The Art of Allen

Savings is the primary factor that drives consumers to purchase energy-management solutions. Higher energy costs drive higher dissatisfaction, as evidenced by the number agreeing that their bills are too high, even among higher-income households. Bills are particularly higher for larger families and so is their dissatisfaction. 67% of broadband households paying $110+ per month say their costs are too high. 46% of families of 5 or more pay more than $160 a month for electricity. 50% of broadband households earning $100,000+ say their electricity costs are too high. Energy companies are sharing data more frequently and more than half of consumers say they receive a daily breakdown. However only 17% of those consumers say they track consumption weekly or more; 11% say they never do. We asked consumers who receive daily breakdown and only about one-third say the breakdown includes all the information they need. So, the energy consumption breakdowns are clearly conveying some of the ...

The construction crane industry was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic like all other segments has finally rebounded, happily putting the pandemic as a distant memory. In fact, it might exceed most other markets according to reports from FMI (Future Market Insights) . Sales in the global crane market are slated to top $43.9 billion in 2022 and are projected to total $57.1 billion by 2029. The increased usage of cranes in material loading, shipbuilding, and construction worldwide is set to drive the sales in the market. The high-load capacity and evolving designs are anticipated to serve the requirements of a wide range of projects, such as telecommunication worksites. By type, the tower crane segment is expected to remain dominant. Increasing construction of high-rise buildings and skyscrapers worldwide are expected to drive sales in this segment. These cranes outperform the lifting and loading capacity of any other crane. They can also bear the most complex lifting ope...

A look at 2022 cybersecurity takeaways and how to start the New Year right. A major lesson the private and public sectors can take away from 2022 is that as long as an organization or entity uses technology, it’s at risk for a cyberattack. And the reality is that as the sun sets on 2022, an organization can’t survive without technology. For that reason, cyber threats and cybersecurity are perhaps the most important topics to discuss with the dawn of the New Year—and perhaps every New Year. Trends in AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning), quantum computing, supply chain management, blockchain, and the IoT (Internet of Things) are all linked by this underlying concern about security. A down economy, lack of a skilled cybersecurity workforce, lagging government policy, a large hybrid workforce, and the use of AI by adversaries will all affect the cyber scene in 2023. Nasdaq’s October report that looks at 2022 cybersecurity in review says nearly every industry across ...

A box cutter is considered one of the necessities in a toolbox, whether in a household, office, or warehouse. The post 4 Things Ceramic Box Cutters Can Help You With appeared first on At Home in the Future . from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/11/4-things-ceramic-box-cutters-can-help/ via IFTTT

Naturally, it’s in Texas. A community of 100 new homes is in the early stages of construction with a 2023 completion expected. Nothing unusual in that, of course. But these are 3D-printed homes, the largest such community so far. Lennar Corp. , founded in 1954 and a leading homebuilder, and ICON , a construction technologies company pioneering large-scale 3D printing, announced that construction is underway and reservations will begin in 2023. Situated north of Austin in the city of Georgetown’s master-planned community of Wolf Ranch by Hillwood Communities , a Ross Perot Jr. company, the 100-home community combines innovative robotics, software, and advanced materials to create homes that are technologically advanced, environmentally sustainable, and architecturally striking. And here is where the BIG part comes in: each Lennar home in Wolf Ranch is co-designed by renowned architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group , known simply as BIG. Prices are anticipated to s...

Forrester says by the end of 2023, only one in five European citizens will still trust their government. The post Fact of the Day – 11/30/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-11-30-2022/ via IFTTT

What exactly is the future of electric family cars, and how will they revolutionize the lives of families across the globe? The post What is the Future of Electric Family Cars? appeared first on At Home in the Future . from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/11/future-electric-family-cars/ via IFTTT

It is the most wonderful time of the year. In addition to the splendor of the holiday season, we also get a glimpse into what the future has in store, as many of the analyst firms divvy up predictions for the year ahead and beyond. A recent example comes from IDC , which has provided predictions for the future of digital innovation. While many of the predictions apply to all verticals markets, some will be big markers for construction. Let’s take a closer look at some of the top predictions from the analyst firm—and our thoughts on how this extends to construction. By 2024, the top five companies in each sector will be those that used technology to innovate their way out of a global crisis such as recession or supply chain disruption. For construction, this means those that innovate will lead. By 2024, 35% of businesses that build innovative algorithms to collect intelligence from unique data sets will deliver successful new product offerings and pricing models and tap new customer ...

New data suggests the construction industry is adding new workers, but at a rather modest pace that may not be enough to fill in the gap left behind by a retiring workforce and those who left the industry during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Will it be enough? And how will we fill in the gap? I recently had a roundtable conversation that will help us answer some of these questions. First, let’s look at some hard numbers. Total construction employment moved up by only 1,000 employees to 7,721,000 in October, an increase of 266,000 or 3.6% from a year earlier, according to the AGC (Associated General Contractors of America). Association officials say the small increase in construction employment is an indication of how hard it has become for construction firms to find qualified workers to hire. The industry is taking some of the right steps to appeal to workers. Pay levels in the construction industry continued to increase in October. The average hourly earnings in construction...

