of the things that it's easy to lose sight of in today's industry is what ‘quality’ actually means. And when I say that, I'm referring to it from a few different angles. It's difficult enough for people that are actually in the industry to know what is “good quality” and what is “bad quality”. Whether it's a frame, a lens material, a free-form design, or whatever else, … [Read more...]
Professional Cheese
last summer, I drove out to Wisconsin to do a photoshoot at a sports car race. When I originally pitched the idea to my significant other, I had a few things in mind for what to see and do out there, but decided to let her take the reins on choosing things to do beyond our time at the track. Of course, she immediately honed in on the cheese aspect (as Wisconsin is known for … [Read more...]
Quality Photochromics
aiting for water to boil ranks right up there with the other great time-wasters of our lives. Watching paint dry, watching grass grow, and so on. It is, unfortunately, one of those necessary evils that we need to endure. This is usually less of a problem with proper timing and planning, but many people don’t necessarily cook that way. Some people, without naming any … [Read more...]
Quality vs Price
Are you really getting what you paid for? ne of the major points of high-end food tends to be its presentation. After you get to a certain point, there's no real way to make the food actually taste better, so other things are done to make it seem more appealing, even though these efforts on presentation have no affect on the taste of the final product. So here, the customer … [Read more...]
Quality of Care
Running a great restaurant isn’t about being a great chef. While it certainly helps to know how to cook, that knowledge is only ever going to get you so far. There are many more elements that go into being able to be a success in the culinary world. As a customer, however, it’s easy to see the three different areas that you (as a customer) are going to really care about - the … [Read more...]
Omakase
makase, as I’m sure you’ve gathered already, is a Japanese term used in an American context most frequently at sushi restaurants. The word itself roughly means “I’ll leave it up to [ the chef ]”, essentially giving the chef permission to decide what you are going to eat. Instead of selecting what you are going to eat, you entrust the chef to make that decision for you. This … [Read more...]
Lens Materials
There are a number of different choices when it comes down to what your cookware is made out of. Whether it’s cast iron, stainless steel, ceramic, or glass, everything has an upside and a downside. Some of it can come down to what, specifically you are cooking, and some of it can come down to personal preference. Some materials are much better suited for some … [Read more...]
Verification and Dispensing Quality Eyewear
hen you order coffee, you are concerned about just that one cup - you don't care about any of the others that are being made and sold. You also don't care how busy that barista is - you want your order correct, or else. It can be in those final steps before dispensing the final product that obvious errors slip through. They were in a rush, so forgot the shot of caramel you … [Read more...]
Coating Boss
I’m Buddy — welcome to my coating lab! Today I have with me a number of hopeful young men and women that think their coating is the best. Well, I have news for most of them - it’s not. At the end of the day, it isn’t what they think about their coating, it’s what I think. Because I’m the boss. oday, we are going going to start out with a hard coating. Nice, simple, … [Read more...]
Hell’s Optical
Do you have an optical nightmare? Gordon strode through the front door just before noon. The first thing that he noticed was the unmistakable odor of tuna. This was not the welcome scent of a freshly seared sesame-crusted tuna steak. Of course it wasn’t. Rather, the stench that was currently assailing his nostrils was more of the canned variety. Perhaps even the canned … [Read more...]