Welcome to Cool Stuff!
In here, you'll find a compilation of useful and useless facts, trivia,
and tips from the staff of CommuniCreations.
Guiding Quote of the Month . . .
"640k ought to be enough for anybody." - Bill Gates, 1981.
Add these to the dictionary . . .
Hundreds of words have been added to our vocabulary in the last year. Besides
the phrase "going postal," here are some of our favorites. Try
using each one in a sentence:
- Anxious Class:
- Middle class people worried about economic security.
Fuhrmann:
- As a verb, to exhibit racial prejudice.
Home Meal Replacement:
Takeout food.
Joe Six Chip:
An ordinary Joe with a computer.
Starter Marriage:
A Report from the Department of Redundancy
And while we're picking on the English language, we'd like to point out
redundancies that seem, well, pretty redundant:
"Free gift" - Aren't all gifts free?
"Exact same" - Isn't something that is exactly like something
else the same?
"New baby" - When was the last time you saw an old one?
TRIVIA!
What was the first thing Dorothy said when she landed in the Land of Oz?
(Answer below)
Don't call me again!
Finally, the government has provided us with a law that's useful. Next time
a telemarketer calls you, say these three simple words: "Don't call
again!" If the firm calls you again, they are breaking the law and
you can report them to your state attorney general's office for action.
The law was enacted to curb abusive sales practices by telemarketing firms.
Scary corporate fact . . .
According to the American Home Business Association, more than 1,500 jobs
a day are eliminated by Corporate America. Fortune 500 companies alone have
cut five million workers loose over the past decade. Bet you can't say Job
Security.
Local businesses to support
If you're in need of pre-press work, manipulation, scanning or related services,
visit our friends at Pacific Pre-Press (http://pacific.telebyte.com/prepress).
They offer a wide range of services that are are very affordably priced.
Voice mail is your friend
Having voice mail at work is pretty handy, particularly if you're interested
in boosting productivity and efficiency. If you're not, it's still a pretty
handy tool for getting ahead in the business world.
Here's how:
Scenario #1: Late at night, dial up your boss' phone number and leave
important thoughts or ideas on voice mail, such as, "Sorry it's so
late, but it just occurred to me that we can save thousands by switching
shipment destinations. I'll fill you in tomorrow."
Since most voice mail systems automatically code the time and date called,
it sounds like you're burning the midnight oil. This also works well when
calling clients.
Scenario #2: After battling traffic for an hour, you've finally made
it home. But you suddenly remember that you forgot to do something before
you left work. No problem. Simply call your voice mail and leave yourself
a message. That way, you can deal with it first thing in the morning.
Scenario #3: If your voice mail has separate mailboxes, assign one
to your wife, kids or a special client. Then you can leave messages while
at work on their special line and only they can access it with a password
you assign them.
Scenario #4: Next time you reach someone else's voice mail, see if
it allows you the option to re-record the message. This is particuarly helpful
if you're contacting a client and get distracted during the message. If
you screw up, simply punch the right keypad on the phone when prompted and
voila!, you can sound instantly more intelligent and polished.
TRIVIA ANSWER!
The first word Dorothy spoke was, "Oh!" She uttered this as the
house hit the ground and before she opened the door.
Other Oz-Fact: A few years back an author wrote that you could see
a workman in the background of the scene in which the witch appears on the
roof of the small cottage next to the Yellow Brick Road. The shadow appears
just to the right of the cottage in the far background. If you look real
close, though, it's not a workman but one of the birds that appeared earlier
in the same scene. The bird simply gets too close to the painted backdrop,
casting a shadow.
BONUS TRIVIA QUESTION:
Who was orignally cast to play the Tin Man? (Answer below)
Visit our Company Store. . .
If you're a communication professional in need of top-notch internal communication
solutions, stop by our Company Store. Featured
right now is our new Suggestion Program Kit, containing everything
you need to create and manage a suggestion program for your organization.
Also on special this month: newsletter articles covering everything
from change in the workplace to motivating today's workforce.
BONUS TRIVIA ANSWER:
Buddy Ebsen, best known as Jed on the Beverly Hillbillies (90210?). He was
replaced when he developed an alergy to the make-up. Alex Haley's brother,
Jack Haley, replaced him (just kidding!).
See what future communicators are doing
Stop by the Seahawker at Arbor Heights Elementary School (http://www.halcyon.com/arborhts/jrseahaw.html)
to see what future communicators have to say. It's great to see someone
take the lead and get student newswriters online. After all, we will need
to be replaced some day when we're old and gray!
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If you have any comments, suggestion, questions or submissions,
CommuniCreations would love to hear from you! Drop us a line at ccreate@pacific.telebyte.com