PSA Station
Business, Marketing, and New Technology
AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems Conference
Nov 11th
Coming up in August 2012, is the AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America Symposium in Las Vegas, NV. This is a huge conference that has over 500 leading companies participating, and thousands of students, scientists, researchers, CEO’s, industry leaders, decision makers, innovators, and government officials attending. Over 40 countries are expected to participate.
As the name implies, it is all about systems and products that relate to unmanned systems. This includes everything from the Mars rover, to underwater tools, to robots in factories. Anything and everything that might be needed to create such devices is included. There will be exhibits about aviation, and space technology, and military embedded systems. There will be info on underwater vehicles and other robotics.
There will be Indoor demonstration areas allow exhibiting of air, ground and maritime vehicles, there will also be 150+ technical, workshop, panel and poster presentations .
INNALABS is going to participate in North America 2012, and will be showing their inertial navigation system. This system can be used in many different ways, in unmanned subs, in stabilization applications for Naval and Land vehicles, among others.
August of next year is still a long time away, but this conference would be a blast, if you’re interested in getting a glimpse of our future.
“Can I Have Time Off?”
Nov 11th
Keeping track of everything is one of the trials of having a business. Yes, tasks are delegated; they have to be, because no one can do it all. One of the hardest things to juggle is scheduling. If you have a business where the employees have different schedules, and even these are flexible and changing, it can be a nightmare to try to piece all the bits of the puzzle together. It’s bad enough trying to keep track of employees attendance, much less their absences. With people asking for time off here, and there, and then again, it can be maddening to stay on top of it.Often, an employee has a bit of flexibility with their own time off. They may have personal days that can be taken any time, or a certain amount of sick days, or even vacation days that fluctuate. It can be challenging for the employee to keep track of this, and even worse for the employer.
Fortunately, there is one helpful solution. Empire TIME OFF software is perfectly made for keeping track. Employees can quickly see how much time off they’ve already taken, and they can submit requests for time off online.
Employees can easily see how much time off has already been used, and be better able to make decisions about granting more. This time tracker software keeps it all organized, and simple to use. It works in any size company. So, if this is one of the issues your company is having, help is at hand.
Do You Survey Your Customers?
Nov 11th
Ok, so you have a business, but have you changed your marketing strategies lately? In these times, marketing is a horse of a different color from what it used to be. It’s not about your product, it’s all about what the customer wants. Now days, people have SO many choices, and they begin looking for a business with a definite idea in mind of what they want. Many times, the business owner is so in touch with his product or service, that he overlooks something obvious; something that his customers are asking for.
For instance, I was talking to a mechanic the other day. He had focused his marketing efforts in the areas of good pricing, and honest, quality service. This was serving him well, and he had compiled a healthy customer base. However, I alerted him to the possibility that he might b missing something in his marketing. He said, “what?’ But that question was not for me to answer, it was for his customers to answer.
So, he began asking. He sent out a survey to his customers using an online survey software (fortunately, he did have an email list for his customers) and quickly found out that many of his customers said that one of the reasons they chose him (in addition to his quality work) was that his shop was nearby, and convenient to get to.
Therefore, just knowing that information, he added this into his local marketing efforts, and nearly doubled his new customer base. They responded very well to his new marketing ads that also mentioned “convenient location”.
Do you know what your customers want? Why not ask them?
Home Arcade
Nov 11th
We’ve been cleaning out the garage. You know how things can just pile up, and pile up, and before you know it, there’s no space left? Well, that did indeed happen, and so we’ve been making a concerted effort to get rid of stuff, to make space.
At least, that was the plan. But nature abhors a vacuum, and it didn’t take long for that free space to start filling up again. At least this time, the “stuff” was a bit more interesting. I walked out of the kitchen the other day to find a large white contraption right in the way. My son had brought home a pin ball machine! It was old, a regular classic, with race cars, and lights, and bells- the whole works! How could I complain? I mean, who doesn’t love a classic pin ball game?
