By default, settings for Word Press allow readers to post comments.  You can moderate the comments and decide whether you want to allow readers to see them or just delete.

There is a strategy among people who optimize sites for search whereby they post comments to blog sites and if the site allows the posting to be displayed, then it creates what is called a “backlink” (a link back to the poster’s own site) which, at least in theory, improves that’s sites performance with major search engines.

Most of the comments we get appear to be automated,  posted by robots, and probably from programmers whose native language is not english.

Here are a few recent comments:

When he recovers he doesnt give up and his next confrontation goes somewhat improved.

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I experience fairly fortunate to have encounter your internet webpage

Digged google 30 mins, findally i get it, thanks!

Perhaps my favorite of all time:

These are impressive articles. Keep up the sunny handiwork.

Here’s where you can view our other blogs:

Allabouttape.com

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GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

Still, we do support the concept of reuse in the products we sell whenever possible. One good example is Velcro’s One Wrap Straps. They’re handy and can used many, many times without creating any waste

Reusable tape? Now there’s an idea!

Thanks to Geico Insurance, everybody knows what a gecko is. Real geckos can’t talk, but they do have a very special characteristic that makes them amazing characters. They can walk upside down as easily as they walk right side up. Wall climbing? No problem!

What’s that got to do with tape? Stick with me for a minute.

The geckos’ trick, according to National Geographic, involves millions of microscopic hairs on the pads of their feet. Each hair, or seta, provides a miniscule adhesive force called van der Waals, which operate over very small distances but bond to just about anything. Robert Full, a biologist at the University of California at Berkeley, believes that adhesives can be developed that are as strong (and infinitely reusable) as what geckos have on their feet.

I doubt that this technology will work its way down to the point of having reusable gaffers tape anytime soon, but it could happen someday.

Meanwhile, imagine yourself hanging upside down from the ceiling. That would be cool.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords, OnStage Stand mic stands, and lots of other useful production supplies.

The times reports that the props manager at Carnegie Hall, earned $530004.00 in pay and benefits in a recent year.  That’s right.  Over a half million dollars income working as a stagehand.

These figures come from the Carnegie Hall’s recent tax return and it shows that  several other stagehands had compensation packages that exceeded $400,000.00.

The times went to some length to point out that stagehand pay many times far exceeded the amount earned by well known performers actually appearing on the stage.

The top executive at Carnegie Hall, actually defended the pay, saying that stagehands “have huge and varied jobs to carry out”.

Now, I’ve been to Carnegie Hall (my wife & son performed with The Duke Chapel Choir there) and I’ve seen these stagehands at work.  Moving risers, setting up the conductors podium and controlling the lighting may require some special abilities, but probably not on par with a skilled surgeon.  I’m not sure that they even require any specific education.

I remember in detail the “huge and varied jobs” I did as a stagehand-everything from unloading a truck to climbing a lighting truss-and how happy I was to earn $15.00 an hour.  I seemed like a fair wage at the time, and some of the work I did was so interesting that I probably would have done it for free.

Sure, there is some wear and tear on the body, but I’m guessing that the earnings of a Carnegie stagehand, including double and triple overtime, compensation for unsed vacation, and various union-mandated payouts, go a long way towards easing the pain.

The next time you pay $100 for a ticket and go to a concert, pay careful attention to the stagehands you see.  They may be the highest paid performers in the building.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Check back here often for my random observations about show business.

We enjoy working with our local schools and are particularly proud to be involved with the arts curriculum at Northwood High School, the school my daughter attends.  They are finishing up a series of special events this week and we applaud them for their hard work.

Periodically, I have pointed out the phenomenon I call the “graying” of the concert production industry.  Lots of hands-on techs who got their start in sound and lighting began their careers in the 1970′s and ’80′s and are now looking at retirement or career changes.  Unfortunately, there are not a lot of kids ready to take their places.

If you read the trade journals that cover the concert production industry,  you know that a very high percentage of the articles feature technicians in their 50′s or even 60′s.

My work at Northwood High confirms this trend.  Northwood has a newly renovated auditorium with state of the art sound and lighting systems.  Twenty years ago, there would have been students crawling all over each other to get a chance to learn to operate this equipment.

Not today. Northwood has hundreds of kids involved in band, dance and drama but almost no students who want to work backstage or in the production booth.  They simply don’t see it as a college or career track.

