Hyperactive Bob is the name of the “predictive kitchen management solution” from HyperActive Technologies, based in Pittsburgh, PA. Talk about having a Big Brother around, HyperActive Bob is for quick service restaurants to sort of, well, spy on their employees through a collection of cameras that then report back on several factors. According to their website, here’s what Bob does:
- Predicts what you’ll need to cook and when you’ll need to cook it more quickly and accurately
- Provides customers with the hottest, freshest food possible, while minimizing both food costs and training costs
- Frees your managers to spend more time on their other work, and at the same time, let your cooks perform like seasoned professionals
If you’ve seen the movie, Fight Club, you will understand why Tyler Durden would view the cameras in restaurants as an invasion of privacy. You also probably hope that every restaurant has an equivalent apparatus for ensuring “food quality”. If you’re like me, you just hope that most people do the right thing most of the time, and don’t feel a need for infringing on employee freedom.
I discovered HyperActive Bob while reading last week’s tech section in the Economist. Read the whole article on ‘machines that can see’.
Green Printer
Ever go to a business conference and receive brochure after brochure, sheets upon sheets of marketing collateral, and fancy color prints that are oh, so pretty, but get stuffed in the recycle bin as soon as you return to your office?
Well, now you, as an individual, can feel a little less guilty, and businesses can promote their “eco-friendliness”, as well, by using a green printer. No, they don’t print out your marketing materials IN green, they only use recycled paper and soy- and vegetable-based inks to print. And the quality is often just as good as if you went to a regular printer.
Print Net Inc. is “the ultimate source for eco-printing and packaging”, and is at the forefront of Green Technology in Pittsburgh. In 2008, Print Net won the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s Tech 50 Awards for Green Technology, a prestigious award that recognizes southwestern Pennsylvanian companies for leadership in technology.
Having used Print Net myself for business cards and promotional pieces, I am very happy with both the quality and the service. From books to brochures to binding to packaging and more, Print Net handles a mix of printing needs.
And they make you feel good about not destroying planet earth. Yay!
Love Street Living Foods, an organic, vegan raw foods company, was started by Jon-Michael Kerestes, a Pittsburgh native, in 2007. Today, his vegan and raw chocolate products sell in over 100 stores across the country, including Whole Foods in East Liberty, the East End Co-op, McGinnis Sisters, Oh, Yeah! ice-cream shop in Shadyside, and several other local grocers.
Since tasting Love Street chocolate bars over a year ago, I’ve become quite addicted. And spoonfuls of Love Street raw chocolate coconut spread can place me directly in heaven for about 15 minutes.
You do not have to be a vegan, a vegetarian, or a raw foodie to enjoy this chocolate — it’s just damn good chocolate. And the benefits of being vegan also means that it’s dairy-free, for all you lactose intolerant folk.
Since introducing his line of chocolate products, Mr. Kerestes has also added an entire online catalog of vegan and raw foods including nuts, nut butters, dried berries, salts, olives, oils and supplements, as well as other eco-friendly household products.
Let us know your experiences (good or bad) with Love Street Living Foods via comments.
