Manufacturing Innovations
Posted: February 22nd, 2010 under General.
Tags: article, innovation, manufacturing, wired magazine
Comments: none
So much horse manure
Since Elaine and I decided to make Aiken our home several years ago I have often been asked by friends and relatives what Aiken was like? Most often I offer a standard response that includes friendly people, warm climate and vibrant downtown etc. Frequently my answer also makes references to golf and horses, though I personally am involved in neither activity.
Today’s local paper, the Aiken Standard, ran a front page story that clearly summarizes the position horses have in Aiken. How often do you find a city of 29,000 residents with a horse manure ordinance? Aiken’s horse manure ordinace (part of the city zoning code) reads
The premises must be maintained by keeping manure piles in covered containers at least 50 feet away from any dwelling or any pool, patio or other recreational structure or an adjoining lot and at least 25 feet from any property lines.
Other provisions of the ordinance require stables to be cleaned twice a week and the covered manure containers be emptied weekly.
A manure ordinance isn’t the only indication of the importance of horse culture in Aiken. Many residential streets are unpaved and included elevated “cross walk” (or ride) push buttons to accommodate equestrians. Hitchcock Woods, a 2,100 acre wilderness park within Aiken only allows hiking and horse back riding. And finally, professional polo and steeplechase racing a major local spectator sports.
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Posted: February 17th, 2010 under General.
Tags: aiken standard, city ordinance, hitchcock woods, horse manure, horses
Comments: none
Snow in Aiken
Friday night we got the second largest snowfall recorded in Aiken. We measured over 4 inches on our deck. BTW, the largest snowfall was before our time here in 1973 (14 inches officially). While this snow doesn’t compare with anything up north this year (we moved down here just in time), it is a significant event for Aiken. Fortunately, the next day all the snow melts and everything is back to normal. Below are some before and after shots. BTW, palm tree is fine. As soon as the snow melted the leaves sprung back to their original position.
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Posted: February 14th, 2010 under General.
Tags: aiken, snow
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The cover article in the Feb 2010 issue of Wired magazine is a very interesting article on manufacturing innovation. For many years now it has been popular (and perhaps not without some validity) for Americans to wring our hands over the lose of manufacturing jobs in the US. This article provides a perspective more akin to Friedman’s flat world.
Perhaps we should be focusing less on the loss of big industry jobs and more on preparing for the future manufacturing described in this article. The article also is significant for what isn’t said. The types of manufacturing that is described requires an educational foundation not being provided in the US today. No longer will manufacturing jobs imply the mind numbing feed-the-machine mentality. Rather, Anderson describes a future that puts high value on creativity and ingenuity.