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The History of Writing Tools (history of writing tools) Writing tools are essential to written communication. A person is not able to write without the proper writing tools. However, many people don’t realize that writing tools did not just pop into existence; writing tools have a long history. Writing tools have helped societies write their history and bring civilizations to life. The history of writing tools begins with the cave man that invented the sharpened-stone, which was later developed into the first writing tool. Cave men used these instruments to scratch pictures onto the walls of cave dwellings. The drawings were said to represent events in the daily life of the cave men, such as the planting of crops and hunting victories. Clay was later discovered, which made portable records possible, and many merchants of the time used clay token with pictographs to record the quantities of materials being traded and shipped. The Greeks developed the earliest form of pen and paper. They used the writing stylus, which could be made of metal, bone, or ivory, to make marks on wax-coated tablets. The tablets used by the Greeks were made in hinged pairs that were closed to protect the scribe’s notes. Cadmus was a Greek scholar who seemingly invented the written letter, which is a text message on paper sent from one individual to another. The written letter proved to be a major event in the history of writing tools, and was the starting point for the development of ink. “Indian Ink” was developed by the ancient Chinese society, and perfected for writing. The ink was originally designed for blacking the surfaces of raised stone-carved hieroglyphics, but was later used for writing. This early ink was made of a mixture of soot from pine smoke and lamp oil mixed with the gelatin of donkey skin and musk. By the year 1200 B.C. the ink had become common as a writing tool. Inks were also developed by other cultures, who used natural dyes and colors derived from berries, plants, and minerals to create them. The different colors of inks had ritual meanings attached to each color in early writings. In the history of writing tools the development of ink paralleled the introduction of paper. Early cultures such as the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, and Hebrews used papyrus and parchment paper to write on. Romans invented a reed-pen for parchment and ink, from the hollow tubular-stems of marsh grass and the jointed bamboo plant. The bamboo stems were converted into writing tools that resemble the fountain pen. The plant was cut at one end into the form of a pen point, and ink filled the stem, by squeezing the reed, writers could force the ink from the point and write on parchment paper. The early forms of ink and paper were great developments in the history writing tools, but were often unstable. A stable form of ink was developed in 400 A.D., which was a composite of iron-salts, nutgalls, and gum. The ink was seen as having a bluish-black hue when applied to paper, but quickly becoming a darker black color, and fading after years and appearing as a dull brown color. The Chinese created a wood-fiber paper in 105 A.D., but it was not known to other cultures until 700 A.D. when the Japanese learned the secret. Eventually, the wood-fiber paper was brought to Spain in 711 A.D., but was not widely used in Europe, as most European societies did not use paper until the 14th century. The quill pen is also a major invention in the history of writing tools. The quill pen was introduced to the world in 700 A.D. The pen was made of bird feathers, and the strongest quills were typically taken from live birds from the outer left wing feathers. After the development of the quill pen, plant fiber paper became the popular medium for writing. Then another invention changed the history of writing tools; Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. This invention has led to various other developments in printing and writing tools. Writing tools are essential to writing, and without the development we would not be able to show others our ideas and thoughts.

