Jason Purdy's Virtual World

Elon Musk is a badass. He starts pay pal, then moves on to change transportation on Earth with Tesla (and a solar company to boot) and finally space travel. He makes a great point with this Ted interview that the vast majority of the cost of getting to space is the rocket itself. The fuel is a fraction of a percent, so if we can reuse the rockets, than we can get to space very cheapily. So what are they buildling…? A rocket that lands. Crazy stuff.

For more crazy space stuff, check out Mars One: A company funding a one way trip to Mars. http://mars-one.com/en/ 

Who watched the episode of mad men last night? Soooo good. Celebrate the last season with this ringtone for iOS devices and Android and other phones

I love saving time by making the common place more efficient, especially when it is with something I use for hours everyday. Here are a few quick iPhone tips I have found to be super helpful. 

Back to drafts

For my personal Gmail I use Mailbox, which can’t compose drafts, but for work I use Apple’s default mail app. I write a lot of drafts on the subway in case someone has already responded while I’ve been underground. When I get service again, I check my latest emails and then, instead of going through a myriad of folders to find previous drafts, I simply hold the compose button. Easy and quick. 

Recent Browsing History

Similarly, if you hold the back button in Safari, you will be able to jump to  all your previous pages. Very useful when you’re jumping between links from Facebook, Twitter and email, but then not sure which tab you were on. 

Custom Vibrations

Simple, quick and unique vibrations are easy to make and extremely useful. I set my wife’s to three quick pulses. Now I know when my phone buzzes in my pocket who it is. I just wish I could do it for apps too.

Speak to Me

Your iPhone can speak highlighted text to you. Go into General settings -> Accessibility. Very useful for long text, like emails or webpages. For a fun afternoon, try highlighting emoji text (which if you haven’t activated on your mom’s phone you’re missing out).

Panorama from left to right

There’s been a few times when I couldn’t quite record a panorama from the left to the right as it is by default. The light wasn’t right or I wanted to make sure something to the my right was in the shot, but could be more flexible to the left. Tap on the right side of the panorama area and the arrow will flip over. 

Take a photo while recording

Notice after you start recording a video that you can take a photo with the camera button in the top right of the screen. 

Hope these were useful! 

h/t MacWorld

NCAA is streaming the games live from http://www.ncaa.com/ (a legal streaming option for a pro sports event in the USA, imagine that). On their full screen option they are offering a “Boss Button” in case your boss walks by your desk. Pretty funny. 

The proof is in the pudding…or in this case, the home-screen: I am still using Mailbox as my default gmail client on my phone after over a month. I wrote my initial thoughts on Mailbox after using the app for a few hours, I figured it would be good to get a thorough review down, especially considering they were just bought by Dropbox (which I’m very excited about because they aren’t getting shut down via acquisition like the last great email app, Sparrow). So, some thoughts on Mailbox. Going to skip all the “I am an inbox zero email user” stuff as I’m sure you know this by now!

I left my last review with a mention of “32,000 open conversations” in app. I was asked to archive all and felt squeamish as I didn’t know what that meant. DO NOT FRET, your email will be fine. All they are doing is moving your “inbox” folder to the “archive” folder. It will still be searchable as it is now. If you dismissed the box like I did, you can get the box to show up by clicking the “help me get to zero” at the bottom of your inbox. I do recommend having one last review in Gmail before installing Mailbox in case you have any urgent flags or unread emails. If you have flags just make a note of them and come back to it after you install Malibox, once you start you aren’t going to go back.

Swipe for all

Mailbox allows you to control your email like never before. Although simple, the app is very fast and very powerful, allowing you to categorize your emails quickly and to get to #inboxzero as fast as possible. Here’s a typical interaction with the app:

Let’s say I look at my inbox in the afternoon and see 12 emails. Based on the subject and sender I am going to read 4 of them now, so I read them and keep searching through my email. I know that 3 of them I don’t have time to read today, so I swipe to right and set one as remind me next week and two as remind me tomorrow and poof, they are out of my inbox. Now here’s my favorite part of the Mailbox app, for all of the rest of my emails, including 5 I have no interest reading, and the 4 I already read, I simply swipe the inbox as complete and BOOM, inbox zero! 

Now, the app isn’t perfect and I do have a few suggestions. 

Desktop App Please

The main frustration I have with Mailbox is that it is only mobile. A desktop app would be great for all the content that requires a full browser: dentist site that is flash only, documents that require a full computer, or a web form that isn’t laying out on mobile. 

More Remind Me When Options

The “remind me when…” feature needs a lot of tweaking. It’s part of the core functionality that makes this so powerful, but reminding me to look at an email three hours from now does not help. Reminding me to look at it over the weekend does, which works great. How about swipe to remind me Monday or to unsubscribe from that subscription. Gmail’s “spam” button does that very well. Not only is that content marked as spam, but they take care of unsubscribing you from the list as well. 

