Commentary | Jason Palmer, CPA, CITP

Quickbooks & The Hartford Pay-as-you-Go Workers Compensation

July 25, 2013 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

When Quickbooks Payroll by Intuit partnered up with The Hartford to offer “Pay- as-you-Go” Workers Compensation Policies, I decided to investigate.

If you use Quickbooks Full Service Payroll, which is a comprehensive service that includes direct deposit of employee paychecks, automatic preparation of payroll tax forms and payment of taxes, with The Hartford, you can pay your Workers Compensation with each pay period.

If you use Basic (Paycheck Calculations Only) or Enhanced Payroll (Paychecks and Tax Form Preparation) you can still use The Hartford, but you have to make the periodic Workers Compensation payment directly through The Hartford web site. It is not an automatic deduction. This is still a better option than having to make one big Workers Compensation payment each year on the anniversary date of your policy. (As of this writing, Disability Policies at The Hartford are not available on the “Pay-as-you-Go” billing platform and must be paid in full annually.)

I contacted The Hartford and was able to obtain quotes almost immediately. For Workers Compensation, the annual premium was a significant savings. For Disability, the annual premium was higher but the combination of the two policies was still a savings. When I asked my commercial insurance broker his opinion of The Hartford, he had only good things to say. Specifically he mentioned that their customer service is very responsive and that they pay their claims in a timely manner.

True to form, I had a number of questions for The Hartford about the quotes presented and they were extremely responsive. This included their ability to put the new policies in place almost immediately should I decide to proceed. However, if you read my last post, “Leaving NYSIF – New York State Insurance Fund – Not So Easy”, it was all for naught as I was unable to exit my NYSIF policies. [I will be looking at The Hartford again and perhaps some other Carriers as my NYSIF renewal date approaches.]

Important Safety Tip: Absolutely check with your current Workers Compensation and Disability Insurance Carriers to determine your ability to cancel your policy and leave prior to term BEFORE you obtain quotes or complete any applications. It will just save you a great deal of time and aggravation. Penalties for early departure can be severe.

NOTE: The degree to which you can actually “Pay-as-you-Go” with The Hartford will vary with the specific Quickbooks Payroll Service you have selected and the amount of your policy premiums. In the case of some Policies, the Premium may be so small that it makes more sense, or the only option may be, to pay annually.

More Information on The Hartford at:
http://www.thehartford.com/worker-compensation

More Information on Intuit Payroll at:
http://payroll.intuit.com

Disclaimer: The information presented above is my personal experience and current as of the date of this article posting as it applied to my specific situation. I am a licensed Certified Financial Planner and Certified Public Accountant (licensed in the State of New York.) I am not licensed to sell or represent any insurance product in any State. Insurance Carrier rules and regulations vary by State and change frequently. You must check with your own Agent, Broker, or Insurance Carrier directly to verify the information as it may apply to your specific situation.

Leaving NYSIF – New York State Insurance Fund – Not So Easy

July 24, 2013 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

My Workers Compensation and Disability Policies are with NYSIF – The New York State Insurance Fund. Early on, I was single shareholder corporation with no employees and therefore was able to exclude myself from the Workers Compensation Policy. In the Insurance Industry, this is known as a “Ghost Policy.” New York State absolutely requires that any business that has a payroll, with or without eligible employees, must have both a Workers Compensation and Disability Policy in place.

At the time, on the advice of my commercial insurance broker, he directed me to NYSIF because they would have the least expensive policy premium minimums. Since I had no employees to cover, things like customer service and claims were non issues. I just needed the policies in place to comply with the regulations. For the most part, if you are in this situation, with no eligible employees and exclude yourself as the single (or no more than two) person shareholder company, NYSIF is a good option for New York State Workers Compensation and Disability coverage.

I was investigating switching Carriers just after my policy had renewed, July 1^st.

What I learned was that terminating coverage at NYSIF at any other time than approximately 45 days prior to the policy renewal date comes with extreme prejudice. NYSIF enforces a 30 Day written cancellation notice as purportedly mandated by New York State Law.

Furthermore, NYSIF enforces something called a “Short Rate” penalty for policies canceled prior to the end date. In the case of my Disability Policy the penalty was 100% of the paid premium because I was at the policy premium minimum. For my Workers Compensation policy the NYSIF underwriter would not provide the penalty amount. He simply stated the penalty would be “severe.”

