Michael Braun's Blog

I have declared this coming week to be my last official week in my La Ciel apartment that I have shared for nearly a year now with my fabulous roommates Anthony, Dan, and Woodie. It’s a bittersweet moment to be sure, but we’re all moving on and heading to different stages in our lives. But all this moving has kept me quite busy lately, as I try to pack up all my stuff in an organized and logical way to make transfer as painless as possible. So far so good, but I still have not transferred the majority of my furniture. The two largest pieces – an end table that is heavy and large and a large chair – will be the only challenges. The rest of the furniture should break down pretty easily.

Part of the challenge is that my NEW CAR(!) finally arrived on Thursday. It’s absolutely amazing and I don’t even know what to do with it. It’s a 2006 Honda Civic, dark blue, grey interior. And I got the EX, the highest model, so I have 16″ rims, a sunroof, and other mostly cosmetic differences. So even though I’ll be paying it off for the next 5 years (though hopefully will finish that out earlier), I am blown away to be driving something so nice. I have never driven a car (for any real period of time) with a CD player, so just that alone is really great. But it’s not a station wagon, so that can make transferring large volumes difficult. And Cross Plains is only 15 miles away, but it’s enough that I don’t much fancy trying to make multiple trips all in one day. I’ll take some more stuff over tomorrow in the morning, and then finish it up this coming weekend.

I’m nearly ready to start staying over there for good. I assembled my bed on Friday and went out to buy a mattress today. That was quite an ordeal. I really am not a big fan of furniture stores. I first went to Slumberland (fancy, stupid) and was not impressed, especially by their prices and the annoying sales person who latched on to me. But I found better success at A1 Furniture and Bedding. I was laying on all kinds of beds, some expensive, some not. The more expensive the bed, the softer the bed. And I have learned that I do NOT like soft beds. They feel terrible! The only problem was the bed I found most comfortable was very firm, very cheap, and had only a one year warranty. I didn’t want to invest in a mattress like that. I ended up getting one that was on sale, had a good warranty, was very comfortable, and was ugly. It’s a blue patterned mattress, rather than the more traditional cream or white. I think it really looks awful, but it’s very comfortable and I ended up spending less than I wanted to. It will be delivered on Tuesday.

So lots of exciting changes round these parts. The summer really is flying by. Soon I’ll be off to what is sure to feel like a completely different life. Getting a real job was certainly a change, but now to be leaving my old apartment as well, I don’t know what to make of it yet. I hope it will all work out okay, but it’s certainly going to be different living all by myself, in a big apartment, out in some beautiful countryside. I’ll keep you posted.

In large part to recent posts on Brittany’s blog I have decided to write my thoughts on the industry of sales. Brittany wrote a post to criticize an article published by Kathy Chu in USA Today praising companies such as the Southwestern Company (with whom Brittany had a rather negative experience one summer ago), who set up college students to sell items door-to-door. She published her thoughts on her blog and additionally had a letter published in the Wisconsin State Journal. In response to these comments, a mysterious person calling himself “Tony” has written comments praising sales to no end. His inability to use logic has largely led to this post. Here’s why sales jobs suck.

1) Opportunity, achievement, and situation are three highly correlated variables. Sales people will tell you that your success depends on what YOU do; they lie and say that you and you alone are responsbile for your success. It’s a convienent lie and one they will often come to believe themselves. But examining this in a scientific way, you would learn that a seller in a poor neighborhood and a seller in a better off neighborhood, with the same amount of contact and equally favorable reactions will make more money in the richer neighborhood. Similarly, a seller selling on Sept. 12, 2001, will not have as much success as someone selling just two days earlier. If one works equally hard, with equal opportunity, situation will still dictate their success.

2) Meeting people’s needs and defining people’s needs are two different things. When working in marketing for Apple, I often described my job as working to meet people’s computing needs. It just so happened that I felt those needs could be best met by an Apple computer. But never once did I try to convince a person who did not have a need for a computer that, in fact, they DID need an Apple because they did not have one. I never once defined their need. But a sales person MUST work to define that need. He or she must work to feel the “pains” of the customer. If the customer does not have the product for sale, the sales person immediately identifies this as a pain. But in this day and age of heavy consumerism, if someone does indeed need something, they are no doubt aware of several places where they can fulfill this need. Thus defining the need for a customer is tantamount to inventing the need. This is not, I believe, an honest practice.

