The Fast Company Blog by Fast Company staff

11:14 pm | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

24 hour Life Detox

Some times I would like to take a break, check in to a non Internet, non phone call, non business treadmill environment and just breathe, think and escape for 24 hours. Today I had a marathon day, back to back meetings, calls, issues etc. My brain simply hurts. My start up is at a critical juncture. I need to be fresh and super energized. We are starting a new fund raising push. I've been working 18 hours a day for 18 months. So on Wednesday, I am signing out to regroup and refuel. I'm getting a massage, doing a picnic by myself and having a "me" holiday. What do you do to recharge your spirit, your mind, your being, when you feel like this?

11:05 am | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

Shortcut Keys in Vista

The average person could save up to 10 minutes per day by using shortcut keys. From saving and printing to select all, etc... That is one full weeks worth of work per year!

The most forgotten of the shortcut keys is the Windows key. The one that looks lole the Microsoft Windows logo. I love my Windows Key. It is the key that on every laptop I have ever owned, will always get worn off first and was my biggest pet peeve with ThinkPad’s as they did not have a Windows Key for a long time.

What does it do? Why is it so cool you ask?? Well…let me give you…

Stephen’s Top 10 Coolest Little Known Shortcuts featuring the Vista Windows Key in No Particular Order:

Windows + # = Launches shortcut in Quick Launch with the position corresponding to the # entered. ( I LOVE THIS ONE!!)

Windows + Break = Displays system properties

Windows +U= Launches Ease of Access Center

Windows + L = Lock Workstation

Windows + X= Launches Windows Mobility Center ( I use this on my laptop all the time)

Windows + Spacebar = Switches to Sidebar

Windows + G= Cycles through Sidebar Gadgets

Windows + Tab = Aero 3-D Switch view

Windows + Tab+CNTRL= Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Windows Flip 3-D

CNTRL + Windows + F= Search for computers

Enjoy that extra week per year. You owe me.

Stephen

Stephen is Sr. Partner and Network Architect with Odyssey Consulting Group

11:58 pm | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

I Love My Windows Mobile 6 (believe it...or not)

There are three types of people in the world.
Blackberry users, Treo users and Windows Mobile users.

I have been through all three in my search for the perfect mobile computing solution. I did the Treo 650. It needed plug in's galore to be compatible with my apps. I had the early Blackberry 5810. It was very clunky and reminded me of the old WWII in the field crank em phones, and I had a early version of Windows Mobile which was well… Windows but not Windows enough.

So…I bought a Blackjack early this year with WM5 and was surprised and happy. I became at long last Windows Mobile fan. I just upgraded to the Blackjack II and with it came Windows Mobile 6.

So…is it really better? I am happy to say….it is.

For those of you looking at a WM6 phone…here’s what is new.
• Smart Filter: With Smart Filter in email, simply type the subject, word, name or text you want to search for and VOILA!

• Support for Exchange Server 2007

• Windows Mobile 6 adds a number of hotkeys so you can quickly deal with the email in your mailbox i.e. F for Flag or A for Reply to All

• Support for HTML Email. No more plain text only emails

• Storage Card Encryption

• Improved Calendar including invitees and Accept/Decline status.

• Improved versions of Office Mobile (Word, Excel and PowerPoint)

• Improved Mobile IE

• Full version of Windows Live (Formerly Windows Messenger

• Updated Windows Media Player

• And it looks more Vista like

So…if you are searching for a true mobile computing platform, look into Windows Mobile 6.

Enjoy!

Stephen is Sr. Partner and Network Architect with Odyssey Consulting Group

11:52 am | 0 recommendations | 3 comments

Sustainability: Inconsistencies in the Green Market

In the never ending cycle of green paradoxes, many consumers say they would pay more for green technology, but the VCs have slowed their investments there. Granted consumers were talking about home electronics and the VCs referred to alternative energy, but it still shows how market forces aren't suddenly going to solve our climate problems.

A survey released this week by Forrester Research found that 12 percent of Americans would pay more for consumer electronics that use less energy or were made by a company with a positive environmental image. An additional 41 percent are concerned by the environment but not sure they would pay extra for a green computer. That still leaves 47 percent who don't really care. But it stands to reason that those who are willing to pay more for green products are probably the ones with the most buying power.

In contrast, a recent column in The Nation highlighted how the investment community is losing interest in green technology in favor of private security and defense companies.

There's still a significant sum going towards clean energy ($4.2 billion to be exact.) But this year, companies focused on security and defense eclipsed the green tech firms, earning $6 billion -- almost double what they made in investments last year. Naomi Klein describes how ridiculous it is that guns and border fences will protect us from disasters in The Nation:

The ultimate expression of this second option is in Hummer's new TV ads: the gas-guzzler is seen carrying its cargo to safety in various disaster zones, followed by the slogan "HOPE: Hummer Owners Prepared for Emergencies." It's a bit like the Marlboro man doing grief counseling in a cancer ward.

