Log of chat with only address, last name, and phone numbers changed.

Problem: Move service
Chris > My Issue: Move service
Dominic > Hello Chris, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Dominic. Please give me one moment to review your information.
Dominic > My pleasure to have you on this chat! Remaining committed and focused on my goal which is to provide quality customer service on my fullest effort will always be my top priority. Before anything else, I want to extend apologies for any trouble, inconvenience and frustration the issue has brought along your way. I still honestly hope you’re fine.
Dominic > Hi, Chris. How may i help you today?
Chris > I’d like to move my service
Dominic > I understand that you are requesting to move your service, is that correct?
Chris > yes
Dominic > I do apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused you.
Dominic > Let me help you with your account.
Dominic > Before we proceed, May I ask if we can verify the account first for security purposes.
Dominic > Thank you for providing your account information. Would you please verify the information I received is correct?
Dominic > Account Number blahaccountnumber
Dominic > First name Chris Last name Lastname
Dominic > Street Address1 Main Street unit #102
Chris > exactly right
Dominic > May i ask for the service address where you want to move the account, please.
Chris > 1 Main Street unit #101
Chris > same building, different unit number
Dominic > Thank you for the information.
Dominic > Since this would be a transfer of your service, let me transfer you to a colleague of mine who can better assist you.
Dominic > Kindly dont close the chat window.
Chris > ok
Dominic > Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst
Marry Ann > Welcome to Comcast! My name is Marry. I see you are moving; that can be a very exciting and busy time. Please give me just a couple of minutes to review the information you have submitted.
Chris > My Issue: Move service
Marry Ann > I understand that you would like to transfer your services to (new address) on ***. Is this correct?
Marry Ann > Sorry for the typo. Please disregard that last message.
Marry Ann > I understand that you would like to transfer your Digital TV and High Speed Internet services to 1 Main Street unit #101. Is this correct?
Chris > yes
Chris > digital tv is supplied by the building
Marry Ann > Wonderful! You have reached the right department and I am more than willing to assist you with your transfer request today.
Marry Ann > Just to set expectations, this chat is the preliminary step of your transfer request. I will be checking the status of your account and the serviceability of your new address. After this, I will be giving you the steps to complete the order.
Chris > okay
Marry Ann > We will now proceed in checking the status of your current account.To assure protection of your account information may I have the: 1. Account holderâ€s full name 2. Phone number 3. Any of the following: a. FULL account number b. Last four digits of the SSN (if account number is not handy)
Chris > Chris, 111-111-1111, blahaccountnumber
Marry Ann > Excellent! Thank you for providing these information. I know these are confidential information and I truly value the trust that you have given.
Marry Ann > Please give me 2 minutes to pull up your account.
Marry Ann > Thank you for waiting, Chris.
Marry Ann > I have pulled up your account and I can see here that your account is in good standing. Thank you for being one of our good customers.
Marry Ann > Let me go ahead and check on the status of your address.
Marry Ann > Please give me 2 – 3 minutes to check on your account and the serviceability of your new address.
Marry Ann > Thank you for waiting, Chris.
Marry Ann > Great news! Your new address is Comcast serviceable and is good to go. I have confirmed that your address is serviceable. Let’s get started on setting up your service.
Marry Ann > We will now proceed with the transfer of your services.
Chris > ok
Marry Ann > May I ask your preferred disconnection and installation date please.
Chris > July 29
Marry Ann > Thank you for the information, Chris.
Marry Ann > I will be completing your order now. I will go over your order and make sure they will be provisioned the way you want your services will be setup. After which, I will be providing you with your order confirmation number. Please bear with me while I complete everything for you.
Chris > ok
Marry Ann > While I process your order, please provide the following information: 1) Nearest cross street or street perpendicular to your new home and 2) Two telephone numbers for our technician to call on the date of installation.
Chris > it is literally the same address just a different unit number
Chris > Main Street
Chris > 111-111-1111,222-222-2222
Marry Ann > Thank you for the information, Chris.
Marry Ann > Chris, I have arranged the remote deactivation of your services on July 29. You do not need to be around during the physical disconnection of the services, our technician will only be disconnecting from the pole.
Chris > the building has free service to all tenants, I don’t think he’ll be disconnecting anythign physically
Marry Ann > Okay, Chris.
Marry Ann > Since you are moving within the same market, you can take your equipment to your new address. The technician will take care of the rest of the equipments and/or materials during installation.
Chris > um there’s no need for installation. everything is literally exactly the same, except 9 floors down
Marry Ann > Chris it is the COMCAST procedure to let our Technician visit the new address to check the house for any possible problems with wirings to ensure that you will not compromise the value of your services. No need to worry though, I will check what I can do to help you with the setup costs.
Chris > It’s a time issue. If the previous tenants had cable and internet and have been moved out for less than a week, it will work.
Marry Ann > I do apologize that the new address that you are moving to is not illegible for self installation, Chris.
Marry Ann > There will be a one time installation charges for your installation of services which normally costs $99, but instead you will be receiving our discounted installation fee/s of $34.99 as a Movers premium, and this will be for our technician’s professional service fee. This charge will be added to your new bill at your new address and is not collectable during date of installation.
Chris > how about just changing the billing address and not moving service?
Marry Ann > Let me check that for you, Chris.
Marry Ann > Thank you for waiting, Chris.
Marry Ann > Chris let me verify, you will be transferring to this new address 1 Main Street unit #101, right?
Chris > yes
Marry Ann > Thank you.
Marry Ann > Chris, it is not possible to change the billing address since you are moving to a different apartment number, we need to have a technician to hook up everything for you to make sure that you can enjoy your internet service to the new address without any problem.
Chris > considering that last time the technician wouldn’t actually touch anything because we have a tivo (customer equipment), that’s amusing
Marry Ann > Shall we proceed with the transfer now?
Marry Ann > I understand Chris, no worries though, I can give you discount for the installation fee, normally it is for $99 but I can give you a discounted price of $34.99.
Chris > I understand that, think I’ll call support. Thanks for your time
Marry Ann > You are most welcome.
Marry Ann > You can call 1-800-934-6489
Chris > thank you for that, have a good day
Marry Ann > Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Chris > nope, thanks
Marry Ann > I will do the initial transfer by notating into your account your preferred disconnection and installation date, Chris.
Chris > thanks, that will speed things up
Marry Ann > Good luck with your move! Thank you for your time and patience. if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to chat with us again. We’ll be happy to serve you. Have a good one!
Marry Ann > Bye.
Marry Ann > Analyst has closed chat and left the room

