Honey

Honey has been around a long time. A line drawing on a Mesolithic rock painting on a wall in a cave in Valencia, Spain, shows two honey-hunters collecting honey and honeycomb from a wild nest, which indicates honey collecting has been going on for the better part of 10,000 years.

In the Roman Empire, honey was possibly used instead of gold to pay taxes. In some parts of Greece, it was formerly the custom for a bride to dip her fingers in honey and make the sign of the cross before entering her new home, ensuring sweetness in her married life.

Here's one more: after his death in battle, the head of Count Vladimir III (aka Vlad the Impaler, Vladimir Tepes and best known as the model for the fictional (?) character of Dracula) was cut off and presented to the Ottoman Sultan, preserved in a jar of honey.

Enough said about that. This week, a look at honey.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Human bonding rituals often involve a great deal of talking, and dancing, and crying." - Commander Worf to Commander Data, on weddings, Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Data’s Day”

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Honey

Nitrogen-use efficiency, the next green revolution

Imagine you could wave a magic wand and boost the yield of the world’s crops, cut their cost, use fewer-fossil fuels to grow them and reduce the pollution that results from farming. Imagine, too, that you could both eliminate some hunger and return some land to rain forest.

This is the scale of the prize that many in the biotechnology industry now suddenly believe is within their grasp in 2010 and the years that follow. They are in effect hoping to boost the miles-per-gallon of agriculture, except that the fuel in question is nitrogen.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There is an old Vulcan proverb, 'Only Nixon could go to China.' " - Captain Spock, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

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Nitrogen-Use Efficiency, The Next Green Revolution

5S

5S is the name of a workplace organization methodology that uses a list of five Japanese words which, transliterated and translated into English, start with the letter S.

5S can be many things. It can be a powerful technique for developing an organization and deploying a new lifestyle. It can help improve communication between the shop floor and support departments. It can help develop the characteristics employees require to be part of a world class organization. It can reduce injuries, downtime, defects, lead times, inventories and associated production costs.

This week, a look at 5S.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Madness has no purpose. Or reason. But it may have a goal." - Commander Spock, Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Alternative Factor"

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5S

Five Rules of Thumb and Their Inventors

It is a popular custom among learned society to toss around the names of theories without explanation or elaboration – Murphy’s Law, Occam’s Razor, and so on. But who were Murphy and Occam, and who are they to come up with these life-governing rules?

This week, a look at five well-known rules and laws, and the stories behind their namesakes.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Humor. It is a difficult concept." - Lieutenant JG Saavik, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

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5 Rules of Thumb and Their Inventors

Defeating the Demotivator

It was about this time a year ago I found myself unemployed, wondering how I was going to make the mortgage payment, and pretty darn depressed. I wasn't getting much response to the gazillion resumes and feelers I had send out, and I could feel the blackness surrounding me. I'd been there before (depressed, not unemployed) and could tell when it was getting close to overwhelming me.

What did I do? Well, I laughed. A lot. And cried. Not as much as I laughed, but enough. Then I said enough of this, and kicked myself in the behind and started sending out more resumes.

Will my actions work for everyone? Of course not. The point is I confronted what was demotivating me and moved it aside so I could get on with my life. It's what each of us has to do in, some form or fashion, when life hands us lemons (or potentially any other citrus we weren't expecting).

This week, a look at defeating the demotivators.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The Drumhead"

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Defeating the Demotivator