We have recently developed a series of “how to” animations related to teaching technical theatre skills, along with a set of printed guides.

It is our hope little things like this, along with our involvement in training students and teaching tech skills, will open the eyes of some of these high school students to the possibilities of an exciting career path that will soon have lots of employment opportunities.

If you have technical skills and are making a career change, give some thought to sharing all you’ve learned with your local high school arts program.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords andOnStage Stand mic stands. We’re passionate about arts education in the public schools.

When I decided to build an outdoor kitchen this summer, I thought it might be nice to cover part of our new patio with an awning. I welded up the frames and mounted them to the side of the house and then went to an old friend who is a sign painter to get the awning cover.

At his suggestion, several years ago, I had replaced an awning by using a vinyl banner that he provided. It worked great and saved a lot of money, so I decided I would use a banner instead of having a custom awning made.

We had grommets set on 6 inch centers rather than on just the corners so that it could be stretched tightly over the frame.

Now for the test.

We have sold wire ties for years, mainly to expo companies and installers who use them for bundling cables. All of our black wire ties are supposed to contain ultraviolet light protection to keep them from breaking down due to exposure to sunlight. I was able to stretch the awning/banner to the frame using 11 inch black wire ties and it looks great. If the UV protection works as advertised by the manufacturer, the ties should last as long as the awning.

Check back with me in a few months and I’ll let you know how they are holding up.

Goodbuyguys.com is a collection of web sites (including buytape.com, buybattery.com, buymicstand.com, buyextensioncord.com, buyaflashlight.com and buywireties.com) designed to deliver a great selection of entertainment production and audiovisual supplies.

This weekend I got to witness something that could change that in a really positive way.

I had the pleasure of attending an entertainment technologoy conference at the UNC School Of The Arts in Winston-Salem, NC, which featured presenters for Cirque du Soleil and some of their suppliers.

Cirque provided some of their highest profile technicians and administrators and presented training seminars and “hands on” training for UNCSA students and students from a number of other university technical training programs.

In addition, there were workshops on resume preparation and arts administration careers, again taught by Cirque staff.  Representatives from Cirque du Soleil made it clear to student attendees that they would be looking to college technical theatre programs as an important source for new techs for all their shows.

Until this weekend, I had been unaware of the connection between North Carolina university theatre programs and Cirque du Soleil.  Alumni from The School for The Arts, UNC Chapel Hill, and others were represented among the presenters and Cirque representatives let student attendees know that they were hoping to strengthen these ties.

While it is true that our company has ties to a number of Cirque vendors (and Cirque itself) as an expendables supplier, my interest in attending was primarily in the capacity of a volunteer at our local high school.  I am interested in helping high schools develop technical theatre training programs and can’t wait to share what I learned this weekend.

Thank you, UNC School Of The Arts, for being such a great host. And for opening my eyes to a great new opportunity for students to develop a relationship with one of the greatest entertainment presenters in the world.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Click here for unbeatable deals on Shure wireless microphones.

That prediction was that the FCC would let those major telco companies that had bought exclusive access to these frequencies do their own policing on this issue.

It seemed that it was time to look at this issue again, to see if there was any record of the FCC taking actions against wireless mic users.  A quick scan of enforcement-related “Field Notices” at the FCC web site did not turn up any actions related to wireless mic use.  I guess that that is not really surprising after only ten weeks.

I did turn up a document, however, that would seem to confirm my June prediction.  It is a form letter issued by Verizon Wireless (one of the companies now controlling the 700 MHz spectrum) that is being sent directly to wireless mic users who are considered to be in violation of the FCC ruling.

In the letter Verizon claims “exclusive” license to the 700 MHz spectrum and, thus, a right to “protection” against harmful interference that might be caused by wireless microophones.

Verizon then refers to a specific “violation” of the new law and demands that the recipient of the letter “immediately cease operations of such devices”.

In the final paragraph of the letter, Verizon Wireless refers the recipient of the letter directly to the FCC with any questions they may have.

What happens next?  Check back here, or better yet, let us know if you have actually received one of these letters.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  We offer FCC compliant wireless mics at buywirelessmic.com.

After several years of not being able to find our address (on a private road) in any of the online mapping software, there we were on Google Street View.  Apparently a Google mapping survey vehicle had visited our neighborhood, and there was a picture of our loading dock-uncut grass included-for all the world to see.

