Precision

Depending on the wavelength and power UV light is nasty stuff. A few years ago I was helping some junior engineers instrument up some equipment on a 3D printer that used UV light to cure the material. In order to connect the instrumentation, we needed to disable the safety interlock which allowed the UV light to turn on sporadically. We were wearing PPE but I needed to remove my gloves in order to adjust the instrumentation. Ended up getting a bad "sun burn" on my right hand from the limited exposure to the UV light.

Migrants staying at Boston's Logan Airport. About 100 migrants were reportedly staying at Logan again last week "About 100 migrants were reportedly staying in a corner of Logan Airport recently as Massachusetts continues to struggle with an emergency shelter system that is bursting at the seams." "The Healey administration has estimated that the situation will cost more than $900 million annually in fiscal years 2024 and 2025."

Liquor sales in NH are high because of the large number of people from out of state that come to NH to purchase alcohol. The liquor stores in NH are owned by the state and the excise taxes on liquor are significantly less than elsewhere. NH even has stores on the highways to make it easier for consumers from out of state to make their purchase. "The New Hampshire Liquor Commission owns and operates 79 liquor and wine stores. About 50 percent of its shoppers come from out of state, the commission says. The stores are the sole providers of distilled spirits, but shoppers can buy beer and wine at grocery and convenience stores. -- Aug 9, 2018"

So they're going to replace "Avogadro's number" with "Yo-mama's number"?

When the banks start cutting jobs you know trouble is coming..... Citigroup sees headcount dropping 20,000 by 2026 "Citigroup's (C.N) Chief Financial Officer Mark Mason said on Friday the bank expects its headcount to be down roughly 20,000 by 2026. The third-largest U.S. bank reported a $1.8 billion loss for the fourth quarter on charges related to refilling a government deposit insurance fund and other one-off costs."

Hertz dumping 20,000 EVs is a warning to electric-car owners everywhere "Hertz is backtracking on its big EV bet. Hertz said expensive repairs helped inform its decision to downsize its EV fleet. The move warns potential EV owners about "hidden" costs. Repairs for EVs can cost more than those for gas-powered cars. The car-rental firm said it's selling 20,000 EVs — about one-third of its electric fleet of Teslas, Volvos, Polestars, and more — partly due to repair and maintenance costs. It's a big blow to the EV industry, which is already in the throes of slowing growth as the waves of early adopters dry up and prices remain stubbornly high for potential new buyers. In a Thursday note to clients, Adam Jonas, the head of auto and space research at Morgan Stanley, called the move "another sign that EV expectations need to be reset downward across the market." It's also a warning about the cost of EV ownership to drivers thinking about switching from gas to electric. "While consumers enjoy the driving experience and fuel savings (per mile) of an EV, there are other 'hidden' costs to EV ownership," Jonas added, citing insurance, repairs, charging infrastructure, residual-value retention, and range anxiety. Repairs are one of the biggest culprits contributing to a higher cost of ownership for EV drivers. Mitchell, which supplies data for insurance and repair companies, has found EVs — and particularly Teslas — are more expensive than gas-powered cars to repair. The firm said repairs in the third quarter of 2023 cost an average of $5,552 for Teslas, $4,474 for other EVs, and $4,205 for everything else, according to Kelley Blue Book and Automotive News."

