01.01.08
Remembering 2007
1) They Died in 2007.
Brad Delp lead singer for the rock group Boston died on March 9th.
Kitty Carlisle died on April 17 at the age of 96.
Lois Maxwell, who we all fondly remember as Miss Moneypenny died on September 29.
Joey Bishop, the last member of the famed Rat Pack, died on October 17.
Teresa Brewer, who sang Music, Musi, Music in the 60’s, also died on October 17.
Dick Wilson, Don’t Squeeze the Charmin’s Mr. Whipple, died on November 19.
2) Sports Championships:
College Football ended with Florida defeating Ohio State, even though Ohio State returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning finally won their Super Bowl defeating the Chicago Bears.
Men’s College Basketball Championship went to Florida who defeated Ohio State. The Woman’s winner was Tennessee with Rutgers losing the game.
In Pro Basketball the San Antonio Spurs won the championship in four games over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Phoenix Mercury, who wasn’t in the 2006 playoffs, won the WNBA Championship over the 2006 Champions Detroit Shock by winning the fifth game of their five game series.
The Hockey season ended with the Anaheim Ducks defeating the Ottawa Senators by winning 4 of the first five games.
The Boston Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies to win the World Series, even though the Rockies went on an incredible late season run to make the playoffs and then won each of their National League series in sweeps to go to their first even World Series.
3) Entertainment
The Grammy for best album of 2006 was awarded in 2007 to The Dixie Chicks for their first CD since their political statements about President Bush.
The Best Picture Oscar went to The Departed.
Helen Mirren won awards for playing both Queen Elizabeth I and II. She won an Oscar for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II and an Emmy for playing Queen Elizabeth I.
4) Events
Even though the national election was nearly 2 years away the race for US president began early in both of the political parties.
The year ended on a sad note for Pakistan when Benazir Bhutto’s life ended on December 27th.
5) Technology
Microsoft finally released their newest Windows Operating System, Vista. It was not the success that they had hoped with many remaining with with older XP systems.
Apple rocked the world by releasing their iPhone. The new touch based cell phone sold only on the AT&T network in the United States, but sold better than anticipated.
Apple also released new iPods, including one that uses many of the same features as the iPhone as well as an upgrade to their computer operating system.
One of Apple’s biggest announcements came just after the first of the year when they announced that they were dropping the world Computer from their name and would be simply Apple, INC.
6) Changing from one year to another is just a way of measuring time. There is nothing special about 2008 that makes it any different than 2007 or even 1908. We all live one day at a time, one minute to the next.
12.20.07
About working sick
1) It’s estimated that it costs US businesses 180 billion a year in lost productivity.
2) Productivity is lower because coming to work sick prolongs illness and has the potential of spreading illness to colleagues and customers.
3) Many times it’s the company who encourages employees to come to work sick, by giving bonuses for attendance.
4) As much as 47% of the US workforce doesn’t have paid sick leave. Those who do have paid sick leave often use it for care of elderly relatives. Some will even save paid sick days to use when well.
5) The most common reason for people to go to work sick is their belief there is too much work to be done, or if they aren’t there, the work won’t be completed in a timely fashion, or that they are essential to the organization.
6) Graveyards are full of essential employees.
12.10.07
These Were Invented by Accident
1) Reportedly in 1853 after constant complaints by a customer at the Moon’s Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York about the fried potatoes he was being served were soggy and not crunchy enough, chief George Crum sliced the potatoes as thin as possible fried them in a pan of grease with a finishing touch of salt. The customer loved them and they quickly became a popular item.
2) Naval engineer Richard James was trying to develop a spring to support and stabilize sensitive equipment on ships. One of the springs fell off of the shelf and continued to move across the floor. Along with his wife Betty, who named the toy, marketed it in 1945. Over 250 slinkys have been sold since.
3) Joseph and Noah McVicker were trying to make a wallpaper cleaner when in 1955 they created a brightly-colored clay. Since them over 700 million pounds of Play-Doh have been sold.
4) Another item that was created during World War II happened when James Wright dropped boric acid into silicone oil. The reuslt was a polymerized substance that bounced. At first there was no use for the product, but marketing expert Peter Hodgson saw it as a toy and renamed it Silly Putty.
5) In 1879 Constantine Fahlberg was working in the lab of Ira Remsen at Johns Hopkins. He spilled a chemical on his hands and when he went to lunch he forgot to wash them. He found that the bread he ate tasted unusually sweet. The chemical that the two men discovered was Saccharin.
