As battery life gets better and better, there is a temptation among sound people to stretch the life of the battery, but they do it at their own peril.

The discharge of a battery when used in a wireless mic is not “linear”, which means that after slowly discharging over an extended period of time, an battery (either alkaline or rechargeable) can quickly lose its remaining power and drop to a voltage where wireless mic performance is no longer predictable or reliable.

While your employer will appreciate your efforts to save a little money when things are going well, if your answer to the “did you change the batteries” question is “no“, then you may find yourself looking for another job.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Pro Tapes gaffers tape, , MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and HB extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  We also sell Duracell Procell batteries, the pros’ choice for wireless microphones.

This product is primarily sold for bundling of heavy objects like pipe and for sealing very heavy parcels.  We used it to seal large boxes of batteries and decided we might as well offer it to customers, especially since we found it so useful.

Bi-filament tape is expensive, even in the standard two inch width, and these callers were looking for it in a six inch wider version.  They only wanted a roll or two, and we weren’t really interested in investing in a product when we didn’t really understand how it was being used.

It turns out these callers were interested in building hexayurts (we knew nothing about this type of shelter) for Burning Man, an event that we had never heard of.

Skip forward three years and we now find that six inch bi-filament tape is a steady seller and we are involved with lots of very interesting people who are engaged with hexayurt development.

What happened?  We took a minute to listen to the callers.  Taking the time to understand what a hexayurt was and how it was assembled was all that was necessary for us to decide to stock bi-filament tape in six inch widths.

Customers we knew nothing about using a product in a way that was foreign to us has led us to an opportunity that was laid in our laps.  All we had to do was listen.

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.  Give us a call at 877-863-6150.  We’ll listen.

There PM series of mixers defined state of the art in vca style analog mixers for almost twenty years and their LS9 series of digital mixers is arguably the most popular digital mixer ever built.

Their latest mixer series combines digital and analog in such a way as to possibly establish a new standard, yet again.

Sound pros have argued for years that digital mixers would never be able to duplicate the warm and musical tonal quality that analog microphone preamps and equalizers can produce.  This argument raged for years, but the convenience, functionality and flexibility of digital finally won the battle.  Most new high end mixer purchases today fall squarely in the digital domain.

Everything but the very top end or “bottom of the barrel” budget equipment in analog mixing has been relegated to boat anchor status.

Yamaha’s MGP mixer series combines analog type pre-amps and equalization with digital signal routing and storage to create a hybird that has potential to be the best of both worlds.

If Yamaha is successful with this approach, look for the same strategy to move upscale, just as it did with the original PM1000 analog mixer  thirty years ago.

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.  Analog or digital-what’s yourpreference? Share it with our readers.

Here’s one of our favorite indicators. We call it the “PI” and it stand for pallet index.

Almost everything we sell arrives at our loading dock on wooden pallets-sometimes eight or ten a day.  They eat up valuable space and can be difficult to dispose of.  Until the beginning of the summer, we had to beg delivery drivers to take them back and even resorted several times to hauling them away and burning them.

For the last couple of months, they have been disappearing before our eyes.  Every time a driver shows up with a delivery, he seems to more than ready to take back a pallet and usually asks if we have any more.  If five or six have accumulated, his eyes really light up.

It seems that other stops on his route have a need (for the first time in months) for more pallets than they can get to ship their goods, and the driver is able to sell them our pallets when he makes a delivery.

This seems like a really positive sign to us.

Maybe it is time for MSNBC to add the “PI” to their list of leading economic indicators.

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. What’s your favorite business health indicator?  Share it with our readers.

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This is bad legislation and will only lead to higher prices and lost job creation opportunities.

If small business is required to collect and pay sales tax in the hundreds of individual sales tax jurisdictions in the country, all customers will pay the higher cost, and not just in the added sales tax.

We are proud to serve a national customer base and if we have to keep track of all the different tax policies and rates, the administrative cost of that additional work will have to be reflected in the prices we charge.  Even if the tax doesn’t go to your state, you’ll pay for the administrative costs connected to every order that is placed.

We don’t mind paying sales tax to our own state, as the benefits of living in North Carolina are clear and the only customers we tax are those that are N.C. based.  That makes sense.

Collecting and forwarding sales tax to Idaho or New Mexico doesn’t make sense and will serve only mega businesses like Amazon who already have a physical presence in lots of states.

