The Art of Allen

Construction has always been dangerous. Ancient builders met the challenge of jobsite injury by adding more men to the workforce, replacing the dead and injured. In modern times, the use of what is considered basic safety gear—such as hardhats and safety shoes—has only been accepted by the labor force in the recent past. In many ways, construction workers have had an image of being “cowboys” or “daredevils” at work. Not so much anymore. Much of the difference can be related to changes in government policy, or more accurately, to the evolution of government policy. That evolution started in 1922 with the formation of the Bureau of Labor Standards and progressed to the enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard Nixon on Dec. 29, 1970. A new agency, the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Admin.), which is run by the Dept. of Labor, was opened for business in April of 1971.  The safety standards set out by OSHA for the construction industry spe...

Cities can be more diversified and complex than any company. They have organizational structure and departmentalization issues like companies but operate at a level few private firms can match. Even so, they have one thing in common with large firms: they depend on modern technology. Integrated technologies, to be specific. While the “tech silo” approach was all too common in companies and cities for decades, most concluded that connectivity and integration is the way to go. As an example, the City of High Point, N.C ., transitioned its plan reviews to an electronic portal, but the implementation lacked a way to seamlessly transfer data to other applications. High Point processes an average of 2300 permit applications per year, with approximately 2000 of those requiring plan reviews. Projects range from simple to highly complex, including land development, construction, and a broad range in-between, with several different entities reviewing. Although more than 90% of plans are submit...

Sustainable smart building solutions are on the rise, with big benefits for both builders and homeowners. In order to unpack the biggest trends in this area, Connected World editorial director Peggy Smedley recently sat down to discuss all of this with Bastian Elsner, who is not only member of the executive board for sales and marketing, but also drives forward organizational development at Elsner Elektronik. Peggy Smedley : What is Elsner Elektronik and where are you based? Bastian Elsner: We are a producer of smart building technology. Our products are developed and manufactured in Ostelsheim in the southwest of Germany Smedley : What is the product or solution? Is this for both buildings and homes? Elsner: We offer stand-alone solutions for smart home beginners as well as devices for standards like RS485 and above all KNX. Especially the KNX technology can be used for both, private and commercial buildings, small and large projects. You simply pick devices for the application...

We just made the switch a few months back, and the combination of saving money and adding some extra entertainment to the mix has been well-worth our time. The post Cut the Cord Without Missing the Shows You Love appeared first on At Home in the Future . from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/07/cut-the-cord-without-missing-the-shows-you-love/ via IFTTT

It sounds like a sci-fi movie from the 1960s, but it’s a sci-fi reality in the 21 st century. Swarms of robots creating an underground “hive” using 3D printing technology, resulting in a tunnel without first using a boring machine, blasting, or digging. While Elon Musk’s Boring Co., is drilling massive holes underground and then lining them to create a tunnel, hyperTunnel first builds the tunnel, then digs the hole. A significant break from tradition, the hyperTunnel method does not create the hole by pushing through the ground with a boring machine or drill and blast. Instead, it 3D-prints the tunnel inside the ground, working to a digital twin created using completely new levels of data generated by hyperTunnel’s digital ground surveying techniques. Engineers are demonstrating how swarms of hyperBot robots can transport cartridges of construction chemicals through HDD (horizontal directional drilling) bore pipes to 3D-print a tunnel in the ground. This scalable and modular appro...

Strategy Analytics says Apple captures half of all smartphones sold during 6.18 online shopping festival in China this year. The post Fact of the Day – 7/29/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-7-29-2022/ via IFTTT

In October 1973, OPEC introduced Americans to the term “oil embargo.” The first major energy crisis was upon us and gas stations took the brunt of the anger as long lines, rationing, alternate day schemes, and other attempts to mitigate the sudden loss of imported oil came into effect. But while transportation problems were the most visible result, many other changes were more quietly taking place. The energy crises impacted the way architects designed spaces, especially commercial interiors. Prior to the oil embargo, these areas were typically illuminated with bright ceilings and fluorescent lamps. But as the cost of fuel increased the price of electricity, facility managers removed lamps, altered lighting layouts, and even removed or damaged ballasts and fixtures to limit the lightings use of energy. Designers responded by using more focused lighting and returning to daylighting strategies. But daylight caused its own problems. Buildings designed around conditioned air were often b...