While Google Street View may be useful for businesses, say a delivery driver who is wondering which dock is ours, its indiscriminate use, regardless of the address being sought out, is troubling.  I don’t mind someone being able to identify my business address, I would prefer that not just anyone be able to identify which home driveway is mine and which is my neighbors’.

Of less concern in the privacy arena, but clearly of great interest to a business owner, is how unflattering the image Google chose to use was.  We have a very attractive building with a large landscaped front lawn fronting on a major US highway.  We take care in presenting a good face to the public and regret that Google chose to use a view of our facility that almost no one ever sees.

While we have no interest in manipulating accurate data that is in the public domain, we do feel that Google should take more care to present a balanced presentation of what their images really represent.

My Facebook page

Little did I know, these games (and others) are generating huge income for a company called Zynga.  Zynga develops incredibly popular social networking games and they make their money in an amazing way.

It appears that those who play the games are willing to pay real money for “virtual” goods.  That pink tractor my friend was bragging about having-it turns out she paid $3.50 for it.  Yes, the $3.50 was real, but the tractor is not.  Zynga needs no warehouses, no trucks and no maintenance facilities.  The pink tractor exists only on their servers and costs essentially nothing.  The bulk of their costs (minimal) are tied to the credit card transaction fee for the purchase.

This article in last week’s New York Times values Zynga at $4.5 billion dollars and estimates their annual revenues at $500 million, almost all of it from the sale of virtual goods.  The Times goes on the crown Zynga “the Google of Games”.

We sell real things, and the cost of warehousing, shipping and guaranteeing them is the majority of the cost of running our business.  If we could figure out a way to sell “virtual” gaffers tape, we could become the “Google of sticky stuff“.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Got an observation about social network gaming that you would like to share with our readers?  Let us know.

By the time you reach my age, changing batteries in the remote control (or anything else) usually starts with a search for my reading glasses.  If I can put the batteries in the wrong way, I will.

Microsoft (go figure?) has come up with a really elegant and practical solution for this problem.  They have designed a battery holder that has both a positive and a negative terminal.  This means that no matter how the battery is oriented, it will still work.  Genius.

All these combinations are possible

By using this

Microsoft’s Instaload system is compatible with AA, AAA, C, D and CR123 (all the major battery types used in multiples) and it will require only a minor redesign by any manufacturer of a battery powered device that wants to integrate it.

Surprisingly, Microsoft is making this design available under a royalty free  license so that any manufacturer can adopt it.

Maybe Microsoft has finally come up with a winner.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Seen a  good idea lately?  Share it with us.

Their most recent adventure is building a duct tape bridge, a potentially death defying project.  The episode aired May 12 and you can watch it online.

While it’s unlikely that any viewer would actually build a duct tape bridge fifty feet up in  the air (it took over 200 rolls of tape), this high profile promotion of the strength of duct tape might lead someone to take on a less challenging but possibly just as dangerous project.

One of the many things that the show fails to point out is that there are many different strengths of duct tape and some of the tapes most easily obtained are the ones with the least strength (and the lowest cost).  Failure to understand what these specifications related to strength mean could make a project like one you see on television turn out with very different results if you do it yourself with the wrong tape.

As long time sellers of duct tape (25 years and counting), we are always happy to see this lowly product get good publicity.  We don’t, however, believe that all publicity is good publicity.  It’s one thing to make a prom dress from duct tape and quote another to trust your safety to a product you know only generically as “duct tape”.

This Mythbusters episode has generated some interesting discussion in the physics community (real science!) about duct tape.  If you’re interested in following up, click here.

If you’re interested in the different specifications that are used to measure and compare duct tapes, take a look at this.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Bringing duct tape to the masses since 1986!

If you’ve attended a major concert or other arena event recently, you realize that you can’t turn around without someone sticking their hand in  your pocket, even though you’ve already bought a ticket for the event.

Start with the ticket service fee.  You can’t buy a ticket without paying that, even if you purchase at the box office.

Next comes parking.  $7.00 is the going rate around here, and some tickets automatically add a parking surcharge to every ticket, regardless of how many patrons might share a ride.

Next comes concessions.  Mandatory purse and backpack checks assure that you won’t bring in so much as a bottle of water.  Once you’re inside, prices range from $4.00 up for a simple snack to as much as $11.00 for a beer.  If you’re covering the cost for a family of four, your out of pocket expenses can easily double the ticket price.

