Posted by Raul on June 8, 2011
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For a couple of days now I’ve been receiving emails telling my message couldn’t be delivered; and the message (which I haven’t sent) clearly is spam. I’m not a computer expert by any means, so cannot tell what exactly the problem is, and even less how to stop it and fix it.
For that reason, and adding to it too many activities right now that are taking all my available time, I’ll be closing my emails to prevent being used by someone. I hate spam, and the last thing I want is appear as another spammer flooding your inbox.
If you have received a spam email from raulojeda, please accept my apologies for the inconvenience and rest assured it is not me and this blog trying to do such thing. As soon as time allows, I’ll go into the problem and try to fix it, although most probably I’ll have to leave the task to an expert in the field.
For a moment I thought to Copy and Paste one of the emails here, so if any of my readers could enlighten me on what exactly it is, and maybe how to stop it, it’ll give me the opportunity to work on the problem, but then I decided not to do so since I don’t understand all the technical wording of the email and became afraid of doing such thing could means publishing sensitive information about this blog that could open the door to hackers.
Still, if you have any suggestion, I’m all ears (or eyes).
If time allows I’ll try to keep posting, and the comment section will remain open, but the communication through the Contact form and any other form of communication that implies using Alien Ghost emails will be stopped for a while.
Thank you for your understanding of the matter 
Raul
Posted by Raul on May 9, 2011
It was about ten o’clock in the morning when the doorbell ringed; I opened the door and found a technician from Comcast (my IP provider) who claimed to be here to activate the requested phone service (which I have with Qwest). Surprised as I was I told him that nobody requested such service, and I wasn’t expecting anyone from Comcast to show up. He checked in his (seemed to me) cell phone and confirmed the appointment, so I had no option but to insist that I didn’t want to switch my phone service to them and asked him to cancel such work order. He apologized for the inconvenience, worked in his cell phone and told me the order was cancelled; then he left.
That same day in the afternoon the doorbell ringed again, I opened the door and found another person from Comcast, this time introducing himself as a supervisor who was in the area checking for customer satisfaction. He asked for the installation of the new modem for the internet service and asked if everything was OK with the technician coming in the morning. I told him the technician didn’t mention anything about switching the modem, but instead he wanted to connect phone service; that I explained to the man it was a mistake and nobody had requested such service; and so that I dismissed the technician.
He apologized for the confusion and explained that the purpose of the technician wasn’t to connect phone service but to upgrade the modem for a better and even cheaper bill internet service. He explained that with the new modem customers have a smaller bill, and he didn’t want me to find out later that my neighbors are paying less than I for the same service with the company. He wrote down a new work order for the following day in the morning for a technician to show up and switch the internet modem. He told me then, if anything happened and it was not possible for a technician to show up in time, he will call me and let me know. I thanked him for his courtesy and, holding the white copy of the work order, I closed the door and smiled for the outstanding customer service the company has shown (silly me!).
Nobody showed up and nobody called to explain why!
That’s fine, there’s time to switch to a modern modem if the need arises, I thought.
The next day I tried to create a new email address to use exclusively with the scooter’s club I participate in, so went through the process in my Outlook Express and, copying all the steps from the actual address I have, created a new one for the specific purpose.
It didn’t work!
After several attempts I decided to call Comcast’s customer service and ask for help; after all they claim I can have up to seven email addresses within the contract.
My first call was for service in Spanish, so there’ll be no misunderstandings because of language (I am Chilean). The lady who answered was a big time talker, repeating several cliché phrases about my satisfaction, customer priority, etc, but didn’t know about the system more than I do, so there was no solution to the problem. By the end of the call she asked if there was something else she could help me with (she wasn’t any help with the first issue), so I mentioned about the modem switch work order that didn’t happened. She checked her computer and confirmed the work order for installing phone service, not switching modem! I asked (in my best calmed and controlled voice) that I wanted to cancel the phone connection since I didn’t request it. She said she couldn’t do that but she could connect me with the sales department; I accepted and she made the switch. The lady (speaking in English) didn’t hear me, so after several attempts I had to just hang up the phone.
With my state of mind a little in the high tone (which is known in my country as “boiling shit”) I called again to customer service, this time in English, to ask for help with setting the new email address. The man who answered could barely hear me and didn’t understand my talking (I must clarify; when I’m mad my English pronunciation is better than normal since I speak at a slower speed and trying to modulate better -That’s the way you know I’m mad). Again there was no solution; he went to the same process I did first and got to the same place I did: Nowhere. I mentioned if they might have a problem in their system and, after repeating and repeating everything I said, finally, out of rage, I told him “How do you want to sell me phone service if you cannot even hear me on the phone?” and hanged up.
To calm down I decided to surf the net for a moment and found out now I didn’t have internet service! With my fist pointing to the heavens I screamed “Damn you Comcast!” Well…not really, but I was mad at them.
