Blueboard

blueboard

HackerNoon Reporter: Please tell us briefly about your background. My name is Taylor Smith and I started a company called with my friend from third grade, Kevin Yip. When we studied abroad in Hong Kong in college, we were inspired by the energy of the city. People just 3 or 4 years older than us were starting fashion lines, restaurants, and investment firms. After a weekend trip to Vietnam with friends, we decided that the most meaningful thing in life was going on adventures and challenging your comfort zones with friends. Blueboard We decided that eventually, we’d start a company around this very concept -- Blueboard is that company. (Personal background: grew up in the Bay Area; my dad worked in the semiconductor industry so I’ve been interested in tech since I was a kid; studied engineering at UC Berkeley; started my career in management consulting; left Accenture to slang solar panels door to door, which slightly concerned my parents; started a diamond/fine jewelry company that eventually reached millions of dollars in sales; then sold that business to start Blueboard with Kevin in 2012) What's your startup called? And in a sentence or two, what does it do? Blueboard helps companies send their employees on adventures (think skydiving, couple’s massages, guitar lessons, or surf camp in Portugal) after they crush it at work.
The name Blueboard comes from the “blue boards” on Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley -- they had a collection of all of the community’s activities and adventures. Our vision is to build a digital representation of these “blue boards” for every community in the world. What is the origin story? Both Kevin and I experienced really crappy corporate recognition programs in our first jobs out of college. I remember a time at Accenture where I had just wrapped up a big project in Dallas; I had been flying out every week for months; I had gained ~20 pounds and hadn’t slept well in what felt like weeks. My manager called me into his office and told me I did a great job, and then handed me an AMEX gift card. It felt like a slap in the face. After complaining to telling Kevin about this experience, he told me that he’d received over $800 in gift cards from Pwc that year. We decided then and there that we should start a company that helped other companies thank their employees in a much more meaningful and natural way. What do you love about your team, and why are you the ones to solve this problem? Our team is a collection of adventurers and artists who truly live out the company mission: . Everyone at our company plays a role in helping tens of thousands of people get out and about into the world every year. People work their asses off to make this magic come to life, and we’re incredibly thankful and blessed to be surrounded by people who share our values and want to bring our vision to life. to challenge our comfort zones, indulge in our passions, and to try new things If you weren’t building your startup, what would you be doing? Trying desperately to make it as a music producer. Though it feels like my window is closing, I’m still hoping to play at a major festival before I turn 40. At the moment, how do you measure success? What are your core metrics? How many people are we sending . To date, we’ve sent over 60,000 people on adventures across the world, in over 50 countries. And the best part about all of this is that all of these adventures were covered financially by people’s employers! #blueboarding What’s most exciting about your traction to date? That so many diverse companies use Blueboard and think it’s the best way to recognize their employees. At first, we thought that maybe only tech companies in the Bay Area would pay for Blueboard. However, our clients have offices and locations in all 50 states and more than 50 countries! We work beyond just tech companies too - we include restaurants, property management companies, ambulance companies & manufacturers as clients as well. What technologies are you currently most excited about, and most worried about? And why? We’re interested in Apache Beam and the ability to switch between stream and batch data processing with the same code. In our tests though there is some magic going on so we’re trying to see how far Apache Beam deviates from standard python and whether it truly behaves the same in batch vs stream. We’re also excited to move our application over to Kubernetes as we are starting to reach the point where we’re interested in hosting multiple services rather than a single monolith. What we’re most worried about isn’t a specific technology but rather making sure we’re only using new technologies for a specific business case rather than first using a new technology and then trying to appropriate it to a use case. What drew you to get published on HackerNoon? What do you like most about our platform? My cofounder Kevin and I first met David when he was running social media for SmartRecruiters back in 2014. Back then Blueboard was just the 2 of us and it was more of an idea than a company. As a fellow hustler in HR tech, David was always super supportive and had thoughtful feedback and ideas for us to consider. It has been really awesome seeing HackerNoon grow, and hearing about interesting content from friends -- and Blueboard has grown quite a bit since then too! What advice would you give to the 21-year-old version of yourself? You can accomplish anything you want in a lifetime, and the best time to start is right now. What is something surprising you've learned this year that your contemporaries would benefit from knowing? The benefits of living near (or taking time to recharge near) water. I made the move to San Diego earlier this year and instantly felt more relaxed and focused than I’d been for the last several years living in SOMA (SF). I searched to find the reason behind this and stumbled upon a book called Blue Mind. As it turns out, being near water puts your brain into “involuntary attention” mode -- as waves crash or ripples move, your brain engages, but only in a passive way. These random but predictable movements actually help to replenish our brains. (Juxtapose this with the sounds and sights of a city; the chaotic and unpredictable nature of city surroundings forces your brain into “directed attention” mode, which fatigues you) I’d urge other founders and entrepreneurs to make time to recharge as often as possible because building a company is much more of a marathon than a sprint. Vote for Blueboard for Startup of the Year, San Francisco

"Challenge Our Comfort Zones, Indulge in Our Passions" Taylor Smith, Cofounder and CEO at Blueboard