Ticketmaster and Live Nation share the credit for devising this system, and the Justice Department decisions means that it is now open season on event patrons.

By allowing these two companies to combine forces there is no longer any reason for one to try to gain a competitive advantage over the other by pricing tickets or add ons more competitively.

If you are concerned about this pending monopoly, you might find this web site interesting.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

This blog

One of the justifications for kicking wireless mic users out of the neighborhood has been that opening up this part of the spectrum would lead to opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop new wireless technologies.

It’s fine to claim that you support entrepreneurs, but since the price bid for the 700 MHz spectrum was in excess of $19 billion dollars, we’re not talking about your garden variety start up.

Players like Google and Verizon were the real winners here and it’s unlikely that opportunities for real entrepreneurs are going to filter down from monsters like this.

The 700 MHz band may well see exciting next generation wireless services for both consumers and public agencies, but those developments won’t come from someone who simply has a good idea.  They’ll need a bag of money too!

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Click here for unbeatable deals on Shure wireless microphones.

I grabbed a couple of items and jumped in the express line.  To my right, each of the next three lanes had at least two young mothers with one or more children in tow.  My items cost less than six dollars, but their overflowing carts suggested that they would spend a hundred dollars or more by the time they left the store.

What sort of thinking would lead the store management to allow me to jump in a quick serve line, but force these loyal high dollar customers to line up one behind the other and wait to be served while they attempted to keep their kids entertained?

Seems backwards to me.

Why not have a “moms only” line, one where the store would provide a little extra service while assuring that these valued customers were able to get in and out with as little complication as possible?

Parents purchasing for the family will be back to the store over and over again, yet grocery stores continue to serve the lowest dollar customers with the highest level of service while they buy items that they may not purchase again for weeks.

Just something to think about.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Share your insights on customer service with our readers.

Every desk in our office holds a Dell computer, but recent Twitter posts will certainly make me reconsider their computers the next time we need a new one.

The Times reports that thousands have posted to Twitter about their Dell experience and the conversation has even migrated to Dell’s own blog.  Complaints of delivery times delayed by as much as two months have forced Dell to go on the defensive, but they seem unable to counter the volume of complaints that continue to flow to Twitter.

Fair or not, the ability of a customer to post to Twitter about a consumer experience and immediately join a community of like minded buyers means its a new day for big players like Dell.

Do you have an insight into using Twitter or other social networks to take on a Goliath?  Share it with us.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Join our social networking community by subscribing to our newsletter.

Our UPS pickup driver just dropped by to let us know that UPS had decided to make no deliveries on Dec. 31 and that he had been ordered to take the day off.  We have been shipping UPS this fall for the first time in several years, and, all  in all, it has been a good experience.

Discovering that they would not be serving their customers (namely, us) on a day when we will be open and serving our customers (you) really caught us off guard.

It is difficult to see how a company whose third quarter 2009 revenues were down almost $2 billion can really afford to take off a holiday that no one else takes off.  When your average daily package volume, your operating profit and your earnings per share are all down significantly from 2008 levels, the logic of this decision escapes me and will probably escape the logic of the stock market as well.

We spend much of our time making sure that we partner with businesses who have our customers’ best interests in mind.  UPS’s unwillingness to deliver to our customers, many of whom will be involved in producing New Year’s Eve events, on what should be a regular work day makes our job a lot more difficult.

I’m glad we kept our FedEx account open.  We’ll be happy to ship your order for  Dec. 31 delivery even if UPS isn’t.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Meeting customer needs will always be job 1!

I have written a number of times about the “graying” of the pro sound industry, but losing Ross at the age of 60 really brings this home for me.

While best known as the founder and CEO of Sound Image, a major west coast touring company, I first encountered Ross back in the 1970′s. His company, Silverfish Audio, a sound company from Buffalo, NY  provided a touring audio system for Jimmy Buffett.

Ross brought a football stadium sized sound system to my alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill, and by the end of the day I had a totally new concept of what major league sound reinforcement was about.

Although I was only one of many stagehands on the call, Ross took as much time as need to answer all my questions, no matter how ridiculous, and that Jimmy Buffet show as one of the most memorable of my career.