Parks Associates says OTT service-stacking at an all-time high, with 50% of U.S. internet households subscribing to four or more OTT video services. The post Fact of the Day – 7/28/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-7-28-2022/ via IFTTT

Supply-chain officers have several risks that regularly need to be assessed—many of which can be evaluated by leveraging digital technology. One such example is the risk that climate change poses to our supply chain. Many realize climate change risks are materializing and are beginning to identify what this means for supply chains. While there are perhaps too many risks to name, some include the impact of rising sea levels on transportation and the influence of increasingly extreme weather on all industries, just to name a few. From wildfires threating lumber to hurricanes barraging seaside industries, the effects are wide and vast. All in all, this will lead to rising costs for supply chains that are already facing detrimental shortages. Still, trying to pinpoint risk for each business isn’t an easy feat. This is what Gartner uncovered in a recent survey of 320 supply-chain leaders between December 2021 and January 2022. The analyst firm discovered 27% of chief supply-chain officer...

Buildings are going up faster, closeouts happening sooner, and paperwork for payment getting processed faster. If everything goes according to plan/design, that is. But how often does a project finish exactly like it was supposed to? Between start and finish there is usually a pile of change orders going from owner to general to subcontractors and trades and back up the chain. Technology trends such as BIM (building information management), digital twin, and 3D design are reshaping construction. With a shift towards faster, more iterative project delivery, the industry is frustrated with many of the current tools available including paper, spreadsheets, email, and limited data transfer capabilities of financial software suites. The industry is still tracking 99% of over $150 billion in project change orders on paper, by email, and with static spreadsheets. Change orders are a fact of life in construction. With the movement toward Net Zero, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Envi...

Berg Insight says the global cellular IoT connections grew 22% to reach 2.1 billion in 2021. The post Fact of the Day – 7/27/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-7-27-2022/ via IFTTT

In his keynote address at this year’s Microsoft Inspire, Microsoft’s annual partner-focused event that wrapped up last week, company CEO Satya Nadella described digital transformation as a “deflationary force in an inflationary economy.” Nadella insisted that tech is the only way to navigate “the headwinds we’re facing today,” and he laid out five digital imperatives for every organization to do more with less—migrate to the cloud, empower fusion teams, unify data and apply AI (artificial intelligence) models, pursue collaborative business processes, and prioritize security. Here is a roundup of some announcements Microsoft made at its event. The company announced it is offering new benefits for ISVs (independent software vendors) through its ISV Success Program . The program—currently in private preview mode—is designed to help ISVs innovate rapidly, build well-architected applications, publish them to Microsoft’s commercial marketplace, and grow sales. Microsoft says the program wi...

Take the time to review some tips for turning your property into a place you will love living and that will help put a smile back on your face. The post Tips For Turning Your Property Into A Place You Will Love Living appeared first on At Home in the Future . from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/07/tips-turning-property-place-will-love-living/ via IFTTT

Construction work is truck intensive and hard-working trucks can develop problems. Sometimes, they don’t even have to work hard, just long. Toyota is conducting a safety recall involving certain 2022 model year Tundra (including HEV) vehicles in the U. S. Approximately 46,000 vehicles are involved in this recall. Vehicles in this recall have certain nuts on the rear axle assembly that can loosen over time, and, in some cases, fall off, potentially causing an axle shaft sub-assembly to separate from the axle. If complete separation occurs, this can affect vehicle stability and brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash. For all involved vehicles, Toyota dealers will inspect and retighten the axle flange nuts. In some cases, axle-related components may be replaced based on inspection results. As is customary (and regulated), owners of involved vehicles will be notified, in this case by late July 2022. To see if your vehicle is involved in a safety recall visit the Toyota r...

We are in the middle of a “Hot Construction Technology” series where we are uncovering some of the latest technologies to infiltrate the construction jobsite. So far, we have looked at 5G and AI (artificial intelligence). Today, let’s narrow in on AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), MR (mixed reality), and the metaverse—all of which will change the way construction professionals do business in the years ahead. First, let’s define each, look at some growth projections, and then identify how these technologies will impact the construction industry specifically. Virtual reality is a computer-generated simulation of a 3D image or environment that can be interacted with by using equipment such as a helmet. Essentially, it brings a person into a new reality. The global virtual reality market size was valued at $21.83 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a growth rate of 15% from 2022 to 2030, according to Grand View Research . Augmented reality, in contrast, is when a us...

