The CAD Insider

Coronovirus Giving Us Great Views. Himalayan Mountains Pop Into View in India.

Himalayas pop into view, as welcome but unintended consequence of the Coronavirus. (Picture courtesy of CNN)

 

Mt Everest grows by a quarter inch a year due to the unrelenting push of the India land mass into the Eurasian plate. That has created the Himalayan mountains range over millions of years. But to those who woke up in the north of Punjab in the middle of last month, it must have seemed liked they popped up overnight.

 

When I was a kid, in Dharamsala, Ludhianna, even Chandigargh, I could see the snowy peaks. I imagined Mt Everest, but that was far off, over the horizon. Still, the ridge of mountains remains a lasting refrain, an image, a little fuzzy after 50 years later but one that still guides me toward mountains, wherever I am living.

 

These days, I live in California. I remember Mom telling me of her visit to Simla, the hill station favored by the British, to get away from India's oppressive heat. I remember the mountains, always with snow on them, from our house in Dharamsala, where my father was dean of the college, and where I met the Dali Lama. He was at a ceremony. He was dressed strange. I remember orange. I was 5 years old. 

 

The Himalyas had been cloaked in air pollution, their majesty hidden to at least one generation. India, in its modernization, took to the internal combustion engine, the oil and coal burning of the industrialized nations to heart. The sky, once just filled with dust, smoke from dung fires, became full with so much particulate matter that the mountains were completery obscured.

India, with thousands of two-cycle engine scooter cabs, have been making travel convenient but breathing difficult.
(Picture courtesy of Tech Crunch)

 

Now, COVID-19 has put the brakes on the scooter cabs. Their oil-burning two-cycle engine has gone silent.  Dehli, Mumbai, Kolkata take their turns as having the worst air in the world. Living there is like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day -- if not worse. Most Inidians are sick a lot If not from the air, it's from the water.

 

The Coronavirus, deadly and sickening as it is, has brought the scooter cabs to a halt. No longer are they belching black smoke.

 

And the Himalayas never looked better. 

 

 

Wine and Dine the Journalist. It's Just Smart Marketing.

It's reputed to be the best meat in the world. Jamón Ibérico de Bellota is the most famous ham of Spain. It’s the hind leg of a little black Spanish pig that eats nothing but acorns, giving it's meat the sweetest flavor and its fat...it's supposed to melt in your mouth like butter. The whole ham, displayed proudly at carving station in the finest restaurants, can fetch as much as $2500. Could this be what is on the table in front of us at a recent Microsoft event in Barcelona? I doubted it. Probably, a lesser grade of the ham. But journalists need to impress others with their perks. So, when this story is told, it will be Jamón Ibérico de Bellota.

Iberian ham over crusty bread. Jamon Iberico de Bellota is repudiated to be the finest meat in the ham in the world. Could this be it? I had to find out.

Microsoft’s reception was in the Fira Congress Hotel in Barcelona before the introduction of the HoloLens 2. Hors d'oeuvres were offered, champagne was poured. In addition to the Jamón Ibérico, there were little baby porchetta and tiny clams...with sea foam? Nope, it's "limona" gelatin. We're loving the lavish spread.

This is about as good as it gets for the press. Living the dream, I just heard from a member of the media.  

 

Edible art. You cannot afford places that serve this kind of stuff. Thanks, journalist job!

No doubt about it, being wined and dined is one big perk of being part of the media. Maybe the biggest. Definitely one the few. We don't do it for money. You really can’t get rich writing articles.

Oh, we do get “access.” That’s a perk, insist our editors. Meet movers and shakers of the industries you cover. For example, we hope to meet the CEO of Microsoft soon. Or a front row seat. Or a chance to ask a few questions. If we are called on. If he sticks around. I sometimes take a selfie with industry VIPs – if I'm able to summon the courage.

You do to get out of the office and have an excuse to be late on deadlines, away from your gruff and non-understanding editor, the rag or blog you attend to for pennies, often late into the night, no raise in sight. Sure, even going to Cleveland and Dallas can look good under those conditions.