194 Stories To Learn About Future Of Work

240 Stories To Learn About Startups Of The Year

Let's learn about via these 54 free stories. They are ordered by most time reading created on HackerNoon. Visit the to find the most read stories about any technology. Employee Engagement /Learn Repo 1. Startups: Pulse Surveys are Dumb. There’s something I’ve been saying since SoapBox was first born: employee surveys are dumb. They’re really, frustratingly dumb. They’re not the solution to the employee engagement crisis. They’re part of the problem. 2. Productivity Hacks: How to Keep Your Employees Motivated Employee wellbeing is a challenge in this world as i89% of employees have worked while feeling unwell. 3. How to Create an Employee Engagement Plan: The Key to a Happy Staff Make your employee incentive plan focused on each team member because your staff can only succeed when the incentives resonate with them. 4. How Management Software Helps Boost Productivity in Coworking Spaces Boost Productivity in Coworking Spaces with Management Software 5. 4 Strategies to Enhance Employee Engagement With everything that’s going on in the world right now, the morale at the office – whether you’re able to meet in person or virtually – might be a little low. There might be uncertainty about the future of jobs or the company as a whole, which could be having an impact on employee productivity. 6. 4 Corporate Benefits that Improve Employee Mental Health and Engagement The benefits of mental health support programs are numerous. Some of these programs include free therapy and healthy eating and physical activity. Others provide financial assistance to employees who need it. Whatever the case, there are three main reasons why you should care about your employees' mental health. Read on for more information. Here are some examples of mental health benefits offered by companies. All three promote a healthy work environment. Having a positive company culture is one of the most important factors in preventing mental health problems. 7. How To Convince Your Employer to Host An Internal Hackathon Tech Companies are running internal hackathons to design new features, build new products, and increase employee and talent engagement. 8. Employee Wellness 101 Businesses have been overlooking employee wellness for a long time. As organizations started re-opening, they must have actionable employee well-being. 9. Making Your Employees Feel Valued & Appreciated Valued employees are good employees. Simple things like public acknowledgement and being considerate of their needs are all you need to make them feel great. 10. Diversity in the Workplace: A Challenge for HR Increasing diversity among leadership teams is a critical component of company culture. Studies show that people feel more comfortable around leaders who are not like them. Therefore, having a homogenous leadership team can be harmful, sending a bad message to other employees. Furthermore, insufficient inclusion efforts can alienate employees from outside the company culture, resulting in stagnant organizational growth and disengagement. A diverse leadership team is critical to company success; it is also associated with higher innovation, productivity, and revenue per employee. 11. Why Measure EX Through an Organizational 360º Approach? Productivity comes from an engaged workforce. HR needs a 360-degree solution that measures EX to understand make the environment for a productive workforce 12. Empowering Employees: The Power of Empowerment! The success of a business is a journey, not a destination. It is a road that entails unconventional thinking and extraordinary measures. Several entrepreneurs opt for a startup each year, but only a small number of them manage to thrive. Most of us might anticipate the essential ingredients of a successful business. Though, the key lies in identifying the actions and proceedings required to implement that course. 13. Performance And Productivity Management Software Industry Research [Part 1] Hi there! My name is Vitalii Berdichevskyi, I’m a Product Manager. I want to share with you HR Management industry research I conducted in March 2019. 14. 5 Powerful Employee Upskilling and Mentoring Tools How to boost your employee's skills and performance? Read my new post to find a list of several handy software tools that solve this task. 15. 23 Creative Ideas to Boost Employee Retention at a Low Cost Here are 23 employee incentive ideas that small businesses can start using today including letting employees listen to music, sending thank you notes, and more. 16. Implement These 21 Employee Wellness Program Ideas For Better Retention Employee wellness programs have become a staple in many companies as a way to attract top talent, keep them happy and productive, and decrease employee turnover. 17. 20 Best Virtual Team Building Activities for Remote Teams Looking for some effective team-building activities to bring your remote team together? 18. Hey Employers: Do Black Lives Matter? As you know (I hope), the murder of George Floyd has caused protests and violent riots in Minneapolis, and many other cities around the United States. Yet again, another Black man was murdered by those hired to protects us. Four policemen pinned George to the ground after being called by a store clerk about disorderly conduct. An officer, by the name of Derek Chauvin, kneeled into George’s neck with extreme pressure, digging it into the ground to the point that he struggled to breath. As George was suffocating, he stated that he could not breath multiple times, but Chauvin did not let up. The other officers just stood by allowing it to happen, which makes them just as guilty. George died later that day. It took days just for Chauvin to even be arrested. He’s now been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. If you’re unaware of the story, please head here. 19. How Employees Can Help Prevent Cybersecurity Threats Employees need to be aware of the significance of cyber security because cyber dangers have persisted since the creation of the internet. 20. 5 Ways to Improve Employee Well-Being Encourage a better sense of well-being among your direct reports with these proven strategies. 21. Valuable Employee Training Programs To Get Back on Track in 2021 In 2021, there’s both a need and an opportunity for employee training. Here is a reflection on what actually motivates employees to complete the training. 22. The First Major Challenge HR Managers Face is Retaining Top Talent A major challenge for startup HR is attracting and retaining top talent. Many startups focus on output instead of employee performance, which results in a lack of engagement and motivation. When employees feel that their work is not valued, they often leave the company for better opportunities elsewhere. Developing and nurturing a talent pipeline can solve these challenges. Startups must also take care to ensure that their employees are aligned with the company's vision. This requirescareful planning and in-house training programs for all employees. 23. How to Build a Compliance Culture by Improving Employee Engagement in Your Company Creating a culture of compliance means that the organization understands that compliance is critical. 24. How Happy Employees Lead to Happy Customers While most businesses focus on customer satisfaction, they often overlook employee satisfaction. Studies show that highly engaged teams outperform unengaged ones by 21%. What's more, happier employees offer better service to customers. That means happier customers. Let's look at some ways to increase employee satisfaction in your business. Here are some tips to improve customer experience: 25. Performance Anxiety Amongst Employees and How to Overcome It Performance anxiety amongst employees can be a serious issue. It may have a serious effect on a person’s health, sleep, mood, and even self-worth. Let’s look at 26. How To Be a Responsible Employer and a Leader in Times of Workplace Crisis Based on the type of work you are doing and the capacity in which your workers operate, any or more of the following occupational injuries can occur to your employees. 27. Kindness Is A Hidden Engineering Superpower Kindness is a hidden superpower for software engineers. It helps your peers feel safe so they can take risks that enable efficiency and honesty. 28. How to Make Your Company "The Best Place to Work At" When you hear the phrase “Best Place to Work,” what companies come to mind? Does your company make that list? If not, you may want to reconsider your company culture to attract top talent who are looking to work at Best Place to Work companies. 29. Employee Education: A Guaranteed Way To Supercharge Your Business Google reportedly has allowed its employees to spend 20 percent of their paid work time to pursue personal projects that they think will most benefit the company. The objective of this program is to empower and inspire innovation in participating employees. Many of Google's notable advances have resulted in this manner, including the development of Google News, Google Maps, Gmail, and even Adsense. 30. 10 Things to Do in a Professional Email Signature (With Examples) This article will share ten tips to help you create an informative and effective professional email signature to improve your communication - with examples. 31. Thoughts on Organizational Health: A Take on Pulse Over-reliance on Pulse surveys as the only practice for employee feedback and management accountability will hurt the organization. here are some alternatives. 32. How To Onboard New Staff Effectively In The Post-Pandemic Workplace What will be the safest way to onboard new employees after the pandemic is over, and in what will be a blended work environment? 33. 5 Advantages of Automating Expenses for Your Small Business It's common for small business owners to use traditional methods in their processes, thinking it's more efficient and cheaper. However, this isn't always the case. 34. 6 Creative Employee Reward Ideas That Your People Will Love Wondering how you can show employee appreciation? Here, you’ll discover six amazing gift ideas for your employee recognition program. 35. 4 Ways to Introduce New Technology to Work Every day, there are new tools that come into the market to make us more productive. More so since the global pandemic took hold. 36. Who Should Be Awarded Employee Of The Month? There is a sense of joy when you walk past your picture hanging next to the wording 'employee of the month'. But how do you go from being an ordinary employee to the month's best? 37. "The 4-Day Work Week" and other Insights on Bootstrapped Business with GooseChase CEO Andrew Cross Inspired by scavenger hunts, GooseChase is an online platform that enables you to create exceptional experiences for your communities. Meet CEO Andrew Cross. 38. Retention tips from the Internet vs 56 software developers We've collected 56 retention tips from software developers and compared them with the ones from the Internet. Check out what the conclusions are! 39. Employee Training: How to Make Data-Driven Business Decisions According to PwC research, highly data-driven organizations are three times more likely to witness considerable improvement in decision-making. Unfortunately, a whopping 62% of executives still rely more on experience and gut feelings than data to make business decisions. 40. The Importance of Business Communication Software in 2020 Business communication software is the beating heart of the world's most successful and enduring organizations. Gradually introducing itself into the workplace over the course of a few decades, this sort of technology has become more indispensable to our working lives than ever before. From Zoom, to Microsoft Teams, we're incredibly reliant on communications software to help us stay connected and maintain productivity on a day-to-day basis. 41. Managers, Do You Wait for the Doorknob Effect? If you are not sure what a Doorknob effect is, you probably want to keep reading. Either you’ve seen it before and didn’t act properly, or worse you just missed it. 42. 17 Skills Improve Managerial Communication in The Workplace In this article, you’ll discover why communication is a critical skill for a manager and seventeen skills to improve communication at work 43. "Challenge Our Comfort Zones, Indulge in Our Passions" Taylor Smith, Cofounder and CEO at Blueboard Meet Taylor Smith, Cofounder and CEO at Blueboard - a rewards & recognition platform sending top talent on awesome experiences - like learning to surf. 44. How to Administer Employees Rights At Workplaces You can be entitled to other legal protections in the workforce, including: based on the role of the employer, the country in which you operate and the occupation. 45. How To Retain High-Performing Talent Talent retention has always been a challenge for HR. The challenge is made even more difficult by a high turnover rate. While it can be difficult to keep top talent, there are some key strategies you can use to retain top performers. Here are some of them: 46. Addressing the Dissonance of Workplace Diversity and Inclusion There is confusing dissonance in the workplace when it comes to diversity & inclusion. Companies claim to foster inclusive culture but is that truly the case? 47. Methods of Preventing Repetitive Severe Injuries in the Workplace Environment In a period when deaths and serious injuries arise almost regularly in the workplace, employees will contend with at least three very distinct audiences. A fatality or traumatic injury at the workplace triggers the desire to connect with mourning people, including family members of the victim, eye witnesses of the tragedy, or co-workers who experience a sense of loss. 48. How to Build Loyalty and Motivate Your Employees Faced with the disastrous consequences of a voluntary departure of employees for the company, keeping its teams as long as possible becomes a major issue. To gain in productivity, you must as a business leader, find the ways and means necessary to motivate and retain your employees. 49. An Anthology of Compensation Management Software Companies spends millions of dollars to record the wages, bounces, and performance of employees. To reduce this cost, compensation management software helps organizations to plan, manage and execute a
compensation strategy. 50. How to Deal With Accusations in the Workplace Employee deceit comes as a serious stun, especially when you put
time and cost in offering comfort and direction during the employer and employee business relationship. The double-crossing can be destroying both by and by and inside the setting of organization resources. At the point when charges of employee deceptive nature surface, make quick move to decide the veracity of the cases and the degree of misfortunes the organization may endure. In any case, don't come to untimely end results until a full work environment investigation is finished. 51. Managing Diversity in the Workplace: Building an Inclusive Organizational Culture Diversity in the workplace is increasingly becoming a top priority for all organizational leaders. Initially, workplace diversity was merely a tick in the box with a narrow focus on just hiring professionals from different age, geographical and gender groups. The conversation has now matured significantly, with expansion not only in the scope of what diversity in the workplace entails, but also how it pans out. Let’s dive deep into the various aspects of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 52. Why Employee Engagement is More Than a Buzzword The ideal collaboration for employee engagement with rewards & recognition boosts consolidated communications in a single point. 53. Everything You Need to Know About Employee Engagement Know what exactly is employee engagement and how to effectively and efficiently increase the rate of employee engagement of your organization with SuperBeings. 54. Improve Employee Engagement and Mental Well-being In 2021 In this article, you'll find some amazing techniques to improve employee engagement and mental wellness. Thank you for checking out the 54 most read stories about Employee Engagement on HackerNoon. to find the most read stories about any technology. Visit the /Learn Repo