Be advised that if you have a NYSIF – New York State Insurance Fund Workers Compensation and Disability Policy and want to change Insurance Carriers, you must plan to do so approximately 45 days prior to the end date of your policy. This will allow you time to get quotes from alternate Carriers and provide the proper 30 Day written notice to NYSIF that you intend to cancel your policy and move your coverage.

Should you decide to terminate your policy with NYSIF, you must send the notice in writing on Company Letterhead at least 30 days prior to the renewal date of the policy. The letter must include the following information: Policy Name and Current Address; Policy Number; Reason for Cancellation; Effective Date of Cancellation; Policyholder’s signature; Current Telephone Number.

In the case of the Disability Policy you can send a signed scanned copy of this document via email or fax. However, the Workers Compensation cancellation document will only be accepted via U.S. Mail and NYSIF will look to either the date requested on your letter or “30 Days from the Postmark” whichever is later as the effective date of the cancellation regardless of your intended date. (Contact NYSIF Customer Service directly to obtain the current contact information for where to send the cancellation letter(s).)

Give me Liberty, or better yet, give me my FBI or NSA File!

July 4, 2013 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

Today is Independence Day, July 4, 2013. The recent news of alleged automated digital information gathering by various United States Government Agencies has caused many to ask “What do they know and when did they know it?”

With that in mind, it seemed only fitting to take a step back in time to old days of the mysterious “FBI Files” of the Hoover and McCarthy era. It is rumored that the FBI created files on almost everyone who was even the least bit subversive – you know, anyone exercising their Constitutional Rights such as the First Amendment – Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, and Freedom of the Press – who might have had a difference of opinion with the current political climate.

Most certainly, the hysteria of the day about our potentially intrusive, “Big Brother” Government was that if you were protesting in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s you must have an FBI file, right? I mean, the FBI’s file on Elvis is famous. (See it here at: http://vault.fbi.gov/Elvis%20Presley%20 ) His swinging hips were sure to be the downfall of family values and corrupt teenage girls everywhere. Obviously he was considered a threat to domestic tranquility worthy of Government investigation.

The question is, were YOU?

Are you on the radar of the U.S. Government to the point at which the FBI or NSA, or any number of other specialized Agencies might have performed an investigation in to your activities and “known associates?” Do you have a photo of yourself and Jimmy Hoffa? Perhaps you are the one carrying the banner at a protest rally? Did you ever answer “yes” to the infamous question by Senator McCarthy, “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?”

To use a tag line from the National Enquirer, “Enquiring minds want to know!”

Fortunately, under the Freedom of Information Act, FOIA for short, you have the legal right to request that the FBI, NSA, and a number of other US Government Agencies perform a search and present you with a copy of your “File” – if one exists. For certain types of information and files you need to file a Privacy Act request instead.

Some Agencies, such as the NSA are less forthcoming with the information that they may have collected on you because many of their records are exempt from FOIA and enjoy special legal protections.

You can also request files on the deceased with a few caveats.

To get your file, you can visit a privately run free service site, http://www.getmyfbifile.com that will help you create the form letter request to the FBI and other Agencies.

A more practical and perhaps fun use might be to request a file on a deceased relative. Ever wonder why Grandpa who lived in some rural part of the country always had those clear jugs of liquid (moonshine?) and did not seem to have ever had a real job but always had lots of cash to buy you ice cream and candy? Or, perhaps he was active in the Workman’s Circle or he did answer, “Yes” to Senator McCarthy’s question. He just might have a file. To get Grandpa’s file, you can visit a privately run free service site, http://www.getgrandpasfbifile.com that will help you create the form letter.

The Direct Links to U.S. Federal Government Agency FOIA Pages are below:

FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation
http://www.fbi.gov/foia

NSA – National Security Agency
http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/foia/index.shtml

DSS – Defense Security Services
http://www.dss.mil/about_dss/contact_dss/foia.html

CIA – Central Intelligence Agency
http://www.foia.cia.gov

USMS – U.S. Marshalls Service
http://www.usmarshals.gov/foia/index.html

DIA – Defense Intelligence Agency
http://www.dia.mil/public-affairs/foia

USSS – United States Secret Service
http://www.secretservice.gov/foia.shtml

CID – Army Criminal Investigation Command
http://www.cid.army.mil/foia.html

Dad Tech – Using the Right Tool for the Job

June 16, 2013 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

Lon T Palmer

Today is Father’s Day 2013 and for Home Improvement Stores, the equivalent of the entire year-end Holiday Gift Giving season for Dad repeated for one Sunday in June. I could not help but notice the endless number of advertisements for Tools available at every possible price point and combination in advance of Father’s Day.