Living the Life  

You, on your meager journalist salary, cannot afford this life. But if they’re buying, you’re eating – and drinking.  

Strange how, after you cover a big event, every press release from the company becomes important, every new product release significant, every PR person your friend, every marketing VP a star, every executive a thought leader…  

Tens of thousands of words pour out over the course of the year. It’s the best way to stay “on top of mind” so you are sure to be invited to the company's invitation only event for “selected” press. London, Amsterdam and Brussels, Belgium, Tokyo, Singapore, Paris... Shanghai may be hinted at (if you’re good).

While they're buying White Castle burgers back home, you are in Barcelona eating porchettas.

The Bottom Line  

You might be dazzled by the opulence and the attention. It's not love, though. It's business. It's simple math: ROI, or return on investment. Smart companies know all about it. There’s some smarties at Microsoft, for sure. You don’t spend a quarter million on a press event without knowing you’ll get it back. You, dedicated media professional and blogger, are going to write it up. More than once. A normal obligation is one article or post per event. But a lavish event, an overseas flight to a bucket list destination, a five-star hotel? You are going to just churn out articles. Because there’s so much you have seen and learned, right?  

The best cons leave their victim (the "mark") with no idea of being swindled.  

The cost of a sponsored post is $2500. That’s about the cost of flying and boarding a journalist on a junket. So, why would a smart company get one article when for the same price, they could get a year's supply? 

The press crowds the bar a recent event. It's what we do. If they're pouring, we're drinking. 

Amazon's 2nd Headquarter in Atlanta? Sure Thing, They Are Saying.

Update: They were wrong. Amazon will have 2 East Coast HQs, but not in Atlanta. Sorry.

 

The billion dollar decision as to where Amazon will build its "2nd headquarters' has been the subject of much speculation and consternation.  But if you want to know something big is going to happen, you listen to architects and engineers. So says my Uber driver as he takes me from Atlanta-Hartsfield airport to Braselton after he finds out what I do for a living. It's an hour ride and we have lots of time to talk. 

 

He is convinced Amazon will be building their 2nd headquarters in Atlanta. Amazonians are buying property, renting apartments and lining up private schools for their kids, he says. 

 

Schools for their kids?? That was how people knew LeBron was coming to LA. My Uber driver may have delivered.

 

Later, as I leave a restaurant in Braselton, I notice one table full of guys. A couple of them have shirts with Amazon logos.

 

 

Atlanta does make indeed make sense on several levels. It is major airline hub so the first part of the trip to HQ2 will an easy non-stop flight from the West Coast.  But the rest of the trip may take just as long. As I sit in traffic (Atlanta's beltways are said to be as clogged as Washington DC's) I wonder if traffic congestion has been taken into account. Amazonians in the suburbs going to downtown offices are going to have a hell of a time. 

We Don't Have a Problem -- the Do-Gooders Dilemma

It’s just too easy to see what someone else is doing wrong. It could be how they are raising their children, growing their crops…or in my case, how they are transporting their water.

What’s wrong with this picture? Nothing, if you live in this country. Everything, if you don’t. Carrying water in South Sudan. Picture from The Anglican Relief and Development website. 

Most houses in the United States have running water. Travelling to Africa and Asia serves to remind you that this is not normal.

In Rwanda, for example, a line of women get their yellow jerrycans filled at a tap manned by a couple of men. In Kolkata, India, women swarm a truck carrying water to fill pails. They have to carry them back home. Many of them learned to balance 45 lb loads on their heads as they walk smoothly over over rough ground (no sidewalks). It is a physical feat that would test athletes on one of our "gladiator" shows. In the 3rd world, it’s what women and children do daily, if not more.

Wouldn't this help? An engineer (your's truly) attempts to solve what he thinks is a water carrier problem.

Easy enough to say give them pipes and running water. The engineer in me wants to make a wheeled device they can tow. Two cheap bicycle wheels for stability, carry two jerrycans, rolling is easier than carrying, right?

