This blog has moved!

This blog has moved!  The Cup of Joe blog's URL is now: www.mrc-productivity.com/blog. We’ve moved it off the blogspot platform and are now hosting it in house. From a reader perspective, this helps you in a number of ways:

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Top 15 free tools for every Windows desktop

If you work in an office, you probably spend most of your time using a computer. If that computer uses a Windows operating system and you enjoy saving time, I’d like to share something with you. Infoworld.com recently published a nice article listing 15 free tools for every Windows desktop. These tools "help Windows users work faster and free up time for more important things." Who doesn’t want that?

Of course, if you use a similar tool that didn’t make this list, I’d love to hear about it. Feel free to share in the comments.

The key to business dashboard integration

I’ve recently noticed more and more companies asking this question: “Can you integrate this dashboard with Sharepoint?” While it seems like a basic question, it highlights an underlying trend. I’ve noticed a shift in the business dashboard landscape. Business dashboards are no longer good enough. The question is not, “Do you have a dashboard?” Now, the question is, “Where can you integrate/access your dashboard?”

What do I mean? I’ve noticed that more and more companies want dashboards that:

• Integrate with other business software (like Sharepoint).
• Are accessible from any web browser.
• Are accessible from a smartphone.
• Integrate with other web services.

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Build-A-Web-App Workshop

Creating powerful enterprise-level Web (and mobile) applications doesn't have to be complicated.

Here, you can create a custom, live, lightning-fast, portable and flexible database-driven Web application in just a few minutes with your current skill set.  What's more, you can just as easily create mobile apps.

Enter our Build-A-Web-App Workshop.

The risks of application modernization

You probably know the benefits of application modernization - more capabilities, decreased maintenance cost, increased integration with web services, etc… All in all, most companies stand to gain more than they lose from modernization.

If that’s the case, why isn’t every company rushing to modernize? Well, as with any big undertaking, there are risks, and these risks hold many back. However, most of these risks come from a lack of experience…a fear of the unknown. I’d like to go over 3 of the most common modernization fears and then explain how to avoid them:

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12 amazing productivity boosters

I just read an interesting article on pcworld.com entitled, "12 amazing productivity boosters." While I think it lists some good productivity tools, it got me thinking: What makes you productive?

For example, does a good to-do list make you productive? What about a calendar? While those are most often associated with productivity, I think the productivity gains from a better to-do list or calendar are often minimal. In my opinion, productivity tools are those which help you work faster or easily accomplish difficult tasks.

For example, one of my favorite productivity tools is Dropbox, which lets me access files from any computer without emailing files around or using remote desktop. How about you? Do you have a favorite productivity tool? Feel free to share in the comments.

2010 Thanksgiving recipe: Pistachio Salad

I’d like to share a great Thanksgiving recipe with you. For those wondering why I’m sharing a recipe on a tech/business blog, it’s sort of become a tradition. A few years ago, I shared a recipe with my readers around the holidays, and your feedback was extremely positive. So, I’ve done it every year since. After all, who doesn’t enjoy a good recipe around the holidays?

Now, this recipe isn’t mine—it’s a family recipe from a member of our team here at mrc. Word on the street is it’s very delicious, easy to make, and definitely not healthy. So, without further ado, here’s a great, yet simple recipe for pistachio salad.

Data transfers made easy

I’d like to highlight another great (and free) template over in the m-Power Project Exchange. In case you’re unfamiliar with the Project Exchange, check out this page. If you’re unfamiliar with m-Power’s template-based approach to development, check out our build-process page.

Today, I’d like to highlight a simple, yet useful template that you might find useful: The CSV Report Template. As the name implies, this template lets users export their data into a Comma Separated Value (CSV) file.

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IT’s 6 biggest money wasters

As I’ve mentioned many times in the past, technology offers plenty of money-saving potential for businesses. That being said, technology can also have the opposite effect if left unchecked.

In what ways might technology waste money? I just read a very interesting article on Infoworld.com entitled, "IT’s 6 biggest money wasters." While a couple of the items listed fall more into the “Ways IT can save money” category, I thought it offered some great overall insight. However, I do believe the first and second points should be expanded a bit further.

