welcome to
Letter from the President
My recent visit to Dubai -
In
early July, I was privileged to visit Dubai on a business project. This
was my first visit to the Middle East. Dubai is in the United Arab
Emirates, which is located next to Saudi Arabia.
Dubai
appears to be a gateway to the entire Middle Eastern and North African (MENA)
countries. The major instrumentation suppliers have offices there,
including Siemens, Emerson, KROHNE, Endress+Hauser, and ABB. For the most
part, these are sales offices rather than manufacturing offices.
The
recession has had some impact on building projects in Dubai. Also, some
water and power projects have been delayed or canceled. However, the oil
and gas business has fared better, and for the most part these projects
are continuing. This entire area, of course, is a massive center of oil
and natural gas, both in terms of current production and reserves.
Dubai
is known for its large malls, and for the world's tallest building. It is
VERY HOT over there, and easily reaches 110 degrees F during the day. My
American provinciality was tested as temperature is measured in
Centigrade and lengths are measured in kilometers rather than miles. The
scale in my hotel room in Abu Dhabi read only kilograms, while the scale
in Dubai reads in kilograms and pounds.
The
service over there, as well as on the Emirates plane over, is
extraordinary. The staff in the hotel makes a point of knowing your name
and greeting you by name during your visit. They are extremely
courteous and the service is unlike any I have ever seen in the States.
The food there is so extraordinary, with tremendous variety and extremely
high quality.
Rather
than seeing the town, I spent time working on the book I am writing with
Dick Morley called The Tao of Measurement (www.taoofflow.com).
I am currently working on the chapter on the subject of time. So here is a
question for you: Does time have a beginning, or has it always existed?
Does time exist apart from the measurement of time? Does the phrase
"the beginning of time" have a meaning or any reference? How
about "the end of time." Besides these rather abstract
questions, I am looking at the development of our basic units of time and
the tools of time measurement, including the calendar and clock. I also
plan to discuss the idea of decimal time, including the merits of flowtime.
For more on flowtime, please go to http://www.flowresearch.com/Flowtime/flowtime.htm.
I
returned to the States on July 5. While it was nice to be back home, I
left wanting to know more about this fascinating place so full of mystery,
camels, and oil and gas. I especially would like to visit the camel
racetrack south of Dubai and also go on a camel ride. Dubai has jumped to
the top of my list of all time favorite places, and I hope to return soon inshallah,
as they say over there.
Yours
in flow
Jesse
Yoder
Flow Research
jesse@flowresearch.com