6) Two brothers while searching for wholesome food to serve at their Seventh Day Adventist Sanitarium left out some boiled wheat. Instead of throwing out the stale wheat they decided to run it through rollers hoping to make a long sheet of dough. However the wheat turned into flakes. They toasted the flakes which were enjoyed by the patients. The brothers were the Kellogg Brothers of Battle Creek, Michigan and after experiments with other grains including corn they created Kellogg’s and sold corn flakes.
12.06.07
The Business Lunch
The business lunch can be a good way to get a lot of business accomplished, but it can also be a disaster if some things aren’t considered.
1) Once it was common for business associates to get together for what was termed the ‘3 Martini Lunch’. Those times are long gone and ordering alcohol during a lunch is not a good thing. However an evening meal, a light beverage may be alright, but no more than a glass of wine during dinner.
2) Remember this is a business meeting and not a social event. Light social topics are acceptable. But most of the conversation should relate to the business purpose of the meeting. And even if it does seem social, business associates generally don’t desire to be social away from business.
3) Begin the Business Meeting at the office and then move it to a restaurant. Picking the restaurant is important too. It should be one that is business friendly, not too loud, but also one that’s not overly expensive.
4) Treat the restaurant staff with the same courtesy and respect that you have for your guest. Being nice with the guest, but nasty to the wait staff, even when it’s deserved, could be a deal spoiler.
5) Order what you want, but keep it reasonable. Select something that is in the mid of pricing. If you are the guest you may want to wait until after your host orders.
6) Know who is paying before sitting. Are you the host? The Guest? Does one party think it’s ‘pay for your own’? No one wants to be stuck with the bill when they don’t expect it.
11.25.07
Cyber Monday
1) The Monday after Thanksgiving has been termed ‘Cyber Monday’, with the belief that employees who do not have access to the Internet from home or only have dial-up access will be doing on-line shopping that day.
2) The term was created as a Internet Marketing term in 2005. Is ‘Cyber Monday’ the busiest Internet Shopping day? In most years that answer has been NO. We’ll just have to see how it turns out this year.
3) It is estimated that as many as 55 percent of office workers will be doing some shopping from work. This is up from 51 percent in 2006 and 45 percent in 2005.
4) Many retailers are gearing up for increase sales that day. It’s estimated that 72 percent of the retailers, up from 43 percent in 2006, will have on-line specials that day.
5) There is a site dedicated to ‘Cyber Monday’, CyberMonday.com, where more than 550 retailers have signed up to post their promotions. In 2006, 300,000 people visited the site. Will it reach over a Million in 2007? It wouldn’t be surprising.
6) One problem with on-line purchasing in the past has been shipping costs. 2/3 of the shoppers interviewed by Forrester Research, INC, said they be ‘more likely’ to buy if the shipping was free. In 2007 many on-line retailers, estimated at 8 out of 10, will be offering free shipping once a minimum order price has been reached.
11.17.07
Gift Cards
1) It is estimate that as much as $ 25 million will be given through gift cards this holiday season. In 2006 $ 18 Million was spent.
2) When buying a Gift Card it is best to buy from a known and trusted source. Some online auction sites may have cards that are counterfeit or have been obtained illegally.
3) Inspect the card before purchase. Make certain that any protective stickers or scratched off areas are intact.
4) Ask about any fees and whether it has an expiration date. Fees could be any thing from a small purchase/activation fee for the buyer to monthly service fees for the user. Understand any term and conditions that the card may have.
5) When giving the card you will also want to give to them any information as it relates to Terms and Conditions and fees. One type of condition could have it that certain things can not be purchased with the card.
6) When you receive the card, treat it as if it’s cash.
Information about Gift Cards can be found at the Federal Trade Commission website: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt010.pdf
11.12.07
Shamless Self-Promotion
At times every successful person will be required to do some Self-Promotion. This self-promotion may be part of the reason for their success. Since I don’t feel as if I’m a success at my web writing, I suppose it may be time to do some Shameless Self-Promotion by posting links to some of the other where I spend my time.
1) Technology Tips for Small Business. This was my first venture on the internet and the one for which I’m most proud and think is most important. It’s a series of posts that will help assist the small business owner to better understand the technology they use everyday. From this I published the book Technology Tips for Small Business. There is also a companion site dealing with TechTips for SMBs.
2) Yesterday’s Coffee – Reflections On Yesterday. This could be considered a sister site to 6 Things to Consider. On it I will post a couple of times a week my thoughts and opinions about something that has happened in the recent past, usually the Yesterday of the day when it’s posted. On this one I try to make each and every post meaningful, not just a rehash of things that happened.
