Mission managers in Houston, Texas, asked Gernhardt and Reilly to check an item that wasn't on their work order: a motor that drives one of the Space Station's solar arrays that had been acting up.

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Assuming the manual docking goes as planned, China can check off another item on its to-do list as it moves forward with its plans to build a permanent space station.

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She proceeded to fairly rapidly go down the list, with minimal explanation, placing next to each item either a check (good) or a cross (bad).

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Smartphone users can take advantage of live remote synchronization or check off a to-do item by, for example, scheduling an appointment in the field or following up on something via a phone call.

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Whenever you spend money, triple-check to make sure you really need that item.

FORBES

Check for any documentation that came with the item.

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Ms. Shouraboura, who opened one Hointer store in Seattle late last year with another on the way there this summer, says all of these digital innovations help combat "showrooming, " the process of going into a store to check out merchandise but then hunting for a cheaper place to buy the item online.

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