Since I’m going between Gmail and Mailbox so often, I wish Mailbox had a better ‘remind me when I’m in gmail’. Flags did this well for me before and I try to just leave emails in my inbox to check up on later, but then I can’t do the ‘inbox swipe’ mentioned above.

So, Is This a ToDo App?

The company first built Orchestra, a fantastic sharing to-do app, but felt that email was a big to-do list. So why can’t I create a to-do in Mailbox, or somehow create an entry that uses all the ‘remind me when’ alerts that are built into the app? I have emailed myself  from my work account multiple times for this purpose.

Really, No Drafts?

Lastly, how does this app not have drafts? Very strange thing to miss out on.

All those things said, I still love the app and would love to have this for my Outlook exchange as well. Congrats on the acquisition and look forward to it only getting better! 

One more idea…Unsubscribe from Threads

Here is another idea for Mailbox to try out: unsubscribe from thread. Don’t you hate it when you get into an email thread with 40 people regarding an event that you can’t go to? You still want to get emails from your friends in the future, just not these emails. 

My wife and I recently took a vacation down to Mexico and although we had a rough start to the trip thanks to American Airlines, we enjoyed a very relaxing week of books, food, ocean and sun.

On our vacation I re-read Ender’s Game, definitely one of my favorite books, and Let My People Go Surfing by the founder of Patagaonia, which is an enjoyable easy read on how to run business in an environmentally friendly manor.

I had been reading Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s The Black Swan off and on for the past two months. One of my favorite parts of vacation is the uninterrupted reading session in which you can get really engrossed in a book. The book is a condensed read and not easily ingested in 10-15 minute increments on a subway commute, but I very much enjoyed it once I could sit down for 2 hours and think through some of his concepts.

The name of the book comes from the idea that until European explorers landed on Australia in the 18th century, swans were thought to only be white. So much so, “seeing a black swan” was a similar saying as today’s “when pigs fly”. The likelihood being so unlikely that it must be impossible for a swan to be black.

Similarly, consider the story of a turkey who wakes up every day for several years without any worries, for why should he? His set of evidence for not being butchered on any given day is to compare it with every other day he’s lived, and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise. Well, unfortunately the next day, the turkey is brought to the slaughterhouse and that’s the end of him.

The point of both of these stories is that we do not know what we do not know. Or, said even better by William Goldman, “no one knows anything”. To Mr. Taleb, risk related to anything in life is about the uncertainty with which we don’t know what we don’t know. Black swan or the turkey.

So what should we do about it? Protect yourself from the unthinkable, especially when the cost is low and has return value is high. Diversify your portfolio, never trust a financial adviser who says something is a zero-risk investment, and most importantly, remember that just because something has never happened, doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

A large part of the book is also about how most people think that what makes the human mind so unique is our ability to anticipate events. This may be true for physicists knowing that an apple will fall from the tree at a specific velocity, but the mind is actually terrible at forecasting when it comes to real life. We are as wrong about the stock market as any major event next year. The mind instead does a fantastic job of reasoning out why something was so obvious in hindsight, also referred to as the fallacy of the narrative.

We tell ourselves stories to reason the past. For instance, someone may have been successful and got very rich. As we try to determine why he was so successful we might say it’s because he went to a good school, had the right connections or worked hard, and if you do those things, you can be wealthy too. Unfortunately, in reality, he may have just got lucky and been in the right place at the right time. You never know!

The Black Swan covers a large spectrum of topics including history, philosophy, statistics and finance. Mr. Taleb can be long winded at times, and I wished he had an editor to simplify some of his points, especially with his statistical proofs, but I mostly enjoyed the book for the anecdotes and stories dispersed throughout. I should have taken notes while reading the book. Here are a few off the top of my head, there are at least a dozen others. I definitely recommend the book and let me know if you come across any that I can add to the list below!

• What’s more valuable, a library full of books you have read or ones you have not read? Although a book you’ve read has reference value, the amount of value in a new book is much higher.
• Let’s say there’s two hospitals in a town. One very large hospital and one small hospital. On any randomly chosen day, which hospital is more likely to have had 60% of the babies born be boys? Answer: the small hospital because they have a smaller sample set, therefore the averages swing much more widely, while the larger hospital, with a larger sample set, will have a much closer distribution between girls and boys. Put another way, think of flipping a coin 10 times and a coin 1,000 times. Much more likely to get 60% heads if only flipping 10 times.
• If I asked a set of people how likely it would be for a major town in the US to flood and they answer with X%. I then ask them what the likelihood is for a town in California to flood after a major earthquake, the percentage goes up despite it being a smaller sample set! Take another example, online flight brokers offer general travel insurance on trips that includes everything from weather to terrorism, but if they offer specific terrorism insurance, for the same price and less coverage, conversions go up. The mind works better when things can be explained.
• Lastly, don’t ask a barber if you need a haircut.