Although I think about my father (who passed in 2008) almost every day, seeing these advertisements and a recent trip to both Home Depot and Lowes got me thinking about some words of wisdom he imparted to me. “Using the right Tool for the task makes the job easy.” My father had left me with a lifetime of lessons but on a more tangible level, a workshop full of Tools for almost any task.

My shop includes such tools as a ½” Hammer Drill for sinking anchors in to solid concrete, a Drywall Screwdriver, SawzAll for cutting through almost anything, a Table saw for ripping plywood, Chop Saw for doing molding, a variety of other power drills and tools of varying sizes for different materials, and dozens of screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets, chisels, torches, and hand tools in almost every conceivable size for working with wood, metal, pipe, or stone. Yes, I could open up a catalog showroom.

My Dad was very hands-on and an excellent Teacher. To that end, both my brother and I can absolutely swing a hammer, use a drill, hang a shelf, measure twice and cut once, fix a light switch or leaky faucet and can pretty much perform almost any carpentry, plumbing, electrical, tile, or similar “home improvement” task.

Most of the time, we always had the right Tool for the job.

That is not the end of the story but just the beginning. See, sometimes you do not always have the right tools with you. It is just as important to learn how to improvise when the right tools are not available.

Much to my Mother’s disapproval, the end of a Kitchen knife can double as an acceptable flat blade screwdriver. A pointed letter opener can stand in for a Philips Head screwdriver. A common nail can be used to as an Awl to make a starter hold for a screw. Any reasonably solid object can be used as Hammer. (Pliers come to mind as do screwdriver handles.) Scissors can be used to both cut wire and strip wire. Any rectangular object can be used as a Square (for making corners). A glass of water or bottle of soda can be used as a level with a 2×4. Thick rubber bands with 1×2 can make an acceptable clamp. And the list goes on…

My point is that it is great when you have the “Right Tool for the Job” but lack of the right tool should not necessarily prevent you from succeeding. Dad was a master of creativity in “Getting the Job done” and to that end, never let the lack of the proper tool stand in his way of completing the task.

Thanks Dad for teaching Shelly and me that you can still drive a nail without a hammer. And that a hammer by any other name, (which was frequently the case), would still “Get the Job done.”

Happy Father’s Day

Car Tech – The New 2014 Range Rover Sport – Naught to 60 in 5.0 Seconds

March 26, 2013 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

2014 Range Rover Sport

The 2014 Range Rover Sport is a marriage of technology and machine like no other. This is what happens when you take the DNA of the family of most capable of sport utility vehicles on the planet and merge it with the latest advances in design, performance, safety, and technology.

This is the fastest Land Rover ever thanks to an all new aluminum architecture that has reduced the weight of the Sport by about 800lbs. Add to this an advanced ZF eight-speed transmission connected to a sixth-generation, twin vortex, supercharged 510bhp 5-litre V8 and you get 0-60mph acceleration in 5.0 seconds. Now you can leave a significant number of your friends “in-the-dust” at the stop light. No longer do you have to sacrifice fun and performance for SUV capability and ruggedness. The synergy is complete in the 2014 NEW Range Rover Sport.

I attended the world premier launch party in Manhattan tonight and what makes the 2014 Range Rover Sport exceptionally interesting to me is the leap forward in vehicle technologies. These include almost every new innovation in automotive safety and convenience available.

In addition to “Lane Departure Warning” which will vibrate the steering wheel if the vehicle starts to drift from the lane without an obvious lane change, Land Rover added in “Traffic Sign Recognition.” This feature uses a camera to identify traffic signs, regardless of position: left, right, or overhead, and displays it in the Instrument Cluster. As the vehicle moves away from the sign, the displayed sign fades away. Land Rover also brings back a classic “Automatic High Beam Assist” that automatically switches the head lights between high and low by tracking oncoming head lights from approaching vehicles and the taillights of those ahead of you.