Central Business District Advisory

July 9, 2010

Transformers 3 Filming – Street Closures and Central Business District Activity

CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT:

Transformers 3 will be filming in the downtown area this weekend beginning tonight after the evening rush through 5am Monday morning; please review the following information:

Please remind employees and tenants of the parking restrictions as outlined below:

Streets that will be permitted for “No Parking” from 6:00PM on Friday, July 9th through 5:00AM on Monday, July 12th:

* Both sides of LaSalle from Lake to Jackson
* Both sides of Randolph from Wells to Clark
* Both sides of Washington from Wells to Clark
* Both sides of Madison from Wells to Clark
* Both sides of Monroe from Wells to Clark
* Both sides of Adams from Wells to Clark

* Both sides of Jackson from Wells to Clark
* West side of Clark from Lake to Congress
* Both sides of Franklin from Lake to Randolph

Streets that will be permitted for “No Parking” from 4:00PM on July 9th through 5:00AM on Monday July 12th:

* Both sides of Wells from Randolph to Jackson

LaSalle Street will be closed between Randolph and Jackson from 7:00PM on July 9th through 5:00AM on July 12th.

Washington will be closed between Wells and Clark from 7:00PM on
July 9th through 5:00AM on July 12th.

“Transformers 3”
Chicago Filming Dates:
July 10 – August 23

OVERVIEW

Total 7 weeks of filming

Majority to take place in the Central Business District

In most cases, filming to take place during daylight hours (approximately 7:00am-8:00pm). Set-up and strike the nights before and after filming.