Booing a guy who is dead while his old, widowed wife sits there through the ceremony is about as low as you can get. I like how they say below "this is not Chicago". Sorry folks, this is exactly Chicago. Chicago Bulls fans boo late GM Jerry Krause during team's Ring of Honor celebration "The Chicago Bulls celebrated their inaugural Ring of Honor class during Friday night's game against the Golden State Warriors. But one man who was honored drew the ire of the United Center crowd in an unfortunate scene: late general manager Jerry Krause. Krause, who died in 2017 at the age of 77, was the longtime general manager of the Bulls, from 1985-2003. He built around Michael Jordan and turned the Bulls into six-time NBA champions. He collected two Executive of the Year awards (1988, 1996) along the way and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame shortly after his death. He also oversaw the dynasty's undoing, as documented (without his perspective) in "The Last Dance." That fact, presumably, is what led to audible boos when he was honored during the halftime ceremony. His wife Thelma, who was representing him, appeared to be in tears over the poor reception. From NFL plays to college sports scores, all the top sports news you need to know every day. "What we witnessed today, when Jerry Krause's name was called and the people that booed Jerry Krause and his widow, who was accepting this honor for him — it was the worst thing I've ever seen in my life," Bulls analyst Stacey King, a member of Chicago's first three title teams, said on the broadcast. "I hurt for that lady. Brought her to tears. Whoever booed her in this arena should be ashamed of themselves," King continued. "That's not Chicago. That's New York. Philly. Chicago's not like that. We don't have a reputation of being that way. Whether you like Jerry Krause or not, that man brought six championships here. He didn't shoot a basket, nor did he get a rebound, but he put six titles up (in the rafters). There's a lot of teams don't even have one (championship). "That was really classless. I was disappointed in the people that booed. It was a sad thing." King is right. Though the breakup of the Bulls dynasty may have been premature and Krause failed to build a winner again before he left in 2003, citing health problems, by pretty much any measure, he's one of the great executives in league history. Only three other franchises have collected more rings than the Bulls' six: The Warriors (7), Lakers (17) and Celtics (17). Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, Artis Gilmore, Bob Love, Chet Walker, Jerry Sloan, Phil Jackson, Tex Winter, Dick Klein and Johnny "Red" Kerr rounded out the inaugural Ring of Honor class. The 1995-96 Bulls were also honored. That team, which went 72-10 and won the NBA title, was, of course, built by Krause. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, a member of that 1995-96 team, said he did not hear the boos for Krause as he was back in the locker room with his team. But Kerr didn't hold back, calling the booing fans' actions "shameful." "It's absolutely shameful," Kerr said. "I cannot believe ... I'm devastated for Thelma and for the Krause family. What can we possibly be thinking? "...I'm so disappointed in the fans — and I want to be specific, because I know there were lots of fans I'm sure who did not boo. But those who booed, they should be ashamed.""

The poor migrants, you would have to be really desperate to live with a Masshole!

Clinton had 4 consecutive years of surpluses from 1998 to 2001 you dimwit. Do you want me to list more to further embarrass you?

The low unemployment rate is due to deficit spending and the 600,000 government jobs added in 2023. You continually fail to comprehend that when the government spends money, that money goes places. It goes to the public and private sectors which creates demand for goods and services resulting in jobs. When the jobs are created through deficit spending, they are unsustainable as many will only remain while the spending continues. This is problematic for the people who hold these jobs and the rest of those employed as well. Eventually the debt incurred by the deficit spending will need to be repaid. The payback (which is the debt AND interest accrued) will force the federal government to reduce spending and increase taxes. This will have a dramatic impact on the economy as less money will lead to decreased demand for goods, services and employment. The unsustainable jobs will be the first to go followed by good, sustainable positions that were in once healthy industries. In addition to the economic cost, the cuts to social programs (SNAP, WIC, Social Security, Medicare, etc.) will be large enough to impact the fabric of the nation. A good example of what this looks like is to read about the austerity measures that were implemented in Europe. I don't know why I go to the trouble of replying as I expect another juvenile response.

The economy is not healthy as much of the growth has been fueled by unsustainable deficit spending. The hiring of government workers is increasing yearly deficits and the record national debt.

