business views through a digital window

How To Get Inspiration

2008-01-18T20:38:00.001-05:00

A common question in today's world of 9-5, M-F, and sometimes, constant 24-7 work. It's either creatives having a block, or managers looking to get more productivity out of a creative department (or IT department - I'd make the argument that programming, is in fact, creative, just a different kind).

Here's the secret - honor thy energy.

If you're a creative, your "life energy" is a little different than most folks. And, if you're trying to tap into previously undiscovered creativity, you need to realize it just doesn't appear. You need to give it space to do so.

What does that mean?

It means it's going to show up when you expose yourself to creative situations, and when you work comfortably.

That means that although a suit-and-tie atmosphere devalues you for working at 7:30p and not at 7:30a, it's OK. Some of my greatest creative inspiration has come after Thanksgiving dinners, or in the middle of a conversation. That's tough for others to live with, but it's how it goes. You can't just "produce" art at a time that your body and mind don't want to.

I also strongly advocate folks take a good look at David Allen's GTD system and 43Folders on productivity. I'm not saying you need to join the cult, but there are really good ideas. A key to being productive is not having stress... and having a "mind like water" attitude. Not to mention, avoid timesinks... a great synopsis on avoiding timesinks is here.

But backing up a moment, what is "mind like water?"

Let's draw a metaphor. The water is your brain, your soul, your you - the rock is the stuff you have to deal with. What happens when you throw the rock in the water? It creates waves and distorts for awhile, but eventually returns back to a serene state.

I'm guilty of this too - where something happens and it just discombobulates you to no end. But, if you keep in mind to keep your mind like water, you'll be more creative, come up with better ideas, and be much, much more productive.

Technorati Tags:
Mind Like Water, How To Get Water, GTD, Merlin Mann

Podcast as an adcast = misses the point

2007-11-21T12:56:00.000-05:00

I had to post this one, from my new Interactive Media Tips blog...

http://interactivemediatips.com/online/2007/11/21/prweb-podcasting-aka-sales-puke-cast/

An experiment

2007-11-16T00:32:00.000-05:00

So, I'm trying to take the best interactive nuggets on here (as well as some new ones) over to our new blog project, Interactive Media Tips (http://www.interactivemediatips.com).

I want to have some more freedom around blogging here about all the things I care about - over there, I'm going to keep it straight interactive, podcasting, blogging, and more.

If you think it's a good idea, comment - or a bad one. I'm trying something different because I've gotten plenty of people who want a clean feed of interactive/web 2.0/podcasting stuff without my Detroit/Politics/Every day ramblings.

I'll do my best to dual post as well... so thanks!

It's Podcast, not Pod Cast or Pod-Cast

2007-11-15T17:38:00.000-05:00

Mini-rants and tip for all the folks trying to be hip and in with Web 2.0...

It's Podcast. Not Pod-Cast or Pod Cast. Podcast, for better or worse, with Zune putting it on the main menu with it's now revision, will be the word that is used for the medium of audio and/or video provided on demand and by subscription. If those two agree, then that's what it is. I'm surprised, but that's how it's shaken out.

If you write Pod Cast, Pod-Cast, Pod-casting, or any other incorrect form of the term you automatically will be perceived as not knowing what you are talking about. So just don't do it.

Leopard Stacks to Grid Productivity Tip

2007-11-15T13:38:00.001-05:00

Lots of people hate stacks in Leopard, and it's one of those features that I think will be revised in future updates. And, frankly, I find stacks as they're initially implemented useless.

However - I have found a solution that to me is really productive.

What you should try in your dock is this...

Right click (or control-click) the stack icon or folder. Up will come a little menu, and what you're going to want to do is go under "View As" and switch to "Grid" instead of "Automatic" or "Stack."

Grid is immensely more useful to me and works for now. Eventually, I hope that you can resize the icons in the Grid. I theorized that maybe it was tied to the icon size of the Finder window, but no dice. If I could get the icons a little smaller in the Grid, then I could have more stuff visible.

And of course, following Merlin Mann-Fu, organize by most recent or by date so the most recent opened items are first. Really helps when you're working on projects.

Great TWiT epsiode on social networking

2007-11-12T10:42:00.000-05:00

Well, the whole thing isn't on social networking - but Jason Calacanis was a great addition to the regulars, with a great discussion giving insight on the social networking space and search.