This was in the days of multi-component horn loaded sound systems, and with the information I learned from Ross, I built a “mini” system much like the one he brought to Kenan Stadium.  In fact, there are probably a couple of pieces of this package still lurking in the back of our warehouse.

My decision to pursue a pro sound career was met at every step by patient professionals like Ross, and I consider knowing him one of the highlights of my 30 hears in a great industry.

He will be missed.

(link to the original Silverfish Audio brochure with pics of the sound system I am talking about)

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  We appreciate those pioneers that built the pro sound business.

1. Hot on the heels of the roll out of the Motorola Droid, a smart phone that uses the Google mobile operating system, there are now confirmed rumors that Google plans to release its own smart phone-Google designed and Google branded-after the first of the year, possible as early as January.

Hot on the heels of the roll out of the Motorola Droid, a smart phone that uses the Google mobile operating system, there are now confirmed rumors that Google plans to release its own smart phone-Google designed and Google branded-after the first of the year, possible as early as January.

The New York Times has reported that Google employees have been give the phones to test, in anticipation of a product roll out after the first of the year, perhaps as early as January.

Motorola desperately needs a hit product, having its market share of cell phone sales continue to erode since it introduced the Razr in 2004.  That’s a long time to go without making a serious impact on a fast changing industry.

Now it appears that Google intends to take on Apple directly, moving into the hardware business and forcing Motorola back to the sidelines.

No one sees this first version of the Droid as an IPhone killer, but those who have one like it, consider it a worth opponent to the Apple device, and love being able to cut their ties to AT&T.

I predicted that the next version of the Droid would be the smartphone that would match Apple toe-to-to, but I’m quickly backing off that prediction now that Google is throwing their hat into the ring.

You can be sure that Google had access to the Droid’s development months before it was released, and you can be equally sure that the Google phone will improve on every aspect of Motorola’s effort.

We hope you sell a lot of Droids for Christmas, Motorola.  Chances are that next Christmas will belong to Google.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords andOnStage Stand mic stands.  Click here to sign up for our newsletter.  Here’s a link to our new “How To” animation series.

I’m not sure how they are doing financially, but their bottom line has to be helped by the constant barrage of gaudy (orange!) full page ads that AT&T is running.  Seems like there have two or three in the front section every day since the beginning of the month.

I ignore the ads (not easy to do) but my eyes were drawn to this article in the business section about none other than AT&T.

It seems that they are asking their customers who subscribe to unlimited data plans to limit their bandwidth usage or face the possibility of being forced to a “pay as you use” plan.  Apparently, AT&T is unable to handle the data requirements that are being generated by IPhone users, even though they are the only service provider that works with the Apple smart phone.

Instead of expanding capacity and providing the service that they promised, mighty AT&T intends to “educate” their customers about their data consumption in hopes that they will  “cut back”.

Hey AT&T!  Instead of spending huge sums of money on luring new customers with full page ads, how about building some new towers.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. If you’re frustrated with AT&T, share your story. 

No question, the IPhone is easier to use and has an elegant feel in your hand.  When it comes to building user-friendly computer and telcom hardware, Apple has no peer.

I you are willing to take the time to peel back a couple of layers of the onion, you find something quite different.

While the IPhone may offer more apps, the Droid uses an open source operating system that allows a developer to create an application and sell it on their own without Apple’s approval, since the sale doesn’t have to go through an ITunes transaction.  No more censoring gatekeeper that expects to be paid for every app sale!  There are already more than 10,000 apps for the Droid.

The turn-by-turn GPS navigation on the Droid is far superior to IPhone navigation.  Spoken word instructions mean there is no need to look at tiny maps on the screen while driving.  No subscription service required.

Perhaps best of all, the Droid works with the Verizon wireless network.  No more dealing with AT&T No Customer Service Department.

The future-A handheld device as intuitive and elegant as the IPhone, running the next generation of the Google Android operating system and able to access the Verizon network.  Put it on your 2010 Christmas list.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords andOnStage Stand mic stands.   Share your ideas about cell phone development with our readers.

The times reports that Dennis O’Connell, the props manager at Carnegie Hall, earned $530004.00 in pay and benefits last year.  That’s right.  Over a half million dollars income working as a stagehand.

These figures come from the Carnegie Hall’s 2007-2008 tax return and it shows that  several other stagehands had compensation packages that exceeded $400,000.00.

