The Art of Allen

Most companies want to stay away from politics since whichever side they appear to be supporting will make the other side distrustful. In an election year, politics and politicians are everywhere and avoiding the subject gets harder each day. In 2022, the standard saying, “All politics is local,” can be a bit deceiving as world politics, from tariffs to war, are making the news daily and impacting the lives of everyone from workers on the line to C-level executives. According to Gartner , technology governance issues, emanating from cross-country politics, have led to “digital geopolitics” rapidly becoming an issue that multinational  CIOs must step up to lead . Some 41% of boards of directors view geopolitical power shifts and turbulence as one of the biggest risks to performance. Digital geopolitics is now one of the most disruptive trends that CIOs must address, with many dealing with trade disputes, legislation coming from one country that impacts global operations,...

ABI Research says enterprise, not consumer, is the vanguard of $60 billion metaverse market development. The post Fact of the Day – 10/31/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-10-31-2022/ via IFTTT

Statistics don’t lie, the saying goes. But interpreting those statistics, that can be something else. Monthly reports on employment, starts and completions, various demographic data, and deep drilling into where those numbers are coming from, makes for interesting reading. Then the next month, it all changes. Take the monthly summary of federal data on construction spending. The analysis by the AGC (Associated General Contractors of America ) of total construction spending in August, the latest month government statistic cover, shows a decline of 0.7% as spending on new houses turned sharply lower, while public and private nonresidential construction posted mixed results. Association officials said that rising interest rates were hurting demand for housing and many private-sector projects while the impacts of new federal funding for infrastructure, semiconductor plants, and green energy facilities have yet to fully kick in. Basically, the industry knows the money from the infr...

Here are some helpful fridge-cleaning tips while you and your co-workers draw straws over who must get the cleaning gloves on: The post How to Clean a Smelly Fridge at Work appeared first on At Home in the Future . from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/10/clean-smelly-fridge-work/ via IFTTT

Polymer 3D printing market moves beyond prototyping to hit $21.1 billion in 2033, says IDTechEx The post Fact of the Day – 10/28/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-10-28-2022/ via IFTTT

If you are not familiar with how to buy your ex-display kitchens high quality and reasonable, this page brings tips. The post 5 Tips to Buy Ex-Display Kitchens in Sale appeared first on At Home in the Future . from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/10/5-tips-buy-ex-display-kitchens-sale/ via IFTTT

It’s time to take your home to the next level. There are a few things that you can do to make this possible. The post It’s Time to Take Your Home to the Next Level appeared first on At Home in the Future . from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/10/time-take-home-next-level/ via IFTTT

Juniper Research says virtual card transaction volumes to surpass 121 billion globally by 2027. The post Fact of the Day – 10/27/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-10-27-2022/ via IFTTT

If you are thinking about renovating a room in your home, there are so many things that you will need to be aware of. The post How to Renovate Any Room in Style appeared first on At Home in the Future . from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/10/renovate-room-style/ via IFTTT

The Swedish furniture company IKEA made its fame by offering “assembly required” kits of parts so people could provide the labor of furniture building for themselves. The concept was that labor costs were a major part of any manufacturing operation and buyers could provide that, saving money. Carrying that idea a bit further, Project Frog , with nearly two decades of institutional knowledge in designing, developing, and managing prefab Kits-of-Parts for the modular building industry, has launched KitConnect, a SaaS DMS (Design Management Solution) for the AEC industry that enables building productization workflows in BIM, effectively a digital kit-of-parts approach. Design encompasses a wide range of requirements, usability, aesthetics, code compliance, performance, longevity, fabrication, assembly, installation, and maintenance. Creating a library of standard components or a repeatable building platform, known as a kit-of-parts, offers quick scalability and flexibility to work build...

We have made a lot of progress with sustainability in the last few years in our businesses, but many are still in the nascent phase of sustainability. We are now discovering that while many organizations have very good intentions these days, the actions don’t always match the intent. This month there were three different studies released that address sustainability in businesses. 451 Research, a part of S&P Market Intelligence , released a paper that revealed a perception-versus-reality dilemma with enterprise organizations believing their sustainability programs are more advanced than they actually are. Here we see the main drivers of sustainability is business value and firms start with measuring energy usage then expand into other sustainability metrics and tools. This research has discovered the greatest challenges in the sustainability journey are optimizing energy usage, obtaining consistent data and metrics, and lacking skilled staff. Setting aside all these reports, we ...

