I wish I could use this as a testimonial...

I sent the job to my new client this morning and followed up fifteen minutes later with a phone call to let him know the file had been sent. The following conversation (roughly) ensued:

"Yes, I've received the file and am reviewing it right now," said my client.

"Great," I said. "I wanted to make sure you'd received it."

"I've got to tell you," said my client, "I'm really impressed with this translation."

"Thanks," I said, with just a trace of 'aw-shucks' in my voice.

"No, I mean it," said my client. "Even the formatting is meticulous."

"Thank you," I said, "and you'll pardon me tooting my horn, but that's the way I work."

"Listen," said my client, "make sure you charge me x instead of the rate you quoted, okay?"

I am taken a little aback. What I quoted is less than x, but I am also easily swayed.

"Okay, thanks."

A little bit after we said our goodbyes, the client relayed the comments of the end client to me:

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

I have to tell you, that made the day go by a little lot better.

Cheers...

A blast from the past...

From its beta days in 1984 to the early 90s, I was a member of the Byte Information Exchange online community. I managed to stumble into becoming a part of BIX, as it was called, because I was having articles published more or less regularly in Byte magazine.

I didn't really realize it at the time, but the BIX software ran on a UNIX machine (when I started using Linux, I was amazed to find out I already knew how to use the line editor!) And although I undoubtedly have some floppy disks lying about with some captured BIX threads, especially from the later years, I ran just across a printout of a post that is very a propos of my owning a packaging and shipping business.

The writer is a gentleman I first met at a computer club meeting back when I lived in Jacksonville, Florida. At the time, he was a naval officer. After leaving the Navy, he moved to the Beltway area and joined a consulting company. I recall he thought highly enough of my skills to arrange for me to travel to the D.C. area for an interview with his company, which didn't work out.

As seems to be my unfortunate habit, I gradually lost contact with him over the years, even more so once I stopped attending the annual COMDEX pilgrimage in Las Vegas, although I followed his columns in various computer-related publications when I could. Here's what he had to say about... well... it doesn't really matter what the company is... I've heard similar charges leveled against them all:

I have found <company> to be very consistent. First they receive the package (a computer, say) from the shipper. Then they soak it either in solvent, a corrosive substance, or in salt water. Then they crush it to a total height of 4", including the packaging, so that it will fit on the truck better. Then they bash the ends. Then they use the remains to hold up the back of a truck while they change the oil. Then, if there is any remaining evidence of the address label, they use that information to insure that the package is delivered somewhere beside its intended destination. This will ensure that the package is a minimum of two weeks late arriving, at which point the drivere will wait until the beginning of a world-class downpour before leaving it in your driveway, hard against the back bumper of your car, where you won't see it as you try to back out of the driveway.

All I can observe is, plus ça change...

* * *Two pages later in the same old notebook I recently unearthed, I find a coy of Mark Twain's marvelous suggestions for orthographic reform:

For example in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped, to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the same konsonant, wile year 3 might well abolish "y", replasing it with "i" and Iear 4 might fiks the "g/j" anomali wonse and for all.

Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants. Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez "c", "y", and "x" - bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez - tu riplais "ch", "sh", and "th" rispektivkli.

Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.

My, but that was painful to type! (But fun!)

Cheers...