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You can also view other book reviews at my Goodreads account. 

Below is a letter I sent to American Airlines via their online form for some of the worst service I have ever witnessed, let alone experienced. I hope others continue to let them know why customers will pay extra for Virgin America whenever possible. 

——

Dear American,

My wife and I flew on your airline on February 23, 2013 from New York to Cancun on flight 1671. When we arrived to the gate, I introduced myself and asked if there was any availability in business class for my pregnant wife.  If there is anyone who deserves a bit of extra space, I would think it is a woman who is 7 months pregnant, right? 

The gate attendant asked my name, pulled our reservation up on her computer, and then explained, “We do not give out business class seats.”  I can understand that – no problem, but I was not even asked if I wanted to pay for an upgrade.  Slightly taken aback, I returned to my seat, somewhat frustrated, but was quickly called back to the desk over the loudspeaker.

The attendant asked, “How many months did you say?” I confirmed that my wife was 7 months pregnant, and she proceeded to tell me that my wife would not be allowed to fly and that flying while pregnant was unsafe.  Luckily, our obstetrician gave us a formal written note “just in case,” and my wife had looked up the formal policies by both the FAA and AA.com’s own website (see excerpts below).

Then another attendant named Jordan decided to chime in:

“Why on earth would take your wife on a vacation when she is 7 months pregnant? And to Mexico no less! That’s a terrible idea, what if something happens?! I mean, you can do whatever you want, but I’d never…” At which point she trailed off and I couldn’t make out what else she said. I certainly was not going to ask.

I get that someone has a different opinion, but how on earth is it your place to say that? I would not say that to a friend at a cocktail party, let alone a customer in an airport.  I would also think that if caring for passengers was your job you would know the FAA guidelines.

Unfortunately, the story does not end there.  As we boarded the plane, the flight attendant Jordan saw my wife and I approaching, and said, “I checked the airline policy, and you (to my wife) can still fly.  It’s just not allowed within 30 days of your due date.  But I would never do it.  You know, I have a friend whose water broke the minute the plane took off because of the pressure!  And another friend who started having contractions the plane hit cruising altitude.  So you know…I would NEVER fly if I was in your condition.”

What should my wife and I have done at that point, turned around and deboarded?  And then how would we get to Mexico to enjoy the hotel and vacation that we had already paid for?  To us, especially to my wife, this was the worst part.  You are not telling a fellow New Yorker who walks into a restaurant, “Don’t eat here – I just found a mouse in my hamburger.” To which the potential patron can judge for him or herself, turn around and choose any number of other restaurants within a short walk or cab ride away.  We were getting on to a plane to take a trip to a destination that was already settled.  After my wife had to hear these awful anecdotes from the flight attendant, she had to sit through the plane taking off, and then hitting cruising altitude, wondering if she might go into labor at any point in time.  The additional worry added by the flight attendant was entirely inappropriate and unnecessarily stress-inducing.

Thank you American for making our decision to fly in the future that much easier as we will not be flying AA again, no matter how much cheaper your rates are.

Sincerely,

Jason Purdy

——-UPDATE AS OF 3/15!——

Thank you everyone for all the support, glad I’m not the only one who’s had to endure such bad service. A few people have asked if American Airlines responded.

I have to say I wish their actual service was as good as their socail media service teams. After posting the article on Twitter @AmericanAir responded after less than 5 minutes:

@jasonpurdy We expect our agents to be polite and helpful, Jason, and we’re sorry that isn’t what you experienced.

March 14, 2013

We went back and forth, I gave them my ID number from the email I sent it via a DM (quickly unfollowed them) and then I even got a personal call from a very apologetic representitive. 

They were nice, professional and just about everything their fly attendant was not, but thing is…does all of this really make me want to fly American ever again? Absolutely not. So with that, let me ask you a question, what would they have had to do for you to fly American again?

American Airlines Pregnancy Policies

Domestic:

    Doctor’s letter required if traveling within four weeks of delivery date.

    Travel within seven days before due date or after delivery requires doctor’s letter plus clearance by AA special-assistance coordinator.

    Restrictions based on honor policy.

International:

    Doctor’s letter required if traveling within 30 days of due date, signed within 48 hours of travel.

    Travel within ten days before due date or after delivery requires doctor’s letter plus clearance by AA special-assistance coordinator.

American Airlines Travel Information - FAQs

Number 14. Traveling While Pregnant

Q:           What are the guidelines for traveling on American while pregnant?