To-Do Lists an Important Part of Being a Better Employee What makes a good employee? Take a look at how the star employee in your office operates. Chances are that they don’t run around in a constant fog of stress and pressure. Good employees are usually calm and conscientious; they seem to always get the job done with a minimum of hair pulling and frantic rushing around. Is it just genes that these people have that allow them to work like this, or are some people just better at managing stress than others? The answer is probably not. If you take a closer look at the star employee in your office, you will are likely to see that they are so stress free and productive because they are good at managing their time. And chances are they manage that time with the help of a to-do list. The to-do list is an often-overlooked part of working life. While they are the kind of thing people expect housewives to carry around with them in their purse while they run errands, many people think they can do without them in the work place. This is a big mistake. Being productive at work is all about being able to carry out your tasks in a timely manner, and being productive at work is also about managing your stress. If you are too stressed out, your work will suffer for it. You will fall behind because you won’t be able to concentrate, and you will make mistakes you might not have made if you were able to take your time with your work. So, how can a to-do list help? To-do lists can do many things for you in your busy working life. For starters, to-do lists remove the problem of having that all important phone call or meetings slip your mind. When you have a to-do list, everything that needs to be accomplished is set out there for you, so there is no more explaining to your boss why you stood up your company’s most important client. With a to-do list, you can also see the bigger picture of everything that needs to be done, so you can plan your time wisely. Working on tasks one after another as they come up is not a smart way to accomplish things at the office. Some jobs are on a tight deadline, while other jobs can stand to wait a little while. When you set everything out for yourself in a to-do list, you will be able to prioritize your tasks in order of importance, so you get the crucial work out of the way first thing, and only move on to less important jobs when you have the time to devote to them. All of this organization will make your working life less stressful. Imagine a typical day without a to-do list. You come in to the office in the morning, you work through all of the email sitting in your inbox, you make a few phone calls, chat with some co-workers in the break room, answer a few more emails, and then bam! All of the sudden, you remember that the presentation your boss needs for the big meeting is due at 2 p.m., and you haven’t even started it. Now you resort to hair pulling and frantic working. Then, you give your boss the presentation over an hour late, and it is filled with mistakes and sloppy work. Now imagine the same day with a to-do list. You get the presentation out of the way first thing, and you have time to check it. Then you can move on to less important tasks without the dark cloud of stress hanging over you. To-do list writing is time well spent if you want to succeed at work.

Check Out Powerhouse Wal-Mart's Free Offer Page Are you a Wal-Mart fan looking for the best in freebies and special offers? If so, you are in luck. Although Wal-Mart is not typically considered one of the best sources for freebies or coupon shopping, this giant corporation has recently stepped up its promotions, making many dedicated freebie hunters very happy. Here are some tips on getting the best shot at the best Wal-Mart freebies and promotions. Bookmark the Wal-Mart Promotions Page for Easy Access to Freebies and Deals Wal-Mart, like many other companies, has begun to dedicate a special section of their webpage specifically to free offers, along with other deals and promotions. This page is definitely worth checking out on a regular basis. Bookmark this website if you are serious about getting the latest and greatest Wal-Mart deals and promotions. Some of the offers on the page will be around for a months, while others may disappear in a matter of days. Part of the thrill of being a freebie hunter is being vigilant and not letting the best deals slip away from you. You might even consider setting up your very own freebie calendar to make sure that not one good deal slips by you. Tips and Hints for Getting the Best Free Offers from Wal-Mart If you are new to the world of freebie offers, or you have never visited the Wal-Mart site before, here are some tips for getting the best out of Wal-Mart freebie offers. The Wal-Mart free offers webpage is a great resource if you are really interested in Wal-Mart promotions and freebies. Begin by selecting the offers that interest you more. Once you click on a specific offer, you will have to wait for the page to load that provides you with all the details of the offer. Somewhere on the details page—sometimes you have to hunt around for it—you will find a link for the free sample. Once you click on this free sample link, you will get a pop-up window that provides you with the free offer request form. Make sure that you have enabled pop-up windows so that you do not miss out on any special offers or deals. Figuring Out the Tricks of the Wal-Mart Free Offers Page Some freebie hunters have expressed confusion with the Wal-Mart free offer page. That is, some consumers have complained that the page is often difficult to get to, or that it will not load property. To make sure that you don't have trouble with this important resource, you will want to make certain that you are accessing the page with an updated browser over a secure high speed Internet connection. Although you will probably be able to access the free offers webpage with an older web browser over a slower Internet connection, you will probably be more likely to run into snags. The easiest way to get to the page is to bookmark it directly. Otherwise, you will probably have to take several moments to search for it if you only return to the website periodically. The Wal-Mart front page is crowded with text, images and promotions, which can make it difficult to get to the free offers page. Remember to refresh the bookmarked free offer page every time that you return to it, just to make sure that you are looking at the freshest offers. Are There Any Risks Associated with Getting Freebies from Wal-Mart? If you are concerned about your privacy, you may wonder whether there are any known risks associated with requesting information directly from the Wal-Mart free offers page. Read the company's privacy policy carefully if this is a major concern. The company states that they will not share or sell your personal information. However, be aware that the company may send you their own marketing and promotional materials. You may also receive email mailings.