Link to today's BLS report. Bureau of Labor Statistics - December 2023 Another month where the largest gains were in government employment followed by leisure and hospitality. Government employment increased by 52,000 in December. Employment continued to trend up in local government (+37,000) and federal government (+7,000). Government added an average of 56,000 jobs per month in 2023, more than double the average monthly gain of 23,000 in 2022. In December, health care added 38,000 jobs. Employment continued to trend up in ambulatory health care services (+19,000) and hospitals (+15,000). Job growth in health care averaged 55,000 per month in 2023, compared with the 2022 average monthly gain of 46,000. Employment in social assistance rose by 21,000 in December, mostly in individual and family services (+17,000). Social assistance employment rose by an average of 22,000 per month in 2023, little different than the average increase of 19,000 per month in 2022. In December, construction employment continued to trend up (+17,000). Employment in nonresidential building construction increased by 8,000. Construction added an average of 16,000 jobs per month in 2023, little different than the 2022 average monthly gain of 22,000. Employment in transportation and warehousing declined by 23,000 in December. Couriers and messengers lost 32,000 jobs, while air transportation added 4,000 jobs. Since reaching a peak in October 2022, employment in transportation and warehousing has decreased by 100,000. Employment in leisure and hospitality changed little in December (+40,000). The industry added an average of 39,000 jobs per month in 2023, less than half the average gain of 88,000 jobs per month in 2022. Employment in the industry is below its pre-pandemic February 2020 level by 163,000, or 1.0 percent. Retail trade employment changed little in December (+17,000). Over the month, employment increased in warehouse clubs, supercenters, and other general merchandise retailers (+14,000); building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (+8,000); and automotive parts, accessories, and tire retailers (+4,000). These job gains were partially offset by a job loss in department stores (-13,000). Retail trade employment has shown little change, on net, since recovering in early 2022 from pandemic-related losses. In December, employment in professional and business services changed little (+13,000). Employment in professional, scientific, and technical services continued to trend up (+25,000); this industry added an average of 22,000 jobs per month in 2023, about half the average monthly gain of 41,000 in 2022. In December, employment in temporary help services continued its downward trend (-33,000) and has fallen by 346,000 since reaching a peak in March 2022. Overall, employment in professional and business services changed little in 2023. Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; information; financial activities; and other services.

Not going to happen. With a state budget of $230 billion and roughly 3 million African Americans in NYS, how much could reasonably be given to each individual, $10K?

Compared to the Ivy league schools (plus MIT) I do consider RIT, RPI, Clarkson, Purdue second tier. I earned my BSEE and MSEE from Northeastern (was accepted at RIT, Clarkson and RPI) which I consider second tier as well. I don't consider this a "dig" against any of the schools mentioned but when you look at admissions requirements, generally their standards are lower than the Ivy league schools (plus MIT). I would put the state schools (UML, UMA, UNH, UCONN, UMaine, SUNY's, etc.) behind the schools you have listed above. Most of my experience with hiring is with schools from the Northeast as logistically it is more difficult to recruit graduates from further away. I always felt it was a waste of money to fly someone in for an interview when qualified candidates were close by. Video/Teams interviews can work but it is challenging showcasing the facilities and work environment over media. In the end the candidate, their personality/attitude, GPA and story far outweigh any institution they attended.

Being a Director of Engineering in Northern MA/Southern NH I've had the opportunity to supervise, hire and work with engineers from most of the engineering schools in the northeast. My experience with new graduates is that generally, the Ivy (plus MIT) graduates are sharper than engineers from other Universities. Having said that, they are often difficult to work with, arrogant and get bored easily. Much of engineering is drudgery (prototyping, testing, rework, drawings, documentation/specifications) which the ivy league engineers often felt was boring or beneath them. Also, many top engineers (from all institutions) are highly driven and are obsessed with furthering their career. With little company loyalty, I have experienced these types of individuals who left the company with less than a year into the position in which they were hired. Due to the above, I changed my hiring strategy and seldom targeted engineers from top institutions or engineers who were at the top of their class. I found more value from graduates with good but lower GPA's from second tier schools.

I guess the democrats in the senate didn't want to wait until the general election to get their sh!t packed!

Palestinian kids, they blow up so fast!

Per the BLS roughly 25% of all job growth was through workers added to federal government payrolls. A trend that is not only unsustainable but irresponsible given the current $1.5 trillion-dollar federal deficit. Additionally, 28,000 workers were added last month due to the end of the UAW strike. The remaining of last month's job additions were primarily in health care and leisure/hospitality. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Employment Situation Summary, December 8, 2023 "Government employment increased by 49,000 in November, in line with the average monthly gain of 55,000 over the prior 12 months." "Employment in manufacturing rose by 28,000 in November, reflecting an increase of 30,000 in motor vehicles and parts as workers returned from a strike. Employment in manufacturing has shown little net change over the year." "Health care added 77,000 jobs, above the average monthly gain of 54,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, job gains continued in ambulatory health care services (+36,000), hospitals (+24,000), and nursing and residential care facilities (+17,000)." "Employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up (+40,000), almost entirely in food services and drinking places. Leisure and hospitality had added an average of 51,000 jobs per month over the prior 12 months." Median household income adjusted for inflation is still down from $79,890 in 2020 to $76,588 as of October 2023.

