Getting Started With MTConnect - Sites, Videos and White Papers

I often get asked the question, "where can I learn more about MTConnect?"

FYI, this URL is http://TinyURL.com/MTConnect

Well, here is what I typically send those individuals:

Below are some MTConnect URLs worth checking out:

• MTConnect.org - THE site for MTConnect
• github.com/MTConnect - lots of source code, binaries and information on exactly how MTConnect works at the lowest level
• MTConnect Forum - Q & A as well as discussions
• MTConnect Users Portal - some good info here
  
• MTConnect videos and training from the [MC]2 2013 MTConnect: Connecting Manufacturing Conference 
• Using Excel as a simple monitor for MTConnect
• agent.MTConnect.org -- this is where the MTConnect simulator is running. You can just type this into your browser and give simple commands such as:
  • http://agent.MTConnect.org/probe
  • http://agent.MTConnect.org/current
  • http://agent.MTConnect.org/sample

• NOTE: To access the videos you will simply need a free login or a temporary login by putting in your name and an email address. You do this at the first page of MTConnect.org

• [MC]2 2015 MTConnect: Connecting Manufacturing Conference that is coming the end of April in Chicago
• MTConnect: To Measure Is To Know by Dave Edstrom - technical info on MTConnect is on pages 125 to 202

Further Reading

Getting Started With MTConnect - Shop Floor Monitoring, What's In It For You?

White paper

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Getting Started With MTConnect - Connectivity Guide

White paper

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Sustainable Aerospace Manufacturing Initiative

Project report

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Recommending the Addition of Devices, Components, and Data Items to the MTConnect Standard

Guide

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Getting Started with MTConnect: Architecture

Guide

Indiana's Right To Hate and Discriminate Law

It is unbelievable to think that in 2015 we can see such hateful and discriminatory laws.  Is this what the Republicans mean by "American Exceptionalism"?

As Tim Cook said in the Washington Post, "There’s something very dangerous happening in states across the country."

Mr. Cook went on to say, "Our message, to people around the country and around the world, is this: Apple is open. Open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love. Regardless of what the law might allow in Indiana or Arkansas, we will never tolerate discrimination.

Men and women have fought and died fighting to protect our country’s founding principles of freedom and equality. We owe it to them, to each other and to our future to continue to fight with our words and our actions to make sure we protect those ideals. The days of segregation and discrimination marked by “Whites Only” signs on shop doors, water fountains and restrooms must remain deep in our past. We must never return to any semblance of that time. America must be a land of opportunity for everyone."

The only thing that the Republicans in Indiana will likely understand is when businesses start pulling out of Indiana.  When it costs the businesses in Indiana real money, then perhaps these businesses will be able to convince these Republicans in Indiana that the right to hate law is not only wrong from a moral standpoint, it is stupid from a business standpoint.

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) "how someday becomes today"

Extremely interesting and positive article and interview on Leukemia.

Thanks to my cousin Daniel for sending this to me and my father.

McMaster University "Data Driven Manufacturing Panel"

I have been invited to attend and sit on the "Data Driven Manufacturing Panel" at the 3rd Annual McMaster University Industry Open house.  At Memex Automation we are fortunate to have a great relationship with McMaster University.  I spoke there earlier in the year and the title of my talk was, The 3 M's of Manufacturing - Manufacturing, MTConnect and Massive Data.

Below is from the McMaster University website on this event:

9 Apr 2015

McMaster Manufacturing Forum: Annual INDUSTRY OPEN HOUSE

Congrats to Corvette's First Overall Win in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 50 years

Great article on the huge Corvette win at Sebring:

Below is a snippet:

"On an unseasonably hot, humid day and night -- even for Florida -– the No. 5 Action Express Racing Mustang Sampling Corvette DP team remained cool and collected, taking the overall victory Saturday in the 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.

It was the first overall win for a Chevrolet in 50 years –- since a Chevy-powered Chaparral won in 1965. Coincidentally, the Chaparral was the featured car at this year’s race, and that winning car was on hand."

TV Segment on Memex Automation's $800,000 Funding from FED DEV

Here is a link to a TV segment on CHCH that discusses the up to $800,000 I wrote about earlier.

As is stated on CHCH:  

"A Burlington company is getting a big financial boost.

Memex Automation is getting an $800,000 investment to help it develop new automation technology software. Manufacturers can use the software on their products to track the productivity and efficiency of their machines.

Federal economic development minister Gary Goodyear talked about the importance for Memex, as well as the city of Burlington. “This particular project will create 16 high-quality jobs right here in the Burlington area.”
 “What’s brilliant about this particular project is, if other manufacturers adopt this technology, they too could expand, and grow, and create more jobs in their own plant. That’s the idea behind the federal government’s initiatives in partnering with these types of projects.”
During the announcement, the president and CEO of Memex thanked the government and said it was a great day for the company."

