Latest news with #plumber
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
The historic town drowning in sewage... and why YOUR area could be next thanks to Labour's new plans
There's a plumber connecting the dishwasher in Nick Robinson 's kitchen, plus a newly installed bespoke counter and a smell of fresh paint. After eight months, his Buckingham home is nearly ready for him to move back into. Yet memories of the sewage that spewed through drains outside and flooded his floors last November are not so easily fixed.
Forbes
7 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Behind The Godfather Of AI's Terrifying Comments Lies A Valid Point About The Future Of Work
As AI reshapes the white-collar world, the blue-collar future looks more essential than ever. A few weeks ago, Geoffrey Hinton, known as the godfather of AI, went on a podcast and said some mildly terrifying things. Among his more hair-raising points: Intelligent machines could one day decide humans are no longer needed and, um, that'd be that. 'If you want to know what life's like when you're not the apex intelligence,' Hinton deadpans, 'ask a chicken.' Aside from the scare—Hinton's larger point is that we must put as much effort into preventing bad AI possibilities as we do developing good ones—he offered some interesting thoughts on the future of work, and they're applicable to our world of manufacturing. A World Of Plumbers… And Manufacturers Hinton was particularly gloomy on the future of desk jobs. He believes that a role like that of the paralegal, for instance, won't be needed for very long. 'For mundane intellectual labor, AI is just going to replace everybody,' Hinton says. There's one area, however, where he thinks humans are safe. 'It's going to be a long time before it's as good at physical manipulation as us,' Hinton says. 'So, a good bet will be to be a plumber.' That insight is especially resonant for manufacturing. While he uses plumbing as his go-to example, the larger point stands for a variety of roles across the trades, and many in manufacturing. A few to throw in the mix: manufacturing engineer, machinist, quality control technician, process technician, supply chain coordinator. It can't be overstated the level of demand for these roles right now—there are currently a half a million unfilled manufacturing jobs across the country, and by 2033, we could be short nearly 2 million, according to The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte. And the demand is even greater for young people, a point of emphasis in an industry that is seeing loads of baby boomers—and the institutional knowledge they carry with them—reach retirement age. In many cases, employees start with a good salary and can quickly move up. As one data point, hourly wages for entry-level, mid-skill manufacturing jobs in Northeast Ohio were up 21% in 2023, to $21.10 an hour. The Importance Of Creativity To be sure, American manufacturing must become more technologically advanced. That's how we compete with global powers like China and, if tariffs wind up bringing home more manufacturing operations, stand up the necessary capacity. If they haven't already, American manufacturers must start investing in technology today—full stop. That includes technologies like collaborative robots (cobots) that work safely alongside humans, AI-driven quality inspection systems, predictive maintenance software, and digital twins that simulate factory processes in real time. Hinton's comments may zero in on the future of 'physical manipulation' jobs, but in truth, a lot of careers in manufacturing's future will require creativity and problem-solving skills, with or without the physical component. We need smart and well-trained humans figuring out how to incorporate new lines, shift things around inside the plant, prioritize orders and shipments, calculate risk associated with equipment purchasing, assess next steps with regard to aging or broken machinery, and otherwise deploy human judgment and experience to maximize the business. These opportunities will only increase in the coming years. Truth be told: manufacturing jobs in America hit rock bottom years ago, as companies implemented enormous amounts of automation in the form of computer-controlled machines (I.e., CNCs) and outsourced high-labor content jobs to China. We may still see a few roles here lost to robotics and automation, but if we're doing it right, those jobs will be replaced—and then some—by a new age of the high-skill, manufacturing problem-solver. Manufacturing's Challenge: Smartly Mixing Humans And Machines Technology alone isn't the answer. In this industry, the most desirable roles will be around for a long time. 'The human role will be focused on high-level decision-making,' Kevin Johnson, managing partner at NextGen Interactive, told me during a recent conversation. 'But we need to ensure people remain an essential part of the process.' Manufacturers will have to engage in the work of retraining their workers and hiring the right people for the future. That includes partnering with local technical colleges, developing internal upskilling programs, and creating pathways for nontraditional candidates to enter the field. As they implement technology, they'll get more out of their employment dollars and thus be able to pay workers better. And when employees are trained to use advanced tools, their jobs become not just safer and more efficient—but more meaningful. In other words, mixing technology advancement with the right kind of hiring and training programs will produce a future where we all win The Opportunity Awaiting Manufacturers In The Age Of AI Hinton's comments offer food for thought. People who are smarter on AI than myself should heed his warning and establish the appropriate guardrails. But I'm not so sure humanity will succumb any time soon. For manufacturers, his most useful insight isn't about existential threats—it's about opportunity. As AI reshapes the white-collar world, the blue-collar future looks more essential than ever. Manufacturers have a chance to lead this moment—not just by adopting smarter technologies, but by building the workforce that can use them. Manufacturers have struggled to fill their open roles for years. Young people willing to engage with the idea of alternative career paths will find a career in manufacturing awaiting that is financially rewarding, conducive to work-life balance, and favorable to personal and professional growth. For those willing to get their hands on the tools of tomorrow—both digital and physical—manufacturing offers a future that's not just safe from AI, but powered by it.
