of iOS 4, using Bluetooth, the remaining problem is about placement and orientation: what do you do with the iPhone while you're using an external keyboard?

This is where the Wingstand comes in.

Conceived in a dorm room at Stanford, the Wingstand consists of two specially shaped pieces of recycled plastic. (Not surprisingly, resembling an airplane wing.)

On what would be considered the leading edge of the wing is a vertical slot with what looks to be about a 20 degree pitch. When a single Wingstand piece is coupled with it's twin, an iPad, iPhone or other such device can be lowered into this slot. When placed on a flat surface, the trailing edge of the wing provides leverage to support your device, allowing it to stand freely.

Also on the leading edge of the wing, on the lower section, is what can best be described as a hexagon, though missing one of it's sides.

This hexagonal-like shape is used for stability but ingeniously, it's designed to slide over the rounded back of an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard. This portion of the Wingstand even has a groove cut out of it, so you slide it over the rubber-ish pads at the bottom of the keyboard without shearing them off.

Using the Wingstand

I used the Wingstand during my travels to and from Blogworld & New Media Expo in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago.

On the plane, it was ideal. Since the first leg of my flight on the way to LA didn't have in-flight WiFi, the Wingstand allowed me to compose and respond to email on my iPhone using the full-size keyboard while keeping the phone upright. When I landed in my connecting city and turned on my iPhone, my messages were automatically sent. This was great.

The second leg of my trip had in-flight WiFi, so I was able to use my iPad with the Wingstand to get some work done.

The Wingstand turned out to be ideal in both these situations since the seatback trays while flying in coach on Delta were pathetic - I couldn't even open my MacBook Air to a usable position.

I happen to use ZAGG's InvisibleShield on both the screen and back of my iPad 2. While the device fit just fine with the clear protection (in fact, it will even fit while using an Apple Smart Cover), the Wingstand did leave indentations in the screen protector and even shifted the screen protector around a bit. Luckily, I was able to smooth it back into place, but the Wingstand left tiny - but still visible - impressions on my iPad 2's screen protector. Because of this, I won't continue to use the Wingstand with my iPad.

I have no such protection on my iPhone and will continue to use the Wingstand with that device.

When I finally arrived in LA, I used the Wingstand all week. Before dinner each night I would return to my hotel room, jump on the WiFi network with my iPhone and call my wife and son using FaceTime. The Wingstand worked great in both portrait or landscape orientation.

At bed time, it made for a perfect stand for my iPhone when used as an alarm clock. I continue to use it this way at home.

In fact, I'm using it right now. (No, I'm not writing this in my sleep. If only I could…)

I use IA Writer in full-screen mode to avoid distractions while I write my posts. However, I still need to make sure that any email I receive doesn't require immediate attention and for this, the Wingstand is great. My iPhone is sitting in portrait orientation in the Wingstand next to my MacBook Air so I can see my email notifications as they arrive.

Yesterday, I used it in the same way only in landscape orientation to watch a live video stream of a conference while I was working. This allowed me to glance at the video stream without having to jump between browser windows on my MacBook Air. Sure, I could have gone into my office, connected an external display and watched the stream in another browser window on that display, but the Wingstand accomplished the same thing for me without my having to do that.

In terms of my specific workflows, I find the Wingstand lacking in only one way: it requires a flat surface in order to use it.

Day-to-day, I really need a keyboard for my iPad and iPhone that allows me to use it on my lap. Keyboards such as the ZAGGkeys Solo fill this need as it has a groove in which you can place your device.

However, if this is a trivial concern of yours, don't let my persnickety workflows influence you - the Wingstand is a perfect companion for stable, hands-free use of your tablet or smartphone.

Device Compatibility

The company indicates that the Wingstand is compatible with:

iPad
iPad 2
Galaxy Tab
BlackBerry Playbook (Hah! That's funny. That probably means it will also work with the Kindle Fire, though.)
HP TouchPad (Hah! That's double-funny.)
Acer Iconia (Whatever.)
HTC Flyer
iPhone 4/4S
iPhone 3/3GS

I'm sure that there are many others for which it will work, but it may require some testing on your part. The full specifications of the Wingstand are available on the company's web site.

