2012.08.12 19:00 - Sea Travel

The Guardian for this meeting was Calvino Rabeni. The comments are by Calvino Rabeni.

Alfred Kelberry: mr cal
Calvino Rabeni: Hey how's it go, mighty pirate?
Alfred Kelberry: fine
Alfred Kelberry: got here for a min
Alfred Kelberry: expected 7 pm to be crowdy
Calvino Rabeni: oh it varies
Calvino Rabeni: what's new..?
Calvino Rabeni: today perhaps people have melted
Calvino Rabeni: or finally ventured out into the cooler night
Alfred Kelberry: it is your session time?
--BELL--

Calvino Rabeni: Aye
Alfred Kelberry: guardian duty :)
Calvino Rabeni: would you like to take this session slot for a month or so?
Alfred Kelberry: no, thank you
Alfred Kelberry: i don't host sessions
Calvino Rabeni: on principle?
Alfred Kelberry: at first, the slots were filled and busy. then it changed. i don't see a point in hosting now. unless it's a prepared theme session.
Alfred Kelberry: para! :)
Paradise Tennant: hiya alfred cal :)))
Calvino Rabeni: Hi, Para :)
Calvino Rabeni: Have you considered hosting prepared theme sessions, Mighty?
Alfred Kelberry: how are your valuation calculations, para?
Paradise Tennant: smiles at alfred :)
Calvino Rabeni: I think it would be great if you did
Paradise Tennant: me too :)
Paradise Tennant: there is lots to explore :)
--BELL--

Alfred Kelberry: topics that i'd like to cover are not compatible with the pab format
Calvino Rabeni: How so?
Alfred Kelberry: ok, here's one: submarine cable system. not a very pabish topic, i think :)
Paradise Tennant: what would you like to better understand about submarine cable systems :)
Alfred Kelberry: or i'd like to know how valuation in real estate is done - para :)
Paradise Tennant: that is just a google away :)
Paradise Tennant: but so is scads of info on submarine cable systems :_
Paradise Tennant: we are awash in information :)
Alfred Kelberry: para, how are they laid, monitored, repaired. security concerns, contractors.
Paradise Tennant: smiles
Calvino Rabeni: That's a good example
Paradise Tennant: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communications_cable
Alfred Kelberry: in fact, kira japan's panda san maintains such a system. it'd be great if he could give a talk.
Paradise Tennant: smiles
Calvino Rabeni: What type of system is that?
Paradise Tennant: http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Technology/Pix/pictures/2008/02/01/SeaCableHi.jpg
Calvino Rabeni: specifically a cable system?
Alfred Kelberry: cal, if i understand correctly, he works for a company that is contracted to operate government own submarine cable
Paradise Tennant: http://www.iscpc.org/information/Timeline_History.htm
Calvino Rabeni nods
Paradise Tennant: http://www.atlantic-cable.com/Cables/CableTimeLine/index.htm
Alfred Kelberry: para, i can google. thank you :)
Paradise Tennant: smiles there is an amazing amount of info on this one
Alfred Kelberry: yes, lots
Calvino Rabeni: Getting into it .. :)
Alfred Kelberry: first hand experience from a person who actually works with the system is not so easy to google though
Alfred Kelberry: it is a fascinating topic. look up the operation ivy bells.
Calvino Rabeni: What makes a topic become interesting ... is it the non-google-ability ?
Alfred Kelberry: cal, personal preferences
Paradise Tennant: hello tayla .. welcome :)
Talya Barzane: thank you kindly
Alfred Kelberry: hi, tal
Calvino Rabeni: I think those preferences can spread from one person to another, if discussed in a certain way
Talya Barzane: Hi boxy dog
--BELL--

Calvino Rabeni: Hello Talya :)
Alfred Kelberry: cal, yes. if a person in question is keenly involved with the topic and enthusiastic, it can be contagious :)
Talya Barzane bows politely and leaves
Talya Barzane bows politely
Paradise Tennant: good nite talya
Calvino Rabeni nods to boxy
Calvino Rabeni: Good night Talya
Paradise Tennant: smiles think I will say good night too :)) been a busy weekend .. as always thank you for the conversation and the company :)))
Alfred Kelberry: bye :)
Calvino Rabeni: Be well, Paradise :)
Paradise Tennant: smiles namaste :)))
Calvino Rabeni: I think that could be one of the defining characteristics of blogs as a form of communication
Alfred Kelberry: oh, another interesting topic is price formation in marketing
Calvino Rabeni: Price formation is extremely interesting, I agree, and not just because of the promise of practical economic gain
Calvino Rabeni: These topic examples are ones that seem to require expert knowledge
Calvino Rabeni: or at least some keen research
Calvino Rabeni: I'm reminded of Malcolm Gladwell, who makes a good living making nearly any topic interesting to a broad group of people
Alfred Kelberry: did you know of the study that had shown if people in a supermarket move in a counterclockwise pattern, they spend 2 dollars more on average? if you notice, many actually are organized this way :)
Calvino Rabeni: That is one I haven't heard of... but very intriguing!
Alfred Kelberry: as for keen research in this area, it is often speculative. like in this 2 dollars example, it may not be statistically significant.
Calvino Rabeni: I think there aren't any circular supermarkets?
Alfred Kelberry: not literally, but a pattern can be seen
Alfred Kelberry: where you enter and how cashiers are positioned along with general product categories
Calvino Rabeni: Yes, the hypotheses of research - at least where aggregate behavior is involved - usually seem intrinsically speculative
--BELL--

Alfred Kelberry: some research findings are very solid though. like price anchoring or a decoy effect.
Calvino Rabeni: Nods, it is also said to depend on .. season, market niche, brand, the state of the economy, location, what do you call it .. the arrays of choices within a product category
Alfred Kelberry: yes, very fascinating stuff
Calvino Rabeni: Perhaps it is one of those topics that will benefit from retroflective experimental design
Calvino Rabeni: the magic of Big Data and all that :)
Alfred Kelberry: re: brand or niche. this is how starbucks made people buy coffee for 3 dollars instead of 1. they changed the experience of buying. made it a special event. even came up with the fancy names for their coffee.
Calvino Rabeni: and by finding a qualitative sweet spot between comfort / predictability and novelty ..
Calvino Rabeni: but what comes most to mind is the locations they choose for the stores
Alfred Kelberry: oh yes, locations is another big science
Calvino Rabeni: hmm, and the "touch" of the servers ..
Calvino Rabeni: another sweet spot ... the barista image
Calvino Rabeni: a lot of marketing is this kind of cultural "art" .. hard to formulate in scientific terms - brands seem like holistic aggregates of quality
Calvino Rabeni: ... oh and the lag is getting fierce
Calvino Rabeni: I need to go ... thank you for the discussion // conversation :)
--BELL--

Alfred Kelberry: yes. this created culture is related to customer retention. tons of money are being spent on that, which in turn cultivate customer loyalty, building the following. look at apple - they excel at that!
Calvino Rabeni: Be well, Boxy
Alfred Kelberry: you too, cal
Calvino Rabeni: bye for now

We travel on seas of mind and of metaphor.  As humans, our explorations are collective,  embedded in and abetted by communication.  These acts are discussions that discover something about a topic, and/or conversations that discover something about those who are speaking.  The communications may be as precise as the signals on an undersea cable, or as diffuse and gradual as a sea journey on custom-made "crafts."