Stock Up On Safety Essentials During National Safety Month

June is National Safety Month, aimed at promoting accident prevention and precaution at work, at home, or on the road. This month, we're encouraging everybody to look around and identify potential accidents and either find ways to reduce the risk, or have a set plan of action and the tools necessary to handle mishaps that do arise.

There are several deals this month to save some money while investing in safety. 3M is promoting several products for National Safety Month that are necessary for facilities, factories or other workplaces with potential hazards. Consider hard hats for head protection, safety glasses and plugs for the eyes and ears, and particle respirator masks that filter out dust and other dangerous particles that could cause breathing problems. Some special items include corded ear plugs that are less likely to be lost when removed, and glasses with built-in LED lights that will illuminate dark places while shielding your eyes.

3M LightVision Safety Glasses w/LED Lights

Physicians Care is another brand riding the National Safety Month wagon (safely seated and belted in, of course). Check out this page to find many products designed to help keep you, your household and your office in good condition. This includes first aid kits (along with refill packs), small pre-stocked first aid cabinets, packets of over-the-counter medicines, and disaster preparedness kits that include a blanket, a flashlight, and other emergency essentials.

PhysiciansCare Personal Disaster Kit

That's not all that's available for safety supplies. Check out our full range of safety equipment and gear, products that include smoke detectors, protective gloves and caution signs.

Buy American, Win a National Parks Trip (Plus Free Ice Cream!)

Buying products made in America should be reward enough. It demonstrates a commitment to companies that keep their manufacturing jobs in the country. From now through the end of July, however, you can also get free ice cream. And at the end of the day, what's more important?

Thought so.

Acco Brands are putting their American-made products front and center, offering a rebate for a Dairy Queen gift card that's worth up to 10 percent of the original purchase! The brands cover a lot of ground, so there are many products to choose from- Quartet whiteboards, Wilson Jones binders, Cambridge planners, Acco paper clips, and Five Star and Mead wirebound notebooks. See their rebate page for full details.

American-Made Five Star Notebook

That's not all, because Acco has a Facebook page where you can enter for a chance to win a $2500 Backroads gift card to use towards a trip to a national park. First prize in the drawing is a $500 gift card for some fine Omaha Steaks for your next grillout.

Post-It Notes Bring An Office To Life

We've always been big fans of using office supplies for art materials (or as the canvas itself). We're also fans of taking steps to make an office your own. Some people do this with expressive desktop items like staplers or tape dispensers. Some equip their workstations with stylish organizers instead of drab plastic. Some use Post-It Notes. Eight thousand Post-It Notes.

Over one weekend and with the help of 8,024 Post-Its, a San Francisco designer gave his office a complete makeover, turning boring walls into murals of his and his team's favorite superheroes.

It's worth pointing out that this project uses the Super Sticky notes, which has almost the entire back covered in adhesive rather than a small strip. That's necessary for keeping the notes in place, and recommended for anything where the Post-Its are meant to have a mostly permanent home.

Super Sticky Post-It Notes

The designer also emphasizes pulling the sheets from the pad so that they don't curl, as that reduces their ability to stick long term. Sage advice with any adhesive products that should be applied to labels as well.

Has The Toilet Paper Roll Debate Been Solved?

A while ago we stuck our noses into the debate between whether restrooms should have paper towel dispensers or air dryers (verdict in favor of towel dispensers). At the time, we mentioned the eternal debate over the proper way to position a roll of toilet paper. There hadn't been much reason to butt into this argument, as it's clearly a matter of personal preference. What sort of empirical evidence could exist that gives more credence to one side over another?

Uh oh.

That is the 1891 patent for the toilet paper roll, clearly showing that the original inventor of the product is the founding member of Team Over. Side note- 1891?! The telephone was patented before that! Ponder the implications.

The Older Technology Is On The Left

So after a coup like that, all that's left for Team Under is to concede defeat and resignedly switch their rolls over, right? Somehow we don't see that happening. Even as the debate is settled, personal preference will still win out, no matter how wrong one side is. That or Team Under refugees will all gravitate towards center-pull dispensers.

