When seconds can mean the difference between life and death

MARVLIS presents geographic and EMS call data plotted on a map

Though we tend to equate being predictable with being boring, in the case of optimizing emergency response, it is actually a virtue.

n emergency situations, response time can make the difference between life and death. 

Since it deployed the Mobile Area Routing and Vehicle Location Information System (MARVLIS) in 2008, Jersey City Medical Center EMS says it has better-than-average response times and markedly improved survival rates. MARVLIS combines geographic information system technology, wireless communications, and a global positioning system to produce real-time information that enables emergency response teams to get to their destinations faster.

Read more in

Analytics Speed Up Response Times for EMS

Highly detailed 3D printing in NY

Photo from Mini 3D Me

There are only four of these 3D printing systems in the world, with two of them in the United States. That one of those two should be in New York is not remarkable. But the fact that it is not in the Big Apple itself, but in Westchester County is somewhat surprising. How did the combination of a Pro Jet 660 3D printer and Artec scanner, which combined carry a 6-figure price tag, end up in Yorktown?  Find out in 

Advanced 3D Printing in New York

More efficient recycling with 3D printing

We generate so much plastic waste today that it has become a serious environmental problem. Some of us do put aside our plastic bottles for recycling, but even that endeavour requires energy consumption just to get the plastic to a recycling centre. Even more energy is needed for the actual recycling. There is a better way to reuse the plastic, and 3D printing makes it possible.Read more in

3D Printing Plastic — Distributed Recyling and Distributing the Benefits

Joshua Pearce holds a DremelFuge chuck made from shredded plastic milk jugs.

3D printing at MAD

My first-hand account of the 3D exhibit at MAD
Living in New York is wonderful for a number of reasons, but high on my list is access to so many great museums. Not only do we have world-famous museums, like the Met and the MoMA, but we have small, specialized museums that offer unique exhibits focused on innovations in art and technology. The Museum of Art and Design’s Out of Hand: Materializing the Postdigital, on view through until July 6th, is definitely worth a visit for anyone interested in digital design and production.

Read more in http://3dprintingindustry.com/2014/03/17/3d-printing-review-mad-exhibition/

Related: http://writewaypro.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-moma-goes-mobile.html

How am I tweeting?

NewTwitterAnalytics  offers answers. Almost every business has a Twitter account, but many fail to take full advantage of Twitter's many add-on tools. What's holding them back?
Perhaps it's just a matter of not knowing how to measure their impact and figure out how the tools contribute to their goals. Twitter solves that problem with its new Analytics for Twitter Cards service.  Read more in

Twitter Analytics Puts Cards on the Table

What were you hired for?

This is my rejoinder to "Don't ask me to think. I was hired for my looks."

British slang

from http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g186364-d213579-Reviews-Police_Box-Sheffield_South_Yorkshire_England.html

The list of terms is at http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml. 

I've picked up some British slang just from context. So this wasn't all new to me, though there were a few surprises, particularly the compilers' own perception of of American usage, perhaps that's due to limited exposure to some friends who are not familiar with all expressions.

What  could have been left out

I never thought of DIY as a British term; it's one Americans use regularly.

Also most Americans (apparently, excluding the friends of the compiler) understand that "piece of cake" means  that something is easy, though some, for some reason prefer the term "cake walk." You could also say "easy as pie" here, though I don't know if they would get the gist of that over the pond. . 

We also say "haggle" and are not too likely to say"dicker." 
Also Americans tend to say "excuse me" both for things like burping and to suggest that someone move out of their way far more often than "pardon me," so the distinctions the list presents are not exactly accurate. 
Oh, and some of us do use the -ly ending for adverbs, thank you very much!

What  could have been included
terms like "brill" is mentioned in passing, though it doesn't have its own entry. It could have been included because the word "brilliant" does have different connotation in British usage than in American usage. Over here, people use it primarily to mean really smart but not as the equivalent of "terrific."


Other regional differences? 
Perhaps it has something to do with focusing on strictly English slang rather than some that may extend to other parts of the UK.  Here's  the entry on "cracking"  -"If something is cracking, it means it is the best. Usually said without pronouncing the last "G". If a girl is cracking it means she is stunning."  From what I recall there's another slang meaning for "crack," though that may be more strictly speaking Irish usage. It appeared several times in a novel I once read and clearly meant talk, chat, of the variety one expects to have in a pub. 

Still it's an entertaining read.