Of course, with Mahalo, Calacanis has skins in the game - but that's okay. He's useful, and although I don't always 100% agree with him, he's one of those folks you'd like to get coffee with.

The Zen of a Fresh Machine...

2007-11-11T21:32:00.000-05:00

Being semi-savvy in technical areas, I've managed to keep my original setup migrated all the way from 2003 - and that can mean a lot of baggage.

I used Leopard as an excuse to refresh EVERYTHING... down to the iTunes star rankings. Time to unlearn bad habits, and break out of the top 100 songs from years ago back when I had eight CDs in iTunes, and so they're so hopelessly skewed in my favorites that there will never be new ones.

And, it's... liberating. Of course, you need your documents, email, and other business riff raff. However, getting freedom is wonderful.

And, the Intel platform blows the doors off the PowerPC. Had the pleasure of retiring them to file servers this weekend.

A Flurry of Podcasts

2007-11-07T21:24:00.001-05:00

Hey all,

What a crazy week! We've had a flurry of podcasts, site builds, and productions.

First off, I'm proud to announce we'll be podcasting the Network Pods Mega Event on December 4th.

Secondly, we've put together a podcast for Automation Alley promoting the Business Development Series. First one of this monthly show features two people I like a lot - Terry Bean from Networked, Inc. and Charlie Wollborg from Curve Detroit (If you're not going to hire us, do yourself a favor and hire them. Or hire both of us. Either way, they're great folks).

Thirdly, the new episode of Global Business Perspectives Radio is up, and it features Faris Alami, the CEO of Integrated Systems Management. Over on that podcast, they're talking international business and the book "Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands?"

Curse of Detroits' Red Dwarf

2007-10-31T10:59:00.000-04:00

Halloween is a "holiday" of ghosts and goblins, and a recent piece on WDET reminded me of a curse that is supposedly on the Detroit region dating back from it's founding by Cadillac in the early 1700's.

We apparently earned the curse, because instead of entertaining and showing respect to the dwarf as the natives had, Cadillac attempted to fight him (I've been reading lots of recounts of how Antoine De Lat Mothe Cadillac, let's just say, had an ego).

Rick Sperling had a fascinating piece about the Nain Rouge - and apparently, how the little, furry, bad-toothed dwarf has always been living here, even in the time of the Ottawa.

According to common folklore, the little monster would show up at all the worst events in Detroit history - the 1805 fire, the 1967 riot/rebellion, and more.

Part of this curse is a general negative feeling - and what Rick was talking about was how the young people he works with don't cite the traditional reasons such as job losses or other technical reasons that they have such a burning desire to leave for good.

The reason - is that we, as a region, are really negative. And, talking with some associates, I'd have to agree. We are the worst critics of our region, and for some reason find every way that we can't do something.

There is no reason for this malaise - no logical reason at all. Negative thoughts is a nasty spiral that builds on itself, over and over again. We can't think to our success, but without a positive attitude nothing will happen.

Since there is no explicable reason, I think Nain Rouge must of done it. And as for me, I'm not letting a little red dwarf tell me how to think about this city and this region.

p.s. If you're reading this, Mr. Rouge, I have all name-brand candy bars at my house. They're good. I've tested them.

Editors' Note: Thanks for entertaining the break from the seriousness of digital media.

ArbCamp Wrap

2007-10-28T22:14:00.000-04:00

Spent Saturday at ArbCamp - it was fun, interesting, and informative.

Although I had to cut out before the Jaffe Keynote, the sessions I went to were diverse and informative, and were user-generated. In short, in the beginning everyone got together in a circle and decided the agenda by posting topics on the wall.

This allowed a lot of diverse topics to be covered. In the morning, I "led" a session on podcasting. Although we had some really useful conversation, near the end it devolved into a discussion the technical aspects of podcasting. It's frustrating as every event I seem to go to becomes a technical discussion - which editing programs, which mics, the basics.

To move the media format forward, I think it's critical we get together a higher-level group who wants to talk content and best practices. It is my opinion that there are a million and one resources out there for podcasting, including Podcasting For Dummies.

Although Detroit/Ann Arbor is not San Francisco, there is no reason we can't establish a strong community here. The resources are here, and there is a wealth of trained TV and radio talent here that need work. Yes, it's a democratic medium, but it (just like broadcast TV and radio) requires talent and skill to do well.

