It's Worth Noting

A near perfect alarm clock

I tweeted a few weeks ago that I hate every alarm clock I've ever used.  Some took this to mean that I just hate the idea of alarm clocks or having to wake up.  What I really meant by this quip was that I despise the product design of every alarm clock I've used.  Universally, alarm clock functionality and programing is very poor.  There has been little innovation in over 25 years except to change the skin, improve the speakers and add cd/iPod source options.

I keep a list of features I'd put into an alarm clock and have been committed to either finding a suitable product or working on manufacturing it myself.  It may not be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but there's something valuable to gain by offering the standout version of a product that everyone uses and would be willing to replace if a substantially better option existed.

Well, I've got news.  I've purchased a product that comes close to meeting my expectations.  It's not perfect, but it's close enough to warrant a recommendation for a product line that I've only castigated in the past.

  

The American Innovative Neverlate Executive Alarm Clock has a lot going for it.  Here's a summary of the features that I think set it apart:

• Snooze duration is customizable
• There's a descending snooze option, which reduces the snooze time each time you hit snooze until it won't let you snooze anymore.
• The alarm volume is separate from the radio/sleep volume.
• The alarm duration is customizable.
• The clock illumination can be turned off, not just lowered (helpful if you like your bedroom to be as dark as possible)
• There are three alarm settings, which can be used in any combination: every day and two seven day alarms.
• There's a nap feature, which lets you set a quick alarm without changing your regular alarm.  Default duration is 20 min, but you can quickly adjust up/down from there.
• The snooze button is also a review button.  Hit it and you'll see when the next alarm is set to go off.  If you want to adjust the next alarm, you can easily do so when reviewing without changing your regular alarm.
• The alarm (beep, radio or media source through axillary jack) can be set to escalate in volume.
• You can easily skip the next alarm if you wake up before it goes off
• When you set the alarm, you begin adjusting from 7 am instead of 12 am.  The rotary dial is also quicker than the tradition button hold-down.
• It's small - 5" square
• Has a USB charging port (useful if you want to charge your phone on your nightstand)
• Includes radio station presets

You can purchase the alarm from Amazon link above for $50.  If they added a numeric keypad to set the time, required simultaneously pushing two buttons to turn the alarm off, displayed the next alarm information without an additional button push and provided the option to have the time announced when the alarm goes off, I think this unit would be perfect.

Wealth redistribution - the second best option

Fresh off the State of Union address, I feel compelled to make a succinct argument against the Democrats' unwavering commitment to wealth redistribution.  Let's call wealth redistribution, via the tax system and the government spending that it affords, the second best option for improving the economic outlook for the lower and middle class.  I'm feeling generous.

So what's the best option?

Democrats continue to perpetuate an economic fallacy that supports their argument for wealth redistribution.  Put simply, they believe that the wealthy will only share their wealth with the lower and middle classes if forced to do so.  Therefore, the government must force them to share their wealth by taxing them more (through progressive business, income and inheritance taxes).  The government takes the tax money from the wealthy and redistributes it to the lower and middle classes through a combination of means including reduced taxes, government assistance and government jobs (whether directly or via contract).  This is wealth redistribution at work. 

Through observation, though not firsthand experience, I've found that the wealthy (let's just use Obama's threshold of $250k or more in income) have three options as to what they can do with their cash.  They're the same options all of us have: spend, give or save.  If the wealthy spend their money, even on private jets and outlandish third or forth homes, they create or maintain jobs for lower and middle income Americans (e.g. aircraft machinists and mechanics; framers and lawn care companies).  If they give it away, they redistribute wealth directly and voluntarily.  In either case, the wealthy put money into the hands of lower and middle classes but through means that are much more direct, efficient and productive, and have a greater multiplier effect, than comparable government spending or assistance.

Now let's tackle the slightly more difficult situation of when the wealthy save rather than spend or gift.  If they save, they either pump it into investments or stuff it into pillow cases.  If they invest, they create and maintain jobs for lower and middle income Americans by helping companies grow by providing access to additional capital (e.g. a start-up hires a sales team or a public company decides to open new stores).  Even if some of the wealthy only invest and never spend or gift during their lifetimes, at end of life they either leave their money to their family or give it away.  If they leave it to their family, second generations of wealthy people have proven very adept at spending all of their inheritance very quickly.  Problem solved.  If they gift it, while the benefit was admittedly postponed during their lifetime, assuming decent investment returns the impact may be even greater.

So, out of all of this we're left with one justification for the government forcing wealth redistribution via the tax system: a gripping fear that the wealthy will just hoard their cash in pillow cases and it will never get spent, gifted or invested because it gets lost or destroyed.  Seems ridiculous doesn't it?  Why not just make the system fair for everyone and let the spending, gifting and investing flow through the system naturally?  If you're scared of the pillow case scenario and believe it justifies wealth redistribution, I'd love to hear from you.

Do you provide good instructions?

I recently got a new table saw made by SawStop and have spent several hours over the past few days assembling it.  Although it's taken a some time, it was a pleasant experience because the instructions and packaging were so well done.  Unpacking sheets were at the top of boxes, hardware was package with color coding/numbering and instructions were on large color sheets with easy to read text and pictures.  There's a lot to assemble, but by simply following color coding and numbering schemes that matched across instructions, packaging and hardware, assembly was a pleasant experience. 

This got me thinking about all the terrible experiences I've had assembling or setting up purchases, from furniture and DSL service to opening routine plastic packages (thank you Amazon for trying to fix this).  Companies are paying a little more attention to assembly and setup design today, but it's still woefully inadequate.  They go to all this trouble and expense convincing you to purchase a product, but give little thought to the experience you're going to have trying to use it for the first time.  Do they care if they waste your time or make your blood boil?  You've made the purchase and you'll fight through like the good little consumer you are.

I believe the tide is turning here, but only market innovators realize this and are getting ahead of the curve.  Consumers will increasingly lean towards products and services that are easy to open, setup and assemble because their access to reviews and purchase options continue to expand.  (I'm reminded here about how I used to go to the library to look through magazines for product reviews before making a purchase.  Wow.)

No matter what type of product or service your company provides, consider whether you are an innovator in this area.  Are you dramatically leading rather than frantically following?  Are you letting a competitor, maybe even an unknown start-up, differentiate themselves at the expense of your market share?  Time is not on your side.  Consumers are not on your side.  If you make the first use of your product or service unnecessarily challenging, consumers will find someone else to purchase from.

Gather a small team at your company to investigate, strictly from the consumer's perspective, how enjoyable and effortless getting to the first use of your product or service really is.  Listen to their feedback, make needed changes and transform this critical interaction into an experience consumers will praise.

By the way, for anyone looking for a great table saw, and one that has an amazing safety feature to reduce the risk of injury from the most dangerous piece of equipment in a wood shop, I definitely recommend that you take a look at SawStop's line of table saws.  You'll love the saw, it could save your fingers and it won't raise your blood pressure during setup and assembly.