The Blog Has Moved

The Miller Clapperton Blog has moved. 

You can now find it at:  www.millerclapperton.com/blog.

We have made this change to ensure better continuity between our Blog and our company website.  In addition to moving the location of the Blog, we have made some upgrades as well. 

 They include: 

• Links to our Twitter, Email, and Facebook accounts.
• A “Share This” feature which allows readers to share the Blog via text, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz, MySpace, Digg, Live, Delicious, and Stumbleupon if you find something that you find interesting or you think might be helpful to others.
• The ability for people to “Subscribe” to the Blog via 70 different services.
• Also, we have added a section called “Most Popular Posts”.  This feature will make it easier for someone who starts to follow the Blog to see past Blogs that readers have found interesting.

Our goal is to transition the Blog from “One per Week” at a fixed time to sharing interesting topics as they become available.  That way we do not have to limit the Blog to just narrative posts, but can more easily offer project photos, developments in the industry, etc as they become available.  Simply put, we want to move closer to “real time” news in addition to commentary.

These changes are made to make the Blog more useful to our readers.  I hope you enjoy the changes.  Remember this; nothing is constant but the state of change.  I encourage you to tell us what you like about the new format and also what you do not like.  We are very open to constructive comments and willing to make changes that make us better, so let us know what you think.

Tool of the Week, Day, etc. – www.millerclapperton.com/blog – The Blog will continue to be posted at our current location until August.  Please be sure to click the “Subscribe” function to make sure we do not lose you in the transition.

That is it for today.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,

Ted S. Miller

Face Fastened MCM Completes 20 Years of Zero Maintenance Service

We received an invitation to view the Reynobond® Face Fastened System at the AIA show in Miami.  Miller Clapperton wants to congratulate Alcoa on their entry into this market. 

Back in 1990, Miller Clapperton designed, fabricated and installed a Face Fastened MCM Panel System for the 1100 Peachtree Street Building in Atlanta, Georgia.  The panels formed an open equipment screen that became a lighted beacon for this 28-story office building located in Mid Town Atlanta. 

After 20 Years, the panel system has required zero maintenance.  A recent site inspection revealed that both the panels and their exposed fasteners still look great. 

This is a proven system from a Certified Fabricator of Metal Composite Material.  Check out Miller Clapperton at www.millerclapperton.com and our credentials as a Premium Certified Fabricator (Link)

Is Architectural Promotion Worth the Effort?

Architects determine whether a wall will be brick or metal panels, so we all know that we have to make architects aware of the benefits of our basic type of product.  However, beyond the basic level of education required to get our product type selected, does it make sense to try to distinguish a quality product offering from an ordinary product offering?

The AIA 2010 National Convention will be held in Miami from June 10 thru 12.  I hope our architectural colleagues have a great convention and I suggest one of the questions that they ponder is the following:

Have Architects Become Irrelevant After Basic Product Selection?

For those of us in the construction industry who attempt to adhere to all specifications, codes, etc. it has become increasingly difficult to overcome the assault from bidders who do not comply strictly with these requirements. 

In decades past, architects were powerful advocates for their clients (Building Owners) during the building process to assure that all specification and code requirements were met.  Today, general contractors seem to have the power to make most of the calls.  In many cases, the advice and consent of architects is either ignored or “set aside” for a lower price without much consideration for value or compliance. 

This not only degrades the project, but it is patently unfair to those subcontractors and material suppliers who provided proposals that aligned with the stated requirements.

I will give you a specific example within the Metal Composite Material panel system industry.  The International Building Code requires that panel systems do not deflect over a prescribed limit.  That means that in high wind load conditions, for wide panels, stiffeners are required to achieve this criteria.  This requirement is continually being ignored.  Therefore, those bidders that supply the stiffeners are at a distinct disadvantage.

Where is the enforcer?

If building owners feel that general contractors are providing more valuable information to them than architects, then architects are perceived to be less valuable.

The counter measure to this perception is for architects to be more forceful in support of their product selections and code knowledge.  That takes effort; not only on the part of architects, but also on the part of the product manufacturers who are the real experts on their products.