Trickle Down Economics Refuted in Minnesota

Very interesting article on Minnesota governors Pawlenty and Dayton that should be a lesson to the trickle down economics, flat earthers, global warming is a hoax, the earth is 6,000 years old and evolution is just a theory crowd:

Below is a snippet from the article:

"When he took office in January of 2011, Minnesota governor Mark Dayton inherited a $6.2 billion budget deficit and a 7 percent unemployment rate from his predecessor, Tim Pawlenty, the soon-forgotten Republican candidate for the presidency who called himself Minnesota's first true fiscally-conservative governor in modern history. Pawlenty prided himself on never raising state taxes -- the most he ever did to generate new revenue was increase the tax on cigarettes by 75 cents a pack. Between 2003 and late 2010, when Pawlenty was at the head of Minnesota's state government, he managed to add only 6,200 more jobs.

During his first four years in office, Gov. Dayton raised the state income tax from 7.85 to 9.85 percent on individuals earning over $150,000, and on couples earning over $250,000 when filing jointly -- a tax increase of $2.1 billion. He's also agreed to raise Minnesota's minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2018, and passed a state law guaranteeing equal pay for women. Republicans like state representative Mark Uglem warned against Gov. Dayton's tax increases, saying, "The job creators, the big corporations, the small corporations, they will leave. It's all dollars and sense to them." The conservative friend or family member you shared this article with would probably say the same if their governor tried something like this. But like Uglem, they would be proven wrong."

I love the final paragraph:

"It's official -- trickle-down economics is bunk. Minnesota has proven it once and for all. If you believe otherwise, you are wrong."

Great Article on Corvette Z06 at Maxim

Lawrence Ulrich writes a GREAT article at Maxim titled:

The Ferocious Chevy Corvette Z06 

Is the Fastest 'Vette Ever

It is a long article that is extremely well written.  Below are a few snippets that grabbed my attention:

"Drinking from the deep technical well of LeMans-winning Corvette endurance racers, the track-centric Z06 coupe torches 60 mph in 2.95 seconds. That’s with the optional eight-speed, paddle-shifted automatic, a gearbox that sends the dawdling old six-speed to the shitbox of history. The quarter-mile flashes past in 10.95 seconds at 127 mph. The car generates a spleen-crushing 1.2 g’s of lateral force through curves, and stops from 60 mph in less than 100 feet. Those two numbers will almost surely set records for a production automobile. How forceful are those Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes? From 25 mph, the Corvette can halt in less than one car length. Neighborhood cats and dogs will be thankful."

 Mr. Ulrich ends with the following:

"The most capable Corvette in history is also the screaming bargain that’s been advertised. The coupe starts at $78,995, the convertible for $83,995. One coupe I drive stickers for $82,000, or less money than a loaded BMW M3 or M4—cars that the Corvette will chew up and spit out like day-old Chiclets. A deluxe, leather-swaddled model with the Z07 goodies checks out at $95,130, a bit below 100 grand, less than you’d spend on a stripper Porsche 911 with 400 horsepower."

"This, for a car that will beat Ferrari 458s, Porsche 911 Turbos and any Lamborghini, ever – cars that cost from two to four times the ‘Vette’s price. The only cars in existence that will beat this Z06’s lap times, and not by much, are the million-dollar babies, cars like the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder.  The Z06, of course, is a Chevrolet, not a Ferrari, and its lower price is partially explained by its lower position in the automotive social order. But Z06 buyers, distinctly chip-on-shoulder types, will see that as yet another advantage: They’ll love nothing more than hunting down hoity-toity cars, and their owners. After one screw-you blast from the Z06, sniffy, arrogant exotic owners will need a new pastime: Instead of looking down on the Corvette, they’ll watch its ass receding into the distance."

 

 

Lost Rhino Ian, Kalesh and Dave Who Buys Next Token

I have found that simply setting up a blog post with a token is the easiest way to track who buys next.  You just google it :-)

I always enjoy getting together with the leaders of the AMT's MTInsight group!

• I bought in December 2014
• Kalesh bought March 10th, 2015
• Ian bought on September 21st, 2015 
• I bought in January 2016 
• Kalesh bought in January 2017
• Ian bought on May 23rd, 2017 at Brambleton Lost Rhino
• I bought on November 29th, 2017 at Ocelot Brewing 

A 20 Minute Ride In a Tesla Roadster With Curt Harpold

After the Sun get together yesterday with Adrian Cockcroft, and other Sun folks -  Curt Harpold gave me a ride in his Tesla Roadster.  I really enjoyed the ride and learned a lot.  We went out for a 20 minute ride where Curt showed me the some of the (all legal, no speeding) acceleration of the Tesla.

