Today a couple of quick stories to finish up your day.  The legacy tech works until it doesn't; if you are in a critical business, that day may haunt you.  Next up is a highlight for strategies for those of us who overthink and anticipate a Netflix PW lockdown. 

Southwest continues to dig out from under the December 2022 debacle.  An estimated revenue loss in December was $800 million, and the DOT investigation is the cherry on top of the trouble sundae.  The winter storm that knocked over the first domino hit a legacy scheduling system called SkySolver, which does not have a mobile application forcing crews from all over the country to call in to determine where to go next. 

In an article from CIODIVE, they took an angle to talk about where Southwest made investments and where it did not.  More investment went into customer-facing CX (customer experience) tech than less sexy backend and logistics systems.  To quote the article:

The bill for tech debt in 2023 is much larger, and that's after significant losses.  It also highlights why stress testing your operations to see how they stand up during an emergency is good business.  This should be one of the findings the DOT may expect from Southwest. 

Southwest has been forthcoming with the issues the winter storm dominos hit them with.  They have issued apologies, and part of the revenue loss is due to refunds, points, and in many cases, lodging when a traveler is stranded due to airline problems.  This is our second Southwest story in the past few months; time will tell how Southwest uses the current experience to build back up.

The NYT came out with an article on Ruminating, a fancy term for people who struggle to stop thinking about stuff.  The report gives a good description of rumination and a few strategies for breaking the cycle.  Similar to many mental health issues, the information is broad and seems to include all categories of stress and anxiety.  The article says ruminations can occur alongside other conditions, including; OCD, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, which makes us wonder what doesn't happen alongside? 

Many strategies for getting out of the downward spiral include distraction, avoiding triggers, setting timers, and, if the rumination is focused on something in the past, reminding yourself where you are now.  Distraction and other strategies to break a cycle are suitable for mild rumination episodes; take those strategies and move toward something stronger than the anxiety.  In the old days, friends would grab you and take you somewhere to "get your mind off something.”  If that is available to you, count your blessings; when you can, do it for someone else.  Another suggestion that should be mentioned in the article includes limiting your time on screens.  Internet rabbit holes and FOMOs will only take you deeper into rumination, not out of it.

Rumination is real, and talk to a professional for both severe episodic and longer-term rumination that has become unmanageable. 

In an article from WIRED, it's possible that Netflix inadvertently updated some of its help documentation to hint at the coming password lockdown.  Regarding account sharing, Netflix has been public about moving into a less friendly space.  If you look at the accounts on the current Netflix sign-up page, it states you can share the Standard and Premium accounts with up to 4 different devices, all with people who live with you.

Rumor also has it that when Netflix does lockdown accounts, it will tie accounts to device MAC Addresses (for devices) and WiFi or IP Addresses for households.  The more significant challenge for Netflix is getting over the look-the-other-way stance they grew Netflix from in the first place.

In a haze.

Click on the Apple Music image to listen to the song on Apple Music or on the Spotify Image to listen to Spotify.

Thank you for spending a few minutes with us. Here’s one for the road!

With A Shout newsletter is written by Johnny Christian with the support of a thousand idea bits and the help of many people.

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