The Table: China's NoodleBot, Hating on Michigan, and Bad Driving Habits

juplifeInternational

If high human unemployment is driving you crazy, this story is going to push your buttons. The NoodleBot is taking over Chinese restaurant kitchens. They are three times faster than chefs and produce a high quality meal with cheaper labor costs. That is not good for kitchen workers here in America or abroad. The best part is that they don’t sweat! The NoodleBot costs around $2000 and comes with interchangeable heads. Pinocchio is my favorite. They are selling about 20 bots a day in China. I think I will wait for the PastaBot – my Italian grandma is flipping out in heaven.

What chore or job would you have a Robot do?

National

The people in the Midwest are crazy about their college football. This elementary student was banned from wearing a Michigan Wolverine shirt. Oklahoma City bans all out of state college apparel for their schools after a gang task force suggestion. The schools also ban professional sports attire in the hope to reduce gang violence and satanic cults. I am no fan of Michigan and their clothing is banned in my house, along with Yankee hats and the mention of anything Dallas Cowboys, but I think the principal should use his own judgment when disciplining. His parents used bad judgment in cheering for such a lousy school, but do not take it out on the kid.

Do you believe every school should have a uniform?

Local

We are crazy drivers as Philly is ranked last in an Allstate survey of worst places to cruise. You are twice more likely to be in an accident on Philadelphia streets than in Sioux Falls. In fact, a Philadelphian averages a fender bender every 7 years against the Dakotas 14.  So it is not your imagination that driving is dangerous out there. It really is. And it is not your imagination a dog is driving that car. They really are in Jersey and the politicos are trying to stop it. Dogs will soon need to have their seat belts on. A newly proposed Jersey law will fine drivers who have their pooches on the loose in their cars. This colossal problem should make the roads a lot safer.

What other drivers’ habits annoy you the most?

Comments

[Patrick Edmonds]

1. I wouldn't mind a robot loading my dishwasher and doing my laundry.
2. I wore a uniform for 9 of my 12 years from elementary and high school, and it was the greatest thing ever. Even growing up in a middle class community, where most of my peers in K-3rd grade when I was public school were wearing their older siblings' hand-me-downs, what you wore mattered and it caused stress for a lot of kids. That was all eliminated for me when I transitioned to Catholic school, and I was happy for it. I know it's gotten worse, so yes, all kids would have a much easier life without the hassle to wearing a different outfit 5-7 days a week.
3. It's funny you wrote about this. It was on Preston & Steve and they were covering the litany of bad habits from other drivers. They also brought up a good point that the city of Philadelphia itself is a cause for many of these accidents. Its short on-ramps, out-of-nowhere exits, random turning lanes, enormous bike lanes, etc. all add to the accidents in and around the city. However, the most annoying driving habit is premature break pump, which inevitably causes more breaking and more breaking until there's a major backup in traffic, all because some overly cautious drive saw some break lights a mile ahead of them. Just give the proper amount of space and you're fine!

[James Dugan]

I would want a robot to drive me -- wait that is the train. A robot that cooked dinner would be awesome. Something like Pauly had in Rocky 4. Why do I feel like I living in the dark ages? I do think that vacuum cleaner bot was cool.
I am a huge proponent of uniforms. It can not be a polo shirt. They are for golf courses. It needs to be a button down shirt and with a tie. Girls and Boys. And no more sneakers at school. We have to start teaching our children that sneakers do not go with dress pants or they will end up all dressing like English professors in college.
My pet peeve driving habit is no turn signal. I think some people do not even know they have them. I just wish the car did it for them. Eating is also something I think is one of the funniest and dangerous things people can do driving. I love seeing someone wolfing down a whopper with a wrapper on their lap and ketchup on their mouth. I just can't stop staring.

[Nick Carraway]

Most annoying driving habit is when people get in the car in a crowded parking lot as if to leave and then just sit there with their reverse lights on for over five minutes. Another pet peeve is people who stop in random, unreasonable places and then open their door and try to get out in spite of oncoming traffic. I'm also annoyed by people who will stop suddenly and then hold up a line of traffic to let people cross the street at places where there is no crosswalk. I know pedestrians have the right of way, but come on. Whew! that felt good...tomorrow will be a better commute I know it.