High Tech Dentistry
I had to have a very old cavity repaired, and I was hoping to have it completed before the tooth had some failure requiring an implant (which I have had: and do not recommend). The doctor offered a same-day crown. I have many crowns, and it always requires the placement of a temporary tooth until the permanent one comes back from the lab. Then a bunch of fine-tuning to get the correct fit. This is two weeks of stress hoping that it does not come off (which it always does).
The procedure was simple, but I was amazed at how modern the dentists’ tool set is now.
- Started with a Digital X-ray and novocaine.
- Then clean the area with UltraSonic pick prior to any work.
- 3D Scan of the tooth before any work is done.
- Then drilling and shaping of that tooth with the cavity.
- A portion of my cavity was under the gum, which required a Laser1 to remove a tiny portion of the soft tissue.
- Second 3D scan of the remaining portion of the tooth.
- Scans were sent to the inhouse Dental C&C Milling machine.
Total time: 90 minutes
I was asked to come back three hours later. I arrived when they asked me to. The crown was dry-fitted for accuracy and was PERFECT. Permanent dental cement was added as I was finished. By far one of the easiest and most impressive procedures I have ever had.
Total time: 15 minutes
Too easy to make a Dr. Evil joke here - but sadly there were no sharks]↩︎
Mind Blown 🤯
This winter walking around with my wife in the Czech Republic, a former Eastern block country, with my phone(computer) in my hand, getting GPS directions on LTE from a roaming partner carrier using Apple Maps to go to an Argentine tapas restaurant.
Random Thoughts on Prague
After dropping my stepdaughter off at school in Prague, I recently returned home with my wife. Yes, that Prague in the Czech Republic. We loved it—an exceptional place. While we were there for just a week, the city was fantastic. Below are a few random thoughts or observations.
- The city was a combination of modern meets Harry Potter in the best of ways.
- The people were so friendly.
- While English is not the primary language, most people speak some, if not fluently.
- Menus were in Czech with English translations
- Due to the current strong dollar, the cost of everyday goods are so inexpensive
- Uber exists and is popular there, along with the local competition called Bolt.
- I was surprised to see Lime Scooters in the city
- The city of Prague has three Ikeas (we only went to one)
- There were a few homeless people in the street collecting change, and all of them had dogs with them
- The restaurants were all Czech/Italian or Czech/Spanish
- Public transportation on the tram is very useable
- I only used a credit card for payment the entire time we were there. It seemed to be the preferred approach. I also love how after a meal, they bring the payment processing terminal to your table.
Apple Says It’s Closer Than Ever to Having a Completely Carbon Neutral Supply Chain ↦
Apple has set a public goal to go completely carbon neutral in its supply chain by 2030, and it’s out with an update on those efforts today. According to Apple, its manufacturing partners now support over 13 gigawatts of renewable electricity around the world, while more than 250 Apple suppliers are committed to relying completely on renewable energy by 2030.
Of course, this is fantastic news. But what the article does not mention is how many suppliers Apple has in total. 250 is a lot, but not if the total amount is say, 2,000.
Via 9to5mac
Business, Start-Up, or Lifestyle
The other day I read an article about starting a lifestyle business versus a start-up. The gist of the article was unless you were a start-up with VC money, you don’t matter; it is not a “real” business. It seemed like a silly distinction at the time, but I have been thinking about what this means to me today in broad terms of how I define work.
Business:
I think of a business as something more traditional: a bakery, an electrician, a dry cleaning store, or a bookkeeping business. Usually service-based, generally with a physical presence. These places are not raising VC money (unless they become chains or franchises) and having IPOs.
Startup
I have worked for three start-up companies. One manufacturer, a fintech company, and an education finance company. Two of them, I have enjoyed, but all of them were incredibly fast-paced and required a lot from the employees. Each had different goals for the long term, but they all were sold in the end. In two of the business, investors existed, one went public, which brought other requirements, and one was just a low-margin grind.
Lifestyle
When I think of a lifestyle business, I think of web-based entrepreneurs, small manufacturers, coaches, and designers/artists. You may have a Shopify or Etsy storefront. A micro web service or something in a particular niche. Many of these can and do grow very large. But do they have to be considered successful or respectable? On more than one occasion, I have heard people say, “Oh, they have a toy business on Shopify.” But they need to understand that the business is enjoyable, extraordinarily profitable, and provides a group of people with a very nice living.
Having worked in all of the above, I continue to lean more toward lifestyle options. Your desire lies based on your wants and needs, which can change with time. As I have gotten older, mine sure have.
- Having a say in your strategy instead of being told what to do (especially if they are wrong).
- Not controlled by a corporate mental time clock.
- Preventing yourself or at least minimizing the corporate grind culture.
- Having the freedom to experiment
Your mileage may vary, but discounting the other options without being able to define what you want out of your work life is silly.