Office Max!

(Editor’s Note: I recently came across an interesting blog put together by Stephen Cugier and Nick Papa from Grubb & Ellis that focuses on Seattle’s commercial real estate market. In talking with them, I thought it would be interesting to have them post an occasional article on aspects of commercial real estate that might be of interest to people who generally follow the residential side of things. This first post by Nick will likely be particularly interesting for investors thinking of expanding into commercial real estate. )

The network effect is a simple one. Some things enjoy exponential increase in utility when there are many of them. Fax machines are the perfect example. A single fax machine is a useless item but a network of millions of fax machines has tremendous value.

Steve Diller, Nathan Shedroff, and Darrel Rhea have written a book - "Making Meaning: How Successful Businesses Deliver Meaningful Customer Experiences" - that really targets a deep issue in our lives - meaningful customer experience. How we experience our engagements with brands, and the business people delivering those brands, shape much of our daily lives. It can turn our day sour, or make our day smooth. We wish we could have more meaningful experiences when we come in contact with our suppliers and our providers of things we need or use. How often do you have a meaningful customer experience?

Business success is exponential, meaning everything builds on what you have done previously. If you invest the bulk of your profits back into things that directly add to your bottom line, like inventory, business improvement or advertising, then you will continue moving your business forward. And that is the ultimate goal!

In a post yesterday, I guessed that Walmart may be involved somehow in a current investigation into the theft of ATM cards. CNET provides an update today which indeed shows that Walmart is involved, as is OfficeMax.

There are many business improvement methods out there. What we don't really need is YAGI (yet another great idea.)

Office Max had a major security breach, and lost 200,000 Debit Card numbers. Radio reports I heard said that many people had already had their bank accounts cleaned out, mostly in Northern California. All 200k cards have apparently now been cancelled by the banks.

In preparation for the game I’d printed out the Click and Locks on heavy cardstock and slicked them up with some self-stick laminating sheets. BTW, I recommend OfficeMax over Office Depot. Cutting out the pieces was a pain and I’m not even completely done trimming them, but the result was worth it. I like having semi-permanent modules to play with so that I don’t have to worry about printing up fresh modules every time I play. Of course I could just have people write down their stuff on a sheet of paper like every other roleplaying game on the planet. Even if we did that, a Capes character is still less writing than most of the rpgs out there. I’d rather have the clicks, though. They’re fun!

When you want to find a new home for something -- whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano, or an old door -- you simply send an e-mail offering it to members of your Freecycle group.

I tend to write regularly about the Internet, because the Internet has been a major factor in freeing small businesses from the confines of our small size. The Internet has given us the ability to compete with larger businesses. The low-cost, open Internet architecture has made possible all those startup Web 2.0 sites.

I need not extend myself too far to demonstrate my nerd bona fides. My next purchase as soon as I save up the $69, is the LL Bean "Super Shockwave" Laptop Backpack. On my "I pine for it" list, once I move, is the Levenger Editor's Desk. In fact, I pore over my Levenger catalogue with excitement and desire--they are the "tools for serious readers." Who doesn't want a monogrammed leather International Pocket Briefcase to record your flashes of brilliance? A Levenger Lap Desk for those who like to study in bed or in armchairs? Yes please! Also, bear witness to my photo album of nerd accoutrements on the left sidebar. Yes, I do own a Star Trek pop-up book. Yes, I do possess two literary action figures, one of Oscar Wilde, the other of Jane Austen. No, I do not play with them--they are in mint condition, and I want to keep them that way. I do take them out to look at them from time to time though. I think I would be happy with just two more: Charles Dickens and T.S. Eliot, if they exist. This isn't even the entire collection of nerd accoutrements mind you--let's not get started on the office supplies, the filing system, the huge bookcase over-spilling with heady tomes of law, literature, poetry, Latin textbooks. I am Nerd. Hear me ROAR.