Dateline Peoria, IL August 27, 2012

Let's survey the morning's news -

• Tropical storm/hurricane Isaac and all of its manifestations threaten western Florida including Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana gulf-coastal areas (yes, New Orleans again)
• Tampa hosts the Republican National Convention which cancels today's activities, except a ceremonial 5-minute gavel-slamming event to officially open the convention, due to interference from Isaac
• In California, the L.A. Times reports
• "The Southern California earthquake swarm produced hundreds of temblors Sunday, and experts said it could last for several more days.
"Obviously, all this activity is related or interconnected, but it doesn't really follow the typical main shock, aftershock activity," said Rob Graves, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological survey.Seismologist Lucy Jones of the USGS said the region is known as the "Brawley Seismic Zone" and sits between the San Andreas and Imperial faults. Similar swarms occurred in the area in the 1970s, she said, the most recent in 1981."This is a classic Brawley Seismic Zone swarm," she said. "It's relatively hot."
• Our building shakes every once in a while this morning, hopefully related to the destruction crew across the street taking down an old school building. Hopefully.

 Never a dull moment, and to think this is just Monday morning. Something I learn every day is just how little I know about this magnificent world I live in.  I think someone told me that wisdom is knowing how little you know. I must be getting wiser!?

Choosing Wisely - Some Practical Tips

Over the course of my 33-year tenure with Oberlander Communications (good Lord, has it really been that long!?) the state of the telecommunications industry has evolved from essentially one service provider – AT&T – to such a dizzying assortment of providers, offerings, packages, pricing, and technologies that ‘buyer beware’ is the maxim for any consumer approaching the market. Ok, maybe “beware” is a bit intense but without a doubt it is no less imperative for a consumer to thoroughly investigate the various offerings and more importantly, the vendors of the products and services under consideration.

You've gotta love the Internet. It's an invaluable tool with which to become an educated consumer, at least to the degree we can establish the legitimacy of the information discovered there. With patience and perseverance, a savvy shopper will ferret out seemingly any piece of information desired, regardless of how insignificant or trivial. Anyone will tell you that being familiar with the topics you will encounter can go a long way to help avoid being overwhelmed with the inevitable barrage of techno-jargon “product experts” may assault you with.

Some key words and phrases that can raise my yellow flag of caution are –

·       Effortless – when was the last time someone adopted or migrated to a new technology-based-anything and exclaimed afterwards “Hey, that was effortless!”?

·       Virtual – I love this! Google says:

• "1. Almost or nearly as described, but not completely or according to strict definition.
• 2. Not physically existing as such but made by software to appear to do so." 

·       Seamless – satisfactory solutions typically involve the integration of various technologies, a patchwork if you will. Each patch is “stitched” together creating “seams”. No matter how fine the “stitch”, the seam can (and will) be a source of weakness, causing some or all of the fabric to disconnect. Look for a master “seamstress”!

·       Others might include “easy”, “no-brainer”, “Plug ‘n Play”, “indestructible” (insert your own favorite here __________)

·       Free – my personal favorite. Some will say “nothing is free”, others will argue. The phrase   “you get what you pay for” came from somewhere, right? When it comes to this industry, my experience suggests nothing is free.

Clearly establish your needs, wants and expectations. Research your desired products and potential sources, check references and reviews if available, and establish a realistic budget. You’ll be far more confident making your choices and your odds of satisfaction will dramatically improve.

Celebrate freedom of choice!

This coming September 1st our company will celebrate it's 36th anniversary. I remember joining the Oberlander companies early in 1977 when the communications division was a fledgling operation made possible by the opportunities created when AT&T  split up its monopolistic hold on the telecommunications industry. The intent of this historic move was to create an environment that would foster competitive alternatives in an otherwise stagnant, monolithic industry and result in benefits typically manifest by a free-market. Conusmers in turn - not providers - would determine the value of products and services by excercising their freedom of choice at the point of consumption. It was a brilliant and warranted plan though, arguably, sometimes painful in execution.

Freedom of choice is one of those privileges I excercise, and take for granted, daily. From beginning each morning choosing whether or not to get out bed with the alarm, to deciding if  a blanket is needed when settling in for the night - a day's activity is an endless series of choices bookended by slumber's bliss.

Our forefathers fought tirelessly to guarantee that we would always be free to make our own choices, to pursue our interests and seek our destiny. I love how our manufacturers respond to customers' needs and desires. I can pretty much guarantee that a solution exists to virtually any challenge. And most of the time there are mutilple solutions from which to choose. It typically becomes a matter of ferreting out the best choice. It's what I love to do. I'm anxious to see what happens in the next 36 years!