Like anyone else, when I plan for the new year, I need to set aside time for reflection and anticipation.

Inspired by the popularity of up-close recreational experiences in the land of 10,000 lakes, a Minnesota company has figured out how to design and manufacture a unique line of small, electrically powered watercraft.

I recently returned a pair of $28 (suggested retail price) Chinese-made gloves I bought for $7.97 the day after Christmas, which is when I do all my Christmas shopping.

(SME: Dearborn, MI) -- WESTEC, the premiere manufacturing biennial event for the Western United States, has announced that renowned innovation expert and business leader Tom Kelley will deliver the keynote on March 27, 2012.

(Juran Institute: Southbury, CT) -- Juran’s Upgrade to Black Belt Workshop is now being offered in Washington, D.C. beginning Feb. 28, 2012. These eight days of training will consist of two, four-day training sessions spanning approximately two weeks.

(TBE: Aptos, CA) -- The popular online Self-Assessment for Business Excellence from The Benchmarking Exchange (TBE)—an online resource dedicated to the practice of benchmarking, reengineering, and process and quality improvement—has now been placed in public service for you to use for identifying

(TÜV SÜD: Peabody, MA) -- TÜV SÜD America has added Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering (CPRE) examinations to its personal certification services in the Americas region through TÜV SÜD Examination Institute.

(Verisurf: Anaheim, CA) -- Verisurf Software Inc., a leading supplier of advanced 3-D measurement solutions to manufacturers worldwide, has expanded into new corporate headquarters that includes a metrology training center.

(Wiley: Hoboken, NJ) -- With less than 50 percent of middle market U.S. companies succeeding at going global, corporate executives need to know how to build effective global execution platforms that will allow their organizations to thrive in a global economy.

A Quality Digest reader wrote in asking for techniques to evaluate touch-trigger probes for accuracy.