HIGHLIGHTS
February 2013 Newsletter
CENTRAL KENTUCKY’S WATER SOLUTIONS COMPANY FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS
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Hi-Tech In the Workplace
LOOK AGAIN. THE WORKER ALONGSIDE YOU MAY BE A ROBOT
Y
FROM THE
PRESIDENT’S DESK
E
ear after year, the software that runs computers and an array of other machines
and devices becomes more sophisticated and powerful and capable of doing
more efficiently tasks that humans have always done. For decades, science fiction
warned of a future when we would be architects of our own obsolescence, replaced
by our machines; an Associated Press analysis finds that the future has arrived.
Five years after the start of the Great Recession, the toll is amazingly clear:
Millions of middle-class jobs have been lost in developed countries the world over.
And the situation is even worse than it appears.
Most of the jobs will never return, and millions more are likely to vanish
as well, say experts who study the labor market. What's more, these jobs aren't just
being lost to China and other developing countries, and they aren't just factory
work. Increasingly, jobs are disappearing in the service sector, home to two-thirds
of all workers.
They're being obliterated by technology.
The global economy is being reshaped by machines that generate and analyze vast amounts of data; by devices such as smartphones and tablet computers that
let people work just about anywhere, even when they're on the move; by smarter,
nimbler robots; and by services that let businesses rent computing power when they
need it, instead of installing expensive equipment and hiring IT staffs to run it.
Whole employment categories, from secretaries to travel agents, are starting to disappear.
Some occupations are beneficiaries of the march of technology, such as
software engineers and Apps designers for smartphones and tablet computers.
Overall, though, technology is eliminating far more jobs than it is creating. Startups account for much of the job growth in developed economies, but software is
allowing entrepreneurs to launch businesses with a third fewer employees than in
the 1990s. There is less need for administrative support and back-office jobs that
handle accounting, payroll and benefits.
It's becoming a self-serve world. Instead of relying on someone else in the
workplace or our personal lives, we use technology to do tasks ourselves. Some find
this frustrating; others like the feeling of control. Either way, this trend will only
grow as software permeates our lives.
Others are more hopeful. They note that technological change over the
centuries eventually has created more jobs than it destroyed, though the wait can
be long and painful.
Many economists are encouraged by history and think the gains eventually will outweigh the losses. But even some of them may have doubts.
"What's different this time is that digital technologies show up in every
corner of the economy," says one self-described "digital optimist." "Your tablet
(computer) is just two or three years old, and it's already taken over our lives."
ver wonder about the security of
your home? Is it safe from a
would-be burglar? Or does a less-thanperfect door become something of a
welcome mat for someone up to no
good?
You may want to think about it,
and here are some points to consider
should you want to give your entryways a quick check:
(1) Replace any hollow doors with
solid-core fiberglass versions, which
are durable and resist rot and warping.
Likewise, if your old solid-wood door is
cracked, rotting or warped, it makes
your home vulnerable.
(2) Remove or replace openings in
doors that are large enough for someone to reach through. A burglar can
reach through a mail slot and unlock
the door, and a small enough child who could be working with a crook could crawl in through a pet door and
let others in. Likewise, replace decorative glass sidelights, which are easy to
break, with impact-resistant glass.
(3) Equip every sliding-glass door
with a Charley bar and a sturdy lock. NOTE: The above story is excerpted from an extensive article appearing on
(continued on back)
NBCNews.com. Similar stories have appeared on other sites.
FOCUS: KENTUCKY UNDERGROUND STORAGE, INC.
KUSI CHOSEN BY JESSAMINE CHAMBER FOR INDUSTRY HONOR
K
entucky Underground Storage Inc., KUSI for short, was recognized recently as the Industry of the Year by the Jessamine County Chamber of
Commerce. The award was presented at the Chamber’s Annual Awards
Banquet.
Jeff Baier, Director of Business Development for KUSI, accepted on behalf
of the company. In his acceptance comments, Mr. Baier remembered what
JoAnn Griffin said about her husband Bill back when the family first learned
that he had acquired the quarry in Jessamine County, “We thought he had lost
his mind!!”
With KUSI and Highbridge Springs now in their fourth decade operating
in the same quarry, Mr. Griffin doesn’t look at all like someone who had lost his
mind.
Pictured with Highbridge president Linda Slagel at the
Jessamine County Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet
recently are KUSI’s Jeff Baier (left) and Jared Porter.
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
(continued from front)
(4) All around your house, replace
any deadbolt locks that don't have at
least a 1-inch-long throw.
(5) With French doors, install bolt
locks on the inside of the door that
slide into the bottom of the door
frame
(6) Make your garage door less of
an easy mark for thieves. First, remove
the rope that lets you pull the door
open manually if your automatic
opener breaks down. Crooks have a
way of squeezing a wire through the
top of a garage door and hooking it
onto that rope to let themselves in.
Foil that by replacing the rope with a
4-foot, 3/4-inch wood dowel with a
small hook on the end.
Second, unplug your garage-door
opener before you leave for a vacation. Thieves have figured out how to
"steal" the signal that your remote
control uses to open the garage.
(7) Treat the door that separates
the garage from the house like an
exterior door. Install a deadbolt lock.
Not much can upset us like discovering we have had an unwanted visitor. These few simple steps can provide both security and peace of mind.
Linda Slagel
PRACTICING VOODOO
T
he popular contemporary ensemble Big
Bad VooDoo Daddy was the featured
act at a recent presentation of the
WoodSong’s Old-Time Radio Hour, which
has recently moved its performances to the
Lyric Theatre in downtown Lexington. It
was a special night as it was the 700th show
for WoodSongs. And Highbridge was there
to help smooth the vocals.
VooDoo’s Andy Rowley
Valentines Day: Just Add Water
VALENTINES DAY, A TIME TO PUT A TOUCH OF SWEETNESS
IN THE WINTRY MONTH OF FEBRUARY. HOW BEST TO SAY “BE MY VALENTINE?”
Roses, but they will make a costly gift
Chocolate candies, delicious, but they, too, can take a toll on the budget.
How about . . .
Hot chocolate, made with everyone’s favorite: Highbridge Spring Water.
Now here is a tasty and thoughtful idea for the budget-minded romantic . . .
A roaring fire, maybe a single rose, and a simmering cup of hot chocolate and
Highbridge. Match point!
BUY 4
WINTER DEAL!
CASES OF
12
OZ., HALF-LITER, OR LITER BOTTLES
AND GET ONE FREE CASE.
CALL 859-858-4407
FOR DETAILS.