54 Stories To Learn About Employee Engagement

HackerNoon, the independent technology publishing platform, is pleased to announce the nominees for its annual “Startups of the Year” award, featuring the most promising and innovative companies in the San Diego startup ecosystem. San Diego, CA - May 24, 2023 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqIW54yMsNc&embedable=true The list, compiled by the HackerNoon team, showcases that are making significant contributions to the San Diego economy and driving innovation in their respective industries. 133 startups The nominated for Startups of the Year 2023 include: Startups in San Diego GoFormz Lively Root Platform Science Kahoona Tag-N-Trac Launch Factory comma Zoox Streamlined Robin Healthcare KÉXY ChargeNet Stations Replay RobustPhysics Sensorydata Skillmasters.io Truepic Blueboard 6Storage XRA Lawmatics Brain Doctible Classy.org Helix GoShare Sportidia The Good Face Project Cloudbeds ClickUp You can nominate your company as the . startup of the year in San Diego here “We are thrilled to recognize the top startups in San Diego and celebrate their achievements,” said . “Starting and sustaining a company is difficult. We’re honored to showcase their work and impact.” David Smooke, HackerNoon Founder & CEO is a community-driven voting platform that recognizes startups that are changing technology and the world for the better. Starting May 8th, 2023, the internet can nominate and vote for the best ventures in their city. The voting period will remain open until December 31, 2023, and winners will be announced in January 2024 after a comprehensive evaluation by the HackerNoon team. Startups of the Year 2023 In its , a total of 44,427 startups were nominated in 16 different regions, and the community cast 234,344 votes during a 6-month long campaign in favor of budding companies that were growing and trending across every major city in the world. The received perks from sponsors and a free from HackerNoon. previous iteration 1,382 winners tech company news page As a proponent of the open data movement, HackerNoon releases the unique social data gathered from Startups of the Year on GitHub as “ ” for valuable insights. /where-startups-trend Apart from validation from the world's greenest tech publication, all nominees relevant to their domain, region, and funding. They will also receive an and a free version of their very own on HackerNoon. get free interviews amazing discount package designed for their startup Tech Company News Page These pages include business overviews (such as head count, founding year, bio, social links, and domain ranking) coupled with dynamic updates every time the company is mentioned in HackerNoon stories or relevant headlines around the web. People can , and vote once per day per award for who they think should be Startup of the Year all the way up to December 31st. nominate their favorite startups until June 8th In addition to the award itself, winners receive exclusive interviews, an exclusive NFT from HackerNoon, and a .Tech Domain for life. For more information about the “Startups of the Year 2023” list and the nominated companies, please visit our . FAQ page About HackerNoon HackerNoon is a technology publication that aims to empower developers, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts to share their knowledge and expertise with a global audience. With millions of monthly readers, over 500,000 followers on social media, and over 250,000 newsletter subscribers, HackerNoon provides a platform for startups and innovators to showcase their work and connect with a vibrant community of like-minded individuals. Did you know that companies that actively engage in blogging experience a whopping 67% increase in leads? Take advantage of HackerNoon's ' ' to kickstart your own company's blogging journey. Startups Package Startups Of The Year 2023 is sponsored by . .Tech Domains You can nominate your company as the . startup of the year in San Diego here