An interesting historical note that came out during breakfast was that when Tesla was just starting to design the Roadster, they wanted to go for a ride in a Lotus Elise.  People in Silicon Valley knew Adrian had one so Tesla called up Adrian.  As I told Adrian at breakfast when I heard the story, "Tesla should have called it the "Adrian" :-)  I have been out with Adrian a few times in his Lotus and it also is a very fun car.

John Meyer and I tried to convince Curt and Adrian to see the light and get a Corvette, but we had no luck.  As I told both Adrian and Curt, "they don't write songs about Teslas, but they do Corvettes" :-)

I went for a test drive in a Tesla Model S in the fall of 2013 that was an absolute blast.

Please enjoy this 20 minute video in a Tesla Roadster.

Sun Get Together With Adrian Cockcroft

Adrian Cockcroft, former Sun Distinguished Engineer (DE), eBay DE, Chief Architect at Netflix (the guy who was responsible for the architecture that turned Netflix from just mailing out DVDs to be the leaders they are in on demand viewing) and currently with Battery Ventures was in town with his wife Laurel and we got together a few of the ole SUNWers for brunch in McLean.

From left to right is Laurel, David Sneed, Curt Harpold, Adrian, John Meyer, me and Bob Sneed. Behind us, from left to right, is Curt's Tesla Roadster, John's 2010 Corvette and my 2011 Grand Sport Corvette.

It was great getting together to tell a few Sun stories, talk technology, and cars.  We did talk a little about MTConnect and Memex Automation.  It is also interesting how many people have CNC experience at some point in their background.  Far and away the #1 topic was electric vehicles and Sun stories.

Above is Curt in front of his latest Tesla Roadster.  Curt took me for a fun ride that was a very educational.  I have to admit, there is nothing like the immediacy of an electric motor. I need to finish up editing my 20 minute video took when Curt gave me a ride and will post that.

I am now a professional blogger :-)

A couple of years ago I turned on monetization for this blog.  I just received my first payment.  I can now honestly say I am a professional blogger.  Of course, to work a few years for a very nice dinner out might now pay the bills, but it is still nice to get paid :-)

Memex Automation (TSX-V: OEE) qualifies for up to $800,000 in funding from FedDev Ontario

Yesterday was a very exciting day at Memex Automation!

 

March 19, 2015   Press Releases

Burlington, ON, Canada – March 19, 2015 – Astrix Networks Inc. (“Astrix”), (operating as Memex Automation (“Memex”) (TSX-V: OEE), the global leader of manufacturing Machine to Machine (M2M) productivity software, has qualified for up to $800,000 in Government of Canada funding directed specifically towards the continued development of its flagship product, MERLIN (Manufacturing Enterprise Real-time Lean Information Network) software. The funding announcement took place today at the company’s Burlington head office in a joint press conference with Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, Gary Goodyear, and local Burlington Member of Parliament, Mike Wallace, along with senior company executives.

The Government of Canada’s repayable contribution, through FedDev Ontario’s Investing in Business Innovation (IBI) initiative, is aimed at strengthening the innovation ecosystem in southern Ontario by supporting new entrepreneurs, early-stage businesses and angel investors.

IBI provides a repayable contribution of up to one-third of eligible costs of a project. A key element to the Memex Automation’s qualification for this initiative was the successful completion of its $2 million non-brokered private placement completed last August, representing two-thirds of the project cost. The company will be responsible for repaying all funds advanced without interest commencing in 2017.

“Advanced technologies are increasingly being adopted by our manufacturers as they seek to improve their competitiveness,” said Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for FedDev Ontario. “This investment is an example of how our Government is helping manufacturers stay in the region to create new jobs and foster innovation.”

“Memex Automation is changing how manufacturers operate by providing ways to maximize the efficiency of existing machines on the shop floor,” said Mike Wallace, Member of Parliament for Burlington. “Our Government is proud to support this innovative technology that will help businesses in such a key sector of our economy.”

“We are grateful for the support from the Government of Canada’s Investing in Business Innovation initiative from FedDev Ontario” said David McPhail, President and CEO of Memex Automation.  “Memex Automation is a high-growth company that is adding knowledge-based jobs in Canada while we transform the productivity of global manufacturing firms with our shop-floor-to-top-floor communications technology. This important funding will be invested in accelerating the development and world-wide customer adoption of our MERLIN (Manufacturing Enterprise Real-time Lean Information Network) software solution.”

About FedDev Ontario:

The Government of Canada’s Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) delivers programs and services to help create, retain and grow businesses, cultivate partnerships and build strong communities. FedDev Ontario’s programming is designed to support a strong southern Ontario economy and position the region to compete globally. For more information, please visit www.FedDevOntario.gc.ca.

