New client website launched for Glen McCoy
It’s that time of the week again and we’ll be starting the weekend not too far from now, but first it’s time for a round up of what has been going on in and around the office this week.
This week we’ve been kept busy as normal and we hope this continues through the chillier months and into next year.
Here are a few uselss pieces of trivia that will probably never come in handy - ever.
If you have 3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.
The 57 on Heinz ketchup bottles represents the number of varieties of pickles the company once had.
President Kennedy was the fastest random speaker in the world with upwards of 350 words per minute.
According to suicide statistics, Monday is the favoured day for self-destruction.
The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time that the King James Version of the Bible was written. In Psalms 46, the 46th word from the first word is shake and the 46th word from the last word is spear.
Mario, of Super Mario Bros. fame, appeared in the 1981 arcade game, Donkey Kong. His original name was Jumpman, but was changed to Mario to honor the Nintendo of America’s landlord, Mario Segali.
Diet Coke was only invented in 1982.
The three best-known western names in China: Jesus Christ, Richard Nixon, and Elvis Presley.
St. Stephen is the patron saint of bricklayers.
With that we hope you enjoy your weekend because we most certainly will :)
SO TRUE: The pain of watching non geeks use computers… -
(Source: laurawhitehead)
Research in Motion may introduce a tablet computer next week, according to a report in Wall Street Journal. Rumours have persisted over the past few months about the emergence of a BlackBerry tablet that would aim to compete with Apple’s iPad.
The Journal provides some details of what the supposed tablet might look like sourced from unnamed “RIM insiders”. According to the report the device will have a 7-inch touchscreen and one or two built-in cameras but will not connect directly to cellular networks. Instead users will have to connect through their BlackBerry devices instead. However the tablet will come with a “broadband connection”, presumably WiFi. The iPad competitor comes in two models: one with cellular and WiFi, the other with just WiFi.
The tablet will run new recently developed software instead of the new BlackBerry 6 operating system.
Everyone is looking for an announcement of more information at the upcoming Blackberry DevCon meeting with devices shipping in the fourth quarter.
Apple sold more than 3 million iPads in the first three months it was on the market, other hardware makers have been left racing trying to catch up.
At Decode we know the experience of trying to contact Apple in order to gain some competent answers and exactly how long this can take (4 hours on the phone waiting for a reply) but this is nothing compared to the ‘courtesy’ shown to a certain journalist who tried to contact Steve Jobs. Journalism student, Chelsea Isaacs, who is studying at Long Island University, was asked by her professor to write an article about the implementation of an iPad program at the campus.
Obviously, with it being about Apple she contacted the Press Office SIX times, presumably getting more frustrated as her requests remained ignored. She dug out an email address that is across the web supposed to belong to Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple, hoping he could give her a straight answer.
Thursday 16 September 3.22pm (EDT) - Isaacs’s first email to Jobs.
Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple’s MediaRelations Dept.
Dear Mr. Jobs,”
As a college student, I can honestly say that Apple has treated me very well; my iPod is basically the lifeline that gets me through the day, and thanks to Apple’s Final Cut Pro, I aced last semester’s video editing project. I was planning to buy a new Apple computer to add to my list of Apple favorites. Because I have had such good experiences as a college student using Apple products, I was incredibly surprised to find Apple’s Media Relations Department to be absolutely unresponsive to my questions, which (as I had repeatedly told them in voicemail after voicemail) are vital to my academic grade as a student journalist.
For my journalism course, I am writing an article about the implementation of an iPad program at my school, the CW Post Campus of Long Island University.
The completion of this article is crucial to my grade in the class, and it may potentially get published in our university’s newspaper. I had 3 quick questions regarding iPads, and wanted to obtain answers from the most credible source: Apple’s Media Relations Department. I have called countless times throughout the week, leaving short, but detailed, messages which included my contact information and the date of my deadline. Today, I left my 6th message, which stressed the increasingly more urgent nature of the situation. It is now the end of the business day, and I have not received a call back. My deadline is tomorrow.
Mr. Jobs, I humbly ask why Apple is so wonderfully attentive to the needs of students, whether it be with the latest, greatest invention or the company’s helpful customer service line, and yet, ironically, the Media Relations Department fails to answer any of my questions which are, as I have repeatedly told them, essential to my academic performance.
For colleges nationwide, Apple is at the forefront of improving the way we function in the academic environment, increasing the efficiency of conducting academic research, as well as sharing and communicating with our college communities. With such an emphasis on advancing our education system, why, then, has Apple’s Media Relations team ignored my needs as a student journalist who is just trying to get a good grade?
In addition to the hypocrisy of ignoring student needs when they represent a company that does so much for our schools, the Media Relations reps are apparently, also failing to responsibly handle the inquiries of professional journalists on deadlines. Unfortunately, for a journalist in the professional world, lacking the answers they need on deadline day won’t just cost them a grade; it could cost them their job.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Chelsea Kate Isaacs, Senior, CW Post - Long Island University
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
The answer pings back at 16:19 (57 minutes later):
From: Steve Jobs [address and header confirmed - CA]
To: Chelsea Isaacs
Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple’s Media Relations Dept.
Our goals do not include helping you get a good grade. Sorry.
Sent from my iPhone
Gathering herself, Chelsea emails back at 4.37 (she’s taken 18 minutes over this):
Thank you for your reply. I never said that your goal should be to “help me get a good grade.” Rather, I politely asked why your media relations team does not respond to emails, which consequently, decreases my chances of getting a good grade. But, forget about my individual situation; what about common courtesy, in general —- if you get a message from a client or customer, as an employee, isn’t it your job to return the call? That’s what I always thought. But I guess that’s not one of your goals. Yes, you do have a creative approach, indeed.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
She’s probably slightly annoyed by now.
