Surviving the hot summers or cold winters is not simply a matter of comfort for many around the world but the elderly and small children may be at risk. So here are some common sense tips and some technology wonders (old and new) to help.

Winter wonder lands are being created by nature around the world but cold weather dangers lurk around the corner. Cold temperatures combined with strong winds making sub-zero conditions ripe for frost bite and hypothermia. Technology old and new can combat the cold and reduce the preventable fatalities due to cold.

Summer landscapes are being created by nature around the world but hot weather dangers radiate around the corner. Hot temperatures combined with bright sun making high temperatures (80 F and up) conditions ripe for dehydration and heat stroke. Technology old and new can combat the heat and reduce the preventable fatalities due to high temperatures.

Sheltering from the cold involve the structure’s position, design layout and heating system. Key factors may be having a natural wind break of trees and shrubs or having part of the structure under the ground. Structural items like siding, insulation, and double pane vinyl window systems will keep the home comfortable with minimal heating (note you can get free estimates from Home Depot on installation). Central heating (HVAC) systems offer a variety of options (gas, electric, oil, geothermal and renewable) for every budget and location. There are some very effective portable space heaters just shop around and get those with good safety features like over temp shut-off and tip over shut-off . “The World Health Organization recommends a minimal indoor temperature of 65 degrees F and 68 -70 F warmer minimal temperature for rooms occupied by sedentary elderly, young children and persons with a disability” see www.udeworld.com for more info.

Sheltering from the heat has similar key aspects like the cold for different factors like sheltering from the sunlight and creating a breeze. So your structure may be partly underground and shaded by tall trees or nearby hilltops. Structural items like insulation, siding or thick brick walls along with double pane windows with low-e rating or 3M film will keep your home comfortable with a minimum of cooling. Central cooling (AC) systems offer a variety of options when it comes to powering them on. The portable air conditioning type is becoming more popular as cost have been reduce and some can easily be moved room to room.

Winter wear clothing must be functional especially jackets, boots and gloves. When out and about dress in layers so when you get too hot you can adjust by removing something. Technology based items clothes like down and goose feathered jackets offer a water resistance outer shell and isolative warmth. Winter boots keep feet dry and offer traction in snow and ice. Technology has moved the bar from exotic material combination to electrical/battery power heat to personal wear and blankets to chemical reaction inserts that are one time use and throw away. Everyone should have some foil thermal blankets in your car or in a back pack when hiking it could save a life.

Ratings to gauge performance against cold or heating performance to counter act the cold. Clothing for general use by consumers is very difficult to gauge due to a long list of variables. Clothes use for cold protection on the job has evolved to a new ASTM international standard F2732 Practice for Determining the Temperature Ratings For Cold Weather Protective Clothing.

Physical conditioning, age and health are all factors that may determine how a person handles the cold or heat. Some may say the tech used to stay in physical condition still is in play but that’s a subject for a later blog.

 Personal testimony, I have a winter rated sleeping bag because I do a lot of cold weather camping (good for temps as low as -20 degrees F). The first time using it was a cold snowy weekend in a see thru cabin in sub-zero weather but I was sweating in that bag. The bottle of water I left on the table was frozen solid the next morning. Research before you buy and note how you would be using the equipment so its covers your needs. What item or heating/cooling system helps you fight the cold / heat?  Jumping on a plane and traveling to warmer or cooler climates does not count.

Knowledge is key to dealing with the heat and cold. So I have listed a few websites and books you may find useful.
 
Please send me your top ways to beat the heat or cold.


Solving for root cause is like solving a criminal murder case. The biggest difference is you can't question most of your suspects. Unlike the TV shows that have suspects faces slapped on a board with alibi data and motives. While you may have a fish bone diagram ( Ishikawa ) illustrating causes and effects relations. Solving the tech problem the usual suspects like contamination, bad parts process changes and configuration changes can be sorted out fairly quickly if you had controls in placed. Need a consultant or just some training?

There are 3 key areas that must be explored in finding the root cause for increase failure rate or catastrophic results.

    A. Know your system [ What makes it tick? ]
    B. Know the time line when things started yielding bad results.
    C. Double and Triple check your assumptions ( things changed and you never knew)

Knowing your systems behaviors is critical in both the development phase and production phase too catch as soon as possible when something is going wrong. In the development phase your coming up a learning curve as you go from prototype to production configuration.  Testing the equipment under different environments and with a variety of configurations of hardware and software can make cause and effect consistencey all the more challenging. Keep track of configurations in the pre-production phase. In the production phase changes are not suppose to occur unless approved under most contracts and formal documentation. Yes I know this does not happen many times in the real world, because someone thinks its a minor change affecting nothing:-)

Knowing you time line is essential to backtracking a cause's origins. You should have a monitoring system and problem tracking system in place during the developing phase. You know when things have been changed or updated. Take the time to document changes or it bite you later and cost even more time before launch. In the production phase engineering change process is more formal. [use ISO 9000 series quality management systems manufacturers or get certified yourself if your doing production).  Documented processes and process control is priceless. It will allow you to easily trace back to changes and know the vintage of your parts (when they were made). I know it may cost more, but not being able to solve a production problem in a timely manner can put you out of business.

Verifying assumptions is where the many break through occur when discovering the tough to find root causes. Some may ask if a part or assemble meets its requirements than their should not be any significant unexpected problem. For that answer go back to knowing your system section. If you are already in production a major redesign may be too costly in terms of time and dollars (need to get creative).

    Let's illustrate with an example:  There is a plastic component that keep breaking off in the same general location that sits inside the machine. A first blush it looked like a new shipper was handling your parts rougher than had been tested initially.  Further analysis shows that part breakage was happening at a greater than expected rate before the shipper was added. Part dimension were the same as always but surface shine was dull compared to previous parts built 6 months ago. The supplier claimed he had not change nothing a part met the spec.. What he failed to mention is he had subcontracted the mold to another vendor to save money. This vendor to increase thru-put per hour shorten the mold cooling time with rapid cooling. This process change created higher stress points at the corners on this part making it easier to break under a shock load. Now you must create the best solution for your circumstances.

Finding the right root cause can be a daunting task but oh so rewarding. The investigation will reveal some weakness in design or processes which can be improved.

What challenges have you come across when trying to find a root cause??