After a year of technological inventions that helped us better navigate the pandemic, 2021 is looking to be a bit of a let-down. Proof can be found in the recent 2021 Consumer Electronics show a debutante ball of sorts for the latest and greatest gadgetry. This year’s event showed off everything from a toilet that can tell you about your health (I won’t explain how!) to self-opening pet doors activated by an app on your phone.
Revolutionary? Life-changing? Or a sign that the geeks in the lab are getting bored and running out of ideas?
Why not more pragmatic and simpler tech like we got in 2020 when videoconferencing, health apps and other ingenious advancements made our lives better? More connected. More livable.
The city of St. Augustine has a new chief resilience officer, whose role will include combatting flooding in the city.
City Manager John Regan recently chose Jessica Beach, the city s stormwater engineer, for the role. She has been working for the city since 2017, overseeing the city s stormwater program. Before that, she worked for the St. Johns River Water Management District for about 13 years in its Regulatory Program and as a project manager in the District’s Division of Projects, according to a city news release.
She has a bachelor s and master s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Florida.