weird facts
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The oft-derided "cubicle" is turning 40 years old this month.
The open-office style was originally known as the "Action Office," and was introduced by West Michigan's Herman Miller Company in 1968.
Bill Crooks was one of the first people in America to work in a cubicle. He started in Herman Miller's customer service department in 1967, shortly before the Action Office concept was introduced.
Crooks says he was one of the guinea pigs to test the Action Office "and that was the great part because we had the hands on, helped install it, helped the installers install it, and when it was changed, we would work with it. So we really understood the furniture."
Although, Crooks says Action Office was a tough sell at first. He recalls one of the first meetings when the design was introduced to Herman Miller executives. Crooks says, "After the presentation, they showed us this set up of really ugly stuff and I, with all my wisdom thought, that is never going to sell."
But, the concept caught on quickly. Crooks helped many major companies adjust their entire business style using Action Office, including Texas Instruments, Citibank and, "There was another small company out in White Plains, New York I went to. It was called MasterCard...just come into existence."
Robert Propst designed the Action Office to change with the evolving work space. Crooks says, "You also could have a stand up work surface and the sit down work surface."
When Propst explained the need for the Action Office, Crooks says, "They were describing the office changes that were in the future and they were really talking about stuff way out there, like the paperless office."
From reams and reams of paper files, to a computer on every desktop, Action Office has changed with the way we work, and has changed the way we work.
Herman Miller grew exponentially after Action Office was introduced 40 years ago. It's a design many other companies have adapted as well.
[Via - AZCentral]
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Friday, July 25, 2008
The cubicle turns 40 this month | Weird Facts
Thursday, July 24, 2008
How to Earn More Interest With an Online Savings Account
Is your local bank offering poor interest rate percentages on savings accounts? Do you need the security of FDIC insured savings? Read on to learn how to research and obtain a new Savings Accounts using the Internet.
Step1
Tune in to the financial talk show hosts using the websites below on your computer, or your local radio stations. They often will give you the best reliability picture of online savings accounts and their interest rates. You can find a lot of useful info on WaMu website.
Step2
Use a search engine such as Google to find online banks quickly. Click the links below to research the more well-known institutions.
Step3
When you arrive at the banking websites, they generally have a link that states current APR or interest rate they offer. This will vary over time and could potentially change overnight. Have in mind your goals for the money you will invest.
Step4
Shop around on at least two of the websites for the highest interest rates as well as benefits or perks they offer. Choose one that has been around for a few years and has a sound reputation. You could ask your business associates if they have heard of the bank as well. Check out the minimum age, often times they do not have children's bank accounts.
Step5
Do not forget to check the weekly newspaper business section for the latest interest rates and special offers just to compare with what you have found online.
Step6
When you do decide, you should be able to complete most of the sign up process by phone, Internet or by postal mail.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Weird facts: Wind scatters hundreds of bills as man leaves bank, but good Samaritans rush in to help
weird facts
TORRANCE, Calif. (AP)A dozen bystanders rushed in to help a 70-year-old man after he stumbled leaving a Southern California bank, causing thousands of dollars to scatter in the wind.
Ludwig Geier says hundreds of bills were "gone in no time," flying through the air and littering the First National Bank's parking lot in Torrance on Monday.
Almost immediately, about a dozen bystanders rushed in to help. The machine shop owner says about 96 percent of the money was found.
Geier says he's going to pray for those good Samaritans, adding, "If I could get them together, I'd buy them dinner and drinks."
[Via - Newsday.Com]
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