I guess if Johnathan Goodwin retooled the engine that would make sense (see Motorhead Messiah from the November issue). But something tells me Hummer hasn't created its own super fuel-efficient biodiesel model yet.

While the majority of consumers have yet to show significant interest in putting solar panels on their homes or setting up wind farms, a large part of that is the high cost of alternative energy sources. That could change if companies that work in green tech received more funding and/or the government implemented policies that were favorable to such companies. If consumers are willing to pay a little bit more for a green computer they may eventually come around to renewable energy when the price is right.

03:17 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment

Leading People On

Steve Trautman spends his time engaging people in knowledge transfer. We met over a decade ago, helping grow Microsoft from a small software firm to something much more. We didn't work together, per se, although we had similar roles heading education groups in different parts of the company, each primarily focused on helping new employees succeed.

When we met, we were each in our mid-twenties, without much experience, taking chances in an environment that welcomed risk. We each held giant jobs and yards of rope we rarely hung from. It was refreshing to know that while we were alone in our responsibility, there was someone else an [internal] e-mail away, who might be facing similar situations.

Perhaps our hard work and early successes make us particularly sensitive to comments we hear now about younger workers with their tech-centered, self-centered, short-attention-span, high-maintenance mentality. It isn't uncommon to hear people from even our own generation say, “Kids these days don’t really know how to work.” I don't believe that's true.

The issue is more complex.

Take for example, a 20-something recent hire at a cool San Francisco ad agency who expressed he was bored after only four months on the job. He had a masters degree although no significant work experience when hired. By four-months, he expected to be done with the grunt work and moving on to higher level tasks. This left him reconsidering his position everyday.

Is it that he didn't know how to work, or he wanted something more?

This relatively common scenario represents the sort of kids who comprise the coming workforce. Trouble is there aren’t enough of them to fill all the coming boomer vacancies. They have their pick of options and can move on when one doesn't suit them.

What can organizations do to keep younger workers?
In his book Teach What You Know: A Practical Leader's Guide to Knowledge Transfer, Steve identifies five steps to on-boarding that put the young worker in the driver’s seat quickly, improving productivity and reducing attrition.

Step 1: Make connections with people. Provide a peer mentor, and a series of experts to teach the specific skills needed for the job. Give those mentors a clear role to play and skills to play it well. At this same stage advise new employees on how they can find what they need on their own and take personal responsibility for getting themselves up to speed quickly.

Step 2: Develop a complete list of all skills they’ll build in the position. This “stuff you probably don’t yet know” list should be accompanied by insight on how they'll be tested to show they’ve acquired the skill. Will you observe them each week then talk through alternate methods at team meetings, or will customer complaints and annual reviews be the only metric? Then offer specific resources they can use to develop the skills with or without help. They’ll be motivated by the list because it fosters independence and shows them what they can look forward to over time. When they see an interesting path in front of them, they’ll spend less time looking around.

Step 3: Develop a list of foundational information right from the start. Include passwords, vocabulary, current documentation and tools, introductions to key people, and so on. Don’t make them waste time figuring this stuff out.

Step 4: Facilitate a meeting with the new employee, his or her primary mentor and several other key mentors. Explain everyone’s role, talk about the best way to stay in touch, offer advice on how to be successful and present the information from steps 2 and 3. This meeting says, “We’ve been thinking about you, we have a plan to ensure your success.” In other words, we’re an organized thoughtful operation and you’re going to appreciate coming to work here.

Step 5: Provide the big picture. Explain key customer expectations (internal and external), how they can measure their own success as well as the success of the team, tell them where they are in the product or service cycle so they know how to contribute and give them a snapshot of their competitors so they know who they’re up against.

In the event you hadn’t noticed yet, every new employee, regardless of age, could benefit from this approach. Young people aren’t asking for something extraordinary. They’re looking for a quick way to do meaningful work in an environment where they’re treated with respect as quickly as possible. Hard to argue with that.

Marcia Conner + www.marciaconner.com

11:23 am | 0 recommendations | 3 comments

Sustainability: Because Sunlight Is Better For Us Anyway

It's a simple concept really: during the day when the sun is shining your light bulbs don't need to burn as brightly. With that in mind, Nebraska-based Axis Technologies came up with a product to improve efficiency and cut electrical costs at the same time. The Axis Daylight Harvesting Dimming Ballast works with fluorescent lights in commercial buildings; the company says it can improve energy efficiency by up to 70 percent on sunny days and can cut as much as a third off the building's electrical bill.

