Keener 13

The first United Auto Workers strike since 2019 hit The Big Three automakers last night. More than 12,900 workers walked off the job at Ford’s Bronco plant in Wayne, Stellantis NV’s Jeep Wrangler plant in Toledo and a General Motors Co. plant in Missouri.In September 2019, almost 50,000 hourly workers, including temporary staff, went on strike at 31 GM factories and 21 other sites in nine states. After nearly six weeks of striking, negotiators from the union and the company reached a labor contract in October 2019. GM CEO Mary Barra is hopeful for a quick resolution to the current walkout.

Meanwhile, the North American International Auto Show continues in Detroit through September 24. After three days of forums and pressers, The “Public” show kicks off tomorrow at Huntington Place convention center, the former Cobo Hall. Here’s what you’ll see. Continue reading “Keener Today – September 15” →

Today in History:

1910 – At its second conference, members of the Niagara Movement and National Negro Committee chose the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as the name for their merged organizations and elected its first officers. Continue reading “Keener Today – May 30” →

Today we remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country. Continue reading “Keener Today, May 29” →

From the late 19th century until the turn of the millennium, the corner of Michigan and Trumbull served as the hallowed ground for the Detroit Tigers, witnessed historic events, and left an indelible mark on American sports. Continue reading “Exploring “The Corner”” →

Notable:

In April, 1906, the first Yellow Pages appeared in the Detroit Telephone Directory. Michigan Bell and Western Electric Warehouse still stands on Oakman and Woodrow Wilson, now owned by the Neighborhood Service Organization helping the homeless and is a rehab center.

The Tigers are 0 for 3 against the Rays. They play the Astros tonight at 8:10 Continue reading “Keener Today – April 3” →

Notable:

Dundee got some wind. An EF0 tornado with 80 mph gusts damaged the village Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. No injuries have been reported. At least 21 were killed across the nation as dozens of likely tornadoes cut through the South and Midwest. Continue reading “Keener Today – April 2” →

Notable:

The artificial intelligence job market is hot — The AI industry is offering salaries of up to $335,000 a year for people who can help sharpen the technology of the future. And you don’t necessarily need to be a coder to do the job. AI whisperers are tasked with writing prompts to teach AI’s like ChatGPT to produce smarter results. And they also help train companies on how to best use AI. Continue reading “Keener Today – April 1” →

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The Tigers opened their 2023 season with a 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday. Game two of the three game Florida stand takes place at 1:05pm on Saturday. Opening day at Comerica Park is set for April 6 versus the Boston Red Sox.

Automate 2023, North America’s largest robotics and automation event, is scheduled for  May 22-25 at Huntington Place. More than 700 exhibitors will be on hand to show how robots are changing the way we live and work. Once upon a time, the notion of robots replacing workers left a bitter taste in many mouths. But with more job openings and fewer applicants, tech coming to the rescue has modified the narrative.

We have all heard the term “watch your language,” and a new startup is doing just that the detect the first whispers of Alzheimer’s disease. Accexible posits that it may be possible to sense dementia in our speech patterns well before other symptoms manifest.

Can artificial intelligence cook for you? ABC reporter Kelly McCarthy recently used the AI bot ChatGPT to make dinner, inputting some ingredients she had on hand and claims the Mango Shrimp bowl that resulted was “better Tia. Expected.”

The American statement that “all men and women are created equal,” may contribute to a longer, healthier life. A recent international study found that improvements in gender equality in education were associated with longer life expectancy in both women and men.

Pepsi is celebrating its 125th birthday with a new logo. Unlike the I’ll fated New Coke, this design balances retro with the now. Here’s a look at Pepsi Cola branding through the ages. Continue reading “Keener Today – March 31” →

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It’s opening day for Major League baseball. The Tigers open on the road in Tampa at 3:10pm. Their first home appearance at Comerica Park happens April 6 vs the Boston Red Sox. Today’s featured image is how we remember baseball in Detroit, at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.

Speeding up the games: MLB is implementing four major rule changes in an effort to decrease the length of games and increase the action:

1. Pitch clock: There’ll be a 30-second timer between batters and 15 or 20 seconds between pitches depending on whether the bases are empty.
2. Shift restrictions: In an attempt to increase the batting average on balls in play, defenses must have a minimum of four players on the infield dirt, with at least two on either side of second base.
3. Limited pickoffs: Pitchers may only disengage from the rubber twice per at-bat with a man on base. If they try a third time and the pickoff is unsuccessful, the runner advances a base.
4. Bigger bases: 15-inch bases have been replaced with 18-inch bases, reducing the distance between first and second (and second and third) by 4.5 inches to promote more steals.

Bandages that heal: A new group of “smart bandages” medicate wounds and monitor healing progression, according to a study published last week.

Springsteen in Motown: By the numbers – Two hours and forty-one minutes, 26 songs, 18 band members. 17,000 satisfied customers, including UM football coach Jim Harbaugh and former NBC news anchor Brian Williams.

The tattoo that can measure blood pressure: Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University have developed an ultra-thin, temporary tattoo that can be used to accurately monitor blood pressure for 300 minutes. Continue reading “Keener Today – March 30” →

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Today in 1982, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney released their duet single “Ebony and Ivory.” The single reached number one on both the UK and the US charts and was among the top-selling singles of 1982. But some critics say it has not aged well. In 2007, BBC 6 Music listeners voted “Ebony and Ivory” the worst duet in history.

Tomorrow is opening day for Major League Baseball. The Tigers debut on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays at 3:10pm with Eduardo Rodriguez facing odd against Shane McClanahan. Detroit hosts the Red Sox to kick off the home season at Comerica on April 6.

Taking the fam out to the ballgame vista a lot more than it used to. Four adult tickets, parking, drinks and hot dogs averaged $256 dollars last season.

Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury and Uranus align in the evening sky this week. The best viewing is right around sunset, with the quintet sinking toward the horizon after about 30 minutes.

Electricity generated from renewable sources surpassed coal in the United States for the first time in 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Renewables also surpassed nuclear generation in 2022 after first doing so in 2021.

Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton will host the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards.  The event will take place on Thursday, May 11th at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, TX, and stream live exclusively on Prime Video.

Want a Mammoth Burger? A cultured meat company claims to have grown a meatball from the DNA of a very-extinct woolly mammoth. According to The Guardian, the DNA sequence was placed in stem cells from a sheep to grow the meatball. No one has tasted the mammoth meat, Professor Ernst Wolvetang, who worked with Australian company Vow to make the meat said, since “we have no idea how our immune system would react.” Continue reading “Keener Today – March 29” →

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Today’s deep dive takes us back to 1966. Newspaper headlines warned of continuing inflation as conservatives called for budget cuts. Sound familiar? Page-one of the Detroit Free Press this week in that year detailed multiple sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects. We’ve got the story, after a review of today in history and our usual birthday celebrations.

37 years after Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,  Matthew Broderick and Alan Ruck reconnected for a series of photo booth pics (left) at the season three premiere of HBO’s Succession.

Nothing stays the same. We knew when the popular royalty free photo site Unsplash.com was bought by Getty Images that what was once free would begin to elicit fees. Unsplash Plus now gives contributors a chance to earn revenue by offering some of their work for a price.

Once upon a time, LastPass was the gold standard for those of us who have trouble remembering passwords. Not anymore. Continue reading “Keener Today: March 28” →