For Gods sake, can't we do something to help these people?

Who Asked You?

“What exactly is the problem?" says a well wishing Canadian. "These women need to fetch the water." She is echoing the response of Kenyan women she has heard. “These women don't mind what they are doing. There is a social scene at the tap. They take their kids with them. It’s an outing.”
In short, they are used to it. Leave us alone. You high minded westerner. You don’t get us.

When people get used to something, even if it was perceived as difficult at first, they will accept it. Some will even fight to keep it. Water carrying has been around since there were wells, so carrying the water is accepted as the norm. Why change it?

But, come on now, I have to argue. Even water carrying has changed. A society that may have used hollow gourds, or earthenware container, switched to plastic container. In fact, jerrycans seemed to have “revolutionized” water carrying in some countries.

I am reminded of the history of the Golden Gate Bridge, offered to help people who used ferries to span the inlet to San Francisco Bay. It was resisted by many. Ferry owners didn’t think there was a problem so why build an expensive bridge?

Beat It -- And Take Your Condoms With You

Go to Africa and insist any labor saving invention be immediately accepted is to look like every arrogant white person who has the better idea and no clue. They already get so much of that.

The biggest slum in Africa, Kibera, swarms with do-gooders in NGOs (non governmental agencies), who want nothing more than to help the poor people. The slum dwellers have learned to take advantage, often enlisting in multiple hygiene classes to learn how to wash their hands. The NGOs compete with each other for hand washers and some offer fees so people show up. A light skinned reporter is told to go back to Sweden (he was not Swedish) with his condoms. Apparently, Africa is awash with condoms because we all know the trick to stopping the spread of AIDS.

A Rhapsody in Black and Blue

 

An orchestra plays United’s theme, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, while passenger Dr. Dao is dragged off the plane in this satire on Funny Or Die.

Flying home from COFES on Sunday afternoon from Phoenix, I silently chafed at how sloppy passengers had become. Next to me was a passenger in flip flops. Gross. We’re going to hell in a handbasket. I had no idea another passenger, on a different flight, was suffering a much worse fate.

Dr. Dao, ticketed and seated on United flight 3411 in Chicago’s O'Hare airport, was preparing to fly back to Louisville, KY. He had appointment with patients the next day. But a flight crew of four had approached the gate agent. They needed to get to their plane which could not take off without them. What was an airline to do?

Dr. Dao was picked to give up his seat. He refused. It led to a scuffle with police who boarded the plane. The 69-year old was flung to the floor. His head hit the armrest on the way down. He lost two front teeth and suffered a broken nose and a concussion, says his attorney. He was dragged out of the plane. His bleeding and screaming was captured on video.

Dr. Dao managed to break free and run back into the plane. He clung to a cabin bulkhead pathetically sobbing, repeating "I have to go home.”

The flight was emptied of all passengers while Dr. Dao was subdued, his blood was mopped up  and he was carried out on a stretcher (no video). 

A PR Nightmare for United

 
United’s last PR nightmare. David Carrol made a YouTube hit with "United Breaks Guitars." This incident also happened at Chicago's O'Hare.

It has become a public relations nightmare for United, far worse than when in 2009, a passenger sang “United Breaks Guitars,” a YouTube hit with 17 million views to date. United’s valuation, based on its stock price, dropped by almost a billion dollars. It has recovered but was still down about a quarter of a billion a week later.

The disturbing video of Dr. Dao’s limp body being unceremoniously dragged to through the narrow aisle as several passengers protested from their seats was immediately picked up by every major news service. Over the next few days, it competed with Mr. Trump’s various escapades for top news story.

United was slow to offer a real apology -- and some feel it still hasn't. CEO Oscar Munoz, who only last month was awarded "Communicator of the Year" by PR Week, waited 2 days to express his regret, but not before he blundered by stating United had "reacommodated" their passengers -- a poor choice of words that did not escape the indignation of those who asked that United "reacommodate" Mr Munoz himself.