When I was young, my grandfather had one in his “game room”. This was a room in the corner of the basement, which he’d paneled, and carpeted, and hung a few deer trophies on the wall. It also had this awesome pinball machine, and we kids just loved it! So, now, I had no objection to having one of my own. We even discussed getting more “toys”, like a pacman arcade machine, and turning the garage into a game room. Now, THAT’s a good idea!
Investment Opportunities for Start-Ups
Nov 6th
Had any good ideas lately? Seems like everyone is having great ideas these days. Perhaps it’s because of the state of the economy, and everyone is thinking, thinking, thinking about how they can make more money. I have heard several really good ideas lately for new inventions. Now, I, myself do not know how to get a patent on a new invention, or how to get it marketed and distributed, but all that info is certainly available online. For sure, one of the silver linings in bad times is the impetus to start new businesses.
When people are laid off, they often take that time as the opportunity to start the small business that they’ve always dreamed about. No money coming in, but lots of motivation… I think this is one of those times. Have you had a business idea rolling around in the back of your head for…. forever? But you just haven’t done anything about it?
Maybe you’ve been keeping track of small business news, and watching other entrepreneurs get started. You know it’s possible, and you just KNOW you have a million dollar idea. Maybe you’ve just always wanted to own your own print shop, or flower shop, or restaurant, or bar. A friend of mine just opened his own bar; he calls it “Brewsters”. He’s a really, really smart computer geek, who decided that every Wednesday night will be “Geek Night”, so that all the “smart guys” around will have a place to go to have all their higher-level-discussions without the blare of a football game. Hey, we geeks like to have fun, too!
So, this economic slow down just might be one of the best times for investment opportunities you’ve seen in a while. Yes, it does take a leap of faith to start your own business, and yes, you might have to look around for some investors, but it’s doable. Really.
Cyber Monday
Nov 6th
Thanks to Darwin Barton
I have been wanting to get a new and upgraded television package. My friends told me that I should wait and check out Cyber Monday direct tv deals. I had never even heard about “cyber Monday.” My friends had to explain it to me. I have always heard and gotten out on “Black Friday” to get some good deals and get Christmas gifts for family while everything is on sale. I think that I actually may do my shopping on Cyber Monday instead of getting out in the cold and risk being trampled. It is only October and it is already thirty degrees and freezing! We got our first snow of the season last week. I think that shopping curled up in my bed with my dog and husband sounds a lot better than having to get out at five o’clock in the morning and wait push and shove people trying to get into Target or Walmart. I love the internet, it is going to keep my anxiety about shopping this Christmas down and also keep me safe and warm at home.
Dress for Success
Oct 28th
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Remember that line?
It used to be that there was a certain kind of attire required for work, and a certain kind required for play. Now, it seems the two have sort of blended into each other. The debonair young executive wants to make sure that his image is intact when he goes to the comedy show with his date on a Friday night, and often, he hasn’t the time for a change anyway. Ok, ” She”. I know that there are many a female executive, or young professional that must make the daily work-wear miraculously transform into the evening attire as well. Luckily for us, this isn’t as hard as it used to be.
Women’s suits women’s suits can be as versatile as they are functional. All it take is quality, and a little imagination with accessories. A scarf, a bolder necklace, sexier shoes, and we’re ready to go! But, of course, you must start with quality. One really good way to do this is to wander (virtually) through Express . And while you’re there, be sure to register for their Express sweepstakes . You might win a $500 makeover!
Nothing says you can’t look good at work, and then go straight out for a night on the town, looking even better! Do you wear suits to work? How do you change accessories to go out on the town later? Do you wear suits only for personal meetings? What about those virtual meetings done via computer? Leave a comment and let us know!