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How companies fail with their data

According to Eric Schmidt (CEO of Google), “We now create in two days as much information as humanity did from the beginning of recorded history until 2003.” This growing data trend applies to business too--Gartner predicts that enterprise data in all forms will grow 650% over the next 5 years.

I recently reviewed the results of a business data survey covering 543 executives in 17 countries. The results confirmed Schmidt’s statement and Gartner’s prediction: The majority of respondents feel overwhelmed by the influx of data and believe it will greatly impact their business.

The question is this: What are you doing with all of this data?

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5 tips for avoiding management mistakes

As a manager, do you sometimes have trouble with employee performance? Do you sense dips in motivation from time to time? Before confronting them, first analyze your management methods. Leaders have an enormous effect on employee productivity.

How can leaders negatively impact their employees? I recently read a great article in techrepublic.com that lists "5 tips for avoiding management mistakes." If you mistakenly participate in any items listed, you may be harming employee productivity.

How about you? Can you add any management mistakes that may harm productivity?

2011 IT Skills and Salary Guide

I recently read this interesting article on business lessons to take from Blockbuster’s demise. The article brought up a great point: This is a prime example of what happens when you stagnate. It doesn’t matter how great business is right now, how are you innovating for the future?

I think the lesson applies to both IT professionals and companies. If you’re an IT professional, how are you keeping your skills current? As a company, how are you keeping your business current? A great place to start: Staying on top of tech advancements. The best way to stay on top of tech advancements: Help your IT staff maintain current skills.

So, which skills are hot going into 2011? I recently ran across the 2011 IT Salary Guide, which not only lists estimated 2011 IT salaries, but also which skills command a higher salary. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an IT professional or a business, pay attention: Those are the skills that will keep you ahead.

Dashboards: Simplified and Interactive (with demo)

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a few of our latest executive dashboard improvements within m-Power. Dashboard creation is easier, dashboards are more customizable, and last but not least, dashboards are interactive. Now, we even have a new dashboard demo which demonstrates a couple of these new upgrades.

When you check out the demo, try a couple things: First, try repositioning the dashboard widgets. It’s all drag and drop. Imagine it’s your dashboard and you want to format the dashboard for optimal readability.

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Unaffordable free software

A wise man once said, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” When it comes to software, some might argue with that statement. After all, we have more free software options today than ever before.

But is it really free?

Yes and no. From a purely monetary standpoint, yes, some software is really free. But generally speaking, with free and open source software, what you save in money, you pay in other areas. Here are a couple of the most common ways we pay for free and open source software:

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Top 10 technologies for 2011

Want to save money, increase productivity, or gain a competitive advantage? Stay on top of the latest technology trends. When you keep your eye on the latest trends in the tech world, you’ll run across some new opportunities for your company.

But how do you know which trends will stick and which will fade? Gartner recently published the results of their research into the top technologies for 2011. Technologies on this list will most likely affect many aspects of the business world in the coming years.

I noticed a couple of items on the list which I believe are “can’t miss” trends. In other words, ignore them at your own peril. The first “can’t miss” technology on this list is mobile. There is no doubt that the world is going mobile. What is your company doing about it? If you want my advice, check out the blog post on mobile apps from last week.

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Mobile apps: Their time is NOW!

Over the last few years, smartphone adoption has steadily risen.  Right now one in five cell phone users has a smartphone.  Industry estimates say that by 2014, four in five cell phones in use will be smartphones. 

Mobile is the future, and offers businesses many soon-to-be-essential capabilities, such as: real-time data on the road, productivity from anywhere, and another way for customers to find your business or your products/services.

As a business, how do you take advantage of the mobile trend?

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Say goodbye to mail merges

I remember when printing labels for mailing required typewriters. It was quite a chore. Then, along came MS office and the mail merge, which simplified the job but still required a bit of work. You still had to get your list together, clean it up and format it in excel, and then mail merge it into a Word doc.

I’d like to highlight another project in our m-Power Project Exchange that simplifies your mailing label duties: The 3-Up Label Template. Basically, it pulls the addresses you need from your database and automatically puts them in a 3-Up Label format (PDF), all ready to print. No more finding, formatting, and setting up a mail merge. Just set up the template and print away!

