Isn't that just called "Good customer service?"

It is time once again for me to discuss the taboo topic of work.

I am sitting at my desk the other day and I receive and email entitled (and I shit you not...):

Do you got GOT?

Normally when I receive these company wide emails I just tend to ignore them. Seeing as how this one decided to just ignore basic English 101 I decided it was time to take a look.



So, got GOT is this "new, fresh and exciting" concept that the higher ups have decided to implement. GOT is the hip new thing known as Greet, Offer, Thank. The premise here is that with each and every interraction via teleconference, phone call, email, IM or in person you must attempt to GOT the person on the receiving end. It's sort of like a big old game of tag, but for adults. In the workplace. Getting paid. Oh yeah, and this is serious - not fun.

So, when you are interracting with someone the first thing you need to do is Greet them. This means letting them know you are there, what department you work in, and what your role is.

The offer part is just that. You offer to help them with whatever it is they need. I am pretty sure this doesnt involve things like going to the bathroom, getting them coffee, or offering to suck up to them in order to get ahead. What? Oh no, there is never any of that going on around here (insert sarcastic tone with that).

The last is to thank them. I am not sure why you would be thanking someone that just called you for help. I tend to think if someone calls me and I help them out, I am the one receiving the thanks. But hey, I didnt think of the complete and total awsomeness that is GOT.

So in recap - you greet someone. You offer to help them with whatever it is they called about. Then you thank them for calling you.

Great work there suits. That has got to be the most revolutionary idea in corporate history. This is definately going to set us apart from any other company out there. I mean seriously...who buys into this? Since I got my first job clear back in high school this GOT was called something else....

GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE!

Then again, all it takes is one call to ANY business out there for one to realize the concept of customer service just doesnt exist any more.

Maybe if they got GOT - they could do away with AID

Answer, Infuriate, Disconnect - the current corporate policy.

So remember:

Do you got GOT?

Star Wars....Wii

Shamelessly reprinted here from the Insider email:

LucasArts today announced Star Wars: The Clone Wars will blast its way onto the Wii and Nintendo DS in Holiday 2008. Bringing an entirely new look and feel to the galaxy far, far away, Star Wars: The Clone Wars combines the cinematic qualities of the Star Wars movies with state-of-the-art computer-generated imagery from artists at Lucasfilm Animation.
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels, in development by Krome Studios exclusively for the Wii, delivers fun-filled Lightsaber battles for the entire family while it immerses players in the characters, locations, and epic duels from the all-new Star Wars feature film. Built from the ground-up for the Wii, Lightsaber Duels features an intuitive motion-controlled combat system that puts the lightsaber weapon in your hand for non-stop fun.


Fight the most memorable duels from The Clone Wars feature film.
Wield your Wii Remote like a Lightsaber and experience first-hand the unique weapon of the Jedi knights with intuitive controls, so no matter what your gaming experience you can become a Lightsaber master.
Play with your friends as your favorite Clone Wars hero or villain -- from familiar characters like Anakin Skywalker and General Grievous to new faces like Ahsoka Tano and Asajj Ventress -- each with a unique fighting style and set of skills.
Exploit your interactive surroundings to defeat your opponent: slice down pillars and Force throw them against your foe.
Duel your way through significant Clone Wars locations, such as Tatooine and Teth.
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance, developed exclusively for the Nintendo DS by the LucasArts Singapore team in conjunction with Lucasfilm Animation, lets gamers experience the awesome power when two Jedi join forces to fight as one. With an innovative stylus-based input, controlling the Jedi's movement and engaging in Lightsaber combat has never felt more immersive.


Play through an original story -- exclusive to the Nintendo DS -- that expands The Clone Wars series in exciting new directions.
Create your own Jedi dream teams by pairing Jedi Masters and Padawans. For example, team up Anakin Skywalker with Obi-Wan Kenobi, or Ahsoka Tano with Mace Windu.
Develop the relationship between two Jedi and generate more powerful attacks and special abilities. Replay missions with different character combinations to unlock new areas, collectibles, and other secrets.
Play with a friend using wireless drop-in/drop-out coop.
Control all movement, Lightsaber combat and cinematic action sequences with just the DS stylus.
"Working on The Clone Wars chapter of the Star Wars Saga has been an exciting endeavor for everyone here at LucasArts," said Feargus Carroll, project lead for LucasArts Singapore. "The intuitive and accessible gameplay on both the Wii and the Nintendo DS complement one of the most exciting Star Wars adventures yet."
The world premiere trailer for the games will debut exclusively on Spike TV's "GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley" on Friday, June 20.

