Office Max!

10) It comes with two hard drives - one for fleyshedik (business software)and one for milchedik (games).

For example, instead of asking: "Will you hire me as a human resources assistant?" you can ask: "Do you know anyone that is looking for a new human resources assistant?"

This indirect question is already a huge step in the right direction. But my golden tip would be: "Who do you think I should contact when looking for a new job as human resources assistant?"

You would think that the personnel department (I hate hate hate the phrase "human resources") of a major national corporation/conglomerate would have their act together enough to actually follow through when they say "we'll contact you the day before the interview to give you the exact location, where to park, and directions to fill out a short online form." If you did think that, you would be wrong though.

Speaking of spending, today I reserved a rental car for our apartment hunting trip, as well as a moving truck and the movers to pack it. Also, seeing as how I’m oddly excited by office supplies, I bought a ridiculously large Sharpie at Jewel. You’ll be able to read our box labels from space.

I don't think that I will ever be able to explain my odd love/fascination with office supplies, namely Sharpie Markers. (Chris over at RudeCactus surely understands... he's an Office Supply Fiend™ as well.) OK, Sharpies and Post-It Notes. (Hey, at least I didn't try to claim that I invented Post-It Notes, like Romy and Michele did in their movie...)

I spoke with Laurence Haughton earlier today and he said something really interesting. (He always does). He said that business news isn't done right - that they should look to ESPN for guidance. I find it interesting because a lot of our discussion about that ties in with my Morespace essay, about why people don't get excited about business even though they should. Anyway, now I can't help but thinking how cool it would be to see a business version of PTI.

Note these are insights on legal topics within start-ups from a non-lawyer but from a person that has worked with a number of lawyers in corporate finance and infrastructure, intellectual property, and employment and human resources within start-ups and growth firms. I have been spanked (lightly) by lawyers for drafting stuff.

When Neil Cavuto opened his "business news" show today (May 27, 2005) claiming that stocks were up because "al Zarqawi could be down," and that Fox is "abreast" of some news about Hooters Air, I knew it was going to be one of those alternate-reality kind of days on Your World w/Neil Cavuto. Sure enough, I was right.

Next came an interview with one of the founders of JibJab, another news break, an interview with two pilots who are fighting the rule that pilots must retire at age 60, the "Biz Blast" segment in which Cavuto delivers 6 second business news clips, and then a segment with Charles Payne of Wall Street Strategies based on a USAToday article titled, States take in record $600B.

Comment: So, the main themes for today were sex, the false claim that the stock market rose because al Zarqawi seems to be injured or dying, sex, the false claim that something or someone is punishing France and Germany for not supporting our war, sex, the false claim that the economy's doing great, and sex. Sex, lies and video tape. This is what passes as "business news" on Your World w/Neil Cavuto.

With software forming an increasingly vital part of the infrastructure of the world's economy, reliability, stability and security are paramount concerns. In the past, software companies routinely shipped bug-ridden programs, figuring they could patch and update them later. And their customers took what they were given. That's history - or will be soon. In the future, the best business software companies will distinguish themselves by producing industrial-strength, bulletproof code - code that approaches Six Sigma standards.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 35 government partners from more than 20 countries are targeting illegal spammers who take remote control of unwitting users' computers to serve as spam transmission zombies. By hijacking home and business computers, spam can be routed through them, thereby hiding the true source of the spam and making the enforcement of antispam laws more difficult.

The New Profile of the Long-Term Unemployed - New York Times: After three years of unemployment, Allen Gruenhut finally landed a job as director of human resources for a company in the stone business on Long Island. His age, 53, worked against him in his long hunt for work, he contends, and so did the six-figure salary he earned at his last job, in banking. "They would not take me seriously at job interviews when I said I would be happy with a lower salary," Mr. Gruenhut said.

But I've been thinking about getting back into the startup game. I slog away at a job in a unmoving, monolithic educational institution trying to change a 1950s view of human resources and a 1970s view of systems to deliver a consumer-like experience for employees, managers and faculty. Books like The Art of the Start and my recent experiences keep me thinking that maybe the next startup doesn't have to be software. I was flipping through The Money of Invention: How Venture Capital Creates New Wealth by Paul A. Gompers, Josh Lerner when I decided...

What, for example, does one call an interoffice mail envelope? You know, something like, this brown, 10″ x 13″, string-tied, hole-ridden envelope. If you’re in the Air Force, it’s a Holy Joe. The Army calls it a Shotgun and the Navy and Marine Corps call it Guard Mail.

No wonder the services can’t communicate. They can’t name their office supplies the same.

I use quotes when using the word business here because the "business news" is scant compared to the propagandizing. For example, last Saturday on Forbes on Fox, one segment was titled, The Liberal Media: Enemy of America and Your Money? Another segment was titled, Stop North Korea's Nukes by Attacking China's Economy.

