Cheers!

With so many years in the business, and with countless hours on the road and in sales meetings, Marissa has been in a wide variety of situations, and has plenty of stories.  Many are humorous and almost all of them have a lesson within.  Marissa has decided to share these short stories in audio format for people to listen to and learn from.  We hope to host her short audio clips regularly.  Feel free to list questions you may have for Marissa in the comments section for this article, or look through her website and contact her directly.

With an eye to recycling, circuit boards are being used in asphalt

By Mark Fischetti

Millions of printed circuit boards from discarded electronics are tossed into landfills every year. In addition to the volume of waste, the material can leach chemicals into the soil. As an alternative, researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China are finding various ways to reuse the panels, including as an additive in asphalt.

Xu Zhenming and his colleagues stripped the boards of all components, pulverized the remains into a powder and used an electrostatic separator to remove fine bits of any remaining metals, leaving a pulp of glass fibers and resin. They then added those remnants to warmed asphalt, to see if the pulp would act as a binder. Binders such as ground tire rubber and charcoal are typically added to improve asphalt’s stiffness at high temperatures (to reduce rutting) and its pliability at low temperatures (to prevent cracking). The pulp improved both properties, especially when the powder grains were made as small as possible. Zhenming’s team is testing the modified asphalt to check how it holds up to outdoor conditions over time. It is also experimenting with forming the pulp into sheets that could be made into structures such as park benches and fences.

Note: This article was originally printed with the title, “Old Circuit Boards Hit the Road.” Sourced from Scientific American.

Photo Taken From Capinor.com - Click to Go to their Website

But would Sex Appeal increase Circuit Board sales??  There are a variety of angles (or curves) that you have to consider.  I welcome you to join the debate in the comments section of this article.  We’re very interested in what  you have to say.

One of the most significant goals of Advertising is to increase brand recognition.  You hope that when a consumer hears your name, they know your product, or that when they see/need your product, they think of you.  Web Hosting – GoDaddy.  Why do I know GoDaddy so well?  I watched the Superbowl.  Oh, and there’s the GoDaddy girl.

The sex appeal of various advertisements however, do not necessarily relate to the product being promoted.  In my research on this topic, I have run across a ton of ads that sex appeal seems so out of place.  Vacuums, Toilet Paper, Web-Hosting, the Nissan Pathfinder.

I think the key is to know your market.  Your Target Market is more of an indication of whether you should air a risque ad.  Scott Allen from About.com writes in his article Sex Sells? Oh Really? that “One thing’s for sure — to include sexuality in your advertising will almost certainly alienate some of your audience, but done well, may be more memorable and effective. Don’t be afraid to polarize your audience, though. It’s far better to be loved by some and hated by others than to be forgotten by everyone.”  But what percentage of our Customer Base would we cause to hate us?

I would personally want to be aware of the fine line between Attraction and Association.  You want to attract a potential customer to your Ad/Product, but you may not necessarily want them to associate your products/brand with something racy, crude, irrelevant, provocative, etc.  This ties in closely with Brand Recognition.  What are you known for?  What do people think of when they think of you?  Do they think of professionalism and prestige as one might when they think of Goldman-Sachs?  Do they think cutting edge/contemporary like Sharper Image?

My opinion is that that since the Circuit Board industry is very B2B oriented, as well as government and big business focused, sexy won’t sell.  In a large consumer market, the odds and tastes are in your favor, but trying to secure a deal for 2000 Mil-Spec Circuit Boards with the Chief Purchasing Officer for a Prime Contractor by flashing some skin will only hurt.

What are your thoughts?

Etsy.com is “your place to buy & sell things handmade.”

Whether you are a novice artist looking to make a little extra money on the side selling things you’ve made, or if you are a broker of handmade and unique products, Etsy.com is a great resource.

I came across some really cool looking products made from recycled circuit boards. From Earrings to desk organizers, there is a plethora of creative, useful, and artistic items that have been put up for sale.  I’m sure that I will be following the site as different items are put up for sale, and posting them here.

Think that you love Circuit Boards, do your friends say you’re a phony?  Show them up by attending an event with a bracelet made with recycled, gold plated pcb’s.  There’s no end to what you can create or find.

Also check out the little skull bracelets that are being sold by Rich Daluz.

click the picture to read more about the contact lenses

Below is a short description of what Flex Circuits are, pulled from Cirexx International’s Corporate website.

Flex Circuits are thin, lightweight, flexible, and durable. They can be designed to meet a wide range of temperature and environmental extremes. Flex Circuits are excellent for designs with fine line traces and high-density circuitry, and are more suited for dynamic applications and vibration conditions than are conventional printed wiring boards.

Flexible Circuits are built to bend, fold, twist, and wrap in extremely tight areas. Flex Circuits benefit designers faced with space restrictions. Cirexx has designed and fabricated Flex Circuits and Flex Cables with high density, lightweight, redundant circuitry for satellites and avionic instruments, advanced scientific sensors, flexible heating elements, devices and sensors, medical equipment and robotics, security devices and controls.