A great new feature for those of us who frequent self-park garages is something called “Flank Guard.” Think of this as proximity radar for your car. With the addition of extra sensors on the front and rear bumpers, the 2014 Range Rover Sport does a better job of warning you about pillars, barriers, and other vehicles. It does so through the central instrument cluster by displaying a graphical image indicating the proximity of objects with distance bars. It combines this with your current steering angle and trajectory to warn of any impending impact. These sensors are also used for traditional “Reverse Traffic Detection” to warn of any objects or people behind the vehicle while backing up.

Land Rover has taken “Adaptive Cruise Control” to a new level. This new function operates both at lower speeds and even when the vehicle is stationary to help keep the vehicle at a pre-set time gap (distance) to the vehicle in front of you. An enhancement called “Queue Assist” will even allow the vehicle to come to a complete stop in a traffic jam. In addition, Land Rover has introduced an “Adjustable Speed Limiter Device” which enables you to set a personal maximum speed limit. This should help drivers stay within the “acceptable” speed limit when transiting the many traffic enforcement zones throughout the North East.

Related driver assistance technologies include “Blind Spot Monitoring” using side mounted radar sensors to alert the driver when other vehicles enter in to blind spots. And, a brand new technology called “Closing Vehicle Sensing” which scans much further behind your vehicle to detect fast approaching vehicles from behind moving in to your blind spot that may interfere with a lane change.

Perhaps my absolute favorite technological feature is Land Rover’s “Surround Camera System” which in addition to showing a 360 degree view around the vehicle also includes trailer reverse park guidance showing the track of both the vehicle and the trailer. The 360 degree view is especially useful while parallel parking in New York City as frequently there are railings around trees, errant garbage cans and trash that spill over the curb that can potentially ding your vehicle. It also takes 100% of the guess work out of exactly how much more room you have before you “tap” the car in front or behind you, or the curb.

Land Rover moves in to the next generation of Artificial Intelligence with “Advanced Park Assist” functions. These include “Park Assist” which both helps identify if that parking space is really big enough for you to squeeze in to, then automatically steers your vehicle in to it. “Park Exit” which steers you out of that tight parking space back to the road; and, “Perpendicular Park” which helps you back in to a space and makes sure that you have enough clearance to open the doors.

“There’s an App for that.” The 2014 New Range Rover Sport is the first Land Rover to have a 3G WiFi Hotspot and the Land Rover Smart App. You will be able to check how much Fuel is in the tank, see your trip history, find your Land Rover if you have forgotten where you parked, (very useful in large mall parking lots), and it will alert you if you have forgotten to lock your vehicle. Your Range Rover Sport will be fully connected to a real-time information system and passengers will be able to browse the Web. (For more information on Wi-Fi®, see my article, “Mobile Communications Technology Overview.”)

Land Rover is also introducing “InTouch” which appears to be a distinctly British implementation of what GM markets as “OnStar.” The “InTouch” system will enable you to summon help without a phone and automatically call for help if it detects a serious accident or air bag deployment.

For the “Top Gun” Fighter Pilot in all of us, the Range Rover Sport will be the first Land Rover to offer a “Heads-up Display” which will project key vehicle and navigation data directly in to the drivers view. This is the one feature that I have always wanted just for the pure “cool toy” factor. Now if they can just add in the James Bond style missiles and machine guns… or at least perhaps innocuous laser beams that you could fire at the cars in front of you to pretend that you are clearing the road of errant drivers, it would make driving really fun.

The 2014 New Range Rover Sport is perhaps one of the most technologically advanced vehicles soon to be on the road. Land Rover has truly pulled ahead of the competition and is now the absolute leader in the Sport Luxury SUV class.

The 2014 New Range Rover Sport should start to arrive in Land Rover showrooms in September of 2013. For more information, visit https://newrangeroversport.landrover.com/us/en#launch or http://www.landrover.com

One final note: For those of you like me that may prefer the Land Rover LR4, the redesign is due for the 2015 model year. At the launch event, I met Gerry McGovern, Design Director & Chief Creative Officer of Land Rover, who told me personally, (loosely translated from British speak), “…It will knock your socks off…” And also, John Edwards, Global Brand Director, Land Rover, that the Land Rover LR4 is at the core of everything Land Rover and that the next generation will be similarly, if not more impressive in its’ evolution. (I gave him my card and perhaps I will get invited to a preview focus group or at least to the launch party.) I am counting down the days…

Lack of Electronic Privacy – It’s your own fault.