If you are involved in e-commerce or just purchase things on line, now is the time to contact your legislators and let them know that this is yet another attempt to stall our slowly recovering economy.

If the Senate wants to raise tax revenues, they should start with collecting “already due” taxes from individuals and businesses that already avoid paying.

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

I’m not talking about customer service or sales calls. I am talking about calls from an existing customer to a supplier who spends millions trying to get us to buy and distribute their products.

I can understand the need to use voice mail and message taking when absolutely necessary, but it is difficult to imagine anything of more value to someone who sells a product or service than talking to your customer. After all, my calls are all about my desire to give your company money. What could be more important than that?

The advent of e-commerce and online sales has been incredibly liberating for us at GoodBuyGuys.com. We’ve always tried to make sure that a customer got a live human being when they called to order gaffers tape or batteries, or when they called for product info. Our phone rings less and less often, even though our sales are increasing, so we have lots more time and resources to field every phone call without adding phone lines or employees. It is the most important customer service function anyone around here performs. It’s easy and it is a service that is rarely abused by customers or prospects. They don’t call unless an interaction with a human voice is really needed.

Its obvious to us, that most people find it more efficient to deal with us (and most vendors) online when possible. Usually, you can get your questions answered and your order placed a lot quicker via the internet than by phone. That makes our job easier and frees up lots of resources to make available when the phone does ring.
We have resisted adding hold music or, even worse, some sort of recorded message to bore you while you are put on hold. If a caller is left on hold for more than 45 sec. the phone starts making a really loud and annoying beeping sound.

Occasionally, you may get voice mail if all our incoming lines are busy, but we strive to return ALL calls within the hour. It’s something that really matters.

When we make decisions on adding new suppliers and expanding our relationship with exisiting ones, how they handle the telephone is a very big part of our decision making process.

Why more companies don’t take advantage of the decrease in demand that e-commerce puts on their human resources is a mystery to me. Having a human answer the phone is a great way to build business relationships in a way that online interactions will never replace. You miss an awful lot when you are unwilling to answer the phone.

Got an insight into good customer service? Share it with us!

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It’s all but guaranteed that 30 minutes before the event is over, but well after dark, the bottom will drop out of the sky, promising a load out in the rain and a truck full of wet gear.

While the standard hardware store blue tarp is the industry standard for quick cover ups in the rain, they can really cause you some problems when the rain is accompanied by a stiff breeze.

A simple modification in a cheap tarp can make it many times more useful when the raindrops start falling.

Turn the tarp into a plastic bag.

Just take your tarps, fold them in half, and stitch up the edges.  If you’re not handy with a sewing machine, gaffers tape or even a stapler will work almost as well.

Larger tarps can be turned into bags that will cover up your entire PA stacks, and you can make smaller bags for covering up things like monitors.

Since the tarps can be easily cut and normally do not unravel, you can take one large tarp and turn it into a lot of custom covers for things like your consoles and amp racks.  No hemming necessary.

Since the tarps have grommets, you will have some tie down points, but you probably won’t even need them.  Since wind can’t get inside the bag, the harder the wind blows, the firmer the bag stays in place.

Make sure you label each bag with a large label (try using a Sharpie marker directly on the bag) in letters large enough to be seen in the dark.

At the first mention of rough weather, place each bag close to the location where it will be needed and instruct stagehands or volunteers how they are used.

This might well be the best piece of sound equipment you ever buy.

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The line that really caught my eye was this one: “This adds up to a total potential range of 1,000 miles (1,609 km), with stops required only every couple of hundred miles to refill the system with water.”

We sell lots of  batteries and our primary user base is in wireless microphones.  The Phinergy battery technology got me to wondering if someday a singer might be able to power his own microphone just by sweating.

If that worked, Dave Matthews mic battery would last a lifetime!

Read more about the Phinergy battery technology here.

If anything every happens with this, you can read all about it at wirelessmic.net.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Pro Tapes gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and HB extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Need a wireless mic battery?  Click here!

Now it turns out that they are considering grabbing more bandwidth and pushing wireless microphones out again. Less than three years ago, The Federal Communications Commission turned over the 700 megahertz band, long used by low power, unlicensed wireless devices like microphones, to other wireless devices and auctioned off the rights to use that spectrum. Churches, theaters, schools and audio visual services had to stop using their wireless mics and hundreds of thousands of units had to be replaced. At the time, users were assured that this was a one-time grab and that by moving down to lower frequencies they could operate safely.