About Memex Automation:

Memex Automation provides award winning software to measure Machine to Machine (M2M) productivity and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (“OEE”) in real-time. MERLIN (Manufacturing Enterprise Real-time Lean Information Network) generates OEE metrics for each machine in every plant. MERLIN is used by leading machine tool companies as a complete shop floor communications platform.  For more information, please visit: www.memex.ca.

Media Contacts

Leanne Rattray, Communications Specialist
Phone: 905-635-1540 ext. 103
Email: leanne.rattray@memex.ca

David McPhail, CEO
Phone: 519-993-1114
Email: david.mcphail@memex.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To see the full press release, please click here.

Above is the Honorable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario announcing that Memex Automation has qualified for up to $800,000 in Government of Canada funding directed specifically towards the continued development of its flagship product, MERLIN (Manufacturing Enterprise Real-time Lean Information Network) software. 

 Above is Mike Wallace, Member of Parliament for Burlington speaking on the importance of small businesses such as Memex in the Burlington area.

Above is David McPhail, President, CEO and Chairman of the Board for Memex Automation giving his acceptance speech.

Above is the Honorable Gary Goodyear and Mike Wallace watching the demo of MERLIN.

Online media reports

 

Canadian Manufacturing Magazine (on its Web site and in its email newsletter sent today)

Burlington, Ont. software firm nabs $800K in federal funding

http://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/manufacturing/burlington-ont-software-firm-nabs-800k-in-federal-funding-146397/

 

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (using Federal release) 

CME congratulates Burlington, ON-based Memex Automation on FedDev Ontario investment

http://www.cme-mec.ca/?lid=JCKNC-E742G-1W6JA&comaction=show&cid=GABGG-8Q536-UECRY

 

Burlington Gazette

Mike Wallace helps federal minister deliver cheques for $899,093 to innovative Burlington corporations; is there an election coming?

http://www.burlingtongazette.ca/?p=37441

 

CHML radio

FedDev investments boost growing Burlington companies

http://www.900chml.com/2015/03/19/32227/

 

Shop Metalworking Technology

$800,000 in fed funding for Memex Automation

http://shopmetaltech.com/industry-update/800-000-in-fed-funding-for-memex-automation.html

 

FF Journal

Memex Automation (TSX-V:OEE) qualifies for up to $800,000 in funding from FedDev Ontario 

http://www.ffjournal.net/item/12894-memex-automation-qualifies-for-up-to-$800000-in-funding-from-feddev-ontario.html

 

Electronic Products and Technology 

Machine Monitoring boosts machine tool productivity

http://www.ept.ca/pressroom/ProductDetail.aspx?id=14778&er=NA

This item was already in process and was posted today. It is about MERLIN as a "Hot New Product"

 

Postings of press releases

 

Marketwired

Memex Automation (TSX-V:OEE) qualifies for up to $800,000 in funding from FedDev Ontario 

http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/harper-government-supports-memex-automation-technology-improve-manufacturing-productivity-2002017.htm

 

FedDev Posting 

Harper government supports Memex Automation technology to improve manufacturing technology

http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=952469

 

Government of Canada News sites 

Harper government supports Memex Automation technology to improve manufacturing technology

http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=952469

http://nouvelles.gc.ca/web/article-fr.do?mthd=tp&crtr.page=2&nid=952469&crtr.tp1D=1  (French language)

 

Minister Goodyear's remarks

Investing in Business Innovation Initiative funding announcement for Memex Automation

http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=952479

 

Ruth Thompson Edstrom - The Greatest Artist Who Ever Lived

My mother, Ruth Thompson Edstrom, is the GREATEST artist who EVER LIVED.

I say that with no qualifiers. Anyone who disagrees with me is going to have a problem :-) 

How can I make that statement?  Easy, my mother is a long time professional artist who is an EXCELLENT artist who ALSO has found the perfect market segment.  The market segment is custom paintings of loved ones in particular scenes where this is no single photo to paint from. 

I will give you a real life example that has happened to me countless times that will drive home the overall point.  I will run into a friend of the family who my mother has painted one of her custom paintings for.  This person will say, "you know David, I cannot thank your mother enough for that painting of my granddaughters playing in the backyard of our farm house.  That farm house no longer exists and when I see my grand daughters playing there it gives me and my husband such great joy.  Your mother took a photo of my grand daughters along with a photo of the farm house and painted them together just as we remembered and it is the most precious thing we own."

