photo by: cambodia4kidsorg on flickr.com

Whether your company has 20 employees or 2,000 employees, communications is critical to success. The good communicator knows that good information exchange moves people to action, and that you can never communicate too much.  There’s always a need to emphasize, clarify and enlighten.  Do you need a newsletter?  How about town-hall meetings?  Need an intranet?  How about a blog?  There are a number of places you can go for comunication ideas and recommendations, but here are some best-practice sites I’ve found helpful:

• Importance of Team Communication Skills
  
  
• 5 Tools for Online Business Communication
  
  
• 10 Great Team Communication Apps
  

  photo by: Jhon Alexander Calderón Sanmartìn on flickr.com

·         10 Great Team Communication Apps

Photo by: SimpliciKey

You can turn on the lights in your house with just the clap of your hands, yet you still have to fumble for keys to get in the house when the rain pours. Thanks to SimpliciKey you no longer have to do that either. These deadbolts come equipped with a wireless keypad, key fob and the classic key. The key fob can open the door from up to 50 feet away for easy access when carrying large loads in from the car. The keypad is perfect for anyone who just can’t keep tabs on their keys. And of course the key is a reassuring safety net for those who don’t always trust technology. SimpliciKey will actually be coming out with new technology integrated into this system in the near future.
Would you use this in your home? Do you have other ideas for integrating technology in your home or business? Drop me a note to discuss.

According to a study recently released by the National Association of Home Builders, bathroom remodels at the most common remodeling project, recently overtaking kitchens. Many of the respondents commented about how they’d rather stay where they are at now and fix it up.

What have you seen? Does it match their findings?

Hey race fans, how important are tires to the whole equation?  It’s hard to hook up without good tires.  We’ve all experienced times where we wish our tires were transferring a little more of the engine’s power to the road.  But what about your power tool?  What about the interface between the tool and the accessory – that’s power transfer, too.  It matters whether your blade fits tight in you multi-tool or whether your three jaw chuck is grabbing that twist drill bit.  Pay attention to how well your bit fits in the chuck.  SDS Plus, SDS Max, T Shank and OIS are all Bosch designations for interfaces – basically power transmission connectors.  The next time you pick up a power tool, think about the interface.  Is it the best?

Bosch BlueGranite Turbo bits offer a PowerGrip shank with tabs to enhance an aggressive grip in the chuck. That's what I'm talkin' about.

It’s a carpenter’s pencil with a level bubble in it… but wait, there’s more!

Apparently it also has some magnets in it to hold it on scaffold or anything else metal. It’s made from recycled stuff.  Read more about them here.

I know how I feel about it, what about you guys?  Pro or Not So Pro?