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ON THE WEB; Office supply sites share our respect for tools of the trade

By Marco Buscaglia, Source: Tribune Media Services

Whether it’s a new notepad, an unopened box of pens or a troll doll in a business suit, we love our office essentials. Check out some of the top office supply sites on the Web for some insight into these seemingly insignificant yet somehow essential items.

STAPLE TRIBUTE

virtualstapler.com/

Something about the clicking of a stapler is reassuring. It’s almost as if it signifies the completion of another task. Or not. Still, this homage to the stapler may make you want to pick up your own stapler and start attaching unrelated papers to each other.

RED SWINGLINE

thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/gear/61b7/

Anyone who has seen the film “Office Space” is in on the joke. And if you work in an office and haven’t seen the Mike Judge movie yet, call in sick and waste a couple of hours on an essential film in the canon of American work-related cinema.

OFFICE SUPPLY LOVE

officefreaks.com

Think you love your daily planner? Joi and Mike Sigers and Aeryn and Chrispian Burks love their office supplies so much, they created a site featuring their favorites and not-so-favorites at officefreaks.com.

DESK TOYS

officeplayground.com/desktoys.html

Nothing says “I’m good at my job” better than a collection of wacky toys your co-workers can waste their time with. After all, if you weren’t so productive, you wouldn’t be able to spend half your day marveling over that fish tank with the fake fish. Check out some cool desk toys at officeplayground.com.

ARCHIE MCPHEE

mcphee.com/

If you’d like your desk toys to do more than amuse — dare we say, offend? check out some of the unique gifts at Seattle-based Archie McPhee. You should be able to find a few things to amuse yourself, unsettle your boss and freak out the night-time cleaning staff.

OFFICE SUPPLIES ATTACK

zefrank.com/giveaway4/

Have you cursed out your Xerox machine after another paper jam? Maybe your copy machine has had it with you, ever think of that? Come to think of it, maybe your pens aren’t too happy either. Check out the horrors that can happen “When Office Supplies Attack!”

LIQUID PAPER

http://inventors.about.com/od/lstartinventions/a/liquid_paper.htm

All this time I thought Ted Nugent’s mom invented Liquid Paper. Turns out it was former Monkee Michael Nesmith’s mother, Bette Nesmith Graham. Read more about her once-essential invention at about.com.

© 2010, Tribune Media Services