Sounds like Old Man Murphy is swimming in negativity again. Did you write that editorial before or after screaming at the neighborhood kids to get off your lawn? Because you were born close to biblical times, you will perhaps be familiar with the phrase “Rome was not built in a day.”

A group of nearly 550 individuals packed the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas for the 2011 HVAC Excellence National HVACR Educators and Trainers Conference (NHETC). The NHETC is an annual event dedicated to providing continuing education for HVACR educators and trainers.

Unlike many of our loyal readers, I am a lot less like Bob Vila and a lot more like SpongeBob Squarepants. So when my wife and I decided to get our basement finished, it was not a question of if we would contract out the work but to whom. I think I might be able to paint it, but that is about it.

Some rants and raves about the HVAC industry out of the mouth of an editor this Monday morning - RANT: The current high gas prices. RAVE: The repeal of the 1099 reporting requirement.

To paraphrase George Costanza: We are back, baby! That was the most important observation I made while recently attending the Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) in Las Vegas. The NEWS will cover every aspect of the show, including all new products introduced, in the Feb. 21 post-show issue.

The 2011 AHR Expo in Las Vegas was a great success for the HVAC industry. There were many exhibitors, even more attendees, and a general positive attitude about where the industry is heading.

Some rants and raves about the industry - Rave: U.S. News and World Reports names “HVAC technician” as one of the 50 best jobs of 2011. The publication points out a few reasons for the rankings, including the more than decent wage, the ability for upward mobility, and the upcoming increased need as the new homes built last decade will begin to need replacement systems.

Politics is on the minds of a lot of the industry people that I speak to these days. In fact, I cannot remember when I have heard so much chatter for a mid-term election. I suppose that is the result of a still-struggling economy and the polarization of our political discourse.

The activities continue on The NEWS’ 2010 Dealer Design product microsite. The product giveaway is in full swing, and the Readers’ Choice bracket competition is beginning to heat up.

My last column discussed how a company could use Facebook to its advantage by doing background research there on both current and prospective employees. Now I will talk about the negative side of this social media site - unsatisfied customers taking to Facebook and starting pages that disparage your company.