Poorly Designed Systems

My database teacher this semester was constantly pushing the issue of poorly designed systems and what can be done to fix them. I listened to him but did not give much thought to it; until this weekend.

I was at a Hollywood Video that I have not frequented since my freshman year (2002-2003). My intent was to just grab a movie and be in and out in 5 minutes. Instead, I was stuck listening to a woman in front of me trying to understand that she did not have an account at that particular Hollywood Video. She didn’t seem to get it. After about 10 minutes of sitting there I was helped by another person, but that wasn’t the end of my “bad systems design” experience.

When I went up to pay the girl at the counter asked if I had been there before and I said yes and gave her my name. She read me off the address that was associated to the account, it was my old dorm address?! I told her that I moved and gave her my new information. She then proceeded to inform me that my account had a $3.50 balance on it from almost 3 yrs. ago. None of the other Hollywood Videos told me had this fine. Why? Because none of the databases are linked together.

So, when I go to one store and change my address that address is not updated system wide, meaning that everytime I go to a different location I have to give them that info again. Frustration is the only word that describes how that makes people feel and frustrated people are not returning customers. Ok, well maybe it’s not that extreme but it could be.

How does Hollywood Video solve this problem? I do not know what happened to their card system but I think that would be the first step to reducing the amount unneeded re-entry of people’s information. Blockbuster Video used to have the card system as well, but I am not sure that they use it anymore either. If people forget their card then use their name to search the database.

The next step would be to connect all of the stores’ databases to a central location so that they can access each other. That brings up the question of whether they should be linked at the city level, the state level, or the national level. State level makes sense, especially for college students who may go home for the summer but still want to rent movies on their account (and don’t want to get surprised with a late fee when they come back).

The movie rental model should be one of the easiest to model but Hollywood Video has really messed it up.

Ocean’s Twelve Reviewed

I went to a matinee showing of Ocean’s Twelve yesterday and I was thoroughly impressed. The movie had the types of plot twists that made Ocean’s Eleven so enjoyable.

I will not go into any spoilers but there are a few surprises in the movie that are great comic relief, as well as a guest appearance by a few other stars.

Most of the movie takes place in Europe, with the big heists committed in Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam.

The movie was great and worth every penny. I was still dumbfounded by the end and impressed that the director had done such a good job of keeping me in suspense until the very end (something most movies cannot accomplish).

Spring Break in Austin

It looks like I will be spending my Spring Break in Austin, TX attending SXSW. It should be a good time, I’ll hopefully get to meet some new folks and soak up valuable information.

I think I am going to have passes to attend the music part of the festival but my main focus will be the interactive attractions. If you are going to be attending, shoot me an e-mail at s [at] badice dot com. I am not sure where I will be staying, but more than likely with friends.

Tulsa Crash Landing

A pilot lost engine power as he was on final approach to the Tulsa airport and decided to put the plane down on a roadway. He said that he had plenty of fuel on board but as he approached the airport his fuel needle dropped to zero and the engines on his Beechcraft King Air 200 seized up. He was able to put the plane down on a local roadway and was not injured in the crash. Just an interesting story.

It will probably take a few weeks until the NTSB releases a report as to what happened exactly.

I Hate Bugs

No, not insects, software bugs. I hate when you have worked hard on something and it works but somehow, someway it breaks down the line. Then comes the debugging process, which in my opinion, is the worst part. Going through lines and lines of code trying to find the root of the problem and then deciding if it is fixable and if so how do you go about fixing it.

The big bugs are usually the easiest ones to find while the little ones make you bang your head on your desk. I really need bug tracking software…

Rain, hail, and lightning?

I walk out the door this morning to go to school and I see lightning and then it starts raining. About 5 minutes later it started hailing. What is this all about? That is something you don’t see everyday and if it starts snowing then things will really get weird.

It is just weird to have this kind of weather this late in the year.

What Next?

I have been thinking about what I am going to do once I get out of school and since I only have about a year and a half left now would be a good time to start thinking.

What do I want to do? I have no idea. I know what I do not want to do, be a DBA or a server administrator. I know that there is alway the option of joining the DSS or even the military. Why would join those you ask? Well, they are guaranteed jobs in a time of uncertainty in the economy and with job availability at a slump.

Guess it is just one of those things you take day to day.