ambient thoughts for a vivid world
Jan 31st 2007Nik AgarwalRantings
I’ll be out of town for the next few days to enjoy the weekend and the Superbowl. I will return on February 4th and should resume regular posting on this blog then. I won’t have internet access so I may not be able to post regularly. GO BEARS!
Jan 30th 2007Nik AgarwalTechnology/Internet
I never knew that automatic garages that can park your car without you even present existed. I knew the technology was available and that it has been undergoing testing, but I never thought that it was actually being used commercially. In addition, the safety record of these garages is remarkable. As with any technological device, there are bound to be failures and these garages are no exception. However, given the amount of accidents that occur in traditional garages, these automatic ones are quite safe and do not require any interaction from you. You simply have to roll up to the “pallet” and exit your vehicle. After that, the “robot” takes over (no one enters your vehicle once you exit) and will park your car in the underground facility. Since it eliminates the need for extra room to allow humans to maneuver in, a traditional garage can be transformed to hold even more cars.
Chinatown in New York City will be receiving an automatic parking garage that has the capacity to hold 67 vehicles. That sounds like a paltry number, however, the traditional garage it is replacing could only accommodate 24 vehicles. Here’s a brief walk-through of what happens:
A humanoid robot valet won’t be stepping into your car to drive it.
Rather, the garage itself does the parking. The driver stops the car on a pallet and gets out. The pallet is then lowered into the innards of the garage, and transported to a vacant parking space by a computer-controlled contraption similar to an elevator that also runs sideways.
There is no human supervision, but an attendant will be on hand to accept cash and explain the system to baffled humans.
Apparently, in 2002 in the town of Hoboken, NJ, there was an automatic parking garage that could accommodate 314 vehicles. However, since its opening, the system has had its shares of flaws. It has dropped vehicles and a malfunction has caused it to be unaccessible by consumers. The system in New York is said to have 99.9% efficiency and is priced to be competitive. In addition, the operator has acknowledged that his system is far more reliable and has had major fixes to ensure that the events of Hoboken do not occur again.
If you are interested in a space at the Chinatown garage, you can lease one spot on a monthly basis for $400 or for $25 a day. Larger systems with capacities exceeding 1000 can be found in UAE and Dubai. Soon, Florida will also have its very own automatic parking garage. It’s only a matter of time when the great city of Chicago will also have one as well.
Source: Businessweek Article
Jan 30th 2007Nik AgarwalTidbits
I was over at the Consumerist and came across this interesting article. Here’s a quick rundown of 10 shopping tips that will ensure you don’t get ripped off at various stores:
Instead of just listing the 10 tips, I’m going to elaborate on them and give you the truth behind this. Before everyone starts complaining that these tips lead to higher prices in stores, just remember, I’m here to save money for the consumer. There are too many businesses out there that are acting unfairly to the consumer. It is my firm belief that every business should cater to the consumer, not their own pockets.
Buying Loss Leaders and Leaving
Every Sunday in the ad section, there are hundreds of deals that are designed to entice you into coming to the store. Most of the time, these items are in limited supply and chances are that by the time you get to the store, the item is already sold out. This is not a bait-and-switch policy because the advertiser has already mentioned in the ad that the item is in limited supply. The goal of the store is to bring you into the store in the hopes that you will purchase other products as well. Loss Leaders are basically products that are priced so low that the store is not making much of a profit on it, if at all. However, the stores are hoping that you will purchase other products that may not be as cheap as the advertised product. My suggestion is that if you can’t find the cheap product you’re looking for, look around at other store locations, otherwise, try to buy it online or forget it.
Using Credit and Paying it Off on Time
If you have any care about your credit rating, never open a store credit card. If you open too many credit cards, your credit rating will go down. So if stores advertise any no-interest plans or delayed payment plans, just say no and pay the price right there and then with your existing credit card or cash.
Saying NO to the Extended Warranty
Extended warranties is a great way for the store to make more money off of you. The store employees are often instructed to “pressure” the customer into purchasing an extended warranty. My suggestion is to always say NO to the extended warranty. Unless the warranty specifically states that they will replace your product under ANY circumstances, then by all means purchase it. That way, before the warranty expires, you can damage your product in any way and then get a new one of equal or greater value. If they don’t offer that, its not in your interests and just say no.
