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Showing posts from August, 2021

ARE WE TEACHING THE RIGHT THINGS IN GRAMMAR SCHOOL?

It was decades ago that I was in grammar school.  Things were significantly different then than they are now.  Of course computers and smart phones were not even in our line of sight as they are today.  I am not questioning the digital revolution one whit, as I believe it is integral to our growth as people, our growth as an economy as well as our growth globally. But I am dismayed by our departure from grammar school years of some of the basics that we used to go through.  I remember one class in particular in 7th grade (about age 12) called Home Economics, in which both the boys and girls had to take.  It was a school year long class and included cooking, sewing, electricity and plumbing.  We all had to learn how to cook some basic foods and as part of the class had to cook a hot lunch for ourselves.  And I am not talking about just opening a can or defrosting something.  I already knew how to pretty much do all of that because I liked to cook at home.  We began the electricity segme

GUILTY, AS CHARGED

August 7th was indeed my latest post.  That was about 3 weeks ago.  In the interim I have had some serious surgery.  Hip replacement surgery of my right hip was completed on August 9th.  All is good now and I am in recuperation.  I had my first review with my surgeon this past Monday and he was very pleased.  So, probably this Monday, August 30th, we will be starting up again.  I just wanted to let you all know why there had been a delay and so yes, I am guilty as charged of taking a short break.   Have a great weekend. Bob  August 27, 2021

FLIPPY, THE ROBOTIC FRENCH FRY CHEF

We keep reading of the lack of people in the fast food industry.  This is due to the Covid pandemic, the pay rate and other external factors.  Robotics has been hugely influential in the automotive and other manufacturing industries for some time.  We have even seen it enter the serving industry with robots delivering food in restaurants and hospitals.  But now meet  Flippy , Flippy is the robotic french fry cooker that works 23 hours a day, 7 days a week without a bathroom or meal break.  It gets a one hour maintenance and clean-up break every day.  It just works and works and works.  This Flippy works at a White Castle fast food restaurant in Merrillville, Indiana.  I remember White Castle's from the early 1950's, long before McDonalds ever reared its Goliath like head.  A great article in today's Wall Street Journal on Flippy by Christopher Mims is excellent.  Robotics, Automation and Artificial Intelligence is the future.  Get ready for it.  Over time, it will speed-up