The dilemma for product manufacturers is this:  “If architects will not dutifully enforce their product specifications and code compliance, why should I invest in educating architects?   Many feel they would do better by avoiding the cost of education (promotion) and keeping their price lower.”

So the cycle becomes something like this: 

• General contractor uses the lowest price
• Building owner wants lowest price
• Architect does not know enough about the product to convince building owner of the merits of the specified product
• Lower value product is accepted
• Specified product manufacturer becomes less likely to do further education
• Architect becomes less and less informed
• Building Owner’s perception of architect’s value diminishes
• Therefore, the architect’s specification is perceived to be less important and the specified product is utilized less often
• Then the general contractor is emboldened to use the lower price more and more
• Etc, etc, etc

If architects want to be perceived to be more valuable, they must take charge of the situation.  Otherwise, their relevance will continue to diminish, product selection will continue to fall to the lowest common denominator in every product category. and there will be less and less educational promotion.

Tool of the Week – www.scriblink.com – Scriblink is a free digital whiteboard, which provides the following features:  shapes, hundreds of colors, a size bar, a text feature, and a grid to help guide drawings. It also gives you options to email, and save and print your work. An image up-loader is also provided to use images on the whiteboard.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,

Ted S. Miller 

Is the Worst Over Yet?

An article on the “Architecture Billings Index” ran this week on Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1817247020100519?type=marketsNews).

The Architectural Billings Index is a scale that AIA uses to indicate if business is expanding or contracting.  In April 2010, it went up 2.4 % Points following increases in February and March.  I do not want to jinx things, but this may be an early indication that the worst is over for the construction industry in this economic cycle.

If we are seeing a trend line go in a more positive direction, what should we do about it?

Do Not Back Off

Remember that the time line from when an architect gets a project until a subcontractor gets to bill for materials and services can easily be two to three years.  Therefore, whatever efforts you are currently making to “stay in business” need to be redoubled. 

If you have been tightening non-essential costs, do it again.  This is the time when you are most motivated to make your company stronger. 

I have a saying that goes, “companies do not get in trouble in bad times; they get in trouble during good times, they just don’t know it until the bad times come.”  By that I mean we are all tempted to obtain non-essential things when there is plenty of business and cash to go around, then when the tough times come along, we are burdened down by that extra overhead.

These tough times are an opportunity to “right size” your organization for both good and bad markets.

Analyze Your True Opportunities

When everything is booming, we are all consumed with “getting the projects built”.  If you are in one of those times when your project load is lighter, it presents a perfect opportunity to analyze your true opportunities. 

What products or services does your market place really require?  What expertise does your company have that differentiates you from the pack?  What added expertise could you acquire that would make you better and enhance your offering to your market place?

These should be questions that you answer forever and continually, but now is always the best time to address them.

Talent, Talent, Talent

Talent is what differentiates most companies.  The legendary University of Alabama football coach, Bear Bryant, emphasized the importance of recruiting when he said, “you cannot make chicken salad without the chicken.”  Well, you cannot have an expert company without expert talent.

During these tough economic times many very talented people have found themselves either un-employed or under-employed.  If your recruiting skills are expert you can obtain that expert talent. 

Senior managers should be spending enormous amounts of their time on recruitment of talent and training of the talent you have.  You can either buy existing talent, at premium pricing, or build talent by recruiting great candidates and training them fervently.  Either way can work, but doing neither will destine your company for mediocrity at best and failure at worst.

The growth in the Architectural Billings Index indicates that the sun seems to be rising over our construction industry again.  The actions you take right now will determine how good your new day will be.

Tool of the Week – www.facebook.com/millerclapperton 

On our new Facebook page you can view projects, meet some of our team, and keep up with construction related news such as the AIA Index discussed above.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,

Ted S. Miller

Business Green

Can anyone really explain to me, or the rest of our fellow Blog participants, the following terms and expressions:  LEED, Going Green, Life Cycle Analysis, Cradle to Cradle, Cradle to Grave, Gate to Gate, Carbon Neutral, Carbon Footprint, etc., etc., etc? 

I think we need a new term that we all can understand in order to make sense about this issue.  I want to submit a term to you that I have coined, “Business Green”.