In Summary

The Wingstand is highly portable, inexpensive, eco-friendly and supports a variety of devices. While your use of the Wingstand will ultimately boil down to personal preference, if you use your tablet or smartphone for any of it's intended uses - watching video, composing email with an external keyboard, following recipes, video conferencing or as an alarm clock - the Wingstand is as effective as any other stand on the market, at any cost.

The Wingstand costs $14.95 and is available now in black or white plastic.

[Wingstand]

Disclosure of Material Connection: http://dsclzr.us/2/

It's not Me. It's You. (updated)

2011-11-13T16:08:05Z

There's a bug in one of the blogging platforms I use which has been consistently appearing during regular use. (Not this one, BTW.)

It's a minor bug, but it's appearance has become annoying and tedious. I continually remind myself that the service is free, and that I shouldn't complain.

Yesterday however, I figured I should take a moment to notify them about it as it could be helpful for them to know.

The response (from offshore) is below:

We are very sorry you are having this problem. We are going to ask for some information and make some suggestions that may help:

What web browser and browser version are you using?

Problem number one: this information was automatically included in my original message. This leads me to believe that he's a) new to the company, b) an infrequent contractor or c) has his head up his ass.

Regardless, as the customer, I don't care. I expect you to read the message that I took the time to write and send to you.

Are you running any web browser add-ons you could try disabling?

Does restarting your computer and your modem/router help at all?

Are you running any security/firewall/proxy software on your computer or network that could be affecting your connection to (redacted)?

Thanks for using (redacted),

Pavel

(redacted) теперь по-русски (!)

The content of the message makes one overarching assumption that is carried throughout: you, the customer, must be doing something wrong.

Now, I understand that they deal with many more n00bs than they deal with experienced people. Furthermore, I've been troubleshooting technology issues for more than 20 years, so I understand how frustrating it can be to work with inexperienced users.

But come on: why do I need to upset everything to help you solve your problem?

To be clear, the support rep expects me to:

Change my operating environment (uninstall or deactivate add-ons)
Restart my machine
Restart my network infrastructure

More surprising (at least to me), is the rep expects that I would be willing to do this in order to continue using their service.

Perhaps I won't? Then what will they do?

In summary, the user is not always the problem and your service may not always be worth the trouble.

Think about that when you build your customer support infrastructure - even if your service is free.

UPDATE:

And...... it continues.

I responded to the support rep and provided all the information he asked for. What did I get back? More of the same. [Facepalm]

Other than removing the name of the service, the rep's response is unchanged.

Sometimes the cache where you web browser stores images and other web data can become corrupted or outdated. Does clearing or deleting your web browser's cache / offline files / temporary internet files help?

You can find info on how to do that here: http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser?-Cache

-

(redacted) and other websites use "cookies" to store information in your web browser. Sometimes, these cookies can become corrupted and cause problems.

Try deleting your web browser's cookies for (redacted) and see if that helps. Let me know if you still have a problem.

Info on how to delete cookies is at:

http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser's-Cookies

-

Does restarting your computer and your modem/router help at all?

-

Sometimes reinstalling or upgrading your web browser can help fix problems. Have you tried a free upgrade to the newest version of Firefox?:

http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

Thanks for using (redacted),

Pavel

(redacted) теперь по-русски (!)

Shooting 720p Video using an iPhone 4S

2011-11-03T11:30:18Z

The combination of the new backside illuminated camera sensor and A5 processor in the iPhone 4S makes for a powerful, high-quality consumer video device that shoots full-HD.

But what if you own a device with only 16 GB of storage? That 1080p video will eat that up fast.

If you want to shoot at 720p, which is still very high quality, grab the latest version of FiLMiC Pro from the app store.

The developer has added and improved numerous features but the most important feature is the ability to determine the video resolution (or what they call the "Frame Size") before shooting.

Other features to note (which may have been added in a previous update) include the ability to select the Frame Rate, Bit Rate and audio compression options.

[FiLMiC Pro]

PSE&G: A Public Utility's Failure to Inform the Public

2011-11-01T20:36:09Z

It's been nearly four days that I, and a number of my neighbors, have been without power due to this year's early snow storm.

While the storm was unexpected, the results were not: the snow was dense and heavy and the abundance of leaves still on the trees made it easy for snow to find purchase on weak limbs which fell onto power lines. Given that I live in a town called Maplewood, you can imagine how many old, large trees we have in town and that extent of the damage is probably higher than other towns.