At home there are three computers connected to the internet through the same contract with Comcast. Only one had internet!
With my almost non-existent knowledge and skills about computers, I checked everything I could to make the three computers have internet. I disconnected the router and plugged by turn each computer straight to the modem, to first discard the possibility of a faulty router. Every computer had internet this way, but only after doing a re-start. My conclusion was that Comcast can only recognize and accept one computer (I don’t know about computers and/or IP companies remember?).
Tired of getting nowhere I decided to drive to a Comcast office close by to ask for a technician to come by and check the whole system. I didn’t want to call again (I have a very sensitive shit!). My thoughts were that, if it was required to talk on the phone with customer service to change codes or something like that, a technician could do that from my place better than I.
I took a bill statement with me as proof of customer and all the numbers they might need to identify me as such. The lady took the statement and scanned it, so all the information about my account appeared in her computer screen. I explained I wanted to set an appointment for a technician to come by and check why I didn’t have internet. She said the computer showed I didn’t have a forty five dollars a month service that will allow me to receive a technician without cost, so the fee for a visit would be forty dollars…
”Do you want to add that service now?”
Also, there was a pending phone service connection.
I breathed deep…I took hold of all my experience in Yoga and relaxation techniques (which I have never practiced in my life) and told her that please cancel the phone connection and let’s go with the forty dollars for now; that I wasn’t sure to keep the service with them. She typed in the computer and told me that the order was cancelled, but she couldn’t schedule an appointment because the system was down!
“So what can we do now?”
“We have to wait until tomorrow for the system to come up again, and then we can schedule an appointment”
“So there’s nothing to do for now”
“Nope”
She could scan the statement and get all my information as customer in her computer, but couldn’t schedule an appointment!
I left the store not sure if it made any difference in person compared with on the phone.
Once at home I decided to try again and reprogram the router…just in case. After following the procedure, the step by step guidance told me it couldn’t find the router.
Aha! Maybe the entire problem is the router! -I said to myself.
So I rushed to the store and bought a new one. Once back at home I followed the procedure to install it and program it, and voila! All three computers have internet again. It was a faulty router after all.
With this I can see it wasn’t a Comcast problem, but I still have a bitter feeling about how they handle customer service and the tactics they use to sell more services.
When checking the snail mailbox yesterday I found a letter from Comcast telling that some unknown company is planning to buy Qwest, so how is that for customer service from Qwest? Why should I put up with Qwest not telling me that they might sell to some other company I don’t know about? Of course, the phone number and the URL from Comcast were there for me to immediately switch services to them!
One…two…three…four…five…
Why am I telling you all this?
I used to think that relying too much in electronics and computerized services is giving away our own power over our lives. What would happen if a virus enters the systems in one of these companies? If an earthquake destroys the link towers or systems they have? Customer service cannot solve problems when everything is fine, will they be able to be of any help if an extreme situation arises?
How would you pay with a credit or a bank card, even if the money is in your checking account? How will you recover all the information about people you know and do business with if the robots that remember information and passwords suddenly die? If there are no more internet and phone services?
How much of our lives are dependant on a technology that we are loosing control of?
I used to think that an external agent such an earthquake, a virus, even a terrorist attack could change everything. Now I believe we don’t need that; customer service and the voracious hunger of companies for getting more and more customers to charge every month, without caring for providing a good (or even decent) service will do the trick in the future.
When was the last time you heard of a company proudly claiming being “Third” in customer service in the country? When was the last time you received prompt and knowledgeable service from one of these companies?
They are loosing control of their own business because of paying more attention to acquire paying customers that retaining them with a good service.
Lies in publicity have become institutionalized and are the norm nowadays! It cannot be only number one companies, right? Somebody have to be second, or third.
Let me briefly summarize it:
-The collapse of the electronic and computerized systems.
-The institutionalized lies as a way of business.
-The interest in quick profits at any cost rather than continuity in business.
-The degradation of the competition as a form of publicity, rather than the self improvement as a company, as a way to gain and retain customers.
We are giving away to technology our own responsibility of our doings in our lives. We don’t need to remember…technology does for us. We don’t need to learn…we just Google it. The use of technology is even replacing our need to know how to read a map to get somewhere. Thanks to technology and our laziness we can stop the learning and skill acquiring processes, leaving ourselves in a very precarious position if something happen to our beloved technology.
Don’t get me wrong, I love technology and I wouldn’t go back in time. I don’t believe that the past was better than the present or the future, but I do believe technology should be used to “help” instead of “replace”. With technology we can do more and faster than was possible before, so we can use it to lead better, more productive lives, rather than using it to rest over it and stop our own growth.
Using technology as an aid we can create a better future, but if we use it for monetary gain or to slow down our own self growth, we might find ourselves in a very tight situation in the near future.