“Business Green” defines the approach that an enlightened business takes towards being a good steward of the earth’s resources.  It is centered on the economic model of doing what is in the best financial interest of a business and if the business is properly informed, many times the financial interest of the business and good stewardship of resources are aligned.

Now, this approach may not sit well with some green advocates.  They are determined to be on the side of conserving resources, no matter the economic cost.   Good business people cannot do that.  They are stewards of not only the earth’s natural resources, but also stewards of their respective company’s financial resources.

These goals do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Let me give you some examples of what I mean by “Business Green”:

1. Conserve Energy – Technology has been developed that can turn off computers, printers, etc. automatically when not in use.  When you consider how many computers and printers even a medium size company has running 24/7, this move could save a lot of electrical energy and a lot of money.
2. Cloud Computing – This IT strategy basically moves software from your PC Desktop or Server to the Internet.  This can allow you to reduce the number of servers required in your business as well as shifting from personal computers at each work station to simpler units that cost less.  This move would not only save the plastics, silicone chips and all of the other resources required to make servers and computers, but would also reduce direct energy use for the hardware and reduce the energy to cool the units that are no longer needed.

These are just two examples in the IT field where “Business Green” makes sense both for the environment and also for the financial strength of the businesses that employ these measures.  There are many other possibilities to be considered beyond IT where the same type of approach can be “Business Green”.

So, let’s be realistic.  With the pressures of the current market, no business is going to spend significant amounts of money that do not have a financial return.  The market will not allow it.  However, business people are not unsympathetic to the needs of the environment; they just are required to be good stewards of both the environment and their specific financial resources.

The key is to find ways that save resources and have a resultant financial reward.  That is how we can obtain real and lasting environmental gain.   We should all be looking for ways to develop these mutually beneficial ideas, so let’s publicize our combined accomplishments for our mutual benefit.

Tool of the Week – www.phase3it.com – Phase3IT is a Miller Clapperton company that works with other small businesses to make their Information Technology (IT) more effective and reliable.  They can also help make your IT more “Business Green”.  Feel free to contact Keith Denner (keith.denner@phase3it.com or 678-217-0306) if you would like to discuss your IT needs.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks, 

Ted S. Miller 

Read the Proposal

The idea for this Blog comes from one of our consistent readers, Matt Ford of Universe Corporation.  Matt and I think many of us are bewildered and irritated by the fact that many times the Scope Proposals that we spend a great deal of time developing seem to not be read, or read fully, by the people to which we submit our bids.

 The way we put together a Scope Proposal goes something like this: 

1. Documents upon which the proposal is based – We go to great trouble to list out all of the sheets of contract drawings, the latest addendum, and the specific specification section upon which the proposal is based.
2. Scope of Work – In this section we explain the items that we are including, plus our weather area square feet and the number of panels included.  This is not meant to limit our scope because we are bidding upon the specified section in its entirety.  It is just offered as an aid to compare our view of the project to another bidder’s.  We also include our bid price and any relevant alternate bid prices in this section.
3. Notes of Clarification – As we all know, not all contract documents are definitive in all respects.  Therefore, we list as specifically as practicality will allow all elements that are included and all elements that are not included.  We feel that this is essential in order for a general contractor to know how to align our proposal with proposals from other trades and to be able to compare our offering to another bidder’s.
4. General Terms of Sale – This section outlines things like acceptance period, terms of payment, schedule, whether bond premiums are included or not, etc.

We feel that this is the appropriate way to present our bid.  If you read the proposal, it is comprehensive and informative.

However, we have found that a significant group of bidders read two things only:  our company name and the lowest price on the sheet of paper.

How can that be?

People have a tendency to hear what they want to hear and to read what they want to read.  When you align that tendency with the fact that in today’s market many general contracts work under the assumption that if Bidder A will not “eat” the extra work at the lowest bid price (regardless of scope), then Bidder B, or C, or ……Bidder Z will.

Our approach has always been to list the price for the most inclusive scope of work to avoid being placed in a situation where we would be forced to “eat” the “left out” scope of work.  We are not considering (and never will) listing the absolute lowest price based upon not including some things (and listing them in the clarifications) because of the competitiveness of the market place. 

