"Do one thing, do it well"

That tagline was a slogan recently used by GMC Trucks extolling their skill in truck building. The underlying lesson was that by focusing on one type of product, they garnered an expertise and superiority that could only come from specialization. "Jack of all trades, master of none" as the old saying goes, but does that really hold true? Could anyone say that Ford makes a worse truck because they also have a full line of automotive products?

In some cases, it could be said that product diversification didn't work. Did anyone know that Smith and Wesson made a mountain bike? Or that Frito Lay made lemonade? Exactly.

The flip side includes companies that took a risk and stepped outside their comfort zones to create real success stories. Can you imagine if Apple never looked beyond computers?

Then there's the extreme cases of over- specialization. It seems like there's a dedicated position for ever little job out there. Hire a heating company to fix an issue with your furnace and they're just as likely to tell you you need a plumber, or an electrician. No Jacks here.

Seems like there must be happy middle ground between trucks and contractors. Apple found it, maybe we can all find just enough things to do right.

Back in my day, a Hershey bar cost a nickel!

We've all heard our parents say this or something like it (depending on the 'vintage' of your parents) before. Well, I guess I've officially turned that corner, because I was at the supermarket with my daughter and upon seeing candy bar prices of 99 cents, I remarked, "When I was a kid, candy bars cost a quarter!". Another favorite candy of mine, Jujyfruits (aka dental dynamite) in the big yellow box was selling for $1.49 when I remember that it cost a hefty $.49 in my youth. Not only that, but the box was only 5oz, where it used to be closer to 8oz. Yes, the times they are a-changing, but what's interesting is the things that haven't gone up in price, or have even gone down.

We could obviously discuss gas prices, as they dipped to ridiculous lows as recently as a few months ago. I was paying less at the pump than I did 10 years ago, but as the market has stabilized, that's reversed.

I recently read an article about the new Honda Civic Coupe, with a starting base price of $19,050. Having shopped this same car back in 1996, I know it had a starting price of $13,980. A modest increase of 36% when you consider all the updated performance, safety, and technology you get in new cars these days and well below the 'Candy Factor' of price increase.

Recently I bought a new pair of sneakers and noticed that a good pair of running shoes will cost around $60-80, same as what I recall paying back in high school. How can a candy bar quadruple but a pair of Nikes stays the same?

Computers are an area that is truly perplexing. My first laptop cost me over $1200 and it was refurbished to keep the price that low. I have replaced or upgraded my computer every 2-3 years since that first one and the prices have only gone down while the capabilities and features have only improved. My latest computer with a much larger screen, more hard drive/RAM, and faster processor cost around $800. I'm not complaining, mind you, and I realize that with technology as materials and techniques get more streamlined the price goes down, but I would also think that the constant improvement of the components/tech would offset the decreases.

All we can do is roll along with progress and groan as the price of a Baby Ruth rises to more than an cell phone charger, and rejoice when a gallon of gasoline costs less than a gallon of milk. Just try not to sound too much like Grandpa Simpson when you say, "Back in my day...".

The Burden of Choice

'Variety, it's the spice of life' as the saying goes. We all like to have choices in our life, to feel like we have some control over what lies before us and not have it all laid out on our behalf, but in this magic day and age we live in, the choices often become so numerous that they become overwhelming.

Take a simple example, ice cream. I recall when I was young, if the treat of ice cream was presented, the offerings were vanilla, chocolate or strawberry. Easy enough, between those three, most folks could probably choose a favorite. But sometime around my later youth, new flavors began to come into the picture. It started off simply enough with chocolate chip (melding two of the 'basic' flavors), French Vanilla (who would have thought you could improve on vanilla), and maybe things got as crazy as rocky road (put the nuts and marshmallow IN the ice cream!). I guess people could not get enough of these because a flavor explosion occurred over the ensuing years/decades. Now when I step up to the local ice cream stand, I have to select from a dizzying array of taste choices, and when I finally settle with my flavor(s) of choice, then out comes the toppings menu.