A:            A medical certificate is required if travel is within 4 weeks of the delivery date in a normal, uncomplicated pregnancy

For domestic flights under 5 hours, travel is not permitted within 7 days before and after the delivery date. If you should need to travel within 7 days before or after delivery, a medical certificate is required as well as clearance from our Special Assistance Coordinator.

For International travel or any flights over the water, travel is not advised within 30 days of the due date, unless the passenger is examined by an obstetrician within 48 hours of outbound departure and certified in writing as medically stable for flight. Travel within 10 days of the due date for International travel must have clearance from our Special Assistance Coordinators. Travel within 7 days after delivery requires clearance as well. 

For more information, please contact a Special Assistance Coordinator through AA Reservations at 800-433-7300.

Two weeks ago, I got a call from the NYPD that a known thief in the area was apprehended walking out of my apartment building with two packages addressed to me. I told them I did not know this person, nor did I give him permission to enter our building and take our packages. 

I can only imagine how many other packages he has stolen until he was finally caught. I testified before a grand jury, and he was found guilty. I then left the next day for a vacation abroad.

When I came back, I found that a NY Times reporter had left a voicemail on my cellphone and my wife’s cellphone, an @ reply on Twitter, a LinkedIn message, emails in my personal and work account, as well as an @ mention on one of my Instagram photos. Persistant eh? I ended up talking with him twice, including meeting him for photos, and you can read the article here. 

Honestly, I am pretty disappointed with the article. Yes, it was only fruitcake, but this man has committed over 40 misdemeanors (not 30) over the last 10 years, including this exact crime during the recent holiday season. I appreciate Mr Wilson’s need to write for an audience and make light of the fact that what was in one of our packages was only fruitcake, but I assure you that I have taken these recents thefts seriously. I have spoken with building management and a security system has been installed.

Mostly though I am frustrated by how rarely people press charges. I didn’t have to testify before the grand jury, I could have just let him off, like half of the solved crimes in Park Slope—they are simply dismissed. I will say it again: over half of the victims of crimes that are solved in Park Slope do not press charges. And that is just the crimes that are solved, i.e. the perpetrator is caught. Think of all the crimes that are not solved. 

I had a lot of time during the proceedings at the court house to talk with the arresting officer and a few of his fellow policemen. Every single day they track a thief down, whether it be for stealing a computer, jewelry or an iPhone/iPad (so common in NYC it has its own name among thieves: “Apple Picking”). “About half” of the time, they deliver back the stolen items, the victim decides not the press charges, and the criminal is released. Insane. I asked him the officer why, and he said the most common response was “I’m too busy”.  

For instance, the day before our hearing, a police officer sees a young man taking a woman’s phone from her stroller while she was attending to her baby. He chased him through Prospect Park, scratches from the branches still evident the next day, and caught the guy. He handcuffed him and brought the phone back to the mother, who decided she didn’t want to press charges. 

I understand that people are busy, want to give someone a second chance, and the criminal system has its issues, but I do not think that this is right and that is why I agreed to speak with Mr. Wilson from the Times, in the hopes that he would bring this situation to the attention of others. Instead we got a cute story about my mom’s fruitcake, which, as much as I love it, was not what I was hoping for.

This morning I was granted access to the elusive startup Mailbox, wait list now over 700k and growing, which is an iPhone app that has promised to reinvent how we use email. I’ve written before how I’m an ‘inbox zero’ email user and this seemed right up my alley. 

Immediately upon entry you’re given a set of instruction screens that make the app easy to use and understand. The core of Mailbox can be summed up in one of their instruction screens: “swipe to snooze”.

Mailbox is all about allowing you to view your inbox and immediately and quickly sort your mail. Read what you need to read now, delete/archive what you don’t need, and most importantly, snooze what you want to read/respond to later. Options include tomorrow morning (a cute coffee cup icon), later today, ‘after work’, ‘this weekend’, or ‘someday later’. I love that each of these is customizable. What time does your morning start, are you done with work, and what time to remind you on the weekend. I suggest David Allen’s book “Getting Things Done”, for why this will make you more productive. 

Since this is only for Gmail, I will now have two separate email apps on my phone. The standard ‘Mail’ app for my work exchange email and then Mailbox for personal. I’ll post an update below after using it for a week, but the initial interactions are promising. I love the use of swiping inside a table view row, similar to the the ‘Clear’ todo app, which I highly recommend.  

One minor issue I’m having upon setup is that Mailbox is showing 32,000 open conversations, despite having zero unread emails. I was given a “archive all unread” or “archive all starred” emails, but I had both upon installation, so I couldn’t do either. I now read my unread emails and had to email their support team to see how to bring that message back up.