3) The pay! Unlimited potential!, they will promise you. Our friend Tony said that he makes $2500 a month, even if his commissions don’t take him over that number. Good golly, Tony, you must really feel like you’re rolling in the dough. Only thing is, I make twice what you do! And I don’t have to pick up a phone and convince someone to buy something. And that job was fresh out of college, working in technology, with a degree in English. And you can’t tell me that should an economic downturn hit (or god forbid another 9/11) that you would still be making the same amount you make any other day. There is never a time in my life I have to worry about how big my paycheck is going to be. So sure, there are no unexpected windfalls, but I also don’t have to work double hours just to pay my rent during a month when things aren’t going so well.

4) Depending on yourself is all well and good, but that’s not the kind of society we live in. If it’s you for yourself, that pits the world against you. And even if you try to phrase it in nice ways (an oyster waiting to be cracked, et cetera), you’re still out there day in and day out just fighting to make some scratch. Is this the kind of daily battle someone should have to fight AT THEIR JOB?! I go to my job and sit in my nice office, put my feet up, and chat to a customer on a conference call. We’re all friends. When I need a question answered, I go ask someone else. When I find out something new, I share it with everyone. In sales, the minute you let information out, that’s just more ammo for the world against you.

There are so many sales people out there that I hope this has gotten up the guile of someone. Confront me, please! But stop trying to defend your job. The more you defend it, the more you sound like you are trying to convince yourself that the above 4 points are not straight truth. I hope you make a rousing success of what you are doing. The underlying question still remains, however. In this world of consumerism, and in working towards a world with greater cooperation, what good can a sales person play in making this country and this world a better place? And in making this world a better place, is there a way the same positive result can be achieved sans a monetary transaction? I think the answer to that question is absolutely yes.

Coming Zune, in Zune… no… ZUNER! Ugg. Microsoft and their new plans to release a music player to compete with the ever popular iPod. But has Microsoft really got what it takes to compete in yet another new market, and what kind of dent can they expect to make in Apple’s dominance on the mp3 player market? I don’t know the answers to these questions, and I’m not going to try to provide the answers. Rather, let me offer up my thoughts on the rumors of Microsoft’s Zune player.

A company with all the money in the world like Microsoft is perhaps wisely perhaps stupidly unwilling to keep doing something well. They seek to branch out into more and more markets. From their forays into wireless networking (FLOP!) to their XBox gaming console (jury still out) to their Office software (success, I guess), they do a lot more than Windows OS. Here’s why I think their new music player Zune will fail.

A) Too many features. I’ve said before my distaste for do-everything gadgets, and Microsoft seems bent to produce one. Wireless internet capabilities, games, advertisements, not to mention music, it looks to be an old fashioned jam packed piece of hardware that will do everything you would ever want it to do. Perhaps not quite, but it certainly seems like it will do more than can be easily done with simple buttons on a device like the iPod. But what I love about the iPod (and what I assume other people love as well) is that it’s so easy to use. Clean interface, simple buttons, and a scroll wheel that’s to die for. It’s a thing of beauty and thus a joy forever.

B) Why design anew when you can copy? Microsoft had better come up with something to trump the iPod because right now their player is looking like a sad knockoff. They will have an entire platform of apps and hardware designed to support the player (ala iTunes and iPod). They have a scroll wheel as well (though mockups make it look really stupid). And overall, the entire project sounds like they’re copying the iPod. While this may have worked with Windows, what in the world will motivate people to switch when such a huge percentage of the market is controlled by Apple and has been for years? I highly doubt that Wifi access is enough to put Microsoft over the edge. Those of us who want mobile internet have the devices capable of connecting on the go. Those of us who don’t care aren’t likely to want to start using this feature. And seriously, as computers become more and more portable, and laptops become even more popular among college students (a large portion of the portable music market), why would people suddenly start buying songs on the go?