The times went to some length to point out that stagehand pay many times far exceeded the amount earned by well known performers actually appearing on the stage.

The top executive at Carnegie Hall, Clive Gillinson, actually defended the pay, saying that stagehands “have huge and varied jobs to carry out”.

Now, I’ve been to Carnegie Hall (my wife & son performed with The Duke Chapel Choir there) and I’ve seen these stagehands at work.  Moving risers, setting up the conductors podium and controlling the lighting may require some special abilities, but probably not on par with a skilled surgeon.  I’m not sure that they even require any specific education.

I remember in detail the “huge and varied jobs” I did as a stagehand-everything from unloading a truck to climbing a lighting truss-and how happy I was to earn $15.00 an hour.  I seemed like a fair wage at the time, and some of the work I did was so interesting that I probably would have done it for free.

Sure, there is some wear and tear on the body, but I’m guessing that the earnings of a Carnegie stagehand, including double and triple overtime, compensation for unsed vacation, and various union-mandated payouts, go a long way towards easing the pain.

The next time you pay $100 for a ticket and go to a concert, pay careful attention to the stagehands you see.  They may be the highest paid performers in the building.

Want to know more?  Here’s a link to the Times article.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Check back here often for my random observations about show business.

The days of going to the video store are over forever.

About a week ago I purchased a gadget called a Roku box and signed up for the basic $9.00 a month Netflix account.  I don’t watch a lot of television, but this little gadget may change my habits. Roku allows you to stream Netflix content through your wi-fi connection to your digital television directly-no computer needed.

With the set top box and the Netflix subscription, you can watch thousands of Netflix movies and television shows instantly-no need to mail DVD’s back and forth anymore. The price stays at $9.00 a month regardless of how much content you watch. It works incredibly well and doesn’t seem to significantly impact our overall internet speed and capacity.

Unlike watching streaming video on computer services like Hulu, the Roku box almost never stops for “buffering” issues even when streaming full screen images on a 37″ display.  You can watch directly on you computer as well, so you have access to Netflix content anywhere wi-fi is available.

Unless Blockbuster has plans to roll out something similar soon, they should be very afraid.  Roku is the future of streaming media.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  I enjoy sharing gadget reviews with our readers and customers. Let me know what you think.

I could find nothing available that ran Windows XP, so I took the plunge and bought a computer that ran Windows Vista.  I have regretted it every day of the last two years.  What an awful operating system!

I was delighted to learn that Acer’s new line of netbook computers used Windows XP, so I gave their Aspire line a try.  I love it.

Having a tiny computer that is designed primarily for internet based work makes a lot of sense and the Aspire One speaks directly to this new approach to personal computing.

The cost of a fully featured netbook (1 gig of ram/160 gig hard drive) has fallen below $300.00 and this segment of computing is ready to blast off.  Using a browser like Firefox to access online applications like Google Apps for word processing and database managment minimizes the compromises created by this Netbook’s lack of an optical drive for loading software. Minimizing the number of applications actually residing on the computer means faster startups and less time in changing your activities.

Unfortunately, Microsoft has already announced their plans to offer a version of upcoming Windows 7 specifically for netbooks.  XP works great for this type of computing.  Why not leave well enough alone?

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment ONe extension cords, OnStage Stand mic stands.

In theory, by subscribing to a RSS “feed”, updated information is pushed at you by the website hosting the new information so that you don’t have to go looking for it.  Setting up this service has been really confusing and a lot of people don’t take advantage of it.

A version of Google called iGoogle has finally made the “simple” part of RSS really simple.

If you haven’t tried iGoogle, you ought to take a look.  iGoogle lets you set up a personalized version of Google which can is customized for each user.

In addition to things like local weather and links to favorite web sites, you can also use iGoogle to subscribe to as many RSS feeds as you want.  When information is updated in the feeds you have subscribed to, this information shows up on your iGoogle page.

We have RSS feeds generated by GoodBuyGuys.com which sends out new product information, and a feed from this blog that is distributed to anyone who wants to subscribe to it.

I include these RSS feeds in those I can see on my iGoogle page, and when we update something, it shows up on iGoogle within minutes.

Already got an iGoogle page?  Here’s a link to very easy instructions for adding RSS feeds.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and “value added” customer service.