The alternative to the lengths and effort we expend to write thorough scope proposals is to spend a great deal more time forcing out issues with general contractors prior to bid.  Unfortunately, this would require preparing estimates and proposals much earlier, and that is not practical in many instances.

So, my plea to our general contractor associates is to “Read the Proposal Thoroughly” so that you can determine the “real” low price.  And for us subcontractors, we must somehow force the issue of scope to make our proposals more helpful in obtaining work.

Tool of the Week – Many of us use the camera on our iPhones a great deal.  The app “Camera Genius” has features that can enhance the features of your iPhone’s camera such as zoom, sound capture, anti-shake, etc.  Take a look at it on the “Search” function of your App Store.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,

Ted S. Miller 

Is Your Marketing a Mile Wide or a Mile Deep?

I am a great believer in the merits of technology to reach people.  In fact, one of our businesses, www.rapidmaterials.com, is an online store where people “who know what they want” can purchase construction materials from a website. 

This is a very efficient use of technology.  They do not have to wait for a salesman to be contacted by the “home office” and then to call them back, only to find out they need to call a dealer, contractor or distributor to actually get a price or to place an order.

Before we made our “pitch” to several of the manufacturers on Rapid Materials, we conducted the following experiment for their benefit. 

We went to their website and searched for a phone number to call (by the way, many times the phone number was hard to find).  Then we called and asked for pricing for a simple order.  In most cases it took days for a salesman to call us back and then they would need to refer us to a dealer for pricing.  Meanwhile, we demonstrated to the manufacturers how the same simple order could actually be placed in about 90 seconds on Rapid Materials.

The central point is that when a customer already knows what he wants, technology can make their life easier and the manufacturer can get more orders more easily.

However, many times a customer has a very special need that a website cannot begin to address adequately.  There may be nuances of detailing that can only developed in a face to face meeting with paper and pencil sketching out various possibilities.

These examples draw me back to the title of this Blog, Is Your Marketing a Mile Wide or a Mile Deep?

Technology is very good at spreading your message a Mile Wide.  The number of contacts with which you can connect on the internet is virtually unlimited.  However, it is very difficult to convey information that is nuanced on a website and it is nearly impossible to develop a personal bond through a website.

Personal visits, personal phone calls, letters and hand written notes can allow you to develop relationships that are a Mile Deep.  When you meet personally with someone, break bread with them, and get to know their families, you are developing a relationship that cannot be duplicated via technology.

Which way should you direct your marketing?  You had to see this answer coming…it depends.

If your customers know what they want and technology can make it more readily available, you would be wise to develop technology that helps your customers get what they want in the most expedient fashion possible.  However, if your product or service is not well known or well understood, you need to develop personal relationships and that is both time consuming and expensive.

Technology is usually very good for relatively small dollar purchases because people are willing to “take a chance” on a relatively small dollar purchase.  However, when the amount of the purchase is relatively large, you want to see the eyes of someone to help size up the offering while you size them up personally.  This works out well for both sides because the cost and time needed to make a personal relationship cannot be easily justified for a small dollar purchase normally associated with an internet purchase.

Therefore, you should make your product and service sale align with the Marketing Plan.  A Mile Wide may be right (technology aided Marketing) or a Mile Deep may be what you need (personal relationship Marketing).  Choose wisely.  Your company is dependent upon your choice and implementation of an effective Marketing decision.

Tool of the Week – Let me recommend the book, What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis.  Google is without a doubt the best marketer over the last decade.  This book outlines not only Google thinking, but sets the stage for how you can make Google like decisions for your own company.  If you want to know where to get the book, just Google the title.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,

Ted S. Miller

Help!

Our industry needs some help!  The establishment and enforcement of subtleties of codes are becoming more and more vague in many locales.  Within a mile, some projects require certain requirements and others do not.

Let me give you an example:

Over the last couple of years our company has provided Metal Composite Material panel systems on five (5) projects within a mile of the intersection of I-95 and Glades Road in Boca Raton, FL. 

On two (2) of the projects we were required to provide a Miami-Dade County Notice of Acceptance system that provided for Large Missile Protection.  On three (3) of the projects we did not have to provide this system.  All of the projects had similar occupancy requirements and similar use on the project.