C) It’s not like Apple is fading away. Despite analyst calls that Apple was going to rapidly start losing market share if they don’t come out with some new iPod upgrade soon, Apple just posted its second biggest quarter ever, due largely to increased iPod sales. Wait, you say, iPod hasn’t updated it’s line since October 2005; how can sales still be increasing? Because people want the iPod, you idiot! It’s a status symbol. It’s an accessory you can’t be without. It’s the hip thing. And Microsoft releasing a comparable or even slightly better player isn’t likely to change that. Microsoft=lame. Apple=cool. Enough said.

I predict that Microsoft’s new player will sell enough for them to say that they’ve done something worthwhile. But I highly doubt it will dent Apple’s market share. And as Apple looks to add things like Wifi capabilities to their next iPods, Microsoft’s “innovations” will look all the more pitiful. The only thing Microsoft might be able to compete on is price, and Zune is rumored to be just as expensive, but with lower capacity. Sorry Microsoft, stick to what you’re good at (illegal monopolies).

Picture this – a young fledgling democracy, recently rid of foreign rulers in the midst of a volitle region, with little ability to defend itself, but with support of the international community. A bully of a country given weapons and money by most of the world on land stolen thru war and colonialism. A group of underground fighters determined to win no matter the cost to civilian life. Toss in a few fervant religious beliefs full of absolutes. Mix it all up and TA DA! you get the situation going on between Lebanon, Israel and Hezbollah right now in the Middle East.

I’m sick of both Hezbollah and Israel. Give it up already! Israel ain’t going anywhere, so why the hell are you killing civilians thinking its going to make a difference? And why did you go and kidnap some of their soldiers? Did you think that might make things better for you? Not cool. And Israel, you’re the all-mighty power in that area, thanks to the US and others. Nevertheless, you’re surrounded by people who want you destroyed. So stick out a hand once and a while to other countries around you who might be friendly. Lebanon is a country almost completely unable to defend itself, with low resources just emerging from underneath control by Syria. Maybe you could give them a break and not destroy all their bridges and airport runways in your efforts to wipe out Hezbollah.

A few other factors to complicate matters. Hezbollah knows how to win support. They build hospitals and other vital institutions for the people. What motivation (besides trying to avoid Israeli bombs) d0es Lebanon have to go after this group? And Hezbollah also may be getting weapons and money from Syria and Iran, countries the US hates. And Bush doesn’t seem likely to do much about it, since he doesn’t want to tell Israel what to do; instead he wants to keep issuing them a blank check. To sum it all up, it’s a messed up situation.

In other news, I’ve begun to learn to play my guitar. It’s tough. I’m so used to the tuning scheme of a piano; a guitar is a bit different. The strings are tuned E A D G B E, which is a little disorienting when you are used to A B C D E F G, on a keyboard, or at least chord layouts of C E G or C A F or D G B, so on. But it’s just as much fun to play, even if so far I can’t whip it out and play any songs. I’m getting there. And more rewarding is that the more I play, the more naturally my fingers bend around the neck to reach the frets. And the better I am at placing my fingers where they need to be. I am looking forward to buying a cord that will let me input the sound into my computer so that I can record and see what I sound like off a recording. Listening straight off the amp can be different because you get the sounds of strings rattling (which they shouldn’t be, but I’m a beginner) off the guitar, mixed with the sounds of the amp.

It’s nice to have a musical instrument to play on. That’s something I haven’t had since high school (piano). I plan to get my keyboard from Mishicot when I go home (August probably, but maybe earlier). Then with my guitar and keyboard, I’ll really be able to start thinking about recording. It’s an exciting prospect.

Gosh, it’s been a long time since I’ve last wrote on here. Sad thing is, that’s ’cause not much has been going on in my life. Not that I’m anxiously awaiting some huge happening just to decide to write it for you all to read, but I try to report at least some semblance of news so that all your time isn’t wasted pouring through mindless jibberish when you read.

Work has been ticking along quickly. I’ve wrapped up learning about my application that I will be supporting. When I take and pass two exams for the certification, I will be completely ready to do the majority of my job. I’ve now started what we call “Server Tech Camp.” Basically, it means learning what kind of programming manages our databases and creates our applications. The first part of camp is learning the programming language we use. We call it Cache, but it’s a form of M (formally known as MUMPS), a language initially designed for use by hospitals. It’s reasonably intuitive and offers a lot of power to work with strings of data.

