Early this year, Fellowes put on their social media hats and created a contest letting users describe their creatives ways they've tried to clear a paper jam. We blogged about the contest at the time and am happy to see that they now have their winners selected.

It sounds like the final decisions were tough, and here are just a couple or the creative ways users have tried to un-jam paper shredders. Or, you can see all five winners plus a few honorable mentions.

GUMMING UP THE WORKS

“Bubble gum, lots of bubble gum, pushed into the underside of the shredder teeth to grab the bits of partially-shredded paper. Then using the CO2 keyboard cleaner spray to freeze the bubble gum, then pry it out with a screwdriver. Had some good results, but sometimes not even this helped.”

 

SHARP THINKING

“Using a diamond-power-edged hacksaw blade, I was able to clear a bad paper jam which had several staples and other stuff layered within it. Of course, I wore a leather glove to directly handle the blade so it could be guided into the shredder’s paper slot. Oh, did I say, I ended up throwing this paper shredder away soon thereafter? :)”

This was definitely creative. At OrderPaperShredders.com, we're happy to sell many different paper shredders, including the PS-79i jam-proof shredder that Fellowes gave away for their contest.

  Many people as they start their workday need to have their morning cup of coffee or in Design & Development Manager Nate Ende’s case a pot of coffee.  While enjoying their morning coffee people also run the risk of the dreaded accidental spill on the keyboard.  These spills will ruin your everyday keyboard or at the very least cause some of the keys to stick, turning typing into a nightmare. Kensington has put an end to this problem by developing spill-safe keyboard designed to withstand these accidental spills.

The Kensington spill-safe keyboard consists of a sealed membrane design that allows liquid to run through, without damaging the keyboard electronics.  This keyboard has a sleek design that compliments today’s PCs and the slim profile saves valuable workspace.  The spill-safe keyboard consists of 104 keys and has a sturdy metal back to provide extra strength.  It is both PS/2 and USB compatible and is for use with PCs running Windows 98 or later.

    There is also a demand for the spill-safe keyboard in the restaurant and medical fields where many liquids are near keyboards in areas of high congestion. They are also popular in the janitorial supply area for people who would like to prevent liquid and cleaning solutions from accidentally getting into keyboards.    

    There were numerous accidental spill stories around the office talking about the number of keyboards that have been destroyed from different beverages.  These could have been avoided if people were equipped with the spill safe lifetime keyboard from Kensington.   

On nights and weekends I play in a Rock ‘n’ Roll band.  Although the actual playing part is really fun, the set up and tear down can be exhausting.  One way I’ve found to make this easier is by using hand trucks to haul gear between the vehicle and the stage.

Hand trucks basically give you the advantage of adding wheels to something that doesn’t already have them.  This works great for really heavy items because you can just push or pull them to where you want them instead of carrying them. 

Using a hand truck to roll my heavy amplifiers and equipment on and off the stage helps me save my energy for what’s really important, playing music.

Usually when I’m trying to decide what to cook for dinner, I just settle on whatever recipe I can find fastest.  One way to get all of your recipes in one place, and organize them is by using index cards. 

Index cards are usually a little thicker than regular paper, and smaller in size which makes them the perfect medium for storing and recording different dinner recipes.  They are available in different colors, which can also help you use some different organization techniques.  Most can be written on, and some can even be used in inkjet and laser printers.

By using a system that works for you when storing index cards, such as by name, main ingredient, type of cuisine or any other characteristic you can easily determine what you’d like to cook.  For example, if you have your cards sorted by type of meal, and you feel like you're in the mood for Mexican food, all you have to do is open your index card file to the Mexican food section and pull out which meal you’d like.

A recipe collection can be one of the most useful possessions you have, and by keeping it organized you can continue to build it into an extremely diverse selection of dishes, while still being able to easily find meals you're hungry for.

Pyramid time clocks have long been one of the top selling employee time attendance systems on the market. They have now incorporated Ethernet technology to make for easier, faster and more accurate data transferring.

Rochester, MN (PRWEB) June 20, 2008 -- BuyOnlineNow.com - Pyramid time clocks have long been one of the top selling employee time attendance sytems on the market. They have now incorporated Ethernet technology to make for easier, faster and more accurate data transferring.

Until fairly recently, employee time management consisted of using a singular time clock station, and paper time cards to punch in and out. Many hours would then be spent by managers counting up and adding employee hours, not to mention determining overtime and holiday pay. Eventually, most employee attendance systems were converted to digital, by clocking in using credit card style swipe cards, or entering id numbers into a computer or keypad. Most time clocks still could only be used singularly, and counting hours could still be a long and tedious process.

By adding Ethernet connections to their already popular time clocks, Pyramid Technologies had made it easy to not only transfer employee data from one time clock to another, which allows employers to set up multiple time stations, but also to transfer data to a computer where it is compatible with most of the major time attendance system software on the market. This includes, PAYCHEX, Quickbooks and ADP, as well as many others.

Another giant advantage Ethernet time clocks have over USB connections is that the length of the cable has no impact on the communication between machines. Also, each time clock can be used with an unlimited amount of machines. This means, you can have time clocks at every entrance and exit to your building, and there will be no errors or corrupted data. "Our new Ethernet-ready product line further demonstrates our commitment to providing big business technology on a small business budget," stated Manny DaSilva, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Pyramid. "Being Ethernet-ready allows for multi-terminal capabilities that will grow as your business grows. Simply hook any Pyramid TimeTrax Ethernet unit up to any networked Ethernet jack, and you're on your way."

The Pyramid Ethernet time clocks are available in the traditional swipe card styles, as well as the biometric version. Biometric time clocks use fingerprinting to determine the employee who is clocking in. This is a great way to eliminate costly "buddy punching." Pyramid Ethernet time clocks can be purchased through office supply retailer, BuyOnlineNow, who ship the time clocks directly from Pyramid.

About Pyramid:
For nearly 40 years, Pyramid Technologies has provided cost-conscious time keeping solutions for businesses of all sizes and from a variety of industries. Headquartered in Meriden, Connecticut, Pyramid manufactures products that range from simple, inexpensive mechanical time recorders to sophisticated time and attendance solutions and GPS synchronized wireless clock systems. Pyramid carries a number of accessories to support its payroll time recorders, including card racks, badge racks, and time cards. In addition, Pyramid's clock line ranges from simple and inexpensive commercial wall clocks to networked digital system clocks. To learn more about the Pyramid TimeTrax Ethernet-ready products, please visit http://www.ptitime.com.

Pyramid TimeTrax Bio Ethernet Time Clocks

I recently came across this website, the office supplies comic strip, which is created and maintained by Lola Akinmade.  She uses office supplies as characters to make hilarious commentaries on everyday events in the workplace.

I especially liked the one called “Flat Screen Harassment.”  It depicts a keyboard and a flat screen monitor and the keyboard makes a comment about how skinny the monitors are getting these days.  The monitor then accuses the keyboard of sexual harassment.

There is an army of helmeted markers, memo reading computer diskettes and an obituary for a stapler.  It makes for a very funny read, and I recommend it for anyone looking for something a little different.