But you doesn't have to call me Johnson ....

Yet more stupid stuff on the Internet.

A month ago I needed to find a replacement power supply for my son's notebook computer. The notebook had been a hand-me-down when I got something newer and faster. I searched using Google and found a supplier with a replacement power supply that matched the specs of the old supply. Although the replacement was priced well, what I didn't realize was that it was shipping (free) from Hong Kong. So it took almost 3 full weeks to arrive via USPS.

This morning I got an email  from the supplier. It was an invitation to fill out a customer satisfaction survey and get something free.

The email address was mine, but the greeting within the email was clearly created for someone else.
______________________________________________________________
Customer Service Email




Dear Frank Skobel,

Thank you for shipping at DinoDirect.com. Did you get the Colorful Crystal Mud as Free Gift with each of your order? We would like to know your satisfaction about it and sincerely invite you to join our satisfaction survey. Your feedback is very important for us to serve you better. 
______________________________________________________________

There really is no end to stupid stuff on the Internet. It's everywhere, everyday, every time you use the Internet.

So it goes.

Update

So tonight I log in to my web host's control panel and before it takes me to the control panel, I get the following screen:

And this was at the bottom of that page:

Yeah, no thanks, I'm not interested and probably never will be after this stunning display of stupid stuff on the Internet.

So it goes

It never ends

I guess somebody, somewhere is trying to prove that no one has a corner on stupid stuff on the Internet.

Here's an email I got from SiteLock today:
______________________________________________________

Hello Gary,

Your complimentary one-time SiteLock Advanced scan of www.kdghafdhsflafhl.com has completed. SiteLock has scanned your site for application, cross-site scripting, and database vulnerabilities and found no issues. To access the detailed report, please log in to your control panel and click the SiteLock link.

In your SiteLock dashboard, you can review the results of your scan and sign up for these comprehensive scans as an ongoing service.

Thank you,

The SiteLock Team      

______________________________________________________

Apparently this "advanced scan" from SiteLock is something provided by my web host. But you've got to wonder where they came up with that domain.

"SiteLock has scanned your site...." No, you haven't. That's not my site, and that site doesn't exist. What you have done is something stupid on the Internet.

Now I am rushing to the SiteLock web site to sign up for their service.  NOT!

"It's not getting any smarter out there. You have to come to terms with stupidity, and make it work for you."
-- Frank Zappa

So it goes.

The Talent Show That Could Have Been Great

Around 1981, a company named Special Promotions, Inc. started a country music talent contest called Country Star Search. That first year it was actually called Ray Price's Country Star Search - adding the country star's name to the credibility of the contest. The second year it was re-branded the Country Showdown and offered a national recording contract and a big cash prize to the national winner. Radio stations nationwide held talent contests over several weeks in their communities under guidelines specified by SPI. We were there from the beginning, helping to build the Country Showdown into a major attraction for radio station listeners and country star wannabes. The success of the showdown was made possible by small and large stations across the United States.

The first year the local contest was held at the Attic Lounge located at the Villa Motel. Almost all of the station staff was there - in addition to about 10 contestants and their fans, plus the sponsors we had joined with locally. A few minutes before the contest was set to begin I asked the GM who was going to emcee the contest?  He said, "You are!"  And that was the first time I appeared in front of a crowd representing the radio station. I was terrified, but by the end of the evening it was actually going well. The final night of competition was held at the Liberty Theater before a packed house. It was a fun event to be a part of.

We recorded most of the local contests and played them back on the air on Sunday afternoon. Winners of the local contests advanced on to the state contests - which were held at Silver Dollar City and the State Fair in Sedalia among other locations.

But then the head of SPI, Dean Unkefer, allowed Jerrel Shepherd's group of stations to participate and most of them were located near other stations. So the other stations, including us, protested to SPI that the contest was no longer "exclusive" to our stations. Keep in mind this was after the showdown had continued to build for several years.

The following year, Dean Unkefer chose to sign ONLY with the Shepherd stations, cutting off the very stations that had helped to build the contest. Kirksville, Eldon, Sedalia and Mexico were all cut off from the contest. Dean Unkefer told me he had never had a pain in the ass like the Missouri radio stations before. And the following year,  the Shepherd stations were no longer interested in the contest.  Guess what?  The original showdown stations were no longer interested in dealing with Dean either.

