Kowalski Heat Treating Blog - Kowalski Heat Treating

Mistakes Happen

March 7, 2025/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

Sometimes the best made plans of those putting in a good day’s work can turn out to be a mistake. Adding numbers, counting items, writing code or just trying to fill an order, we can err in our efforts. Recently I read about the word “dord” that made its way into the famous Merriam-Webster dictionary back in 1939. What began as a request from one of the writers was misinterpreted to be a actual word (story below). It caught my attention, so I went looking for some other errors I had not heard of and included them too. Here’s to all of us who have made a mistake that went unnoticed for some time, and thanks to those who forgave us – (and extra thanks for those who invented spell check in Word) – and to Google for the info. Enjoy!

SWEET! Desserts

February 28, 2025/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to exhibit at a trade show in Vegas SHOT SHOW- (Shooting – Hunting- Outdoor – Tactical), joining 65,000+ others. We do a lot of PIA (Pain in the @%$) Jobs! work in this field, processing various knives, components for wonderful customers (thank you!!). As many do when in Vegas, we had an evening out on the town, and I found myself holding a dessert menu after polishing off a wonderful meal with my team. I passed, but did take note of the habit of finishing a satisfying meal with a sweet dessert – a culinary tradition that many people follow. While some may elect to eat sweets before or in between courses (think lemon ice YUM!), while others simply dig into pie or brownies at any time of the day (Jackie knows to never leave the pie out), most adhere to the standard operating procedure of dessert after the main course. I decided to dig a bit and learn more about how and when this food order came about. (I heard about a guy who always ate his dessert first – his logic was, he loved dessert so much, he didn’t want to be full afterwards and not savor the experience (Brilliant!). So, here’s some history and trivia about the tradition – (pass the fudge topping please). Thanks to historyfacts.com and tastingtable.com for the insights. Enjoy!

NASA Marvels

February 21, 2025/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

I have to admit it – I’m a sucker for new inventions and amazing technology. While traveling out of town to attend a trade show in Vegas, I happened to drive past the large NASA technology center here in northeast Ohio, home to some of the world’s largest and most capable space simulation test facilities where ground tests are conducted for the U.S. and international space and aeronautics communities. A set of giant buildings, filled with engineers and scientists, developing breakthrough technologies that will someday be used in aeronautics … with some of them making their way into my home. (think TANG). Since we’re all about solving your PIA (pain in the @%$) Jobs, we kinda think of ourselves as pioneers in thermal processing technologies (I’d love to take credit for inventing ice cubes and blue tip matches, but someone beat me to it!!). Think about it – something as simple as Velcro (now part of my running jacket and sneakers) was first used for space exploration. I decided to do a search on products that were first made for space and air travel and then adopted for consumer use. Here’s a list of NASA-originated technologies that have transitioned into everyday consumer products, with a brief history and explanation of some hurdles each had to overcome. Thanks to Google for the insights. Enjoy!