Welcome To Team Compromise

As of press time, there is no word on whether the patent addressed the problem of cats, or if special dispensation is granted to allow cat owners to continue going under.

The Emergency Charger For Your Phone... And Your Car

Nobody can get anything done with a powerless mobile phone. If the battery dies, so does your productivity. Thankfully, power banks and portable battery packs are now available, offering a way to take a few extra hours of life with you wherever you go.

Weego BP52 Battery Pack

These battery packs are potential life-savers. Smartphones aren't always able to get through the entire day without a recharge, especially if you do a lot of work away from your computer. So it's easy to see the benefit of carrying spare power around. There is another place where extra battery power can make the difference between a productive day and disaster- your car. It doesn't happen as often, but the effects of a dead car battery are expotentially devastating.

Without an auto service or the combination of a helpful friend with jumper cables and the knowhow to use them, you're stuck. Now imagine if supplying your car with emergency power was as easy as charging your phone.

Weego Jump Starter Battery Pack+

That's right, Weego now has battery packs that charge both electronic devices and engines! Not only your car or truck, but also your boat, motorcycle or ATV as well. All three of the Jump Starter models will recharge phones, laptops and tablets, but depending on the engine of the vehicle you want to keep charged, you may need to upgrade beyond the standard pack. This comparison chart will help you determine whether you need the standard, heavy duty or professional pack.

Get Free Stuff From Acco and Enter To Win a Trip to Florida!

Acco products cover a wide range of office needs, representing major brands like Swingline, Quartet and At-A-Glance. Acco also wants to give you free stuff, possibly even a free trip!

It's Even Nicer In Real Life

Let's start with the free gifts. For qualifying purchases of $125, you can get a rebate for a free red Swingline stapler. For $250, it's a 24” x 18” glass marker board. For $500, you can get a free Stack-and-Shred Shredder. So what qualifies? There are plenty of products to choose from. You can order any combination of these Quartet boards, Wilson Jones binders, At-A-Glance planners, Cambridge notebooks, or Swingline staplers, hole punches or shredders.

Yours For Free... Without Stealing From Co-Workers

Acco is also giving away a trip for two to Fort Myers Beach, Florida! To enter, all you need to do is go to their Facebook page and upload a photo or video showing how you get your work done using Acco products. Add a caption, fill out the information and you're in! The best entry gets to spend three nights relaxing on the beach. You've got until April 15 to enter the contests or take advantage of the free gifts.

Taking Post-It Notes Digital with the Post-It Plus App

Post-It Notes have been easy, versatile means of communication for decades. Their small size makes it easy to have some handy, and when they are it allows you to put down your thoughts instantly before they leave your head. Add in the ability to position them anywhere and the bright colors and these thoughts can be transmitted to yourself or anybody who needs to see them. They're sort of a primitive, short-range prototype of Twitter when you think about it.

Celebrity Stalking Not Yet Available

As a collaborative tool, Post-It Notes have incredible value. Imagine brainstorming sessions where every suggestion is written on a Post-It. Imagine a single note representing an individual idea that can be organized with other ideas until a full plan starts to take shape. The applications would be endless if not for one problem: at the end of the day, all these ideas are still stuck on one wall. Nobody outside the room can play with them and nobody can take them with when they go. It's a limitation of putting things on paper. At least it was...

 Post-It Plus App

The Post-It Plus App does more than capture pictures of Post-Its. Any camera will do that, but any camera wouldn't be able to identify what parts of the picture are 3x3 Post-Its, much less realize that the text on them is what's important. The free app does this. Take a wall following a productive, albeit slightly scatterbrained, brainstorming session that might include some actionable items.

Standard iPad Camera Photo

Send a picture of it and people scratch their heads. But one snap of the app returns this:

Same Scan with Post-It Plus App

Clean, enhanced images of all of the Post-Its, which can then be manipulated and grouped.

Post-Its Arranged and Categorized

These can be shared and exported to other formats, allowing access to everybody that needs it. This app is currently available for the iPad and iPhone, and Android support is expected in a couple months.