Technology

My smartphone is like my wife. It wakes me up, tells me what to do all day, lets me know if I'm headed the wrong direction. Plus, sometimes I want to upgrade.

I do almost everything on my phone. I'm writing this blog on my phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy S III, and really love it. My wife loves her iPhone. I just don't think I could go back to the smaller screen.

I also use the SwiftKey keyboard, which is so intuitive, its scary. I barely have to think of a word and SwiftKey has already suggested it. I'm not much of a gamer, but I do love to play Words with friends, SongPop, chess and gin rummy.

So, between Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest, I am busy the entire day. It's a good thing I don't have a job. Being a writer, I can also write and read books on my phone. Technology is amazing.

In 1987, Los Angeles Cellular, a part of the largest cellular conglomerate in the world, recruited me to conduct the most  massive business processes re-engineering project in the history of the industry. They knew that retail had to be the mass distribution channel, but couldn't figure out how to make it work.

They were brainiacs without a clue with regard to practical application. In their defense, none of them had a retail background, so they really didn't understand the importance of simplicity in the retail realm. If it wasn't easy, it wouldn't work.

When I first started the project, a consumer was fortunate to have a functional cell phone in two weeks. When I finished, two and a half years later, that same consumer could have a functional phone in about ten minutes. I turned a public utility company into a retailer.

That was difficult. I was the most hated man in the company because instead of the dealer services department being open from  8 - 5, Monday through Friday, they were now open from 8 am - 9 pm, Monday through Saturday, and 8 - 6, on Sunday.

I wore a bullet proof vest and spent almost all of my time in the field, sure that one of the reps under the old schedule would certainly gun me down like a bounty hunter looking for Jesse James.

In the end, it all worked out. The phone companies and manufacturers of phones and infrastructure equipment made a killing, while the consumer got the shaft. We're still getting the shaft today, but not as bad. A minute of air time then, would cost you $.49 per minute. Wow.

See you tomorrow.

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