AMB transponder customers get shafted
02-03-2010, 07:08 PM
#61
AMB and timing software
Am I the only one who thinks the old design was better than the new design?
Examples:
1) The new site never remembers who I am no matter how many times I log in and click the "Remember" checkbox.
2) I often can not find fellow racers via a search. For example, I often race against Louis Betstadt. As far as I can tell, there is no search that will bring his results up.
3) There are no more trophies for being the fastest in a session.
So, in my mind, they have spent the better part of a year cataloguing results from users and rewriting the website to make it worse and now they are using the rewriting of the website as an excuse to charge more money to the racing public... Hey, I'm not against them trying to make more money, but at least make the experience better instead of worse.
As far as the complaints about not being able to change results after you sell a transponder, that's a pretty weak excuse. If it took more than a week for some database programmer to handle that scenario, then the guy should be fired.
Examples:
1) The new site never remembers who I am no matter how many times I log in and click the "Remember" checkbox.
2) I often can not find fellow racers via a search. For example, I often race against Louis Betstadt. As far as I can tell, there is no search that will bring his results up.
3) There are no more trophies for being the fastest in a session.
So, in my mind, they have spent the better part of a year cataloguing results from users and rewriting the website to make it worse and now they are using the rewriting of the website as an excuse to charge more money to the racing public... Hey, I'm not against them trying to make more money, but at least make the experience better instead of worse.
As far as the complaints about not being able to change results after you sell a transponder, that's a pretty weak excuse. If it took more than a week for some database programmer to handle that scenario, then the guy should be fired.
http://results.pcasdr.org/pca.php?database=tt
If enough groups did the same, they might be more responsive.
We still use their transponders, just not using their timing software.
Greg Phillips
02-03-2010, 09:37 PM
#62
Burning Brakes
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Sounds like an awesome Open Source project, if you were so inclined to do so.
If you're interested in doing something like that, fire me a PM... I'd be interested in helping out.
$0.02 (CDN)
If you're interested in doing something like that, fire me a PM... I'd be interested in helping out.
$0.02 (CDN)
02-04-2010, 01:16 AM
#64
Burning Brakes
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FYI, I do global online architecture and development for Electronic Arts, as in multi-million person online systems... we could totally create a myLaps replacement, the way it SHOULD be done, without much effort.
iPhone app...
web services interface...
etc...
Needless to say, I'm quite serious about the interest and the offer.
...jeff
iPhone app...
web services interface...
etc...
Needless to say, I'm quite serious about the interest and the offer.
...jeff
02-04-2010, 01:40 AM
#65
Burning Brakes
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FYI, I do global online architecture and development for Electronic Arts, as in multi-million person online systems... we could totally create a myLaps replacement, the way it SHOULD be done, without much effort.
iPhone app...
web services interface...
etc...
Needless to say, I'm quite serious about the interest and the offer.
...jeff
iPhone app...
web services interface...
etc...
Needless to say, I'm quite serious about the interest and the offer.
...jeff
02-04-2010, 09:38 AM
#66
Drifting
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Data is easy...no one forces clubs to upload their data to the MyLaps website. Create a competitor that offers more benefits, and the clubs will switch.
A couple options with open source: either clubs host the software themselves (software would be free), or they can pay someone else to host and provide support/upkeep.
A couple options with open source: either clubs host the software themselves (software would be free), or they can pay someone else to host and provide support/upkeep.
02-04-2010, 09:40 AM
#67
Drifting
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FYI, I do global online architecture and development for Electronic Arts, as in multi-million person online systems... we could totally create a myLaps replacement, the way it SHOULD be done, without much effort.
iPhone app...
web services interface...
etc...
Needless to say, I'm quite serious about the interest and the offer.
iPhone app...
web services interface...
etc...
Needless to say, I'm quite serious about the interest and the offer.
), I'd be happy to throw in some time as well. Not so good on the code side, but I am ok with web design and my day job for the last 4 years has been as a business analyst working on requirement/design docs for an online engineering CAD/optimization software.Speaking of open source timing/scoring software...does anyone know of an open source or free alternative to the live timing/scoring software used by Grand-Am? I've been able to find the modem online, but need to find some software. Would be nice to come up with something that is more customizable than the software you can buy from Grand-Am.
02-04-2010, 10:29 AM
#68
Race Director
I recently bought a used race car with a hardwired transponder on it. I have data acq in the car that tells me all of my lap times, so I'm not sure if MyLaps has anything to offer me. I do not have the prior owner's MyLaps login info, and not sure if I can get it or not.
Is it worth the $53 to re-register my transponder to my name on MyLaps?
Is it worth the $53 to re-register my transponder to my name on MyLaps?