Now, not only wireless mics, but lots of other low power communications devices used in entertainment and audio-visual production, are again at risk of being outlawed. The F.C.C. wants to make this spectrum available to cell phone companies, who will pay dearly for it. Wireless mics now are able to ride along unused portions of the broadcast spectrum allocated for television broadcasting. If those frequencies are auctioned off, they will no longer be available.

Not all spectrum handles wireless mic transmissions equally well, and now Broadway producers are faced with the possibility of being forced to use frequencies that will not handle nearly as many simultaneous signals as they can currently use. Take that problem and multiply it by a hundred when you pack so many users into a small space like the Theater District in New York and trouble will ensue.

We’ll watch this one closely.  Check for followups at wirelessmic.net.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Pro Tapes gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and HB extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  We sell wireless mics, too!

The only constant in 30+ years of outdoor decorating is my extension cords.  I have many that date back to the 1970′s and they are as functional and useful as the day they were bought.  The only real change, based on the price of copper, is that now they are worth a small fortune.

A little extension cord care can mean that a well made extension cord can last a lifetime.

Proper coiling, storing in a dry place out of sunlight and keeping the cable away from sharp objects is all it takes.

Click here to watch a video on proper cable coiling.

Click here for some tips on extension cord care.

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 are proud to feature extension cords from Hosatech.

I’m going to volunteer my services to Larry Page and Sergey Brin and request the title of “The Old Man Filter”.

Most men my age are still going to work every day and still making decisions that will impact many of their co-workers. We know that our days are numbered but also realize that years in the workplace make us excellent evaulators of what is a good return on intellectual investment.

All my co-workers are younger than me, but it is unlikely, at least on the job, that they will be adopting much in the way of new online products if I don’t sign off on them first. If it isn’t worth my time to learn how to use these things, then it is unlikely that I will be willing to apply their time and my resources to integrating them into our daily operations.

If the people (usually employers or business owners) who pay bills and make decisions find that the implementation of new technology, particularly as the migration to cloud-based applications continues, is just too complicated, then it will stay on the shelf.

Google, you’re just making it too hard. We know that you rule the world and that you tell us you will do no evil. You’ve helped build our customer base through search and we have returned the favor with a generous Ad Words budget.

We admire your youthful culture and your constant willingness to bring new ideas to the table. All I’m asking is for you to take a break every once in a while to consider how constantly moving forward at breakneck speed impacts the decision makers.

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

So much “hand wringing” is done these days about now America no longer leads the world in manufacturing.  Many think that our days of making things is over.

Techshop is a startup “do it yourself” lab that now has locations in about half a dozen American cities. It is a “shop” equipped with the newest tools, computers and design materials that is accessible to any member who has an idea and wants to build something.

At a Techshop location, for as little as $75 a month, a member can get their hands on millions of dollars worth of state of the art tools that almost no one could afford on their own. Combine that with classes and a community of thinkers and makers and you have fertile bed for creating new businesses and bringing ideas into reality.

Highly regarded tech writer Robert Scoble has called Techshop, possibly be the “most important startup to United States’ manufactiring industry”.

Techshop started in San Francisco and how has locations in Michigan, Texas, Pennsylvania and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Electronic equipment, welding and woodworking, sheet metal fabrication tools, metal milling machines, and lots of high end computers and computer controlled tools are available at all locations and a monthly membership gives anyone access to everything in the building.

A Techshop is a garage workshop on a grand scale and it creates a collaborative environment that has launched lots of successful businesses. In addition to appealing to entrepeneurs, it is equally compelling for folks who just like to build things.

I am hoping to check out the Raleigh Techshop location this week. I’ll let you know what I find out.

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

That’s when i discovered Waze, an app that will run on both Android and Apple IOS devices. Unlike Google maps, which require updates from Google satellite photos, Waze brings crowd sourcing to the mix, meaning that users can add things and make changes when they find the Google map incomplete.

That’s why Waze knew that I wasn’t driving through the woods while Google assumed that I was driving some sort of monster truck 4×4.

Waze also lets its community user base upload real time data about traffic jams, traffic stops and detours, all in real time. If a driver using Waze near you files a report, you get a prompt almost immediately.

