Amazon Teasing Me

I'm pretty much decided on the TV I want. I'm going to get the 50" Panasonic. Now if I could only order the stupid thing.

I want to order from Amazon for numerous reasons. First off, they offer the TV at a great price. Second, I don't have to pay tax or shipping. Finally, they have a pretty liberal return policy if for some reason I don't like the TV. So that being said, I've waited patiently for them to have the TV in stock. They recently put up an "in stock" date of May 28. Well staring two days ago, they have moved the date one day later each of the last two days.

It reminds me of a problem I'm dealing with at work. We for some reason have an issue with hitting dates. We will set a date for some deliverable, not meet that date, set the date again, and still not hit that date. That is a big problem (and one I'm working to address). Here is the thing. When it comes to deadlines, if you have to slip, you slip only once. The next time you set a date, you better be damn sure you can hit the date or don't provide a date at all.

So here I am, sitting and waiting for them to get the TV in stock. The current release date is "May 30" but I know tomorrow they are going to move it to "May 31".

New Boss, Same Job

I got a new boss a few weeks ago.  It has been something that has been in the making for a while but it became official in the last couple of weeks.  I'm working in a completely different organization, and it looks at first glance like the scope of my job has greatly increased, but in reality I don't see it that way.

It's true, that my scope went from my particular division to company-wide.  My boss, who is the CTO, is much higher on the org chart than my previous boss.  But in reality, I don't see much of a difference.  Sure, my co-workers probably do.   It certainly seems like I have more influence and scope, but that is mostly perception.  Here is the thing.  I just do my job.  I'm not overly concerned who my boss is and what my reporting structure looks like.  I'm here to do what is best for the company not necessarily what is best for my team or division.  This is especially true when you have a job as ambiguous as mine is, Program Management.  My main responsibility is to make sure we ship the right thing in the right time, and it doesn't really matter who I report to because that function doesn't change.

To be fair, my personal situation has gotten better.  I think my new boss understands my role better than my old one and is giving me more support.  But that is not to say that I'm going to do anything differently than I was before.  Having the interest of the company above and beyond most other things has always served me well.  It has kept be focus on the bottom line and had made sure that I make the right trade offs.   Not sure why I would do anything different just because the person I do my 1 on 1 with every week has changed.

Buying Quality

I used to buy cheap furniture. I was young, and didn't have much money, and didn't really think nice furniture was all that important. However, I recently turned the corner. Not sure if it has more to do with age or with my income. Probably both.

I bought a media console pictured similar to above. I bought it to match the TV that I will eventually get. In times past, I would have just found a nice cheap piece of furniture that would have sufficed to do its job of holding my TV. However, I figured I was about to spend a fair amount of money on my TV and figured it needed an equally nice stand. It's made of real wood, a far cry from the Ikea furniture I'm used to.
The odd thing is that I have always believed in buying quality items. Growing up, my family bought the best we could afford despite the fact we didn't have much money. My mother would always tell me that in the long run, buying something of quality would save you money because you wouldn't have to replace it.

I've done the same strategy with stocks. I've only bought a few dozen stocks in my life. For the most part, I've bought companies which are considered high quality, companies with long histories of strong earnings. Since they are of higher quality, I don't replace them often. Almost all the stocks in my current portfolio I have owned for over two years. It is especially good in times like this when the markets are shaky.

LCD or Plasma

I've debated a long time over what type of TV to get. As I said in an earlier post about my which HDTV I want to get, I've gone back and forth. For a long time, I was sold on a Sony SXRD television. It has great picture quality and is more affordable than the flat panels at the very large screen sizes. As I never plan on hanging my TV, it was a logical choice.

But because Sony decided to move away from that technology I looked elsewhere. The obvious choice was LCD. LCDs are much more popular than Plasma TVs. I'll be the first to say the probably look better in the store because they are much brighter than your general plasmas and thus a person's eye is drawn to them. They also tend to be lighter (and thus easier to hang) and use less energy. But I tend to think those are secondary considerations for most people. For a long time, they were the only choice under 42". Most people would buy those as most people are not in the market for a TV bigger than that.

For me, it came down to a few things. The most important thing by far was how good the picture looked to me. Like most, I was drawn to those big bright screens at my local Best Buy. But after watching a few LCDs in dark rooms, I realized there is such a thing as too bright. So I went back to try and understand what makes a good picture. I like deep saturated colors and great detail. In my opinion, LCDs win in the sharpness department, but Plasmas win in the color and detail department. In the end it came down to two things for me.

• Black Levels - By the very nature of LCD technology, they can't get as deep a black as Plasmas. This is by far the most important thing when it comes to picture quality. Think of it as the canvas by which all other colors must be painted. You want to have as clean of a canvas as you possibly can get. Most LCDs are a dark gray when the screen is completely black and it really bothers me. New LCDs are getting very close, and it is one reason I have seriously considered getting one, but they still don't beat the best of the plasmas.


• Motion - This one too is getting close, but its not quite close enough. The main thing I watch is sports and I can see the motion blur that is inherent in LCD technology. Not everyone is sensitive to it, but I am, and it distracts me when I'm trying to watch the Lakers.

There were some other things that favored one over the other. Price was somewhat of a consideration, but only a small one. LCDs are slightly more expensive at this size. But I'm considering two TVs, the Panasonic 50PZ800U I discussed before and the Samsung LN52A650. The price is a wash between the two TVs so it doesn't really factor.

