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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/83158
Anonymous Distributor Image above ©istockphoto.com/The-Tor. Image below ©istockphoto.com/contour99. Thought-provoking comments, a little satire and wit, and sometimes a challenge or two from an anonymous distributor Isn't it amazing how a timely rainfall and the resulting green grass can make us feel better overnight? T here was a recent Wall Street Journal article about computers and the algorithms that drive them invading areas of our life that might seem too personal for automation. Here's a great example that you can easily relate to: We are all familiar with the words, "This call may be recorded for quality or training purposes." When you hear that phrase, it might also mean that your call may be monitored by a computer algorithm. There is a company called Mattersight that has developed more than five million eavesdropping algorithms that use only the words you say in a three- minute conversation to determine your personality type, what you want, and how you might be most easily and quickly satisfied by a customer service agent. The software divides people into six sorts of personalities. According to the WSJ article, "The next time you call, the algorithms, recognizing your phone number, will route you to an agent with a personality similar to your own, which results in calls that are half as long and reach happy resolutions 92 percent of the time, compared with 47 percent otherwise, according to an assessment of 1,500 customer service calls at Vodafone, the European telecom company." I don't know about you, but I'm going to have to think about this for a while. Should I like these eavesdropping algorithms that ensure my customer service experience will be superb? Or is there something I'm not thinking about; something I should be worried about? Let me know what you think or how you feel about this. Earl Weaver came on board as the manager of the Baltimore Orioles in 1968. Although he was ejected from 91 games, kicked dirt at the umpires, and had the foulest mouth in baseball, many thought he had panache and a wicked sense of humor. Here's a great example of that humor: "Following one altercation with an umpire, Weaver headed toward the dugout screaming, 'I'm going to check the rule- book on that!' When the umpire taunted, 'Here, use mine.' Weaver yelled back, 'That's no good — I can't read Braille!'" Back in the 1950s, my Dad would drive our family 12 to 17 hours to visit my grandfather (Mom's Dad) and extended family at their family farm about a mile 8 from the Hudson River in the Catskill Mountains. In those days, Dad would throw a spare fuel pump and a water pump in the trunk in case the car broke down. When we regularly approached a very big and very tall bridge on the route, Dad would always say, "I sure hope we make it to the top because if we break down going up, it's going to be really tricky backing down this side against traffic." And if we did make it to the top, at least we could roll down the other side if the car broke down. I remember our car actually breaking down or over-heating more than once going up that extremely tall bridge. And you can imagine the adventure of having to roll backwards down the bridge against traffic. As you've guessed, cars in those days were not very reliable on long trips, accounting for the five-hour variation in our one-way yearly vacation travel time. Within a day or two of our arrival, Dad would take a bus back home by himself, a trip usually lasting 24 hours or more, leaving the car for Mom to use. And then in a couple of weeks, he would make that long bus ride back to drive us home. Looking back, I know the sacrifice he made by making that bus trip both ways, plus driving the car by himself taking the family up and back home, was truly a sign of how much he loved us. Sometimes, looking back and remembering is the best way to really appreciate how lucky we were and how much we were loved growing up. Isn't it amazing how a timely rainfall and the resulting green grass can make us feel better overnight? It's a powerful antidote for what doesn't make us feel better such as politics and news headlines. Contact the Anonymous Distributor at anonymous.distributor@gmail.com or read his blog at www.anonymousdistributor. blogspot.com. OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com OPE