It’s a lot of fun to be programming again, but some of the ways we were taught have been hard to adapt to problem-solving. I haven’t programmed (to any great degree) since high school, when it was the hay-day of TI BASIC programming. Indeed, I was the one who brought programming on graphing calculators to Algoma. In fact, my calculator programming led Tony and I to become friends, as I showed him a game I had made on my TI-83+ oh so long ago (well, like 10th grade, so at most 6 years). So anyway, point being it’s fun to be doing programming again. But when the language was first introduced to us, we were told 1 million and 1 commands, so now when I try to find which one to use, it’s hard to remember all we were taught. But I’m still ticking along and trying hard to stay even with my co-workers who I hang out with a lot (Bill and Mike). When we’re all together, it makes things more fun and it’s nice to be able to feel like we are working together.

When I’m not at work, I’m still not doing much at home, but last weekend I had a great trip to LaCrosse. It was my sister’s birthday last week, so I wanted to go to LaCrosse to celebrate that. Katie, my mom (her mom too… how could you phrase that better?), Mark, and me all went out to dinner at a nice restaurant. And Katie liked her present from me (60 gig iPod). On Saturday, Katie and I went up to the Twin Cities area to go to Ikea to get furniture for my apartment (new apartment, out in Cross Plains, unfurnished). I bought a sofa, a couple of chairs, and a bed (along with other misc. stuff). That night we saw ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’ I liked it a lot, but you should see it so we can discuss the ending. Sunday, my mom and Mark drove my stuff back to my apartment. After unloading we took a tour of my work. After they left, I put together some furniture and drove back to Madison. Altogether a nice refreshing break from my usual uneventful weekends. This weekend, I’m headed up to my grandparent’s cottage.

This evening, I’m headed to Cross Plains – partially to bring some stuff out there – but mostly because I bought a used guitar from someone who (coincidently) lives in my same building. It’s a Squire Stratocaster, which is a cheaper guitar made by Fender. And a Fender amp. And a guitar stand. All for $100, which was the best deal I’ve seen on guitars ever. Plus, this guitar (apparently) has hardly ever been played. The person selling it (female, may I add) is moving so is looking to get rid of it. Anyway, we’ll see how it looks, though I am almost certain I will take it.

Anyway, there’s an update for you. I should start posting more about current events and things. I’ve got some gripes about more Israel stuff right now. So stay tuned for that, perhaps on Sunday.

I am now rich. I got paid today. A real paycheck. I’ve already got and spent it all on a downpayment for a condo in the Bahamas. I’ve decided to quit work and become a boat captain, catching my living with a few large nets and a crew of shady criminals fleeing their past.

Hmmm… actually come to think of it, the money’s still sitting there, staring me in the face. What am I supposed to do with money left over after I’ve paid rent and bills? I wasn’t sure (still not) so I went out and bought a hacky-sack (aka footbag). It’s a nice one, filled with sand (like Brittany’s) so it should be lots of fun. I think I’ll bring it to work.

I brought some stuff to my new apartment yesterday. My desk, some books, some vases, and the two windows that I own. The windows make excellent decorative items. I may bring some more stuff over there tomorrow. But there is really no hurry. Next weekend, I’m heading up to LaCrosse for my sister’s birthday. We plan to go shopping at Ikea on Saturday to but some furniture. I plan to buy a bed (though am questioning that now), some chairs, some stools, a sofa (maybe), a TV stand, some shelves, and who knows what else. Then maybe my new place will start to shape up and start to look like something. Right now, it looks pretty empty.

With Woodie gone to Kenya (he left Tuesday), Dan has taken over his room, leaving me one huge space for not a lot of stuff. I’ve been used to living so compact and now the room looks too large. Plus with the exodus of things to my new apartment, it’s not like this issue is going to be resolved anytime soon. It’s nice to be able to spread out. Plus the apartment feels extremely empty right now. 2 people produce significantly less mess than 4 people and it’s crazy how clean the place looks.

I’m shocked that today is only Saturday. But it’s nice to still be kicking back and relaxing without looking work on Monday right in the face. But work next week will be a lot of study time, so I am looking forward to just chilling in my office, putting on some music, and getting some work done. Plus, no work on the Fourth, so it will be a crazy week.