I wrote about Craig Newmark of Craig’s List occupying the position of “customer service rep” even though he owns a company worth many millions of dollars.  I enjoy working in customer service, as well, as it affords me the opportunity to speak directly with customers.  That’s where the ideas for improvements to our existing web pages almost always come from.

A simple question from a customer asking for more (or more specific) information about something they have seen on the web can quickly lead to improvement in a page.  The best part is, quite often we quickly see an increase in sales of the product they asked about after the page update is made.

Having your customers serve in the role of unpaid editors not only adds value to your web sites, but taking the time to find out what additional information the customer needs is always appreciated by the caller.

Don’t forget-the best web page is one that is never finished.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and “value added” customer service.

The basis for the Times article was how web users, particularly young peope, were using YouTube as much for education as for entertainment.

It seems that YouTube is evolving into a search engine, one that is much more appealing to young users than the static search returns that Google provides.

I got over my infatuation with expoloding Coke bottles full of Mentos and kittens playing the piano pretty quickly, and chalked YouTube off to yet another brilliant invention of a time wasting machine.

I now find myself going back to YouTube almost every day to learn how to do something valuable.  In the last week, I have used it to finish a water heater installation under my house, sharpen kitchen knives using a new tool my wife got for Christmas, and to get some help with a particularly challenging part of a piano lesson.  Time saved, not time wasted!

Perhaps the most important piece of information in this article was buried near the bottom of the page (in parentheses no less). Google owns YouTube!

While Microsoft continues their never ending courtship with Yahoo in an attempt to develop an advertising revenue stream based on a model that Google perfected years ago,  Google is now ready to take their $1.65 million dollar purchase of YouTube to the bank.

In fact, as of November, the number of monthly searches on YouTube now exceeds Yahoo searches.  Either way (text or video), when someone clicks on an ad served up with their search results, it’s money in Google’s pocket.

We are beginning work on some simple videos that we hope will help our customers make better use of the products they buy from us.

Get ready for the GoodBuyGuys to make their Hollywood debut!

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Enterainment 1 extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and quality speaker cables. Count on us when you need specialty tape items and sound advice.

On my way to work, I usually listen to Morning Edition on National Public Radio.  It has been a long time since NPR has been advertising-free, even if they choose to not call what you hear “advertising”.  Almost all their programs are underwritten by corporate sponsors, and this underwriting is just another name for advertising.

I was struck this morning by how differently two of these underwriters try to take advantage of their broadcasting budgets to drive traffic to their web sites, using the broadcast version of “word of mouth” marketing to leverage their brands.

One, a national home builder,  K. Hovnanian Homes, uses their complete (unpronounceable, unmemorable and unspellable) name in their underwriting, directing a listener to the web for more information, but in a way that makes it almost impossible for the listener to remember, spell or even “Google” the underwriter’s name.  The chance that this underwriting will actually bring NPR listeners to their web site is unlikely at best.

The second is for a public relations firm,  Rella-Cowan, an equally difficult company name to remember, spell, or “Google”.

Realizing the difficulty of using word of mouth for site traffic building, Rella-Cowan instead uses the cleaver and easy to remember web URL iffytimes.com prominently in their NPR underwriting. Iffytimes.com drives web traffic to their site designed to help businesses with marketing problems in difficult economic times.  “Iffytimes.com” is clever, easy to remember and intriguing to the reader.  Its easy to remember this URL on your walk from the parking lot to the office and it allows Rella-Cowan to build a web presence by planting an idea where they really want it, in your memory.

We are blessed to have a number of web sites that are both easy to remember and which are a subliminal “call to action“, something that any marketing pro will tell you is critical to successful marketing and advertising.  Buytape.com, buybattery.com, buyextensioncord.com, buymicstand.com and all the other members of the goodbuyguys.com family all lend themselves to building web traffic by word of mouth.

Remember, just because you have a web site that is considered your primary company web address, nothing prevents you from having additional web sites that are more relevant to building the kind of word of mouth traffic that can put your web site to work.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Enterainment 1 extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and quality speaker cables. Check back here for ideas on web development.

For years, I have used a number of log analysis programs to help me see how our many web sites were performing.  A web log (we’re not talking about “blogs” here) is a record of all the traffic that comes to your web sites, how it gets there, and what the visitor does while he or she is at your site.  It’s fascinating information.Until recently, being able to analyze web logs has required using expensive and complicated software and has called for someone with a pretty high skill level. Not anymore!

