<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#0b5394">Ken,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#0b5394"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#0b5394">Last time I went to You-Do-It, I was really disappointed to see that the wonderful store I used to love was a shadow of its former self. Something must have happened to the fortunes of the owners of that store. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#0b5394"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#0b5394">This is not surprising given how easy it is to get all of the things You-Do-It sold for less online -- but lacking the ability to see the product ahead of buying it -- and lacking the ability to imagine what you might do with a product you'd never seen before... Which explains a lot of the weird stuff I am discovering in my basement as we do the inevitable clean out for, uh, experienced couples.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#0b5394"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#0b5394">Regards,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#0b5394"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#0b5394">-- Harry</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#0b5394"><br></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><br></font><table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" style="font-size:19.2px;background-color:rgb(238,238,238);margin-left:0px;margin-right:auto"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:10pt"><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.forsdick.com/resume/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Harry Forsdick</a><br><a href="http://lexingtonphotoscan.com/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Lexington Photo Scanning</a><br><a href="http://lexingtontmma.org/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Town Meeting Member Precinct 7</a><br><a href="mailto:harry@forsdick.com" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">harry@forsdick.com</a></font></td><td width="5"><font face="verdana, sans-serif"> </font></td><td valign="top" style="font-size:10pt"><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><a href="https://goo.gl/xZXT2F" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">46 Burlington St., Lexington, MA 02420</a><br><a href="callto:17817996002" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">(781) 799-6002 (mobile)</a><br><a href="http://www.forsdick.com/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">www.forsdick.com</a><br><a href="http://forsdick.weebly.com/home/my-websites" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">click</a> to see my other websites</font></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sun, Jun 25, 2023 at 12:18 PM Ken Pogran <<a href="mailto:pogran@alum.mit.edu">pogran@alum.mit.edu</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div>Seems to me the sales help at MicroCenter
would be better versed in selling computers than in the more mundane—but
nonetheless vital—electronics such as UPSs and surge protectors.<br>
<br>
I have a suspicion the sales help at You-Do-It Electronics in Needham
would be much more knowledgeable about such things; the slant of the
store is different.<br>
<br>
But the point is well taken: If you're going to invest in computing
hardware, you ought to invest in a UPS, or at least surge protector,
that meets your needs. And the average buyer needs to learn about that. A
retail store that sells computer hardware ought to have a clearly
written "What to Know About Surge Protectors and UPS (And Why You Need
One)" fact sheet to hand out (or at least have on prominent display). I
daresay that having such a thing would help them sell more such devices.<br>
<br>
Ken Pogran<br>
<br>
<span>Harry Forsdick wrote on 6/25/23 9:22 AM:</span><br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(11,83,148)">Ted,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(11,83,148)"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(11,83,148)">Re: <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)">On Sun, Jun 25, 2023 at 8:51 AM Ted
Kochanski <<a href="mailto:tedpkphd@gmail.com" target="_blank">tedpkphd@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:</span></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><span class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(11,83,148)">...</span><div><br></div><div>Case
in point -- yesterday I bought a new UPS at Microcenter -- two
different sales assistants were unable to understand the ratings of the
various products -- specifically the relationship between Watt - Hours,
Joules, and Watts although they could babble the manufacturer's PR-line
about pure sinewave power</div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(11,83,148)">I
suspect most of the sales assistants at Microcenter didn't go to MIT,
nor could they pass a PhD qualifier exam... But, they probably know
answers to questions most customers would ask. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(11,83,148)"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(11,83,148)">My
best advice would be to do your research on your cell phone in the
store on the product manufacturer's website for the particular product
you are considering buying.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(11,83,148)"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(11,83,148)">--
Harry<br>
</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sun, Jun 25, 2023 at 8:51 AM Ted Kochanski <<a href="mailto:tedpkphd@gmail.com" target="_blank">tedpkphd@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">I'm willing to bet that just as a lot of the people who answer
queries for "local companies" are actually located in Bangaloru in
India -- <div>so too will a lot of the "gig" workers building and
training the models for local companies be Bangaloruan as well</div><div><br></div><div>Once
globalization was viewed as the way to democratize tech -- combining
local subject matter expertise with global technical competence</div><div><br></div><div>The
reality has been the global spread of the "moronocracy" -- wasting
everyone's time --- in you having to provide for yourself the expertise
for the services [with the "assistance of remote customer servants"]
which at one time you could obtain locally</div><div><br></div><div>Case
in point -- yesterday I bought a new UPS at Microcenter -- two
different sales assistants were unable to understand the ratings of the
various products -- </div><div>specifically the relationship between
Watt - Hours, Joules, and Watts although they could babble the
manufacturer's PR-line about pure sinewave power</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Ted<br>
</div></div></blockquote></div></div>
</blockquote>
<br>
</div>
</blockquote></div>