In lighting systems, a ballast is the device that converts the voltage that comes out of the electrical socket into a current the fluorescent light can use. The Axis ballast is installed much like any other ballast, but its potential for decreased energy usage is twofold. First, a dipswitch attached to the ballast allows all the lights to be dimmed by a certain increment (say 40 percent). More importantly, a photocell on the ballast itself measures the amount of sunlight in the room and adjusts the level of fluorescent lighting accordingly.

The Axis Ballast in action at Dallas Forth Worth International Airport (photo courtesy of Axis Technologies)

"Lighting is one of the highest energy uses of a building," says Axis CEO Kip Hirschbach. For most office buildings, lighting accounts for 40 to 50 percent of the electrical bill. "There were other companies that made dimming fluorescent ballasts, but they were all very complicated, very difficult to install and very expensive to install," Hirschbach says.

The Axis ballast will still cost $30-40 more than the average ballast although it is one third the cost of the competing system, Hirschbach says. However, many states offer incentives or rebates for such products that can help ease the extra cost. California even takes it a step further by requiring daylight harvesting in all new construction and major retrofit projects, and Hirschbach expects other states to follow suit.

Such legislation may be necessary to induce people to commit to energy efficiency and other environmental goals. "A lot of companies are announcing that they want to be green," Hirschbach says. "But when it comes time to walk the walk…they don't always do that. Even though the payback is there, they don't want to spend the extra money."

Even so, Axis has managed to convince a lot of people that its ballasts are the way to go. They've sold almost 20,000 throughout the country; notable projects include a Dallas-Fort Worth Airport terminal, University of Massachusetts library and the National Park Service building in Omaha.

"We're really a niche company," says Hirschbach, "but it's a huge niche."

11:44 am | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

Sustainability: A Holiday for Your Trash

Today is America Recycles Day. Yeah, I just found that out this morning, too. And surprise, surprise, Americans don't recycle enough. A recent Staples survey found that only 23 percent of respondents recycle their old electronics, while 41 percent either throw them in the trash or don't get rid of them at all. (What about the other 36 percent?) I definitely fall in that latter category and I blame my parents for that one; they have a television graveyard in their attic with every TV they've owned since 1978.

Staples and other likeminded companies are aiming to change those bad environmental habits. An article from Environment News Service outlines recycling initiatives by Staples, Office Depot and Xerox to keep us from tossing electronics and other office products filled with hazardous chemicals. However, I'm a little skeptical that people will be willing to pay to recycle, even if it is just $10, when throwing the item away is so much easier.

Not to be a downer, but I came across a somewhat disheartening article in The Scotsman about the fate of recycled plastic bottles. Basically the bottles get shipped off to China where they get turned into cheap plastic toys which are then shipped back. While this article is specific to the U.K., it doesn't make it any better. It also further reinforces the point about carrying a reusable water bottle rather than buying bottled water.

On a more positive note, the National Recycling Coalition website for America Recycles Day is worth checking out. The site details how recycling works and why it's important, and lists resources for finding out about recycling in your area. I like the "conversionator," which shows the impact individuals have by recycling. Fun fact: recycling a stack of paper three feet high saves one tree. But only if we make the effort to buy recycled paper.

In the spirit of America Recycles Day, how about we start recycling some of the eco-catchphrases that turn up in headlines everywhere and trade them in for something new? It's time to give up "it is (or isn't) easy being green," "green is the new black," and of course the ubiquitous "such and such goes green." People will probably stop paying attention if it looks like the same story over and over again. While I may not always have the catchiest titles for these blog posts, let's see if we can't all spice things up a bit.

01:17 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment

Sports: Red Sox, Yankees No Match For…the Buffalo Sabres?

There has been some buzz this week about a new study conducted by Turnkey Sports and Entertainment. The 2007 Turnkey Team Brand Index ranks the local brand strength of every team, from 1-122, in the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL.

The key word -- and the stumbling point for some confused bloggers -- is local, as the purpose of the study was to evaluate team brands in their respective markets. That explains why the Yankees, clearly one of the most dominant sports brands in the world, come in at number 29. With competition from the Mets (43) and so many people moving to New York, it would be impossible for the Yankees to hold the same local sway as, say, the Cleveland Indians.

Of course, the study's limited focus also explains why the folks over at Deadspin filed the study under the heading "Useless Rankings." If we take a look at the results, what do they actually tell us?

Take out the Buffalo Sabres (sorry, hockey fans), and the top five team "brands" are the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Boston Red Sox, and San Antonio Spurs -- or, the winners of the last three Super Bowls, this year's World Series and the NBA Championship. Hmm. Rounding out the top ten are the New Orleans Saints (Katrina), Detroit Red Wings (hockey), St Louis Cardinals (2006 World Series), and Green Bay Packers (cheeseheads and beer).