Some look at the low cost of theoretical entry and think it's for everyone - but anyone who's actually worked production is that it takes time, creativity and planning. I'll be putting together a conference/meetup on this soon. I've learned that if others don't want to create anything east of the Mississippi on this, sometimes, it's best to grab the horns and do it yourself. If you're interested in this idea, comment me - I'll get in touch with you.

Now, since these camps have multiple sessions running concurrently, I'll have to relate the pieces I know...

Checked in on the folks from oort-cloud.org about Social Publishing.

These guys are really bright - and knowledgeable. I think that with the services out there, self-publishing is a reality. Even hearing about groups that will be community editors of your writing... I think it's all great, and now it's time to talk what is the business model of some of these things - how do the dollars get flowing for this stuff.

All I can think of, post-session, is Jonathan Coulton - sure, he's a musician - but he's making a living all on his own, giving away parts, charging for others, touring... it's great to see. Again, the model isn't totally developed - but it's gaining some traction.

Startup funding is a very popular topic, and it was a good discussion about resources - and that people need to leverage contact networks, barter, etc. to make it. I mentioned one of my favorite books, Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time which has some very sage advice. One of the themes I particularly like is have goals - including the people you want to meet.

Blogging and PR is another hot topic in the space, and had some great conversations, with Mr. Jaffe joining us for the mini-session. It's really interesting hearing what different companies are doing with blogs - mostly outreach, but not much discussion of company people doing it themselves.

So in short - thanks to everyone and the organizers, it was fun. To those who I got business cards from, I'll do my best to follow up this week. I look forward to next time. We need more like this around here.

I had high hopes for Vista, but there are still serious issues

2007-10-16T15:52:00.000-04:00

I had really high hopes for Microsft Vista. But they've been dashed.

Yes, as a devoted mac user, lots of the features Vista looks to have are beautiful and useful. However, when it comes to day-in-day-out use, it's been less reliable than XP with the people I've been dealing with. It's very discouraging, as I even said, "Hey, if it's solid, I'll consider it - there are Windows benefits."

Today I talked to someone who is now the fourth complete reinstall I've had to recommend as course of action - their Microsoft Office 2007 decided that it didn't want to work anymore, save documents, and then crash randomly. Heard another report last week of a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death - a complete failure) - on a new machine!

Microsoft coming up with such a turkey - after the years of development - and all kinds of bugs with office that I'm seeing - critical, show-stopping ones - is without excuse. There are wonderful things like when opening office documents out of Outlook, it can cause damage to Office and lead it to have issues.

Let's not even get started on the fact that Office 2007 documents don't open up on anything but Office 2007 and the newest version of Keynote. I am all for open standards, but it's pretty useless if you have to save in another format so anyone else who works with you can open it.

Unfortunately, I have to say to people don't get XP on a new machine - why? Because Microsoft is going to leave it in the dust. If you have to do Windows, I believe, you have to do Vista with new boxes. With old ones, keep XP and don't upgrade.

Apparently, service pack one for Vista, according to Paul Thurott, isn't anything to write home about save for a roll-up of the software updates already sent - and that's a shame. There are still serious stability issues in the field (especially compared to my mac, which had it's first non-user-error issue in six years).

Of course, the Microsoft way is to create products you need to pay people to support - and so those people then recommend those products to get further business. Smart business, not great for consumers.

Great, Helpful Experiences

2007-10-10T22:00:00.001-04:00

Do you ever have an experience with a person, and glad they were there at a crucial moment to help you?

I had such a moment today. One of my trusted macs was giving me all kinds of trouble (yes, I know, I know, it doesn't happen often) where some applications, out of nowhere, stopped launching.

I tried all the tricks in the bag - but Chris Burnham at Basics4Mac got me on the right path and was excellent in troubleshooting. We did some deep-level mac hackery fun, and suffice it to say, it saved me from buying a new computer and got us back to 100% productivity. Even if he isn't local to you, he can connect to your mac and work with you to do what you need to do over the phone. He was smart, courteous, and tolerated my geekery. Rarely do I just do this, but if you have mac problems, call Chris. He's Apple Certified and smart.