July 29, 2012 By Jason Palmer 1 Comment

I am a Motorola Droid 2 Global Smartphone user running the Android 2.3 operating system. By default, the phone comes preinstalled with a number of useful Google applications (Apps) such as email, web browser, maps, books, etc. and one in particular that got my attention: YouTube.

I acknowledge that in order for Smartphone Applications to function, they need a certain amount of unrestricted access. This might include opening up network connections, keeping the phone from going to sleep, automatically updating your location, using stored credentials to access your accounts for transmitting and receiving data. Most of these activities are routine, necessary, and are of little cause for concern.

Now I am sure all of you are thinking, “What could possibly be troublesome about the YouTube media player app?” Answer: Its’ total and complete disregard for my personal privacy and the inability for me to set any parameters to limit its’ reach in to my phone or personal activity.

In the most recent update the Privacy Policy has changed. So much so that Google specifically brings to your attention this new level of invasive access that is something right out of a TV Crime Drama. The YouTube app may, and I quote, “Take Pictures and Videos” which sounds harmless enough until you read this part, “Allows application to take pictures and videos with the camera. This allows the application AT ANY TIME to collect images the camera is seeing.” Wait there is more: “Allows an application to perform operations like adding, and removing accounts and deleting their password.”

Excuse me? This implies that any time my Camera is on, YouTube can capture the images from the Camera and then without asking for my specific approval, act on my behalf by accessing all of my account information and permissions and transmitting the images regardless of my intent.

This sounds very much to me like that new Anti-Theft application that, upon activation, automatically turns on the Camera of your Smartphone and takes a picture of the alleged thief, tags the GPS location of the phone and updates a secure web page or emails the information for you to forward to Police. There is one critical exception: I can control that Anti-Theft Applications access to my camera, I cannot control the actions of YouTube.

I would like to believe that I am misreading the privacy policy and that what Google really means is that the above can only happen when I have the Camera on and INTEND for the YouTube application to upload my images to the YouTube service. However, that still does not explain the part about the ability to, “add/remove accounts and delete passwords.”

If the intent of Google is to “act on my behalf with my explicit instructions and approval” then they should clearly say so. If not, I am concerned that if I permit YouTube the access it seeks, I might have just given up all privacy rights to every photo or video I take with my phone because I have given Google complete and total access to those images.

Unfortunately, there is really no one to ask for clarification about the Privacy Policy at Google. I did use the Privacy Policy Contact Us form but the confirmation page was less than comforting in its response to my inquiry: “We’ve received your message. We’ll follow up with you only if we require more info or we have additional info to share.”

More users need to READ the privacy access permissions being requested by Smartphone and Software Applications and recognize exactly what they are signing away in terms of personal privacy. Then, they need to contact the developers or providers of the service and refuse to accept the terms and NOT USE THE APPLICATION until the privacy policy is corrected.

Perhaps the best example of a complete and total disregard for personal privacy of any kind is Facebook. The site gives the appearance of allowing users to set controls over how their information is used and shared. The practical reality is that every Facebook App wants the ability to act as if it is you with full access to your address list and all of your information. It wants to “post to your wall” at will with no opportunity to for you to review what the App will post.

Obviously, the other 799,999,999 Facebook users (of the 800 Million) are completely comfortable with allowing Facebook and most Applications to have an “All Access Pass” to every single piece of information listed in the Facebook ecosystem. I must be the only one to be concerned as Facebook since as popular as ever.

My point is that due to our own lack of action, we are giving away our information then complaining about it after the fact.

If you are concerned about the state of Electronic Privacy, get involved with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Their mission is to defend your rights in the Digital World.

Forewarned is forearmed. If you know that the privacy policy is overly invasive and access to your information is virtually unrestricted, be mindful of what you post or allow any site or service that has a sharing component to know about you.

The age old adage, “Never put anything up on the Internet or in an email that you would not want on the cover of the New York Times” still holds true. (Or, you might just be reading about it in the morning paper.)

One Final Note: Institutions that manage your personal financial data take privacy very seriously and go to extreme measures to make sure that your information stays secure. They may share your name and address for marketing purposes but your sensitive information is not shared without your express permission. An example would be release of financial information for a credit application.

