QR Codes & Inventory Management Take 2

A while back I wrote about how I developed an inventory management system using an iPad2 and QR Codes to help keep track of safety supplies at our local facility. Well, word soon spread and it wasn't long before someone asked for something similar.... but different.

After gathering some initial requirements, I determined that I could leverage part of my existing code to build another web app that could be used on any smartphone in a fairly similar way. The main difference here is that multiple people will be using the app, there will be thousands of items to keep track of and inventory will be controlled in real time, one part at a time.

The system works like this....

In one of our testing laboratories there are tools that require regular maintenance or tools that sometimes fail and need to be repaired. When this happens, an assigned technician will be responsible for the work. Most times, the tech does not know where the replacement part is stored in the supply room. To make this process easier, the tech can use his or her smartphone (or the designated iPod in the lab) to search for parts.

After typing in a term or part number into the search text box, the results are returned in order of relevance along with the location of said part. If the user requires more information, a link is provided that will display more specific information about the part such as vendor, vendor part number and the number of parts that are currently in inventory.

After the technician locates the part in the bin, thanks to the system recommendation, the database needs to know how many parts are being removed from the container in order to maintain integrity. This occurs when the tech uses the QR Code scanner application to scan the QR Code printed on the outside of the part bin. A new screen appears with the part information and a on-screen number pad prompting the user to tell the system how many parts will be removed from the bin. Using the provided keypad the user selects the number and then REMOVE to let the system know that parts are being taken out.

The QR Code can also assist the inventory manager with restocking. Instead of telling the system to remove parts, the user will enter the number of parts that are being added back into the bin and select ADD instead of REMOVE.

To make sure that there are always the correct number of parts on hand, the system notifies the Inventory Manager by email whenever the actual number of parts falls below the minimum number on hand and sets a flag in the part record to "Below Minimum". When the IM orders the required number of parts for replenishment, the IM will change the status flag to "On Order" to let the system know not to remind him/her to reorder parts. Finally, when the parts have been restocked, the system will automatically reset the flag to "Above Minimum".

With a little technology and some intermediate web development, our labs are sure to have the parts on hand when they are needed.

There are books and really expensive books

I am not going to go so far as to call for a congressional investigation or ask for new legislation but I am [somewhat] pissed. I, and millions of other students, are being taken advantage of by college campus bookstores.  Fortunately, I realized that I can work to change retail behavior on my own.  Let me explain.

As a student, albeit an older non-traditional student, I must partake in the wonderful process of purchasing books for my MBA classes.  What I no longer need to partake in is the incredible price gouging strategy that my University bookstore participates.  Fortunately, I have Amazon, or Half.com or even Craigslist!

When are the publishers and bookstore operators going to realize that I can obtain the exact same material for anywhere from one-half to one-fifth the price?  If I can find these deals, I'm sure the budget conscious traditional college student will as well.  When is supply and demand going to kick in and force the campus bookstore to stop overcharging for my books?

For example, the required textbook for my Strategic Management class is "Competing for Advantage, 2nd Edition" (Ironic isn't it?) which I can obtain from Amazon for as little as $30.  While on campus, I checked the bookstore for comparison purposes.  $125!  For a 100 page paperback book!  I was originally going to buy it there for convenience but not for a 300% markup. I have my principles! (Most of the time)

Being a business student, I understand that the bookstore has the right to charge whatever they feel is appropriate. Indeed, it's a for-profit business. What I don't understand is why the bookstore wouldn't try to compete, at least a little, with its online competition.  The more the price of books increase, the more people like me will find alternatives.  I would gladly pay a premium and support the school but not at that price.  No way.  Thank you Internet for giving me an alternative.  I made my statement no matter how subtle and non-confrontational it was.

How I used QR codes and an Ipad to increase productivity by 10x

With a little digging it wouldn't be too hard to figure out where I work, but I will leave that up to you if you think it's important. For the sake of this post, I don't think it matters because the application could work almost anywhere.

A representative from our Environmental Health and Safety department came to me with a problem. Apparently, the medical cabinets around the facility were not being inspected properly or on time. The group was wondering if there was anything I could do to help maintain consistency, reduce inventory time and notify them of upcoming expiration dates of perishable items.

My initial plan was to create a simple database that could be referenced for minimum quantities on hand for each location. The person conducting the manual inventory would then print out a report and carry it to the cabinet and go through, line by line, each item until complete. Additional information such as shelf location and expiration date were also to be on the form. This improvement alone would save much time but I couldn't help but think there was more I could do.

After putting myself in the position of the inspector, I realized that I would like to skip the paper step altogether. Even with the printed report, I would need to come back to my desk and update the database manually. Furthermore, a laptop would be fairly cumbersome to take with unless I pushed it around on a cart. Eureka, "an iPad would be perfect for this" I exclaimed. Even so, how would I make sure that I was counting the correct station? Eureka, "QR code stickers would be perfect for this" I said once again.

