This is a 3D Printed Octopus.
The bendable legs are cute.
It’s sitting on a camera and tripod.
Soon 3D Printed Objects will even talk, and when they do, this one will say:
Shabbat Shalom!
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Category Archives: Office
Ferrari Motor Furniture
This was very cool.
The first is a coffee table for the living room.
The second is half of a nice desk.
Both are made out of working Ferrari engines.
The coffee table goes for $50,000.
And the desk goes for $75,000.
I will told that this is a bargain based on what a working Ferrari engine goes for.
In a sense you can take your table for a spin around the block…LOL.
Truly the engine (and not just design of the car) is a work of art.
It merits being a centerpiece of your office or home. 😉
(Credit Photos: Andy Blumenthal)
Is Beer A Color?
So thought this was an interestingly funny flip chart.
It’s titled “Colors”.
And it has the typical ones you’d expect: blue, red, green, yellow, orange, purple, black, white, grey, brown, and tan.
But thrown into the mix is beer (and Summer)–maybe these go together!
Perhaps, someone had a little too much beer when asked about colors.
On second thought, maybe beer is a color. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Solving Computer Problems
Funny T-Shirt on solving computer problems:
Does it work?
Did you screw with it?
Does anyone know?
Can you blame anyone else?
This little flowchart seems to capture so many issues in the office like:
– Accountability
– Problem-solving
– Doing the right thing
Oh, maybe that’s a different flowchart. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
This Is The IT Help Desk
This was a funny true story that happened recently.
Someone found a roach walking around their desk in the office.
Not knowing who to call…they call the (IT) Help Desk.
Hello. What is the asset number on the device you are calling about?
Asset Number! You don’t need my asset number.
Well, what is the nature of your problem?
I’ll tell you what my problem is. The problem is that I have a cockroach walking around on my desk!”
Ah, do you know that you are calling the IT!!! Help Desk?
Ah, yes I do. Can you give me the number for who to call about this roach?
Ah, you are calling the wrong number. Why don’t you try finding out who your facilities person is?
Facilities person! But you guys are the Help Desk! Can’t you tell me how to get help to get rid of this roach? And by the way–where there is one, there are definitely more.
Ah, We don’t typically handle roach problems, but thank you for calling the Help Desk. {{click}}
I know many organizations are moving to Enterprise Service Desks where you can call and get help for all sorts of issues at work.
Even then, I wonder if the employees answering the line will be trained in who to call to get a Roach Motel or some Raid.
Perhaps this is the next evolution of support. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Colleagues That Care
I loved this from a colleague the other day.
When things got a little tough in the office, I came in the next day to 6 smiley faces lined up on my desk.
This is something that I really appreciate from some people:
Their HUMANITY.
Even though my colleague faced the same tough day, she was thoughtful of others and the impact on them (not herself).
There are some amazing people out there, and I thank G-d for putting them in my orbit. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Helmet Head
So happy Friday funday.
We work hard during the week, right.
Today in the office, we replaced some old metal clunker garbage cans with some new clean plastic ones.
The old ones, every time you threw a bottle or anything hard out, it made a crazy loud banging noise disrupting everyone.
I started to joke with my colleagues that the dirty, heavy old cans were more useful as a helmet in case of emergency evacuation of something.
So today the old metal junk cans got a happy face helmet head and a prestigious place next to the office plants.
Everyone had a good hearty laugh!
Honestly, it’s wonderful to be incredibly productive and accomplish a lot for the people, the mission, and all the stakeholders, and at the same time know how to have some fun and make people happy.
Good for morale and good for teamwork! 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
The Games People Play
The title sounds ominous, but I mean it differently.
People like to play games–the type you have fun at.
We learn to play when we are kids.
We get the attention of our parents and friends–and we have fun just being together, acting silly or even competing with each other.
Whether it’s over a game of Life, Monopoly, Risk, or Connect Four, or even these days going online with a game of Minecraft or Crush.
Sports is another type of game–great to play and others like to watch and cheer for their favorite teams or athletes.
