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HSS Is Now Celebrating 25 Years
Today, with the help of the Internet, we have grown to include a team of home-based secretaries who work as independent contractors to represent HSS worldwide. Over the years, we have helped in the servicing of small and larger corporations, helped in the movie industry in Hollywood, as well as entrepreneurs and individuals who needed help, from time to time, with office, computer, and Internet work. We take this opportunity to say thank you to our secretarial team members, many who have been with us now for over 15 years, and who have supported the team. Thank You. |
l | All New Map Listing HSS MembersVisit our new member's map from Google Maps. See the current members of our team and where they are located. See who is near you. Click on link or graphic below... http://homesecretary.com/hssmap.html
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We've looked at the economy from many angles ... but not this oneWe're running hard to get new customers and increase sales with those we already have. We've turned out the lights and saved power wherever we can, and we've checked for every possible savings on material and supplies. These steps would help any organization preserve the bottom line, but there is one factor that can do more. Keeping people satisfied with their work is a big item. We all have more to do today. Some of us are wearing two hats, according to job descriptions. That could be one reason university professors say today's workplace is rife with rudeness and lack of respect for each other. Some 60 percent of their study respondents say the situation is getting worse. Workers who are in a hurry may think they don't have time to be polite. But it saves time in the long run because it increases cooperation and creativity. Civility goes beyond please and thank you (but those words can help). It includes listening and body language. A study published in one psychology journal says positive relations with co-workers are a big factor in how people feel from day to day. They are less stressed, even if they are very busy, and more productive. Besides respecting others, as well as yourself, it's important to know what makes you angry or frustrated. Decide that when it happens, you will have a solution-driven attitude. Focus on the problem, not the other person. When one person becomes a role model for civility and respect, those qualities can spread to others. |
l | More textbooks to be available on digital devicesWill iPad, or devices like it, transform the classroom? Will they reinvent books? Save newspapers? Some think so. Textbook publishers are already making deals with software companies to digitize their texts. ScrollMotion is one example of a software company positioned to adapt books, create textbooks, texts and study guides for the tablet computer market. According to Compass Intelligence, a market research firm, investment in technology is set to grow from $61.9 million in 2013, up from about $48 billion in 2008. No one knows now whether the revolutionizing product, one that would be embraced by students and teachers, will be the Apple iPad or something else. Contenders in the sector are netbooks, very small laptop computers, and the Kindle, an electronic reader that lets users instantly and seamlessly download books from Amazon.com. Also unknown are the applications that will dominate digital education. ScrollMotion's chief executive John Lema is sure of one thing. "This is the beginning of handheld education," Lema told the Wall Street Journal. The iPad's entry level price of $499 puts it well in range of investments for schools. But experts don't expect schools to adopt the device right away. The iPad was expected to be available in March 2010. |
| Please welcome new HSS members: | | | Please welcome new HSS members: |
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Louise Albert, Staten Island, New York, USA Karen L. Pendleton, Danville, Illinois, USA Lisa Poarch, Thornton, Colorado, USA |
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Laura E. Richcreek, Columbia City, Indiana, USA Nina Guha, Kolkata, West Bengal, India Judy R. Henderson, Memphis, Tennessee, USA |
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ESPN and others to launch 3D networksOn June 11, ESPN 3D will televise a World Cup Soccer match. It will be the first broadcast and the start of the first all three-dimensional television network to the home. ESPN 3D will showcase at least 85 live sporting events during its first year. Among other events will be the Summer X Games (extreme sports), NBA games, college basketball and college football. Quoted in USA TODAY, the network says that they don't know if the new venture will be successful, but it is committed to running it through June 2011. ESPN executives feel sure that sports fans will like it. The success of 3-D movies such as Avatar is behind the development of this and a number of other projects for home viewing. The electronics industry is gearing up to create the television sets to make it all possible. The 3-D capable television sets are more expensive, however, and to date, people just don't own them. About 1 per cent of flat screen televisions that will be sold in the U.S. will be 3-D enabled. In short, right now there is no audience. Still, ESPN is betting sports programming is the one area where fans might upgrade their TVs quickly. To receive the 3-D broadcasts, fans will have to wear 3-D glasses to get the full effect. It is possible, however, that set-top boxes will make viewing possible. Because there will be no reruns in the beginning, the screen will be dark between 3-D broadcasts. Direct TV is planning to launch two 3-D channels, but has given no dates for when they will be available. Joining together, Discovery, Sony and Imax are reportedly planning a variety of 3-D programs that will air 24/7. |
l | How to avoid making bad financial decisionsWhen it comes to making investments, knowing how the human brain works is a topic of great interest. In recent years, it has become a preoccupation among economists and should be a preoccupation for individual investors as well. That's what Michael Mauboussin contends in his book Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition. It's a book for the rest of us, one with a light touch that builds a case against "going with your gut." What causes us to make dumb mistakes? Mauboussin says we're born that way. He explains the most common mistakes we make in investing. One is misjudging behavior, especially our own. Other causes include not understanding cause and effect, and depending too much on "experts." In other words, we look for answers in the wrong places. We should avoid decisions that seem intuitively correct but are not backed up by facts. As he shares stories about business and personal investors, he explains the flaw in each decision and offers rules for avoiding such an error. He tells how to know when it's time to think twice, that is, to question your reasoning and adopt decision-making strategies that are more effective, even if your calculation seems right in the beginning. Leaders in all fields make crucial decisions every day. There are complexities that underlie their choices, including cause and effect. A study by Harvard Business School monitored the performance of acclaimed equity analysts as they moved to other firms. They didn't do as well in their new jobs. The cause of their previous success, in part, was a workplace that had more resources, tight financial controls, and a better flow of information. In a "halo" effect, they adopted the attributes of others, which helped them succeed. Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition by Michael J. Mauboussin, Harvard Business Press, 208 pages. |
Make your cloud with a PalmVerizon Wireless is embracing Palm's webOS mobile operating system. Palm's Pre and Pixi phones have been well received but overshadowed by the iPhone and Google's Android devices. Both the Pre and Pixi have touch screens, standard keyboards and can incorporate data from several sources into a single view. Their most interesting feature: A downloadable app in Palm's catalog lets you use Verizon's 3G network and turn the phone into a mobile hotspot. That lets you share a "personal Wi-Fi cloud" with up to five Wi-Fi-equipped devices, including notebooks, cameras and portable media players. |
l | Video conferencing at homeAt the Consumer Electronics Show, Cisco Systems showed its videoconferencing system for the home. It's similar to Cisco's TelePresence, a high-end videoconferencing system for businesses. The home version lets consumers do the same on high-definition TVs. The system is not available yet, but home trials are beginning. Internet-enabled TVs are a big trend. An estimated 45 million will be enabled by 2014, according to ABI Research. This year, there are 32 million U.S. households with broadband connects that can support videoconferencing. In the meantime, TV makers Panasonic and LG are adding Skype, the free online telephone service, to internet-connected high-definition televisions. Users with a Web camera and microphone can create live video chats and phone calls. |
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Home Secretarial Services
~A Team of Home-Based Secretaries~
PO BOX 27642 Columbus OH 43227 (614) 762-6555 or (800) 344-TYPE
e-mail address: support@homesecretary.com
©1996, Home Secretarial Services, All Rights Reserved.
Home Secretarial Services (HSS) is now celebrating 25 years, having started in January 1985.