Archive: August, 2007

Dan’s Twitter Updates for 2007-08-15

  • I need a haircut. #

Walgreens Distribution Center to expand/upgrade in Mount Vernon

Details are a bit fuzzy at this point, however an anonymous source close to the local distribution center has confirmed that Walgreens will be expanding at their Mount Vernon location. A building permit was applied for by the company and there has been much buzz about this fact.

At this point, all that is known is that there will be new space built or added on that will include the addition of automated equipment to assist with the shipping of e-commerce and makeup supplies. The Mount Vernon DC is the only center in the country that ships makeup for Walgreens.

The new automated equipment will help actually bring items to employees to be “picked” and shipped to stores. While there will be new automated equipment in this addition, of course employees will be needed to run this part as well. New hiring has not been confirmed, but one could assume this will be the case.

We hope to have more details this afternoon, and we ask forgiveness if this is old news to anyone or everyone.

Update: Very little in the way of details, but here it is – The new construction and/or renovation in the Black Building is expected to cost ~$80 million. E-commerce and central pick will be transferred in 4 phases. Phase 1 will involve 100% of the e-commerce being moved and 20% of the central pick. The other 3 phases will finish the movement of central pick to this new area.

The higher level of automation will be accomplished by using technology from Kiva Systems. To be honest, the robots remind us of “Roombas”, only designed to move products instead of vacuuming a floor. Here is a video of the ‘bots in action at a Staples DC via FastCompany.com.

Okay, R-N, who are you?

Wow, somebody at the Register-News likes me, or at least is curious about me. Someone on a Mac, using IE 5, has done a search for me on Google, and they were using the R-N’s internet connection [link removed].

To you, R-N person, I say “Hi!”

If you really want to know something about me, just ask. With this blog I have become more public with my life, and would love to hold a conversation. Email is fine, or just use the comments here.

Since it’s been awhile since I’ve updated my stats, I’ll list some of them here because I have nothing else to fill up space.

🙂

Last month we had over 4800 page views with 1350 unique visitors. We are stalled at about 30 RSS subscribers. Windows XP is still the favorite OS among visitors, followed by Linux and Mac respectively.

For browsers, IE6 leads the pack. It is followed by Firefox and IE7. I would theorize comparing the number of XP users v IE7 users that a great number of users are not updating Windows as they should.

Please keep your system up to date with updates, antivirus, and a good firewall. It makes the Web safer for us all!

Dan’s Twitter Updates for 2007-08-12

  • Cleaning out closets and old clothes. Goodwill bound. #

Krieger’s – New in Mount Vernon

Emily and I went to Krieger’s today for lunch. They have cleaned up the old Franky’s, and it seemed slightly nicer.

The menu provides simple fare to be expected in a bar/sports grill atmosphere – burgers, chicken, etc. There were some items that sounded interesting, but mostly bar food. I tried the “bison burger” and Emily had the chicken florentine (I think). The burger was okay, but I am pretty sure it was pre-made and cooked from frozen. Nothing you can’t get at any other joint. Emily had the chicken that came with some rice as the side. It looked great, and she said it tasted fine. I didn’t quiz her on how tasty it was, but she didn’t say it tasted bad (and she would have).

Overall, I have to say that this is another establishment that does not appear to offer anything other than what you can get at Applebee’s or Chili’s. They do seem to be a dollar or two less, and the money you spend stays closer to home rather than going to a national chain. It’s a small plus, but enough to have me go there instead of Applebee’s or Chili’s most of the time. They really need to differentiate themselves or I can see no reason for most other people to choose them over the national chains.

Overall – Same stuff, different name on the door from my first impression.