The housing market has been surging for years, but with talks of an economic downturn ahead, is builder confidence finally starting to dip? Let’s take a look at some of the more interesting numbers, breaking it down between builder confidence and the remodeling market. NAHB (National Assn. of Home Builders) conducts the NAHB/Wells Fargo HMI (Housing Market Index) monthly and it also releases the NAHB/Westlake Royal RMI (Remodeling Market Index) quarterly—both of which have declined in July. Developed from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for more than 35 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo HMI gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months as “good,” “fair,” or “poor.” Meanwhile, the NAHB/Westlake Royal RMI is a quarterly survey that was redesigned in 2020 to ease respondent burden and improve its ability to interpret and track industry trends. Housing Market Index in July Overall builder confidence fell in July...

Juniper Research says asset-tracking spend to reach $45 billion globally by 2027. The post Fact of the Day – 7/26/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-7-26-2022/ via IFTTT

If you run your own garage or a similar business, it is vital that you take steps to protect yourself and any employees. The post Top Safety Essentials to Keep in Your Garage appeared first on At Home in the Future . from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/07/top-safety-essentials-keep-garage/ via IFTTT

Take a group of experienced contractors and a new technology, combine their expertise with the technology’s capabilities and the result can be impressive. When seven leading construction and drywall companies­­—Webcor, DPR Construction, Swinerton, Nevell Group, KHS&S, Daley’s Drywall & Taping, and California Drywall—participated in the construction field’s version of a clinical trial of a robotic finishing machine, their feedback resulted in a Level 4 Targeted Spray system from Canvas . Canvas created its Innovation Partner Program, which now has the seven companies involved, in December 2021. Like nearly every company in the industry, since the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted projects, they have had trouble staffing their field operations with qualified, experienced workers in these times of labor shortages. By testing and improving a robotic system, the Partners gave Canvas positive feedback and suggestions that were incorporated in the new system. These customers and partner...

For the past two years, many people have been talking about IAC (indoor air quality) in homes and buildings and how that is a key factor in helping to prevent the spread of diseases. With this at the forefront, the Biden-Harris Admin., has been taking some big steps to stop the spread of COVID-19 and improve indoor air quality. The administration and Congress have provided hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds that can be used in schools, public buildings, and other settings to improve indoor air quality. The American Rescue Plan provided $350 billion for state and local governments, as well as $122 billion for schools, which can be used to support making ventilation and filtration upgrades. American Rescue Plan dollars are being put to work in communities around the country in improving HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems. As a more recent example, in March, the administration launched the Clear Air in Building Challenge, which calls on all building ...

IDC says small broadband retailers continue to gain marketshare from traditional telcos. The post Fact of the Day – 7/25/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-7-25-2022/ via IFTTT

Inventory management can be a cost center or a profit center for a contractor. Missing tools that show up in inventory mean that tools won’t be available when and where needed. Tools that are ready to work but aren’t in the inventory list are too often replaced, at additional cost, by panicking supervisors heading to the jobsite. If these scenarios sound familiar, think about how a similar problem can challenge a major tool rental service. Among the major national contractor suppliers, Home Depot and Lowe’s battle it out for customers. Each strives for efficiency matched to customer service and the winner can be different in each competitive location. To get a favorable advantage, Lowe’s Tool Rental is implementing procurement software from SmartEquip , a member of the Ritchie Brothers companies, to automate in-store equipment service and repair processes. The SmartEquip Procurement  software solution enables equipment owners in the construction field to streamline parts orderi...

IDC says increased inflation and lower consumer confidence will negatively impact devices market in Europe in 2022. The post Fact of the Day – 7/22/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-7-22-2022/ via IFTTT

Parks Associates says 51% of smart home owners who have recently experienced at least one technical issue report loss of wireless connectivity. The post Fact of the Day – 7/21/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-7-21-2022/ via IFTTT

Most companies of any size have a website, an internet presence. Whether you actively deal in international trade, build across borders, or just communicate with people in other countries, your actions will be scrutinized for illegal behavior—behavior you probably didn’t even know was illegal. Posting notices about cookie use is a common indicator of taking privacy seriously but it can’t be the end of the story. According to a survey by Gartner of more than 5,800 customers conducted in December 2021, 71% of B2C (business-to-consumer) customers and 86% of B2B (business-to-business) customers expect companies to be well-informed about their personal information during a service interaction. But while customers want companies to be well-informed about their personal information, customers also expect their data to remain private and secure, and to be used solely for its intended purpose.  A data-driven approach to designing personalized service experiences benefits the customer and...