Office Max!

Just for those curious, the two companies from my original list that are exactly where I’d want to work are: Capgemini US and Computer Sciences Corporation. The other companies that caught my interest after the fact (and where I might still work, but probably not on a “life-long career” basis) are: The Lash Group and Wells Fargo. Other companies were there, but as I said, most were web design, or programming, or specifically financial programming. Then I thought, isn’t that what the guys on Office Space did?

For those who insist on using proprietary commercial software (or, in some cases, Open yet Free open-source software), there are probably more reasons to fear. Apart from Genuine Advantage in Windows – that which delivers critical updates only to legal copies of the operating system – there is a further crackdown on illegal use of software in the UK.

If nothing changes, the liability for 2006-2007 under the current PAYGO system is $216,325,000 (see Table 2 on page 3 of the consultant’s report). According to new GASB accounting rules, “such liabilities need to be recognized on an accounting basis if not be pre-funded.”

It does not matter if you have a successful retail location, doing business on the internet will be like starting a whole new company. Offline advertising methods do not translate well to online marketing initiatives, and very few traditional retail models mesh very well with online commerce. The internet is a drastically different market than your mom-and-pop shop enjoys on Main St. in Anytown, USA- and there is a whole new set of marketing and promotion, customer service, and accounting rules to go with it.

You can’t see me right now - because my digital camera and computer are no longer on speaking terms - but I look very fetching. I’m wearing my new reading glasses. Jean badgered me into getting them yesterday. We were trolling through Staples Office Supply MegaSuperWonderstore, on the hunt for new pens, when I complained about a sudden onslaught of sleepiness. She stopped, looked at me, and laid down a declaration.

The other night I dreamed we got a new stapler at work—a heavy duty one that would actually staple things, unlike our wimpy, temperamental one. In my dream, I was quite excited. How pathetic is that?

Of course, count on the Times to try and undermine the WTC development - claiming that the construction of the office space, which is 20% less than was existed pre 9/11 would create a glut in the market. Okay then. How about we trash the brand new headquarters you're building in midtown that used eminent domain to obtain the property from other property owners and exceeds the prior office space in that location.

Now that I have the LLC all set up I have to get the finances in order. According to what I read in my NOLO books (thanks for the tip on those Steve - far cheaper than a lawyer and though the information is out there on the internet its nice to have it all in one spot) I need to make sure I keep my LLC finances very separate from my person ones to maintain the LL part of the C. I currently bank with a credit union so much as I would have liked to open an account with them its just not an option since they don't offer any business banking.

In what seems like a move pointed in Microsoft's direction, China has announced that it will ban the sale of "naked PCs", which are PCs sold without an operating system. With the somewhat over-optimistic headline, "Government ensures computers will use genuine software", the People's Daily reports:

Office space clutter is not only annoying, but it can also be one of the fastest ways to lose a clients or coworkers respect. Here are a few tips and wholesale electronics devices you can use to cut down on the clutter and create a neat, clean, professional-looking office.

Both Philadelphia and Baltimore have used Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) as a route to double devolution. BIDs are essentially voluntary neighbourhood business-led coalitions that make neighbourhoods a better place to do business.

Franchisors like Cartridge World, Rapid Refill, Smart Cartridge, and Caboodle Cartridge will argue that market acceptance of off-brand quality inks is rapidly increasing, providing ample room for aggressive franchisees to capture a piece of this growing market share. While it is true that market acceptance is increasing, so are the alternatives. Office Depot, Staples, Office Max, and nearly all retail stores now offer generic or private labeled inks and cartridges at substantially lower prices than their name-brand counterparts (HP, Canon, Lexmark, etc.).

This is bad news for San Francisco just when they approved the Google/Earthlink deal to deliver free wireless access to the entire city. It looks like thieves are after citizens at internet cafes busy with the laptops and they snatch them right there in front of other patrons. Electronics sell well in some dark streets. When the thieves get resistance, it looks like they don’t mind assault:

Big news - German software giant SAP has acquired enterprise risk management software provider Virsa Systems to boost its software compliance skills and strengthen ties with Microsoft. Virsa systems, the privately held US based company had recently bagged office space in the Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park.

From the Mayo Clinic: "Never attempt to dig out excessive or hardened earwax with items such as a paper clip, a cotton swab or a hairpin. You may push the wax farther into your ear and cause serious damage to the lining of your ear canal and even to your eardrum." Wanna go deaf? Stick a bobby pin in your ear. See herefor what it looks like when you've been packing that stuff in for a while.

Shopping for school supplies. (I’m still a sucker for office supplies, what can I say. Love those multi-colored Post Its.)

Overall, this past week was productive but I wasn’t as efficient as I had hoped. I’m still on track with the plan devised earlier this week but I was distracted with setting up the home office. I have been caught up in a cleaning and purging frenzy. My anal-retentiveness kicked in and I cleaned/reorganized every corner of my 1,050 sqft apartment. I was able to donate 10 large bags of unused clothing and shoes to The Salvation Army.