I’ve been thinking about product ID, apples, priests, and rabbis. Don’t you hate it when you snag an apple from the fruit bowl and bite into a sticker? I find it even more annoying if stickers are missing from apples when I get to the self-checkout...

I’ve been thinking about automated dispensing machines, traffic cameras, Michelangelo, and Atlanta in May. On a recent NPR program, experts discussed how installing cameras at intersections increases citations while decreasing violations. Initially,...

December 2009 I’ve been thinking about yesterday’s JC Penney, tomorrow’s airport security, and today’s pharmacy (i.e., deeply penetrating material ID technology). The shoe department at my childhood JC Penney had a snazzy x-ray machine. ...

I’ve been thinking about Shaquille O'Neal, Spud Webb, Bill Russell, and me. After all, we have so much in common. We all played basketball in college, had knee surgery as adults, don’t like the Lakers, Twitter, paying taxes, and probably will be...

I’ve been thinking about Roy Rogers, meaningful use, and wet cement. I made my first cognitive visit to Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard in the late 1950’s. Roy Roger’s hands, boots, and six-shooter, next to Triggers front feet,...

I’ve been thinking about dry cleaners, prophets, Goofy, and sushi. In the majority of US hospitals, pharmacy personnel walk about hunting and gathering medications to fill patient cassettes and fulfill automated-dispensing cabinet (ADC) replenishment...

I’ve been thinking about babies, bar codes, and bathwater. Twenty years ago, I made the obligatory pilgrimage with my five kids to Chuck E Cheese. Ugh. A few months ago, I made my second and final visit—this time with my grandson. Two noteworthy...

I’ve been thinking about weekends and positive-product ID. Consider a weekend in the life of a do-it-yourselfer. After my third trip in two days to Lowe’s Home Improvement, I discovered that one of the nuts did not match one of the bolts I had...

I’ve been thinking about fiber, movies, and good old Spic and Span. Admittedly, I’ve been thinking too long about it. Actually, I’m eleven years late. But in the morning I’m stepping up to the plate for my first colonoscopy. Yes, I’ve seen...

Watching and Washing I’ve been thinking about neckties, kindergarten, stethoscopes, and staph. I don’t wear neckties. As a matter of fact, when friends see me wearing something other than a black silk crewneck, they ask if something’s...