Folks,
It has been a very long time since we checked in on Patty. Let's see how she is doing...
Patty was glad the Hal Lindsay episode was over. It should not have bothered her that he called her “Professor Fatty,” considering the source, but it did. She was even more embarrassed that when she told her husband Rob about the incident, she burst into tears. That was the first time since she had met Rob that she got teary eyed around him. She asked him not to tell anyone. Since then, she had lost nine pounds… only eight more to go.
She was coming home from SMTAI. It was a great show and she learned a lot listening to the technical papers. She also was able to congratulate Hongwen Zhang on receiving his well-deserved Member of Technical Distinction Award.
She was a little early for her flight so she sat in the waiting area by her gate. She was relieved to see that under the seat was a plug, as her laptop’s battery was quite low. When she plugged it in, the plug fell out of the receptacle. She moved to another seat and the plug stayed in but there was no electricity. She tried a third to no avail. Finally, a fellow passenger saw her plight and offered to share the only receptacle that appeared to be working.
Patty was starved, but she kept on working as she had checked on the airline’s website, and they had tasty sandwiches for sale on the plane. Before she knew it, it was time to board. The plane had internet and power plugs, with that and a good meal, she was all set!
After settling into her seat, she plugged her laptop in, as it was almost out of juice, and she was one of the first to board. She had fifteen minutes or so to work on a paper she was writing. However, there was no power coming from the airplane power plug. She mentioned it to the person next to her and he commented that the power plugs may not have power until after takeoff.
So, she got her phone out and sent some texts to her twin sons and her husband Rob. Soon, the plane took off. After a few moments, the pilot announced that it was OK to use laptops.
“See, as soon as we get the OK sign to use our laptops, the power plug came on,” her seatmate said. "The name is John Archer,” he added.
“Patty Coleman,” Patty responded, and shook his hand.
But, Patty was still getting no power.
“Miss, my power plug doesn’t seem to work,” Patty said to a flight attendant.
“Mercy, they haven’t fixed that yet,” the cheerful flight attendant said in a warm, sympathetic way.
Patty groaned.
“I’m sorry, but I am out of power too, and I have to get this report finished soon and send over the plane’s internet or I’m toast. So, I can’t let you use my power plug,” John said sympathetically.
Patty groaned again.
Well, she decided she would continue reading Walter Isaacson’s Elon Musk on her smartphone until they brought the food out.
“Oh, no!” John shouted, “the internet doesn’t work.”
Discussions with the sympathetic flight attendant confirmed that the internet will not be working for the entire flight.
“Well, at least the food is coming out,” Patty thought to herself as she saw the flight attendants moving the food carts into the aisle. Patty thought she might faint if she didn’t eat soon.
“I’ll take the ham salad sandwich, some potato chips and an oatmeal raisin cookie,” Patty asked the same flight attendant.
“That will be $14, honey,” the flight attendant replied.
Patty handed her a credit card.
“I’m sorry honey, we only take payment through our smartphone app,” the flight attendant said.
Patty just about burst into tears; she did not have the app and she knew she couldn’t load it on her smartphone because there was no internet.
“I’ll have the same thing she is having and charge both of ours to my app,” John said to the flight attendant.
He then looked at Patty and said, “By the time you finish your lunch, I will be done with my report. You are welcome to use my power port then.”
Figure 1. Professor Patty Coleman with Colleague Matt Hartman Audting a Manufacturing Facility
Patty thanked John and held her composure, but a careful observer would notice a single tear streaming down her face.
Patty couldn’t remember enjoying a lunch so much. True to his word, he let her charge her computer up, so she was able to get some work done. She finished some of her most urgent work and there was still about 45 minutes of the flight left. She noticed that John was also reading Walter Isaacson’s Elon Musk.
“What do you think of Isaacson’s Elon Musk?” Patty asked John.
“Wow, what a book, what a character, especially his love life,” John chuckled.
“I agree," Patty said.
“What did you think of ‘The Algorithm’ and the ‘Idiot Index’?” Patty continued.
“It’s funny you should mention them! I implemented both into the manufacturing plant that I manage. I think they have the potential to revolutionize our costs and productivity,” John responded excitedly.
What are Musk’s “The Algorithm” and the “Idiot Index?” Could implementing them into your facility revolutionize your costs and productivity?
Stay tuned to found out.
Dr. Ron note: Patty’s experiences at the airport and plane mirrored mine of a short time ago.
This post is from my blog on iConnect. If you want to read the episodes leading up to Patty being called Professor Fatty, go to this link!
Cheers,
Dr. Ron