Kowalski Heat Treating Blog - Kowalski Heat Treating

Just Give Me A Second … (We’re Just Floppin’ Around)

August 14, 2026/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

A second. Seems harmless enough. Just a little time to get things right. Blink of an eye. Snap of a finger. Seconds seem precious some of the time (we still measure our best athletes in seconds, breaking records past generations thought were impossible). We measure our work sometimes in second/minutes/hours – always trying to shave a little time off to increase efficiency and performance. So, saying to the grandkids, “Sure, just give me a few seconds; today is an eternity.) The other day I was reading an article about FLOPS – A “flop” (or FLOPS) isn’t a physical size but a measure of computer speed. FLOPS stands for Floating Point Operations Per Second, indicating how many complex decimal calculations a computer processor can do in one second. And it blew my mind. I remember when a “flop” was when a Broadway show or product or service or movie that just fell flat – (history is full of them, like clear Pepsi, Cheetos Lip Balm, Solyndra, DeLorean cars, early Google Glass, Carrie, the musical, CATS the movie (along with CATS the musical (Not a flop, just awful!), Harley Davidson cologne, and most of McDonald’s efforts in new products … (what actually is in a McRib – although very weird, still weirdly good??). Nowadays, FLOPS are super cool, and super-fast. I mean incomprehensibly fast!! I did some digging and learned a whole bunch of cool things about how computational power is just going nuts (Remember, I am a child of AOL CD’s and dial phone up log in’s – for my older readers, we can still remember the sounds: “beep, buzz, zing, aaarrrrr, zap” and then the connection) … so stepping into this arena is quite a rush.

Mixed Results

August 7, 2026/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

When it comes to food, as most of you know by now, I’m pretty much up for everything. I love to try new things (that are not moving!) Jackie is so good at changing our meals and experimenting with new recipes, while keeping to old “goodies” (Steve – insert some here). The other night we were enjoying dinner, when I looked at her and said, “I wonder who came up with mixed vegetables.” She stared at me when I said, “How did they make it in the bag, and why did they mix these veggies together?” Of course she rolled her eyes, started laughing, saying, “Only you can think of this stuff.” Of course, the thoughts stuck with me, and I kept asking myself and Jackie, “Who put these veggies together … do certain veggies mix better than others, or are these little gems just the ‘mistakes’ that didn’t make it? Kind of like second string – minor leagues – NBA G league et.? – Were they just the leftovers swept up from the floor of the factory …EEEUUUGGHH!) and does the corn really like touching the peas? How does the packaging line combine them?”

So, of course, I went down the “rabbit hole” to learn more and was pleased with the vast amount of history and info. Surprisingly, mixed vegetables have a rich backstory (who knew?) from early preservation experiments to today’s multibillion-dollar frozen aisle staple. Enjoy! (and remember to eat your vegetables!!)

BTS Annual Shopping Trip

July 31, 2026/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

I was in a big box store the other day, and marveled at the volume of school supplies. Paper, pens, crayons, folders – row after row of items just waiting for parents to hit aisles with their specific lists of what to buy – the annual scavenger hunt known as “back-to-school shopping.” They march into crowded stores armed with supply lists that somehow include 14 glue sticks, two folders with pockets, two without, very specific “wide-ruled only” notebooks, markers of different sizes, tissues and hand sanitizer, and so much more. As I think back to when the girls were in school, I’m pretty sure Jackie spent a small fortune on school supplies every year (of course the backpacks had to be a certain size and theme). Now, in full disclosure – Jackie is a way better shopper than me, so of course I let her do it! I am a firm believer in the philosophy that if 2 items are required, then you must have 3 (backup), or if BOGO is available must have 4! And, after nailing the list, most parents are back shopping by Halloween, as half the items mysteriously disappear by October. (Somewhere I think there is a secret parallel universe filled entirely with lost pens and pencils, lonely Trapper Keepers, and missing calculator covers). It’s funny how little some of these items have changed over the decades. A yellow No. 2 pencil from 1975 looks remarkably similar to one bought today, and like the original. Pens, erasers, notebook paper, rulers, and protractors have survived; computers, tablets, and smartphones remain on the list. Somehow, a fresh notebook, some lined paper, and a perfectly sharpened pencil still feel like the beginning of possibility. Here’s some fun info and trivia I think you’ll enjoy. Kudos to all the Moms (and some Dads!) out there gearing up for the dreaded trip – good luck!! (And good luck putting your kid’s name on each of those 64-box crayons and 24-count colored pencils.