Team Member Spotlight: Red Swingline Stapler

I have decided to expand my blogging to include some “team profiles”. I would like to recognize all the team members at Future Web Design that make projects happen. Who says team members have to be human? You are definitely thinking what I’m thinking! I will be profiling all sorts of office “characters” otherwise known as office equipment. Most people would look at these as just objects that one can purchase at the local Staples outlet, I see them as productive members of my office community.

The very first team member that I will be profiling is my Red Swingline Stapler. This guy really helps “keep things together” (pun intended!) around the office. He joined the team at Christmas 2008 as a transfer from Initech (after an unfortunate fire), and has been with the team ever since. Why a Red Swingline Stapler? This is not just any ordinary stapler. Made famous by the movie Office Space in 1999, Swingline released a limited edition stapler, indistinguishable from the one Milton had in the movie.

Here is a quote from Wikipedia

A Swingline product was featured in the 1999 cult-classic film Office Space. One employee, Milton, constantly mistreated by his boss, has his favorite stapler, a red Swingline, taken away. At the time, Swingline had not manufactured red staplers for years (a prop department employee, named Ric Trzeciak, painted one using red paint ^[1]according to the film’s commentary). In 2002 they released a limited edition series as a result of customer interest.

The Red Swingline Stapler has taken up permanent residence in my LaunchPad office at UPEI (somewhere between the phone and the computer monitor). Although this may be a stapler, he has his preference in meals, his favorite snack… TPS Reports are hard to find but worth the hunt. Although he has been a loyal member of the “team” there have been some “incidents” in the past. I am not able to go into detail but he has inherited a love for “setting the building on fire” which prompted me to hide the matches and take out an additional fire insurance policy. For those of you who have not seen the movie Office Space I suggest you watch the video below for a better understanding.