In the race to net zero emissions, investment, commitment, and collaboration will be key to success. The IEA (Intl. Energy Agency) reports in order to reach net zero emissions by 2050, annual clean energy investment worldwide will need to triple to reach about $4 trillion by 2030. In fact, IEA says what’s happened up to this point is simply not good enough, considering CO2 emissions have increased significantly (by 60%) since the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in the early 1990s. Achieving net zero emissions by 2050, therefore, will require “nothing short of the complete transformation of the global energy system,” IEA says in its report. Most of the technologies that will help reduce CO2 emissions between now and 2030 already exist and are on the market. But IEA suggests many of the technologies that will help reduce emissions between 2030 and 2050 are in a demo or prototype phase. Water utilities committed to using existing technologies to decarbonize a...

The Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman has said the U.S. government, “…is basically an insurance company with an army.” So much of the government’s work involves insuring its citizens—think Social Security—that much of its funding does go to those programs—and the military, of course. However, the Federal government is also a major, if not the largest, property owner and landlord. Our national government occupies 2.8 billion-sq.ft. of building space in the U.S. and U.S. territories, of which 2.5 billion-sq.ft. are owned and otherwise managed and 286 million square feet are leased. And, according to government agencies, there are many federally owned buildings that are unused or under used. At the same time, there are about 5.9 million commercial buildings in the U.S., and the total square footage of office space is steadily increasing . Those figures are important when you see other numbers, such as the U.S. Dept. of Energy report that, as of 2021, all buildings in the U.S. c...

Gartner says 74% of supply chain leaders expect circular economy to increase profits through 2025. The post Fact of the Day – 10/25/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-10-25-2022/ via IFTTT

Building technology has come a long way in a short period of time. In the decades after World War II, mass housing was the driver, finding ways to provide for the returning veterans and their families. In some cases, short cuts were taken that showed up later as major problems. As the industry finds problems, however, companies find answers. As an example, no building engineer today would consider erecting a commercial building without a continuous, full air barrier system. This was not the situation prior to the 1980s. The need to eliminate or control air infiltration/exfiltration through wall assemblies to maximize energy efficiency and prevent moisture problems was not well recognized throughout the industry. Often, asphalt-saturated felt paper was used simply as a water-resistive barrier. Eventually, concerns about energy conservation and materials durability—and increased awareness of the role of air infiltration in building health and efficiency—led to new standards for air bar...

ABI Research says set-top box market contraction will stabilize post-2024 and level off at 194 million shipments between 2025 and 2028. The post Fact of the Day – 10/24/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-10-24-2022/ via IFTTT

Parks Associates says 74% of U.S. internet households with children at home have used telehealth services in the past 12 months. The post Fact of the Day – 10/21/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-10-21-2022/ via IFTTT

The infrastructure bills that were proposed by the president and passed by the current Congress have caused a stir as companies gear up to bid and build the roads, airports, bridges, ports, and other necessary structures around the country. Some of these projects will be the largest a given company has ever attempted and many are turning to technology, specifically construction management applications, to help with the build and improve their profits. In 2020, the construction industry was severely impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19 across various countries, which, in turn, adversely impacted the demand for construction materials. However, with the resumption of construction activities, after nationwide lockdowns in Q3 2020, the construction management software market is expected to witness upward growth during the forecast period. The result is that the construction management software market share is set to grow by $1.13 billion from 2021 to 2026, progr...

Juniper Research says CCaaS market value to near $16 billion in global revenue by 2027. The post Fact of the Day – 10/20/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-10-20-2022/ via IFTTT

Real estate developers often create long-range plans to improve a subdivision in phases, starting with a core section and, upon completion, considering the market for an extension or second phase. If the market warrants it, the second phase will build on the success of the first, perhaps adding amenities the buyers in the first phase requested. Whole town can be built this way, rising from a prairie or meadow. The phasing process can be rapid or long-term. Usually, several years pass between first and second phases, allowing the developer to review the market and buyer’s interests. If a special factor is present, such as local commercial or industrial developments drawing workers, the decision will be expeditated. In upstate New York, just such a condition exists where a major high-tech corridor is under development. GlobalFoundries ’ $15 billion campus, which has brought high-tech jobs to the community of Malta, located between Albany and Saratoga Springs, is an example. The chipmak...

The car of the future will be far different from the cars of the past. Certainly, the next generation of cars will be electric and smart, collecting and disseminating data to create a more comfortable and convenient ride for drivers—but also the car of the future will be manufactured in a way that is more efficient, resilient, and sustainable. And it’s pretty cool for the environment, too! Let’s go for a manufacturing ride. Perhaps one of the most recent examples of this came from an announcement last week between Mercedes-Benz and Microsoft Corp . With the new MO360 Data Platform—which is the evolution of the car maker’s digital production ecosystem—Mercedes-Benz is connecting roughly 30 passenger car plants worldwide to the Microsoft Cloud. The value here is it creates data transparency and predictability across production and the supply chain—something we all know is essential when building cars of the future today. The platform is standardized on Microsoft Azure, providing Merce...