To view the Google Privacy Policy, visit:
http://www.google.com/policies/privacy

To learn more about the Electronic Frontier Foundation, visit:
http://www.eff.org

Close Encounters of the Fencing kind at London Olympics 2012

July 26, 2012 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

Leon Paul, a sponsor of the United States Fencing Team, has created “London Lights”, which wrap around and under the base of the pistes (metal strips upon which the sport is played.)

The video below is just fun. The serious side of this effort was to make the sport more enjoyable for spectators by enhancing the visual experience. When a Fencer’s weapon makes contact, the entire half of the strip will light up with the appropriate colored or white light. Fencing is an extremely fast sport and the addition of the strip lighting will make the action a little easier to follow, especially for TV audiences.

One picture, or in this case short video, is worth a thousand words.

Over 640 meters of LED color changing light rope with 38,400 individual LED’s and more than 5km of cable were used to make this spectacular visual effect.

For more of the back story on the creation and videos of this incredible effort, check out:

Leon Paul: Lighting up London
http://www.leonpaul.com/acatalog/Lighting-up-London.html

Foil Fencing is one of my hobbies left over from seven years of very serious High School, College and National level competitions. It is one of those sports that you can do at any age and I started fencing again in my late 30’s. (In case you are wondering: Yes, it is like riding a bicycle – you never forget how to do it.) I now Fence in the Open and Veteran’s (over 40) categories.

You might be surprised to know exactly how much technology is in the sport. All modern day Fencing is electric. Depending on the weapon being used: Foil, Sabre, or Epee – the exact configuration of the gear changes but the principle is the same – complete a circuit or break a circuit and put on a Light indicating a valid or invalid touch. Fencing scoring machines are built to exacting tolerances to detect actions in milliseconds.

High quality protective clothing is made from advanced stretch fabrics that are rated to protect up to 800 newtons of force (of a broken blade trying to impale you) and lined with ultra-thin, light weight wicking materials to keep you dry. The weapon blades are forged from high grade low carbon content maraging steel for maximum strength and appropriate flexibility. Fencing even has the latest in “Air” footwear with the “Nike Air Ballestra.”

Personal Note: Leon Paul technology extends throughout their entire line of products. Each Olympics they introduce some new advance that pushes the sport forward either through increased safety or higher performance. They are one of the finest manufacturers of Fencing equipment and clothing and I recommend them highly to anyone looking for top quality gear. It is the brand I used as a kid, and the one I still trust today as an adult. And, it is what our US Fencing team will be wearing in London 2012.

Modern day Fencing has a different kind of software and hardware technology. A type that I believe is significantly more fun to play with than that produced by Microsoft or Apple.

For more information on the Sport of Fencing, visit:

USA Fencing
http://www.usfencing.org

For more information on great gear, visit Leon Paul, a sponsor of the US Fencing Team
http://www.leonpaulusa.com

Note: Logos, Trademarks, and Images are property of their respective owners.

Microsoft Windows 8 vs. Apple Mountain Lion is like comparing Gasoline vs. Diesel Fuel

July 25, 2012 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

The blogosphere has been in overdrive with reviews of the latest operating system releases from both Microsoft and Apple. It is very entertaining to read the endless commentary debating the merits and faults of each operating system. In many respects it is a classic “Coke vs. Pepsi” style debate. Most people have a definite taste preference that is unlikely to change. We all recall age old question: “Are you a Mac or a PC?”

Both camps seem to miss the point entirely: Unlike Coke vs. Pepsi where both are Cola products that can, and frequently are substituted for each other, the same does not apply to the Windows and Apple operating systems. Apple operating systems only run on Apple hardware. And, barring 3^rd party software (Parallels or VMWare Fusion) or custom installations (Boot Camp), no version of Microsoft Windows can run on Apple Hardware. (And if you are running Microsoft Windows in some capacity on an Apple computer, is that not making them equal? – but I digress.)

I view Apple like Diesel powered vehicles and Microsoft like Gasoline powered vehicles. You can sing the praises of Diesel engines and their increased fuel efficiency vs. the performance of Gasoline engines. The fact is that no matter how many Diesel vehicles are sold this year, the number will pale by comparison to the number of Gasoline vehicles. And, if you were to add up all the gas vs. diesel fueled vehicles in similar fashion to the installed base of Microsoft Windows vs. the Apple operating systems, you start to see the futility of debating who is going to win the operating system war.