Amazingly, Waze is free, and the use of ads is really limited. I recommend it highly.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Protape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Coast Wire extension cordsand OnStage Stand mic stands. We’d like to be your source for good ideas too!

I got a call first thing this morning from a prospective customer who was looking for a new tape supplier.  That’s a great way to start the day.

He began by telling me that he was “firing” his current supplier because their gaffers tape was no longer sticky enough.  He was getting ready to return his most recent purchase.

I told him about the gaffers tapes we sell and then asked him who he was currently buying from.  One of the gaffers tapes we sell, and the one I recommended was Pro Gaffer.  The conversation almost ended right there, because he told me the product he was returning was Pro Gaffer.  I was familiar with his current supplier and knew that Pro Gaffer was not in their line.

It turns out that what he had was a tape from another manufacturer that had been re-branded as “Pro Grade Gaffers Tape”.  I told him that, but instead of clearing up the confusion, it just took us further down the rabbit hole.

By now he was looking at our selection of gaffers tape online, and of course, he immediately wanted to know about Shurtape Professional Grade gaffers tape, yet another use of the term “Pro”.

I explained that the Shurtape product used a special adhesive designed to work in extreme temperatures (both hot and cold) and was a lot more expensive than other tapes.

Anyway, he solved the “Pro” problem by ordering Shurtape 665, the only one that did not have “pro” as part of its name.

We hope he likes it.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Protape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Coast Wire extension cordsand OnStage Stand mic stands.  We’ve been selling gaffers tape for over 25 years!

The most common question, by far, relates to gaffers tape, and the three different kinds we sell.  It is a good question and it is worthy of a detailed blog post.  Here goes…………..

Shurtape 665 is the best known brand of gaffers tape.  It was known as Permacel 665 for many years before the brand was sold to Shurtape and it is the gold standard for utility grade gaffers tape.  It can trace its lineage directly back to when Johnson and Johnson invented the original gaffers t ape.

We sell it to Broadway tours, major concert producers and some of the biggest video production companies in the country.   If consistency is more important than price, then Shurtape 665 is guaranteed to get the job done.

Pro Gaffer, from Pro Tapes and Specialties, has become the most popular tape we sell and is the value leader in its field.  It’s specifications are identical to Shurtape 665 and performs comparably in most applications.  It is priced about 10% less than 665 and is available in lots of colors.

Shurtape Professional Grade (formerly known as Permacel 672) has a specially formulated adhesive that is designed to work in extreme temperatures.  Production pros turn to Professional Grade when they are working outside in cold temperatures or when they need a tape product to use around hot stage lights.

We offer all three brands in multiple widths and, like everything else we sell, all our gaffers tape is sold with a “satisfaction guaranteed” promise.

Need more info?  Feel free to give us a call! (800-327-4414)

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Protape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Coast Wire extension cordsand OnStage Stand mic stands.  We’ve been selling gaffers tape for over 25 years!

If you want to make sure that your connecting cables are working properly, take a look at what Hosa now has.

Hosa’s new CBT-500 tests more cables in more ways than any other tester we have ever seen.  And, it does it at a very reasonable price.

Check out this list:

Speakon NL8-Ethernet-USB-DIN-RCA-1/4 Inch-Speakon NL4-Speakon NL8-XLR3-XLR5-Banana.

The can all be tested with this easy-use-device.

All are testtable with this handheld device.  It also includes a set of test leads for continuity testing and a nine volt battery.

Click here for more information.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Protape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Coast Wire extension cordsand OnStage Stand mic stands.

Recently I came across a trade show concept called “The Duct Tape Test“.  Obviously, any trade show idea that is focused on tape is going to catch my attention.  Turns out, “The Duct Tape Test” has nothing to do with  tape.

The idea of the test is for evaluating trade show displays, but it is relevant to almost any type of presentation you might be working on.

It works like this.  In order for a trade show (or any) display to pass the duct tape test, it must be capable of getting your idea across even if you had your mouth covered with duct tape.   If your display can’t  get your ideas across without your explaining or elaborating, it has failed the test.

Next time you want to present an idea through a graphical presentation, make sure it can pass the “Duct Tape Test”.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Protape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Coast Wire extension cordsand OnStage Stand mic stands.

Usually, even before I have finished reading the cover letter,  I am at Facebook to see if I can locate the applicant.  It is a very valuable, if less than perfect, tool.

