So this past week I became a father. My wife Yiota and I are very excited by the addition of Kiki to our family. Its a feeling that you can only experience to fully understand and appreciate. I’m the kind of guy that didn’t quite understand those people that constantly talked about their kids or posted updates about their kids on Facebook! Well, I now have a better understanding and for new parents it’s unavoidable.

In preparation for the arrival of our girl, we basically followed the book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel and The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, M.D. These are great resources along with several other books that really helped my wife prepare for the big day. Of course friends and family help but ultimately as a parent you need to make your own decisions as to what works and what doesn’t. You’ll go nuts if you try and listen to everyone’s advice. Best thing to do is to stick with a few reliable sources.

No matter what line of work you’re in or what job needs to get done, having the right tools is important. From painting a portrait to fixing a car to baking a cake, this rule is universal. The right tools help you do the best job possible. However, it is important to not confuse this rule with talent. Just because you have the right tools doesn’t mean you have any skill.

The most prevalent and important tools in the modern workplace are computers and software (including smartphones and tablets). The problem is that tools break, wear out and become obsolete. As I think through all of the people I’ve worked with from varying companies and organizations, a great many of them are plagued by obsolete computer systems. It seems the larger the company the worse the problem. Obviously money is the main reason organizations hold onto old computers for as long as possible and delay upgrading software. However, I have yet to come across an organization that understands that a good working system improves employee morale and retention. For example, at one particular consulting firm every employee worked on computer systems that consistently took too long to boot, minutes to launch software applications and open files. Not that there is complete correlation but it’s important to note that this company has a very high employee turnover and that the tools provided clearly indicate an organization’s appreciation and regard for its workforce. The problem worsens when the decision makers and the IT department are making purchasing decisions completely based on price and not performance.

We are on the verge of a new manufacturing revolution that is based on 3D printing. Almost every industry dealing with objects or products is being affected by this revolution, including the medical industry, which is currently exploring the “bio-printing” of body parts. As with all technology, 3D printing techniques are improving, evolving and becoming affordable. At the moment there are a number of companies using several technologies and techniques for creating 3D parts. Stratasys (SSYS), the largest maker of 3D printers recently reported record quarterly growth. Full disclosure, I own SSYS stock. The other publicly traded 3D printer company is 3D Systems (DDD). Other smaller independently owned manufacturers of 3D printers include MakerBot which offers printer kits that cost as little as $1,749.

The proliferation of 3D printing will revolutionize how products are designed and manufactured. This technology allows for products to be produced without the large capital investment and risk associated with current production methods, i.e. injection molding machines and manual assembly. This empowerment will enable designers to be more creative and ambitious; not to mention completely change current manufacturing, distribution and retail business models. A brand or retailer would be able to respond to market demand in a matter of day instead of months.

I often think about the economic situation Greece currently is going through and how so many people are struggling to get by. So what’s new? Internal and external forces have been exploiting Greece’s resources for thousands of years. Doesn’t anyone think it’s time for Greece to get tough, fight back and once again have a strong economy? Can Greece use its resources to dig itself out of debt? As I think about the problem, I keep going back to all of the museums and private collectors that are holding onto billions possibly trillions of dollars worth of ancient Greek artifacts and antiquities.

This subject has been a hot topic for a while with other countries also looking to have their national treasures returned. The efforts of China, Italy and Egypt have helped bring much needed attention to the problem but apparently not much has changed. What I’m proposing is not to have all the items sent back to Greece, at least not just yet. The larger more important goal is to receive lease payments for everything from the smallest shard of pottery to the Elgin marbles. Possibly even backdating payments for some of the most controversial and historically significant items. As much as I’d like to see the antiquities returned, the reason the items shouldn’t be returned immediately is because Greece does not have the money to properly take care of or showcase them. Things are so bad they are reburying recently discovered antiquities to keep them safe. I’m sure such a revenue stream would put a huge dent in the national debt if not eliminate it completely.

Every Greek I know loves Fage yogurt. The company began exporting its yogurt to the US in 2001, eventually opening in 2008 a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Johnstown, NY. Since then the popularity of Greek yogurt in the US has exploded. It represents one quarter of all dollar sales in the $6 billion US yogurt market. Fage is the only Greek company selling our beloved yogurt and it’s safe to say that Fage was the first to successfully mass-market Greek yogurt in the US. So why is it in second place?

There is a fierce battle of Herculean proportions taking place in the dairy aisle of supermarkets and mass retailers across America. Fage, like Greece itself, is battling for legitimacy and respect. At the moment Chobani, which is owned by a Turk and was founded in 2005, is the number one Greek yogurt brand in the US with $700 million in revenue at the end of 2011. Chobani has 53 percent of the Greek yogurt market, followed by Fage with 17%, France’s Danone (its subsidiary Dannon makes Oikos) with 14% and General Mills (Yoplait Greek) with 5%, according to Citigroup. When I go grocery shopping it looks as though Chobani has three times more shelf space than Fage and all the soccer moms seem to grab Chobani by the stack. What do these moms see in Chobani? Why are they skipping over Fage?