Activating Your Own Phone With A Cell Phone Company
This one is almost pointless too. Unless you have an unlocked cell phone, there is no point in asking the company to activate your SIM card without contract. Most carriers sell phones that are locked to their service and you cannot take your phone to another carrier. However, if your phone is unlocked or you are bringing your own phone that works on their networks, then you can just buy the SIM card (usually around $20 - 35) and receive service with no contract. Companies are starting to get smart about this and they may not offer you certain plan features without a contract. For example, you cannot get Rollover with Cingular unless you are on a contract. If you are forced to get a contract, make sure you get one of the cheaper phones (as in free) and then sell that phone on ebay.
Shopping in the Store But Buying Online
This is my personal favorite. I recommend that you try to make your purchases online as much as possible. Stores often charge you retail prices and you can find the same product much cheaper online. The four major downsides of buying online are ID theft (credit card number gets stolen), waiting time to receive the product, not receiving the product (scam), and having to return the product. However, if you go to a store and check out a product you will have an idea whether you want it or not. Once you made your mind, go home and buy it online. From my experience, Amazon has pretty fair prices and they offer free shipping on most orders over $25. The only downside is that you may end up waiting up to 15 business days to get your product.
Buying 1 When its 2 for $5
This is not a good idea. Sometimes you’ll see deals where they encourage you to buy 2 for $4. However, if you only buy one, you may have to pay unit price. In this case, its actually a better deal to pay for both items since you’ll get more for a lower price. Even if you don’t want both products or need it, it makes sense since you are actually paying less for both products. Unless the product is perishable, I encourage you to buy both. If you’re buying clothes, then you can think about it. However, look to see how much you are saving by purchasing more. For example, say at Gap they have t-shirts on sale. If you buy 2, you only have to pay $12.99. However, if you only buy one, you have to pay $9.99. In this case, for only $3 more, you can have two t-shirts. Now let’s say you can get 2 T-shirts for $16.99 or 1 for $9.99. In this case, you are only saving $3 so its not really worth buying 2. Do your math before buying into these schemes.
Opening A Store Credit Card To Get A Discount, Then Cutting It Up
The simple answer here is NO. Never open a store credit card for any reason. PERIOD.
Using Websites to Track 30 Day Price Guarantees
This is definitely a great idea. Some stores have a price guarantee that says if you find a product cheaper at another store, they will refund the difference, sometimes even more than the difference. PriceProtectr is a good example.
Buying Seasonal Items at Clearance Prices (For Next Year)
No point in buying a product at full price when you know its going to be on sale after a few weeks. If you can wait, then buy the product later or buy it online.
Buy “Accessories” on Ebay Rather Than Paying Huge Markups
Stores like Best Buy are notorious for selling cheap TV’s but then marking accessories up by almost 200% to 800%. My brother used to work at Best Buy and he mentioned that some Monster cables that sold for $100 could be purchased by him for only $35 and Best Buy was still making a profit. If you’re interested in purchasing accessories, buy them online. Don’t give stores any extra money. Save yourself the cash and buy it online. I’m not a big fan of ebay due to scams. I do suggest before bidding or buying, read all the information carefully. That’s why I like to purchase from Amazon directly since I am much more confident that it is not a scam.
Moral is this: Do your research at the stores, and buy online if you can. Save yourself money and always refuse unnecessary sales at stores.
Jan 29th 2007Nik AgarwalCollege Help
As the first month of 2007 wraps up, how well are you doing with your new year’s resolutions? Chances are that many of you are not accomplishing your resolutions due to many random commitments. I’m even willing to venture out and say that you keep procrastinating your goals until a later date. Why? Most of us are used to procrastinating because it prolongs the painful task of actually doing something. So how can you overcome your procrastination? It’s not as hard as you think, but it does require an active participation and some dedication. If you’re not up for it, why are you even bothering to make any goals? If you’re willing to put off your resolutions, then you have enough determination in you to accomplish them.