Am I becoming obsessed? Have you experience similar situations? Do you agree with some of these points? What is your take on this?
Raul
Posted by Raul on April 19, 2011
A couple of days ago I had the opportunity to visit the Denver Auto Show, and check out the latest additions to the market by the different car manufacturers. It wasn’t the best or more extensive presentation that could be but, hey…it’s Denver, not Paris!
Besides the usual new models that will replace the actual ones now on the road, there were some nicely restored collector cars (two or three), some very aggressively adapted pick up trucks (those you need a ladder to get inside), and a couple of chrome and leather carrying bikes…you know…those that like to imitate thunder in a sunny day.
What surprised me the most was the very commonly added computer screens and extensive array of buttons and controls over the center console in the majority of the vehicles. It seems the convenience of centralizing all kind of information (GPS, vehicle status, environmental information, climate control, music selection, etc) has become the norm for the new models, only denied to those basic and cheaper models of the line. Those vehicles also had several buttons located in the steering wheel to control the stereo and the cruise control system.
Do we read the owner’s manual in every device we buy? At the other hand, is it a car or the Millennium Falcon?
I can understand the need for information; personally I like to know what’s going on with the car at all times while driving, but it seems too much for the majority of trips people make (including myself).
It becomes like a very expensive and technological decoration, to make the car look and the driver feel of driving the “latest”, no matter what it is. Driving around with a very cool screen ON in the center console of the car and a complete array of buttons and knobs, surrounded by a tiny line of neon light: The future is here!
Does anybody use all the possibilities those system gives?
I must admit, it looks pretty futuristic; the perfect console to impress friends, family and sporadic new acquaintances! But the point is; are all these new systems a necessity or just the elements to turn a transport device into a luxury toy that appeals to our child senses? Has it become a way for us to show off when there’s no other element of pride to show?
Do we buy our pride in comfortable monthly payments?
Makes me wonder…
What’s your take on this?
Raul
Posted by Raul on March 8, 2011
And then the old syndrome of: “Someday I’ll be able to stop saying someday”, just to drag life on another year. Who will subscribe?
“Spring is coming! Spring is coming!” -The inner voice raced across the city with the news.
The frozen lake is no more…instead seagulls feed at will with madness, flying all over the place.
Some say life is like a roll of toilet paper…the closer to the end, the faster it goes.
Some say life is like a cigarette…a pleasure at the beginning but stinky at the end (and only a bad smell left…Yikes!).
Some say life is like getting drunk…laughing and dancing with abandon at first, to end up unable to stand and walk by the end…Aw!
New technologies = easier life…incommunicado!
Facing the unknown from the comfort of an internet terminal at home equals little experience in facing life for the growing child. The art of physical interaction become lost.
Nowadays, and for more and more people, the number of minutes used on the cell phone seems to be inversely proportional to the amount of company felt.
A mirror shows just the machine, but not the driver.
Getting lost in the requirements of survival and their luxury extensions, that brings enhanced pleasures to the instincts. Starving souls leaving the physical plane?
All the spirits gather in the ether and conform the thinking and deciding entity that controls the cosmos…God is a Union!
Thinking in a bi-dimensional plane there are only two options to the problem. In a tri-dimensional plane there are six. (At least it becomes an “intelligent” confusion!)
I guess I’ve spent too much time without writing, and the thoughts fly around like small, winged demons, making fun of the driver!
Raul
Posted by Raul on March 5, 2011
Picture: “Salar de Uyuni” – Bolivia (about 12,000 feet altitude)
This picture somehow reflects for me what is to be traveling in the internet: Amazing and scary at the same time! Someday I’ll have to visit this place
I’m back…and happy to say that it wasn’t a hack but just a flood of spam that came even through the ears! Little by little I’ve been changing things here and there to prevent such flood, like placing sand bags all around Alien Ghost blog; so my apologies for any inconvenience that you might step on within the next several days.
I also changed the personal picture for a newer one; taken on March 04 this year 2011 (I don’t even remember how old the previous one was!). And as you might notice, I added a third one (no, it’s not about apocalyptic times!).
The first one is “Who”; the second one is “Under what name”, and the third one is “About what”. To me, that picture reflects very well the human mind…complex, scary, yet beautiful! We can stop and observe our own mind, and we’ll see how wonderful it is.
For a long time I’ve been fascinated with the human brain and mind for all the capabilities, gifts and chains it provides, making possible to become who we are and what we do, in a personal level and as a race.
So, after the flood and many off-line activities, finally there is some time left to visit again the on-line world, to live in the extension of the mind in a non-physical world, as the dream land we all have become addicted to.
Thank you for your patience and understanding (only one person unsubscribed from Alien Ghost!)
I’ll start visiting you all again and posting new weird thoughts for you to get confused once again (he-he)
Raul