A Chill For Online Media: Corporations Ban Employees From Blogs, Podcasts and Forums

2007-10-08T09:32:00.000-04:00

I got an interesting email from a friend, which has echoed a situation that many are starting to share - and we need to be aware of it as a media creation community.

More and more companies are dealing with forums, blogs, social media and podcasts by banning people's participation completely - their reasoning being that employees may say something damaging or secret.

In fact, they're banning participation or even attendance at recorded events because of that fear. I also wonder if those same people are banned from calling in to radio shows.

I'm not a lawyer, but this, in my opinion, is a clear violation of first amendment rights.

These people who work for these companies not allowed to speak or attend, period, without it being approved by the company, on anything? What if it's an event on greek mythology - and you're a real estate broker? What about church?

Many, many churches record and podcast their broadcasts. Guess you can't go to service. What if you want to speak at your local school board meeting? Forget about it, it's being recorded for TV.

Again, there is no trust by employers - and so why should employers expect any trust or loyalty back? I think this economy shows we're all free agents - and companies that block free speech are going to suffer long-term. The best and brightest won't accept this - or will temporarily until their next job a year from now.

Upside Down Map of the Day

2007-10-07T18:45:00.000-04:00

I don't know what was in the designer's mind for this website, but, last I looked, the normal convention is to orient a map so that North points up, as it is "mentally taxing for users and sometimes even preventing a user from properly understanding a map."

Reversing it makes it extremely confusing - well some genius decided to do that. Unfortunately, they've also decided to make the map item a pop-under as well, which is also, somehow made to be even worse than a pop-up!

My Feng Shui is Fenged Up...

2007-09-27T19:30:00.000-04:00

Have you ever looked at something and realized, "I'm doing it all wrong?"

Well, I felt I had to share the revelations that I had reading a little book I intend as giving as a gift - but wanted to peruse through first.

Apparently, as my desk looks out to a corridor (and a closet), there are many shelves sending all sorta of Sha (killing) energy - and to add to my Feng offenses a wall is in front of me instead of behind me (at first I read it and went, "how am I to have only one wall?"), my office has Feng Shui issues in it's current layout. At least I have my Executive Desk Gong.

Why post this admission here? Because I think it's really important to realize that when you're doing something wrong - or even not quite right - it's important to correct it.

In the online world, with the ways things change so quickly, you may well have the ability to change tact even if you're currently going about it in, let's just say, the "not optimal" (we want to keep your ego happy) way and not for lots of resources relative to shifts in other media.

Not saying you should abandon strategies willy-nilly; nor it as easy as the next couple weeks where I try to re-arrange myself to be more aligned in the office. However, if you know it's been awhile and it's not working, it may be time to make a change.

In short - one of the things I've learned through all the trials and tribulations (as well as successes) of my venture is - Don't let pride get in the way of your wealth and success.

Weekend Fluff: What if comments online were made at work?

2007-09-23T14:30:00.001-04:00

So, have you ever thought about the idea that if all the bad comments that were made online on forums, blogs, and various other web "outlets" were made at work? Well, here's the version of what would happen if this happened in a meeting - NSFW, by the way.

Thanks to 43folders - and they just went through a redesign that is appropriate and beautiful.

Ten Mistakes For Logos/Brand Imagery

2007-09-20T13:54:00.000-04:00

These are based off of real-life experience... I've protected the names of the innocent (for the most part), because they do not know the crimes they have committed against all of humanities' eyes. What's sad is that brand imagery can actually cost you a lot of money, as first impression counts.

10. When you sell something to 40-year old men, the logo theme should not be decided by the bosses' 13-year old daughter.

9. Do not use the word art feature in Microsoft Office - see example of large corporation that violates this rule.

8. The "Eurostyle" font and other of the 1995-98 ilk should of been allowed to die a peaceful death. It's not a good technology font (for good examples, see Verdana, VAG, Helvetica, Helvetica Neue, ITC Bauhaus (great Eurostyle alternative), and Neo Sans). In short, if you're an engineer boss, let the graphic design and marketing people do their job.

7. Which leads me to my next point - don't choose the brand imagery for your tastes, choose it for your customers'. What kind of colors/items/fonts do they associate with your line of work? Are your customers looking for strong and conservative? Young and fun? Your job is to please customers and get them to buy from you.

6. Be readable. Can you read it a good distance away, driving past it at 40 miles an hour? Choosing fonts and imagery that is too detailed or the letters blend together can make your logo useless.