The very first application I got, included a cover letter that began “I am 19 and looking for a long term position with growth potential.”

Off to Facebook where I quickly found her profile.

Picture 1        Beer in one hand, shot glass in the other

Picture 2       “On the job” picture with her fellow waitresses at Hooters

Picture 3       Beer in one hand with an arm with a Bicardi Rum tattoo over her shoulder

Picture 4      The words “xx Kill Me!” scrawled on a glass table top

On to Google

First Result  Image of the applicant at justmogshots.com after having been charged with assaulting a police officer.

I have no idea how difficult it might be to get the last image removed (the mug shot) but the Facebook pictures appear to be images that she posted herself.

It is unlikely that we will be scheduling an interview.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Protape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Coast Wire extension cordsand OnStage Stand mic stands.

Few users of the captcha system caused more complications than Ticketmaster.  Unlike most online transactions, the inability to complete a Ticketmaster purchase in a hurry might mean that you are denied the seats you want or even denied the opportunity to purchase tickets at all.  It’s not like you can just move on to a competitors site to make your purchase.

Ticketmaster has finally acknowledging years of consumer complaints and is ditching the captcha.  The point of asking you to read and type a nonsense set of characters was to prove to Ticketmaster’s servers that you were a human being rather than a robot trying to purchase tickets for the resale market.  Actually, it was Ticketmaster’s programmers whose humanity was being called into question.

Now, instead of having to translate a nonsensical and usually unreadable set of characters, you will be asked to identify an image.

See a picture of a chicken, type the word “chicken” and make the purchase.  Why did this idea take so long?

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Protape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Coast Wire extension cordsand OnStage Stand mic stands. Count on us to meet your power distribution needs.

Rather than accept my resignation that there were too many (billions!) of these in use,  a company called Power2U has actually addressed the problem.

Instead of fighting the the unwinnable battle of changing the standard, they just improved on it.

Realizing that the spacing of existing outlet receptacles could not be changed because the outlets would no longer fit in their designated wall space, this company has added a feature that keeps you from ever having to plug a space hogging outboard power supply into the wall in the first place.

They have added usb ports to an  duplex outlet that is designed to replace what is now standard, without having to made any changes to the wall or worrying about compatability with your other devices.  Now you can charge multiple items with usb ports without using the charger at all.

This new outlet is reasonably inexpensive ($11.50-about four times the cost of a standard duplex outlet) and can be installed by any homeowner with basic tools and minimum skill.

Read more here.

Order by clicking here.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Protape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Coast Wire extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Count on us to meet your power distribution needs.

The “mixer” turned out to actually be a docking station for an IPad.  By placing the tablet computer in the mixer frame and downloading an app, the IPad became a 16 channel mixer with lots of features found on much more expensive mixers.

This is an interesting idea and it has a lot of potential, but it also leads to some interesting questions.

This is not an inexpensive item (almost $1000 list) and that does not include the IPad.  Without the tablet computer, it is a very expensive door stop.  If you supply your own Ipad, it means that the church/school/club/whatever that needs a mixer will not have a working model unless somebody’s IPad is in the house.  The flip side of this is that in order to make sure that the mixer is available whenever it is needed, it might require having a dedicated tablet computer for just one purpose.  That means that you might have as much as $1600 tied up in the mixer-pretty pricey for 16 inputs.

Apple has recently thrown IPhone users a serious curve by upgrading/changing the docking connector on the most recent Iphone.  Buying a dedicated mixer that requires an IPad means that when/if Apple upgrades the IPad connector, you would not be able to use the newer version of the tablet with the Mackie’s mixer dock.  That is not the kind of obsolescence that is easy to plan for.

The upsides are obvious.  Constant upgrades of the software and availability of other apps that you might use while recording or mixing live sound are just a couple.  Being able to run an app like a frequency spectrum analyzer for feedback control or a guitar tuner directly from the mixer platform would be great.

The concept of using the IPad or other tablet computer as the engine for specalized audio applications has great potential.  If this concept can be made to work in the real world, Mackie is the company to do it.

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

Our business was impacted in several ways by Hurricane Sandy that we never could have anticipated.  Fortunately, things are crawling back towards normal and we are blessed that the impact we felt was secondary.  We have those whose lives,  families and livelihoods were directly impacted in our thoughts and in our prayers.