My final solution works like this:
1. On the first of each month, the owner of the emergency medical supply cabinet gets an email notifying him/her that they have an inspection to complete.
2. Inspector grabs iPad2 and takes it to the secure location and opens door with keycard.
3. Using a scanner app on the iPad2, inspector takes photo of a QR code that is stuck to the inside of the cabinet door. The QR code contains an embedded URL with the location set as a QUERY_STRING variable. (No chance to accidently select the wrong location.)
4. An agent is kicked off on the backend server and sends a web page to the user. The web page is a form that is pre-filled with last month's inventory levels, (assuming nothing has changed since last inventory). If it has, in fact changed, the inspector can update the form. This saves time because the items do not change frequently. The inspector only has to update the values that have changed.
5. The web page is organized by interior cabinet location so the process flows smoothly, no need to jump around from shelf to shelf.
6. Once complete, the user submits the form. If any items are below the minimum inventory requirements, the EHS department is notified so items can be replenished.
A final advantage to this process is the ability to keep track of expiring items. The EHS department will be notified on schedule when items are approaching their expiration date.

TL;DR
I built an application that saves users hours of time utilizing an iPad and QR codes.

My first impressions of Spotify

So with my introduction to Google+ just one short week ago, why in the world would I decide to blog about a new music service instead of the tool to end all social media tools? Well, for one thing, I don't have enough experience with Google+ to be able to offer any real solid feedback. There are plenty of others who are capable of that like Chris Brogan, for example. Also, I haven't been able to connect with enough people yet to get beyond merely dabbling in the world of Google+. However, I have spent a lot of time playing with a new music service that goes under the moniker Spotify and I actually have some valid opinions.

Here are some things I liked enough about Spotify to justify $9.99 per month for the premium service: (There are two other plans as well, a free limited plan and a $4.99 unlimited. For $9.99 you get mobile connectivity and a few other options.)

1. To sum it up, I can listen to pretty much any song in the world, anywhere in the world at any time. In other words, I have most of the world's library of music on my iPhone or computer and no matter how many songs I listen to or download, its still $9.99 per month.

2. Easy to search for songs, albums or bands. When the results are returned, I can choose the song to listen to or I can view the entire album so I can listen to the other songs on the album if I choose. I know iTunes and other music services allow this too but the cost of the album is the same as the cost of a song on Spotify.

3. I can sync any song or playlist and have a copy of it locally so when I don't have access to a wireless or cellular network, I can still listen. Think iTunes, without the $1.29 per song price tag. If I am on the same physical or wireless network as my PC, I can sync my iPhone or Android device without connecting the USB cable. If I decide to take a song offline, I can do so effortlessly.

4. Integration with iTunes. All of my local music appears in the Spotify app. I can combine my purchased music with the Spotify library and not have to switch back and forth. My iTunes playlists shows up with my Spotify play lists or I can combine songs into either play list.

5. One of my favorite tricks is creating a play list from an album. After searching for my favorite genre of music, soft 70's music, I found a couple albums that contained 100 or more songs. With one click of the mouse, I turned the album into a play list and all of worlds best cheesy music is all in one spot.

6. My settings and play lists are stored in the cloud so I can log in to any computer and have access to my songs.

7. Thanks to Bluetooth and Apple TV I can stream my music to my home stereo. Yes, I know this isn't thanks to Spotify, I just thought I would mention it because I think its cool!

The only downside that I see is that I don't technically own the songs like I do with iTunes, but at the cost of one album per month I don't care. I think of it as a lease opposed to a purchase and I'm fine with that. Just as long as the price stays consistent (you hear that Netflix?) I am perfectly fine with not having ownership.

For more information or to request a Spotify account, visit www.spotify.com.

The Internet and Modern Communication

The vast majority of people assume that the Internet is nothing more than a vehicle that transports data to their terminal; a place to search for information, a place to conduct business transactions or a place to catch up on their friends goings on. What they don't realize is that they are also using it to fill a void in their psyche. The internet has evolved and the human race is evolving because of it, with the speed never experienced before. Users are turning on their PC's and joining other groups of people that share similar interests and values. Sure, they still use the Internet to search and procure but the bulk of the population is turning to social media. Yearning to belong is a deep rooted human trait that is being made easier by the evolution in technology. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, WoW and Reddit are transforming our culture by giving us a tool that no longer limits our ability to interact due to physical boundaries.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? One could certainly argue that it is positive, a wealth of information is now available at our fingertips. Efficiency has increased exponentially. Using my class as an example, I was able to find my materials without leaving my desk. I was able to print said materials using my own printer. I now have my own copy of the materials without going to the bookstore. I was able to order all of my books through Amazon. I will soon be posting this synopsis to Blackboard and I will be able to fulfill my duty as a student without the opportunity to lose my assignment before I get to class. I am way more efficient than I would have been only 25 years ago. So what's the problem? Well, the laws of nature suggest that anytime something is gained, there is a loss.