STREET CLOSURES
LASALLE STREET
8:00pm Friday July 9 – 5:00am Monday July 12
LaSalle Street closed from Jackson to Wacker

6:00am Saturday July 10 – 5:00am Monday July 12
Washington closed from Wells to Clark
Randolph closed from Wells to Wacker

MICHIGAN AVE BRIDGE
3 days of filming: Friday (7/16), Saturday (7/17), Sunday (7/18)
Road Closure: Michigan Ave from Wacker to Ontario
8:00pm Thursday (7/16) through 5:00am Monday, (7/19)

UPPER WACKER DRIVE
3 days filming: Monday (7/19), Tuesday (7/20) & Wednesday (7/21)
Road Closure: Wacker between Michigan and Wabash
9:00pm Sunday (7/18) through 5:00am Thursday (7/22)

SPECIAL EFFECTS
The Chicago Fire Department and Chicago Police Department will supervise the use of special effects and pyrotechnics, including:

simulated gunfire

smoke

fireballs

explosions

HELICOPTERS
For brief periods between the hours of 7:00am – 7:00pm on both Sat July 10 & Sun July 11, helicopters will be used for both aerial photography and stunt parachutists in the vicinity of:

Willis Tower

LaSalle Street Financial District

East Randolph Street & Daley Bicentennial Plaza

PUBLIC VIEWING
For safety reasons, the Chicago Police & Fire Department will need to keep spectators at a distance. Since the Transformer robots are all digital creations, you won’t be able to see them during the filming.

If you have any questions or concerns Please contact Patrick Muldoon, Key Assistant Location Manager at 312-213-3820or callRich Moskal,Director with the Chicago Film Office, 312-744-6415 (office), 312-497-1678 (cell) or email Rich at rmoskal@cityofchicago.org

(Information provided by Sgt. Ron Graziano, First District Business Liaison, Chicago Police Department.)

BOMA/Chicago has uploaded several published notices provided by the production company and public agencies about the filming. They are available at www.bomachicago.org. Follow the link in the Transformers 3 story on the homepage.

This information has been provided to BOMA/Chicago by a state, local or federal agency and is being distributed to BOMA/Chicago members.

I read all my news through RSS.  I don’t like how google’s feed reader works, it just doesn’t think the same way I do.  So I have my own.  And some sites don’t show the full content, so I pop the page itself inside an iframe in my reader.  Some (GPF, for example) want to break out for some reason.  I’m seeing all the ads on your page, seeing it in the same dimensions you want me to see it in, what more do you want?  You can have my attention, but only to the extent that my attention doesn’t stray from my reader mindset.

I’ve re-enabled it only for internal websites and Gmail so far and had no problems.  No more of those irritating balloons if you accidentally mouse anywhere within the article.  No netflix popunders (I thought we killed those) if I click anywhere on a page.  I’s wonderful.

The internet is a faster, less distracting place again.  Maybe they’ll give me reasons to enable it again, but I’m doubting it.

For Christmas, I got a six-month subscription.  Why six months?  Because we put a limit on our gift exchange prices and Monocle isn’t cheap.  It shipped from Sweden and apparently took three weeks to get there.  We were in communication with the Monocle people and they got back to us pretty quickly.

That’s not the point of this though.  Today, the package arrived.  It had a big, bubble-wrapped envelope to protect the rest.  Inside the bubble wrap?  A patterned envelope with their logo and a gold sticker with the logo on it also.  Inside *that*?  The magazine itself – on thick, beautiful, glossy paper with an actual, physical rubber band holding a guide inside, plus a thank you note and a catalog.

I’m comparing this with the only two other timely delivered items I’ve received.  A Maxim sent to someone else – it’s so disposable and interchangable noone cares who gets it, and the people it’s sent to don’t care either.  The Sun-Times glues the delivery label to the edge so I actually have to tear the edge of the paper to open the front half.  At least it’s news, and portable.  No-one would buy one if it weren’t for public transportation, I think.

I’m excited to read my new issue.

Their production may be only average or above average, but everyone in the zone around them is way above average.  That’s because when they find some way to automate the widget approval application process, they get excited and share it.  Suddenly widget applications go from hours a day to seconds (this has actually happened to me) and everyone gets way more widgets out.   Meanwhile he’s been using his newfound time to try to find a way to get a chat room for everyone in the team so they don’t have to yell or call all day.

