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The Seeker’s Silverware: What Dishwasher Habits Say About Human Nature
I’ve always unloaded the silverware last—and it turns out, I’m not alone. This everyday habit might seem trivial, but it reveals something deeper about how we seek satisfaction, create meaning in routine, and quietly rebel against the standard.
Jun 102 min read
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Vincent Vega and the Art of Getting Derailed
Vincent Vega was derailed by The Wolf. He realized he had found his bottom, and the only way was up. But fate had a different plan by the hand of Butch. But reflecting on the situation Vincent found himself in, gives hope to a higher ground in the lowest of lows. Vincent was about to change in his moment of derailment.
Apr 233 min read
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The origins of a reliability engineer
The origins of a reliability engineer may go back to Royal Engineers disposing of unexploded bombs. These Royal Engineers mastered their craft at mitigating risk, recognition of patterns, and iterating their skill-set. Similar to Reliability Engineers in manufacturing, there needs to be a skill set fully dedicated to similar situations.
Apr 142 min read
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The Lover - Applying a Supreme Court decision to decision making
Justice Potter Stewart said, "I know it when I see it" when ruling on Jacobellis vs. Ohio. His opinion is applicable to a lot more.
Feb 23 min read
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What did everyone do while TikTok was down?
What did you do when TikTok was down? Do you see the irony in that?
Jan 192 min read
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Building an escalation policy - A guide for a first time manager in manufacturing
Need an escalation policy being a first time manager? Try this list that includes some of the basics for someone in manufacturing.
Jul 30, 20242 min read
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When to use an extra life
If you grew up in the 80s or 90s, you most likely know what the green mushroom provides the gamer in Mario Brothers. If you played the...
Feb 25, 20244 min read
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The emotions of machines.
Charles Darwin is known for his insight into evolution and natural selection. In the mid-1800s, Darwin began to challenge how organisms...
Jan 6, 20243 min read
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Idioms for when both options are bad.
A decade ago, I vividly remember facing a dilemma where neither option was good. A department I was responsible for had a basement with...
Dec 5, 20233 min read
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And down goes a fan.
The score was 8 to 1 in the middle of the fifth, and the Pittsburgh Pirates were losing. Not exactly surprising considering the team’s...
Oct 8, 20233 min read
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Remove the obstacles preventing creativity.
Have you ever been stuck in a good rut? Have you caught yourself in the middle of an incident investigation, and the root cause continues...
Sep 10, 20233 min read
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Be good faster.
What does be good faster mean to you? Since I heard this, I have been stirring on it. Challenging myself with the interpreted wisdom, I...
Jun 21, 20233 min read
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Mildew on roses makes no wine.
I try to make time daily to walk up and down production lines. I learned early on to use all of my senses during these walks to indicate...
May 28, 20234 min read
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History sometimes changes the chart.
Let's take a moment to interrogate a time-series plot in your next monthly review, shared PowerPoint slide deck, or performance boards...
Mar 12, 20234 min read
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The PF Curve is limited due to the lack of a Y2 axis.
Take a moment and Google search PF Curves . You will find images of a positive Y-intercept curve with a negative slope that becomes more...
Feb 19, 20234 min read
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Understanding the prerequisite to a failure
A quote I remember a mentor of mine said years ago was, if you find yourself bored, just wait 5 more minutes, something will blow up. Of...
Nov 27, 20225 min read
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Empowerment sure sounds like the power formula
Within organizations, we routinely hear the notion that we want our organization empowered to make decisions. This could be identified in...
Nov 13, 20224 min read
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We are problem solvers during investigations, not storytellers
Recently I have been researching for examples of problem-solving that have gone wrong. I wanted to understand specific examples, some of...
Oct 16, 20224 min read
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One lonely cinnamon roll doesn't mean it is old
When conducting investigations, we often allow our assumptions to get in the way of our investigation. We see something that we perceive...
Sep 18, 20224 min read
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Conforming to wrong is wrong
In the 1950s Solomon Asch conducted a social experiment referred to as the Solomon Asch - Conformity Experiment. It was an experiment to...
Sep 11, 20224 min read
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