With that...here is a screenshot of the game. I am sure we will be picking this up for Drew.

War of the Spider Queen

Yeah okay, so I am way behind on my novel reading. I am a huge fan of R.A. Salvatore. I enjoyed all of his Drizzt books, and especially loved the Demon War series. I finally decided it was time to jump back into reading and picked up Dissolution. Yes this book came out a while ago and I am just now getting to it.

Dissolution is book 1 of the War of the Spider Queen series. This particular book was written by Richard Lee Byers, whom I have personally never read. I thought it would be a nice change to see what another author can do with the city of Menzoberrazan. The city, and the hiarchy of the dark elf society was always very interesting to me, so hopefully this book will expand on that.

I have been an avid D&D player since I picked up my first basic rules box set back in 1983. Out of all the gaming I have done in my day, Forgotten Realms was always my favorite setting. While shopping I noticed that there are a ton of books out now set in this world. I may have to do some looking at new writers and see if I can find something I like.

Anyways, because the cover to Dissolution is really nice I thought I would post it. Cover art by Brom!

Iced Earth announces release date

Well, since I have been talking about Iced Earth, and the return of Matt Barlow - I should post the official release dates. The new release titled "The Crucible of Man" is due on the following dates:

USA, Canada: September 9
Germany, Austria, Switzerland: September 5
Rest of Europe: September 8

Iced Earth - N. American Tour

Well, it looks like Iced Earth have just announced a North American tour with 16 dates so far. The closest they are coming to me is the Portland show, so might be time to take a trip. Anyways...here are the dates announced:

Sep. 21 Harpo's - Detroit, MI
Sep. 22 Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, Ontario, CAN
Sep. 23 Le Medley - Montreal, Quebec, CAN
Sep. 24 Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
Sep. 25 9:30 Club - Washington, D.C.
Sep. 26 Amos' Southbend - Charlotte, NC
Sep. 27 Center Stage - ProgPower USA IX. Atlanta, GA**
Sep. 28 House of Blues - Lake Buena Vista, FL
Sep. 29 The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
Sep. 30 House of Blues - Cleveland, OH
Oct. 14 The Norva - Norfolk, VA
Oct. 15 The Palladium - Worchester, MA
Oct. 16 Nokia Theater - New York, NY
Oct. 22 Hawthrone Theater - Portland, OR
Oct. 23 Regency Center at The Grand Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
Oct. 24 The Avalon - Los Angeles, CA

There is a VIP package available via www.icedearth.com at a cost of $65.00. This is a limited offer on a first come basis. This VIP ticket purchase will get you:

Ticket to show
A meet & greet with the band
Random Autographed item
VIP commemorative laminate
Limited-edition shirt

Compaired to other ticket prices out there, this is very reasonable. Hell with prices now - you would pay that much for just a CD and a band shirt at the store.

They are touring with INTO ETERNITY and SAVIOURS.


In other Iced Earth news...they new CD is scheduled for release towards the end of August, or maybe September. No offical release date is out yet. There is, however, a nice picture of the cover art. In typical IE fashion - the cover is amazing.



Also, the new single is being release shortly of the song "I Walk Among You". It is also going to have "I Walk Alone", along with 3 songs from the last IE release "Framing Armageddon". The 3 songs will have new vocals provided by Matt Barlow. This is going to be a must pick up. I really liked "Framing" but Tim's vocals just never worked for me with IE. Now that Matt is back, I am once again a happy IE fan.

On a final note - IE is also going out on tour in Europe supporting Judas Priest. Wow, I wish I could see that show. IE and JP together - amazing.

Frickin farfin fumble grats foob frish frick Red Wings

Why is there such a thing as good sportsmanship? Why should I be required, by politeness, to congradulate the Red Wings on their Stanley Cup victory last night? I should be able to boo, hiss, and yell profanity at them if I want to!

No matter how hard I try, the nice guy in my wins.

Congrats to the Red Wings on a (oh my god am I really going to say this?) well desereved victory last night. They really did play to win, and it payed off. I guess in order to claim to be a hockey fan, and a hockey player I have to show my sportsmanship even during the hardest trials....like saying anything nice about the Wings. So...that is all I have to say about that!