Good article a few weeks old. Regardless of your feeling regarding climate change or the use case of gas versus electric, $277 more a month is a lot for many households. Here's why people aren't buying EVs in spite of price cuts and tax breaks "EV inventories have increased by 506% from a year ago, with EVs sitting on lots for longer, according to CarGurus’ October report, released this month. EVs sit on the market an average 82 days versus 64 days for gas-powered vehicles...." ".....the new average EV list price was 28% higher than a gas vehicle last month, CarGurus said. That brings the cost for a 60-month loan with an interest rate of near 8% on an average new EV to $277 more a month than a gas car, it said."

So your guess is Putin? Wrong again Oppenheimer!

Terrorist bombing in the Philippine's today, any bets on the religion of the bombers? Philippine president blames foreign militants for a bombing that killed 4 Christian worshippers "Regional military commander Maj. Gen. Gabriel Viray III said four people were killed by the explosion, including three women, and 50 others were brought to two hospitals for treatment."

Agreed. The extremely affluent Jewish community must be shocked to see the democratic politicians they bought and the colleges they've heavily contributed to largely turn against them. Many of these people have already publicly turned against their alma maters so it would follow they would make a similar shift in political parties as well.

The democrats better wake up and stop the antisemitic behavior of their supporters. If they lose the Jewish vote, there are a lot of campaign donations that will be impossible to replace. From 2016...... US Jews contribute half of all donations to the Democratic Party The World's Jewish Billionaires 2022 Forbes 2022 World's Jewish Billionaires (edited for US only and truncated) Rank Name Net Worth(Billion Dollars) Source Wealth/Country 1 Larry Ellison 102.9 Oracle United States 2 Larry Page 85.2 Google United States 3 Sergey Brin 81.8 Google United States 4 Steve Ballmer 78.9 Microsoft United States 5 Michael Bloomberg 76.8 Bloomberg LP United States 6 Michael Dell 52.0 Dell Technologies United States 7 Mark Zuckerberg 42.7 Facebook United States 11 Stephen Schwarzman 30.0 investments United States 12 Jeff Yass 30.0 trading, investments United States 13 Miriam Adelson & family 29.7 casinos United States 14 Jim Simons 28.1 hedge funds United States 16 Leonard Lauder 20.3 Estee Lauder United States 17 Carl Icahn 18.6 investments United States 18 Daniel Gilbert 18.5 Quicken Loans United States 19 David Tepper 18.5 hedge funds United States 20 Steve Cohen 17.5 hedge funds United States 21 Eric Schmidt 17.2 Google United States 23 George Kaiser 14.2 oil & gas, banking United States 25 Jan Koum 13.3 WhatsApp United States 27 Stephen Ross 11.6real estate United States 29 Israel Englander 11.3 hedge funds United States 30 Donald Newhouse 11.1 media United States 31 Michael Rubin 10.2 online retail United States 34 Leon Black 8.9 private equity United States 37 Bernard Marcus 8.7 Home Depot United States 41 Stewart & Lynda Resnick 8.0 agriculture, water United States 42 Arthur Blank 7.8 Home Depot United States 43 Henry Kravis 7.8 private equity United States 44 David Geffen 7.7 movies, record labels United States 45 Leonard Stern 7.6 real estate United States 49 Arthur Dantchik 7.5 trading, investments United States

Not a big surprise but it's nice that someone is finally providing the data. In my experience with electrical systems batteries/chargers have always been the least reliable components. EVs significantly less reliable than gas-engine cars, Consumer Reports finds "Electric vehicles are much less reliable on average than those with traditional internal combustion engines, according to new data from Consumer Reports. The magazine's annual auto reliability brand rankings released Wednesday found consumers reported 79% more problems with EVs than gas-powered cars, trucks and SUVs from the 2000 to 2023 model years studied, and 146% more problems with plug-in hybrids."

Haley is trending up and the influx of cash can only help her. Whether she can overtake Trump remains to be seen but in NH it's Trump at 44%, Haley at 18%, Christie at 11% and Desantis at 7%. Should she continue her upward trajectory it's possible she could rise dramatically due to the support of women voters.