Why Helsinki’s Library Robots Aren’t Important
Oodi, the new Helsinki Library, has robots to help reshelve books. They get a lot of press attention. But they're not the important part of the library: here's why.
June 30, 2019 Morning
Good morning! Where did June go? Summer is coming and going quickly. But this wasn’t a good weekend to head out of town. Two weeks to National Nude Day ๐ฑ. Cloudy and 70 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ There is a northwest breeze at 10 mph. ๐. The dew point is 61 degrees.
It really poured for a while this morning ๐ฆ with a few dramatic thunder claps but now it’s stopped and just cloudy. โ Supposed to clear out later on but I’ll believe it when it happens. Barometer seems a pretty steady 29.80 here, dropped a little bit from last night. Been working on my barometer display as part of the VMS in my bedroom — works fairly good but I’m still finding bugs in the code and other improvements I’d like to make. It’s fun watching the air pressure go up and down and what it means for the coming weather.
Today will have showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 4pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Some of the storms could produce small hail and gusty winds. Mostly cloudy ๐ฆ, with a high of 74 degrees at 5pm. Seven degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 2nd. Maximum dew point of 61 at 11am. North wind 10 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It became humid as the day progressed. The high last year was 94 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1964.
The sun will set at 8:37 pm with dusk around 9:11 pm, which is 7 seconds earlier than yesterday. ๐ At sunset, look for partly clear skies ๐ and temperatures around 70 degrees. The dew point will be 55 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 11 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 15 minutes of daytime, an increase of 37 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy ๐ค, with a low of 57 degrees at 5am. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around June 18th. Maximum dew point of 56 at 6pm. Northwest wind 7 to 11 mph. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies. It became very sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 72 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1978.
I decided this week to make up Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches for work. ๐ฅช They’re good for a change. I’ve been having too many hot lunches, I’m tired of ravioli and chicken all the time. Plus now I won’t have to worry about keeping things cold, especially if I pack them going hiking. I’ll also bring it up to camp to pack a lunch when I go up to Moose River Plains.๐
This week I also bought apple juice ๐as something to drink as an alternative to beer, as I don’t drink alcohol at home anymore. As soon as I get home from camping I always put the beer away in my attic, where it sits warm until i go camping. I drink a lot more water with cider vinger for flavor — or as I also picked up this week — some lemonade juice. Just add enough to make the water a bit tart — I don’t use sugar. I do also drink quite a bit of milk but less then I used to.๐ฎ
On this day in 1971, Ohio ratifies the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, reducing the voting age to 18, thereby putting the amendment into effect. ๐โ Also in 1934, The Night of the Long Knives, Adolf Hitler’s violent purge of his political rivals in Germany, takes place.๐ช Fortunately, we only have obnoxious rhetoric to that impact on Facebook in our country today. ๐ก
Continued to work on the display in my bedroom. ๐บ The barometric features seem to be working well know, it’s nice to get updates on the barometric pressure. Lots of little changes and tweaks to make to the code, and I keep finding things to debug and improve.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until National Nude Day ๐ฑ when the sun will be setting at 8:31 pm with dusk at 9:05 pm. On that day in 2018, we had hot, humid, partly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 88 and 72 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 83 degrees. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1995.
June 25, 2019 Morning
Good morning! Happy Primary Day ๐ณ๏ธ! I guess the polls don’t open until noon for one last time on primary day, that changes in 2020. This evening I will stop by the library to vote. โ I don’t have a real strong preference on who to vote for, indeed the only non judicial primary is the Comptroller seat as Mike Conners is retiring. Good for him, he’ll be able to enjoy his summer days from his deck overlooking the Hudson River. Three weeks to Last Sunset After 8:30 PM ๐. Rain and 68 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. ๐. The dew point is 62 degrees. We might get a half inch of rain today with it tapering off later.
Today will have showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 1pm, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly cloudy ๐ฆ, with a high of 79 degrees at 2pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 21st. Maximum dew point of 67 at 1pm. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 78 degrees. The record high of 95 was set in 1898.
I packed a lunch and dinner to bring to work, I’ll eat before walking ๐ถ over to John Wolcott house after work. I’ll do that for a few hours and then catch the bus to Delmar and vote at the library. I think the new polling place at the library is more convenient for me although come the autumn I’ll probably early vote at the Lutheran Church. โ It’s fantastic how they’ll have two weekends along with several days with evening hours to vote. It will be even better if the voters approve the constitutional amendment allowing no excuse absentee voting by mail. โ I’m a Democrat but I value competitive elections and I certainly do not always vote party line – I’m often a ticket ๐ซ splitter – as I like conservative, divided government.