The best part is in a race I can go back and say.. hey did I slow down or did he speed up? I finished 4.5 second back. Was that due to traffic, one bad lap or being 0.3 slower for 15+ laps. How consistant am I vs that hot shoe aka "Mr fast lap".
Very handy. I just wish I had that data at the race track.
02-04-2010, 10:49 AM
#69
Drifting
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BMW CCA often has the results posted within 20 minutes of the end of the session. Easy enough to grab them via the laptop in the paddock.
That's another place that open source software could improve things. We could definitely add some "data" features that allow you to see your position on track and your laptimes vs your competitors in different ways to really look at "how" the race happened.
That's another place that open source software could improve things. We could definitely add some "data" features that allow you to see your position on track and your laptimes vs your competitors in different ways to really look at "how" the race happened.
02-04-2010, 11:19 AM
#70
Race Director
BMW CCA often has the results posted within 20 minutes of the end of the session. Easy enough to grab them via the laptop in the paddock.
That's another place that open source software could improve things. We could definitely add some "data" features that allow you to see your position on track and your laptimes vs your competitors in different ways to really look at "how" the race happened.
That's another place that open source software could improve things. We could definitely add some "data" features that allow you to see your position on track and your laptimes vs your competitors in different ways to really look at "how" the race happened.
Using lap time data from the transponders once should be able to replay the race. There is just no software I am aware of that does that.
02-04-2010, 01:14 PM
#71
Drifting
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Yeah, that's sorta what I was thinking...the only thing it won't account for is pass/repass during the same lap, but it would be cool to be able to track gaps at start finish between you and your competitors over the course of the entire race. All possible if we get a project rolling.
02-04-2010, 03:58 PM
#72
Race Car
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If you are registered with MyLaps you have the ability to see ALL of your individual laptimes and ALL of your competitors laptimes. You can also directly compare all of your race laps to a competitors and graph it out, getting usefull info on the pace throughout the race. All of your events are saved in your account allowing you to look back at past performances without having to spend a bunch of time searching all over the web. If you aren't registered you can only see the best time run in the session.
Depending on how busy the timing person is you may be able to get them to print up all of the times in the session and give it to you, but it is a hassle to do this and not likely to happen if your race is at the end of the day. You could also write down all of your times when they are posted at the track but it is also a hassle, especially when all of the info is easily available online.
According to AMB, MyLaps is a "free service" provided to the original owner of the transponder, I feel MyLaps is part of what you are buying when you pay over $400 for a simple timing device. The irritating thing is that up until about 3 weeks ago you were able to unregister a transponder simply online - AMB made the concious decision to remove this feature from the website to gouge another $250 out of transponder owners. Imagine if Apple made owners of used Ipods pay an additional 60% of retail just so they could get into Itunes...
Depending on how busy the timing person is you may be able to get them to print up all of the times in the session and give it to you, but it is a hassle to do this and not likely to happen if your race is at the end of the day. You could also write down all of your times when they are posted at the track but it is also a hassle, especially when all of the info is easily available online.
According to AMB, MyLaps is a "free service" provided to the original owner of the transponder, I feel MyLaps is part of what you are buying when you pay over $400 for a simple timing device. The irritating thing is that up until about 3 weeks ago you were able to unregister a transponder simply online - AMB made the concious decision to remove this feature from the website to gouge another $250 out of transponder owners. Imagine if Apple made owners of used Ipods pay an additional 60% of retail just so they could get into Itunes...
I rented one from NASA and just decided it wasn't worth the hassle to buy a new one so I kept it.
02-04-2010, 04:59 PM
#73
Drifting
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Apple is hardly the example to use when you're wanting to make a point about gouging customers during and after the initial sale!Further, iTunes is a service that Apple makes $$ from by selling music, applications, movies, etc. MyLaps.com is not a money maker. It's simply a service being provided to AMB transponder owners. You don't pay anything when you access your laptimes. I can understand their desire to recover some of the cost of providing the service to transponder owners who don't make a purchase from them.
All of that said, I also believe they could provide a lot more for what they are charging and that we, here on this forum, could come up with a better solution than what they currently offer.
02-04-2010, 06:48 PM
#74
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02-04-2010, 07:09 PM
#75
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I like the idea of this! I deal with sensors/reading data (among other things) at my job along with the periodic programming of software to read it. Definitely doable! I think the hardest part would being able to read the unique ID number from the transponder 'ping' but even that doesn't sound extremely difficult.
A wireless router at the event that has a html page local to a timing computer could provide a data stream for anybody looking for data.
Damn the man! Save the empire!
A wireless router at the event that has a html page local to a timing computer could provide a data stream for anybody looking for data.
Damn the man! Save the empire!