Apparently the iPhone may have a fatal flaw… that it is pretty much impenetrable, except for lint.  Now I am a blackberry user and have had issues with dust behind the screen on my bb curve.  They replaced my blackberry under warranty and I am sure they would do the same for the iPhone.  Just make sure you aren’t slowly heading toward this problem and let your warranty slip by…

For those of you who are craftsmen or want to become one, this is for you.  I really enjoy carpentry when I get the time.  I have tried a furniture piece before and it came out alright, but I really enjoy construction and building stuff.  I have grand plans to have a workshop one day so we will have to see.

I found this the other day and it makes me want to start a project like this, but of course the cost of wood is outrageous right now.  One day though..

As a business owner this blog will on occasion address business topics from other industries.  This one in particular is very important because it effects all of us, if you are a taxpayer.

The big 3 Automakers have already received approval for 25 billion in bailout money and are now asking us taxpayers to give them another 25 billion!!!

Yes, they are in a lot of trouble these days.  They are heavily in debt and have very little liquidity.  They are on the verge of bankruptcy.  This is not chapter 11 restructuring bankruptcy, but chapter 7, close the doors and start a major ebay account bankruptcy.  Their collapse could cause 2 to 3 million lost jobs.   I don’t need to say how bad this could be with unemployment already at a high rate.

I think the bailout is a bad idea.  I think that the big 3 automakers business model is a poor one and doomed to eventually fail.  I think that their fall will be destructive to our economy and to millions of families.  That makes this whole thing a very sensitive and challenging issue.

Why do I think it is a bad idea?  Well the big 3 auto makers pay much more to American workers than the average company.  The average pay for Toyota motor company is $48 hourly.  The average pay for the big 3 is $73.20.  That is 52.5% more than the market rate.  If you take the average hourly wage across all industries ($28.48 hourly), they are 157% above market rate.  Ford motor company actually has a forklift operator that earns over $80K a year!  The big 3 have let pressure from the UAW union increase their wages to unsustainable levels.  The real crisis here is that, with mass layoffs, millions will enter the job pool used to earning 157% above the norm for their skill set.  Do you think these people understood they were being overpaid and aligned their budgets with average income for their position.  Maybe a few…

Basic business sense tells us that they can’t continue as a company, be competitive, and stay in the black, paying out 52% above their competitors.  I want people to earn a good living.  I think that businesses who want to take care of their employees, and attract the best people to their organization, need to pay people well.  What should a company do?  You don’t automatically give pay raises to employees who do their job well, without moving them up and giving them new challenges.  I have no problem with someone staying with a company for 40 years and working their way up to a nice income, but not in the same entry-level position.  Companies; if you have good people invest in educating them to take on higher level positions.  By spending those extra dollars on continuing education, you prepare your people for growth to supervisor and upper management roles.  I propose that an employee will feel more important and valued to have their company invest in their growth as a professional, than to just use those dollars as extra compensation.

There is no doubt that this is a huge decision and will affect millions of people.  I think that our economy is moving more toward results based compensation.  You see this in the fact that more and more companies are using commission based compensation plans. (this is a another world I will blog about sometime later)  I think we are headed to compensation based on what you bring to the table, not how long you sit there.

My prayers are for those who currently work for the big 3.  I know their futures seem uncertain right now.  I hope that CEO’s, Boardmembers, and business owners start putting more emphasis on investing in their people.  Investment in your people makes them profitable within their work.  I believe profitable employees will lead back to profitable companies.

Wow that was a long post.. sorry…

Let me know your thoughts on this one… ok

I have to hand it to Craftsman for this cool tool.  A Li-Ion powered automatic hammer.  In my work I don’t use a hammer that often, but I have to say this is a great Idea.

Think of it like a handheld jackhammer and you start to get the point.  A piston inside a sleeve travels a small distance at great speed to drive the nail home.  So instead of one or two giant swings for a standard 3-1/2” nail, the auto-hammer sinks it with around 34 small strikes per second.

I don’t know how long the charge will last (how many nails can it drive?), but the awesome factor of this tool is for using in tight spaces..  no more backswing.  One great use I could think of is nailing in electrical boxes into new construction for those locations where you don’t have a standard 16″ stud spacing.

Pricing is set at about $100, which is about what you’d expect for a 12V Li-Ion setup like this.

Your thumbs will thank you...

I just started this blog and have had a few sneaky visitors so far.  I say sneaky because I don’t know who you are or where you are from.

I would love to know who you are and what you want to see here.   Please click on the comments above and tell me who you are.  You don’t have to tell me much or anything at all for that manner.

I you have a particular interest in for example professional audio, commercial video, gadgets, or just tools in general let me know and I will try to add content that you want to see.

Suggestions and Questions are always welcome and appreciated.

Thanks, Matt

I will publish these reports on a regular basis, because as a tech guy, I like to know what is on top. Also, some of you are probably still working on a Christmas wish list

For those of you who know me I carry around alot of stuff.  Most of the time I have on my person a blackberry curve 8310, FOSSIL wallet, business cards, 2 access cards, a schrade multi-tool ST1, a spyderco byrdrench, a kobalt razor knife, a magliteLED 3AA Flashlight, a pen, 2 keychains (main keychain with NITEiZe S-Biner), and some change.

I know that it looks like alot…  in my defense the picture does show the blackberry holster, and the schrade multi-tool case which would be combined on my person.  Does this weigh me down some.. answer=yes

I decided to measure the amount of weight my accessories add...

Yes.. my daily payload runs around 4 pounds! not counting lunch

The Blackberry Curve 8310 is probably my favorite tool.  I mean it is not only a cell phone that works great but I use it for so much more.  I get my Email through a Gmail app.  I use Google Maps in conjunction with the internal GPS to get GPS functionality without having to pay a monthly charge to AT&T.  I use Opera mini as my browser, although not as good as the iPhone still a great app.  I use MUNDU IM as my chat client app keeping my logged into AIM and Google Talk

my blackberry..

.  Some of you might be interested in the spyderco byrdrench…  It is a little odd and it is a new addition to my arsenal.  I like it because it is unique in that it does not have the usual pliers with tools format that is the form for most multi-tools.  I really like the spyderco knife, because it is easy to open and sharp!  I am still getting used to its other options like the adjustable wrench.  (I was dissappointed to pop the adjustment part of wrench out of grove while putting together an aerator.  I was putting a fair amount of torque on it so you have to be aware it is not as strong as a regular wrench.)  The following should answer your questions…

the byrdrench

This is my first entry to my first blog.  I never though that I would have a blog, but on occasion I have experiences that interest others so what better way to publicize said experiences than a blog.  I have quite a few friends that have blogs and I am an avid blog reader so we will see how I do.

What will you see on this blog?  Well since I am the owner of a Professional Audio Video Company you should expect to see all sorts of “how tos” and “tool reviews” related to that industry.  I will probably post on current job challenges and successes.  I am also a gadget lover and my typical belt accessories can and have been compared to Batman’s arsenal.

That said, I hope you enjoy and I hope I remember to put some content into this thing…