with Auren
Hoffman
Month of January,
2002
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Summation Push Auren Hoffman's Summation Push for January, 2002 This issue: * JetBlue: My Favorite Airline * Is the Middle East today analogous to the Protestant Reformation? * You Need a Brain: TheBrain is a Great Software Product * Book Review: The ONION presents Our Dumb Century * Movie of the Month * Reader Responses * Friend of Auren: Chris Alden * Summation Push Pick Links * Hoffman Reading List --------------------------------
JETBLUE I've flown JetBlue (www.jetblue.com) round trip the last six times I've gone to New York and I have become an unabashed JetBlue supporter -- singing its praises to everyone within earshot.
* It's cheap. Cost of a round trip to NY is consistently one of the lowest fares. There is little or no penalty for buying a ticket without notice -- I recently bought a one-way ticket a half hour before the flight for $200.
* Great seats. JetBlue only has economy class -- but all the seats are large and leather -- making sleeping on the red-eyes easier. * JetBlue flies out of Oakland which is more convenient for parking (and easy to get to if you are flying late at night) than SFO. * Personal TVs on the back of each seat with 20+ channels of live cable from DirectTV. You can watch a live sporting event, CNN Headline News, or just relax in front of the history channel. * New and clean planes. JetBlue leased brand spanking new Airbus A320s -- that is good for them because it decreases maintenance costs -- and good for us passengers because it decreases delays and makes riding more enjoyable. * Quick on and off-time. JetBlue's helpful flight attendants grab your luggage and put it in the overhead bins. Then, they seat passengers quickly so there's no bottlenecking in the lanes.
* JetBlue's employees take pride in their work. This could be because the company is union-free or because it has better benefits or because the management actually cares about its employees. Regardless of the reason, JetBlue employees seem to actually care about me - and that's refreshing.
* Online reservations rock. You can pick the exact seat you want from a graphic of the plane (and see which seats are already taken).
* Fast and effective customer service. Most of JetBlue's customer service representatives (CSRs) work from home. The calls are routed directly to the CSRs home who log into their computer to log and service the calls. This provides flexible hours to CSRs who tend to be very happy on the phones. Of course, the beauty behind this customer service model is if JetBlue is experiencing a particular heavy volume of calls, it pages all CSRs who are not currently working -- and then these CSRs can log into the network and earn overtime.
* They are making a profit -- even after September 11. I'm not sure how they are doing this (I hope there are no Enron-like accounting tricks), but JetBlue seems poised to be around for a long time. They have a lot of cash in the bank -- backed by George Soros, Chase Capital, and others. That's good news for frequent flyers like me.
See a good article from Time Magazine on JetBlue at: http://www.jetblue.com/LearnMore/blueskies.pdf
What I don't like about Jet Blue:
* The arm-rests are really hard and hurt my elbows. (I always try to snag a few extra pillows to put under my arms as a buffer.)
* They only fly into JFK in New York. JFK is about 25 minutes further (in rush hour traffic) than LaGuardia from Midtown.
* Though they have a stellar on-time record, the flights from JFK to OAK take 6.5 hours rather than the normal 6 hours.
* There is no Internet access -- I can't wait for that -- it will make my life easier. Let's hope for future planes to come equipped with 802.11 WiFi.
Summation: Fly JetBlue
(What are your thoughts?
Write auren@summation.net) -------------------------------- Send Summation Push to a colleague. -------------------------------- IS THE MIDDLE EAST TODAY ANALOGOUS TO THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION? I suggest you read a new article in Worldlink (the magazine of the World Economic Forum) by Bradford DeLong:
http://www.worldlink.co.uk/stories/storyReader$929 The article makes a very interesting analogy. DeLong compares the problems of the Middle East today to the horrors and wars that went with the Protestant Reformation during the 1500's and 1600's. He argues that there are many distinct parallels: "A dominant clergy in certain parts of the world and aristocracies that seem out of touch with the needs of the average person; a rising literate middle class; the mass distribution of personal copies of holy books so that people can read them and think for themselves. And then there are those who have convinced themselves that they bear the will of God and take action accordingly. In Europe it lasted for more than 120 years - with one-third of the population of Germany dying in the 30 Years' War - before nearly everyone realized that waging such wars was not a way to save the souls of others, but rather a way to lose one's own." I don't often agree with DeLong (who is a professor of economics at UC Berkeley -- my alma mater), but his analysis on world events is always thought provoking. Summation: Read this article -------------------------------- Send Summation Push to a colleague. --------------------------------
Go to www.TheBrain.com and download TheBrain today.
TheBrain is an amazingly simple piece of software that is extremely useful in building relationships between people, companies, and other entities. Once the relationships are made, you can start understanding complex associations between people you know or would like to know.
Entering information in TheBrain is extremely laborious and the product won't be a commercial success until it can make Blackberry-like associations (search on first names and last names at the same time when typing in a few letters). TheBrain also needs to integrate with MS Outlook.
But even with all the labor, TheBrain is great for contact junkies like me.