The logic is absolutely brilliant!  She has done hundreds of these paintings and everyone is incredible impressed and grateful.  Think about this for a second, EVERYONE has a memory of a loved at a particular event BUT they may not have a photo of it.  People often think, I wish smartphones would have been invented then or I wish I would have owned a nice camera that could captured my son catching his first fish, my daughter playing in her first softball game or my grandmother sitting on the porch swing with her five youngest grandchildren.  The list goes on and on. 

How does it work?  People bring them photos of their children, grandchildren, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, friends, pets, you name it ALONG WITH scenes where they have the most fond memories of those individuals.  They then ask that my mother paint those individuals maybe sitting, playing, running or whatever they remember these individuals doing and put them in a particular scene such as on vacation or at a ball park.

There is study after study that talks about happiness.  The bottom line is that you can go buy the latest Corvette Stingray and that will give you some happiness for a short period of time.  If you take your entire extended family on a memorable vacation, such as a cruise in the Mediterranean along with a European vacation, those memories will give you happiness the rest of your life.

Why is alzheimer's disease such a cruel disease compared to even cancer?  Because it takes away who we are and who we are is nothing more and nothing less than our most precious memories.  To have those precious memories captured in a painting is priceless!

What my mother has found is that the best ROI for happiness is the ability to give people their most precious memories in a medium that is timeless - a painting.  Not just a painting, but a painting of someone they love in a scene they remember most.

Yes, it is nice to have the background image on your smartphone of your kids playing with your first dog, Spike, when he was just a puppy.  But that image on your smartphone pales in comparison to a painting of that same image where you are able to add the grandparents in the background who are also watching because when you took the photo grandpa and grandma had not yet arrived.

Just as there is something timeless about a black and white photo versus a color photo, there is also something even more timeless about a painting.  Most of our walls at home are fantastic paintings that my mother has done.  I have told my family that if there is ever a fire and you have the time, grab grandma's paintings and leave everything else behind.  My two Corvettes can burn up in the garage and I would be much more upset if something happened to the paintings my mother has created.

I should also say that my mother is not limited to these custom paintings, it is just that these are the ones that truly touch people in ways that words cannot describe.

Here is my mother, Ruth Thompson Edstrom's Art Site ( RuthEdstromArt.com )  

Give your friends, your loved ones or yourself the most priceless gift of all - a timeless painting.  Go visit Ruth Thompson Edstrom's Art Site ( RuthEdstromArt.com ) today!

 RuthEdstromArt.com was designed and created by middle son Michael Edstrom. 

Happy pi Day - 3.14.15

As stated at www.piday.org/:

"Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14) around the world. Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159.
Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point. As an irrational and transcendental number, it will continue infinitely without repetition or pattern. While only a handful of digits are needed for typical calculations, Pi’"

Going For A Ride In "Strati" The World's First 3D Printed Car With Jay Rogers of Local Motors

I was attending Manufacturing For Growth (MFG) Conference which is run by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) and the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) where I had a chance to speak with Jay Rogers, CEO and Co-Founder of Local Motors, after his closing keynote.  Jay and I met a few years back when he spoke at another AMT event.

Jay gave a great  closing keynote to the five day conference titled, "Welcome to the Third Industrial Revolution –Local Motors and the 3D-Printed Car".  Jay quoted Sun Microsystems co-founder and computer science legend (known as the Edison of the Internet) Bill Joy in his talk - which I was very impressed that .  I wrote about Bill Joy's famous quote that Jay referred to, "not all the smart people work for you" four years ago for AMT's IMTS Insider and also posted that article to my blog.  During the question and answer section I asked Jay a question regarding Elon Musk's stance on patents.  He gave a very clear and compelling answer that I fully agreed with. My view on patents has been expressed a number of times in this blog with the latest being a year ago on patent trolls.

Below is Jay and me standing in front of Strati - the world's first 3D printed car which was created by Jay and Local Motors and brought to Orlando, Florida to be at the MFG Conference.

Below is Jay giving me a ride in the world's first 3D printed car!

1.25 Million Share-options Issued to Senior Management Team

February 25, 2015   Press Releases

Burlington, ON, Canada – February 25, 2015 – Astrix Networks Inc. (“Astrix”), operating as Memex Automation (“Memex”) (TSX-V: OEE), the global leader of manufacturing M2M productivity software, approved at its last Board Meeting, February 23, 2015, the granting of a total of 1.25 million share options to its five member senior management team, 250,000 to each member.  The share options are exercisable at a price of $0.15 per share and vest over the next three years, with half vesting on February 23, 2017 and the remaining half vesting on February 23, 2018. The share options expire on February 23, 2020.

