Household AA Battery Recycling

I recycle. Sometimes, I've even been accused of being a tree-hugger for my green ways. However, I'm an engineer, not an environmentalist. In fact, it seemed odd to me that more people didn't realize that "Going Green" wasn't really about saving the environment. It was all about the money, which had the added benefit of saving the environment.

CFL bulbs, rechargeable batteries, we all love them for the money they save us, until they're worthless and then, in the great American fashion - We chuck 'em.

Your remote control forces you to watch the same channel all night long, the clock on the wall runs slow, your daughter's princess piano has mercifully fallen silent. In the end, all those 'AA' and 'AAA' batteries are headed for your trashcan.

Why? Why do we throw away so much stuff that still has intrinsic value? Simple: It no longer has value to me.

It's also very easy to answer that question if you consider the trade-off between fidelity and convenience.

Think about it. You're sitting at your desk at work. You hold a piece of paper in your hand that is suddenly worthless to you. A trashcan sits immediately below your desk and the Paper Recycling Bin sits clear across the office next to the printer. Where does the paper go?

Convenience: trash can, back to work.

Fidelity, after endless marketing ads, news stories of extremist tree-huggers chained to trees, guilt about global warming and your carbon footprint, and razed rainforests in the Amazon, etc... Fidelity offers you the rich experience of knowing that you've done your part at the high cost of breaking your concentration and flow so you can stand up and walk to the recycling bin.

I believe that more people would recycle, or recycle more, if it was simply more convenient. People that don't care about the environment happily recycle when the opportunity to do so is as easy as throwing it in the trash.

How many of you recycle old batteries?

You don't. Even though they are worse than throwing paper in the trash, you chuck them and religiously recycle your paper because you have a place to put the paper. Where are you going to put two old "AA" batteries?

Armed with this knowledge, I set up a method to give people I work with everyday the opportunity to recycle their old clock batteries, cordless phone batteries, flashlight batteries. I grabbed a cardboard box, printed off some pictures from the internet and instantly created a Battery Recycling Center.

I placed this Battery Recycling Center in our workroom and was amazed at how quickly this little box filled up. Batteries of all types were dumped in my box. Double AA, triple AAA, C, D, cell phone, laptop, cordless phone, camera, drill, etc. I was astounded at what one little box had just diverted from the local landfill.

Even if you did save those old remote control batteries, where can you responsibly dump that toxic waste? I didn't know, and suddenly had 20lbs of Ni-Cd, and Lithium batteries that I didn't know what to do with. I tried, but failed when I learned that Home Depot and Lowes's will accept the large rechargeable batteries that go in power tools. Their bins, however, state that they do not want the common place batteries.

Staples! And you only thought they were good for recycling your old ink cartridges. Staples has a program called Easy on the Planet and they gladly accept your old batteries.(Note: After researching the corporate website online, it states only rechargeable batteries. However, my local Staples was eager to take my box full of assorted batteries, alkalines included. Check with your local Staples.)

I'm an engineer and I tend to frown on inefficiencies. Engineers like to solve problems and do things cheaper, better, faster. Thank you Staples for being a convenient method for the average consumer to recycle common household batteries.

Trade Off Book Review

Trade-Off written by Kevin Maney
"Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don't"
"The Ever-Present Tension Between Quality and Convenience"

This is a great book to read because it opens your eyes and understanding to things that are already present around you. Things that you might have had impressions about, or figured out if you happened to be studying them, are laid out clearly so that you can begin to benefit from the knowledge immediately.


The premise of this book is exploring the concept of the Fidelity Swap: the trade-off between the fidelity of an experience and its convenience. Listen to an MP3 (super convenient) or go to a concert (very inconvenient but a rich experience).

In the world of business the fidelity swap is key to success. You strive for high fidelity (think Bose) or high convenience (think Wal-Mart). If you strike out to achieve both, you end up chasing a mirage which ultimately sinks you because you are neither convenient, nor high enough fidelity. Kodak fell into this trap. Starbucks did, too, it was an experience, it was expensive, but then it pushed expansion so hard, and sought the convenience of being commonplace. Compact Starbucks stands were nothing more than a glorified vending machine, not a special customer experience.
Apple's iPod went this route. It was first exclusive, and ended up ordinary. Without the development of the iPhone, Apple today would be a very different company.