5. It's okay to be cute - as long as it makes sense. If you find you need to explain the logo over and over, go back to the drawing board.

4. Old English fonts are for gangstas and hoodlums, not businesses. If you're a gangsta, hoodlum, or sell to them, fine. Exception: Your organization has been around since before 1920, and it's your original, custom art font/masthead (Detroit Tigers, New York Times, etc). In which case, you probably don't have a reason to be reading this save for entertainment.

3. Comic Sans = Amateur. Don't even think about it. Ever. Under any circumstances. Even for what it was designed for, there are better fonts.

2. Don't rip off your competition. You'll be a knock-off from the start, and people do pick up these things in the back of their mind. Inspiration from your competitors and others, however, is a good thing, and is the way great art is created.

1. Be mindful of the other ways your logo could be taken... you may think innocently, but others may not. This obviously someone in a dentist's chair when you think about it - but it's also obviously not the first thing that comes to mind.

I hope these tips help... questions or comments, leave'em, and I'll do my best to answer'em.

Why Traditional Business Doesn't Get Online Initiatives

2007-09-14T20:08:00.000-04:00

I'm familiar with befuddled stares.

This is what happens when I try to explain online to traditional business folks. And I had to think about why.

Almost every business class, business seminar, business anything is built upon the concept of scarcity and control.

This is why companies like Verizon are suing to stop the sale of 700mhz band that Google's interested in buying (and others). If there is an open band that cell phones can access, all the barrier to entry of building a multi-billion dollar cellular network to play is gone, opening up competition and lowering prices. I don't blame them - that's all they know.

The web rarely about scarcity - there are a million places to get information. So many people come to me and tell me they have some killer idea that's never been done or thought of before - and I can guarantee you, it probably has. The question is: Has it been done well? Is it a good user experience? These are higher-level marketing items that quite frankly, many CEOs have never delved into. There are plenty of CMOs who don't even really use the Internet. I've met them. I've cringed. Multi-billion dollar companies regularly completely kill any chance of online success because they strangle success in the cradle of a fifty-person committee meeting, coming out of it with a weak, watered-down, and ultimately useless attempt at manufacturing cool (free hint to those folks: if you can't build cool, sponsor cool).

The secret online is in how you pull that information together, how it's packaged, and in some cases, what entertainment value you can provide to get an audience to follow you and spend money with you or your sponsors. I think of the"Will It Blend?" by Blendtec. GENIUS. We're talking about a $399 blender (base model), and I know plenty of people it's convinced to buy it. There are a million and one blenders out there, especially cheaper than it, but talk about showing instant value as well as being entertaining and viral. If it can blend an iPhone, I'm sure it can handle my daiquiri just fine.

On the other hand, we have Walmart with their fake-blogging and Facebook fiasco - continually trying to manufacture cool with a brand that, frankly, simply is not.

It's why some people are hesitant about new media and the web - "you mean I need to give it away something for free to get something? And it has to be good?"

There is some truth to what Seth Godin says about the web - either be the best or don't bother doing it. Why? Because there are a million other people trying to do what you do. In some ways, it's hyper-competitive - and in other ways, it's not - because unlike other mediums, there is a tendency that if your content is REALLY good, it will rise to the top.

I also look at the rise of Facebook - I won't say fall of MySpace - but Facebook undoubtedly is gaining steam very quickly. Why? It's for a myriad of reasons, including clean interface, coolness, etc. but also key to the story is that instead of closing development of applications, add-ons and widgets to enhance the user experience, like some sites do - Facebook has an open API. So does Digg.com. They give it away, whereas in the old model you'd have to pay to play.

This creates ownership - and why I think Facebook is less susceptible to people "moving on" to the next social service, as you have users - key mavens, in fact - who have personally invested in it through the creation of unique tools.

It's becoming very clear that there will be two classes of companies: Companies that get it, and then companies that don't who will suffer for it as the people who live in this new online world, and use as an integral part of their lives, gain more and more spending power.

p.s.- I realize that in this post I've use the word "multi-billion" more than one normally would. I apologize for this. However, I figured it illustrated the point better than "gigantic," "gargantuan," or "fat-walleted."

Cell Phone Drying Tips From Andy Inahtko

2007-09-11T23:21:00.000-04:00

First off, Andy is hilarious... useful... and he would like it if I called him "beloved technology columnist." So I shall.