New Concept for Entertainment
Oct 27th
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Untitled Jersey City Project for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
There is a great 8 episode show getting started on Jersey City. At first, when I saw the current title, I was a bit confused. It is called “Untitled Jersey City Project”. Still, I checked into it, thinking that this was just some writer’s idea of a snappy title. What I found was really interesting. It is a new concept, an experiment by the producers to have the audience, (that’s you and me) get involved with the creation of the show! It is a TV drama, but it is a work-in-progress, and WE get to have input and feedback.
For starters, you can name the show!
Or at least, you can put in your two cents worth. You can go here Untitled Jersey City Project for more information, and if you scroll down and bit and click on Name The Show, you can put in your suggestions. I really like this! You can also leave a few comments if you like.
So far, there are 8 short-form episodes, that are just fragments of a much larger story line. Many of the story thread are started, but left without any resolution, so you know that more is coming. And from the looks of things, you and I will be able to have some input on what that may be.
The setting is on the Jersey City waterfront, which is developing fast. It is across the river, and within sight of Manhattan. Lots of new development is going on right on the edge of the old gritty town. So the contrast between the shiny glass towers, and the down-and dirty grime of the streets is fair ground for many twists within thickening plots. Already I am fond of Jane Kaplan, who is a reporter who, naturally, gets caught in the midst of things. No doubt her life will be in danger multiple times, and there will be much ado to keep her safe. (What would a hero be without a damsel in distress to save, eh?)
Check this out- it’s fun!
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High Tech Gagets for Measuring
Oct 24th
This world we live in is getting more and more technical every nano-second. Not even counting the fact that I am a bit techno-challenged, I still can’t keep up with all that’s happening. This is never so evident as when I ask my kids ( now full grown adults) what they want as gifts for birthdays or Christmas.
A while back, one son requested an infrared thermometer. I’d never heard of such a thing. I always thought that you had to actually touch something, to take its temperature. Not so, not any more! This amazing gadget works when you just point at an object! We delighted ourselves for quite some time pointing it at things, just for fun- the milk jug in the refrigerator, the wall, the cat’s tongue…you get the idea. (He actually asked for it because he is a bit of a chef, and he wanted to test the temperature of things still in the oven.)
Another son asked for a Digital Multimeter. Say whaaaat? I had no clue what that was, either. He is an auto mechanic, and a whiz at all things electrical or mechanical, so his need was for an instrument that could measure, well, all things electrical. This device does just that. It measures voltage, and watts, current, resistance, frequency, and a lot more. I have no idea what he does with all that information, but he seemed really happy to have his new “toy”.
Need a Boca Raton divorce attorney?
Oct 21st
If you’ve watched television lately, you’ll be thinking that either all marriages are sugar and honey, or all marriages end in divorce. There just doesn’t seem to be any in-between. It is all black and white, no shades of grey. I, for one, do not find it amusing to see couples fighting all the time over teeny tiny little things. Even worse, fighting and yelling and arguing over misunderstandings, and then holding a grudge for hours, days, weeks. Perhaps it makes for a sit-com plot, when the writers can’t think of anything else, but it is not my kind of humor. What is this world coming to when two people do not even try to work things out? Of course there will be differences, and there will be opinions that clash, and there will always be two different ways of looking at anything. But whatever became of compromise? or personal responsibility?
Sadly, it is possible that two people can grow apart. After all, maybe it is just too much to ask that two people could live happily together for decades and then decades more. (I am the hopeless romantic that believes it is possible, so don’t ask for my opinion.) As people grow up, and find new interests, and make changes to whatever it s that they believe, it is quite possible that they might find themselves in two different places. That’s when you might just be better off calling it quits. You know, you don’t have to part as vitriolic enemies. There are many people who just drift apart and decide to go their separate ways. I believe this is a new trend, called the “peaceful divorce”.
Two of my friends are doing this. They live in Boca Raton, and have just decided that both will be happier on their own. They found a good Boca Raton divorce attorney
and are working things out peaceably. Good for them. At least this way, there is very little chance that you’ll find them on the Boca Raton News fighting it out.