Back comes the response at 17.10 (33 minutes, if you’re counting)
From: Steve Jobs
To: Chelsea Isaacs
Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple’s Media Relations Dept.
Nope. We have over 300 million users and we can’t respond to their requests unless they involve a problem of some kind. Sorry.
Sent from my iPhone
And at 5.32 (22 minutes later) Chelsea has her answer:
You’re absolutely right, and I do meet your criteria for being a customer who deserves a response:
1. I AM one of your 300 million users.
2. I DO have a problem; I need answers that only Apple Media Relations can answer.
Now, can they kindly respond to my request (my polite and friendly voice can be heard in the first 5 or 10 messages in their inbox). Please, I am on deadline.
I appreciate your help.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Long wait. Perhaps he’s contacting the PR people, having realised that Isaacs is a valued customer and only needs answers to three questions in order to not miss her deadline and that the media relations team are probably the best person to go to? Perhaps not.
At 18.27, (just under an hour since Isaacs’s last email):
From: Steve Jobs
To: Chelsea Isaacs
Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple’s MediaRelations Dept.
Please leave us alone.
Sent from my iPhone
No response has been heard from Mr. Jobs or Apple about the legitimacy of the emails, but as they come from the 17.x.x.x IP range, which is assigned purely to Apple, it’s not a big leap to say they come from Apple HQ. However there may be some discrepancies about which individual sent them. It has three conceivable possiblities:
1) Steve Jobs. The most likely answer, though there have been instances where Apple’s PR department have motivated themselves to claim a conversation was fake, though they have ususally been demanding money in return - not answers as in Isaacs case.
2) Someone inside Apple given the job of answering in Steve Jobs’ name because he clearly doesn’t have the time for such nonsense. If so, he probably needs to invest in someone who’s better at their job and doesn’t tarnish his reputation in a few minutes.
3) Someone inside Apple who has been assigned this email address and doesn’t know what they’re doing - but is trying. Trying but can’t handle it.
Whoever it is Apple really aren’t doing themselves any favours. They need to get a grip on their PR team because it really doesn’t look good.
Chelsea Isaacs didn’t get her answers about the iPad, and joins the, rather inexclusive club, for people who have gone to Apple looking for answers and have been left wanting.
Hi! It’s been another busy week in the office as numerous people seem to have been away for various reasons either through illness or having to work away or, for the luckier of us, holidays, but we are making the best of the people we have as usual and haven’t let that get in the way of making sure we offer the best service we can and trying constantly to become more widespread both within the UK and internationally.
After getting a sudden rush of business last week (three new business proposals in one day!) our director has been kept very busy and we have brought a new team member into the office who will be working hand in hand with our director to help lessen the load and deliver customer satisfaction that we can pride ourselves in.
I’ve been tirelessly searching the web for new and exciting things to interest our faithful followers and I found some interesting facts to keep you amused until the weekend arrives.
Did You Know?
Womens’ hearts beat faster than mens’.
Today in 1630 - Boston was founded.
Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.
Starfish don’t have brains.
A cockroach will live nine days without it’s head, before it starves to death.
With that we hope you all have a pleasant weekend!
-Decode Studios
Diaspora, the social network site branded a more “private” alternative to Facebook, has propelled into the next big stage of its development. They seem to be making the most of accusations that Facebook doesn’t take the privacy, and therefore safety, of their users seriously enough in this modern age.
The project announced in April adds an important step in allowing the users to have more control over their information.
Right now, three months after 6,479 backers pledged $200,641 to the project, Diaspora has the first looks of a social network: status sharing, photo sharing, friend connecting – it hopes to even add Facebook integration and data portability by the launch of the Alpha version in August.
Some have said that putting privacy on the backburner goes hand in hand with a company expanding and a user joining that large social network. Which begs the question what happens to all of our information once a big site like Facebook goes bust? Surely it’s within their power to do whatever they please with everything that we have so freely posted onto the web, and it’s not only the Diaspora team that feel this is a problem that needs fixing - fast.
Another week has passed and it’s time for another Round Up. In the office we have been kept busy with various meetings and clients as usual which we are more than happy to continue.
With hype for the new Harry Potter film - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1) escalating I thought I’d share some HP facts with you all.
With Facebook possibly taking over the internet, I found some facts about the storm that is Facebook.
With that we all hope you have a good weekend and don’t forget to check out our website to make sure you don’t miss out on our latest hosting deals.
Google has taken the opportunity of its 12th Birthday to celebrate what you can achieve with a few lines of code and the effectiveness of interacting.
It’s the latest in a long line of “doodles” that create Google’s logo in a range of attention grabbing ways, creating the logo on its homepage out of a set of bouncing “balls” has been their latest acheivement. The balls swirl around the page whenever your mouse gets near it, in pretty much every type of updated browser.
Google officially opened 12 years ago in Menlo Park California, but rather than reminiscing, Google is striving to remain innovating and the latest logo shows this as it demonstrates a new version of computer code. The ‘bouncing balls’ actually consist of multiple pieces of a web page, each using a modern form of web coding called CSS3 – “Cascading Style Sheet” elements. Each circle is itself an individual element or “div” which contains an command in its associated piece of CSS3 to make it circular rather than square or rectangular. The code also contains instructions so that if the cursor is moved near to any of the “bubbles”, they try to move away.
The aim of the logo seems to be to draw attention to the importance of CSS3, an emerging standard which is being developed as the next version of the web language HTML, called HTML5. They both offer many more possibilities for the design of web pages, which could be more interactive with less effort by designers, which may be why Google are so eager to push it.
The majority of users seem to have reacted well to the bubbles - finding them entertaining rather than tedious or annoying.
Interested in hosting? If so please don’t forget to look at our website to make sure you don’t miss out on our promotional offers because they will only last for a short amount of time.