About Memex Automation:

Astrix Networks Inc., (TSX-V:OEE), provides award-winning software to measure Machine to Machine (M2M) productivity and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (“OEE”) in real-time. MERLIN (Manufacturing Enterprise Real-time Lean Information Network) generates OEE metrics for each machine in every plant. MERLIN is used by leading machine tool companies as a complete shop floor communications platform.  For more information, please visit: www.memex.ca.

Media Contacts

Leanne Rattray, Communications Specialist
Phone: 905-635-1540 ext. 103
Email: leanne.rattray@memex.ca

David McPhail, CEO
Phone: 519-993-1114
Email: david.mcphail@memex.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release

To see the full press release, please click here.

Astrix Surpasses $500,000 in Sales for its First Quarter of Fiscal 2015

February 26, 2015   Press Releases

Burlington, ON, Canada – February 26, 2015 – Astrix Networks Inc. (“Astrix”), operating as Memex Automation (“Memex”) (TSX-V: OEE), the global leader of manufacturing M2M productivity software, released its financial results and operational highlights for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.

For the first time in its history, Astrix surpassed the half-million dollar mark in quarterly sales with a total of $501,178 for the latest period, ended December 31, 2014.  This compares with total sales of $207,000 in the prior quarter, and $157,000 in the same quarter of the prior year, increases of 142% and 219% respectively.  The company also saw its highest quarterly gross margin since inception at $334,000.

Company President, David McPhail, provides comment on Astrix achieving this milestone. “We are pleased with the increase in the customer adoption rate of our technology, reflected in the Q1-2015 sales numbers. Revenues include new MERLIN customers as well as additional follow on revenue from our existing MERLIN customers. Total revenue for the quarter just completed is the highest Astrix has experienced thus far.”

About Memex Automation:

Astrix Networks Inc., (TSX-V:OEE), provides award-winning software to measure Machine to Machine (M2M) productivity and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (“OEE”) in real-time. MERLIN (Manufacturing Enterprise Real-time Lean Information Network) generates OEE metrics for each machine in every plant. MERLIN is used by leading machine tool companies as a complete shop floor communications platform.  For more information, please visit: www.memex.ca.

Media Contacts
Leanne Rattray, Communications Specialist
Phone: 905-635-1540 ext. 103
Email: leanne.rattray@memex.ca
David McPhail, CEO
Phone: 519-993-1114
Email: david.mcphail@memex.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To see the full press release, please click here.

Hillary Clinton's Email

If this is true that Hillary Clinton was using a private email for official government business then this should disqualify her for any future offices.  There are thousands of reasons why this is a very bad idea and I can't think of one good one unless the US Government is incapable of running a secure email system - which I find impossible to believe.

Now my republican friends should be happy that I busted on a democrat in my blog :-)

Rudy Guiliani's IDIOTIC Comment on President Obama

When someone like Rudy Guiliani goes after President Obama with an incredibly stupid comment such as:

"I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America," Giuliani said, according to Politico. "He doesn't love you. And he doesn't love me. He wasn't brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country." 

Then you need to look no further than either The Daily Show With Jon Stewart or The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore to appreciate just how TRULY IDIOTIC a comment that it is.

Below is Jon Stewart ripping that idiotic comment apart:

The Daily Show

Daily Show Full Episodes,  More Daily Show Videos,  Comedy Central Full Episodes

Here is Larry Wilmore going after that idiotic comment.

1966 Christmas Gift To My Parents

I was at my parents when they were having a stair lift installed and I saw this ashtray upstairs. This is what you made for your parents for Christmas if you were 7 years old in 1966.  I think the teacher had all of us make ashtrays for their parents.  I laughed when I saw this. Could you imagine a teacher in 2015 suggesting that EVERY 2nd grader should make their parents ashtrays? It would likely make national news :-)

You can barely see the 12/66 on the bottom of the ashtray.

FBI Director James Comey Brave Talk on Race and Law Enforcement

This is the bravest speech on race and law enforcement I have ever heard -- and it came from FBI Director James Comey at Georgetown University.  Director Comey became a hero to me and many when he stood up to (as stated in the Washington Post on May 16th, 2007,  "White House Counsel Alberto R. Gonzales and President Bush's chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., were on their way to the hospital to persuade Ashcroft to reauthorize Bush's domestic surveillance program, which the Justice Department had just determined was illegal."

Weekend With The Groundwater's in Breckenridge

Julie and I spent Saturday and Sunday in Breckenridge with Neil and Beth Groundwater - flying back on Monday.  We had a wonderful time!  Thanks to Neil and Beth for a great weekend as well as they picked us up and dropped us from DIA. Thanks for picking us up and dropping us off at the Denver airport as well.

Above are the great views of the Rockies as we drove in.

Below is Julie and I at the Continental Divide.

