The world’s longest glowing light bilb in Fire Station 6, in Livermore, northern California The world’s oldest working light bulb is approaching its 112th birthday. On June 18th, the Guinness World Record-holding bulb will have been glowing in local fire stations in Livermore, California, for 112 years. Since 1901 the longest the bulb has been […]
The soroban is a type of abacus from Japan which, deriving from the Chinese suanpan, emerged in the 17th century. The soroban survived the arrival of electronic calculators and is used widely in business today. In the last three decades or so, dual soroban-calculators, combining the two calculation tools, have been popular. The model above […]
Sick lyrics: Otto on Wax The US National Park Service has released a dozen very early wax cylinder sound recordings made by Theo Wangemann, an assistant of Thomas Edison. Recorded in 1889-1890, they include folk and classical musical and various recitals by Otto von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of the German Empire. Bismarck recites lines […]
Retronaut has reproduced a 1940s/1950s pamphlet by Bell System on business telephone usage and etiquette. Don’t forget… “Visualize the person you call” “Say ‘Thank You’, ‘You’re Welcome’” “Be attentive” “Use the customer’s name” “Greet the caller pleasantly” “Leave word where you’re going” * * * Office machines
Today it’s the turn of the SIMbook notebook from Spinning Hat. The SIMbook is styled after the rather more recent SIM card, making it an apt place to store your telephone numbers, in a “ha ha”, knowing way. Cue marketing: “Get all your phone data backed up in one of our funky iconic SIM style […]
A church in Holland has raised eyebrows by introducing a premium rate line to call an angel. The church board of St. John’s Cathedral in the municipality of Den Bosch has opened a 0900 telephone number to listen to a tape. The story begins a year ago when, as part of a major restoration of […]
Conference calls aren’t commanding the full attention of callers, according to a poll commissioned by video conferencing provider LifeSize. In fact, almost nine in ten office workers send out emails during conference telephone calls. Over four in five press the mute button to talk to collegues while 56 percent say they write letters and reports […]
What could an infinite number of monkeys sitting at typewriters do? Type the complete works of William Shakespeare, according to the Infinite Monkey Theorem. In fact, according to the theorem, a single monkey typing randomly for an infinite amount of time will eventually type any text. US programmer Jesse Anderson has put the theory to […]
A 42-year-old Dutch woman called her ‘boyfriend’ 65,000 times, or on average 178 times a day. She has been charged with stalking. She was arrested after a man told police he had been deluged with calls, texts and emails. The woman’s Rotterdam home was then raided and mobile phones and computers seized. The 62-year-old man […]
Michael Winslow is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Larvelle "Motor Mouth" Jones in the Police Academy films. Jones was the one who could mimic just about any sound with percussive use of his mouth. In this film by Ignacio Uriarte, Winslow "recites" a history of the typewriter by replicating the sounds of important […]
How to plan the office Christmas party Whether you count down the days, or desperately scrabble around for an excuse not to go, the office Christmas party is an event on almost every company’s calendar. So, how do you plan a party that everyone will enjoy? It’s a tricky balance to get Bob from Accounts […]
Top tips to improve your time management skills Despite what people say, time is not a commodity. It cannot be traded, expanded or reduced. It is fixed. Our perception of time, however, is another concept. How often do you think at 4pm “Where has the day gone?” and go into panic mode to try to […]
Planning in business is essential Everything from the monthly sales drive to a new product launch or project needs planning. It promotes joined-up thinking and good decision-making throughout the whole organisation. “A goal without a plan is just a wish”, observed the famous writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery, summing up a key business principle. Each business […]
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