Hitachi, Japan’s largest electronics conglomerate, and smaller rival NEC offer hard drive-free laptops for approximately $1200, with desktops priced slightly less. Both will continue manufacturing consumer and business computers with hard drives.

The Business Software Alliance, an American trade group that combats software piracy, says that software piracy cost has cost the global software industry 33 billion dollars in 2004. And what’s worse, they say, that number could climb to 200 billion dollars by the end of the decade. They way they spin it, thievery on this scale must be on par with mass-murder.

Readers know that I recently changed computers and picked up an HP tc1100 which has become my main computer. I installed QB on the HP and did all the live updating and it works just as it should, rather it worked fine. I can't use it now at all. Since my copy of Quickbooks had already been activated several years ago I immediately went through the QB online activation process which stalled right away. They ask you to enter the first and last name of the person that did the original registration, a horrible practice for business...

The accrual method of accounting is the method by which revenues are recorded when earned, and expenses are recorded when they are incurred. A cash-basis method of accounting measures revenue when cash is received and expenses when they are paid. The accrual method must be used for financial statements to be considered prepared according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). See my blog article Accrual vs. Cash for a detail explanation with sample journal entries.

Full accrual accounting can be tedious and time consuming so many people use a hybrid system. This means using a combination of accrual and cash basis methods when preparing financial statements. Most often, a business will record only Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable accrual items. In addition, the only Accounts Payable items recorded will be Inventory purchases, since most of the other expenses of the business are paid within 30 days. The value of using the hybrid system is that your financial statements reflect all Revenue...

Either way, the point is that you can do it and there may be good reason to do so. You may have high receivables and low payables. This means you could be in for a double-whammy. You will have to report high income and low deductions. This means your taxes will be higher while not having received the cash to pay those taxes. Keep in mind though that you can’t switch back and forth each year from accrual to cash. Once you select the method of accounting for your tax return, you have to stick with it. Otherwise, you will have to have...

Buy an award-winning advertising agency - office supplies AND creative staff. Highest bidder wins a box of fairly new office materials as well as incredibly motivated, often provocative and always high-concept group of copywriters/art directors. Ad Age's "Creativity Magazine" called one of their campaigns "A highlight of 2004." This entire agency can be yours. Just incorporate their brand within your's, give the principals a reasonable employment contract, take good care of them ...and the creative benefits you receive are sure to be endlessly exhilarating....

I went to devon and picked one up at this place called oversees electronics. it rules. i really like it. not only is it super fancy and cool looking - but it is quite a bit faster than the 6600. it also feels better. the keypad is kinda weird and i constantly have trouble with the * key. but other than that it rules. i really enjoy it.

In less than a decade, China has emerged as a manufacturing powerhouse and an indispensable source of low-price goods - toys, furniture and electronics, among others. The expiration on Jan. 1 of global textile quotas has flooded world markets with Chinese apparel.

It would be amusing if baseball players had to participate in team-building workshops like corporate workers. A human resources representative would facilitate the proceedings:

Beth Scott, European manager for the Business Software Alliance, said: “We would never rejoice in anyone going to prison but we do not accept their defence that this was a victimless crime - their actions clearly contributed to a major piracy problem that impacts jobs, the economy and the businesses and consumers who benefit from innovation.”

Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman, said on Sunday that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the legislation introduced in 2002 to improve corporate governance, had been surprisingly successful.... Mr Greenspan said there was scope for fine-tuning of the legislation. But he sounded a very different note to some business lobbyists, and some Bush administration officials, who have warned of excessive compliance costs and of the potential impact of the legislation on corporate risk-taking."I am...

I recall being at a board meeting in 1998 and discussing the dot-com boom. My colleague, an executive at General Electric, tried to explain to me that it was all an illusion. He claimed that tried-and-true financial and valuation methods should be applied to those companies, not the bet-on-the-come "new accounting." I was convinced that times really had changed, and that those new companies were really worth what their stock prices indicated. Well we know who ended up being right. That conversation, and that...

Office chairs, because of their direct influence on user comfort and productivity, are an important purchase. While some businesses opt for the cheapest possible chairs, they often pay the price in decreased efficiency, more worker’s compensation claims, and increased sick days. The recent trend in office furniture is the creation of workstations built with human mechanics in mind. Because Americans spend more and more time working, they are demanding high-performance equipment and furniture that aids in efficiency, rather than hindering...

Mind you, I fully support the campaign against Wal-Mart (and here). It’s outrageous that taxpayers are subsidizing the health care costs of the world's largest retailer. In Maryland, for instance, Wal-Mart’s human resources people counsel employees on how to apply for Medicaid (and here).

Oregon Division of Finance & Corporate Securities Mission: To encourage the widest possible range of financial services, products and information for Oregonians, provided in a safe, sound and fraud-free manner. This ties directly to the broader mission of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, namely, to protect consumers and workers. We expect providers to make financial products and services available in a straightforward manner, disclosing the pertinent characteristics so consumers may make informed choices. We encourage citizens...