I still haven't bought the TV yet, so it isn't certain that I will go with the plasma. However, I did finally see the Panasonic 50PZ800U first hand in the store today. More on that later ...

Exploring Lunch Options

I went to lunch today with a few coworkers.  I have to admit, I'm generally not a big adventurer when it comes to trying new places.   It is especially bad that there is a food court underneath my building because I'm generally pretty lazy when it comes to leaving the building for lunch.

Today, my coworkers were headed over to a different building, so I decided to tag along.  It was a bright and sunny California day so I figured it was a good time to get out of the building.  I also feel a little guilty about not being more adventurous because I work in Downtown L.A. where there are a lot of options around.

We ended up going to the cafeteria of another building.  It was odd.  First off, we had to pass through a security gate of the building.  It is one of those systems where you have to have a keycard to pass through the turnstile.  The thing was, we don't work in the building, however the security guard let all eight of us pass through.  We just had to say we were going to the cafeteria.  What's the point of that?  Why have a security turnstile if you are just going to let everyone through anyway?

It made me think a little bit about Microsoft.  Microsoft has cafeterias all over the Redmond campus.  There is nothing stopping outsiders from coming in and eating at the cafeterias other than needing a keycard to enter the building.  However, this is easily overcome by just waiting for someone else to enter the building as most people won't stop someone from following them in.  The thing is, I know for a fact that there are lots of conversations going around in the lunch area which probably shouldn't be heard by non-MS employees.  So I wonder, do non-Microsoft employees eat in the cafeterias?  If so, I wonder how often they overhear something they shouldn't.

My TV Obsession

I am obsessed with my imminent HDTV purchase. I find myself constantly looking for information on the TV I think I will buy, the new Panasonic 50PZ800U. It's been a long road. I've been thinking about getting an HDTV for over five years, and it has never happened.

But now I'm pretty certain. The big problem is that there were just too many choices. Normally, choice is a good thing. But most people only want the illusion of choice. They really want three or four choices, anything more than that and people face decision paralysis.

So how did I come to the decision on the TV I want to buy? Here was my thought process

DLP, LCD, or Plasma? - I originally was going to buy the 60" Sony SXRD but Sony decided to stop making them, so I started looking around for another solution. So the choice came down to an LCD or Plasma. I could go on, and I think I will in another post, about why I chose Plasma. But in the end I thought it was the best choice for me given the type of watching I do which is mainly sports.

Which brand to Buy? - There are so many to choose from. Vizio, Samsung, Panasonic, and Pioneer to name a few. Pioneer supposedly has amazing TVs in their Kuro line, but they are just too expensive for too small of a difference. Vizio is too low on the other side of the scale. So it comes down to Samsung or Panasonic. Panasonic is a little bit better reputation wise, but the Samsung Plasmas, PN50A550 and PN50A650, look to be strong competition. I may eventually swing over to the Samsung side before I buy.

How Much to Spend? - I'll be honest, this wasn't that important. I just wanted the best TV for the best value. I wanted something I would be happy with for ten years. Whatever price point that was was going to be how much I spent.

Which Model to Buy ? - A couple of problems here. Panasonic was coming out with new 2008 models as I was making my decision. Did I wait or buy the older models which were going on sale. In the end, I decided to wait. Might as well get the latest and greatest technology considering my criteria for keeping it for ten years. Next, I had to choose between the 85 model and the 800. I'm still out on this one. The 800 supposedly is a better picture, better sound, but I'm not so sure it is worth the extra $500. I've been waiting to see, but haven't been able to find one yet.

So I find myself constantly looking for information about this set and trying to find places which have a good deal. In the end, I'm sure it won't make that much of a difference, but just given my personality, I just want to make sure I'm very happy with my choice.

How about you? Do you have an HDTV? If so what type and you happy with it? Any advice for a first time buyer?

Prospective Employee Doesn't Fully Disclose - Duh!

Today, former Phoenix Sun's coach Mike D'antoni was announced as the new coach for the New York Knicks.  It had been rumored for several days that he was the front runner both for the Knick's job, as well as the Chicago Bulls vacant coaching position.  The owner of the Bulls, Jerry Reinsdorf is quoted as saying,  "I'm disappointed in him. I don't know what else we could've done. He chose to go to New York knowing there was a good chance we would make him an offer. If he had really wanted to be in Chicago, he would've waited. Instead, he misled us. It's not the end of the world, but it is somewhat rude."

Not sure what type of people Jerry Reinsdorf is use to hiring, but they can't be very good.  As an employer, you have to expect that people are not showing you all their cards.  Good people have options.  That's a fact.  For some reason Jerry Reinsdof thinks that good people will just sit around and let him take his time to make a decision.  That's just not how the world works.  You have to EXPECT that people are going to look elsewhere.  You have to EXPECT that they are going to listen to other offers.

Here is the thing that is the most hypocritical.   What was Reinsdorf waiting on?  By all accounts, he had a meeting to discuss the job with D'antoni.  If he was so certain he wanted D'antoni, why didn't he make an offer right then and there?  He clearly didn't make one because he said himself, "there was a good chance we would make him an offer", not "we made him an offer".   Clearly he wasn't sure.  In all likelihood, he probably wanted to interview a few other candidates himself.  So he is upset because D'antoni looked around for other opportunities but he himself was going to do the same thing.

Here is a news flash to employers, don't expect prospective employees to tell you all their options.   If you really want them, then make it a good offer and make it quick.  Good people don't stay unemployed for very long.  Just look at my situation.  I WANTED to stay unemployed for a little longer, and it was all to easy to find a job.