Gifts for my Son

Even having now graduated and moved on as a professional, my son still loves reminiscing about his college days in the student section at football games. We often go to games together, the two of us. Rainy days, sunny days….even snowy days. We’re there on all of them. Needless to say, after so much time spent at the field, fan gear can get a little worn or out dated. My son had worn the same hat all through college. He loves it, but it’s worn and falling to pieces. I decided to pick him out a brand one from the selection of Alabama hats at the Crimson Tide store. I ended up picking out a stylish, but simple hat. He’s a simple kid. It resembles his old one, except this one is a crew hat for a low profile look. It features an adjustable buckle strap, 6 eyelets and the embroidered Alabama logo on the front. It’s also washed cotton, so I know it’ll be comfortable- just what he always goes for. Among the Alabama T-shirts, I picked out one which sums up our dedication to the team. The front of the shirt features a screen print design with the team name and text that reads, “The Good…” and continues with “The Bad and the Ugly” on the back. Truly a statement we can both agree on! I got one for myself too! It’s 100% cotton, so it’s sure to be comfortable and great to wear to games on sunny days, to football parties or just relaxing around the house. It will definitely get a variety of uses from the both of us in our time spent together. I’ve only recently discovered the Crimson Tide store, but now that I have, I will be visiting often! I’ve got other loyal family members who have discovered my new obsession and are already making out Christmas lists!

If you need to buy gifts for your daughter, check out the suggestions in this article.

Pool Product Graveyard - Ultrashine Plus

It wasn't long ago that there were a lot more products living the good life in the pool cleaner market. But like most industries, everything has eventually been bought up and consolidated (check out the vast array of cleaning supplies now available in a pool cleaners section here), and that leaves behind all kinds of crazy memories for the pool nerds of the world. So with no further adieu, here's the details on an old product many of you may remember..

Paradise UltraShine Plus™ is the ultimate cleaner, polish and protectant for many types of plastics, as well as a variety of other surfaces. It comes in your choice of 24-ounce pistol-grip spray or 2-ounce pump spray and is non-aerosol. It will clean, shine and protect all in one easy step.

UltraShine Plus™ is quick and easy to use. Simply spray on a dry surface, wipe off and lightly buff with a clean dry cloth (do not use paper towels). It leaves no sticky or oily residue.  This unique formula contains a special ingredient that actually protects the surface while also making it easier to clean the next time.

Paradise UltraShine Plus™ was originally formulated to clean and shine many types of plastics including fiberglass, acrylic, Plexiglas®, Lexan®, Formica®, and Mylar® (i.e. window tint). It is also a handy addition to your bathroom and kitchen cleaning supplies, working well on chrome, cultured marble, stainless steel, glass and mirrors, marble, and porcelain.

Paradise UltraShine Plus™ will leave your acrylic or fiberglass spa sparkling! It removes dirt and water spots leaving a brilliant shine - and the "Plus" is a protective seal that makes it easier to clean the next time.

Some of the other uses for Paradise UltraShine Plus™ are eyeglasses and sunglasses, boats, personal watercraft, computer monitor screens, showers, tubs, and chrome wheels.

Facing Adversity - Reward with Gift Cards

Most sales people can easily find out from their company how much commission they have made to date. Just take the booked, shipped, or invoiced number (or whatever term defines success in your environment) and apply it to your commission plan to work out where you are. Simple. Now, should you want to see where you’ll end up at the end of the quarter, however, that’s a different story. Do you think it’s important to know where you’re going to end up?

The sooner you know that there is going to be a shortfall in your goals, the more time you have to make up the difference. If you know at the beginning of the quarter that you have a projected shortfall, then you have time to do something about it. Hoping that everything will work out is just not good enough. If you are in fact able to achieve such a difficult goal, then it is important to show your team appreciation for the work they put in. This can be in the form of a celebration, recognition, or prize incentive like Amazon email gift cards. Regardless, it creates an atmosphere where people are willing and ready to work hard in the face of adversity, and your team will be much more reliable in the long run. 

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Manufacturing Industry Inventions

Between Manufactures and Electricity Buildings (Photo credit: The Field Museum Library)

Quite a few inventions have led to economic booms ever since the 1600s. Even something as simple as barbed wire sparked a cattle industry, giving support to large companies and being able to support large populations. In the manufacturing industry, it's all about getting materials from A to B as fast and cheaply as possible, with improving quality and efficiency along the way. Here are a few notable items that helped get the manufacturing industry going throughout the past 300 years.

Steam Engine - Before, many moving parts in a manufacturing facility were powered by the workers or animals. This led to slower machines that could only output a limited number of products at a high cost. The steam engine was, and continues to be, a cost efficient way of moving large objects at high rates over long periods of time. The only real maintenance required is oiling the machinery and making sure there is no wear or tear.

Conveyor Systems - Improvements in producing products required improvements in moving them around. Conveyor belts that could move items at alternating speeds, and assembly tools and equipment that meshed with the whole process led to automated systems that required little manpower and monitoring. Today, computer systems can record every item in a warehouse with little error, something that required the work of hundreds of employees with a great deal of communication, and usually error.

Forklift - This item changed two major parts of the manufacturing industry. Before, large items could only be stored at ground level, which would be moved manually from point A to B. This decreased the amount of materials held at one place and time. Today, forklifts can move huge items stored at the ceilings of warehouses, optimizing the space of a facility and reducing cost from the owners. They also decrease the risk of injury for the workers and the likelihood of damaging valuable materials that need to be moved. This saves businesses tremendous amounts of money in many different departments of business.

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Instagram

Facebook buys Instagram! (Photo credit: tetraconz)

Facebook's $1 billion acquisition of Instagram has gotten the whole world talking. Why do they need Instagram? Why would they pay so much? What are their long term plans? Although it is tough to accurately answer any of these questions, it is clear that Facebook wants to make a bigger splash into the mobile world. The user experience for most Facebook users is on a desktop, and the company is a bit worried about their future in the growing Mobile environment. What do you think? Great buy or money pit for Facebook?