The sun will set at 8:37 pm with dusk around 9:12 pm, which is 4 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ At sunset, look for possible rain showers ๐ง and temperatures around 74 degrees. The dew point will be 63 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 18 minutes of daytime, an increase of 17 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be scattered showers, mainly before 7pm. Partly cloudy ๐ง, with a low of 64 degrees at 3am. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. West wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 48 degrees. The record low of 39 occurred back in 1979.
On this day in 1998, in Clinton v. City of New York, the United States Supreme Court decides that the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 is unconstitutional. โ It probably would have been a good check on government spending had it been upheld and not required a constitutional amendment to enact. But it also would have made the president much more powerful.
I am going to price out the cost of replacing that burner in the camp stove that is rusted ๐ฅ and I think propane is leaking from. Maybe replacing it isn’t necessary – it could be a loose connection or all that crap I cleaned out of it but it wouldn’t hurt to have one handy before I reassemble things. ๐ง I think boiling coffee over and spilling it along with rain and snow meant things deteriorated internally. I expect it won’t be an expensive part, and I certainly want to stop the gas leak so it doesn’t damage my table again.
As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Last Sunset After 8:30 PM ๐ when the sun will be setting at 8:30 pm with dusk at 9:04 pm. On that day in 2018, we had hot, humid, mostly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 96 and 69 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 83 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1900.
June 24, 2019 Night
Good evening! Partly cloudy and 72 degrees in Delmar. โ Calm wind. The dew point is 59 degrees. Certainly feels warmer than that in my bedroom that lacks air conditioning. The skies will clear tomorrow around 5 pm.
It was warm in my bedroom and I was tired so I took a nap when I got home. I disassembled the camp stove trying to find the propane leak on the burner. ๐ฅ Not a where the leak is but I may end up replacing the burner as I noticed the pan around the one burner is rusted out and maybe negative pressure is sucking propane into the bottom of the stove stove. I don’t think it’s just a loose connection. I’ll price out a burner on Ebay and Amazon tomorrow. Still debating on how to fix the table, I like the melted plastic option – recycling old milk bottles but I’m not sure if I can heat the plastic without accidentally burning it. I also don’t want to wreck a pan melting the plastic in it and then not be able to scrape it out. Bondo is another option, although I heard you need a speciality plastic filler and thick Bondo often cracks. Melted plastic is more durable and it reuses trash that I’ve already paid for. A fiber glass and epoxy patch is another option.
Tonight will have a chance of showers, mainly after 5am. Mostly cloudy ๐ง, with a low of 67 degrees at 3am. Eight degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 62 at 6am. Southeast wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2018, we had light rain in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 55 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1982.
Tonight will have be the Last Quarter Moon ๐ . The moon will rise at 1:11 am. The Buck Moon ๐ is in 3 weeks. The sun will rise at 5:18 am with the first light at 4:43 am, which is 19 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ Tonight will have 8 hours and 41 minutes of darkness, an increase of 15 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will have showers and thunderstorms before 10am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 10am and 1pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. ๐ฆ High of 79 degrees at 4pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 21st. Maximum dew point of 67 at 4pm. ๐๏ธ Muggy! Southeast wind around 8 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. It was humid. The high last year was 78 degrees. The record high of 95 was set in 1898.
Tomorrow I’ll head over to John Wolcott house after work ๐ and continue with his history project. I also have will stop at the library and vote. โ Wednesday I’ll get my hair cut โ and drop off the dry cleaning before work. That’s also when I’ll go shopping after work for the basics. After work Thursday is the Pine Bush Hike I’m leading.
The weekend looks hot and sunny but possibly stormy on Saturday afternoon. โก Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 66 at 12pm. Sunday, scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 61 at 6am. Typical average high for the weekend is 81 degrees.
I could see going out to Schoharie County โบ this weekend or maybe not. It’s something that I can decide early Saturday. I’m not ready for a big trip to the Adirondacks this weekend though again so soon especially with Independence Day Weekend a week from Thursday. I have both that Thursday and Friday off for a long weekend which is nice. ๐ I do want to have the camp stove reassembled by then and maybe the table patched, although I could do the later when I’m up at camp.
In four weeks on July 22 the sun will be setting at 8:25 pm,๐ which is 11 minutes and 28 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had rain and temperatures between 87 and 64 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 83 and 62 degrees. The record high of 102 degrees was set back in 1926.
Looking ahead, July ๐๐ฟ is in 1 week, Cow Appreciation Day ๐ is in 3 weeks, Last Sunset After 8 PM ๐ is in 7 weeks, Average High Falls To 79 ๏ธDegrees โฑ๏ธ๏ธ๏ธ is in 2 months, Labor Day ๐จโ๐ญ is in 10 weeks and Columbus Day ๐ฅ๏ธ is in 15 weeks.