The dynamic portion comes into play when you consider the effect that technology has on continually pushing and expanding the limits of fidelity and convenience. A high powered cell phone might be high fidelity when it first launches, but then as technology improves, it quickly is surpassed and overcome. Innovation is the key to keeping a business moving towards either more convenience or higher fidelity.


Exploring another example involving IBM and the server business, was this quote.
US Hardcover, pg 145
"Some competitor can always uncover a market just below your fidleity--at good-enough fidelity," Wladawsk-Berger said. "If they discover good-enough fidelity that's way down in cost, they'll kill you. It happens all the time. At IBM, it put pressure on us to either continue to differientiate by improving fidelity, or contininuting to innovate oto offer fidelity oat lower prices--or exit that segment of business and move on. The question often becomes, 'Showuld we go up, down, or exit?'"

Should you read Trade-Off: Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don't ? Definitely, if you are in business, either by yourself as an entrepreneur or are in any level of management. It's important to understand where your product or service fits in the market and to properly understand the difference between convenience and fidelity (quality). The book describes numerous examples of success and failure in a compelling way that keeps the reader interested throughout.

If you've read this book, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Warren Buffet Invests Like A Girl Book Review

Warren Buffet Invests Like A Girl

tagline: And Why You Should, Too

Author: Louann Lofton

8 Essential Principles Every Investor Needs to Create a Profitable Portfolio

This was my first book specifically about Warren Buffet. I've perused some of his annual shareholder letters and I've read articles online, but never a book with his image on the front cover.

Louann Lofton works for www.fool.com and outlines the research that emerged about the differences in characteristic traits of men and women and how it affects investing behaviors, and consequently their rate of returns. This through lower trading volume(lower costs), longer time view, patience, less overconfidence.


Warren Buffett's investing characteristics are shown to mimic those of female investors and is credited with the reason for his phenomenal success. Additionally, there are several interviews with prominent female fund managers interspersed throughout the chapters that add real life examples of the principles being discussed.

Warning: Reading this book may elevate your desires to do your own research and try your hand at picking individual stocks for your investment portfolio.

But before you run away, thinking that it is blasphemy to consider investing in something besides a low-cost ETF or index fund, remember the idea of the "Core and Explore".

With the "Core" of your portfolio, i.e. a significant portion 85% to 95%, do the low cost asset allocation with your select ETF's and be happy. You'll be diversified, you'll get market returns, and all is well because you are exercising restraint because you know that you aren't smarter than the rest of the stock pickers out there.

Take the remaining 5% to 15% and "Explore" with it. Warren Buffett didn't become the Oracle by investing in safe, low cost funds. He researched and bought valuable companies that would benefit him in the long run. Try your hand. You might win some, you might lose some. And if you lose, it won't be your entire life savings.

The above principle was touched on briefly in the book, and I've seen variations of it posted before. I like this idea, and have set aside 5% of my portfolio to allow myself to try things out. It's a great learning experience. The key, and the book highlights this, is that when you buy stock, you are buying a piece of that company. Warren Buffett wouldn't consider owning shares of a company for only a few days, or even months. He's focused on the future earnings of that company. Additionally, he would never consider an investment without first becoming intimately acquainted. Research, research, research. If you find a company that is trading at a bargain, it will be the research that will give you staying power if that stock price dips further in the short term. You know you're not taking a risk, because you did your homework.

I found this quote particularly instructive.

US Hardcover, pg91

...Buffett said, "You can't do well in investing unless you think independently. And the truth is, you are neither right nor wrong because people agree with you. You're right because your facts and reasoning are right. In the end, that's what counts."

Rework Book Review

"Ignore this book at your own peril." Seth Godin

That's the tagline on the cover of the New York Times Bestseller, REWORK by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson.

I didn't want to risk the peril, so I read it. And if you're intrigued about entrepreneurship, blogging, productivity, the path to success, etc. then you'll probably like Rework, too.


Overall, this is a great bathroom book. My wife laughed when I told her that, but it's because the chapters, if you can call them that, are only a page or two long at most. The book consists of over a hundred nuggets, ideas, truths, rules, that are succinctly explained. In fact, this review is likely an infraction of the "less is more" mentality of the book already.

