Monday, May 5, 2014

When Endless Tinkering Does Nothing to Improve the Product (Two Examples)

Ford introduced the Thunderbird in 1955.   The car subsequently went through 11 generations of design changes, basically a bulking up through its first 8 generations, i.e., until the early 1980s.  Its length increased by nearly 25%, from 175.3 to 217.7 inches. The last generation, which reintroduced the car in 2003 after a 5-year production hiatus, returned the car to its two-seat, coupe-convertible roots.   By that time, nobody much cared.

Thunderbird ceased production in 2005.

Here's another case where a manufacturer can't leave well enough alone.   The product, no matter what its merits, has got to be bigger, with considerably more options.


The original Rival Crockpot, introduced in 1971, did exactly what it was supposed to do -- slow-cook whatever ingredients you added to it.  Today's increasingly disappointing models -- yeah, they're not made to last -- have multiple temperature controls that seem to have been added just for show.  Or else "low" is the new "high". Recipes that suggest "cook on low for 6 to 8 hours" will result in a bubbling of liquid that rivals any witch's brew.  Fortunately, turning the knob to "warm" does reduce the heat.  (Can't vouch for "high" as I've never cooked anything on that setting.)

The last time I prepared pot roast, I used an updated 1960s-era, foil-wrapped, oven-baked recipe.  The result put our "crockpot" to shame.

Too Much Testosterone in Windham, Maine?


Windham library seeks fix for after-school loitering.  (Lakes Region Weekly, 5/2/2014)

After-school headache.  According to library director Jen Leo, in the past month, students, primarily from Windham Middle School, have become a growing menace during afternoon hours. According to Leo and other library staff, every day, about 20 to 30 students frequently engage in loud profanity, horseplay and bullying, disrupting other library patrons. Sometimes they take each other’s cellphones, pick each other up and lie about their names. One student has been permanently banned from the facility, and another will soon be banned, as well. Leo said she occasionally resorts to calling the police.

Windham Public Library Code of Conduct policy

The policy provides, willy-nilly, 32 bullet-pointed examples.

I'd suggest a clustered approach, such as the one used by the Multnomah County Library for their behavior rules.

Related posts:
Library rules and threatening behavior.  (3/2/2014)
$8.75 per hour, verbal and physical abuse included.  (2/22/2014)

The Accelerating Growth in Self-Published Titles (Print and Ebook)


Small-scale publisher carves niche in digital age. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/4/2014)

The changing publishing landscape. There's a clear shift toward shorter and more precisely calibrated printing runs of new titles, rapidly replacing the mass-production model of the pre-digital era. Meanwhile, the number of new book titles is ballooning, led by a profusion of small press imprints, short-run niche titles and works by authors who self-publish at their own cost.