Basically, we are all fair-weather fans. This is hardly news. We generally support our teams more when they win than when they lose. Yes, there are exceptions. But if you need more evidence, look no further than Detroit -- while the Red Wings, Tigers, and Pistons all earned spots in the top 15, the lowly Lions sit all the way down at 117. Off to a 6-2 start, the team will almost definitely make leaps up next year's list.

Still, I'm not sure the Turnkey Team Brand Index really tells us anything significant. In 2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers were valued at an estimated $880 million -- 18th in the NFL. More importantly, their $187 million in revenue eclipsed that of the Lions by less than $10 million. So how much does "team brand strength" really matter?

11:35 am | 0 recommendations | 4 comments

Sustainability: Bottled Water Gets a Bad Rap

This just in: the bottled water industry is actually good for the environment. That's what Kim Jeffrey, chief executive of Nestle Waters, claims in a recent Q&A for the New York Times.

Not only do bottled water companies work hard to conserve the environment around the springs where they get their water, they also moderate greenhouse gas emissions from trucks by building plants close to the water source. Nestle is also phasing in a new bottle that uses 15 percent less plastic. Sure the industry is behind on recycling, but who isn't?

Somehow I'm not buying it. Clearly using tap water is better for the environment than bottled water. Jeffrey's other points, however, get at the real issue: people aren't buying bottled water in lieu of drinking tap water. They choose Poland Springs and Fiji water over Coke or Gatorade or Snapple. For the most part people are aware of the environmental issues with the industry, but that's not their main concern. They just want something to drink that isn't full of sugar.

Although growth in the industry has slowed, that doesn't mean people are buying less bottled water. They just aren't buying more. That seems unlikely to change anytime soon. It's going to take a lot more than global warming to convince people to just drink tap water.

Related Content:

Charles Fishman also talked to Kim Jeffrey for his article Message in Bottle, an in depth look at the bottled water industry.

10:31 am | 0 recommendations | 2 comments

Sustainability: $50 Million for Drywall?

That's what Serious Materials recently managed to raise for its EcoRock line of drywall set to come out next year. The reason investors are so excited about something seemingly so banal: Serious claims its drywall takes 90 percent less energy to produce than standard drywall, resulting in 98 percent less greenhouse gas emissions. When talking about an industry that creates 25 million tons of greenhouse gases each year, those numbers are significant enough to attract some attention.

"We look at it as the beginning of a new industrial revolution," says Serious president and CEO Kevin Surace. "What you're seeing is the opportunity to take everything that we do around us and get on the right side of the energy curve."

Serious Materials, a Sunnyvale, California-based company known for its Quiet Solution line of noise-reducing building materials, didn't start out with such a green agenda. After listening to builders who used Quiet Solution products, however, Serious saw an opening for more environmentally-friendly materials. Now, the company is using its previous construction experience to do what's best for the environment. "Everyone here is focused on doing that, and they're passionate about that," says Surace.

By Surace's calculations, buildings account for 50 percent of the greenhouse gases released each year in this country, when the carbon dioxide produced by the manufacture of materials is added to emissions caused by electricity, heating and cooling. In contrast, cars and trucks account for just 12 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. "It's not talked about because people don't know what to do about it," Surace says. Serious believes it has found a solution in EcoRock, although it doesn't claim to be able to change the entire industry overnight.

EcoRock, which matches traditional gypsum drywall in appearance and performance (but not in price), is geared specifically toward LEED buildings. While some of the larger industry players may see that as a niche market, Surace only sees continued growth. "I can't imagine a bigger space over the next two decades," he says. Surace follows the prediction that LEED-certified projects will grow from 10 percent of current buildings to 40 percent in the next five or ten years.

Surace is also banking on upcoming expected changes to the LEED standards that will put more emphasis on the environmental impact of the entire life-cycle of building materials, from production to implementation. (Rob Watson, one of the developers of LEED, is on Serious' advisory board, so the company has a pretty good idea what the United States Green Building Council has up its sleeves.)

"Everything is moving in this direction," Surace says. "I think that old-line industry may not see it, it may not be obvious, and they might not be able to do anything about it." As a relative newcomer, Serious can see those changes and execute them -- and hopefully make a lot of money in the process. "I think in this field, if you really do your duty it will pay back in spades," says Surace.

Serious' recent round of fundraising takes advantage of a growing trend in Silicon Valley for investing in eco-friendly technologies. "In the Valley here, this is all anyone is talking about," says Surace. "They will talk about Facebook's numbers…and then they go right back to, 'What are you doing in cleantech?'"

The $50 million in VC funding will go towards constructing the manufacturing infrastructure the company needs to get EcoRock on the market by mid-2008, Surace says. "We want to get enough manufacturing capacity not only to build a large company but also to have an impact on the environment."

For more on LEED, check out The Green Standard?