You don't have to sit down and read straight through, or as fast as you can go. In fact, it might be better to take it piece meal and take the time to ponder the concepts and how you might apply them to make your life or business more awesome.

There are lots of great things to learn, but I'll just highlight four that stood out to me.
"No time is an excuse"
We all whine that we don't have time to be wonderful, we don't have time to write that novel in our heads, we don't have time to exercise. Don't quit your day job yet, they advise. Instead, drop an hour of TV or World of Warcraft, stay up an hour later, not all night. "Once you do that, you'll learn whether your excitement and interest is real or just a passing phase....When you want something bad enough, you make the time - regardless of your other obligations."
I think authors like Rachelle J. Christensen who is a Mom first and an author second is a perfect example of this.

"Make tiny decisions"
"Big decisions are hard to make and hard to change....Instead, make choices that are small enough that they're effectively temporary. When you make tiny decisions, you can't make big mistakes."
This is the try it out mentality. Stop thinking so polar or binary. It's not an all or nothing game changer. Test it out and see what happens on a small level and go from there.

"How to say you're sorry"
"A good apology accepts responsibility. It has no conditional if phrase attached....Here's another bad one: 'We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.' The 'may' here implies there might not be anything wrong at all."
Own up and be sincere.

"Take a deep breath"
This was one of my favorites because it addresses the fact that people are afraid of change. Change means stepping away from the known. This is important to understand in business or in family relationships as well.
"People are creatures of habit. That's why they react to change in such a negative way....So when people complain, let things simmer for a while. Let them know you're listening....You'll probably find that people will adjust eventually. They may even wind up liking the change more than the old way, once they get used to it."
Just consider US Presidential elections. It has become increasingly difficult to oust a sitting President. People know how bad it has been for the last four years, but the idea of change scares them more than the known, or what they are used to and so they accept the status quo of another bad four years.

Rework is a good read. You'll like it. And if you happen to be in management - you're employees will love you' if you learn anything from this book. :)

How to Hustle a Neighborhood Business for New Customers

There are lots of tips and tricks to make your small business grow and earn new customers. But what do you do if you're in a small town?
I was intrigued to view the following methods put in place by the small town where the company I work for recently moved to when they changed the location of our base of operations and set up shop in a new town, a small town.
I was surprised by the number of visitors we received in the following weeks after our open house. Lots of people came by dropping off resumes as expected, but what surprised us all was a load of gift baskets delivered. Each employee received a basket of goodies put together by the local businesses. The bank provided a branded mug. The local hardware store provided a blank key. A baby store provided a unique coupon. Etc.
We were new in town, and our neighboring businesses brought a warm welcome to us and intimately shared with us how they might share their services with us: future customers.
Perhaps it was the great work of a chamber of commerce. But several co-workers found some new places to conduct their business via a simple gift basket.
They hustled to get our business as we set up our new business. And new business is the life blood of any business.
The summary and bottom line is you need a great product or service and then you need a method for attracting new customers. There are endless ways to find new customers, however, not all methods are created equal. The most successful business that participated in the gift basket was a restaurant that served lunch nearby and provided a coupon for a free something. We were able to sample the quality, risk free, and ultimately returned many times more during the lunch hour. Some of us even returned in the evening with our families and friends to share the great food with them.
Once you find a proven strategy for finding customers, it's best to focus on that one method. However, it's important not to miss the one time unique events as well. In this case, I believe it was the power of the connections, the chamber of commerce, which could be a network of your own kind in other circles, that brought about the successful neighborhood welcome campaign.

Look around, how might you help a business, even one unrelated to yours, achieve success when you both work together? 

Zombie Apocalypse Disaster Kit with Links

There are many lists of useful items that would go well in your disaster kit. Things like, water, duct tape, and bandages, all belong in your (Hurricane, Flood, Earthquake, Tornado, or Zombie Apocalypse) Disaster kit. But what I really needed, was a complete list with links to the best products. This is my attempt at that list. (Disclaimer: Amazon links are affiliate links. Items are all in the top #100 of their category. Ideas for list items taken from the CDC and from FEMA.)

