Based on my earlier blog post, that intelligence is the information that one uses as the basis of wisdom, I would add yet another examination of Santa and Kringle Inc’s use of big data and system processes.
So, I start with the obvious, the goal of Kringle Inc., namely, to determine what gift goes to what child in what location on a certain day. So, when Santa talks about his busy day, he is managing a lot of information so that he can manage many items, ranging from sourcing, production, trade and duties, and personnel matters, from reindeer training to elf productivity. In all cases, the clock is ticking (I wonder if Santa screams like Tom Hanks in Cast away).
We know that Santa has list concerning a child’s conditional status concerning a child’s ranking! The child, based on the behavior (crying, asleep, good, and bad), is collected from various sources, such as parents, teachers, mail, (Ray Steven’s song suggests it may borderline on obsessive). Given the times, I wonder if Santa purchases search and social media information, or aggregated email services. So, if the child passes “the Good Test”, the next item is what should a child should receive. Here Santa evaluates the child’s gift(s) based on preferences, previous year’s gifts, age, etc. In many ways, Kringle Inc. maintains several relational databases of each child’s demographic (location, age, etc. and preferences) that is joined to another database on gifts.
These gifts are then placed into a production stream, employing many elves. (Kringle Inc. successfully hires and trains workers in a rural community, and that is worth something!) The toys are loaded into the sled, and after negotiating all the appropriate tariffs and import fees, Santa is on his way. So, Kringle Inc. has to maintain inventory, customs filings, to translate the child gift to the location and delivery window. I wonder how Kringle Inc. manages to satisfy animal health codes, but that is simply a minor problem considering all the other transportation questions (hazmat cargoes) Kringle Inc. must organize in the sled’s stowing plan.
So, we have the Kringle Inc. decision tree.
But not every gift from Santa goes through this process. Sometimes Santa shows up (yes this is me in 1984) and hands out toys at a neighbor’s day care. (And only in Louisiana could a Santa Claus wear rubber boots.)
bruce lambert playing santa clause in 1984
Merry Christmas to all, Bruce Lambert