I was interested in actually walking into a pot store to see what it looked like.  NO, I did not buy or try anything.  They do ID you and you must be 21 to enter. It's a real money maker for the town and the state apparently.  Neil told a great story about being at a local event where a policeman walked up to a young man and said, "excuse me sir, I think you dropped your bag of pot."  It does not appear to be a big deal to the citizens in Breckenridge.  A challenge is that all business is cash only including paying their employees as well as taxes.  In addition, the pot that is candy form can be confusing for some people - see Maureen Dowd's experience with a THC candy bar she THOUGHT was just a regular candy bar.   The pot stores are sort of like to going to the ABC store for some folks.  It should be interesting to see what other states do in this area - especially those states with revenue shortfalls. 

Below we are at Keystone getting red to head up for lunch.

Below are the four of us at the top of Keystone before we had a very nice brunch at Alpenglow Stube Restaurant.

Above we are at The Outpost at Keystone in front of the fireplace on top of the mountain.

Below we had a very nice brunch at Alpenglow Stube Restaurant.  From left to right is Beth, Neil, me and Julie.

Below is a video tour of the Alpenglow Stube Restaurant.

Below is a card from a Jacquard loom that Neil gave me - very cool!

Below is a snowcat for grooming the slopes at night.

Sunday night Neil and I hit a few bars in Breckenridge while the ladies hit the hot tub.

We had a FANTASTIC time!  Thanks Neil and Beth!

Will There Be A Pro-Science and Pro-Data Republican Who Runs For President?

After reading Richard Cohen's great article titled, "Walker's inartful dodge - The governor should have answered a question on evolution", I continue to be absolutely amazed how in 2015 we can have "presidential candidates" who do not believe in science or data! How is this possible? Well, we all know how it is possible.  The republicans have to play to their pro-religion and anti-science base that's why.  It is no more complicated then that.

As Richard Cohen so eloquently stated when talking about Walker, "My faux conservative heart sank. My pretend hero is either an ignoramus or a coward. It is simply not possible to contest evolution, since it is the basis of all the biological sciences. The issue is closed, not debatable, and while I am obliged to say something nice about those who prefer the biblical story of creation, I have to point out that countless people somehow manage a practical synthesis and believe in both — evolution and religion. It can be done."

Cohen then discusses Governor Christie, "The once-courageous Chris Christie had also visited the British capital on yet another trade mission — New Jersey exports tomatoes and attitude — when he was asked about whether kids should be required to get the measles vaccine."

Mr. Cohen continued in his article below:

"My God, what a tough question! The governor who chased people off the beach before Superstorm Sandy and whose aides put a full nelson on the George Washington Bridge said the choice should be left to the parents. Why? On account of their medical/scientific knowledge? On account of something they had once seen on “Oprah” or “Larry King Live” where Jenny McCarthy inveighed against vaccines? No. The answer was clear: pander. The self-styled Pander Slayer was pandering to his supposed base in yonder Iowa."

Someday my grandchildren will ask me WHY my generation screwed up the planet so badly.  My response will be, "you're right, it was MY generation that screwed things up because religion beat out science for topics that were 100% about science." 

Thanks Mr. Cohen!

What am I doing about it?  Writing blog posts and ripping people new a$$holes when they start talking complete crap like this.  This is just as stupid as saying the sun rotates around the earth...

Harley Earl and Steve Jobs - Great Article at CNN

Thom Patterson writes a great article at CNN titled:

Steve Jobs and the king of stylish cars

Below is a snippet from the article talking about what Harley Earl created:

"During his heyday spanning the 1930s to the late '50s, Earl created innovations that were decades ahead of their time:

-Rear backup cameras connected to dashboard video

-An automated driving system

-Collision warning alarms

-Cruise control

-Keyless entry

-Onboard computers

-Rain-sensing technology

Earl was the first, say experts, to meld car style with functionality — kind of like what Apple's Steve Jobs did with personal computers."

Mr. Patterson ends with:

"So why ISN'T Harley Earl a household name? Should he be?

For a lot of people who aren't enthusiasts, it's not particularly important who designed the car," Gross said. "I don't know that anyone is going to erect a statue to Harley Earl, but I think it's important that he's remembered. There really isn't anybody today in the design industry that has the impact and the clout, the presence and the profile that Harley Earl had in his day. ... But Harley had a unique set of circumstances. He was The Man."

Yes, Harley Earl was THE man...

Scott McNealy Talking About Open Source

Below is Scott McNealy, former co-founder, President and CEO of Sun Microsystems, giving a great talk at POSSCON 2012 that I just stumbled upon because I was thinking about the fact that it has been five years since Oracle purchased Sun.. This is very interesting because Scott gives an open source history lesson and what is needed now. I have been and will always be a HUGE fan of Scott McNealy.  I also cannot thank Scott enough for writing the foreword for my book, MTConnect: To Measure Is To Know (along with Dr. Dave Patterson of University of California at Berkeley). Enjoy this hour long talk...

