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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

MBTA - Run More Trains.

MBTA
Run more trains.

One could digress:
- Better (not lesser) service during construction and disruption.
- Improvement of daytime operations before late night (are you listening sponsors?).
- Tooth on-time guarantees.
- Expresses (over holds).
- Address dangerous platform overcrowding at rush hour.
- Out-of-servicing only in sparsely-populated direction.
- All (or most) Green-lines inbound to at least North Station.
- No schedule adjustments at core and terminus stations.

But to get back to the crux...
Run more trains.

Network Enhanced Everything - NEE.

Have discussed "supers" previously - capacitors, batteries, insulation - and in general - materials...
also LEDs, solar photovoltaics and other renewables.

Lately thinking about everything network (and computer) enhanced...
Enhanced - manufacturing, services, handling, inventory, sensing, communications and analytics.
By no means comprehensive, but meant to encompass some popular specifics like
robotics, 3D fabrication, telepresence, IoT and M2M.


Friday, April 25, 2014

Robotics - Economist - Analysis, Logistics.

Feature section on Robotics in Economist March 27, 2014.
Rise of Robots [Ecomomist]
Economist Robotics

Highlights:
Asking for help where a robot is helpless is perhaps feature and not a bug. Drones are not in as much military demand as one might think. Who will provide us our last human kindnesses?

Thoughts:
Opportunity for analytics? Amazon Kiva Union [Forbes]
Kiva

More succinctly analytics for Logistics Automation

For cleaning iRobot Roomba
For snow? Tuvie Roofus
For lawn? Robotic Lawn Mowers

Little mention of trade show robots as a tele-presence application.
Trade Show Robots [Wired]

Monday, April 7, 2014

Great Grandmother's Oatmeal Cookies.

Here is the recipe for:
Great Grandmother's Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon soda (baking soda)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all together plus add the following heated together
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup water
Heat the above two until the shortening melts.

Mix and roll out 1/4" thick.
Cut with a round cutter.
Re-roll, cut, repeat.

She always put icing on top.
Icing:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk (probably 1/3).
Mix the above and bring to a boil.
Add icing sugar until the mix thickens.
Add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla.

Albert's notes:
Rolled oats are critical above.
Need a box (1 cup plus?) of icing sugar on hand.
Hmmm. No sign of baking instructions.
Probably something like 325-375F for 30-90 minutes.
(Some heat for enough time until they just start to brown.)
Probably can be taken from a standard cookie recipe?

Transcribed by Albert Putnam from notes by Ethyl Beryl Putnam (ne McCully). Spring 2001. Based on cookies baked by Alma Mae McCully (ne Withrow).