By Andy Marken

O.K., I admit it ... I have (once or twice) forgotten and left my smartphone on during take-off, the duration of the flight and landing.

It usually gets stashed in the overhead with my backpack.

I put my ultrabook in the seat pocket, so the moment the attendants give the word, I can whip it out and get some work done ... watch a video ... or play some mind-numbing game.

I don't feel deprived that I can't make/receive calls or send/receive texts during that time.

By Andy Marken

Better than Paper – The healthcare industry has made tremendous strides in patient care and records management by riding themselves of paper records and doing more and more online and on device. The increased use of technology has helped control quality and cost, except when it comes to reporting patient services/care to the government.

By Andy Marken

For a whole bunch of publicists, the holidays – Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, you name it – are the starting gun to perform/deliver for bosses and clients at what is arguably the largest trade show in the world ... CES (Consumer Electronics Show).

By Andy Marken

A few Saturdays back I visited consumer electronics stores/departments to research buying patterns/activities.

There was a lot of showrooming – using the mobile device to check reviews, store/product comments, competitive pricing – but with price matching being almost universal, we didn't see anyone leave the store to buy somewhere else.

They were there to buy!

By Andy Marken

CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is probably the best, worst trade show in the world.

It's the best because:

- It's the place where firms of every size launch new product concepts, new products.

- It attracts the best potential business partners from around the globe.

- It is the one main event that everyone in the media wants to/has to cover.

By Andy Marken

A friend and his partners recently received the first of three patents after more than three years.

Maybe in the next 12 months they'll get the other two.

It's a great concept and I'd tell you more but then I'd have to ....

Patents are vital to keep innovation and competition moving forward.

If you didn't have some protection – personal and/or company – why pour all the brainpower, time, effort, money into an idea just to have someone rip you off?

Cal Poly and NYU "East Meets West" Graphic Arts Partnership Approaches 10-Year Anniversary

By Harvey R. Levenson, Ph. D. , Professor Emeritus Director, Graphic Communication Institute at Cal Poly,  Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, California

Cal Poly focuses on comprehensive education, meaning that to develop the future leadership in any discipline requires educating the whole person, intellectually and with the practical and critical thinking skills needed to lead and grow a company and, indeed, an entire industry. We emphasize that in a dynamic industry, such as graphic communication, education must be ongoing to keep abreast of changing needs presently, and to learn how to forecast and adjust for future changes in business, the economy, and society—domestically and globally. To this end, a growing number of our students are pursuing graduate degrees either upon completing their undergraduate studies at Cal Poly or after gaining a few years of experience in the field. The Master's degree program in Graphic Communications Management and Technology at New York University (NYU) has become a main source of such advanced education for graduates of Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department.

By Andy Marken

You probably didn't realize it but the minute the Halloween goblins leave, people start going online to shop for Christmas.

Well, at least that's what Wal-Mart has found, so they cranked up their holiday buying season on November 1 with a great selection of "Early Bird Online Specials." Not to be outdone, so did Macy's, Target and Toys-R-Us.

Everyone is saying, "Hey, we know you really want to shop early."

For the people who are on diets, Macy's, Penney's and several other retailers – this obviously includes all the great online sites –will be open Thanksgiving.

Almost Here

It doesn't much matter that Ipsos Research reports that 41 percent of shoppers won't do most of their holiday shopping until mid-December.