Conference 7.286::digital

	Topics 72,89, and 174 also talk about different aspects of
	business cards.

	Also restrictions of business cards has also been suggested to
	the Employee Involvement people. For more information on that
	look at topics 261 and 300 in CAPNET::DELTA_IDEAS (KP7 to add).

			Alfred

    Alfred,
    
    Business cards were only used as an example.  My base note had very
    little to do with business cards and a lot to do with Digital's new
    emphasis on internal groups reporting "profitability".  
    
    An expense is an expense.  And playing silly accounting games to show
    internal profitability doesn't change that.  Further, we should not
    reward the game players.
    
    /Don
                            

	Actually, there are several postscript programs floating around
    which will print business cards quite nicely on an LN03-R (postscript
    printer) for "free".  One such program can be found in note #96.2 of
    the REGENT::POSTSCRIPT notesfile.

	The postscript code itself is completely documented with a text
    section towards the top for users to edit to their liking (i.e. put
    your name, title, etc. - it even allows for a snazzy little nickname -
    guess what I put on mine? ;^).  Once edited, the program is simply queued
    to a postscript printer queue with the appropriate paper stock (this
    is where LN03-R's come in handy - since they don't seem to barf on
    the heavier "unsupported" paper stock which is needed to produce a
    nice thick business card), and voila!  The program prints 10 cards
    per page.

	Of course, the results aren't quite as nifty as a professional
    (embossed) business card, and while this particular program does use
    the official digital logo, it has never been approved by corporate
    for external use (internal use is ok though - I haven't had "real"
    business cards printed since my first job at DEC back in 1984).

				   -davo

p.s.	Hmmm...maybe I should go into business using my program and the
	nearest LN03-R...  ;^)

    .3:
    
    Was that why "they" went to a grey DIGITAL logo, in place of the
    traditional blue one, some years back?
    
    Dick

  re: .4
  <<    Was that why "they" went to a grey DIGITAL logo, in place of the
  <<    traditional blue one, some years back?
   
Dick,

It wasn't grey. I believe the official color name was "buff". Do you remember
all the DIS manuals, which were in brown binders?  That was all part of an
overall move to a new "Corporate Identidy Standard" proscribibing the color of
stationery, cards, etc.

For better or worse, the world clamored for the "Classic" blue, and the 
company switched back.

	/Marvin

> For better or worse, the world clamored for the "Classic" blue, and the 
> company switched back.
    
    A few years back KO was answering employee questions at Spitbrook and
    was asked why the company switched from blue to "buff" and if he had
    made the decision.  He replied that he didn't know who had made the
    decision and that he personally liked blue better too.  If I remember
    correctly, we switched back to blue not long after that.
    
    Steve

	The question I want to ask is "Why?" Why do people (usually
	managers, ICs don't have the authority or the urge) want to
	change things and monkey about? It reminds me of the way my
	wife likes to rearrange our living room furniture. Nothing
	wrong with that, except that every few months I come in and
	absentmindedly sit down on nothing where my favourite chair
	used to be...

	It's not just Digital. I've noticed supermarkets do this too.
	We have some quite big food stores in England now, and I find
	it's confusing to go in with an unsorted shopping list. So I
	make a map of what's where, then write a template list, and
	put down what I need in the right part of the list. Then I
	can just walk through the store picking up what I want, without
	having to wander around, backtrack, or stop and stare at my list
	muttering to myself while other people run their trolleys into
	me and swear.

	Then, every so often, everything gets changed round. It really
	looks as though the rule is "EVERYTHING has to go somewhere else".
	They tell me it's part of a clever marketing strategy to sell more
	goods, but I can't help believing it's just that one of the managers
	has too much time on his hands and wants to look good.

	I really would love it if decisions like this were logged in some
	way on the proposer's record, and the costs and disorganization
	resulting could be traced back. I'm not saying "Fire them!" (we
	ought to allow some mistakes), but a few stiff re-education and
	self-criticism sessions would come in handy. Plus top managers
	would have a few clues to who was underemployed and overambitious.

	/Tom

    Re your story about the supermarket being rearranged. This is exactly
    what they say; a clever marketing trick to make you buy more. The art
    of the game is to make you wander about and "happen" to see some 
    attractive item you really don't need, but might by anyway. They 
    don't make their profits on guys like you (Tom) with a prioritized 
    list ranked by geographic location.
    
    I like your approach though, must save lots of time!  
    
    Lars

RE: .7

------------
"...I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by 
reorganizing: and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion 
of progress, while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralization."
	- Petronius Arbiter, 210 B.C.