Digital communication is more like verbal communication than it is like written communication. Although this sounds contradictory, the adaption of social media has given us the ability to talk to others without ever opening our mouths. Text messaging is so popular that more than 4 billion texts are sent every day. Certainly these texts are not great works of literature, they are simple digital versions of dialog. Only moments are needed to read and interpret the information. A quick glance is all it takes and you can get right back to what you were doing. Unfortunately, this momentary interruption was just enough to distract us from the task at hand, to remove us from our train of thought and thus requiring our brains to multitask. Some experts believe that is causing our brains to be rewired. Human beings are losing their ability to think deeply which could have serious long term implications.

Our ability to read and write are not the only attributes that are being altered, verbal interaction may be at risk too. New tools that allow us to "speak" without actually "speaking" may affect personal social interaction. If we only interact with people we meet only through shared interests, are we restricting ourselves from the wonderful world of discovery and diversity? If we consider friends to be those who have accepted our Facebook request, are we cheating those personal relationships where we worked so hard to establish? Our we starting to lose the language of our ancestors by writing in slang, abbreviations and emoticons? It is amazing to think that hundreds, even thousands of years of expression can change so quickly.

No matter how communication is disseminated, it will react to the greatest common denominator. We have a primal need to communicate, be recognized and feel a part of the group. As we continue to develop techniques to make this process easier, we may be sacrificing important aspects of our beings. Clutter, noise, perceptions and distractions are changing the way we exist and deal with others. In an attempt to take one giant leap forward as a race, we may be taking two steps back.

Q&A - Social Media and the Marketplace

Question to Ryan:
With consumers gaining control of the marketplace through tools like social media, will we experience a major shift away from commodity goods towards the "long tail" -- with niche products becoming the “norm”?

Ryan:
Social media tools and other online marketplaces like eBay have simply made it easier for the niche markets to connect; the tools do not necessarily alter consumer buying preferences. Fortunately, for sellers as well as consumers it works both ways. Buyers today are able to find niche products and services much easier than ever before. In addition, since social media has given a voice to the consumer, sellers are now able to effectively listen to consumers and target like never before. Selling less of more is the goal where the total volume of low popularity items exceeds the volume of high popularity items.

It may seem like the market itself is shifting but I believe it's simply a natural correction based on the newly available tools. In traditional retail environments, the seller had no choice but to focus on the left side of the chart, but now powerful search technologies have allowed online merchants to drive more sales from the long tail portion. Effective and strategic keywords make the connecting of buyer and seller much more efficient by eliminating clutter and irrelevant results. With effective long tail keyword searches, consumers are much more likely to find what they are looking for the first time.

While it's true that social media has shifted power to the consumer and released control from the seller, more information is good for either party. Niche products have always been available and commodity goods will always be popular but there are far fewer barriers restricting the theoretical slide towards the right.

Top 10 Favorite Inventions - Number 6: HD TV

I sort of feel like a loser because I am ranking something that has to with television as one of my top favorite inventions of the past 20 years but the hell with it, I love it. Even though TV has been around for ages, relative to my life anyway, it made a huge step forward only a few years ago.

I remember when I was around 10 years old, my parents let me have a TV in my room. It was a round, black and white 13" piece of crap. I used it to watch the Johnny Carson show on it when I should have been asleep. (This is why my kids will never have their own sets in their room). I didn't care about picture quality. As long as the vertical hold worked, I was okay with it. As I got older and got more into sports, it became apparent to me that there had to be a better solution. The [huge] 21" color set in the family room was a lot better but nothing like what we have today!

HDTV was a gradual transition for me in the mid to late 2000's. I bought my first one, a 57" Sony XBR Rear projection, long before there were any real options for viewing in HD. When the occasion arose and I was able to actually watch something in HD it was better but not "WHOA" this is awesome better. The technology still wasn't there.

Now, when I watch something in high definition, like a 1080P blue-ray movie, I am continually amazed by the quality. If I ever start taking it for granted, all I have to do is switch to a Gopher hockey game that is still broadcast in 4:3 pan and scan to realize how good we've got it now.

Sporting events are the real treat. Football games are fantastic. I would much rather watch a game in my basement than attend the event. The viewing experience is that much better! And Hockey, OMG HDTV is made for Hockey! In fact, I can not wait to cozy up with a Surly Furious and watch the Stanley Cup tonight in high definition.