This is an awesome clip on tips to dry out your cellphone - I wish I knew this before now, it probably would of saved me some serious money. Giving credit where credit is due, Andy's blog, the Colossal Waste of Bandwidth (CWOB).

Apple keeps changing the media landscape...

2007-09-05T15:28:00.001-04:00

Admittedly, as a content creator for the iPod and iPhone I have skins in the game, but this is possibly Apple, yet again, setting the pace.

First the iPhone came out - and at $599 and $499, a bit pricey. For mac-loving early adopters.

Now, you can buy NEW 8gb iPhones for $399, and 4GBs (I'm sure for a limited time) at $299. Talk about so competitive you now start truly eating into blackberry (I'll be posting the conversion/love story of a sales exec to the iPhone later).

Now, add to that a video player with an OK screen size at $149... and now, you have a mass market device. Next step is $99... but $149? There is now no real financial barrier for everyone to have fully functioning video in their pocket.

The opportunities this opens for organizations, corporations, media - it's the maturation of a new on-demand platform that truly gets close to the democratization content.

Sure, it'll still cost you money or resources (time, sweat, tears) to create GOOD stuff - but this opens it up to companies to have a device that is now going to be delivering audio and video and be as ubiquitos as the television.

Loving ESPN Side-by-Side Commericals

2007-09-02T15:59:00.000-04:00

Now this is really smart. Am watching the Detroit Grand Prix, and during the commerical breaks they keep the race on (silent) with the top five leaderboard while ads are in another "window" on the right (with the ad audio).

Pure genius. I for once watched the ads - I didn't feel as motivated to get up and refresh my drink or do anything else... except make this blog post.

Five stars for ABC/ESPN. Hope more people do it during events - basketball? Tennis? All possibilities.

On another note, great job Penske - this is yet another great showcase event for the city.

Hilarious Windows Crash in London

2007-08-29T13:46:00.001-04:00

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1277/1264479643_426805ba50_b.jpg

Transmit - much better FTP for the mac

2007-08-24T12:55:00.001-04:00

So many folks talk about "Killer Apps," or applications that absolutely are great and key to productivity.

I never, ever thought that this would apply to an FTP program - but I have to say, it does.

Transmit (Panic Software, $29.95, http://www.panic.com/transmit) is a nifty, beautifully simple FTP program for the mac.

But don't let simple fool you - it's also quite powerful. It makes merging files and directories simple, as well as has beautiful drag-and-drop integration with the desktop and finder - and not just when Transmit is open.

You can create "droplets" that you can drag files over and it will automatically upload to the server of choice. Hilariously, the icon is a truck - I'm sure when the graphic designer came up with the logo, they had no idea that in the future they'd have a U.S. Senator tell them us the 'net is not a truck, but a series of tubes.

Another great feature is the ability to open and edit files off of your FTP server by applications and then being able to save back to your server. It makes working off a server a snap, which is critical when dealing with certain shared-asset projects.

I'm sure there are other options out there, I've tried them - but Transmit has my vote.

Great article on Green Business

2007-08-22T16:59:00.001-04:00

It's interesting to see the tide change in the U.S. about going "Green." Our country is quite a bit behind on the adoption curve compared to Europe, but that is changing.

“General Electric Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt said his ‘green’ ecomagination unit is on track to ‘blow away’ its 2010 sales target of $20 billion as demand for environmental products and services surges.” (Reuters, May 25, 2007)

Here's the full article from which the above quote was pulled.

Good show, Skype.

2007-08-21T14:09:00.001-04:00

After the debacle of last week with Skype's outages, I am glad to have gotten and email, showing good customer service.

Skype sent off a message where they're crediting everyone with seven additional days of service on your subscription at no charge. Although a small gesture, I think a good one.

As a goodwill gesture to all you faithful Skype Pro, Skype Unlimited, SkypeIn or Skype Voicemail customers, we're adding an additional seven days to your current subscription, free of charge. And even if you didn't miss out on using Skype last week - you can still have a week free on Skype, on the house!

It's the kind of thing that is PRO-ACTIVE... so key in business. Instead of begrudgingly giving a few days of credit after hours of haggling with customer support, Skype just admitted there was a problem and here is something for it.

Great job from the company in Luxembourg.