3) Delmarva Town Crier. I reside on the Delmarva Peninsula and at times it seems as if the news of the peninsula doesn’t get around the region very much. The purpose of this is to try to pass information along, although for the past month or so the only posts have been for weekend events. As time goes by there will be more Delmarva News posted. Along with this I have put together a Forum for people to discuss Delmarva, Delmarva Talk.
4) ShoreToBeFun.com. ShoreToBeFun.com is a website devoted to the Delmarva Peninsula. This sites relates the History, the Heritage and the Events of the Peninsula.
Delmarva Gifts. This is an online store that works in conjunction with ShoreToBeFun.com for unique gifts related to the area. There are designs that are on hats, T-Shirts and other items related to each of the Counties that make up the Delmarva Peninsula as well for each of the incorporated towns. There is also the chance for people to request those designs to be changed to relate to their hometown on the peninsula.
5) MoreThanSwitchingOffTheLights.com. My foray into the Environmental movement. The site gives information and reports on ways to help save and conserve energy. Saving and Conserving Energy will not only assist in saving the environment, but it can also save money.
6) StevenGAtkinson.net. My personal website that can direct you to any of the above locations and any others that I have but I did not promote on this page. Also in the works is a second website for the Delmarva Peninsula to be called Delmarva Island.
11.09.07
The Boston Fire of 1872
1) Over the course of history many cities have experience a ‘Great Fire’ the destroyed a big portion of the city. On the 9th of November in 1872, the City of Boston experience a ‘Great Fire’.
2) The fire which started in a warehouse in the commercial district began a little after 7 in the evening and burnt the entire night when it was finally contained 12 hours after it began.
3) The fire consumed 65 acres of Boston’s downtown, destroying 776 building, much of the financial district was in these buildings. The exact lost of life is unknown, but at least 30 persons are known to have died as a result of the fire.
4) An article from the Boston Morning Journal written a year after the fire said: “Full twenty-four hours it raged before the end could be seen. About 650 buildings were destroyed. Of those two were churches belonging to the Episcopal denomination, sixty-eight were dwelling and logging houses, and the remainder were devoted solely to business. Nearly a thousand business firms were numbered among the sufferers. The estimate of the value of the buildings destroyed was places at thirteen millions and a half and the loss of merchandise at sixty millions, a total of about one-tenth of the valuation of the city.”
5) The people of Boston rose to the challenge and by the end of 1873 about 450 new buildings had been erected with 1/3 of the stores occupied and indications that others will re-occupy the area during 1874.
6) John Damrell was Boston’s Fire Chief during the fire and he is given much of the credit for stopping the fires. However it is what he did later to assist in the lobbying for an adoption of a unified national building code, for which he is better known.
11.06.07
Election Day
1) Election day is the day that citizens vote for the selection of a person or persons who will represent them in their government. At times there may be special issues on the ballot that the voters will be able to decide the outcome.
2) Election day in the United States is generally the 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday of November. This is considered the General Election. Other day could be selected as primary elections. Primary elections are those election where a political party selects their candidate for the General election. Some smaller municipalities may have their elections at other times.
3) In 1845 the United States Congress, in a response to abuses, established the date for the National Election.
4) For Federal elections in the United States, In every even numbered year all members of the House of Representatives and 1/3 of the senate seats are up for election. In years evenly divisible by 4 the President and Vice-President is up for election as well.
5) In 2007 five states will hold statewide elections. These are New Jersey, Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Louisiana.
6) Everyone who is allowed to vote by law should register to vote and caste their ballot on Election Day. If your area has an election, today November 6, 2007, take a few minutes to vote. Even the most minor election can impact the way your live.
11.02.07
Radio Station KDKA
1) On November 2nd 1920 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the Radio Station KDKA began broadcasting. It was the first commercial radio station.
2) KDKA is an AM station broadcasting on 1020 kHz at 50kilowatt. The station is currently owned by CBS Radio.
3) Announcer Leo Rosenberg along with engineer William Thomas, telephone line operator John Frazier and standby R.S. McClelland, made their way to a makeshift studio began reporting election returns in the Harding vs. Cox Presidential race.
4) The call letters “KDKA” were assigned from a roster maintained to provide identification for ships and marine shore stations. At the time these were the only regular radio services then in operation licensed by the Federal Government. When the license was issued, “KDKA” was the next set of call letters on the list.
5) In January of 1921 Harold W. Arlin, an electrical engineer working for Westinghouse was hired as the world’s first full-time radio announcer. He originally came to inspect the operation and upon learning that the station was looking for an announcer, applied for the job.
6) For the first six months of operation the station worked not from a studio but from a shack from the Westinghouse plant or from remote locations such as churches, theaters and hotels. In May of 1921 an experimental tent was placed next to the transmitte. This tent was used until the first true studio was finished later in the summer.
