Greg Goes Flying

There's a remarkable building in suburban Seattle where one can literally go flying - hovering in the air without any normal support and Greg had been sitting on a gift ticket to go flying. Well, he and we decided to take up the opportunity and turn it into reality.

So Greg was kitted up in his 'flying suit' and we awaited his turn perhaps 20 minutes later while watching others go flying. In effect people were supported in midair by a massive updraught generated by a machine at the base of a tubular structure.

Here an assistant holds on to a patron (not Greg) who floats horizontally.

And by powering up the blast air from underneath 'flyers' can soar in the up-draft aided by the assistant why tries to keep the patron near horizontal and therefore able to gain maximum support from the updraught. And here's Greg taking his turn in learning to fly. I'd like to have a turn one day. (hint, hint!)

AS

Amazoned

Seattle is the home of Amazon, perhaps now the world's most valuable corporation. And we were privileged to gain entry to Amazon Go, the new form of a supermarket that the company is experimenting with at a trial store in the middle of the city. But before then we visited the Amazon Spheres, a new form office block that lay almost next to Amazon Go. All I can say is that the spheres were 'out of this world' as far as a working office building is concerned. Apart from a visitor centre in the nearest sphere shown here, the building performs normal office functions with an interesting addition. There are something like 20,000 plants in this structure from hundreds - if not thousands - of species and, in effect, the offices form part of a herbarium!

 And the credo is stated here.

 
The visitor centre was very interesting and aesthetic as shown here, as one might expect from a hugely innovative company.

And here's the entrance to Amazon Go. On entering, the shopper, in this case Emily, swiped her phone to identify the shopper and provide bank details so that the cost of the purchases could be debited automatically.

On entering, one picked up an Amazon shopping bag and then proceeded as usual to take goods off a shelf.

All this might seem normal but it wasn't at all! Sensors knew which goods were put into the bag ... or returned to the shelf! So the shop kept an automatic inventory of everything selected. When that job was over, all the customer had to do was walk out and, at that moment, the cost was automatically deducted from one's account!

And here we've located the shoppers outside the front entrance dying to sample the ice-creams they knew were inside!

Those ice-creams were demolished in the gardens right next to this office block also owned by Amazon.

 Returning to the shopping for a moment, I've heard that the second iteration of this experiment will only have one representative of each product on the 'shelves' and one will order items and quantities by waving a mobile phone or similar device in front of a bar-code. Have made one's selections the purchaser walks out and returns home. Some time later a driverless truck will arrive at your door and leave a box, or bags, with everything you ordered. The bags were packed in an automated warehouse staffed by robots. Now the supermarket has done away with (a) check-out chicks; (b) shelf-stackers; (c) and a lot of warehouse staff! Prices should be much more competitive.

AS

Ella and Flynn Build 'Bears'

There's a lovely shop we visited in a local suburban shopping centre, Lynnwood I think, called Build a Bear Workshop. Both Ella and Flynn wanted to buy and dress a 'bear' just before the latter's fifth birthday.

Here's a sample of their merchandise in the window and, as you can see, there's a terrific selection of 'animals'.

The first task was to select an unstuffed outer skin as both kids have done here. Ella chose Eevey and Flynn something from Starwars, possible Darth Vader himself.

The next task was to fill the skins with some kind of stuffing and stitch them up.

Here's Dot with the kids and their purchases.

Then they have to be 'dressed' with 'clothes' from a massive choice in the store, and it's possible to try on various garments just as one would buying one's own gear.

The next step was, of all things' to print a birth certificate! You can see Flynn looking at the screen here, and the finished product.

And here's Ella's completed choice - Eevey - with its neat uniform.

AS