You can find this and other free templates in the m-Power Project Exchange. If you want to learn more about m-Power, check out this demo video.

10 jobs wrecked by tech

I frequently write about tech trends, and the importance of keeping up with technology. Why? First, I believe tech holds some of the best ways to increase productivity and save money. Second, if you don’t keep up with tech and adapt as technology changes, your company will find itself at a huge disadvantage.

This article entitled "10 Jobs Wrecked by Tech," provides real-life examples of jobs/industries being eliminated by technology. It’s a good reminder of how quickly technology evolves and the importance of keeping current.

Also, this makes me think: What jobs might make this list in 5 years? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Building and using Pivot Tables (explained via video)

Pivot tables are great analytical tools—they sum up large amounts of data and let you view it in just about any way possible. More importantly, they help you quickly analyze business information, discover trends, and make better and more informed decisions.

Pivot tables are typically found in spreadsheet software, such as Excel. Spreadsheet-based pivot tables are great as single-user tools, but you run into problems if you want to distribute, share, or let multiple users alter or view one spreadsheet. Also, if security or data accuracy are necessities, spreadsheet-based pivot tables aren’t ideal.

If you’ve ever run into any of these issues with pivot tables, you should really check out our web-based pivot table. It combines the power of pivot tables with the advantages of database-driven web applications. Also, if you want to learn more about the web-based pivot table, this short video explains a few of the features.

This application was built with m-Power. If you want to build a couple of similar web applications in about a half hour, you should try our free m-Power Test Drive.

Software vendors and the maintenance scam

I have a great money-saving tip for you: Don’t fall for the maintenance scam. Let me explain: When you buy enterprise software, you pay a yearly maintenance fee. The vendor uses this fee to provide top-notch customer support and improve the product for their customers. When these fees are used correctly, it helps the customer: They receive great support and a constantly improving product.

But, not every vendor uses these funds appropriately. While they do provide customer support, many fail to improve the product. Instead, they take those maintenance fees from their customers and use them to build new products and upgrades.

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9 things you need to stop doing to improve your productivity

Sometimes, eliminating tasks is the best way to increase productivity. I’m not talking about the really obvious time-wasters, like spending all day making personal calls or taking 10 coffee breaks. I’m talking about the activities that you think you should be doing that are actually hurting your productivity.

What types of activities? I just ran across this great article entitled, "The Not-Do List: 9 Things You Need To Stop Doing," which lists many great ways to improve productivity by eliminating some not-so-obvious unproductive tasks.

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How to build a secure extranet in one day

An extranet is an extremely useful resource for many companies. For those unfamiliar with the term, it is a computer network that allows controlled access from outside the company. For example, here are a few ways extranets are used:

1. Extranets can be set up for customers to log in and view important data.
2. Extranets can be set up for employees to log in outside the office. For example, your sales force could log in to the extranet and view their sales numbers.
3. Extranets can be set up for distributors to log in and view orders, purchase more products, and view new products. Here's an example of an extranet set up for distributors.

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Add some “flash” to your reports

I’d like to highlight a cool template in our Project Exchange: The Fusion Charts template! This template lets you build applications with animated and interactive Flash charts. Feel free to check out the demo. You’ll notice that you can choose between a few different graphs on the report prompt page.

The best part: While the Fusion Charts give your applications a sleek and polished look, creating them is just as easy as any other application in m-Power. Simply download the project and use the template as normal.

This template is free of charge and for m-Power users only. If you would like to learn more about m-Power, please visit our product page.

5 significant trends to watch in 2011

Trends come. Trends go.  Some stick around and others pass just as quickly as they came. Often tech advancements and trends create new ways to save money or improve efficiency.

That being said, I’d like to share an important lesson about tech trends: Don’t be swayed by the hype. Don’t jump on a new trend just because everyone is jumping on that trend. If you follow a trend without first figuring out how it will help your company, you’ll waste time and money.

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3 ways to improve application efficiency

Last month, Google announced Google Instant, which automatically pulls up search results as you’re typing. They claim Google Instant will save about 2-5 seconds per search. Doesn’t seem like much? It equates to roughly 350 million hours of saved time per year.