Startups of The Year 2023: 130+ Startups Nominated in San Diego

CAN YOU IMPROVE ON A GOOD THING? was born in the living rooms of founders Brian Cox and Scott Alexander in 2018. This humble beginning is featured on their , and tells the story of how two friends harnessed their unique skill sets to start a business. Custom Patch Hats website With Cox’s graphic design background, and Alexander’s handling the accounting, customer service, and shipping, the two started with the hope of selling 100 hats a day. Now, Custom Patch Hats sees months with 90,000 hats sold. It placed 140 on the INC. 5000 list for 2022, with five-star ratings on Google and TrustPilot. Despite having zero prior experience in the apparel or manufacturing industries, Cox and Alexander have grown into a successful, custom patch headwear company. They believe that this gave them fresh perspectives on the various aspects of the business, and enabled them to break free from norms and routines that typically plague more established corporations, with a focus on continuous improvement. This hunger to achieve perfection was present from the beginning, in regards to their products and customer interaction, but it has since grown to include enhanced employee experience and process optimization. It is in these four areas that Custom Patch Hats has developed a reliable path to growth and success, transforming it from a one-room startup, into an impressive business in just a few short years. CUSTOMERS SHOP WHERE THEY FEEL APPRECIATED. Speaking from the standpoint of a concerned customer, Alexander said, “If you know there’s a problem, there’s a problem. It doesn’t matter if I can see it or not.” He also said, “We see a logo, but you see your dream.” This respect for their customers and their needs has driven Custom Patch Hats to improve their designs and services. Since the founders themselves were the initial workforce, they understood the day-to-day struggles every employee and new hires would face. As such, every task was approached with success and feasibility in mind. From the beginning, new clients are put in direct contact with a dedicated graphic designer, rather than have orders funneled through different departments before finally reaching the talent. These designers can form lasting relationships with their assigned clients, enabling them to learn the needs, goals, and culture of each consumer.  Communication is expedited, ideas flow more freely, and there is no middleman. As mentioned before, this concept was born from Cox and Alexander’s analysis of their business needs, unhindered by any prior experience or stigmas that could’ve come from years of working in the industry. “We had our own thoughts on it. We did it our own way. We’re hardcore about making sure that everything we did is awesome, not average. We don’t want to be good at anything. We want to be great.” EMPLOYEES STAY WHERE THEY FEEL APPRECIATED. To reach the high level of quality demanded at Custom Patch Hats, Cox and Alexander have focused on finding and retaining the very best people. “We’re constantly listening to our employees, and what it is that they want.” This statement from Alexander reflects the appreciation that the business has for its workforce, a concept that he admits is a product of modern-day values and expectations. The company provides benefits and insurance packages that exceed those offered by most companies of similar size. Catered lunches, half-day team-building activities, and appreciation socials are funded by the business and provide a fun, informal setting for employees to relax and network. The founders also utilize services like , to provide annual gifts of increasing value. This provides recognition of long-term employment and dedication to the company, with gifts ranging from wine tasting reservations to VR sets to resort getaways. Cox and Alexander mentioned that company growth will be reinvested back into its workforce. Whether this is through increased salaries, one-time bonuses, or additional benefits, this continuous dedication to the employees will ensure that the best people are attracted to and kept at Custom Patch Hats. Blue Board BUSINESS CHANGES DEMAND PROCESS CHANGES. The combination of superb products and superb people has made the company grow by leaps and bounds in a very short time. However, growth this fast is rarely controlled or efficient. Due to assigning dedicated graphic designers to each client, every job is customized. Although this provides incredible results, it does cause a lot of compartmentalization, which can be difficult to streamline. The rapid growth caused Cox and Alexander to resort to what most companies do, throw more money and people at problems as they arise. Alexander recalled, “Three years ago, four years ago, we got in our first office, and we’re wide eyed. We’re like kids. Oh my God, could you ever think about filling this up? Now we have six of those.” The growth has been so rapid, that Cox and Alexander move desks approximately every other month, just to make room for operations. They were speaking to me from one of their warehouses, with no A/C in 90-degree heat, as it was the only place without work going on. With such an explosion in size, there are inefficiencies that must be addressed, while still accommodating the growth they see with the resources it needs. Cox mentioned that these inefficiencies have less impact on smaller scales but need to be addressed as the business footprint increases. Take software, for example, Cox said, “There’s people’s jobs that are literally copy and pasting information from one software to another.” Alexander spoke about people facing downtime, due to bottlenecks outside their control. Identifying and eliminating the inefficiencies is a key objective for improving the operations at Custom Patch Hats, which will make future growth and expansions much easier to manage and execute. NEVER SETTLE FOR THE STATUS QUO, NO MATTER HOW GOOD IT IS. Cox’s final words of wisdom were from his college arboriculture professor. “Take time to sharpen your blade. Now, he was literally talking about a chainsaw, but we use this in everyday work. Take time to shutdown to readdress things.” This quote sums up the efforts the founders of Custom Patch Hats have taken to make the company the best it possibly can be. In the beginning, their primary motive was to make the best product possible while continually searching for ways to make it even better. In many respects, this is the finest obligation an entrepreneur can place on themselves. You can’t do more and should never wish to do less. As Custom Patch Hats has grown, Cox and Alexander have expanded their sights to employee satisfaction and retention, as well as maximizing internal efficiency. While a first-class product is paramount to any successful manufacturing business, this requires a team comprised of the best people, working with the fewest obstacles. Making Custom Patch Hats a great company to work for, has enabled Cox and Alexander to maintain that dedication to continuous improvement while combating their various growing pains and process shortcomings. By routinely sharpening their blades, the Custom Patch Hats team has developed a plan for success that will evolve and grow along with their business, giving them the competitive edge needed to reach the top of their industry.

How Can You Become Best in the Business by Tightening your Hat?

