the pod bay door

.: If you live in the City of Edmonton, you cannot, ever, reach any City employee in her or his department.  If you have a question, concern, complaint, or want to praise someone, you have to call the 311 Contact Centre.  (At least one glaring exception, of course, is the Edmonton Police Service.)  Dialing 311 connects you to an operator, who ostensibly will record your concern and forward it to the appropriate department for follow-up.

The escalator at the LRT station that I use twice a day (the station, not the escalator) has been out of commission since last Monday (if not earlier).  I wanted to speak to someone in the Transportation Department to find out 1) why it isn’t working, 2) why there is evidence whatsoever that anyone from that department is working to repair it, and 3) why there is no signage to advise riders when it will be functional again.

Yesterday I called the City of Edmonton’s 311 and registered this concern with an operator.  I also expressed my general dissatisfaction and lack of confidence in the 311 service.  She told me told me that 311 saves the employees in individual City departmental offices from having to spend time talking to the public so that they can do their actual jobs instead.  These employees, of course, are the ones who could most likely answer the questions quickly and efficiently.

I halfheartedly expected a call back today with an explanation.  No call was received.  When I arrived at the LRT station in the morning and in late afternoon, the escalator was still dead.

I have called 311 in the past about other concerns.  Each time I’ve called and asked for follow-up, NO ONE ever calls back.  I often wonder if the calls are “recorded” and then immediately deleted.

It is SO frustrating not to be able to speak to any City employee in any department anymore.  One wonders what the City Manager(s) and Councilors were thinking when they rolled out this so-called “service.”  Were they hoping for more efficiency?  Or perhaps it is designed to frustrate Edmontonians so much that they would abandon the idea of getting anyone at City Hall to ever listen to them anymore.  If so, I give it full marks for having worked to achieve that goal.

How can it be more efficient to call an intermediary, describe the concern or complaint, then have that intermediary (theoretically, anyway) forward said concern to the appropriate department, rather than being able to speak to someone in said department directly?

My call yesterday was about a problem at an LRT station.  No one called me back yesterday or today.  Upon arriving at home at ~17:30 MDT, I called 311 and gave the operator my ticket number.  He checked it, and said it was still an “open file”, meaning it is (theoretically) sitting in someone’s in-box waiting for a response, apparently at their leisure.

What can we expect if a concern raised by a citizen is critical and needs a swift response?

The City of Edmonton’s 311 page tells us that “Creating a 311 service provided the opportunity for citizens to access all City of Edmonton information 24 hours a day, offering a more comprehensive and cost effective service to citizens.”

I can’t speak to its cost-effectiveness.  Perhaps it has saved the City of Edmonton money, but it is incredibly inefficient.  Alain Saffel said it best on Mack Male’s site last September:

Not sure I see the point in a service where I’ve got to explain an issue to a person who likely doesn’t know the solution, only to pass it along to someone else who can actually discuss the issue with a reasonable level of knowledge.

I ran into this as a reporter with some PR people where I had to filter everything through them instead of talking directly to the person who had the answers. It was inefficient and stupid.

And there’s the rub.  Having to deal with an intermediary is such a waste of time and energy.

I am no fan of 311, and wish the City of Edmonton councilors had given it more thought before implementing it.  Just because dozens of other municipalities in North America are using it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right thing to do.

UPDATE: This morning (30 August 2010), I received a call from an staff member from LRT Maintenance.  He left me a message, I called him back, and received more details about the issue.  Apparently there was significant vandalism done at the LRT station in question (and others as well – very disheartened to learn this), and that the repair was taking longer than expected.  I was satisfied with his response, and thanked him for getting back to me.  I suggested signage might help, given the lengthy delay in the repair of the escalator, and he advised that he would try to have signage in place by tomorrow.

So this time – this one time – 311 did work for me.  Perhaps there is hope for the service yet.  Time will tell, but on the basis of one positive experience, I’m not convinced it’s the best way for a large city to handle communication with its citizens.

Because these cable series are or were so very good.

• The Wire
• Battlestar Galactica
• Deadwood
• Damages
• Rome
• True Blood
• The Pacific
• Treme
• Bored to Death
• Rubicon
• Nurse Jackie
• Brotherhood
• Mad Men
• Oz
• The Pillars of the Earth
• Six Feet Under
• The Sopranos
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• John From Cincinnati
• Generation Kill
• Hung
• …probably forgot a few that I’ll add later

Looking forward to seeing:

• Boardwalk Empire
• Game of Thrones

Probably should’ve watched more of these, knowing that they are also very good:

• Dexter
• Breaking Bad
• Weeds
• The L Word
• In Treatment

Good, but I never really got into these:

• Big Love
• In Treatment

And I’ve never watched, but have heard good things about:

• Sons of Anarchy
• Spartacus: Blood and Sand
• Nip/Tuck
• Californication
• Rescue Me

.: As noted previously, I have been on the road a lot since mid-May.  My trip to New York was from 15-25 May 2010.  I went to attend a two-day board meeting at Knovel, and spent the remainder of my time hanging out.  The major highlight was seeing Buffalo Tom, finally, at last!, on two successive nights.  Many of you know Buff Tom is one of my all-time favourite bands, having influenced me musically for two decades.  I became a Facebook “friend” with Bill Janovitz, the El Capitan of the group, in 2007, and also have been following and contributing comments to his brilliant blog, Part Time Man of Rock.