So what's the problem? With so many choices, surely you can find what you like, isn't that a good thing? On the surface the answer would certainly be yes, however inevitably, no matter how hard I try to make the best choices, I experience regret. Initially I figured this must just be me, that I make poor decisions, or I just have the type of personality that always makes me wonder 'what if?', but it seems I'm not alone.

I did a little poking around on the internet and many articles have been written about what has been titled as 'Overchoice', where people are paralyzed (maybe a bit of an exaggeration) but the abundance of choices presented to them. A gentleman by the name of Barry Schwartz wrote a book called The Paradox of Choice which goes into a great deal of detail on the topic. A notable quote, "the more options there are, the more likely one will make a non-optimal choice, and this prospect undermines whatever pleasure one may get from one's actual choice." I hear you Barry, I wish I had gotten the Maine Moose Tracks instead of the Cookies 'n Cream.

So what can be done to abate this epidemic of choice? Something I've tried to alleviate this condition is something I will call 'pre-choice'. If I can make some level of determination of my selection prior to being exposed to the options, then I've already removed a cross section from the equation. An example I've mentioned before on this blog is toothpaste. There are easily a hundred different types of toothpaste in any grocery store to choose from, but by deciding that I don't want whitening in my toothpaste, I narrow my options down to just a few (or even one!), no pressure there.

What about a more 'daunting' decision, like say a menu in a restaurant? Same deal, we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner last week. I had pre-decided that I was going to get a combination plate, so I only had to look at the options on that part of the (very lengthy) menu. While still having to decide from the 20 or so options on that list, it was much easier than sorting through the hundreds in the remainder of the menu.

The flood of choices aren't going away, in fact they will likely only become more numerous. So choose wisely and don't suffer from frozen confectionery regret, or just get a 6 scoop sundae and cover all your bases.

What items do you think that too many choices currently exist?

The home of the free...

I was driving in the car with my 12 year old daughter over the weekend and she expressed her concern about the hazard of people who text while they drive. She went on to tell me about an idea she had for a device that would be installed in cars that would not allow drivers to use their smartphone in the car. While this would certainly prevent many texting while driving accidents, my reply to her was, "That would never fly, this is America, where we have the freedom to do what we aren't supposed to." She replied, "Dad, that makes no sense." and the conversation was over.

While I will admit, my off hand comment does sound nonsensical, it has some validity. Could you imagine the outcry if suddenly one of our "freedoms" to be bad was revoked? Imagine if cigarettes were made illegal? If cars were made so they couldn't exceed the speed limit? If all junk foods were taken off the shelves? We know these are all things we shouldn't partake in, but we demand the ability to choose our negligence.

And of course big business would have their say. Tobacco is a huge industry and lobbyists work hard to make sure you have right to kill yourself slowly with their products. And how many Corvettes do you think Chevrolet would sell if you couldn't open it up on the highway? Frito Lay wants you to able to pick between Original and Cool Ranch Doritos. They all rake it in while we push the limits.

So rejoice in the fact that we live in a free country where we can put the petal to the metal on the way to get Marlboros and Twinkies. But use your freedom wisely, and please for the sake of your fellow motorists, save the texting for when you get there.

If you don't use Ebates, you are missing out!

It's true, I use Ebates all the time and it's awesome....I know this shameless promotion, but it doesn't cost you anything and it can only benefit you. I love a good deal, so why not share?

So what is Ebates? It's a click-thru site that you use for online shopping. If you want to shop at one of the 1800+ retailers they have on their site, you click the link and if you make a purchase you get a percentage back in the form of a quarterly check (a Big Fat Check as they call it). It's really that simple. They make it even easier by offering an extension to your web browser that lights up to tell you that you are browsing one of their participating sites and you just click the button to activate it. It'll even show you coupons and try them out for you at check out.