None of the project specifications were explicit about the requirement.  So, we were forced to either take a chance and not include the system (and the associated additional cost) and hope we would not be forced into providing the system later, or we could include the system and hope that our competitors would as well.

Now, I bet you are thinking we should just clarify our proposal one way or the other.  That sounds logical, but it gets complicated when you are bidding to several General Contractors and it really just pushes the “guessing game” up the ladder.  A wrong guess could cost the General Contractor the project.  If the General Contractor does guess wrong initially, he will tend to “push” the cost of a wrong guess down to the subcontractor with the phrase, “do you want the project or not”? Of course this will be at the lower number.

All in all, it is a confusing situation that could be remedied by a simple declarative statement in the project specifications.  Either the Notice of Acceptance (NOA) is required or NOA is not required. 

So, why are architects reluctant to make this declarative statement?  I submit to you it is because they do not know when the more expensive system is required and when it is not.  Why does this confusion exist with the Architects?

I think the confusion exists because local code authorities make so many exceptions to the stated “rules in the code” that architects cannot determine which way the local code authority will “lean” on a given day.

So, the industry needs help.  I have centered my example on a local condition in Florida but I am sure there are similar problems in other parts of the country as well.

Let me hear your comments on how we may be able to solve this problem for the industry.

Tool of the Week – You can obtain the following App for your iPhone, gUnit, and convert units in 10 categories including temperature, length, weight and volume. 

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,

Ted S. Miller

What Are You Willing to Invest for a Better Market?

I am honored to have served for a couple of years as a member of the Board of Directors for the Metal Construction Association.  Last week I spent a day on a plan to develop a Life Cycle Cost Analysis program so that several of the types of Metal Construction products can be included in a database that compares various building products over their expected service lives. 

Currently, not many architects and owners have the service lives of construction products high on their selection check list.  I predict that will change as more and more decision makers begin to account for the following requirements of a construction product, specifically what it takes to:

• Make a product
• Install a product
• Maintain a product
• Demolish a product
• Remove a product
• And store the remnants of a product that has exceeded its service life.

This falls under a general principle for which I have coined the phrase “Business Green”.

Business leaders have been practicing a version of “Business Green” forever.  You can depend upon business leaders to make the best overall decision for the good of their respective companies.  In past days, and currently, the cost of acquisition and installation of a product were and are the most important.  In the future, several of the above listed requirements will become expensive enough so that the best overall decision for business owners will be to consider these costs as well.

This is just one of the issues with which the Metal Construction Association is working to increase the value of Metal Construction products. 

Currently, the Metal Construction Association has initiatives in the following areas:

• MCA Councils and Committees develop technical information, manage external industry research, and create marketing initiatives.
• Producing and distributing technical materials that help educate architects, contractors, engineers, installers and building owners
• Monitoring and responding to critical regulatory issues and building code forums.
• Engaging in industry-sponsored research on product performance and market trends.
• Expanding metal’s presence in major markets by supporting marketing initiatives such as the Metal Roofing Alliance and The Metal Initiative.
• Enhancing metal’s presence in green building activities.
• Developing programs that certify roofing products and MCM fabricators.
• Sponsoring and exhibiting at METALCON International, the only annual international conference and exposition focused entirely on the use of metal in construction.
• Allowing members to use MCA’s Registered Provider status to qualify individual presentations for AIA/CES programs — a value of nearly $3,000 for members.
• Consistently communicating updates on industry issues electronically, in print and at national meetings.
• Offering access to experts on key topics through Webinars, at special MCA sessions as needed, and at MCA’s Annual and Semi-Annual meetings.
• Offering discounted exhibit fees for MCA members at METALCON International and the International Roofing Expo.
• Participating in industry initiatives and associations, such as the AIA, AISI, Cool Metal Roofing Coalition, MBMA, NCCA, NFBA, NRCA, RICOWI, SFA, and the USGBC.
• Supporting industry-sponsored advertising in print and online publications.
• Offering opportunities for member visibility through MCA materials, a membership directory, design award programs, and MCA’s Web site.
• Creating opportunities for members to network with potential customers, industry suppliers, contractors, engineers, consultants and media at MCA events.
• Having a Members Only section on the MCA Web site that offers members full access to up-to-date reports on code work, technical bulletins, newsletters, audit reports, council and committee minutes, details of presentations made at MCA national meetings, and an online MCA membership directory.