On Thursday, 20 May 2010, I saw them perform a three-song set as part of the Cabinet of Wonders evening, hosted by John Wesley Harding.  Afterwards I met Bill, Chris and Tom, and had a marvellous time talking with them about their music and its impact on me.  Meeting Bill, especially, was a dream come true.  I know I sound like a gushing fanboy, but this is a band that has always treated its fans with respect and dignity, and meeting them personally only solidified that belief for me.  Bill’s blog is incredible – he was recorded over 80 “Cover of the Week” tunes in the past 20 months or so, enough material to fill 6 albums at least – and always provides a fascinating backstory.  Anyway, The Boys were gracious and kind to me, and I left with my friend Amy, feeling like a million bucks.

Me and Tom Maginnis, Bill Janovitz, and Chris Colbourn, at (le) poisson rouge, NYC, 20 May 2010.

The next night, I saw Buffalo Tom play two full shows at The Mercury Lounge.  This was the night I’d been waiting for for two decades, having never seen them perform a full electric show.  I was able to stand close to the stage for both shows, which were not the same (check set lists here and here).  I met some other Buff T fans with whom I’d interacted via Bill’s Facebook page, and after the first show, two of them took me to the legendary Katz’s Delicatessen, where I enjoyed a pastrami on rye and good company.  We then returned to the Mercury for the second show.  A wonderful, memorable evening.  I also finally met Danny DeBruin, an old friend of Bill’s, who has just released his first comic strip novel, I Am Stu Pitt.  I’m looking forward to receiving a copy in the mail soon.

.: I’ll return to more trip coverage soon, but wanted to make note of today’s date, 28 June 2010.  It’s my 57th birthday, and while I lament getting older, I’m grateful for the love and support of so many friends, colleagues, and family at this time of year, and all year round of course.  But on my birthday, I do tend to reflect a bit on what’s happened in my life to date, and to give thanks for the many blessings surrounding me on a daily basis.  So thanks to all who contribute to that warm and fuzzy feeling tonight.

.: I have been lax in posting recently, my apologies. I am in New Orleans attending the Special Libraries Association annual conference. The city is great, the heat is beyond stifling. I will try to report back with a summary of my NYC trip, some NOLA updates (the food is frakkin’ AWESOME), and other general bits of information about my so-called life.

.: I’m in NYC, arrived yesterday, and will be here until Tuesday, 25 May 2010.  I have meetings with the Knovel Library Advisory Board on 20-21 May  It’s probably my longest trip ever, and by my calculations, the 19th or 20th time I’ve been here.  I’m once again staying in a tiny one-bedroom apartment on the Upper East Side, off York Avenue.  I have a ticket to see God of Carnage on Wednesday afternoon, and tickets to the Cabinet of Wonders show on the 20th (featuring Buffalo Tom, Janeane Garofalo, and others), and then the full Buffalo Tom show on Friday, 21 May 2010.  I’ve never seen Buffalo Tom live, and this band is one of my all-time favorites, ever.  So I’m predictably excited about these two shows.

Some weeks ago, I received a package from Delta Airlines.  I was already a member of the Delta SkyMiles program, but in the package was a new SkyMiles card, and luggage tags, each designated with “Silver Medallion” status.  Apparently this is a status one reaches after flying a certain number of miles – in my case, 25,000.  I was not aware of the benefits until I arrived at the Edmonton International Airport on Friday, 14 May 2010.  Once there, I was advised that the maximum weight on each piece of my luggage bag was now 70 lbs instead of 50 lbs; also, I no longer have to pay a luggage fee.  Additionally, I can check in at an airport in the “fast lane”, so to speak.  Once I’d checked in, I went to clear US Customs, and because I have Nexus status (Trusted Traveller), I was able to bypass the lineup of 50-75 passengers waiting in line and go straight to a Nexus machine.  Once there, the machine does an iris scan, I answer a couple questions, and the machine prints a card.  I turned and waited, and the next available US Immigration officer waved me over, looked at my documents and that was that.  Next, I proceeded towards the lengthy security lines, only to be met by another uniformed staff person who asked me if I was Nexus.  I said yes, and he directed me to a much shorter security line!  Sweet.

Taytum, me, and Terra, with Minnehaha Falls in the background.

The Delta flight to Minneapolis was on a Canadair Regional Jet 900, one of the sardine cans that Delta used to replace the larger, much more comfortable ones previously flown when Northwest Airlines flew the route, before it was bought by Delta.  It’s more uncomfortable if you end up sitting next to, well, a large person, and that’s what happened to me on that flight.  Anyway, later in the day in Minneapolis, while I was visiting the lovely Rhoades family, I checked in online for my NYC flight, only to discover I’d been bumped up to First Class.  Apparently when you have Medallion status, if there are empty seats in First Class, you are automatically moved into that section.  All these perks – who knew?

I was spoiled on the flight to New York – free meal, red wine, nice big seat.  My only complaint was that I ended up behind someone who moved their seat back as far as possible, making it somewhat difficult to watch Sanctuary on my computer.   Then when went to retrieve my luggage, it appeared amongst the first few bags, with a special tag on it because of my Medallion status.

Today in NYC it was sunny with moderate temperatures.  I didn’t venture far from the apartment, just went for an early afternoon breakfast at The Barking Dog (had the spinach, potato and dill pancakes, with poached eggs, salmon caviar and crème fraiche), and eventually had a latte at Starbucks and read some of the NYTimes.  A totally lazy day.  Tomorrow evening, dinner with the Dillons!

Watch this amazing video of The Fab Faux playing Side 2 of Abbey Road, beginning with You Never Give Me Your Money. Best. Beatles. Tribute. Band. Ever.

The Fab Faux – Abbey Road Side 2 (mostly) from The Fab Faux on Vimeo.