Monday, June 1, 2015

Monday Miscellany: Odds, Ends and Personals


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Readers write . . .


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From Graham E in relation to the item on the death of common sense:

Watching the final Letterman show the other night, he showed a montage of bits with kids over the years. 
Upon asking one small boy if he had many friends, he answered no. 
Upon further enquiry Dave heard they all departed after he was accused of pushing another boy down the stairs. 
Dave asked if he had learnt any lessons from the incident, upon which he pondered and replied, yep, accidents happen!
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Also from Graham E, this time in response to the item on seeing faces in objects:

Hi Mr O, 
Here is a link to one of the many sites that have pics of things that look like male bits !!!! 
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/advice/g3649/non-penis-things-that-look-like-penis/ 
Regards
Mr G

Some icky looking, warty type images there but I  loved Westminster Bridge and the Michigan news anchor.

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From Byter Brett B, in response to the quote "If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas."

There is a saying that Knowledge is power. 
My corollary is:  
Knowledge shared is power increased. 
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From Byter Tobye P, in response to the story about the Marine who remained by the dying old man’s bedside, knowing that the old man had mistaken him for his son (which I said might be corny but I liked it):

Wow! The corn is really good today Otto-excellent message, thanks for all you do! 
Best Regards,
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Thanks for the input, people.

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Sometimes you come across a story that is the first ripple in what will ultimately prove to be a tsunami of change. Information about the devices and developments that have altered our society in unbelievable ways, which in turn have led to other technological advances – computer developments, video players, DVD’s, mobile telephones, internet – I recall all started by being written about in small items in newspapers and magazines.

A couple of days ago I came across the item below about the use of drones in a restaurant. I was aware of the use of drones by the military and that Amazon used them in their warehouses, also that drones with cameras are proving to be a challenge to rights of privacy, necessitating advances in lawmaking, but I was not aware how advanced drones had become. It is beginning to feel like the future Hill Valley from Back to the Future 2

The article:

The future of food? Drones replace waiters in Singapore


Singapore bar and restaurant Timbre @ The Substation is trialling a new way of serving its customers, with food being delivered by drones

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a waiter? None of the above - if you're dining at Timbre @ The Substation, that object whizzing past your table with a precariously perched tray of Singapore Slings is actually a drone. The Singapore bar and restaurant is trialling the robotic waiters, with plans to make them a permanent fixture at the venue by the end of the year.

While they're not yet experienced enough to wait tables, the drones can carry orders weighing up to two kilograms from the kitchen to a designated zone in the restaurant, where they're then picked up by waiters to deliver directly to diners.




The US was the first to experiment with drones as waiters, but the attempt failed due to safety issues. To counter this, Timbre's drones have been programmed to dodge stationary objects (so be careful on your way to the bar), detect their fellow drones and even fly in formation.

The technology presents a double-edged sword for wait staff - for now they're saved the legwork of dashing from kitchen to table, but it could spell a need for less staff - of the human variety, at least - in future.





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