The was the first quadcopter I fell in love with. However, in spite of the common belief, I dare to think it isn’t really for indoors or suitable for a beginner due to it’s speed, agility and crazy yaw rate. One should rather take that bad boy outside, so the obvious next step would be adding FPV equipment to it. H8 Mini I’ve seen many videos on YouTube of people simply on the H8 and flying around right after; so I got myself a camera and tried to do the same. For some reason, this has never worked for me well. I had to apply too much throttle even to take off and the quad didn’t seem to be struggling with the extra weight though, controlling it wasn’t easy. I even removed the prop guards and the camera case, the trouble with the control remained. At this point I have to mention that I use my Devo 7E transmitter to control the H8 Mini, to which I have added a and flashed with . sticking an AIO camera FX797T 3-in-1 RF module DeviationTX And so it turned out that I needed to upgrade the motors, but the stock frame wasn’t sufficient to do so. Fortunately I bumped into the extension kit by . H8CF101 Out of the Box Innovations The frame kit is made specifically for the H8 Mini, but I’m pretty sure it could fit boards for many other toy drones as well. It supports 8520 motor size (for which I recommend the by , because those motors deliver massive power) and up to 65mm props, the frame feels like cleverly designed. It is very easy to assemble and the result is aesthetically really pleasing. I especially like the motor protection caps, which are made of some kind of rubber material. You need to use something like double-sided tape to mount the PCB on the frame. The manual for the H8CF101 advises to use double-sided tape also to mount the camera on the frame, but I’ve found that a little piece of rubber band can do better, because it lets you adjust the camera position more easily. There is enough space underneath the center rod to wrap a band around the camera. Sidewinder 8520 Spintech Motors H8CF101 assembled, camera mounted using rubber band The camera originally came with a Y-cable, which allowed to connect the camera and the quad to the same power source. While it seemed like a good idea, it soon turned out the excess wiring may easily cause problems in flight, because it could get hit by the propellers. The power is connected to the camera with really tiny solder joints, so I wanted to find a way to get rid of the extra wires without having to cut or replace them. This is because I’m not comfortable with very tiny soldering jobs. Luckily I discovered two solder pads on the H8 Mini board labelled B+ and B- and the power input pads are also labelled B+ and B-. H8 blue board with extra battery out pads (B+ and B-) I tested these pads and they were what I thought they were: output for the battery voltage. So I soldered two pieces of wire on them with the same type of connector the camera power cable had. Then I just wrapped the rest of the camera wires around the camera and this way I could remove about 6cm of needless wire. This is how the camera power connection looks like: Camera connector and wiring One of the problems I could not solve as of yet, is the USB programming connection. It is widely known that the H8 Mini (both the green and blue boards) can be flashed with custom firmware (please take a look at for more info). Flashing is pretty useful, because it gives you things like acro mode, among others, like PID tuning and telemetry. A permanent connector is necessary, since every time you need to change some software settings, you need to reflash the firmware. So the connector I used for flashing prevented me from assembling the frame properly, mainly because I put it on the side where the camera mount piece of the frame supposed to be. Silverware Wiki Servo connector soldered for USB programming I’m yet to figure out what type of connector I should use instead of the servo connector, because it’s obviously too big to fit. I need something smaller, but then I will also need some sort of adapter as the USB programmer has pin headers and I will still be needing a servo connector on the USB side. The other problem is with vibrations in leveling mode. Once the quad takes off and gets airborne it begins to shake. Seems like a PID mistuning problem to me. However this does not occur when I switch to acro mode. This is also something I’m yet to inspect. It partially ties to the other problem, because changing settings means reflashing, to reflash I need a connector, but with the current type of connector I cannot assemble the frame. I will update this article once I’ve figured this out. I’m not affiliated with or sponsored by the maker of any of the products mentioned in this article. I’m just a happy user, so I wrote this independently.