One small efficiency improvement, when spread over many users, can lead to massive time savings. The same is true for your business applications. How much time would your company save if your business applications were more efficient? Probably much more than you think.

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Executive dashboards made simple (and interactive)

If you need or have executive dashboards, you are going to love a couple of our latest enhancements. In short, they make dashboards great!

In our latest batch of enhancements, we’ve improved the m-Painter import panel and added a new widget panel. How does this affect executive dashboards? Here are a few ways:

Dashboards are now easier to create. The import panel provides a wizard-like approach to importing apps and creating dashboards.

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20 great productivity apps for iPhone, Android

One of the best things about the rise of smartphones and app markets: If you can think of an app, it probably exists. Unfortunately, finding apps isn’t always so easy unless you know the application’s name.

I recently ran across a couple of nice app lists that might appeal especially to the “on-the-go” business person. They list 20 of the best productivity apps for both the iPhone and the Android platform. Of course, if you’ve found another productivity app that you love, feel free to share it in the comments.

How to reduce the risks of modernization

We recently published a couple of educational white papers which aim to reduce risk for companies beginning modernization projects.

The white papers address a common problem: While many companies recognize the need for modernization, few completely understand their options, the hidden risks, and the steps involved. An uninformed company heading into a new modernization project stands to risk significant sums of time and money.

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Visualize Key Performance Indicators with a heat table

A while back, I wrote up a blog post introducing the new m-Power Project Exchange.   In short, the project exchange is like an app store, but for m-Power. It’s a place for m-Power users to share templates, user defined functions (UDFs), and external objects with other m-Power users.

We’ve had some nice additions to the project exchange, some which could really help all sorts of companies. For example, this template lets you visualize key performance indicators (KPI) with a heat table.

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19 gadgets that changed the world

Have you ever stopped to think just how differently we operate today compared to 10 or even 20 years ago? Newer and more advanced gadgets have made us more efficient (and sometimes lazier) than ever before. Which gadgets have changed our lives the most? Informationweek.com recently published a list of “19 gadgets that changed the world” that provides a listing of the most important gadgets and how they affected our lives.

While gadgets are often considered to be consumer-oriented, they play a huge role in the business world as well. The rise of laptops and smart phones have driven two very important business trends: Mobility and real-time data. These days, business data must be accessible from anywhere at any time. Over the next few years, these trends will only advance. Companies who don’t keep up with these two trends will be at a serious disadvantage.

If your company doesn’t operate in real-time or doesn’t have the ability to access data from anywhere via the web, we can help. Fill out this short form to get started.

4 ways you’re probably wasting money with Excel

As I mentioned a while back in a blog post entitled, "Why do 80% of spreadsheets contain errors," spreadsheet errors collectively cost businesses $11.5 billion dollars. That sounds pretty bad, doesn’t it?

It gets worse.

As it turns out, errors aren’t the only aspects of spreadsheets that waste money. In fact, if your company relies heavily on spreadsheets, you’re probably wasting money in a few different ways. How much money?  Probably a lot more than you think.  To learn exactly how spreadsheets waste money for a company, check out this post in our forum.

10 ways to better control costs

Cost cutting is a tricky game. As a leader, you need to find ways to cut costs while not hurting employee productivity or your company’s revenue. Finding places to cut that don’t negatively impact either of those two areas isn’t an easy task.

I recently ran across a nice article/slideshow in CIOInsight.com with some very good ideas for better controlling costs. Even better yet, most don’t hurt productivity or revenue.

While I like most of the ideas in the article, #9 really stuck out to me because I think it addresses a common problem. Many companies buy solutions for one specific need. After 5 years or so, they have many single-use solutions. Isn’t it smarter to buy one solution that solves many needs?

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IT Hall Of Shame, Part 2

InformationWeek recently published a follow-up to their popular "IT Hall of Shame" article, with another article: IT Hall of Shame, Part 2. This article lists some of the biggest flops and errors ever to grace the IT industry.

