Office1000 Blog March Archive

Paper!

By Blog Stories at 03/08/2008 12:54

Paper. Paper. Paper. What would life be without paper? Your fiber and strength, your color and length. Life would be difficult without you dear material.

Imagine the collapse of the entire human civilization if they were not around. They existed as far as humans needed something to record things. We all know what happened to those who did not keep records. They vanished and we do not know much about them. Only their fossils gave some clue.

May it be from the fiber of a plant, or skin of a lamb, we owe a lot to it. Should I cite some helps? Hmmm... Well, we record history on paper. We record law, which keeps countries in tact, on paper. We send mail to people through paper. We audit our finances on paper. We draw on paper. We doodle on paper. We cut paper with cutters to make decorations. What else?

But paper has its bad effects, too. Rapid deforestation is one. Piling garbage is another. Even with its array of good uses, it can still cause harm if not utilized properly, which is why we should all recycle them. I guess this is one not-so-radical proposition, right?

Hence the shift to electronic media, said to be more environment-friendly than the traditional paper. Not so, actually since we consume electricity when we turn on our computers. To produce electricity, we need power plants. Power plants that cause pollution. So you could say that it is a matter of which side effect to choose. And, of course, we'll have to put paper through shredders, which use electricity, when they are not in use anymore.

Paper. Paper. Paper. What a lonely matter. You are not responsible for nature's decline, I know you are not. It's your users who are. Nobody except us who are.

It's the Small Things

I joked to a friend a while ago that we should hold a raffle draw here in Office 1000 for additional publicity. Since there is a 1000 in the website's name, I thought that we should give away $1000 worth of goodies--specifically what? I was thinking of $1000 worth of paper clips! Now how is that for a grand prize? Imagine yourself having tens of thousand of paper clips residing in your room. Thus you will have no problem anymore with looking for a paper clip once you need it as they are practically everywhere. If you want to, you can even have it for lunch.

Or if you think that is too much, why not a thousand bucks worth of rubber bands? That way you won't run out of something to compile some papers with as the handy dandy bands are at the tip of your fingertips--possibly literally as there is no more room to move in!

Or you'll probably hate us for giving you so much of the same thing. Why not add some variety, right? Let's see... $1000 worth of thumb tacks, paper clips, adhesive tapes, and even needles! Yes, needles would be greatly needed as the thumb tacks are bound to destroy some clothing, due to its sheer amount.

So come on, would you still want us to give you prizes? Seriously? Too bad I have no power to do so. When I do it, my superior will surely kick me out of the job! Do not worry, items here are worth every single cent that you pay for it.

P.S. Boy oh boy, I wouldn't mind keeping a thousand bucks worth of paper clips if I were you. They would make a good way to impress your boss as you always have some paper clips when he/she needs it, right?

Financial Notes

For the keen, keeping track of everything that goes around you is everything. This may not be what is happening at the moment, but you plan to. And for that, let me salute you as I have never been much of a recorder of things. but if you will think about it, it's really commendable.

In this age when the most basic commodities are rising in prices due to tough competition and stretching demand, listing down your expenses is something that we should all do. Let us not wait that we run out of resources. We should plan ahead (well, at least, I got it in this aspect). Just look at your car, for example, are you aware of how much are you spending on gas and maintenance and other auxiliary functions? Do you have an expense record to keep track of things? Or do you wait for your gas to run out, then you'll check your cash just to find out that you do not have anything left. Terrible is it not?

Businessmen know this. They take this lesson religiously. Why shouldn't we as well? While these businessmen are off computing and listing and listing on their record books, we're probably lounging off in one part of their shops and shop to our hearts' delight--as if we have enough money. Hahaha.

I am sure you got the point. I myself am increasingly becoming more aware about my finances that I am already listing them like an OC. Hooray for me! May we all be become more responsible spenders so that we do not end up in another economic slump.

Keeping Note

Notes here, notes there, notes everywhere. Notes are our primary way of keeping track of things, dating back to ancient times. Obviously, the need to record events and other transactions became a necessity even before our great great great grandparents were born.

And I am not suggesting you to do otherwise. Recording your, say, investments or home budget, will add to do the integrity within the company. Even for a start-up company, auditing should already be present or risk yourself of being robbed by inconsiderate employees. And it isn't inconsiderate employees you have to look out for, anyway, but your own amnesia as well.

