July 26th, 2007
1960 First Email? How many steps have we saved?
by gscott [permalink]
Was Morton the first guy to invent Email? This great article titled “Electric Mailbox” is here to prove it! His server was a bit slow since it took 54 seconds to travel only 200 feet; but, Morton Murphy had calculated that it saved him 20 000 steps per year. Who can answer this question, given the proliferation of today’s email how many steps have been saved worldwide? I wonder if we could tie this to how many pounds we have put on in the same time.
Here is the text from the article (Mechanix Illustrated, April, 1960 Page 91) - “Tramping down a 200-foot slope to the road and climbing back up twice a day–to put outgoing mail in the mailbox and to fetch what the mailman left–was not the way for a retired electrical engineer. So Morton Murphy, of Brown County, Indiana, strung a clothes wire down to the end of the road, slung his mailbox on it on rollers, let the box coast to the road. A towline to an electrically-powered windlass drew it backup. A signal to show when the mail was in completed the arrangement. “Saves 20,000 steps a year,” says Murphy, proudly.”
July 20th, 2007
Orange Mobile’s Cambridge R&D Office - a photoset on Flickr
by gscott [permalink]
If I find a nice office online I will write a quick blog about it.
A well designed office can go a long way to improving company morale. Check out these photos of Orange Mobile’s Cambridge R&D Office - a photoset on Flickr.
July 17th, 2007
20 of the Best Laptop Bags for the Virtual Worker
by gscott [permalink]
From pannier to classic style… there are so many great laptop bags, but they are hard to find in your local stores. So here is a great list along with links to the manufacturers so you can find out who sells their styles. Great design only enhances your work-life and a great laptop bag means you will be even more mobile. Click the bags to go directly to the manufacturers website.
Pannier Style
I am leaning towards these four pannier styles. Pannier means you can hook them to your bike rack. Not only are they functional, but, they look great too, plus they are easy to carry with the provided strap. The only problem is that they can only hold a 15 inch laptop. The third one is larger, but I don’ t like the design and the fourth one is just too big.
Environmental Ideas
I love this first one in particular. It’s not my style, but its a very cool concept. This bag is made from recycled plastic bags from India. It is amazing how they have made their garbage so beautiful! The other two bags are recycled materials, including inner tubes, seat belts, and cargo truck canvas.
Great Designs
You have to go to the link to really see how great this first bag is. I may get this bag just because it is so smart. It is called Bak2Pak because it can convert from a backpack to a cool messenger bag in seconds. The second bag here is very smart for those that are traveling by air. Check it out, very smart! Click on the bag.
Classic Style
Tumi makes very nice classic bags. I like their simple design elements, but I want something a bit funkier.
You can also join a discussion on Flickr about these bags and any new ones that have been added at http://flickr.com/groups/436642@N21/
I tend to look for bags designed for men. However, I came across a great blog written by a woman and she has a much better eye for more feminine designs than I do - http://www.squidoo.com/laptopbag/.
July 17th, 2007
So… You Wanna be a Disney Star in Japan!?
by gscott [permalink]
This is a performers (Snow White, etc.) guidelines document from Tokyo Disney printed some time around 1994. It is interesting to see the “Disney Look” - fourth page below. What is “unnatural hairstyle” anyhow? Obviously, for performers the standards that they are allowed to set are much different than regular employees. However, this is Japan, so I wonder if their standards are similar for other jobs. I hope to hear some comments.
Disney is also going Web 2.0 with their auditions in 2007. Check out this Blog about a Disney Dream Job - http://www.thedisneyblog.com/tdb/2007/02/disney_dream_jo.html
July 13th, 2007
Wifi, Laptops and Caffeine!
by gscott [permalink]
WIFI, laptops and Caffeine! This is the office of the future! Actually, it’s the office of today. I have noticed that their are so many people working in Cafe’s and restaurants around Vancouver. I was wondering if the same trend is happening in other parts of the world. Apparently from the photos that I have found on Flickr, it is booming!
Is it creating a culture that will allow people to interact with each other or will they just be out on their own and away from the office? Since this is a relatively new trend, wireless- workers are searching for ways to take advantage of this new found freedom. At first they will simply try to get out of the office, but in time they will get more creative. I like the this idea (right) of WIFI picnics!
At Live and Let Live Cafe (bottom left) they seem to be much more interactive. The tables allow them to be more productive too.
I am still at the stage where I am trying to find a way to get out of the office and yet still be productive. Currently, I am working on my own so it should be pretty easy to get out. Once I start to work with a team again this mobility will be limited by my teams desire to be away from the office. Some people love working from their office.
This is an interesting blog called Web Worker Daily. They have some great articles on this very subject. Here is the perfect article - How to Set Up a Productive Virtual Workspace. There are some fantastic tips that will be a big help.
With this explosion of people working out of the office we are also seeing more casual dress and funkier laptop bags. When I purchased my latest laptop I went on a hunt the coolest bag. In the end I bought one from Staples Office Supplies because I had a meeting and needed a bag fast. Its a cool bag but just a standard black Victorinox Swiss Army bag. In my hunt, however, I did find some very cool bags. Here are a couple of my favourites - next blog.
July 3rd, 2007
12 New Job Titles! What One Do You Want?
by gscott [permalink]
I asked the question on LinkedIn, “Curious: what is the most unusual job title at your company?” I have noticed a resurgence of the title of “Evangelist.” Is this a symptom of the demand for talent or more creativity in the workplace? I received twelve fantastic answers! Let me know the one that you think is the best or add some new ones. If you want to see the first twelve click here, “Chief Yahoo!” - 12 Great Job Titles - I want more!”
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Chief Swashbuckler and Idea Merchant; Art Director and Miracle Worker |
There’s a media company called Out of this World in |
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Minister of Enlightenment |
My company (Aquent) has a “Minister of Enlightenment.” I’m not sure what his primary job is, but he works at least part of the time on employee communication initiatives. |
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Chief Happiness Officer |
The Vancouver Board of Trade has a Chief Happiness Officer. You can’t beat that. It’s funny on the surface - but what’s really more important than that? |
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Ninja |
It is not within my company, but I recently received a job opening for a Ninja. It is the official title in that company for a webdesigner. |
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Chief Wiki |
Not my company; but a guy who is somewhat of a factotum! |
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Manager of Fats |
I used to work for a food distribution organization and that one always brought a laugh. Manager of Pork is almost as good. |
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Evangelist; Business Life Improvement Coach; Brand Evangelist |
I used to staff Evangelists in my last company for business transformation and process improvement jobs. I notice this title emerging quite a bit. How about a business life improvement coach? I staffed one of those once as well as a Brand Evangelist. It is quite funny how companies are coming up with these titles. |
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Head Geek; Minister of Propaganda |
I styled myself Head Geek at a previous employer; my wife has served as Minister of Propaganda (event promotion and liaison to the outside world). |
July 3rd, 2007
Take off your suit pants and jacket — It’s Web 2.0
by dave [permalink]
Take off your suit pants and jacket — It’s Web 2.0 - Builder AU
A CNET Australia article about the resurgence of IT demand in the “Web 2.0 Economy”. Deja vu all over again from the Dot Com boom. But I wonder if this time it will be more about the innovation skills than the technical skills that are in demand…
July 3rd, 2007
CareerJournal | More Employers Are Using Personality Tests As Hiring Tools
by dave [permalink]
More Employers Are Using Personality Tests As Hiring Tools
Interesting article about the use of personality tests being used “help people understand why they do what they do” as part of the interview process. The idea is to match a person’s natural strengths with the job requirements. Employers pay an average of $300 per test to get the results.