Gartner says 60% of hybrid knowledge workers report their direct manager is one of the top two influences on their connection to corporate culture. The post Fact of the Day – 11/29/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-11-29-2022/ via IFTTT

Whether you are looking to redesign a single room or an entire floor, these tips will point you in the right direction. The post 6 Tips to Help You Design Your Indoor Spaces appeared first on At Home in the Future . from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/11/6-tips-help-design-indoor-spaces/ via IFTTT

Here in South Carolina, there have been a bevy of new announcements surrounding manufacturing and the supply chain that are sure to bring jobs and resiliency to the American manufacturing supply chain. Let’s look at just one example. Last year, Masonite Intl. Corp., which is a manufacturer and distributor of interior and exterior doors and door systems, announced plans to open a new location, which was selected in part due to its proximity to customers and suppliers, workforce quality, and availability, and the business climate. Since moving here, I have seen firsthand the efforts being put forth to bring manufacturing to this region. From EVs (electric vehicles) to doors, we are seeing the rise of plants returning to North America to bring manufacturing back to our own soil. In this example, Masonite recently celebrated the opening of its new door manufacturing facility in Fort Mill, S.C. (a nice community, if you have never visited). The facility produces doors for the North Amer...

ABI Research says 1 billion mobile identities expected in circulation by 2027, as governments extend digitalization strategies. The post Fact of the Day – 11/28/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-11-28-2022/ via IFTTT

The proliferation of tower cranes on construction sites, along with greater urban density, has led to safety concerns. Can the operator, high above the jobsite, make accurate lifts and drops? Are communications from the ground adequate? Do other buildings interfere with communications to the extent that safety is compromised? Tower cranes were employed in Europe after World War II as buildings damaged or destroyed in the conflict were rebuilt or replaced. Even today, European cities are like forests with cranes rising above the skyline. In 1961, Chicago’s Marina City was the first building in the United States to be constructed with a tower crane, from Linden now part of Comansa , and it started a U.S. boom in its use.  For example, the Tower Crane Market Report, from MarketWatch , offers a view of the cutthroat scene of the Tower Crane market. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Tower Crane market size is estimated to be worth $3,105.5 million in 2022 and is forecas...

This article will provide you with six expert tips for your sleeping, get a well-deserved rest so that you can sleep properly.  The post 6 Expert Tips For Your Sleeping, Get A Well-Deserved Rest appeared first on At Home in the Future . from At Home in the Future https://athomeinthefuture.com/2022/11/6-expert-tips-sleeping-get-well-deserved-rest/ via IFTTT

As winter approaches, many northern cities will experience snowfall that makes road slippery and dangerous. The traditional reaction is to spread chemicals or sand to melt the snow (salts or other chemicals) or provide traction (sand). In non-snow locations, rain will often be the seasonal disrupter, again making roads slippery and dangerous. Engineers will tell you that the first few minutes of a steady rain are the most dangerous for traffic as the water causes the oil embedded in the matrix of the pavement, concrete, or even asphalt, to rise and make the surface even slicker. Oil, left by vehicles as vapor, drops, or even exhaust particles, can be a year around problem. But some oil, not related to vehicles, can be worse—or better—for the roads. Two academic research projects, one in Iowa and the other in Russia, point out the difference and how infrastructure projects can pick the right one and avoid the wrong one. Russia’s RUDN University engineers found that vegetable oil dest...

Parks Associates says nearly 40% of U.S. internet households report owning some security solution. The post Fact of the Day – 11/25/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-11-25-2022/ via IFTTT

Juniper Research says B2B payments to exceed $111 trillion transactions globally in 2027. The post Fact of the Day – 11/24/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-11-24-2022/ via IFTTT

Windows let the sunshine in—which in summer means letting in the heat, as well. Radiant heat from the sun is helpful in the fall and winter, offsetting some of the energy needs to heat a building but in summer, that heat can be a problem to remove. As climate change intensifies summer heat, demand is growing for technologies to cool buildings. Now, researchers supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korea government and by the Notre Dame Center for Research Computing , report in a journal of the American Chemical Society that they have used advanced computing technology and artificial intelligence to design a transparent window coating that could lower the temperature inside buildings, without expending a single watt of energy. Thermal management of buildings and automobiles is vital to achieving human comfort and energy efficiency. The energy for cooling has now reached approximately 15% of total global energy consumption. Passive radiative coo...

The metaverse—the so-called future of the internet—is a hot topic. As usual for tech buzzwords, some of the attention is positive, and some of it is negative. While the size and scope of the impact that metaverse technology will have on life and business in the near and long-term futures is not yet clear, what is clear is that it will have an impact. Its impact will start to become more obvious as the decade progresses. According to Precedence Research , the global metaverse market could reach $1.3 trillion by 2030, which is up from $51.69 billion in 2021. The metaverse describes a highly immersive 3D virtual world that leverages technologies such as AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), and MR (mixed reality) . Grand View Research further describes metaverse as “elevating the internet experience” by establishing this virtual world experience. Within this world, participants can engage in any number of ways, and, in fact, many believe the metaverse will completely reshape th...

If we are going to reach that elusive net-zero goal, then we need some big companies to take the lead in this journey and so we need some real guidance in how the world is going to get there. Fortunately, this is exactly what we are seeing begin to happen, as a new coalition for innovation and technology toward net zero has officially launched earlier this month. But, first, let’s back up. We often use three-letter acronyms and buzzwords to describe some big effort or tech trend, but I’d rather set the stage, so we are all on the same page, so we know where we are today and where we are going. What exactly is net zero, when do we aim to get there, and who is leading this charge? Simply, we are eliminating the GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, especially carbon dioxide. The goal is to get at or near zero. Many companies and countries are striving to reach this target by 2030, while others have a more ambitious goal of 2025. Yet, still others have set 2050 as that final mark for completi...

IDC says worldwide PC shipments decline another 15% in the third quarter of 2022. The post Fact of the Day – 11/23/2022 appeared first on Connected World . from Connected World https://connectedworld.com/fact-of-the-day-11-23-2022/ via IFTTT