Although it's been around for 30 years and is still going on - you don't hear about the showdown contests like you did back in the early 80s in Missouri because of Dean Unkefer.  He owns SPI and is probably a very rich man by now. But some of the stations he pissed off 25 years ago still want no part of his contest.

So it goes.

Turn Signal Conundrum

I think I've finally figured out why so many people fail to use their turn signals properly.

Money.

There was a time, if your tail light burned out you could buy a replacement bulb almost anywhere. Hardware store, grocery store, department store, etc. And the bulbs were cheap - something like a buck and a half for two bulbs.  You could pop open the trunk, undo the light socket and replace the bulb in a minute or two.  Almost the same with pickup trucks - usually two or three screws, undo the socket and replace the bulb.

Then some genius re-designed the tail light, after what, 60 plus years of simple do-it-yourself bulb replacement.

Now cars have a tail light "assembly", and good luck getting it out to replace a bulb.  There's a good chance you can't replace the bulb yourself. It might be next to impossible except for the dealer, and now that whole tail light assembly can cost $80-$100, if not more, if one 75 cent light bulb goes out.

Some recent model years have switched from incandescent bulbs to LEDs - and LEDs don't burn out as easily as a light bulb. Since LEDs should last much longer than bulbs - that's a good move.

So  I think the reason so many people fail to use their turn signal properly all comes down to money. They fear using it may burn it out quicker and who really wants to pay $80 to replace a burned out tail light?

And then you've got those maroons who have a burned out tail light and have no intention of getting it repaired.  I've known of people who could well afford to replace a burned out tail light - $80 is just a drop in the bucket, but they don't get the light replaced on the principle of the cost.  Why shell out $80 when all that's wrong is a 75 cent light bulb burned out?  Never mind that it's the law to have a working turn signal and use it properly. Never mind that a family's safety could hinge on that burned out tail light and that family could be yours. Never mind it's the right thing to do.

Get the tail light replaced. Use the turn signals properly. Pretend you have at least an ounce of intelligence in all that gray matter between your ears.

So it goes.

The FCC and License Renewal

The next license renewal period for all radio and TV stations in Missouri isn't until 2013, but some parts of the license renewal process are ongoing.  I went through an FCC inspection about 8 years ago.  It was the first time in at least 25 years that the FCC had inspected the station I worked at.  The station passed the FCC inspection with no problems - it was a stressful situation but the FCC Inspector was very nice in how she handled the inspection.

All broadcast stations (radio and TV) are required to keep public files - certain information pertaining to station operation from the past (what the station has done for the community of license) and present (what the station is doing for the community of license).

One key part of the public file is an FCC publication called THE PUBLIC AND BROADCASTING: How to Get the Most Service from Your Local Station.

If you have a local station, I encourage you to look at its public file - you may find some interesting information.  In my 32 years in radio at the station, there was never a request from the general public to view the public file.

The public file should be available at the licensee's main studio and specifically here's what the regulation says:
"The public inspection file shall be available for public inspection at any time during regular business hours."

For a station that's on the air 24 hours a day, the FCC would generally see regular business hours as any time, although a station may claim its normal business hours are 8 AM to 5 PM weekdays.  Even if only the part time weekend on air help is working, the public file should be available to the general public.

What's in the public file?  Here's a pretty good list (you can click on the Public File link to see it full size):
Public File

Most stations should be willing and able to show you the public file - since that's what's required by the FCC, but some may not be very accessible.

Every station is licensed by the FCC to serve the "public interest, convenience and necessity." 

You can help determine if any broadcast station is fulfilling its obligations as a licensee by reviewing the public file. This is important any time, but even more so at license renewal time.

If there is a problem viewing the public file or something is missing from the public file, you can file a complaint with the FCC.

You can be a part of your local station's operation in a significant way by asking to see the public file.  If any required item is missing from the public file, the station could be fined.  If it turns out the station is not serving the "public interest, convenience and necessity" the FCC license can be taken away.  Operating a radio or TV station is much more than just owning a building, transmitter and tower.

Certain parts of the public file contents are also required by the FCC to be available on every station's web site.