Google Analytics has simplified the process, made it intuitive for someone with just a little web site building skill and, best of all, it’s free.

It does, however, require that you have a little experience with managing web pages at the code level.  If this is an area you are unfamiliar (or uncomfortable) with, Google Analytics really makes it worth your while to do a little work on the code level.  The returns for your efforts are incredibly valuable.

Most web users may not realize that if you open a web page in your browser (I use Firefox) and look at the page source, you will see something like this (source code for hooptape.com):

<html>
<head>
<title>hoop tape for hula hoops</title>

<style type="text/css">
<!--
.style1 {
	font-size: x-large;
	font-weight: bold;
	color: #FF0066;
Th
.style2 {font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; color: #FF0066; font-style: italic; }

This underlying code tells your web browser how to present the information you are seeking in a format that makes sense to you rather than the information that actually resides on a web server.

By adding a few simple lines of web code that Google Analytics will provide (a simple cut-and-paste) process, you can make use of a service that will allow you to see things like  what key word was used to find your site, when someone visited, what source they used to find you, how long they stayed, etc. etc.  Just knowing the keyword that led them to your site is incredibly powerful.

If you don’t manage your own web sites, ask your web master to add Google Analytics to some of your pages.  Make sure they give you  log in privileges.  

Happy analyzing!

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Enterainment 1 extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and quality speaker cables.

I recently came across this article in the The Daily Tar Heel, the newspaper of my alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill. The article quotes Emil Kang, UNC’s Executive Director for the Arts.  UNC arts programs have been valued customers of ours for many years.

Here’s what Mr. Kang had to say:

“If you talk to anyone who manages a budget they’ll tell you that they’re worried.  The arts sector, like most sectors that are not financial markets, are always lagging behind. I’m included; we’re worried.”

“We are at the mercy of people’s disposable income. Unfortunately the arts are about six months behind,” he said. “I think we are going to see a lot of worse news over the next couple of years.”

Those arts organizations that count on private donations and government appropriated funds for their core support are already planning fewer shows for upcoming seasons.  Donations from patrons and foundations are falling off and their return will trail the recovery of the economy as a whole.

Most arts funding not directly related to ticket sales is usually appropriated a least a year in advance, giving a false sense that the arts are not facing the same sort of downturn as General Motors and DHL.

Recent closing of Broadway hits like Hairspray and Legally Blonde reflect the current softness in ticket sales, sales that come almost exclusively from people’s discretionary income. Poor  sales for this year’s touring productions of shows like The Radio City Christmas Spectacular and Backyardigans will slowly and surely filter down to those who are employed in the arts and to the businesses that count on the arts for much of their sales.

If you make your living in the arts or derive a significant portion of your income from arts organizations, get ready.  Rough seas are on the horizon.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Enterainment 1 extension cords  & OnStage Stand mic stands . We are a proud supporter of the arts community in Chatham County, NC.

Still, a company as unresponsive and unconcerned about their merchant members as Amex probably needs to trim way back. After all, their 2007 profits were only $3.7 billion!

Maybe those whose jobs survive will show a little more interest in providing good customer service.

You may not be aware that when you place an order at goodbuyguys.com and pay with your American Express card, Amex takes almost 3% of the transaction off the top before they pay the merchant you made the purchase from.  This is a fee they earn in addition to any interest you may pay in carrying a balance from month to month.

While the merchant does get fairly quick payment (4-5 days), the impact of losing a 3% fee has a serious effect on what you pay.  It has to be reflected in the price.

If you have a rewards card that gives you a cash rebate, that rebate comes from the merchant, not from Amex.  Again, if the credit card company is going to give you money back, the merchant you made  your purchase from must factor that rebate into the price of what you purchase.

In exchange for these fees (American Express merchant fees are higher than both Mastercard and Visa) AMEX consistently makes things as complicated as they possibly can for the merchant, making their fee structure almost impossible to interpret.

If you challenge a charge on your card (even if it is valid) AMEX can charge the merchant as much as $20.00 in something called a “chargeback” fee for the merchant to prove the charge is valid, even if they have done nothing wrong.

American Express’s new initiative to cut employee jobs is intended to save the company $1.8 billion dollars in costs in 2009.

Think any of that savings will be passed on to the merchants that keep the company alive?  Don’t count on it!

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Enterainment 1 extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and quality speaker cables.