The more things change, the more they stay the same, noted Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in Les Guêpes July 1848. (To be precise, he said it in French, but the sentiment is true in any language.) In 2020, I have been reminded time and again how true this epigram is.

What a difference a few months — or weeks — can make. In January, as I was attending AHR Expo in Orlando, there was little talk of COVID-19 or the coronavirus that causes the disease.

In 2021, Process Cooling — with our sister publication, Process Heating — will play host to the inaugural Process Heating & Cooling Show, the only tradeshow to focus specifically on industrial applications. 

I’ll admit, I’m a little out of touch on office décor: I have worked remotely since the mid-2000s. Do companies still display the framed art with inspirational sayings paired with dramatic photographs? You know the kind: an eagle soars across the sky in a black matte frame above a meaningful quote about ambition or excellence. If they don’t, they should.

Some farms grow food,” says the soothing yet authoritative voiceover in the commercial. “This one grows fuel.” So begins a recent television commercial from ExxonMobil that brings again to the consumer consciousness the idea of growing algae for biofuel production. 

Just as much as New Year’s Eve is a time of new resolutions and beginnings, the end of a year is a time to look back. 

If manufacturing were a person (stick with me here…), it would be the world’s worst control freak. Think about it: knowledge and control are the name of the game in effective manufacturing. 

Summer — the season of family trips to national monuments, lazy days at the beach and camping — will soon be behind us. Besides the end of construction season for the northern one-third of the country, the seasons’ change brings us another welcome sight: tradeshow season.

It’s easy to take the breadth of information available to each of us today. Whether you want to learn more about the benefits of crop rotation, the sleeping habits of Australian shepherds or a refresher on the Reynolds number and the equation for flow in a pipe or tube, the answer is just a click away.

As I wrap up our April issue, I can’t help but hope for more April-like weather by the time you’re reading this. Winter in the upper Midwest may have started late — we had green grass until late December near where I live.