Needless to say, it's got me a bit torqued out. Finally, this morning, I had to get on a plane to go to Blogworld LA, leaving my wife and son home without electricity and a wood stove that neither of them are comfortable operating.

But what's really got me pissed off is our utility company, PSE&G.

Cleaning up after this storm is a big job - I get it. What I don't get is the company's inability to grasp the simple concept of keeping their customers informed.

With the power out, most people are likely to use cell phones and mobile phones to get information about repairs. With this in mind, PSE&G turned to Twitter to keep us updated.

"That's great!", you say. "What a forward thinking company!", you say.

Not so fast.

As we know, it's all about the execution and their approach to using social media leaves much to be desired.

Tweets look like this:

Sure, the tweets provide a brief update on progress, but not much in the way of detail.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt since they only have 140 characters to work with and they include a link for more information.

This is where communication really starts to break down.

First, they don't offer a version optimized for mobile devices. FAIL.

Then, the "Repair Updates" read like stream of continuous press releases. Here's an example:

PSE&G fall storm update: Oct. 31, 2011 at 4:30 p.m.

-- PSE&G is making steady progress restoring service to the more than half million customers affected by Saturday’s storm. At this time, about 150,000 are without power.

-- Crews continue to work around the clock to restore service.

-- The company expects to meet the state’s goal of having at least 95 percent of its customers restored by Thursday.

-- Counties most affected include Bergen, Essex and Passaic due to the extensive amount of tree and power line damage.

-- PSE&G has 237 crews and 212 tree crews working around the clock to restore power. In addition to its own crews, the utility has arranged for 60 crews from utilities in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi, to assist in the restoration effort as well as 119 line contractor crews.

…

-- Electric crews work to restore power to the largest numbers of customers first, taking into account “priority” customers, such as hospitals, police stations, fire stations, water and sewer facilities, communications facilities (TV, radio, and telephone), and customers on life-sustaining medical equipment. At the same time, the utility restores power to homes and businesses, starting with the circuits serving the largest number of customers.

...

What does this say?

The storm was really bad.
The damage was really bad.
Look - even our Governor said it was worse than the last storm!
We have people working on it.
We perform repairs of critical infrastructure first.
We perform repairs based on the greatest number of affected people first.
We should have 95% of affected customers returned to normal service by Wednesday evening.

Here's the problem: it doesn't tell me anything about my situation. It is a complete failure of communication and managing customer expectations in the information age.

Now, before you start with the name-calling and protestations of my self-centeredness, remember this:

We live in an era when I can track a FedEx package from a cell phone; an era when I can order a pizza with a text message.

Heck, I tracked the progress of my Mini Cooper being built from the moment it was ordered, started and ended production in the factory, was shipped overseas and delivered to my dealer for pickup!

Why can't PSE&G tell me where I sit in the queue of repairs? It would help ease customer anxiety and help us make critical decisions.

Do I need to find shelter for my family? Should we stay with friends? Go to a hotel?

Should I plan to throw out all the food in my fridge today? Should I double-up on batteries?

Am I going to be one of the 95% that has power on Wednesday night? If I'm in the 5%, how much longer will I have to wait?

This should be simple. Why isn't it?

The repair schedule doesn't have to be exact, just give me a window. (You know, like the cable guy gives me: "Somewhere between 8 AM and 5 PM."

How about a web page (and corresponding mobile version) that looks like this:

--------

Repair Schedule for Today

(Note: This schedule will likely change due to complications and will be updated throughout the day.)

Critical Infrastructure

County, Town - Hospital

County, Town - Airport

Residential

County, Town - 25,000 people

County, Town - 20,000 people

County, Town - 18,000 people

County, Town - 15,000 people

Repair Schedule for Tomorrow

County, Town - 15,000 people

County, Town - 12,000 people

-------

You get the idea.

This way, I see what's in the queue for the day (or coming days) and I have a general idea what to expect and how to respond.

Instead, we get messages that seem to be mostly targeted to the municipalities and utility regulators. Sure, those folks enable the energy companies to do business in our state, but we're still the customers.

Why not treat us that way?

Hello, PSE&G?