He’ll automate things to make not just his life easier, but everyone around’s life easier also.

How do you find your enabler?  I think it starts with being nice.  Having too much empathy for everyone else helps too.  Does someone not only order their drink  at the Tastes Burnt with a smile and say please, but pay attention to how they yell them to each other so they don’t have to translate it?  That fellow down the row who strangely requests a garbage can for a strategic spot in the middle?  Depends: did you find yourself (along with him) saving time and reducing hassle by having one in just the right place?

Why would you want to become one?  Well, there’s some drawbacks and some benefits.

Drawbacks:

• Less time to get your stuff done
• You look like a kissup
• You look like you’re trying to involve yourself everwhere
• You’ll get lots and lots of questions

On the plus side:

• It’s genuinely helping people in that tiny way that makes a huge difference
• The office is a more pleasant place for all involved
• Your tools get used
• Your brain gets used
• That stuff you do for everyone else?   You get to do it for you, too.
• You don’t have to learn to say “no”
• You get to do more, and more interesting, things day to day

In short (too late!) – I think there’s someone who acts as the grease that makes any office run smoother – and that it’s important they’re there.

This is *actual* code here, I haven’t cleaned it up at all.

#readlines(‘filename’); will return an array of the contents of a file. No newlines present, but some minimal
error checking.
sub readlines
{
my $filename=shift;
my $skip =shift;
if(! -e $filename) {die(“File $filename doesn’t exist”);}
open(F,$filename)
or die(“Couldn’t open file $filename for reading: $!”);
my @lines=<F>;
close(F) or die (“Couldn’t close file $filename: $!”);
chomp(@lines);
if($skip)
{
my @retary=();
foreach my $line(@lines)
{
$line=~s/^(.*?)$skip.*/$1/;
if(!$line){next;}
push(@retary,$line);
}
@lines=@retary;
}
return @lines;
}

For geeks, professional growth is *implied*.

C, C++, perl, html, java, java 2, user interface design, system administration, network programming, networking, Unix, CGI, windows programming, data structures in C.   I’m sure there are a few more in there somewhere.

By far the most interesting were the Data Structures, Perl, and network programming classes.  Data structures taught from the bare C – structures, algorithms, sorting, big-O notation, trees, that kind of thing.  Network Programming taught about networks, sockets, programming, I/O.  And perl made it easy and fun.  I think that’s why a lot of people fall into those languages.  They get to something that makes life so much easier and remember that forever.  Gee, this isn’t just interesting, it’s fun too!

I’ve got more, but this has been sitting for about a month

Immediately, for some (random?) reason I thought of the Damn Ineresting article I’d seen some time back about programming FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) through generational genetic selection algorithms and the seemingly “random” ways that the final results seemed. It fit in the same way – un-understandable context switching and coming up with acceptable answers in ways not understood yet logical when one steps through them.

Totally neat stuff, and the reference is a perfect example of exactly what the original author is talking about! Also, typing this I think of one entry in the Jargon File (which everyone, I think, goes through a period of reading) talking about hacker personalities. Specifically:
“Although high general intelligence is common among hackers, it is not the sine qua non one might expect. Another trait is probably even more important: the ability to mentally absorb, retain, and reference large amounts of `meaningless’ detail, trusting to later experience to give it context and meaning. A person of merely average analytical intelligence who has this trait can become an effective hacker, but a creative genius who lacks it will swiftly find himself outdistanced by people who routinely upload the contents of thick reference manuals into their brains.”-Jargon File

Again, here is a statement about “randomness” being a good, and even desirable, thing. Flexability and the ability to jump around to a seemingly odd but stil tangentally related idea are *very* important in being able to be creative.

I was trying to work a link to the great hackers article by Paul Graham because I think it’s related somehow – but I can’t think of how it is. Must be a random connection…

Fast forward a couple of decades and look at your average new/modern music consumer. They will readily pay hundreds of dollars for iPods, put up with terrible software to load their music onto it – yet for the most part not pay for said music. It’s the same story: hardware is paid for while what the hardware enables – in this case music – is “free”.

So either the world is just now catching up to what the f/oss people figured out back then…. Or they simply had the maturity of 15 year olds who can get away with stealing and resent when they can’t.