The DC Auto Show in 2015 - Corvette Z06 and Stingray

Julie and I attended the DC Auto Show two weeks ago today.  I finally got around to put the photos in.  As you can see, we spent most of our time looking at Corvette Stringrays :-)

Below are four photos of the absolutely amazing supercar the Corvette Z06.  Zero to sixty in 2.95 seconds starting at a very reasonable $79,000.

Below are three photos of me appearing pretty happy in a Corvette Stingray :-)

Thanks Pastor Qualley 29 Years at Lord of Life Church

This past Sunday was Pastor Ron Qualley's last service at Lord of Life Church in Fairfax, VA.  Pastor Qualley took over for Pastor Ron Christian 29 years ago.  Pastor Christian married Julie and me in 1983. Taking over for Pastor Christian who founded the church in Fairfax was a real challenge with some big shoes to fill.

Pastor Qualley took the church to new levels by building a new church in Fairfax as well as building another church in Clifton. More importantly than that was he was always there for the many members of our church and specifically the Edstrom family. He was always there when a relative died, someone had surgery or any of the typical life challenges that happen.

Pastor Qualley did the funeral services for Julie's father, mother and grandmother at Lord of Life.  None of them were members of the church but Pastor Qualley did not hesitate when I asked him if he would do the services.

Pastor Qualley baptized and confirmed our sons John, Michael and Tim. He will be there to marry our oldest son John and his fiancee Janet in May of this year.

I can't thank Pastor Qualley enough for everything that he has done for our family.

Below is a photo of Pastor Qualley at his last Christmas service and below that is a photo of Pastor Qualley with his wife Sandi at the last service this past Sunday.

The 3 M's of Manufacturing - Manufacturing, MTConnect and Massive Data at McMaster University

I was privileged to be invited by Dr. Allan Spence of the Mechanical Engineering Department at McMaster University to give a presentation last week.  It is always fun for me to speak to students and faculty.  I first met Dr. Spence when I spoke at CAD '12 in Niagara Falls Canada in the summer of 2013.

I was given a tour of the Mechanical Engineering Department and I was very impressed!

Here was the description of my 45 minute presentation: The talk will discuss the history of MTConnect and its importance in global manufacturing with specific emphasis on analyzing massive amounts of data. The world of manufacturing has never been as dynamic and exciting with a plethora of hot technologies and concepts from 3D printers, M2M, Industry 4.0 to IoT with companies like Cisco stating that their number one business segment is manufacturing. Why all the excitement and where are the opportunities for students at universities such McMaster University going to be in the near future?

Below is my title slide.

Below is Dr. Spence and I standing together in front of Memex Automation's office in Burlington, Ontario.  Note that Astrix Networks is the parent company to Memex. Dr. Spence gave me a very nice McMaster desk clock and I gave Dr. Spence a signed copy of my book.  He stopped by the office after the talk which I thought was extremely nice.

I gave away free copies of my book, MTConnect: To Measure Is To Know, to the attendees and I hope they enjoy it.

When I landed in Toronto it was -2 Fahrenheit and with the 30mph wind it was 29 below.  Below is a view from the plane when I landed and the Jeep I rented.

Goodbye Ashburn Tokyo Sushi - GREAT Sushi Restaurant

We found out yesterday morning that our all-time favorite Sushi restaurant, Tokyo Sushi in Ashburn was closing that night.  We found out from our middle son Michael who frequents there quite a bit with his friends. Our oldest John was a regular there when he lived in the Ashburn area and our youngest son Tim was just starting to appreciate really good sushi. We went there to thank them for many years of good food and we had a $50 gift certificate we did not want to see go to waste. It was the most crowded Julie and I had ever seen Tokyo Sushi.  We took some photos and looked up at the photo they took of Julie and me on one of my birthdays.  It was a sad night and proves just how hard it is to make money in the restaurant business.

 Above is a photo from the outside of Tokyo Sushi and below is the sign above the door.

Above is a photo I took the morning after they closed and before the restaurant was changed.

 Above is the main sushi chef and owner.  Below next to Julie is the wife of the chef and the other owner, next to me is the main waitress who came back for the last night of Tokyo Sushi.

Thanks for the memories and the great food!

On the way out we ran into Michael and a bunch of his friends.  Michael ate there for lunch with some of his buddies and came back last night with about 10 of his friends for the final meal at Tokyo Sushi.  Michael and his friends were the last ones to leave Tokyo Sushi at 11:30pm that night.  The owners gave them food and drinks for being such loyal customers over the many years.