Nanosized FPV racing drone from H8 Mini

Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Post Prandial here Post Prandial Frank rode home a happy man, cheering himself, as successful lovers do cheer themselves, with the brilliancy of his late exploit: nor was it till he had turned the corner into the Greshamsbury stables that he began to reflect what he would do next. It was all very well to have induced Mary to allow his three fingers to lie half a minute in her soft hand; the having done so might certainly be sufficient evidence that he had overcome one of the lions in his path; but it could hardly be said that all his difficulties were now smoothed. How was he to make further progress? To Mary, also, the same ideas no doubt occurred—with many others. But, then, it was not for Mary to make any progress in the matter. To her at least belonged this passive comfort, that at present no act hostile to the de Courcy interest would be expected from her. All that she could do would be to tell her uncle so much as it was fitting that he should know. The doing this would doubtless be in some degree difficult; but it was not probable that there would be much difference, much of anything but loving anxiety for each other, between her and Dr Thorne. One other thing, indeed, she must do; Frank must be made to understand what her birth had been. "This," she said to herself, "will give him an opportunity of retracting what he has done should he choose to avail himself of it. It is well he should have such opportunity." But Frank had more than this to do. He had told Beatrice that he would make no secret of his love, and he fully resolved to be as good as his word. To his father he owed an unreserved confidence; and he was fully minded to give it. It was, he knew, altogether out of the question that he should at once marry a portionless girl without his father's consent; probably out of the question that he should do so even with it. But he would, at any rate, tell his father, and then decide as to what should be done next. So resolving, he put his black horse into the stable and went in to dinner. After dinner he and his father would be alone. Yes; after dinner he and his father would be alone. He dressed himself hurriedly, for the dinner-bell was almost on the stroke as he entered the house. He said this to himself once and again; but when the meats and the puddings, and then the cheese, were borne away, as the decanters were placed before his father, and Lady Arabella sipped her one glass of claret, and his sisters ate their portion of strawberries, his pressing anxiety for the coming interview began to wax somewhat dull. His mother and sisters, however, rendered him no assistance by prolonging their stay. With unwonted assiduity he pressed a second glass of claret on his mother. But Lady Arabella was not only temperate in her habits, but also at the present moment very angry with her son. She thought that he had been to Boxall Hill, and was only waiting a proper moment to cross-question him sternly on the subject. Now she departed, taking her train of daughters with her. "Give me one big gooseberry," said Nina, as she squeezed herself in under her brother's arm, prior to making her retreat. Frank would willingly have given her a dozen of the biggest, had she wanted them; but having got the one, she squeezed herself out again and scampered off. The squire was very cheery this evening; from what cause cannot now be said. Perhaps he had succeeded in negotiating a further loan, thus temporarily sprinkling a drop of water over the ever-rising dust of his difficulties. "Well, Frank, what have you been after to-day? Peter told me you had the black horse out," said he, pushing the decanter to his son. "Take my advice, my boy, and don't give him too much summer road-work. Legs won't stand it, let them be ever so good." "Why, sir, I was obliged to go out to-day, and therefore, it had to be either the old mare or the young horse." "Why didn't you take Ramble?" Now Ramble was the squire's own saddle hack, used for farm surveying, and occasionally for going to cover. "I shouldn't think of doing that, sir." "My dear boy, he is quite at your service; for goodness' sake do let me have a little wine, Frank—quite at your service; any riding I have now is after the haymakers, and that's all on the grass." "Thank'ee, sir. Well, perhaps I will take a turn out of Ramble should I want it." "Do, and pray, pray take care of that black horse's legs. He's turning out more of a horse than I took him to be, and I should be sorry to see him injured. Where have you been to-day?" "Well, father, I have something to tell you." "Something to tell me!" and then the squire's happy and gay look, which had been only rendered more happy and more gay by his assumed anxiety about the black horse, gave place to that heaviness of visage which acrimony and misfortune had made so habitual to him. "Something to tell me!" Any grave words like these always presaged some money difficulty to the squire's ears. He loved Frank with the tenderest love. He would have done so under almost any circumstances; but, doubtless, that love had been made more palpable to himself by the fact that Frank had been a good son as regards money—not exigeant as was Lady Arabella, or selfishly reckless as was his nephew Lord Porlock. But now Frank must be in difficulty about money. This was his first idea. "What is it, Frank; you have seldom had anything to say that has not been pleasant for me to hear?" And then the heaviness of visage again gave way for a moment as his eye fell upon his son. "I have been to Boxall Hill, sir." The tenor of his father's thoughts was changed in an instant; and the dread of immediate temporary annoyance gave place to true anxiety for his son. He, the squire, had been no party to Mary's exile from his own domain; and he had seen with pain that she had now a second time been driven from her home: but he had never hitherto questioned the expediency of separating his son from Mary Thorne. Alas! it became too necessary—too necessary through his own default—that Frank should marry money! "At Boxall Hill, Frank! Has that been prudent? Or, indeed, has it been generous to Miss Thorne, who has been driven there, as it were, by your imprudence?" "Father, it is well that we should understand each other about this—" "Fill your glass, Frank;" Frank mechanically did as he was told, and passed the bottle. "I should never forgive myself were I to deceive you, or keep anything from you." "I believe it is not in your nature to deceive me, Frank." "The fact is, sir, that I have made up my mind that Mary Thorne shall be my wife—sooner or later that is, unless, of course, she should utterly refuse. Hitherto, she has utterly refused me. I believe I may now say that she has accepted me." The squire sipped his claret, but at the moment said nothing. There was a quiet, manly, but yet modest determination about his son that he had hardly noticed before. Frank had become legally of age, legally a man, when he was twenty-one. Nature, it seems, had postponed the ceremony till he was twenty-two. Nature often does postpone the ceremony even to a much later age;—sometimes, altogether forgets to accomplish it. The squire continued to sip his claret; he had to think over the matter a while before he could answer a statement so deliberately made by his son. "I think I may say so," continued Frank, with perhaps unnecessary modesty. "She is so honest that, had she not intended it, she would have said so honestly. Am I right, father, in thinking that, as regards Mary, personally, you would not reject her as a daughter-in-law?" "Personally!" said the squire, glad to have the subject presented to him in a view that enabled him to speak out. "Oh, no; personally, I should not object to her, for I love her dearly. She is a good girl. I do believe she is a good girl in every respect. I have always liked her; liked to see her about the house. But—" "I know what you would say, father." This was rather more than the squire knew himself. "Such a marriage is imprudent." "It is more than that, Frank; I fear it is impossible." "Impossible! No, father; it is not impossible." "It is impossible, Frank, in the usual sense. What are you to live upon? What would you do with your children? You would not wish to see your wife distressed and comfortless." "No, I should not like to see that." "You would not wish to begin life as an embarrassed man and end it as a ruined man. If you were now to marry Miss Thorne such would, I fear, doubtless be your lot." Frank caught at the word "now." "I don't expect to marry immediately. I know that would be imprudent. But I am pledged, father, and I certainly cannot go back. And now that I have told you all this, what is your advice to me?" The father again sat silent, still sipping his wine. There was nothing in his son that he could be ashamed of, nothing that he could meet with anger, nothing that he could not love; but how should he answer him? The fact was, that the son had more in him than the father; this his mind and spirit were of a calibre not to be opposed successfully by the mind and spirit of the squire. "Do you know Mary's history?" said Mr Gresham, at last; "the history of her birth?" "Not a word of it," said Frank. "I did not know she had a history." "Nor does she know it; at least, I presume not. But you should know it now. And, Frank, I will tell it you; not to turn you from her—not with that object, though I think that, to a certain extent, it should have that effect. Mary's birth was not such as would become your wife and be beneficial to your children." "If so, father, I should have known that sooner. Why was she brought in here among us?" "True, Frank. The fault is mine; mine and your mother's. Circumstances brought it about years ago, when it never occurred to us that all this would arise. But I will tell you her history. And, Frank, remember this, though I tell it you as a secret, a secret to be kept from all the world but one, you are quite at liberty to let the doctor know that I have told you. Indeed, I shall be careful to let him know myself should it ever be necessary that he and I should speak together as to this engagement." The squire then told his son the whole story of Mary's birth, as it is known to the reader. Frank sat silent, looking very blank; he also had, as had every Gresham, a great love for his pure blood. He had said to his mother that he hated money, that he hated the estate; but he would have been very slow to say, even in his warmest opposition to her, that he hated the roll of the family pedigree. He loved it dearly, though he seldom spoke of it;—as men of good family seldom do speak of it. It is one of those possessions which to have is sufficient. A man having it need not boast of what he has, or show it off before the world. But on that account he values it more. He had regarded Mary as a cutting duly taken from the Ullathorne tree; not, indeed, as a grafting branch, full of flower, just separated from the parent stalk, but as being not a whit the less truly endowed with the pure sap of that venerable trunk. When, therefore, he heard her true history he sat awhile dismayed. "It is a sad story," said the father. "Yes, sad enough," said Frank, rising from his chair and standing with it before him, leaning on the back of it. "Poor Mary, poor Mary! She will have to learn it some day." "I fear so, Frank;" and then there was again a few moments' silence. "To me, father, it is told too late. It can now have no effect on me. Indeed," said he, sighing as he spoke, but still relieving himself by the very sigh, "it could have had no effect had I learned it ever so soon." "I should have told you before," said the father; "certainly I ought to have done so." "It would have been no good," said Frank. "Ah, sir, tell me this: who were Miss Dunstable's parents? What was that fellow Moffat's family?" This was perhaps cruel of Frank. The squire, however, made no answer to the question. "I have thought it right to tell you," said he. "I leave all commentary to yourself. I need not tell you what your mother will think." "What did she think of Miss Dunstable's birth?" said he, again more bitterly than before. "No, sir," he continued, after a further pause. "All that can make no change; none at any rate now. It can't make my love less, even if it could have prevented it. Nor, even, could it do so—which it can't the least, not in the least—but could it do so, it could not break my engagement. I am now engaged to Mary Thorne." And then he again repeated his question, asking for his father's advice under the present circumstances. The conversation was a very long one, as long as to disarrange all Lady Arabella's plans. She had determined to take her son most stringently to task that very evening; and with this object had ensconced herself in the small drawing-room which had formerly been used for a similar purpose by the august countess herself. Here she now sat, having desired Augusta and Beatrice, as well as the twins, to beg Frank to go to her as soon as he should come out of the dining-room. Poor lady! there she waited till ten o'clock,—tealess. There was not much of the Bluebeard about the squire; but he had succeeded in making it understood through the household that he was not to be interrupted by messages from his wife during the post-prandial hour, which, though no toper, he loved so well. As a period of twelve months will now have to be passed over, the upshot of this long conversation must be told in as few words as possible. The father found it impracticable to talk his son out of his intended marriage; indeed, he hardly attempted to do so by any direct persuasion. He explained to him that it was impossible that he should marry at once, and suggested that he, Frank, was very young. "You married, sir, before you were one-and-twenty," said Frank. Yes, and repented before I was two-and-twenty. So did not say the squire. He suggested that Mary should have time to ascertain what would be her uncle's wishes, and ended by inducing Frank to promise, that after taking his degree in October he would go abroad for some months, and that he would not indeed return to Greshamsbury till he was three-and-twenty. "He may perhaps forget her," said the father to himself, as this agreement was made between them. "He thinks that I shall forget her," said Frank to himself at the same time; "but he does not know me." When Lady Arabella at last got hold of her son she found that the time for her preaching was utterly gone by. He told her, almost with sang-froid, what his plans were; and when she came to understand them, and to understand also what had taken place at Boxall Hill, she could not blame the squire for what he had done. She also said to herself, more confidently than the squire had done, that Frank would quite forget Mary before the year was out. "Lord Buckish," said she to herself, rejoicingly, "is now with the ambassador at Paris"—Lord Buckish was her nephew—"and with him Frank will meet women that are really beautiful—women of fashion. When with Lord Buckish he will soon forget Mary Thorne." But not on this account did she change her resolve to follow up to the furthest point her hostility to the Thornes. She was fully enabled now to do so, for Dr Fillgrave was already reinstalled at Greshamsbury as her medical adviser. One other short visit did Frank pay to Boxall Hill, and one interview had he with Dr Thorne. Mary told him all she knew of her own sad history, and was answered only by a kiss,—a kiss absolutely not in any way by her to be avoided; the first, the only one, that had ever yet reached her lips from his. And then he went away. The doctor told him all the story. "Yes," said Frank, "I knew it all before. Dear Mary, dearest Mary! Don't you, doctor, teach yourself to believe that I shall forget her." And then also he went his way from him—went his way also from Greshamsbury, and was absent for the full period of his allotted banishment—twelve months, namely, and a day. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Anthony Trollope (2002). Doctor Thorne. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3166/pg3166-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org, located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html.