Like what I have said in a previous post, keeping track of our obligations hinder us from further spending than what we have, which is the cause of the present economic turmoil in the United States, affecting the whole world. No, it isn't because a socialist economy is better than a market economy (heck it does not have anything to do with that) but just some Americans' inability to fight the urge to spend more than what they can actually pay.

However, putting up lots of notes can be really tragic to our environment as we compile enough trash to last it a lifetime. It's always best to recycle these sheets of paper when not in use. You won't regret it.

To sum it all up, always keep notes to keep track of your activities and not to get lost, but never forget that you are also obliged to the environment so make sure that, whenever possible, reduce the consumption of new paper, reuse the paper you write on. Rewrite on it if you can. If you cannot, then recycle it. Do the Three R's ring a bell?

Some Items that Caught me Off-Guard

Been browsing through the available items here at Office 100 when I came across 2 items that caught my eye--my eyes, for that matter. Not that they are any unique, but it's been like ages since I have last seen any of these items. It's quite a nostalgic feeling, actually, as I see these products in a picture.

So what are they?

Well, the first item that I saw was this electric pencil sharpener from Hunt - Bienfang-Xacto. The last time I saw a sharpener like this was in elementary school. As I remember, it was some sort of mechanical as it still has some handle that you have to turn to turn the pencil around against the blades of the sharpener. They weren't exactly nice as, when you clean up the mess, all the pencil particles would fly around, but it was still a handy tool to have around you with, especially if you are irritated with continuous sharpening of pencils like me.

The second thing that got my attention was this Metro Air Force Stealth Dryer 4.0 PHP from Metro Data-Vac. I have to admit, nowhere in my memory can I get an instance of seeing this gadget, but I honestly thought at first that it is some kind of bath booth for pets, just to find out that it is a drying booth. haha. Close enough, though. So what do bathing booths remind me? Well, they have this similar kind of bathing booth in one expansion pack of the Sims Unleashed.I'm quite addicted to the series, you see.

What is the point of this blog post? Have I just been wasting some memory by putting these words here? Not exactly. My task here is to give you information on some of our eye-catching items, and these items are eye-catching, indeed.

Artsy and Hi-Tech

And when we thought pens are just pens, they have shown to be valuable tools and gifts as well. Like what I have said in a previous post, pens may tell a lot about your stature in a capitalistic society. Thus, it is obvious that make good presents to our family and friends.

These type of pens are not expensive for nothing, you know. They embody something. Something that you cannot find in ordinary ball pens or gel pens. Just take a look at this fountain pen by Namiki. Can you see the designs imprinted on its body? It's a dragon with a cumulus cloud as a design. As you might probably have known, the Japanese consider writing as an art. While we use writing just to write, they consider it as something that defines their culture. Every stroke, every line, every twist--they mean something. To master the craft means you should practice it regularly starting at a very young age. I dunno about you, but I certainly like seeing Japanese characters written on light fabric. They're refreshments to the eyes.

And pens are not for gifts alone. They also prove to be useful gadgets much like James Bond's, though less sophisticated. A fine example would be this pen from Drimark. it's actually a pen that can detect fake money. Make a small mark on a recent US bill (bill series 1959 or later) and if it makes an amber mark, it's genuine. If it's dark brown or black, then it is probably fake. Neat, eh? True, it is not like one of those pen-turned-tracker pens you see in James Bond movies, but they are certainly more useful than those.

Pens, Pens, and More Pens

Pens have always been a sign of stature in society. It's also a fashion statement. Of course it didn't start out that way. It was, of course, invented ages ago, probably by the ancient Egyptians, just as a tool to record things occurring in the community. Some bit of history might be helpful, I guess.

The earliest discovered writing materials discovered were dated back to 3000 BC. They were reed brushes developed to write on papyrus scrolls, used mainly by scribes of ancient Egypt. They were used until the Middle Ages when they were eventually replaced by quills, which were soon replaced by fountain pens (invented by Petrache Poenaru while being a student in ever-fashionable Paris) and ballpoints. Now fountain pens are still around but not commonly used by the middle class in which we (?) belong. We, who belong in the middle class, prefer gel pens, you see.

