Essential Items for a Pandemic

Mar. 1, 2022

I read an interesting article entitled “Essential Items for a Pandemic”. According to the article a well-known US radio station asked listeners to gather items that they regarded as essential for a pandemic, take a photo of them, and send it to the station. Although some items were either predictable or understandable with an explanation such as masks and a karaoke microphone, others were completely baffling such as a dog collar and a jar of edible ants.

The article got me thinking that there is no accounting for taste, and that people have such wildly different interests. As far as I’m concerned, my list will definitely include a diving mask, a snorkel, a diving knife, a spear, and a convex lens. Why? Because the first several items allows me to collect food under the water. It helps me to survive during a financial meld-down. The last item is essential to start a fire by collecting the sun rays.

What are your essential items?

Farewell to the Neighborhood Petrol Station

Feb. 18, 2022

I read an interesting article about petrol stations in England. According to the article the neighborhood petrol station is soon to all but disappear, because soon it will be no longer needed as much as it is now. 

In 2030 the British government will ban the sale of all petrol cars. As a result, the number of electric vehicles will skyrocket, every parking space will have an EV charging point, and in no time charging the EV at home will become common.

When I read the article, I had a mixed feeling. On one hand, prevalence of EVs is good because it reduces carbon emissions; they are considered the biggest cause of global warming. 

On the other hand, though, it means increasing industrial wastes also: used batteries. 

As of today, media reports are significantly limited regarding how they are detoxified and where they go after they become dispensable. The lack of repots almost gives us an impression that somehow someone is regulating discussion of the topic...

Anyhow, I only hope that proliferation of EVs will not lead to creating another, and even more serious environmental challenge...  

AGVs

Feb. 16, 2022

I read an interesting conversation between two business people this morning. They discuss AVGs. AGV stands for automated guided vehicles. They pick up, pack, and load products in place of humans. 

One of them makes presentations about introducing AGVs in the company. One presentation is to the mangers, and the other to the workers. 

After successfully presenting his speech, he asks his female co-worker for advice as to how best address the workers. In his opinion, it's harder than talking to the managers because some may regard their introduction as a potential threat to their employment. The woman advises him to stress that not one work will lose his or her job to an AGV.

The conversation got me thinking about pros and cons of AGVs.

One most obvious plus is safety. An AGV can operate under extreme conditions such as high radiation without risking human lives. 

One demerit, on the other hand, may be extra training cost. Businesses may need to upskill their workers to do something complex after their jobs start being done by AGVs. 

AGVs may seem irrelevant to my industry, the education industry. But no quite so. AI-based learning apps are somewhat like AGVs, because they deliver "information" to a learner. And the right kind of information can be programmed to be sent to the learner by optimizing algorithm. Will I lose my job to AI-based learning apps? It is an exciting challenge to figure out a way not to.

Extinct Apples

Feb. 15, 2022

I'm going to work after a week of working from home. While on the train, I read an article entitled "Extinct Apples."

According to the article, a non-profit organization has discovered some 30 apples varieties once thought extinct. As of today, some 4, 500 apples are grown in the US. Though it may seem like a large number, it is actually only about one-fourth of the kinds of apples the country once grew.

Why such a dramatic decrease in variety? One reason, according to the article, is 21st century agriculture abandoned less popular varieties. 

Thanks to efforts by members of the non-profit, though, those once thought lost are now being enjoyed once again. 

When I read the article, I thought it's pretty cool. Mainly for two reasons.

One, as a saying goes, variety is the spice of life. In this case, it can be a commercial spice. People may make new products with newly re-discovered varieties, such as juice, cakes, and brandy. It will be not only exciting to consumers, but can also be lucrative for businesses. In the age of online commerce, there are plenty of people out there who are willing to pay more for something new and rare.

Two, it's good for the environment also. Bio-diversity is generally a good thing for the eco-system. A greater variety of apples may provide birds, insects, or even micro-organisms with food and favorable living environments. In fact, it may slow down uncontrollably explosive expansion of unfavorable plants, animals, and/or micro-organisms. You never know.

So, all in all, I favorably welcome this non-profit organization's efforts to re-discover forgotten apple varieties. I am looking forward to hearing more about good results of their efforts.