Post Prandial

The Story Girl by L. M. Montgomery, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . THE MYSTERY OF GOLDEN MILESTONE CHAPTER VI. THE MYSTERY OF GOLDEN MILESTONE Paddy was smeared with medicated lard the next day, all of us assisting at the rite, although the Story Girl was high priestess. Then, out of regard for mats and cushions, he was kept in durance vile in the granary until he had licked his fur clean. This treatment being repeated every day for a week, Pat recovered his usual health and spirits, and our minds were set at rest to enjoy the next excitement—collecting for a school library fund. Our teacher thought it would be an excellent thing to have a library in connection with the school; and he suggested that each of the pupils should try to see how much money he or she could raise for the project during the month of June. We might earn it by honest toil, or gather it in by contributions levied on our friends. The result was a determined rivalry as to which pupil should collect the largest sum; and this rivalry was especially intense in our home coterie. Our relatives started us with a quarter apiece. For the rest, we knew we must depend on our own exertions. Peter was handicapped at the beginning by the fact that he had no family friend to finance him. “If my Aunt Jane’d been living she’d have given me something,” he remarked. “And if my father hadn’t run away he might have given me something too. But I’m going to do the best I can anyhow. Your Aunt Olivia says I can have the job of gathering the eggs, and I’m to have one egg out of every dozen to sell for myself.” Felicity made a similar bargain with her mother. The Story Girl and Cecily were each to be paid ten cents a week for washing dishes in their respective homes. Felix and Dan contracted to keep the gardens free from weeds. I caught brook trout in the westering valley of spruces and sold them for a cent apiece. Sara Ray was the only unhappy one among us. She could do nothing. She had no relatives in Carlisle except her mother, and her mother did not approve of the school library project, and would not give Sara a cent, or put her in any way of earning one. To Sara, this was humiliation indescribable. She felt herself an outcast and an alien to our busy little circle, where each member counted every day, with miserly delight, his slowly increasing hoard of small cash. “I’m just going to pray to God to send me some money,” she announced desperately at last. “I don’t believe that will do any good,” said Dan. “He gives lots of things, but he doesn’t give money, because people can earn that for themselves.” “I can’t,” said Sara, with passionate defiance. “I think He ought to take that into account.” “Don’t worry, dear,” said Cecily, who always poured balm. “If you can’t collect any money everybody will know it isn’t your fault.” “I won’t ever feel like reading a single book in the library if I can’t give something to it,” mourned Sara. Dan and the girls and I were sitting in a row on Aunt Olivia’s garden fence, watching Felix weed. Felix worked well, although he did not like weeding—“fat boys never do,” Felicity informed him. Felix pretended not to hear her, but I knew he did, because his ears grew red. Felix’s face never blushed, but his ears always gave him away. As for Felicity, she did not say things like that out of malice prepense. It never occurred to her that Felix did not like to be called fat. “I always feel so sorry for the poor weeds,” said the Story Girl dreamily. “It must be very hard to be rooted up.” “They shouldn’t grow in the wrong place,” said Felicity mercilessly. “When weeds go to heaven I suppose they will be flowers,” continued the Story Girl. “You do think such queer things,” said Felicity. “A rich man in Toronto has a floral clock in his garden,” I said. “It looks just like the face of a clock, and there are flowers in it that open at every hour, so that you can always tell the time.” “Oh, I wish we had one here,” exclaimed Cecily. “What would be the use of it?” asked the Story Girl a little disdainfully. “Nobody ever wants to know the time in a garden.” I slipped away at this point, suddenly remembering that it was time to take a dose of magic seed. I had bought it from Billy Robinson three days before in school. Billy had assured me that it would make me grow fast. I was beginning to feel secretly worried because I did not grow. I had overheard Aunt Janet say I was going to be short, like Uncle Alec. Now, I loved Uncle Alec, but I wanted to be taller than he was. So when Billy confided to me, under solemn promise of secrecy, that he had some “magic seed,” which would make boys grow, and would sell me a box of it for ten cents, I jumped at the offer. Billy was taller than any boy of his age in Carlisle, and he assured me it all came from taking magic seed. “I was a regular runt before I begun,” he said, “and look at me now. I got it from Peg Bowen. She’s a witch, you know. I wouldn’t go near her again for a bushel of magic seed. It was an awful experience. I haven’t much left, but I guess I’ve enough to do me till I’m as tall as I want to be. You must take a pinch of the seed every three hours, walking backward, and you must never tell a soul you’re taking it, or it won’t work. I wouldn’t spare any of it to any one but you.” I felt deeply grateful to Billy, and sorry that I had not liked him better. Somehow, nobody did like Billy Robinson over and above. But I vowed I WOULD like him in future. I paid him the ten cents cheerfully and took the magic seed as directed, measuring myself carefully every day by a mark on the hall door. I could not see any advance in growth yet, but then I had been taking it only three days. One day the Story Girl had an inspiration. “Let us go and ask the Awkward Man and Mr. Campbell for a contribution to the library fund,” she said. “I am sure no one else has asked them, because nobody in Carlisle is related to them. Let us all go, and if they give us anything we’ll divide it equally among us.” It was a daring proposition, for both Mr. Campbell and the Awkward Man were regarded as eccentric personages; and Mr. Campbell was supposed to detest children. But where the Story Girl led we would follow to the death. The next day being Saturday, we started out in the afternoon. We took a short cut to Golden Milestone, over a long, green, dewy land full of placid meadows, where sunshine had fallen asleep. At first all was not harmonious. Felicity was in an ill humour; she had wanted to wear her second best dress, but Aunt Janet had decreed that her school clothes were good enough to go “traipsing about in the dust.” Then the Story Girl arrived, arrayed not in any second best but in her very best dress and hat, which her father had sent her from Paris—a dress of soft, crimson silk, and a white leghorn hat encircled by flame-red poppies. Neither Felicity nor Cecily could have worn it; but it became the Story Girl perfectly. In it she was a thing of fire and laughter and glow, as if the singular charm of her temperament were visible and tangible in its vivid colouring and silken texture. “I shouldn’t think you’d put on your best clothes to go begging for the library in,” said Felicity cuttingly. “Aunt Olivia says that when you are going to have an important interview with a man you ought to look your very best,” said the Story Girl, giving her skirt a lustrous swirl and enjoying the effect. “Aunt Olivia spoils you,” said Felicity. “She doesn’t either, Felicity King! Aunt