So that's exactly the point. Those who belong in the lower of echelons of the capitalistic society do not use expensive fountain pens for the obvious reasons that we cannot afford it. Unlike those who are well off, our ability to purchase such exquisite items are constrained by our finances. Well, if you'll really consider it, we can, of course buy it. We're not that poor--but if you'll think of its practicality, we'll have to think about it again.

So we have here a directory not only of the rather cheap office items but the finer ones as well. That's what I like about Office 1000. Sure, I have featured here items that can be afforded by everyone, but they surely have items, too, that are fit for those who are affluent. let's just say that I liked the fact that I can make some window shopping in this website. Haha.

Your Wall

The wall is the face of your home. No it is not the door. No it is not the windows and most definitely not the floor. It is the wall and nothing else. How could I say so? Well, there are various reasons.

It is where you put certain decorations which visitors, while walking around your home, will see. You do not put up paintings and portraits on the floor, right? It is your giant canvas where you wholly express yourself. The choice of color alone must reflect what kind of person you are. Is it jolly yellow or peaceful blue?It goes without saying that your wallpaper (if there is) also tells a lot about the wall's owner.

The typical teenager would post posters of his favorite celebrity or rock band. The father who likes fishing would probably put up his trophy on the wall. The nerdy child will probably have his science experiments put on the racks hooked to the wall, and the mother would most likely hang her cross-stitch creations. You see, the wall is indeed a reflection of yourself. Whatever you put those hooks and racks, from the most characteristic items to the more generic ones like wall clocks, it tells a lot about who you are or what you want to happen.

The ones listed above are just my thoughts of the most likely wall props for a specific personality, but that could change, of course. How about your wall? Does it define who you are or is it plainly concrete standing to support your home?

Markers Schmarkers

Inside our Department's building, we use glass boards instead of the usual blackboards where professors write. So, obviously, our professors use markers for these purposes. I was told that each faculty member is given one box of glassboard markers each. Unfortunately, not all of them work. Some would faint as you write on the board while some don't work altogether. What kind of markers do these factories produce? Tsk tsk. Talk about quality control.

Anyway, it isn't just glassboard markers alone. So goes for pens and even permanent markers. The same old I-am-faint markers that they produce. It is a wonder why they can't make all of their markers work well. It isn't as if they cost a penny in the first place.

Hopefully--just hopefully--Pilot's permanent markers won't be the same. Probably they won't. We're talking about Pilot here and, for the most part, I have had a good experience with Pilot's products.

I won't tell you that Pilot's markers are perfect, for you might hate if something wrong comes up. I can assure you, however, that Pilot's markers are waaaaay better than anything I have tried before. And if I prove to you that I am right, then go the next level and purchase their marker refills. Their permanent markers are refillable, by the way.

Hmmm. Despite this, I am still on the lookout for the perfect pen. Something that would be of top quality but is still affordable. Don't we all like to have one of those?

Spring Cleaning!

Maintaining a clean environment is no easy task. To swipe all those dirt and slime can be really tiring if you do not know where to go or how to clean. And, of course, they is always the tendency to leave our tasks for another day, something which accumulates until there comes a time when we are too overpowered by the heavy weight of the cleaning jobs.

But it is never too late to clean up our cleaning act (pun not intended). When there's a will, there is a way. Don't worry, we can help you with your duties, thanks to Metro Data-Vac Turbo 2000 Dual Motor High Tech Cleaning System. As its name suggests, it is a high-powered high-tech vacuum cleaner that will siphon all those dirt in no time. Its motor has a peak power of 1.7 horsepower--very strong, indeed. When you buy the whole set, it comes with a 7-foot Power conducive flexible hose, a floor brush, a dust brush, a crevice tool, a fabric tool, and many more. Just check out the item for more details.

Metro Data-Vac does not sell vacuum cleaners alone. They also sell blowers, because they know cleaning is not all about vacuuming; it's also about washing and, obviously, drying. We don't want our furnitures to stay in wetness, do we? For these drying purposes, their dryers will do the trick.

After cleaning up, make sure to keep away your cleaning materials away from your children's reach. You may never be sure as to what they can do. For your dryers, mount them on Metro Data-Vac's Air Force Mounting Bracket for Blaster, Commander, and Cagemaster Dryers. Mount them on these steel brackets, vertically or horizontally.

Cleaning up can be really a hard task but, hey, it's already spring cleaning!