Women and Washing Dishes : Two lessons

It was like a sudoku puzzle that somehow could not be solved. No matter how much detergent or the arrangement of dishes, dishes on the top rack of the dishwasher were not getting washed. Glasses looked like they were coated with the spit from chewing tobacco. I ignored the problem knowing that when I got some time I would call someone to repair this two year-old dishwasher.

Yesterday my wife said that she fixed it. What?? She did a Google search and thanks to some How-To YouTube videos, took it apart and found there was a place where dishwasher debris collected. This also happen to be the place where water is pumped to the top of the rack. By removing this gunk, everything works great now. Humbly, I was impressed.

Apparently over one hundred thirty years ago before there were dishwashers another woman was fed up and just acted without a man in sight. Josephine Cochran was fed up with her servants chipping her fine china while washing them. She was quoted as saying "If nobody else is going to invent a dishwashing machine, I'll do it myself." She sat down at a table studied dishes and developed the first practical dishwasher.

While early attempts at dishwashing machines tried to scrub the dishes in a Jetson like fashion. She relied on hot soapy water and wire baskets to hold and clean the dishes. The machine then blew hot air to dry the dishes. The machine was able to wash and dry over 240 dishes at a time. Because of the size and cost, hotels were the early adopters. After her death, the Garis-Cochran Dishwashing Company eventually became Kitchenaid.



Lesson learned: Never stand in the way of a woman and dirty dishes.

Indus River Flow During the Flooding [infographic]

I have seen pictures of the flooding in Pakistan, read articles, but I have not seen any Indus River flow graphs yet.

Thanks to data provided by the Pakistan Meterological Department, I was able to put this graphic together this morning. Click on the image to enlarge.  It shows hydrographs from different points along the Indus River for the month of August. WOW!

If you have not seen Boston's Big Picture collection of the flood photos, check it out here.

South's New Water Language

South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia each passed legislation this year that changes how water flows through the legal landscape.

North Carolina passed a bill to develop river basin modeling as a foundation to future watershed planning. South Carolina enacted a new surface water permitting bill that requires a permit to withdraw water. Georgia passed the water efficiency bill just in time to negotiate with Florida and Alabama.

Separate bills. Different goals. New rules.

Freeing each bill from its state borders, I compiled the text from these bills and produced a word cloud this morning. Totally unscientific, I know. I am not sure why exactly I did this except maybe to see what it would look like. As you can imagine, the new language of water involves words like withdraw, permit, and flows. Click on it to enlarge.

Do You Want a Good Waterproof Camera?

I never imagined it would last the entire summer. Then again I never thought I would write a product review, however, this little camera earned some accolades.

A cheap digital waterproof camera. Too good to be true? I probably had this Fujifilm camera underwater on ten separate occasions this summer. Pictures are Facebook quality. Camera is small enough to fit easily in your pocket. I found myself taking it to most outdoor water activities and leaving our more expensive camera at home. Here are some sample pictures.


If you have got some water activities planned in the twilight of summer, I recommend this little camera Fujifilm FinePix XP10 12 MP Waterproof Digital Camera. Also, if you think the pictures are fun. You can also take 720p HD video underwater. Check out a sample I took on the Flint river in Georgia.

Dam Failures are Spectacular Flukes?

If mother nature followed a set schedule, it would have held off until one of the three floodgates on the dam was repaired. However, 10 inches of rain fell and soon the discharge limited dam overtopped slicing a channel in the earthen dam.  Within a short time,  most of the 440-acre lake drained out through the new hole. 900 homes around the lake now have a great view of a river and muck. 

Was the Lake Delhi Dam failure in northeastern Iowa's Delaware County two weeks ago a spectacular fluke?

I don't think so.  


Seven years ago, 8 inches of rain caused an 80 year old earthen dam in North Carolina to breach when one of the floodgates failed to open and water came over the dam. Sound familiar? However, last month engineers noticed erosion around the dam and decided to release two-feet of water from the lake. According to media reports, while releasing water, part of the dam's foundation gave way causing the lake to drain. Now Hope Mills Lake is drained and in need of a major repair.


There have been over 20 dam failures or near dam failures in the US since 2001. Seepage through the dam, foundation defects, and spillway problems are often the main cause of failure. Dams are not sexy, but they need our constant love and attention.  


Read more about dam safety?

• The Hidden World of Dam Safety
• Toccoa Falls Dam Failure