The Economy Game
In the following parable, the names have been changed to protect certain individuals, and to avoid potential lawsuits. The national championship game between the Donkeys and the Elephants is tied at 100-100 with one second remaining. The Elephant’s all-star forward is at the free throw line with one shot left and the game in […]
Air Safety
Modern air travel is founded on a number of assumptions regarding safety. It is assumed that dividing 15 ounces of a dangerous liquid into five 3 ounce bottles makes it safe. It is assumed that pilots are physically healthy, mentally stable individuals (see “Jet Blue Pilot Goes Berserk, Subdued by Passengers”, USA Today, 3/28/12) […]
Female Robots
Just when you thought Siri was the hottest chick in the hood, along comes “Geminoid F”. Granted, the name isn’t much to brag about, but the technology is pretty amazing. Of course, she’s Japanese. GF’s creator, robotics genius Hiroshi Ishiguro, talks a lot about using robots to direct traffic, make sushi, or clean […]
Social Media Interviewing
It was a head-hunter who first introduced me to my current employer. My wife and I flew into town the night before the interviews and met her with her husband for dinner. As we walked into the restaurant, the two of them immediately recognized us. During the course of the evening, he revealed his […]
Sales Are Us
One of my first “real” jobs was working in a gas station, back in the days when we pumped gas, washed windows and checked the oil. During my second summer, the boss sent me for a 1-week training session run by Chevron. I was excited to learn more about maintaining and repairing cars; […]
AED Reliability
As any engineer can tell you, product reliability is a huge challenge. How exactly are you supposed to prove a device will last for 5 years, when it will be obsolete in 2? Consumers are a fickle lot; if their shiny new iPad works flawlessly, they will brag to a few friends. If the […]
Oldest Flight Attendant
If you are an average Joe like me boarding a United Airlines flight these days, you will have to wait in line behind the Premier Associate, Premier Silver, Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, Premier 1K, Global Services Elite and Infinite Elite. Some of these folks will have earned their status by flying a lot in […]
Killer Technology
As a society, we appear to embrace the idea that death is inevitable, and that inflicting it on another is sometimes justified. War, abortion and capital punishment are three examples that come to mind. The latter two form a convenient litmus test for liberal vs. conservative labels. Liberals generally support abortion but oppose […]
No More Britannica
Both of my parents were educators, and my Dad was, in today’s lingo, an early adopter. Our first TV was about the size of a washing machine, with a small, roundish black and white screen. I don’t remember many of the programs we watched, and in those days there weren’t many to remember. We also […]
Peyton Manning’s Layoff Story
Near the peak of the Great Recession, Peyton Manning got laid off. Like millions of Americans before him, he was an aging, highly paid specialist with medical issues. As is often the case, there was a younger, less expensive employee waiting in the wings, ready to bring new energy and skills to the position. […]