There Ought to be a Law – For Us

United stands behind the "Contract of Carriage” which it says binds all its passengers, even though no one has read it much less signed it. Even the news services had to dig that up after United tried to stand behind it. According to the fine print, anyone who buys a ticket can be booted off, even at the last minute.

Similar to the EULA (end user license agreement) that software vendors claim binds all its users, which is also something that is almost never read, not understood, never signed, but somehow became law. We are subject to its one-sided, often draconian claims. For example, you might be in violation by using software across an international border, or if you design a product for which the vendor does not approve (the nuclear industry) or work for a company not in their favor (a competitor). Who knows what else. I’ve never read it.

Airline passengers can do little to resist. A "Passenger Bill of Rights" does not exist. After generations of declining service, vanishing perks, shrinking space, invasive searches, we are weak and conditioned to queue, march en masse, and pack together tighter than industrially farmed livestock.

While the courts seem to have let unseen and unsigned contracts rule us, law enforcement also marches in step. Suspect is the use of public law enforcement personnel to do the bidding of a for-profit corporation, as in the Chicago airport police who forcibly evicted Dr. Dao on United's behalf.

Not Overbooked

United Flight 3414, despite initial claims to the contrary, was not overbooked. When a flight is overbooked, United will ask for volunteers to give up their seat before the passengers start boarding. But this flight was full of seated passengers and ready to take off. United did offer incentives to the seated passengers, 1st $400 then $800 in flight vouchers. That usually works at the gate, but with passengers buckled in and ready to go home or on vacation – not so well.

The flight crew of 4 were still waiting. 

United then had to resort to picking out passengers "at random." According to airline insiders, the process is hardly random. It is more like selecting among the less fortunate, the customers from whom they won’t mind hearing “I’ll never fly United again.”

Airlines have more stratifications for its passengers than the Hindu caste system. Most visible in the difference between the spacious, lay flat seats in 1st class and crammed seats in the back, there are many invisible status levels. United top layer is Global Services, followed by 1K, then Platinum Premier, Premier Gold, Silver... If you have are 1K and above, you needn't worry about getting your teeth knocked out and being dragged down the aisle. If you are in the middle seat in the back of the plane and wondering what your status is, you may want to hold on to something when the men in black board the plane.

Update

United has announced today a change in policy: Crew members will no longer be allowed to displace seated customers on a flight.

A Better Way

 Instead of asking for volunteers at the gate, why not ask customers through the United app? An offer to take a later flight with the right incentives would be a bonus for United’s most frequent flyers. Offers and bids could be done on the app – which seem much more civilized than blaring calls for volunteers on the PA system

I would love to be considered to give up my seat for a later flight with the right incentives and almost always volunteer unless I have a meeting or event I can’t be late for. It would be great if I could accept an offer just by tapping on my app, rather than have to leave my baggage and rush the gate agent.

This would require the United app to be able to send real time messages and that its passengers have the app and are connected – just about a given with frequent flyers these days. If it means that United has to offer WiFi in and around its gates, so much the better for its customers. Perhaps United could announce free WiFi as a win for its customers. And does anyone need a win more desperately than United right now?

China According to Barry

GUANGZHOU, China (ZWSOFT GPC 2015) — My PR contact at ZWSOFT, Barry Shen, is kind enough to take me around his city one free afternoon.

Holidays

Barry has been on holiday. China's Qingming Festival celebrates the sweeping of the tombs.

"How many holidays do you get?" I ask.

"One hundred," he says.

I thought India had a lot, with their thousands of gods.

"Does that include weekends?" I ask.

"Yes," he says.

Whew. I was wondering how the Chinese get anything done.

"What about America?" he asks.

"We have 10," I say, feeling guilty.

 

So Glad I Didn't Say That

That's Barry, my ZWSOFT PR contact, in a suit, on Guangzhou's Metro.

 

I wonder about the ethnic mix as we ride the subway.