While these articles are interesting, they provide us with opportunities to learn from other people’s mistakes. When I see articles like this, I think, “What did they do wrong, and how can I avoid it?” Mistakes at these levels aren’t minor…they often cost millions of dollars.

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Five essential elements every Business Intelligence solution should include

Business intelligence is a confusing subject. Generally speaking, when a company realizes they need business intelligence (BI), they aren’t clear on everything a BI solution should include. Why not? BI isn’t the same across the board. As a result, comparing BI solutions is like comparing apples and oranges. Each solution contains different elements.

So, how do you know which elements to look for in a BI solution? I think a few elements are pretty standard, like simple ad-hoc reporting, the ability to use multiple databases, and exporting data to Excel and PDF. Besides these basic elements, I’ve put together a brief list of 5 essential elements that every good BI solution should include:

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10+ ways to be more productive

I recently spoke with someone who used to be a corn and soybean farmer (before he got into IT, strangely enough). Anyway, he mentioned something that I didn’t know: Tractors are incredibly expensive. I knew they were expensive, but I didn’t realize they were quarter-of-a-million expensive.

Yet, you don’t see farmers out in the field farming by hand. Why not? Because they realize that even with the high cost, tractors are infinitely more productive than the alternative. They can make far more money with a tractor than without one.

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The worst software bugs in history

“Sometimes it pays to stay in bed on Monday, rather than spending the rest of the week debugging Monday's code.” --Dan Salomon

Anyone who has ever worked in IT knows the pain of debugging, and is probably nodding in agreement to that quote. Debugging is often more time consuming than writing the code itself. Yet, even after all the time spent looking for and removing bugs, a few manage to slip by.

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Crash course in modernization

Modernization is a confusing subject. Many companies realize the need for modernization, but they don’t understand the process. They don’t realize that different vendors sell different forms of modernization. They don’t realize just how greatly these modernization methods differ.

Here is one of the most important rules of modernization: There is much more to modernization than an end result that looks modern. Figuring out how each method differs and which method fits your needs is a crucial step in a successful modernization project.

We’ve put together a whitepaper entitled, "Crash course in modernization." It will help you better understand modernization and explain which modernization method is best for your company. You can find it in our whitepaper library.

How to survive and thrive during a downturn

I’d like to share a story about two very similar companies in the same line of business. When the economy struggled last year, one company cut back and laid off workers. The other company started a new service that helps people who have upside-down mortgages. Which do you think is doing better right now?

I realize that this example doesn’t apply to every company, but I mention it to make a point: When the economy shifts, opportunities shift as well. Many businesses tend to take a very defensive approach to economic problems. They cut back, cover their heads, and wait for the problems to blow over.

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Will the cloud shrink IT departments?

Will IT departments grow or shrink over the next 5 years? According to a panel of CIOs in the UK, IT departments will shrink substantially over the next 5 years, due in large part to the rise of cloud computing.

I’m not so sure. I do understand their reasoning, but I’ve noticed over the years that as new technologies crop up, new opportunities and needs arise. While cloud computing may eliminate some jobs, other advancements will most likely create new jobs.

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Critical questions to ask before buying a report writer

Report writers are pretty easy to understand, aren’t they? If your company stores data in a database (as most companies do), you need reports. To create all these fancy reports, you need a report writer.

However, beyond the basic features like exporting to Excel and creating pretty graphs, you’ll find that report writers vary in capabilities. While they may all address the same problem (your need for data), each one offers different features. Figuring out what’s best for your company can be difficult if you’re unfamiliar with essential report-writing capabilities.

Before you buy a report writer, I’d like to share a few important questions to ask:

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10 unusual ways to cut costs in the office

Saving money around the office is a tricky topic because saving money often results in lower morale. In order to save money, managers often remove employee perks and other items that employees enjoyed.

For example, I know of one company that stopped buying donuts for the weekly staff meetings in order to save money. Another company removed tea and hot cocoa from their lunch room. Are these savings enough to offset the decreased employee morale? It’s debatable.

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8 must-see TED talks for IT pros

The TED Talks videos have gained popularity over the last few years, probably due in large part to their recent availability online. For those unfamiliar with TED (Technology Entertainment and Design), it is a group of conferences formed to disseminate “ideas worth spreading.” They share many of the conference’s presentations in the form of freely available TED Talks videos.

