Time and Motion. He Is Heading To Boulder. Crude Oil. Brittney For A Terrorist. The Intelligence Of Things.
I am sure that Delta and Southwest Airlines, as well as other carriers, have spent millions of dollars trying to figure out the best way to board passengers. Delta’s process is as good as any with hassle-free boarding depending on your SkyMiles status. As we are in the midst of the holiday travel season, I can only hope a time and motion engineer can really figure out how to best board an airliner.
I am limited with knowledge of supply-side economics, but I do wonder why economists (and the media) go bonkers when oil prices exceed $100 a barrel. Now that oil prices have dropped below $75 a barrel, the lowest price point in a year, where are all the pundits and economists commenting on how this plunge can either stymie or fuel the ever-pending recession?
I am conflicted with the release of Brittney Griner. Do not misinterpret my concern for her and her family, but I just have a big problem with the ramification of Griner being caught by the Russians with what they deemed as illegal drugs. The ramification: the United States finally negotiated her release last Thursday in a prisoner swap. The United States gets Griner back, but in turn must release Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms dealer, nicknamed the “Merchant of Death.” Bout was involved with international arms trafficking, conspiring to kill Americans, and collaborating with various terrorist organizations. Again, I am happy for Griner and her family, but does this prisoner swap set a disturbing precedent? What about Paul Whelan, the former United States Marine being held by the Russians for four years?
Headline of the Week: “Florida man says he killed an aggressive iguana — and claims Stand Your Ground defense.” Yes, only in Florida.
I do not blame Deion Sanders for leaving Jackson State University for the head coaching position at the University of Colorado. Cash is king and after three years, Sanders decided that he needed to take the more lucrative job in Boulder. The loser in this transaction is Jackson State University. Sanders instilled a high level of confidence, performance, and joy into the JSU program, one of many Historically Black College or University (HBCU) programs that produced former NFL stars including Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, and Michael Strahan. It is a shame that JSU could not persuade Sanders to stay with their program, but as we all know, a head coach only gets promoted by taking a bigger/better job. Here is hoping that JSU can onboard a significant head coach that can continue the success of former coach Deion Sanders.
I am very interested and excited to see what artificial intelligence (AI) is going to bring to the healthcare world. Beyond drug discovery and predicting outcomes of clinical trials, the one area of AI I feel will be a game-changer is medical imagery, where computer vision algorithms can be used to spot early warning signs of disease using MRI scans. I watched my first and never again episode of Chicago Med where they showed AI being used during surgery. Yes, it was a TV show, but the scene was very interesting with the use of AI during a surgical procedure. AI has already been used successfully to detect and treat neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. The use of AI has tremendous upside and only time will tell how far the technology will take us in the healthcare world.
I’m not sure that 37-year-old football (soccer) superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has yet to agree to a $180 million per year deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassar. He is 37 years old and at the backside of his career. Cristiano: I would grab that pen and sign quickly.
Heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of journalist Grant Wahl. Wahl, one of the world’s preeminent soccer journalists, collapsed while covering the Argentina-Netherlands World Cup match on Friday. RIP Grant Wahl.
Family. There are many ways to describe the families you interact with…but this take from Sebastian Maniscalco is priceless.