In the past, only one piece of metal could be cut at a time with a saw or other metal cutting mechanical process. It took a lot of time and was expensive. Then came the invention and use of waterjets.

Low pressure waterjets were first used for mining gold in California in 1852. Steam and hot water jets were used in the early 1900s for cleaning. High pressure waterjets were used for mining in the 1960s. During the mid 2000s waterjets started to be used for cutting. 

A waterjet is a tool used to cut with a (very) high pressure stream of water. Think of a waterjet as something with about 30 times the pressure of the power washer wand at our local car wash. Power washing at car washes is an example of a dirt film being “cut” off the body, wheels, and tires of our vehicles. The key to cutting metal with water is to keep the spray coherent. Waterjets are able to cut because the spray is channeled through a very narrow jeweled nozzle as a very high pressure to keep the spray coherent. 

Waterjets can cut marble, granite, stone, metal, plastic, wood, and stainless steel. They can cut a sandwich of different materials up to four inches thick. 

Unlike metal cutters, a waterjet never gets dull and it cannot overheat.

The once-mighty Mississippi River is in crisis.

In recent years, the Mississippi River has experienced severe, months-long droughts that take hold across a vast swathe of America’s Midwest and South, regularly leaving the river at historic lows. 

Forty percent of the continental United States drains into the river. The Mississippi River is far more than just a storied body of water. It is America’s superhighway. Ninety-two percent of all U.S. agricultural exports and 78 percent of the globe’s exported feed grain are transported on the river. From freshly harvested corn shipped all over the world to coffee that’s served in cafes across the Midwest, nearly 500 million tons of goods are shipped up and down the river every year. But today, the growing frequency of droughts is forcing barges to carry fewer goods.

Just a one-foot fall in water level shaves 100,000 bushels of soybeans from a typical 15-barge tow. That’s the equivalent of 2,738 metric tons—enough to overflow an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

A low Mississippi River is not only bad news for Americans, but also for countries as far away as China, Japan, and Indonesia where Midwestern grain and soybeans are essential food sources. In 2022, the low river levels resulted in an estimated $20 billion in lost trade.

"One Bad Apple," a song by the Osmonds, hit the airwaves on November 14, 1970, hitting the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 13, 1971.

One bad apple don't
Spoil the whole bunch, girl
Oh, give it one more try
Before you give up on love
One bad apple don't
Spoil the whole bunch, girl
Oh, I don't care what they say
I don't care what you heard

Common sense and simple observation tells us one bad apple can, indeed, spoil, the whole bunch. The Osmonds, with their naive, wishful thinking would have liked us to believe otherwise.

So, which is it? Can one bad apple spoil the whole bunch?

Scientists at McGill University had something to say about that:

You bet. Because once an apple is rotten or has physical damage, (ie a bruise), it produces ethylene, which in turn leads to a slightly increased internal temperature causing a breakdown of chlorophyll and the synthesis of other pigments. The starch in the fruit is converted to simple sugars and at the same time, pectin, a component of fiber that cements the cell walls together, begins to disintegrate thereby softening the tissue. Once this happens, it starts a chain reaction, stimulating the process in other apples.

Google's AI bot had a much simpler and to the point answer:

Yes, one bad apple can spoil a bunch of apples because rot spreads through contact.

Whether we're talking apples ...

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