Or is that ketchup? Sorry. It's the first day of summer (Check out today’s Google doodle) and our minds are turning to cook-outs and picnics. But before we get to kick back in the hammock, let's round up some of the stories on ControlGlobal or elsewhere you may have missed this week.
A lot of us were nose-down in Phoenix covering HUG13, Honeywell's annual user conference. Lots of good process automation news there, along with food, drink, fellowship, a.k.a. "networking" and fun. We were especially fond of the stilt-walker and the unicyclist at the "Family Night" event. But for the real meat and potatoes of the conference, go here.
While the rest of us were in Phoenix, The Boss, a.k.a., Walt Boyes, was on-site at Festo's world headquarters in Germany. His reports from Stuttgart are here and here.
While a lot of the editorial team was playing road warrior, some of our bloggers were holding down the fort. Our "Manufacturing 2020" blogger, Dan Miklovic, asked, "So Why Aren't Wireless Smart Sensors More Prevalent?"
Over at the "Control Talk" blog, Greg McMillan tackled "Key Misunderstood Terms for Control System Dynamics."
And just in case you missed it, for weeks now, the "most read" story on ControlGlobal.com has been the "Beginner's Guide to Differential Pressure Level Transmitters."
Meanwhile, Plant Services columnist Peter Garforth reported on Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio, and its long-term plan for energy conservation. How does reducing natural gas use by 46%, electricity use by 36%, greenhouse gas emissions by 40% and costs by more than 50%, or $1 million annually sound, all going on while energy demands increased? For the whole story, and how the same techniques can apply to any industrial facility, go here.
And, no surprise here, Congress is at least trying to give the appearance of doing something about cybersecurity, even if it's only kicking the can down the road. Read this from Patrick Coyle's "Chemical Facility Security News" blog for more.
Now it's afternoon on the first day of summer. It's also afternoon on a Friday. Time to lighten up a bit.
But there is one more piece of grim news. It seems Cap'n Crunch may have lied all these years about his military rank and his nationality. Say it ain't so, Cap'n! if you can't trust Cap'n Crunch, who can you trust?
It seems Academe has discovered Big Data. Now even the professors are suggesting that you really don't have to read the book. Folks, English majors have been writing about the books without reading them for years. And we didn't need a giant computer to do it. Trust us on this one.
Back in the day, dad wanted us to learn to play the piano. We were never very good. In fact, we pretty much sucked. These guys don't. Seriously. Boogie-woogie duets that will rock your world.
And for all you foodies out there, here's our infographic of the day: How to distinguish 65 different kinds of cheese.
Finally, what would life be without another truly terrible engineering pun?