The  most surprising impact was to our banking arrangements.  We bank with a community bank (just four branches) that is located just a couple of miles from our offices.  A couple of days after the storm, we discovered that check payments to vendors were not clearing the bank.  We contacted some of the vendors to make sure that they had received our payments and they assured us that the checks had been received and deposited.

Digging a little further, we discovered that our “community bank” had all payments and other transactions processed by a central clearing house in New Jersey that had been taken off line by the storm.  The bank had made no effort to contact us (we had been a customer for seven years!) and only reluctantly revealed some of the details of the problem.  Two days later a small notice appeared on their web page (a page that had stayed up during the storm event).  It took four days before anything was posted on their Facebook page. It took almost two weeks before things got back to normal with our bank and we are still waiting for any sort of personal contact to explain what happened.

The result of this “failure to communicate”? We are shopping for a new bank.

The second involved one of our primary suppliers.  We did know that they were located in New Jersey and we began to express genuine concern as soon as the storm was predicted to make landfall in the Northeast.

The storm came ashore on Sunday evening, and it was Thursday afternoon before we heard anything from this supplier (we have been a customer for 24year!).  During this time we discovered that their Twitter feed had not had a posting since February 2010 and their web site (which stayed online during the storm) had not had anything posted to its “News” section for more than a year.  We attempted to get in touch with them through postings to individual accounts on employees Facebook and Linked In pages, but heard nothing.  We combed web sites that provided news about their part of the state and even looked through hundreds of photos posted online. After four days of complete silence, we assumed that they were out of business.

The result of this “failure to communicate”?  We are now in discussions with additional suppliers to make sure that we are not too dependent on any one source for the products we sell.

In this age of constant “one to many” communication that requires nothing more than a smart phone, the failure of a company to keep in touch with their customers in times of uncertainty is a recipe for failure.

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.

In addition to charging stations, the Duracell disaster relief centers also include computers that provide internet access.

Advertising Age magazine reported that Duracell’s response to the storm generated over 1300 “likes” for their Facebook page.

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 sell rechargeable batteries and applaud these changes.

However, ongoing problems in restoring electrical service to the New York and New Jersey area has made it necessary to revisit the decision that many have made.   Some questions must now be asked that don’t have simple answers.

A modern LED flashlight with rechargeable batteries  is designed to last for many hours of service, but not many days.  Even the highest quality device is going to need recharging after 12-16 hours.  Without reliable power to run the charging unit, the flashlight becomes useless after several days.  That, regrettably, is being discovered unexpectedly by many who are involved in emergency services because power losses for many are now extending into their second week.

Many of these devices use proprietary batteries or are designed to go directly into a charging unit and the batteries are not accessible to be changed even if the user had a spare.  Rechargeable units have been in use long enough that the old reliable flashlight or other device that used alkaline batteries is no longer available.

I you are considering making the change to rechargeable batteries, allow us to make this suggestion.  Choose a unit that uses standard size batteries (D Cells, AA, etc.) rather than a sealed unit or one that uses a special battery.

Keep a supply of proper sized alkaline batteries as a backup.  Modern day alkalines from major manufacturers have 7+ years of shelf life and are not prone to leaking like older batteries.

If a power outage extends for more than a couple of days, this is your best backup plan.

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Getting information about family members seems a little easier, as they are mobile and are more likely to have multiple methods for making contact.

Not so for businesses.  It seems that for many businesses losing electrical service seems to be equivalent to simply vanishing from the planet.  Unlike twenty years ago, almost all phone systems require power at the source (old style phone were powered directly by the phone lines), so when most businesses lose power they also lose phone and internet service.  That is understandable, and with the type of damage this storm caused, it will take a while to restore power to businesses that suffered no physical damage.

What is more difficult to understand is why so many businesses fail to understand that there are other ways to keep in touch with their customers.  These are methods that should be used all the time, but are indispensable in times of power outages.

Most businesses do not host their own web sites and a site that has been set up for proper management can be updated with nothing more than a smart phone.  This can’t be done after the fact (“fact”, in this case being the weather event), but a little preparation before the storm allows this to be done as soon as local phone companies can get temporary cell towers up and running.

An even better tool for “one to many” communication is Twitter, and there are many Twitter applications  designed to let you post to a Twitter stream directly from a phone.  It is simple and instantaneous.