Here is my plug for the week.   If you are involved in any way with Metal Construction products, you need to invest in your industry and company by joining and becoming active in the Metal Construction Association.  This group is doing important and meaningful work, but it needs broader participation from the practitioners of the industry.

Call or contact any of the following people to learn more about the Association:

Mark Engle – Executive Director of MCA – (847) 375-4708 or mengle@connect2amc.com

Jerry Hatley, Jr. – Membership Chairman for MCA – 610-719-9938 or

Jerry.hatley@rollcoater.com

Or Contact me:  Ted S. Miller – Director of MCA – 770-941-8050 or

ted.miller@millerclapperton.com

Tool of the Week – We are going “Old School” two weeks in a row.  I have been traveling for business professionally for about 35 years and this item has been one of my best organizational tools ever.  I wish I had started this years earlier.  When I start a new daily “Spiral Notebook”, which usually includes about 90 Days of Daily Pages, I go through it and list any outstanding issues and important telephone numbers on the back sheet of the new “Spiral Notebook”.  You would be amazed at how many times this material is very handy.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,

Ted S. Miller 

So You Decided You Want to Innovate, Now What?

Let us say that you were inspired by the Blog of last week.  “What If” (http://wp.me/sriWs-post63) challenged us to look at being creative, to get out of a rut and offer a new product or service.  So, if you decided that this was worthwhile to your business, now what?

Here are a few ideas of what to do next:

If you want to know what your customers want, ask!

This sounds so simplistic, but it is powerful.  We often times assume that what our customers want is what we currently offer.  That is wishful thinking.

Just because customers buy what we currently offer is not the same thing as furnishing them what they want.  They may be settling for what you have because it takes more energy, time and money to get what they want.  You may be able to gain an important strategic advantage by addressing what your customer wants.

For example:  Not too long ago, my partners asked a long time customer with whom we have a great relationship how we could be a better subcontractor for them.  You might expect the responses to be the usual:  Get your prices lower, or make the quality of your product better, or deliver the product faster.  That was not the case, what they told us would help them more was, “get your paperwork in faster”.

What an eye opener that was.  We could have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on research and development, new and faster machinery, or many other things and it would not have been as important to our customer as the relatively simple act of “getting our paperwork in faster”.

There is an old axiom of business that combines best business practices, marketing and profitability and it goes like this:  You can make a living by selling people what they need but to make real money, sell people what they want.

Separate yourself from the day-to-day activities of the business.

In order to produce something creative, most people need to separate themselves from the day-to-day activities of their normal business life.

A quiet mountain or beach retreat may work for some, watching mindless TV at home by yourself may work with others, and for some, the best ideas are elicited with a group and a “white board” to brainstorm for new ideas.  There is no singular correct answer, but the one common denominator for most of us is to break away from the “norm” of day-to-day business activities.

So, try several venues for your creative process and see what works for you, but the first step is to at least try to be creative and see where it leads you.

Search for parallels in other areas of business and creatively adapt them.

I have a saying that my associates are probably tired of hearing and it goes something like this:  The odds of all the great ideas coming from 7948 Second Flag Drive (our address) are pretty small.

Example:  The concept for our online store for custom construction products, www.rapidmaterials.com is a direct adaptation from the way www.amazon.com has maneuvered their way into the very fabric of consumer purchasing.  I believe that analogous thinking is one of the keys to creative thought.  So, if you determine your basic idea, you can usually find an effective analogy that will guide you to a creative implementation of the basic idea.

Tool of the Week – Spiral Notebook. I use a simple 8-1/2” X 11” lined paper notebook with the spiral at the top.  If the spiral is at the left margin it makes writing near the margin more difficult.  As you know from reading my past Blogs, I am a big believer in the power of digital information.  However, there is still something powerful about writing down the most important information in your own handwriting.  I use basically one page per day and you would be surprised at how often a missing piece of information can be found in the old fashioned spiral notebook.  It has saved me many times.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,

Ted S. Miller