This headline on a Google News feed caught my eye: “Mechanics Ask Walmart, Major Bike Manufacturers to Stop Making and Selling ‘Built-to-Fail’ Bikes -The problem with budget bikes is everything. They’re literally built to fail.” [1]

In an urban setting, one can find these bikes laying abandoned on the side…

Can we now admit two things?

1. Instant messaging systems are intrusive

2. Open office systems are terrible

Neither system is conducive to productivity or proper communication.

As I sit here working now on my laptop, Teams chat boxes are incessantly pinging on a meeting which I don’t even have…

The Murphy Family as originated by the two original Murphys, John & Katherine, is a sprawling list of names due to the large families that were created in the late 1800s, with them having thirteen kids and those children growing up and fathering another dozen each. …

Kanban and management skills

At one point I was working for a local manufacturing plant as a continuous improvement (industrial engineering) engineer. I was tasked with implementing kanban and heijunka systems across three facilities. To be blunt, the supervisors didn’t like these systems.

For those who don’t know, kanban systems…

It has been a tough year for biking and running. I came into the spring feeling really strong.

I usually consider my training season to begin after Iceman the first weekend of November and end the first weekend of March with the 50 mile gravel road race in Georgia, the…

What we first have to do is distinguish Democratic Socialism as a party in a policy versus a strong social safety net.

If you go to the DSA website, you see this:

I once heard a young progressive, when raising the minimum wage was discussed, pronounced she didn’t like that…

When the US Supreme Court struck down campaign financing laws under Citizens United it opened up the floodgates for dark money to flow into politics. No one is taking more advantage of this than Republicans with their Koch brothers related think tanks and special interest PACs.

Until recently the Democrats…

Life happens

I think one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in 62 years is that no matter what you plan for things are going to happen and very often out of your control they’re going to push you into a different direction.

I once listed all the different…