The Sun
16-07-2025
- General
- The Sun
I'm a plumber – here's why your shower smells musty and how to fix it for 50p
A HOT shower should leave you feeling refreshed — not standing in a steamy cloud of musty odour. But according to bathroom and kitchen experts at Plumbworld, many homeowners don't realise that the unpleasant smell in their shower could be coming from hidden grime in the drain. 1 Over time, soap scum, hair, skin cells, and body oils collect in your shower drain and trap moisture. This creates the perfect environment for mould, mildew, and bacteria, which produce musty or sour smells. And showers that don't drain fully or sit unused for long periods are more likely to develop these odours. Thakfully, professional plumber James Clarkson says there's a simple fix that costs just around 50p and can make a noticeable difference fast. James, who has over 15 years of experience in residential and commercial plumbing, explains: 'It's not always the pipes themselves — often, it's the gunk stuck in the trap or just under the grate that starts to smell.' He insists you don't need expensive drain cleaners to fix the issue - and a more purse-friendly solution may already be in your cupboard. That's because James' go-to routine involves a squirt of washing-up liquid and a full kettle of hot water. 'Washing-up liquid cuts through grease and body oils,' James revealed. 'Combined with boiling water, it can break down what's causing the smell — and it only costs pennies per treatment.' To try the hack, all you need to do is pour a generous squirt of standard washing-up liquid - about 5–10ml, costing roughly 5–10p - directly into the shower drain. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes to help loosen oily build-up then carefully pour boiling hot water down the drain to flush out the grime. Then finish up by rinsing the drain area with cold water from the shower. For more stubborn odours, you can mix together two tablespoons of baking soda and salt to pour into the drain, then follow the same steps above. This method is best done once a month as part of your regular bathroom routine. Plumbworld explains: 'A musty shower doesn't always mean there's a major problem. Often, it's just a small maintenance issue that can be fixed for less than 50p. "Regular rinses with hot water and detergent, plus the occasional salt and baking soda flush, go a long way toward keeping odours at bay. 'Baking soda helps neutralise odours, and salt adds a gentle scouring action to loosen stubborn grime. It's a natural, non-corrosive alternative to harsh drain cleaners.'
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Plumber's 'horrific' discovery prompts warning to Aussie residents
Plumber Michael Schulze is urging Aussies not to put up with mushrooms inside their home after visiting a property on Monday in Brunswick, Melbourne. This client has mushrooms growing out of their wall, and they don't know where they're coming from. This whole wall is absolutely saturated, as you can see. Which is also evident on our thermal imaging. They've got a shower on the other side of that wall here. A plumber has already been there trying to find what's causing those mushrooms to grow, and they don't know what it is. So we're gonna do an investigation, see where this leak is coming from. So we're gonna do an investigation, see where this leak is coming from. So we're just doing a pressure test of the pipework here with our gauge, and that's not dropping pressure, so there's no leaks on the pipes, it's gonna be coming from something else. Next, we thoroughly inspect the grouting and the ceiling inside the shower, which we found nothing. Let's dye test this bath. There might be a leak coming from the bath waste, so we're gonna test it and see if it's leaking. Again, as you can see, we've got about 50 degrees of hot water inside this bath with our tracing dye. This will test for any leaks. Now it's time to pull the plug and test the drain, let's see how it goes. Alright, after running the water through the bath waste there, it's leaking out onto the floor here. As you can see, there's all water pooling on the ground, so that means the bath waste is leaking underneath the tub. And they're gonna have to open a hole in the wall, fix that pipe, stop it from leaking, and start drying out all of the areas. So, job's all done and we're on to the next one, we've found the leak and this one was causing these mushrooms here. If you've got leaks, make sure you call us, we're the experts.
Entrepreneur
15-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Nextdoor Gets Update With Local News Partnerships
If you are a Nextdoor user, you know it is the place to ask for plumber recommendations and to air your grievances about the new traffic light in town. But Nextdoor wants to be so much more. Co-founder and CEO Nirav Tolia told AP News: "There should be enough value that we are creating for neighbors that they feel like they need to open up Nextdoor every single day. And that isn't the case today." To that end, Nextdoor announced its "most consequential redesign of its core product to date." A refresh of the site and app will focus on three pillars: Alerts, News, and Faves. Related: 12 Leadership Lessons From Nextdoor CEO Alerts promises "to deliver real-time updates on everything from daily weather and traffic to critical moments like power outages, severe storms, and wildfires." Faves will utilize AI to deliver quick answers to questions like, "What is the best place to hike with kids?" according to the release. In a big push to become a source of reliable information, the News section will utilize content from 3,500 local news publications in the U.S., UK, and Canada. Collectively, the app will publish 50,000 local news stories per week. "Trusted outlets are now reaching neighbors directly through the platform, bringing community-focused journalism to neighborhoods everywhere," read the release. "We thought in our early days that neighbors would take over, almost as citizen journalists or local reporters," Tolia said to AP. "I think we've come to the conclusion that neighbors can only do so much." Related: Nextdoor's CMO Says Small Businesses Are Underutilizing One Critical Tool That Could Propel Their Marketing Efforts Tolia revealed that while Nextdoor has 100 million registered users, only about 25 million log in once a week. With these improvements, Nextdoor is hoping to boost that number, which could provide an ancillary boost for the struggling local news market. Tim Franklin, head of the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern, told the AP that this could provide a lifeline to sites getting killed by Google's AI answers. "If Nextdoor is another vessel to get readers to news sites, and local news sites in particular," Franklin said, "It would come at a real moment of vulnerability for local news organizations and would be a real opportunity." Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.
