Recently while exercising I caught part of a fascinating program on the Food Network. A hyper-energized host travels the world getting the inside scoop on how food items get packaged. In my short viewing I saw the packaging facilities for bubblegum-filled lollipops, champagne and my favorite, multi-colored popsicles. (Who knew a garishly colored rocket-shaped frozen snack on a stick was the product of such a formidable and sophisticated manufacturing process?)
So here’s another, “who knew?” story: I have been fascinated for years by the appearance of those reliable as rain emails from Netflix at 4am announcing that the disc I put in the mailbox the night before had been received and a new selection was on its way to my house. Yeah, they have some trade secrets they aren’t talking about, but much of the process is discussed in a piece in the Chicago Tribune. Visiting just one warehouse facility near Chicago (there are 58 nationwide), Trib reporter Christopher Borrelli found 42 people moving 60,000 discs every day, quietly and efficiently.
Netflix, like the makers of neon-colored ice sticks, has this thing DOWN.
(Photo: Michael Tercha)
I should know by now if I wonder how something is done, so do many other people. Thanks for the link that solved the Netflix wonder for me. By the way, on the matter of episodic folks (I think I am one), Netflix has a British series called “Clatterford” that is a fun episodic look at a quirky group of women. I recommend it. I also recommend British writer Angela Thirkell, a prolific mid-20th century fiction writer. She does episodic very well.
Thanks for the recommendations Janet. I haven’t seen Clatterford. We did watch Cranford when we were in the Lakes with Kathryn, and it was completely beguiling. I’ll check it out.