This week at work, someone said to come to his meeting because:
“…everyone would have fun.”
Have you ever heard that at work–a fun meeting or for that matter anything being fun in an office setting?
The guy is a genius–people actually showed up in droves at the meeting.
They had to choose between various meetings going on at that time–and low and behold, people chose this one that was going to be fun!
In the meeting, there was a big bowl of candy and chocolate in the center of the conference table.
And the mood was relaxed as we got down to some business.
While we did the business, people felt free to be a little silly and laugh with each other too.
The tone had been set for some fun.
The person who hosted the meeting explained that he wanted people to have a good time coming to the meeting (and to work).
He called it “gamification.”
The idea is why not make things into a type of game and have some fun with it instead of everything being so stuck up and nasty all the time.
Listen, it was still a meeting and work had to get done, but it was nice to see a different lighter perspective put on it.
People want to enjoy what they do–whether it’s time with their family, friends, or why not even their work.
If we can make more things in life into a game of sorts and put “fun” into the equation of what we do–people smile, laugh, and let down their guards a little.
Why shouldn’t adult play games and have fun too? 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Third-World Office
So hooray for paper towels.
A good workspace is definitely conducive to productivity and morale.
That means cleanliness, open collaborative spaces, quiet work areas/offices, ample supplies, and obviously good technology.
I’ve been in world-class institutions in terms of their mission, but that were third-world in terms of their work conditions.
In one place, the bathroom toilets kept getting clogged with paper towels, so they got rid of them altogether, which forced the employees to use toilet seat covers for hand towels–yes, believe it!
Of course, at least we had running water, but there was also often flooding in the cubicle areas and the windows were nailed shut–high-tech security, not.
In another place, in the private sector, I remember a new CFO coming in and being so cheap that he actually got rid of the milk and creamer from people’s coffee.
Talking about pennywise and dollar foolish.
Don’t these institutions get that the way you treat people impacts the way they respond to their work.
How can we be the Superpower of the planet and can’t provide decent, normal work conditions to our workers.
It goes without saying that treating people with respect, dignity, and value should be happening all the time, but doesn’t.
We’re not even talking six-figure bonuses and stock options either–just treat people like human beings and not indentured slaves or cattle.
Wake up America–you’re people are worth working plumbing, paper towels, and some milk and creamer for their coffees and really a heck of a lot more than that. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
The Continued Softening Of Microsoft
Microsoft should not be acting old and grey.
Yet they are throwing away another $26.2 billion dollars in purchasing the relative revenue and profit weakling, LinkedIn, the professional networking social media site (where odds are you have your high-level resume-type information).
Have you ever paid a dime to LinkedIn or have you ever paid attention to single advertisement on LinkedIn (I can’t even remember if there is advertising on there—see I pay it zero attention!)?
Unfortunately Microsoft is following suite with it’s worthless purchase of Nokia in September 2013 for $9.4 billion that was all written off and then some with yet another ridiculous, desperate move.
Microsoft has been living off their legacy product suites of Windows, Office, Outlook, and SharePoint for years…and apparently, aside from the regular forced upgrades, they seem to have virtually nothing in the innovation hopper.
Hence, loser acquisitions of things like Yammer in 2012 for $1.2 billion (anyone use that BS Facebook-like service for inside their organization—work is not social playtime folks!).
Anyway, I like Microsoft products–they are functional, which is what I want from email, creating and editing documents, spreadsheets and slides, as well as sharing files–it’s great for bread and butter tasks–nothing sexy.
But every attempt that Microsoft makes in desperation to expand beyond their core competencies comes up soft and a big money loser.
Innovation and success is not bred by acquiring virtually worthless properties in terms of high-technology with no synergy to who they fundamentally are.
It is almost heartbreaking to see a once great company like Microsoft continue to drown in its own excess cash and strategically hollow ideas.
Microsoft will only be successful by thinking beyond the boxed in windowed organization that they have imprisoned themselves in.
I hope they can break a few windows and escape to some new technological thinking again soon–but the big question is whether they currently have the talent to make it so. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
andyblumenthal