Other ebook/reading-related posts:
Amazon delivers the "Lesley Gore" ultimatum.  (4/25/2014)
The boom is over for ebooks.  (4/2/2014)
Ebooks and the hype of emerging technology: Have we finally reached the slope of enlightenment?  (3/11/2014) 
Pew Research report on e-reading.  (1/16/2014)
Book sales update as of October 2013.  (1/10/2014)
The 24-hour news recycle: Mein Kampf edition.  (1/7/2014) 
Peering into the reader's mind.  (12/25/2013)
Booksellers hope print is on shoppers' gift lists.  (12/20/2013)
Survey sez: News of the death of print is greatly exaggerated.  (12/9/2013)
Not a Good Year on the Ebook Front for Barnes & Noble.  (11/29/2013)
Tell me again about ebooks ruling the publishing world.  (11/27/2013)
Other ebook market trendspotting confirms latest BISG report .  (11/1/2013)
Book Industry Study Group: "Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading" (Volume 4, 2013).  (11/1/2013)
Word of the day:  accretive.  (10/21/2013)
Survey sez: 72% of U.S. adults have read at least 1 book during the past 12 months.  (10/8/2013)
For years, many people asked the wrong question about ebooks and print books.  (10/6/2013) 
Ebook Flash Sales Grab Consumers' Attention.  (5/27/2013) 
BookStats 2013: It's not all about ebooks.  (5/15/2013)
Staying ahead of the learning curve.  (4/9/2013)
"Books are dead yet," sez Salon.  (3/21/2013)
Ebooks and the hype of emerging technology.  (1/8/2013)
Based on this column graph, print books are not likely to go away anytime soon.  (1/2/2013)
Printed books still lead ebooks by a significant margin.  (12/28/2012)
Ebook market pauses to take a breath.  (12/25/2012)
Year-to-date book revenues:  Jan-Jul 2011 and Jan-Jul 2012.  (11/1/2012)
Libraries get screwed when it comes to price of and access to ebooks.  (9/10/2012)
Millennials lead the way....to fewer bookstores?  (8/22/2012)
Ebooks sliding down the peak of inflated expectations.  (8/18/2012)
Adult hardcover book sales hold their own, paperbacks sales drop in 1st quarter of 2012.  (6/17/2012)
Library ebook circulation skyrockets @ the Greendale Public Library and throughout Wisconsin.  (5/29/2012)
In so many words:  Libraries will have a place at the table. (4/30/2012)
3M Cloud Library ebook lending service goes beta at select libraries.  (4/28/2012)
Pew Research:  The rise of e-reading, summarized. (4/5/2012)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution attempts to get a handle on the ebook era.  (4/2/2012)
And I quote from "Bringing Up an E-Reader".  (3/29/2012)
The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board weighs in on ebooks and libraries. (3/19/2012)
Carl Zimmer responds to Franzen.  (1/31/2012)
It's only Monday but this is still the best ebook headline of the week.  (1/20/2012)
Jonathan Franzen has something to say about ebooks.  (1/30/2012)
As they have been doing all along, libraries adapt to technology.  (1/29/2012)
Floating an Idea: The Harvard Library Innovation Laboratory's Library License.  (1/17/2012) 
Getting in line @ your library for ebooks.  (1/15/2012)
The Post-Christmas ebook sales surge. (1/10/2012)
Honey, we've been 'trying' it.  For years.  (12/25/2011)
Chris Bohjalian on our totemic connection to books.  (12/20/2011)
Hold that bricks-and-mortar bookstore obituary.  (12/13/2011)
Your local public library: The greenest option of all in the ebooks vs. print books debate.  (12/11/2011)
Go directly to Amazon, do not pass library.  (11/3/2011)
Ebooks in U.S. public libraries.  (10/22/2011)
How ebook buyers discover books.  (9/27/2011)
Cookbooks make the transition to digital publishing.  (9/27/2011)
Redefining what an ebook is and who gets to publish it. (9/19/2011)
The L.A.Times on ebooks: An Amazon tablet, push into interactivity. (9/16/2011)
The Economist:  "Great digital expectations".  (9/16/2011)
Lev Grossman presents a short history of the reading device..  (9/6/2011)
Speaking of gadgets, here's the latest iteration of ebooks.  (8/25/2011)
Sounds like another digital divide in the making.  (7/30/2011)
Libraries and ebooks:  Any book, not any time soon.  (6/1/2011)
On the distinction between the book reader and the book owner.  (5/10/2011)
Demand for ebooks grows exponentially in Wisconsin.  (5/2/2011)
Struggling to find an ebook common agenda between libraries and publishers.  (4/5/2011)
Ebooks and libraries:  "The challenges just keep piling up".  (3/28/2011)
Publishers Weekly tracks ebook sales.  (3/18/2011)
Word is getting out:  Ebooks @ your library.  (3/18/2011)
Ebooks continue to gain market share.  (3/17/2011)
Publishers look to bottom line in formulating ebook policies for libraries. (3/15/2011)
News stories on HarperCollins ebook decision go mainstream.  (3/5/2011)
9 years of book sales:  trade and ebook.  (2/17/2011)
Will ebook readers be wooed by Barbara Cartland?  (2/12/2011)
The impact of ebooks on libraries.  (2/11/2011)
OverDrive news release: Library eBook circs up 200% in '10. (1/10/2011)
Mashable: 5 ebook trends that will change the future of publishing. (12/29/2010)
Christmas 2010 the tipping point for ebooks?  (12/24/2010)
Ereader as brown paper bag.  (12/9/2010)
The ebook reader compatibility surprise.  (12/3/2010)
Ereader ownership:  Survey says....  (11/30/2010)
David Carnoy asks, "Does the Kindle pay for itself?" (11/29/2010)
Need to repair that ebook reader?  (11/19/2010)
Who uses an ereader:  Survey says....  (9/22/2010)
Book industry wrestles with print vs. pixels.  (9/2/2010)
Coming soon to a screen near you:  Ads in ebooks.  (8/20/2010)
Ebooks now comprise 8.5% of book sales. (8/12/2010)
Genre paperback publishers drops print.  (8/6/2010)
Ebooks and libraries.  (5/4/2010)
Ebooks eliminate a free form of adversiting:  the book jacket.  (3/31/2010)
Ebooks: another round of false promises?  (3/19/2010)
The skinny on ebooks.  (3/8/2010)
Hardcover vs. ebook:  Breaking down the costs.  (3/1/2010)