(What are your thoughts? Write auren@summation.net) -------------------------------- Share Summation Push. Forward it
to Book Review: Summation: Read this book if you want pure enjoyment, cackling laughter, and even a bit of intellectual stimulation.
(To see more book reviews, check out the Hoffman Reading List at http://www.summation.net/reading.html) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Send Summation Push to a colleague. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Movie of the Month:
Divide we Fall -- This Czech film (titled "Musíme si pomáhat" in Czech) is a real gem. Set in worn-torn Czechoslovakia. More info at: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0234288
-------------------------------------------------------------------- The objective of Summation is to -------------------------------------------------------------------- READER RESPONSES: Regarding the commentary print is better than cursive writing, Jaclynn Boles writes: "For years my teachers tried to make me write in cursive and finally in high school they gave up. I just won't do it! What is the purpose of it? No one can read it. It is not faster. We type everything anyway. What's the point? Now I am a senior in college majoring in Elementary Education and we (the college students) are forced to take a handwriting test! We must demonstrate that we can make our letters properly in print and in cursive. It is outrageous! It is a pass or fail test and everyone must pass it! I thought that this should be brought to your attention because no one else seems to agree with me or at least they will not speak up with me. Signed, a distraught printing college student." Regarding the tongue-in-cheek offer for a Summation free house, Greg writes: "I am interested in your free house offer. Both locations shown will not work for me I am afraid. I also found that your site did not have an application form. Do I just move into one of your homes without you knowing who I am? I would like a home in Michigan. Oakland County would be nice. In fact, if you could, I would really like a free home in Franklin Michigan. I know it is pricey but cannot be as much as Scarsdale NY.
I can afford to pay most of the things you request. I am single so the royalties on children may be an issue. If it is I would be willing to have children if you just find someone to carry them since I am a male. Actually I would rather have older children so that I can just leave them at home while I work.
"The free house would really help me out. Not having a house payment would allow me to do thinks like drink more, buy nicer cars, and lets not mention what the cost of cigarettes is doing to me these days.
"I think it is great that an organization such as yours exists. Jimmy Carter is always building these houses for homeless people. God only knows how they can take care of a new home when they never had a used on in the first place. I have had two used homes at this point in my life and would settle for another used one, just in a nicer neighborhood. I would even have you over for dinner which I would cook and not from a can. I bet Jimmy Carter cannot say that since the people he is giving homes to are used to just heating the can directly.
I look forward to my new home and can send you perspective ones that would fit my life style and needs. "
Guest commentary on Israel by Frank Cohen:
"It's hard for Californians to imagine Israel's size. I could walk from Tel Aviv to the Red Sea, crossing the country, in about 2 days. Israel would probably fit into California about 10,000 times. Israel is about the same size as if I drove from Stockton to Santa Cruz. Imagine what it might be like to come to the settlement of a civil war in that size country?
"The Israelis are motivated by survival. After the terrible setbacks of the 1900s, including the human loss caused by the Holocaust, where else in the world are Jews safe? Israel is unique as it is the homeland for the Jews. Imagine if Israel were to fall the likelihood that the Israelis could pick up and set-up shop in New Mexico, or San Jose, or Colorado. Israel only has that little plot of land.
"I think the current situation comes down to this:
"Israel and the Palestinians went to war when the Palestinian Authority did not reply to Barak's last Camp David proposal, and when the Israeli's voted for Sharon. They are at war and will kill each other until both groups get tired of it all."
(Write Auren Your Thoughts: Write auren@summation.net) -------------------------------- Send Summation Push to a colleague. -------------------------------- FRIENDS OF AUREN [this section updates you an interesting person
that is a member of Auren Inc] Chris Alden, Vice Chairman and co-Founder of Red Herring
Chris is one of the most intellectually interesting people I know. Chris and I both serve as members of the Center for Freedom and Technology (CFT) Advisory Board at the Pacific Research Institute and we are also both very active in the New Century Leadership Circle (NCLC). Chris is in his element in these discussions of public policy and broad societal issues.
It was Chris who introduced me to the thoughts and writings of Virginia Postrel and her theories on Dynamists (see a very good article by Postrel at: http://www.dynamist.com/vpcamdenspeech.html). Chris also introduced me to TheBrain (see above). Chris and his wife Daphne recently had a baby girl -- their first child.
See past profiled people at: http://www.summation.net/friends.html.
-------------------------------- Send Summation Push to a colleague. -------------------------------- THIS WEEK'S SUMMATION PUSH PICK LINKS TO MAKE YOU THINK:
* Bradford DeLong's home page
(http://www.j-bradford=delong.net) -- don't often agree with DeLong, but his analysis on world events is always thought- provoking.
NOTE: Auren Hoffman works for BridgePath.com but the opinions expressed
herein are solely those of Mr. Hoffman. NOTE: You may reprint in full or in part (for
free) with permission from author. Auren Hoffman's bio can be found at:
(http://www.bridgepath.com/about/management.html/)
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