"Can you tell from a person's appearance where they are from?" I ask, hoping for at least a regional distinction, north or south, country or city, Han or non-Han. No such luck.

"We all look the same," he says.

 

The Biggest City You've Never Heard Of

Squid on a stick is a tasty snack in a busy pedestrian shopping street in Guangzhou.

"How big is Guangzhou?" I ask.

"Fourteen million," says Barry. "It's the third biggest city in China. Behind Shanghai, and Beijing."

"What about Hong Kong?" I ask.

"That's not really part of China," corrects Barry. "You need papers to come and go. They hate us. They call us country people. Don't hate me for where I come from. You can hate me for other things, that's ok."

Apple Rules

The $17,000 iWatch was introduced in China during my visit. It sold out in one hour. A look around only confirms China's love for Apple. Barry has an iPhone 6. I'm jealous. I have the 5. Barry is only out of school four months.

What does an iPhone cost? Barry does a quick conversion in his head. He has a degree in computer science.

$850

How do people afford iPhones?

"They give up holiday," explains Barry. Like most city dwelling younger adults, he probably does not have a car. "I don't drink, like a lot of my friends."

Go Up to Look Down

The Canton Tower seems to have been built for one purpose: being tall. It is not an office building. At 600 meters (almost 2000 ft.) it succeeded, albeit briefly, as being the world's tallest building before it was passed by the Tokyo Skytree and Dubai's Burj Khalifa. It is now only able to claim being China's tallest.

It seems wasteful at first to build something just to hold up an observation deck, which on the day of my visit seems to be lost in the clouds, but it does indeed grace the skyline on a good day and is a source of pride for the Cantonese. Of course, if everyone listened to the practical, we wouldn't have some of the most iconic structures ever made, such as the Taj Mahal or the Eiffel Tower.

Tony Blair Visits Gasabo3D in Rwanda

KIGALI, Rwanda, November 14, 2008 - Driving to the Gasabo 3D office, CEO John Rugamba announces "Tony Blair is coming."

Great. Doesn't everyone do Africa? Once it was to shoot animals with bullets, then with cameras, now to build huts or dig wells.  The great white powers have given up on subjugating and exploiting, and are now are here for humanitarian causes -- at least on the surface.

"He is coming to Kigali?" I can already see the standard pictures of African head-of-state meeting ex-head of state from some powerful western country. Didn't President Bush come here? Didn't Clinton pause in Kigali to apologize for ignoring the Rwandan genocide?

"Yes, he is coming here." John is adding a odd emphasis.

"To the office?" I joke.

"Yes, he will be here on Thursday. He will have him for 8 minutes."

Tony Blair with the Gasabo 3D team in Kigali, Rwanda
(click for larger picture)

I can't believe it. Will I get to meet him? Maybe shake his hand. Get a photo of the two of us? I realize I have gone from cynic to star struck in a nanosecond.

The next day, John is not changing his tune. He's fully expecting the former British PM to show up and is gearing the team up. I had better get ready to cover the story.

Gasabo 3D is abuzz in anticipation. So are other tenants in the office building, who pop in to discuss. The day before, a Rwandan government official comes by confirm that we will not embarrass. The next morning, Gasabo practices the presentation, arranges images on the screens that are bound to impress, and even practices how to quickly assemble around Mr Blair if a photo op develops. The appointed hour comes and goes and still no Mr. Blair. But 2 security personnel come in to inspect the office. Blair must be on the way.

I expect a motorcade but I miss seeing it and a group files into through the door. Blair, handsome and immaculately dressed in a dark suit, is immediately recognizable.

Calm as ever, John takes over. He explains what Gasabo 3D is doing then asks politely if he can give a short presentation. Blair appears attentive and interested throughout. I wonder if he can "see" the part from the 2D drawing John has handed him.

Clement Nshubijeho (left) and John Rugamba explain to ex-prime minister Tony Blair the wonders of 3D

"So you take what is given here," says Blair indicating the paper, "and make it into 3D?"