Currently, over 700 of these videos are available online, covering a wide variety of topics. If you’re interested in topics pertaining to technology, Computerworld just published an article entitled, "8 must-see TED talks for IT pros." It lists 8 of the most intriguing tech-related TED presentations and, I have to say, they really picked some good ones.

All in all, there are some pretty thought-provoking presentations in there which provide some interesting insight into the future of computing.

Look into the future by asking "What if . . ."

Have you ever made a decision which didn’t turn out as hoped? It's OK. Everyone has. When faced with difficult decisions, I’m sure most wish they could peak into the future to make the right choice. If you’ve ever felt like that with difficult business decisions, I have something that will help.

No, sadly you still can’t see into the future. But, I’d like to introduce the next best thing for businesses: The m-Power what-if analysis report!

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8 ways to reclaim your focus at work

I frequently write about tools to increase productivity in the workplace. However, the most valuable tool of all is perhaps the most overlooked: Your mind. It’s a very complicated tool. Some days, it works great. You have no problems focusing and you’re quite productive. Other days, it feels like your mind is still at home sleeping.

Why does that happen? Perhaps more importantly…How can we fix that?

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5 indispensible IT skills of the future

Technology is constantly evolving. I’m sure many companies wish it moved a little slower. It probably seems like every time you catch up from a tech standpoint, something changes…and you’re behind again.

While keeping up with changing technology is a challenge, I believe there are many opportunities as well. For example, new technology provides one of the best ways for companies to save money. With every new advancement in tech, comes new and efficient ways to operate.

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Geolocation: Web apps that know where you are?

Our HTML5 tutorial this week focuses on an area of HTML5 that you may already be using: Geolocation. Chances are, if you use a smartphone, you’ve encountered geolocation-aware web pages.

In short, geolocation gives a web page/application the ability to find the user's location. While that might sound like an invasion of privacy, there’s no need to worry. A website can’t find your location without your permission.

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14 ways to kill creativity

Do you feel like your company lags behind the competition? Do you feel like you’re struggling to keep up? I’d like to tell you about the secret key to innovation. It’s something that every company has: Employees! Specifically, your employee’s ideas are a great way to fuel innovation.

Every company wants to think that their corporate culture fosters new employee ideas. They want to think (or at least say) that their employees are their best asset. Here’s my question: What do the employees say?

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10 apps to optimize your smartphone

When you consider that just 10 short years ago we carried cell phones that doubled as weapons, it’s truly amazing what our phones can accomplish these days. Thanks to cell phone advancements, many of the tasks previously possible inside the office can now be performed anywhere.

Savvy businesses take advantage of these new capabilities and empower their workers with phones and apps to improve productivity. For example, I’ve heard how some of our customers created smartphone apps so their salespeople could check real-time stock levels, get directions to customer’s locations, and view up-to-the minute reports. In fact, in an effort to prove Android’s superiority over the iPhone, one of our customers created a web app with m-Power using his Droid smartphone.

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HTML5 Tutorial: Canvas is flash without Flash

When you hear about HTML5, some new features cause more excitement than others among web developers. The new canvas element is one of those features. The canvas element is an area you can place on a page and fill with a variety of items, such as: Images, text, graphs, charts, animations, interactive tools, etc…

If you’ve spent any time on the internet, you’re familiar with Flash-based games and web tools. The canvas element is similar, but does not require Flash. Like the new video tag we covered a couple of weeks ago, the canvas takes another step in freeing us from third party plug-ins. It also takes another step in creating a consistent browsing experience across all platforms, including smartphones.

Want to learn how to use the new canvas element? You will find the tutorial in our forums.

Why do 80% of spreadsheets contain errors?

According to a number of different surveys conducted over the last few years, spreadsheets are still a commonly used tool for business intelligence. But, according to this article in CIO.com, 80% of spreadsheets contain significant errors.

Think about that for a second. Many companies still rely on spreadsheets for critical decisions, but most spreadsheets contain significant errors. In other words, critical decisions are made every day based on error-filled spreadsheets. How much does this hurt business?

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