Last night I sat through a lively & irreverent presentation by Martin Wood, CEO and founder of Delkin Devices. Among the highlights was his insistence that if I really wanted to understand Delkin's strategy in memory markets I needed to meet his ... head of human resources.

SAP AG, Europe’s biggest software maker, will again dominate the business software applications market this year while rival Oracle Corp. will see its market share slip, an industry report predicted on Friday.

Because I made sure, as the owner of Irving Plaza, to be a good neighbor, the 14th Street Business Improvement District asked me to help with Washington Irving High School across the street. I walked in one day in 1997, just as the Internet was taking off for most Americans, and saw kids still typing on IBM Selectrics. I ordered a T-1 line, found some donated computers and sent one email to 10 friends asking if they would help me build a computer lab and connect it to the Internet.

Two hundred people showed up on a Saturday two weeks later. From that we started MOUSE.org, which today trains students to run the technology in their schools and has close to 1000 students in the program serving 89,000 other students and 6,000 teachers, saving the Department of Education a couple million dollars a year. More importantly, they’re making sure the technology works when the learning moments need to happen, which is priceless.

This should come as no surprise - I was a quirky kid. Hell, I'm a quirky adult. When I was around 11 or 12, while most kids were entertaining themselves by collecting baseball cards or playing video games (although truth be told, I spent a lot of time in the local arcades), I developed a love of office supplies.

When will our elected officials wake up and realized that the store owners of this city are not a piñata to be beaten? City tax and regulatory policies are already creating an intolerable burden on neighborhood stores. Many of these stores, those located in one of the myriad Business Improvement Districts, are taxed twice just to get basic city services. On top of all this, Phil Reed wants more vendors.

Pregnant Princesses such as myself are NOT supposed to sit in semi-hard office chairs all day long. If they do? Hip pain, back pain, pelvic pain and then afterward? Stiffness such that said Princess when trying to stand is uncertain of whether or not her legs will actually hold her up. Therefore she needs Hub's help to stand and make it across the living room. And later? When said Princess is in bed trying to go to sleep, there will be much crying and moaning and PAIN from the hips, back and shoulders. SO much that Hub will wake up at 2am and RUB...

Forrester Research forecast the U.S. online advertising and marketing spending will increase 23 percent this year to reach $14.7 billion. In five years, the Cambridge, Mass., research firm expects Web marketing spending to rival cable TV and radio, accounting for $26 billion, 8 percent of total ad spending.

Keith Longmire is the owner of JKL Business Growth Solutions. JKL specialises in bringing main stream business improvement and marketing solutions into the reach of smaller businesses. His website Breakthrough Business Growth has been designed to help owner-managers cut through the hype and produce innovative marketing plans that deliver results.

While the heat is still on the MPhasiS case, NASSCOM is keeping busy. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the NASSCOM have taken on the task of launching a toll-free hotline for reporting piracy efforts in India.

In the small business software marketplace, especially in vertical niches such as those in which we play, credibility is a key selling feature. We’ve found that openness pays on many ways. On our website you can see how many employees we have, read their names and see their photos in all their glory. You can red the detail of our software updates. Find out about bugs. Read our user advice sheets and check the latest fixes. There isn’t any part of our website hidden for registered users.

If you watched Neil Cavuto today, you'd think that the rate hike was due to a mentally ill Alan Greenspan. Here are some choice quotes from the anchor of the "most watched business news show on the planet," on the "fair and balanced news" channel:

As part of my new position, I get two of the coolest office supplies known to man:

The less cool of the two is a big stamp that says “PASS” for when a Report crosses my desk that meets requirements (every bit as exciting as it sounds. I’m officially a paper-pusher now). The more cool is one that says “FAIL.” I was hoping to get one with big RED letters for a little projected frustration at all the FAILs that I always got (and we all always got).

Okay, not to panic, or so I've been telling myself, but my computer has crapped out. We have nine computers in our house, all connected through the ether, wired and less, each humming away at it's own assigned duties. I'm sure the fact that we have nine computers to serve four residents is easily explained. Give me a moment if you would and I'll work on thinking what that explanation might be. PJ is an Electrical Engineer by training and profession and I have spent most of my work life as a a systems administrator. So that accounts for some of them.

I give the "Offshore Business Magazine" "Two Very BIG Thumbs Up! It's 36 colorful, well laid out pages, of well written articles, backed up with research and photos, tables, and charts. The index lists about two dozen articles and they're in diverse but relevant categories of offshore business, including; offshore business news, offshore banking, offshore gambling, offshore information (ie. laws, jurisdictions, products and prices) and offshore financial center (report/overview of a tax haven). In future issues of "Offshore Business Magazine", they'll...