IDC says shipments of personal computing devices to the Middle East and Africa decline significantly as demand weakens across the region. The post Fact of the Day – 10/19/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-10-19-2022/ via IFTTT

Many companies are pledging to meet environmental, energy, and emissions goals established by the Paris Accord. Others are setting their own pace, based on their exposure to public and governmental scrutiny. Factories and office complexes are a natural target for environmental changes and the progressive companies are working their R&D departments to make necessary changes to the product line alongside making changes to the company itself. Komatsu , a major construction equipment manufacturer, has put forth a long-term goal for 2050 of achieving carbon neutrality, or virtually zero carbon emissions, along with a commitment for 2030 to half CO 2 emissions from product operations, from their levels in 2010, and to increase the rate of renewable energy they use to 50%. In addition, Komatsu will deploy the relevant technologies at material suppliers and other partners to help them also achieve carbon neutrality in their operations. But facility management is only part of the equatio...

Last week, as you might recall, I took a deep dive on where we are today with the IIJA (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) , uncovering how the funds are rolling out and some of the big challenges the construction industry faces with these large, complex projects, amid a worker shortage and supply-chain struggles. Today, in this column, the focus will be geared to the future—and more specifically—at new solutions coming down the pipeline. Perhaps, with material scarcity still drastically stingy some parts of the country, especially with recent events like Hurricane Ian, one of the places we should look for innovation is with the materials themselves. One specific example is cement companies are making a move to cut GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions—which is one of the most widely used materials in the world and is a trillion-dollar industry but is also one of the largest carbon dioxide emitters. In fact, some estimates suggest cement is responsible for as much as 10% of CO 2 emissi...

Gartner says 59% of candidates who recently accepted a job offer would make the same choice. The post Fact of the Day – 10/18/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-10-18-2022/ via IFTTT

Factory built homes are not a new idea. As far back as the end of World War II, families were buying and living in homes that were moved onto lots in pre-assembled fashion. Usually called “mobile homes,” their mobility was questionable once they were placed on a site, in a development of similar homes euphemistically called a Park, or on a rural lot. The only mobile part is the transport to the setup location. As the concept grew, concrete foundations were laid, making the mobility factor moot. Manufactured housing was, in the beginning, a Wild West environment with minimal rules and even fewer regulations. Then, in 1976, the Congress passed the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Act, changing the industry. The Act declared that all manufactured homes would have to be build using tough national standards. Since then, improvements have been added to ensure safety as construction standard have been raised. Today, modular housing has taken the place of mobile homes in...

ABI Research says revenues from robotics deployed in retail stores will cross $8.4 billion by 2030. The post Fact of the Day – 10/17/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-10-17-2022/ via IFTTT

We say it all the time: Today’s homeowner is more tech-savvy than those of the past. And we have the numbers to prove it. Roughly 37% of U.S. internet households own a smart-home device, with each owning an average of eight devices. Such devices include smart video doorbells, smart light bulbs, smart thermostats, smart smoke/CO detectors, smart door locks, smart plugs, smart garage door openers, and more. This is all according to a recent survey by Parks Associates , which studies home habits. One interesting part of the survey answers the question: What does move-in ready mean for a homebuyer? The answer is for many it means that the home does not require upgrades or repairs. Often, but not always, it is new construction. Further, a move-in ready house has updated heating and cooling, an updated kitchen and bathrooms, new appliances, and smart-home technology. One of the newest trends prevalent in this report is the rise of health at home, which includes technology for senior living...

How much technology needs to be included in a new house to make it a smart home? Is automation akin to robotics? Can you make a house a smart-home retroactively? Are smart homes necessary in this age? American contractors—whether residential, commercial, infrastructure or a combination—have been on an economic rollercoaster ride since 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Declared an essential function, construction continued, usually in a confined way, with massive safety protocols in place. Even so, employment fell as workers became sick or decided to forego work for health reasons. Remote work for office staff was familiar but you cannot build a bridge from home. Heavy equipment sat idle, supply chains came apart at the links, materials were scarce where workers were not available to produce them. The economy dipped, construction faltered, people were dying in droves, and no one knew for sure how or when things would improve. Then vaccines came along, treatments improved, masks and...