Olivia is just sweet. She kisses me good-night every night, and your mother NEVER kisses you.” “My mother doesn’t make kisses so common,” retorted Felicity. “But she gives us pie for dinner every day.” “So does Aunt Olivia.” “Yes, but look at the difference in the size of the pieces! And Aunt Olivia only gives you skim milk. My mother gives us cream.” “Aunt Olivia’s skim milk is as good as your mother’s cream,” cried the Story Girl hotly. “Oh, girls, don’t fight,” said Cecily, the peacemaker. “It’s such a nice day, and we’ll have a nice time if you don’t spoil it by fighting.” “We’re NOT fighting,” said Felicity. “And I like Aunt Olivia. But my mother is just as good as Aunt Olivia, there now!” “Of course she is. Aunt Janet is splendid,” agreed the Story Girl. They smiled at each other amicably. Felicity and the Story Girl were really quite fond of each other, under the queer surface friction that commonly resulted from their intercourse. “You said once you knew a story about the Awkward Man,” said Felix. “You might tell it to us.” “All right,” agreed the Story Girl. “The only trouble is, I don’t know the whole story. But I’ll tell you all I do know. I call it ‘The Mystery of the Golden Milestone.’” “Oh, I don’t believe that story is true,” said Felicity. “I believe Mrs. Griggs was just romancing. She DOES romance, mother says.” “Yes; but I don’t believe she could ever have thought of such a thing as this herself, so I believe it must be true,” said the Story Girl. “Anyway, this is the story, boys. You know the Awkward Man has lived alone ever since his mother died, ten years ago. Abel Griggs is his hired man, and he and his wife live in a little house down the Awkward Man’s lane. Mrs. Griggs makes his bread for him, and she cleans up his house now and then. She says he keeps it very neat. But till last fall there was one room she never saw. It was always locked—the west one, looking out over his garden. One day last fall the Awkward Man went to Summerside, and Mrs. Griggs scrubbed his kitchen. Then she went over the whole house and she tried the door of the west room. Mrs. Griggs is a VERY curious woman. Uncle Roger says all women have as much curiosity as is good for them, but Mrs. Griggs has more. She expected to find the door locked as usual. It was NOT locked. She opened it and went in. What do you suppose she found?” “Something like—like Bluebeard’s chamber?” suggested Felix in a scared tone. “Oh, no, NO! Nothing like THAT could happen in Prince Edward Island. But if there HAD been beautiful wives hanging up by their hair all round the walls I don’t believe Mrs. Griggs could have been much more astonished. The room had never been furnished in his mother’s time, but now it was ELEGANTLY furnished, though Mrs. Griggs says SHE doesn’t know when or how that furniture was brought there. She says she never saw a room like it in a country farmhouse. It was like a bed-room and sitting-room combined. The floor was covered with a carpet like green velvet. There were fine lace curtains at the windows and beautiful pictures on the walls. There was a little white bed, and a dressing-table, a bookcase full of books, a stand with a work basket on it, and a rocking-chair. There was a woman’s picture above the bookcase. Mrs. Griggs says she thinks it was a coloured photograph, but she didn’t know who it was. Anyway, it was a very pretty girl. But the most amazing thing of all was that A WOMAN’S DRESS was hanging over a chair by the table. Mrs. Griggs says it NEVER belonged to Jasper Dale’s mother, for she thought it a sin to wear anything but print and drugget; and this dress was of PALE BLUE silk. Besides that, there was a pair of blue satin slippers on the floor beside it—HIGH-HEELED slippers. And on the fly-leaves of the books the name ‘Alice’ was written. Now, there never was an Alice in the Dale connection and nobody ever heard of the Awkward Man having a sweetheart. There, isn’t that a lovely mystery?” “It’s a pretty queer yarn,” said Felix. “I wonder if it is true—and what it means.” “I intend to find out what it means,” said the Story Girl. “I am going to get acquainted with the Awkward Man sometime, and then I’ll find out his Alice-secret.” “I don’t see how you’ll ever get acquainted with him,” said Felicity. “He never goes anywhere except to church. He just stays home and reads books when he isn’t working. Mother says he is a perfect hermit.” “I’ll manage it somehow,” said the Story Girl—and we had no doubt that she would. “But I must wait until I’m a little older, for he wouldn’t tell the secret of the west room to a little girl. And I mustn’t wait till I’m TOO old, for he is frightened of grown-up girls, because he thinks they laugh at his awkwardness. I know I will like him. He has such a nice face, even if he is awkward. He looks like a man you could tell things to.” “Well, I’d like a man who could move around without falling over his own feet,” said Felicity. “And then the look of him! Uncle Roger says he is long, lank, lean, narrow, and contracted.” “Things always sound worse than they are when Uncle Roger says them,” said the Story Girl. “Uncle Edward says Jasper Dale is a very clever man and it’s a great pity he wasn’t able to finish his college course. He went to college two years, you know. Then his father died, and he stayed home with his mother because she was very delicate. I call him a hero. I wonder if it is true that he writes poetry. Mrs. Griggs says it is. She says she has seen him writing it in a brown book. She said she couldn’t get near enough to read it, but she knew it was poetry by the shape of it.” “Very likely. If that blue silk dress story is true, I’d believe ANYTHING of him,” said Felicity. We were near Golden Milestone now. The house was a big, weather-gray structure, overgrown with vines and climbing roses. Something about the three square windows in the second story gave it an appearance of winking at us in a friendly fashion through its vines—at least, so the Story Girl said; and, indeed, we could see it for ourselves after she had once pointed it out to us. We did not get into the house, however. We met the Awkward man in his yard, and he gave us a quarter apiece for our library. He did not seem awkward or shy; but then we were only children, and his foot was on his native heath. He was a tall, slender man, who did not look his forty years, so unwrinkled was his high, white forehead, so clear and lustrous his large, dark-blue eyes, so free from silver threads his rather long black hair. He had large hands and feet, and walked with a slight stoop. I am afraid we stared at him rather rudely while the Story Girl talked to him. But was not an Awkward Man, who was also a hermit and kept blue silk dresses in a locked room, and possibly wrote poetry, a legitimate object of curiosity? I leave it to you. When we got away we compared notes, and found that we all liked him—and this, although he had said little and had appeared somewhat glad to get rid of us. “He gave us the money like a gentleman,” said the Story Girl. “I felt he didn’t grudge it. And now for Mr. Campbell. It was on HIS account I put on my red silk. I don’t suppose the Awkward Man noticed it at all, but Mr. Campbell will, or I’m much mistaken.” About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. L. M. Montgomery (2004). The Story Girl. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5342/pg5342-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

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