Does it really matter how great Diesel is vs. Gasoline as a Fuel for an engine? If you have a Gasoline powered car, you are using Gasoline in the fuel tank. Diesel is not an option or substitute. The same holds true for running most line-of-business software applications: The Apple operating system is just not an option. Microsoft Windows, and its’ many flavors are the only choice on the menu. As an example, virtually all Professional Tax preparation, Accounting System, and Audit/Write-up software applications are Microsoft Windows only. (Cloud based products excluded.)

We can discuss how spectacular Apple Mountain Lion is: the iPad/iPhone like experience brought to an iMac or MacBook Pro, the new cool graphics, widgets, whatever… But, the practical reality is that if I am in a Microsoft Windows world, debating the merits of Microsoft Windows 8 vs. Apple Mountain Lion just makes for either wishful thinking or great cocktail conversation. We can even marvel at the new interface of Windows 8 and how Microsoft is trying to unify the user experience across all devices but you will never see it running on an iPad or an iPhone.

Some will say it is not about the Business environment but about Consumers and which operating system, Microsoft or Apple, is going to power my Toaster, or on a more serious note, my Smartphone, Tablet, and possibly Computer – if not replaced by a Tablet.

I respond that the conversation is not about which Fossil Fuel will power my next car: Gasoline or Diesel – but what comes next? Using the car analogy, it will most likely be a hybrid or perhaps a fully electric vehicle. Maybe Fusion technology will be available in my lifetime.

The next operating system to power my Smartphone, Toaster, or Computer could be Android or ChomeOS – both from Google. If that becomes true, where does that leave the Microsoft vs. Apple operating system debate?

It is spectacular that Microsoft and Apple are definitely making technology easier to use than ever before with their evolutionary changes in the operating systems.

The concern is that Microsoft and Apple may be perfecting the Buggy Whip for the the Horse Drawn Carriage, both of which were completely replaced by the Motor Carriage, within one generation. And, Microsoft and Apple may wake up one day and realize that Google has completely changed the model by eliminating the concept of an operating system and having everything run in “The Cloud.”

Why Blackberry is a dead product – The six-hour support phone call.

July 23, 2012 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

Lack of efficient and timely support by RIM is the number one reason why the Blackberry Smartphone is soon to be a completely dead product.

Today, I spent over six hours on the phone with Blackberry support simply to get an AT&T 9810 Torch Blackberry to sync contacts using the Blackberry Cloud Services for Microsoft Office365. Unconscionable. What was so incredibly frustrating was the endless trial and error solutions being suggested, each followed with the support technician saying, “Well, that should have worked.” This is the manufacturer of the device fumbling around and guessing instead of instilling confidence with proper diagnostic procedures and tested solutions.

The Blackberry platform has always had a myriad of quirks. I have always been amazed at the willingness of people to accept sub-par quality in technology, specifically software. If your dishwasher was as finicky as Blackberry devices, GE would be out of business.

Love or hate the Steve Job’s “Walled Garden”, Apple products work as advertised and provide a superlative user experience. Blackberry too lives in a completely proprietary closed loop and yet cannot even begin to approach that which has been accomplished by Apple.

Solutions tried today, (excuses for the technology), were, in no particular order: “The device needs another Security Wipe”; “The device needs a factory reset”; “The Service Book is corrupted”; “The Service Book did not register correctly”; “We have to delete the account here at RIM so you can properly recreate it in the device”; “There may be a problem with the Blackberry Cloud Servers connecting to Office365”; “Try a hard reset by pulling the battery”; (Did that at least ten times.) “Do an RSET” – (deletes all entries and reloads them from the server); “Completely delete all accounts and re-create them”; And the list went on…

How does RIM run a business and more importantly, how can anyone else run a business with Blackberry technology that lacks hard fast solutions to resolve technical issues? When Blackberry was the leading edge, we accepted these issues as part of being “early adopters.” When you compare the near seamless connectivity experience and stability with an Apple IOS device or even an Android device to Microsoft Exchange, the fact that the Blackberry platform is still so susceptible to significant connectivity synchronization issues is borderline criminal.