We just discovered that one of the suppliers we are trying to contact last updated their Twitter feed in February of 2010.    With no phone, no voice mail, no web site updates and no Twitter info, we can only hope for the best.

There is a better way.

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A recent event in Buffalo, NY made it clear that there was one atmospheric factor that they might have overlooked.  Attendee rage.

Apparently those attending an Eric Church concert June 1 at Buffalo’s Coca Cola Field did not agree that the decision to cancel because of high winds was in their own best interest and they made their feelings known by pelting the stage with folding chairs.

Event promoters are working to schedule a make-up show.  Undoubtedly, those who choose to attend will have to stand up.

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I recently set up an Amazon Seller Account and an Amazon store to sell gaffers tape.  Unfortunately, it didn’t work out and we decided that it was time to try something else.

Easier said than done!

I have spent the last hour trying to get the account closed and the monthly automated credit card charges ended.  I’m still not sure that I have been successful.

After spending about 20 minutes with every possible combination of search terms for “closing a seller account” at Amazon.com, I resorted to the phone.

Have you ever tried to call Amazon on the phone?  Don’t bother.  When you call the number listed for Amazon, you get an automated voice directing you to a web site where you can request that Amazon call you.  Apparently their phones only work in one direction.

Once their robot calls you back, you are put on interminable hold while someone works down to your name in the line.  Their job is to ask you a bunch of questions, tell you that they need to pass you along to someone else, and put you back on hold.

When I finally got passed to someone (fourth person) who said that they could actually help me, they insisted on knowing why I was closing the account before they would proceed.

I had a good reason to close the account when I called.  Needless to say, I had a second reason by the time I finally reached the finish line.

Oh.  And our Amazon sales.  $0.00!

In case you need to reach us, the phone number is 800-327-4414.  A human will answer, and it will happen by the third ring.

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This is not a new idea, but scientists Michael Bartlett and Duncan Irschick have a prototype that will hold a weight of up to 700 lbs. using just a few square inches of a proprietary fabric.

Applying and removing the re-usable fabric is simple and it leaves no adhesive residue.

The Amhearst researchers credit their most recent advance to having expanded the study of the gecko from just its skin to understanding the whole foot structure-tendons, bones and skin.

Read more here.

View a video of Geckskin in action here.

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Our company does have an adwords account, administered by someone else, and the budget is set at a nice round number, with charges posted to a credit card twice every month. This mystery charge was definitely not related to that account, and it was also not related to another adwords account that had had all of its activity suspended in February.

We’ve spent way more than $20.83 today trying to track this down, and we don’t have an answer yet.

My point? I’m getting to it.

Abandoned “orphan” accounts for online services have become a major profit center for those who sell those services on a subscription basis. It can be so hard to get answers that you just find yourself saying “I’ll get back to that tomorrow”. Next month, there it is again. Most of these service providers don’t have human beings who answer the phone and they send you those “Do not reply to this email” responses when you try to get an answer.

What to do? Here’s how we handle it. Any time you don’t understand the details of a charge, give the service provider the courtesy of one phone call. If you don’t get a satisfactory answer, challenge the charge with the card issuer. The company posting the charge has ten days to provide an explanation, and if they don’t provide a satisfactory answer, then the charge will be reversed. It is expensive and time consuming for the company generating the charge to validate the charge and if they ignore Visa or American Express, they run the risk of losing the right to accept credit cards.

This process is quick, can be done online, and causes expense and complication for everybody in the chain of custody of your money.

If the charge shows up again next month, challenge it again. They’ll get the message.

It has been in use for so long that most lighting techs working today have never even seen an analog controller.

Dealing with the basic concept that a “bit is a bit is a bit”, Soundcraft has put “0” and “1” together and  integrated dmx512 lighting control into their Si Performer line of audio consoles.

While its basic functionality in the lighting mode won’t ever put high end lighting controllers on the obsolete list, the option of having an audio person having basic control of a lighting system opens up a lot of new territory and presents production companies with some new money saving options.

Many audio-intensive live events like conferences and speeches have basic “on/off” lighting needs and now all of that can be managed from a single console.

The SI Series mixers can store both audio and lighting control information and can use snapshots to restore both sound and lighting settings.  All functions can be performed from the same control surface, decreasing the production footprint in venues where space is at a premium.

You can read more about the Soundcraft SI  Performer series of mixers by clicking here.

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