I saw an advertisement for a sleeping product tonight which included a beaver, Abraham Lincoln and a deep sea diver. It’s one of the weirdest ads I’ve ever seen.  

Can you name the product?

It’s been an hour and I’m still thinking about how dumb this ad is yet I’m still thinking about so, on one level, the ad worked on me. Yet that’s of little consolation if I can’t recall the name of the product to “ask my doctor” about.

Moleskin Notebook ($15) – My favorite is the “Large Ruled Journal”. I keep one at home and one at work. Makes it easy to jot down notes, take to meetings and doodle during conference calls.

Clinique Facial Soap ($22) – Not cheap for soap but it lasts a long  time. I’ve been using this for years and it’s the best.

Sigg Water Bottle ($20) – I keep one at work and one at home. Super well-made and water just tastes better out of these. 

Red Swingline Stapler ($15) – Perfect weight, perfect form in the only color giving you Office Space cred. I keep one at work and one at home.

Griot’s Speedshine ($10) – Sometimes your car is a bit dusty but you don’t want to wash it. This is the stuff you want in those situations. It’s so good it makes your car look like you waxed it. 

Ratpadz Mouse Pad ($15-$25) – If you try one these, you’ll never want to go back to cheapo mouse pads. Smooth as butter and will last forever.

Parker Jotter Ballpoint ($5) – Parker has sold 750 million of these pens since 1954. The original, the icon. You can spend a lot more but you don’t need to. 

Henckel Nylon Turner  ($15) – We have two of these and they get used more than any other kitchen utensil we own. You can’t go wrong with any of the Henckel tools but this one is my favorite. 

Oral-B Vitality Toothbrush ($20) – I like this model better than the $80 one I bought years ago from Sonicare. It can go several days between charges, is inexpensive and replacement brushes don’t cost an arm and a leg. Costco carries a 2-pack for under $30. 

I was browsing the website of a company and found my way to a page that listed a few of the main reasons someone might enjoy working for this company. Of those listed this one stood out. This sounds like a great company to work for.

Can you guess the company? Read the description below and click here for the company behind it.

Rules annoy us. We believe in freedom and responsibility, not rules.

For example, our vacation policy for salaried employees is “take some” – there is no limit on vacation as long you get your work done. Similarly, our travel expense policy is “travel as you would on your own nickel.” That’s it. No soul-sapping policy manuals for us.

I worked for a company that allowed an average of $75/day for food when on business trips. This gave us the flexibility to eat cheap for a few days and then enjoy a very nice meal one night. The policy was later changed to “not more than $75/day”. This didn’t go over very well with the employees. One employee made a point when he expensed $75 worth of cinnamon bears as a days worth of meals. I’m sure the company had good intentions on the change in policy. But to the employees it felt like a vote of no trust. Companies that trust their employees to make reasonable decisions usually end up with employees who make reasonable decisions. But when employees feel rules are put in place because they are not to be trusted should understand that employees will act out in a similar manner.

5. Too expensive – Add a case, belt clip and extra battery and you’re closing in on $650 for the least expensive model.

4. My Motorola Q is a few weeks old and working quite well, thank you.

3. No removable battery – Not an absolute deal killer but pretty lame.

2. No Exchange Server support – I can’t give up having access to my corporate email. It frees me up from having to drag my laptop around. I could give up Messenger, but I don’t have to with my Q.

1. AT&T Coverage at my house is very poor – Verizon is the only carrier that provides acceptable coverage at my house. This isn’t Apple’s fault, but is a definite deal breaker.

Having said that, the iPhone is lust worthy. I’d buy one in a heartbeat if it came to Verizon and I could access my corporate email.

Digg linked to this great sign at a guitar store.

I drove by the Taco Bell on the way home from work yesterday. They recently updated their look with a more modern looking building and fancy new sign. The sign read: “Always Hiring”.

I understand there is a high percentage of turn-over at most fast food businesses, but if you were looking for a job, would you apply at a place that’s always hiring? When I first read the sign I took it mean, “We are always hiring because people are constantly quiting”.

Dear Costco:

I know we have a love/hate relationship. I love your prices and large quantity products like the mondo box of Slim Jims. You make it exciting by moving stuff around so that my shopping experience feels like a game of “hide and go seek”. I can get over the lack of assistance on the floor and “no signs” approach. It helps me get my daily exercise when I have to walk up and down every single isle looking for that 3 lb. bag of raw almonds. Oh there you are, next to the tires! These traits are endearing and the very reasons I continue coming back for more.

But here’s what I can’t deal with any longer: Smiley faces. You know what I’m talking about. Those adorable smiley faces your door enforcers draw on my receipt when I happen to bring one of my kids along.

Going forward I’d like to suggest this rule: No smiley faces whatsoever if there is more than one person in line. I’m tired of being the 8th person in line to get out the door while one of your enforcers decides to go all Picasso on us.

Regards,

Brett