Blackberry, having practically invented mobile Smartphone synchronization should be the absolute best and most stable platform available. To yield slightly, I will concede that when the Blackberry devices work, they work well, within the limitations of a device that is significantly behind in the feature set of a modern day Smartphone. When a Blackberry fails, the trial and error guessing game begins and hours of time will be wasted to get the device to re-connect

To be fair, the Blackberry support technician completely understood the problem and to RIM’s credit was a USA based employee on the East Coast with English as a first language. Unfortunately, there was no higher level of support engineer available without submitting extensive log files from the device and awaiting a call back. My only option was to muddle through with the current support engineer.

By the fifth hour, we started to retry things we had already done “crossing our fingers” and hoping that the solution would work “this time.”

Eventually, we were able to get the Microsoft Exchange contacts to sync but there was still an issue with the Google Calendar that remained unresolved. Seems that the Blackberry 9810 will not remember the Calendar view selection. The client wanted to see just the default Microsoft Exchange Calendar and only view the Google Calendar when specifically selected. We were not able to remove the Google Calendar view – no matter what – until we physically deleted the capability of the Blackberry 9810 to display it. This is a short term fix pending the resolution from the next level of support at RIM.

As a Consultant, there is no possible way I can bill my client full rate for six hours on the phone with Blackberry support. Nor can I bill the additional one to two hours of follow-up time with the higher level Blackberry support engineer that will call me back after reviewing the log files and case notes from the initial support call.

If I had known and was able to tell my client in advance that this service call would take six to eight hours and cost as much as two iPhones, I am certain they would have tossed the Blackberry in the trash and headed to the Apple store or out to get a top-of-the-line Android Smartphone.

And therein lies the issue: In the five years of the iPhone’s existence (see my article, Apple iPhone turns 5 – A Proven Formula for Success Copied), and the approximate three years of Android, I have NEVER had a support call for one of those devices last more than one to two hours. With Blackberry, the minimum support call is never less than two hours and, as you can see from today’s experience, usually much longer.

There is no reason to believe that RIM will change any of its’ current policies or the way in which it fails to deliver an acceptable support experience. Entrenched in a mindset that is over a decade in the making, even if Blackberry 10 is evolutionary as a Smartphone platform, RIM will be unlikely to ever meet the expectations of the overall customer experience as set by the competition.

Technology English IS Plain English

July 8, 2012 By Jason Palmer Leave a Comment

The English definitions of words do not change simply because they are said in the context of something related to Technology.

Recently I was at a client demonstrating how to start the Quickbooks Accounting Program and open a company data file. (This client had two separate company data files for Quickbooks for two completely separate businesses.) I made the following statement: “Quickbooks will automatically open the last company file used or you can select ‘Change Company’ from the menu and manually select your other company data file.”

She replied, “I don’t understand anything about Technology. Why do you IT People always make it so difficult to understand everything?”

Sadly, this is a response I have heard hundreds of times before. I replied to her, “Exactly what was unclear about my statement?” She replied, “I don’t know what you mean by ‘automatically open’ or ‘manually select.” Trying to remain as polite as possible as my frustration level grew, I simply asked, “Why do you think the words ‘automatically open’ and ‘manually select’ have any different meaning here than they do anywhere else?”

I stated that the definition of “automatically” is operating in a manner essentially independent of external control or influence. And the definition of “manual” is done by [one’s own] hand.

Expanding my original statement, “Quickbooks will open the last company data file used without any additional action on your part – as in automatically open, or if you want to work with your other company file, you must select the menu option to change company and choose it from the list, as in manually.”

I then went on to ask what she thought the English dictionary definition of “automatically open” and “manually select” meant in any context, not just a Technical one. She really had no answer as she completely agreed that the definition and word usage were consistent with exactly what she thought they were. As in, “The door will automatically open as you approach it.” And, she had to “Manually open the door by grabbing the handle and pulling on it.”

After some thought, she realized that she had just completely tuned out of the training and conversation. She was predisposed to tell herself that Tech Speak was NOT Plain English and that she could not possibly understand it so she did not even try to make sense of what was being said.

There are certainly some specific “Terms of Art” in Technology that might require a little more explanation or analogies to understand but the majority of the conversations that I observe, fall apart because the listener assumes that for some reason English words take on a completely different meaning when a Technology person says them or are in a Technology context.

The next time you have a conversation about Technology, remember that we are all speaking Plain English and that in most cases, the definition of the words, especially when presented in context will mean exactly what you think they mean.

In short, this classic childhood riddle explains it perfectly:

“What color was George Washington’s White Horse?”

Answer: George Washington’s White Horse was White.