Taking old fashioned electronics for a spin

Skylar Burtenshaw at the family business, Burtenshaw's Electronics. In the foreground, our Technics turntable, with which there was nothing wrong.

After years of putting it off, I finally decided Monday to take Karen's old Technics SL-D2 turntable to Burtenshaw's Electronics, 200 First Street.

If you're not familiar with Burtenshaw's it's a beacon of hope in this dark time of planned obsolescence. TV doesn't work? Don't chuck it just yet. "The larger ones are almost worth fixing," said Skylar Burtenshaw, who minds the business with his father, Bruce, who started the shop nearly 30 years ago.

Since vacuum tubes are a thing of the antediluvian past (except in guitar amplifiers), the thing most likely to go wrong with a newer TV is the power supply, he said. On average, that's a $75 fix. If the TV is something you bought at Fred Meyer for $39 you aren't going to shell out the dough, but a $999 Samsung or LG is a different story.

As for our turntable, after we plugged it in and moved the arm over, it started working. Dang!

"Did you plug it into the socket in the back of the amplifier?" Skylar asked. I nodded yes. "That's probably where the problem is."

Aside from feeling stupid, the good news is that we're good to go analogue. I have been using a Pioneer receiver I bought at a yard sale for $25, along with two crappy looking but great-sounding JBL speakers. I doubt I'll be taking the receiver in for repairs, so if anyone has an old Marantz they want to part with I'm all ears.

One thing for sure is that I'm ready to embrace vinyl again. Lately I have been preoccupied with the irony that so much of the music I have downloaded in the last ten years has disappeared through the digital donut hole. Hard drives crash, portable devices stop working and poof! -- it's gone.

Compare that to the stack of LPs in my garage that I once considered selling but couldn't. Records that date back to high school and college; albums I bought at Budget Tapes and Records at lunchtime when it was across the street from the Post Register.

I can remember where I bought some of my records (e.g., Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited," at John Wanamaker in Wilmington). As for the LPs I "forgot" to return to their rightful owners, I hope there will be mercy for me at the Throne of Judgment.

Then there is the digital-vs.-analog argument over sound quality. The MP3 format keeps file size small by discarding information, Burtenshaw said. That's great for having a lot of songs on your hard drive or iPod, but kind of like eating a meatloaf that's 85 percent air when compared to the sound that comes from a stylus in the grooves of a record.

Beyond that, has any young person ever been as excited about downloading Deadmaus or Beyonce as I was when I bought Steely Dan's "Countdown to Ecstasy" at Wonderland (the No. 1 record store and head shop in Newark, Del.) then brought it back to Brown Hall to listen to with my friends? Dropping the needle on a record is an experience that pressing PLAY doesn't come close to matching, but maybe I'm just sounding like an old man again.

Tell you what. Come over to my house when I've got the stereo assembled. I'll cue up my copy of K-Tel "Bong Hits" and we can decide for ourselves, man.

Salon h. davis hosting cut-a-thon to help Relay for Life

This Saturday, salon h.davis will once again host an all-day cut-a-thon to support the American Cancer Society.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 2450 E. 25th Street. Beverages and hot dogs will be provided to all guests. The fund-raiser will feature $10 haircuts and the opportunity to receive a blow dry and style for just $5. All payments for services will be donated directly to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, which provides many services in the Idaho Falls area including the “Look Good, Feel Better” program, which assists women in chemotherapy with make-up and wig application.

“Thousands of individuals throughout our community will face cancer in some way, whether it is through a personal diagnosis or the diagnosis of a loved one. We want to show our love and support,” salon owner Niki Young said.

Anyone unable to attend the event but interested in donating can stop in during regular business hours Monday through Friday at the salon.

Negativity in the workplace is no joke

One of my favorite movies of all time is "Office Space." No matter how amazing your job is, I think at some point in our careers we can all relate to a “case of the Mondays."

It could come from an overly confident, micro-managing superior, or perhaps outsourced professionals like “the Bobs” coming in to analyze the work environment. Then there's the clueless co-worker like Milton, who is always looking for his missing stapler.

Although it's funny, "Office Space" offers a chilling picture of how negativity in the workplace is no joke and has a very far-reaching impact on employees. It's a caricature of a workplace gone wrong in so many ways that ultimately one disgruntled employee decides to burn the building down.

Most of us of course aren’t going to burn down the building if we are having problems at work. But negativity does certainly have an impact on productivity, efficiency, employee morale, absenteeism and turnover. to name a few impact areas.

A negative workplace in theory should be easy enough to identify. What's hard is changing things for the better. From watching "Office Space," here are a few lessons on how to better manage a negative workplace.