He gets it! Good work, John.

Blair isn't done. He starts asking questions. He seemed to be particularly interested in how the service Gasabo 3D is offering is being received by an international market.

We try to explain to Mr. Blair that nowadays everyone is connected by the Internet and with talent anyone can compete in the world economy. Why shouldn't Rwanda compete for work against established firms from India and China?

Blair wants to know what are the biggest challenges? We have to admit the world does not yet associate Rwanda with engineering services and educating the world may be an expensive proposition.

How do labor rates here compare to US? to India? We tell him Rwanda is a bargain.

It's a wrap. Our time is just about up. John asks if we can take a group shot.

"Yes," says the ex Prime Minister. Sweet. I jump for the camera and am lucky to squeeze off a couple of shots.

Star struck editor (that's me) meets the ex prime minister

See Also:
Local coverage of event in The New Times here.

TenLinks Visits Chillington Rwanda

KIGALI, Rwanda, November 13, 2008 - A man with a machete eyes me rather seriously as we drive by. For me, it is a grim reminder of Rwanda's genocide. That was 14 years ago, I tell myself, he's just gardening. Exhale.

After the genocide, Rwanda is best known for its gorillas. Three hundred mountain gorillas survive in and near Volcanoes National Park. But they are far from the nation's capital and I have yet to meet one.

I am visiting the Chillington Rwanda factory in Kigali, tagging along with Gasabo 3D, a 3D modeling service that is also trying to drum up local work. The main product appears to be wheelbarrows. They also cast parts, melting scrap metal from huge piles outside. As I walk around the cavernous factory, I see variety.

Tubes are bent to form the frame of the wheelbarrows at Chillington Rwanda.

I meet Chillington's chief engineer, Francis Andat Mandwa. Like any good engineer, Francis knows his machines. Chillington is fortunate to have an array of metalworking machines to fashion its products, rather than have to depend entirely on manual labor. However, keeping them running is more a challenge here than in the west as spare parts are practically nonexistent.

I inspect a broken belt drive wheel. Inspecting me is Chief Engineer Francis Andat Mandwa, who will be recasting the wheel to get his stone crusher working. 

A belt pulley wheel used in a stone crusher has broken. Ordering a new wheel would be my immediate reaction. Chillington Rwanda has to recreate the old wheel. The broken wheel was measured and a wooden version is taking shape, using hand planes and files. The resulting form will be used to make a cast from which the new wheel will emerge. 

But chief engineer Francis has a more ambitious plan -- he would like to design and manufacture a whole crusher. The previous crusher does not suit his purpose. I want to press for details: what exactly does he need, why can't he pick another crusher from a catalog? But I realize that is my US mindset. There are different realities here in Rwanda.

Chief engineer Francis shows Gasabo 3D hand sketches of a new crusher design. Listening are Gasabo's CEO John Rugamba (left) and Project Manager Clement Nshubijeho

John Rugamba, my gracious host and CEO of Gasabo 3D, is doing his best to include Chillington Rwanda to SolidWorks. It's a big jump. In Chillington's head office, I bump into an oversize table in the middle of the room. It takes me a second to realize it's a drafting table. I'm in virgin territory. There is no CAD, CAM or CNC in this company which is considered an "advanced manufacturing operation." I realize the chief engineer has no computer. Using what may be the only computer in the company, John shows parts he has created for Chillington using SolidWorks. Gasabo 3D has made the parts for no charge in the hopes the company will see the advantages of solid modeling.

It may have paid off. Chillington's acting GM, Francois Kayiranga would like a concept model of the new crusher done in SolidWorks -- by the end of day tomorrow. Perhaps not knowing CAD may infer upon it a measure of magic. John scrambles his team. A designer and workstation will be at the factory the next day. They will work closely with the chief engineer. An added demand: the designer must speak Swahili, not Rwanda's native language. 

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Thank you to Geoff Briggs and Mr Boxie, who corrected my story based on their superior knowledge of the foundry process.