I'll give you an example. I was shopping for a new computer. I found one on the HP website that fit my needs. The computer was $1100, but it was marked down to $800. I clicked the little E on my browser to activate Ebates for this site/purchase. Turns out that they were offering 15% cash back on HP purchases at that time. Not only that, but Ebates found a coupon code that saved me an extra $25. That transaction will net me over a $116 on my next Big Fat Check. Pretty sweet, right? You get paid for buying the stuff you were going to buy anyway.

If you aren't a member of Ebates yet and you want to be now, please do so using this link (I confess, I get credit for referrals too): http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=CraSx%2BVRnAWK5yaMLKLclA%3D%3D&eeid=28187

Happy saving!

That old familiar itch

I can feel it coming. The days are getting longer, the temperature is rising, spring is upon us. Every year as winter puts itself in the rear view mirror, something inside me gets triggered, and it makes me long to change my automotive situation.

This year, contrary to years past, I find myself shackled having committed myself to a 3 year lease on a perfectly adequate vehicle. Probably for the best, to save me from myself, but not enough to control my vehicular wandering eye.

Especially strong as the weather improves is my desire to rekindle my romance with a convertible. Fiercely impractical from its wobbly structure to its mostly unusable (if even present) rear seat, there's just nothing quite like top down motoring. I gave up my latest flirtation with an open top automobile a couple of years ago in the name of practicality (more doors, more space and all wheel drive). My 2005 Saab 9-3 convertible was one of the best cars I ever owned. A powerful 2.0 liter turbo engine and the ability to let the sun shine in through the motorized roof in about 20 seconds all with stylish good looks, a comfortable ride and a cozy leather interior. Some thought I was out of my mind to buy a used (6 years old with 95k miles) Swedish convertible, but surprisingly it turned out to be one of the most reliable cars I ever owned with hardly any issues during the three years I owned it (one of my longest car ownership experiences to date).

Sadly, when it comes to scratching this itch, I know it is not to be (for now :-) ) but while my mind knows this, my mouse hand still directs my browser to Craigslist and Autotrader to waste time looking at what will not be. Sad, I know.

Care to share any of your favorite past rides?

Entering a show void, suggestions?

I admit it, I'm a victim of on demand media availability. The ease with which you can watch shows has been too hard to resist and I have gotten roped into a bunch of series. Some of them are long time established ones that I could binge on from the beginning, without waiting for the calendar to click by. Others I have heard things about and jumped on the boat mid-stream.

Now I am at an ending point with many of the ones I was watching, leaving me in the 'show void'. Here are some of my favorites:

The League: chronicling a group of long time buddies in their misadventures against the backdrop of a fantasy football league, the show is hilarious, raucous, and often raunchy. Laugh out loud funny, especially Jason Mantzukous' character Raffi. Sadly the current season was their last. Farewell :-(

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: This is another absurd comedy featuring a group of long time friends who run a bar in the city of brotherly love. The craziness was only amplified by the addition of Danny deVito to the cast. Alas, this show too has aired its final episode.

Strike back: this was an action series about a covert British intelligence faction. Often ridiculous in a Rambo-esque way (evidently all bad guys have lousy aim), it was a fun ride. I got in on this one late, it's already done but available on demand.

House of Cards: an amazing performance by Kevin Spacey is the highlight of this behind the scenes look at government and politics. I've watched since season 1 and Netflix gets that people like to binge and they release whole seasons at a time.

Billions: A new Showtime original about a billionaire money fund manager and the attorney who wants to expose insider trading. Paul Giammati plays the lawyer masterfully and I look forward to next season.

Better Call Saul: an excellent prequel to Breaking Bad. It's fun to watch the characters from BB pop up periodically and witness the development of the Saul Goodman character. Season 2 is mid-way through. I'll wait for it to be over and plow through them all at once.

I know what you're thinking, "does this guy do nothing but watch TV?" On the contrary, it's usually just an episode or two at night in bed, but it's all so available, I can get through a season in less than a week.

So here lies my chasm, waiting for these shows to return, or others to come to my attention. Any recommendations?