One of the major characters in the movie is Peter’s boss, Bill Lumbergh, who is a stereotypical micro-manager. It’s easy to see how the employees' attitudes and performance reflect on Bill’s management style.  In management it’s easy to want to keep track of every aspect of the company, but in reality doing so creates lower productivity and decreased performance.

Another major issue in the movie is lack of communication. From Milton’s “reassignment” to the basement of the office and being taken off the payroll to the decision to bring in the “Bobs” for organizational analysis, it is pretty clear that communication is completely absent. Lack of communication can lead to a long list of issues, including poor performance, non-compliance with policies and procedures, disciplinary actions and even termination of employment.

While Milton’s termination seems a little far-fetched in the real world, it is a good example of how lack of communication can be a long-term problem. Additionally, while upper management isn’t required to make subordinates aware of all the issues they face or decisions they make, it’s important for employees to be told about upcoming events, decisions and changes. If communicated properly, this makes employees feel engaged and important. Open communication is the simplest way to boost morale and create harmony between employees and management.

"Office Space" works as a satire because most working people can identify with it in one way or another. Laughter is a universal way of taking power over things that would otherwise make us suicidal. But keep in mind, a negative workplace can have issues that are far reaching, and that's no laughing matter.

Cleaning company offers free service for women with cancer

Distinguished Images, an Idaho Falls cleaning company, wants to get the word out that it has teamed up with Cleaning For a Reason, an organization that provides free housekeeping for women with cancer.

"(The) homes that my maids enjoy cleaning the most are the ones we do for women battling cancer," said Travis Collins, Distinguished Images' owner. The company donates its employees' time at no cost to the client.

"It is our way of giving back," Collins said. "I personally have a strong passion for this, as I have family that is currently fighting the fight, and have several other friends and family that have gone through the battle with cancer. ... We have cleaned for several ladies since joining nearly a year ago.  So the help I need is getting the word out, we want to clean for more ladies."

If you know of someone who can benefit from this service, call (208) 552-1310.

March Madness in the workplace: Fun or foul?

March Madness began this week and millions of Americans are now involved in one of the nation’s most intense 21 days of athletic competition. Sports enthusiasts all over the nation have put in their brackets and are now watching their choices play out.

It starts with 68 teams -- for just the men’s tournament alone – and ends with one national champion, the last team standing. With such intense competition and an outcome that cannot easily be identified by even the best analysts, sports enthusiasts all over the nation are already on the edge of their seats.

If not managed properly March Madness can be a real problem in the workplace. It might seem ludicrous to say the enthusiasm and love for the tournament has to be left at home during the workweek.  Doesn’t that take away friendly, casual inter-office casual competition? March Madness can’t be that big of a deal if it is only 21 days out of the year right?

Most of the games during the first week are broadcasted mid-afternoon and are full of action that one would not want to miss during the workday. Service providers like Verizon Wireless and DirectTV make watching the games as easy as a click of a button. So the occasional check-in from your computer or phone isn’t that big of a deal – or is it? RetailMeNot conducted a survey with The Omnibus Company and recently reported that almost three in 10 professionals plan to watch March Madness at work. Additionally, the survey found that 39 percent plan to watch the games right from their work computers.

This doesn’t account for employees that may be watching or checking scores on their cell phones or mobile devices. For employers, this amounts to a distracted and less productive workplace. It can result in poor work performance and costly mistakes by employees. Employers are still paying wages throughout March Madness, meaning countless dollars are spent on employees working absent-mindedly or not working at all.

As if distracted employees, low production and the sunken cost of wages aren’t enough – take into account bracket pools amongst employees. While bracket pools often are a friendly betting competition between co-workers, a company needs to think about the impact these activities can have over the long term.

Depending on how management handles the situation with employees, there could be serious consequences such as employee grievances, disciplinary actions and even discrimination/harassment claims. What if a company allows the March Madness bracket pools as a fun inner office activity but doesn’t want to allow a bracket pool for the NBA Finals or even the NFL playoffs? Then there is the gambling in the workplace that doesn’t include sports related competitions.

It’s important to think about how to respond to employee issues that may come as a result of bracket pools gone wrong. Is a company prepared to take disciplinary action against employees that take the friendly competition too far?  What exactly is a company’s disciplinary policy on matters like this. The outcome of these situations can have long-lasting and potential legal liabilities.

March Madness can be an opportunity for an afternoon mental break and some friendly fun between co-workers. Important for companies to remember, however, that unless these activities are carefully monitored and managed in compliance with company policies, March Madness can create the kind of madness in the workplace that doesn't do anyone any good.