• Water—one gallon per person, per day (3­day supply for evacuation, 2­week supply for home)
• Single Bottles
• One-Gallon Container
• Purifier Tablets or bottle
• Food—non­perishable, easy­to­prepare items (3­day supply for evacuation, 2­week supply for home)

• 72 hour kit meals
•  Food bars
• Flashlight

• Battery ­powered or hand­crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit - (Stop the bleeding with a bit more variety, a bit more Complete)
• Medications (7­day supply) and medical items. (Stop the pain, reduce a fever.)
• Multi­purpose tool
• Sanitation and personal hygiene (feminine, too) items (bucket toilet seat)
• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies) (Keep them safe)
• Cell phone with chargers
• Family and emergency contact information
• Extra cash
• Emergency blanket 
• Map(s) of the area (printed and protected)

Consider the needs of all family members and add supplies to your kit. Suggested items to help meet additional needs are:

• Medical supplies (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses and solution, syringes, cane)
• Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
• Games and activities for children
• Pet supplies (collar, leash, ID, food, carrier, bowl)
• Two­-way radios
• Extra set of car keys and house keys
• Manual can opener

Additional supplies to keep at home or in your kit based on the types of disasters common to your area:

• Whistle
• Compass

• N95 or surgical masks
• Nitrile exam gloves
• Matches (strike anywhere are better, no need for the box)
• Rain gear
• Towels (this little thing is super absorbent)
• Work gloves
• Rope
• Hatchet
• Tools/supplies for securing your home
• Extra clothing, hat and sturdy shoes
• Plastic sheeting and/or tarps
• Duct tape and electrical black tape
• Scissors
• Household liquid bleach
• Entertainment items
• Blankets (more comfy than mylar)
• Safety Glasses
• Sleeping bags
• Empty 5 gallon bucket and a Gamma lid to reseal it
• Garbage bags
• Shovel - folding

• Cargo straps
• Lighting
• Flashlight
• Two-Mantle propane lantern
• Food Preparation
• Standard gas grill (portable)
• Camp stove
• Dutch Oven
• Can opener
• Power 

• Car power inverter
• Generator

• Solar chargers (portable electronics and larger)
• Batteries
• Fuel Sources
• Gasoline (gas can/jug) (fuel life extender/stabilizer)
• Propane cylinders (large-gas grill size, and small-camp stove size)
• Charcoal
• Wood
• Oil (for your lamp)
• Matches
• Guides and Information
• Books 

• The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead

• U.S. Army Zombie Combat Skills
• Boy Scout Handbook
• The Scout's Outdoor Cookbook (Falcon Guide)
• Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Family Safe in a Crisis
• U.S. Air Force Survival Handbook
• Protection
• Pepper Spray (for bears, I actually carried some for a summer job)
• Ammunition 
• Crowbar - Gordon Freeman's very own from Half-Life

Where to put all your stuff? 

• Hydration backpack
• Bucket
• 
  

Other Useful Items

•  Israeli Gas Mask
• Movies and TV shows to help you learn what will and won't save you

• Resident Evil
•  28 Days Later
• The Walking Dead
• I am Legend

• Games to help you brush up on your Zombie survival skills
• Half-Life
• Left 4 Dead
• Plants vs. Zombies

Pre-Packaged Disaster Kits

 Could you do better by just purchasing a pre-made bug-out bag? Maybe. At least you'll know what's inside if you build one yourself. However, it simplifies the buying process, here are two ready-made options.

• Bag Style

• Bucket Style

Do you have a better product recommendation? Let us know in the comments. 

Avoid the ID10T Error

You may have heard it, or you may have been told that you were experiencing an ID10T error. And now that you see it written out, you immediately know that you do not want to experience this kind of user error. So, how do you prevent yourself from becoming just another ID10T error, or even several other well known user errors?

Look Twice.

It's surprising how often some of the most frustrating problems are caused by NPI. Not Plugged In!

This is especially true if you've recently ripped open your computer and are frantically troubleshooting what could be wrong during finals week. You're desperately trying different ideas, and suddenly...nothing happens. Wait! It was working, sort of, just a minute ago. What just happened?

Oh, yeah, plug it back in.

• the power cord

• the memory card
• the battery

Save yourself from receiving the ID10T label and check to see if your problem isn't just NPI.

(The Kindle version of the book is currently free on Amazon)