In my opinion, there is only one sure way of accomplishing any goal. Many pundits will say that there are hundreds of ways to accomplish a goal and I agree with them. There is no guaranteed way to accomplish a goal, but there are ways that will “force” you to accomplish goals. First off, don’t think of your goal as a goal. Rather, think of it as a commitment. Too many people put off goals simply because they know they can. Why can’t you put off a meeting? Why can’t you put off that important project deadline? The reason why you can’t put off these commitments is because of the consequences. You can be censured at work or even fired. Although you won’t get “fired” by putting off your new year’s resolutions, you should attach some form of a punishment. Say your goal is to work out for 30 minutes every day. One day, you fail to accomplish that goal, you should punish yourself. Your punishment could be no watching or recording your favorite TV show. It could be that you can’t go out that weekend because you missed your goal. The only problem with these punishments is that you have no one to enforce them. This is where your inner strength and discipline come in handy.
So how do you get self-discipline? It takes practice and dedication. You have to be willing to force yourself to do things even if you don’t want to. You have to be willing to resist things even when it seems impossible. Controlling your emotions and desires is a sure way of developing some self-respect and discipline. Sounds like a lot of work doesn’t it? It really is. It took me over six years to develop a functional sense of discipline and self-respect. My whole point is that by procrastinating, you really aren’t justifying anything to yourself. In fact, you are hurting yourself by not sticking to your own commitments. My advice is this: if you can put off some goal, you can certainly blow off your manager. If you argue that it’s not the same thing, my argument is that just because no one can enforce your goals doesn’t mean it is of less importance than your boss. So do yourself a favor and get going on those New Year’s resolutions. You have about 11 more months to go, and time is ticking away. Good luck!
Jan 28th 2007Nik AgarwalMy View & Technology/Internet
Most of the mobile handsets purchased by consumers through GSM wireless service providers (e.g. Cingular Wireless, T-Mobile, etc.) are unable to work with other wireless carriers. For example, if you purchase a Motorola Razr from Cingular and switch to T-Mobile, your Razr will not function. However, if you were to “unlock” your Razr, then you can easily use it with any GSM provider across the globe. This is the price you pay for purchasing a subsidized phone from your wireless service provider. Most Americans cherish the fact that they are able to purchase newer phones at a discount by signing, usually, a 2-year service agreement. This is in contrast to Asia and Europe where over 70% of the consumers purchase their cell phones unlocked and pay steeper prices.
There is a major disadvantage to the consumer because of this model. In the past year, Nokia has introduced over 50 different models with varying price points. However, only a select few have actually made it to the list of carrier offered phones. Why? Most carriers only want to select particular types of phones from particular manufacturers. The North American market is notorious for clam-shell, otherwise known as “flip” phones, whereas the market in Asia and Europe prefer candy-bar style phones or sliders. Nokia and Sony Ericsson have release more candy-bar and slider style phones than Motorola. Yet, Motorola is the pre-dominant phone maker you will find in the US. However, that will soon change in the near future as Nokia and other manufacturers, including Motorola, will begin offering unlocked versions of their phones to consumers directly. Already, Nokia has a flagship store in Chicago that sells a multitude of unlocked media-centric models directly to consumers with warranty. Motorola has also begun testing these waters by setting up vending machines that will “vend” brand new cell phones. Unfortunately for the consumer, they have to put with limited feature sets and often many features in phones are disabled so that consumers are forced to take advantage of “value-added” services offered by their wireless carrier. For example, Verizon Wireless is notorious for disabling their phones’ Bluetooth from sending/receiving files.
what can the consumer do?
To be honest, the American consumer cannot do anything. American consumers are unwilling to do away with subsidized phone costs because they want to pay low prices for phones and will tolerate 2-year service agreements. In fact, I would not be surprised if companies started offering multi-year contract agreements (e.g. sign a 4 year agreement and get the hottest phone free). The biggest problem lies not with the industry, but with the consumers buying habits. It appears to me, from personal experience, that the American consumer is unwilling to spend upwards of $300 to purchase a phone unlocked. In addition, I also think that they are also unaware of the benefits of having your phone unlocked. The major benefit of the subsidy model is the fact that phones are much more affordable and the industry has been able to penetrate the market much more deeper. In some cases, you can prudently argue that wireless rates are cheaper than land-line rates. Till the consumer buying habits evolve, I don’t think this model is going anywhere. Hopefully in the near future, companies such as Nokia and Motorola offer their phones unlocked side-by-side to their locked counter-parts.
Source: C|Net Article
