Construction may just be ready for cloud computing. Picture © Oleg Doroshin | Dreamstime.com

There’s a quiet revolution going on in the construction sector, and it’s so quiet, it’s almost scary, since it is probably going to revolutionize the way construction firms work. There are always exceptions to every rule. There are always firms that move out in front of others in incorporating technology, but by many accounts, construction, as an industry, has been slow to adopt technological advances, especially information technology.

It’s no wonder. Builders want to build roads, bridges and structures. The tools they use for those things are the tools they want to work with everyday - nail guns, saws, pickup trucks, bulldozers and a wide variety of equipment that shapes three-dimensional items into new forms. Information technology is just not as exciting as a circular saw spinning through a 2 by 4. And, I suspect that for many people in construction, it also requires too much work and expense to get a return that is quickly useful.

A contractor building four houses a year wants to know what he will need to spend to build the floor plan his clients have their hearts set on. He doesn’t want to have to install a server, hook up computers to it, add software and then get everything working well together before he can begin doing the estimate. But yet, information technology for construction has always been a process of cobbling together software and hardware in the hopes that once everything was put together, it would work as well as the many different parts of a building once they’re all assembled - Not! Many construction pros, therefore, have simply made do with the simplest technology they could find. The 2008 Construction Financial Management Association technology survey found that more than 40 percent of contractors with revenues under $5 million were either using the most basic software for estimating - Microsoft Excel - or were not using any at all (can you say, “yellow legal pads”?).

But now, information technology used in construction is on the verge of becoming easy to use. Log into an account using a Web browser from anywhere you have an Internet connection and start estimating, or planning the project timeline, or managing customer communications. Share documents with the architect or engineer, and send the latest change order estimates to the owner for approval. You don’t buy any more software. You don’t install any more computers or servers. You don’t need a technology guru on staff, and you don’t have to wonder at 3 a.m. if the files relating to that big project bid package were backed up.

Is it perfect? Probably not. Will there be some limitations initially? Probably. Overall, will you just be able to get on with building? Most likely.

It’s a reasonable bet that cloud computing is going to make information technology become a slave to construction, instead of the other way around.

This is a bit over the top (How will Tabitha actually get the crate of Wheat Thins into her home? Where will she store them? Does she have enough Cheese Whiz?), but it illustrates the level of connectedness we could have with our clients and customers. It demonstrates how Twitter (and Facebook and even UPworld) can serve as windows to the needs and opinions of those we serve.

Do you make a practice of following your name or company name online? Do you know what folks are saying about you, good and bad? It can be a simply automated process or an occasional Google or Twitter search. Let me know if you’d like to know how.

If not a pallet of snack crackers, what can you give to those who speak of you online?

The first time I watched it, I thought that it was very good, but when you see it for the second time you notice even more. Try drawing rather than typing and watch what happens.

http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com

The internet has come a long way from a screen of different fonts and a few pictures.

In 2007, I wrote an SMPS Foundation white paper entitled Knowledge Management and the AEC Industry which discussed the most prevalent methods of knowledge management and knowledge transfer.  My research showed that implementation of KM programs would, indeed, require time and firm wide commitment - two things always in short supply for new undertakings.  However, my research also showed that firms with KM programs were actually saving time by making the knowledge learned anywhere in the firm available and easily accessible to all.  Hence, “No Need to Reinvent the Wheel.”  Exactly how much time does your firm spend doing the same research at the start of a project, research that has already been done at the start of dozens of other projects? 

As I stated in my 2007 white paper, “The future will belong to firms that foster a knowledge-intensive culture, which allows them to be flexible and adaptable in an ever changing world.   Effective knowledge management is necessary for success in a knowledge-driven environment.”  In addition to discussing the most prevalent methods of knowledge management and knowledge transfer, “Knowledge Management and the A/E/C Industry” also provides advice on where to begin such an effort and discusses how marketers are knowledge workers who can play a major role in these efforts.

For a complimentary copy of the full white paper, visit  http://www.smps.org, and click on “Foundation”, or contact sally@sallyhandley.com. 

About 2 years ago, the French interior designer Nathalie Wessier came up with a great idea; aluminum wall stickers.

She realized that all the stickers available on the markets were for kids rooms and most of them were plastic. She decided to create a line of wall stickers for adults, and the METALdecor collection was born.

I decided, as her wonderful sister living in the USA, that I would come onboard and would share my love for the collection with my fellow Americans.  We created two identical websites - one for France and Europe and one for the United States and Canada, and we finally launched the long awaited collection at the beginning of the month.

We are super excited to share our adventures with all of you, and we hope that you will love the METALdecor stickers as much as we do!

They are made of thin aluminum on a 3M adhesive, and they are very durable!  With different designs, styles and sizes, we are determined to have everybody “sign their walls” using our products.

Go check out the websites…French www.metal-decor.fr and USA www.metaldecor-usa.com.

Please leave us comments to let you know what you think!  Have a great day and let’s talk soon!

Creating a haven of calm in your own bathroom is becoming a life essential with our busy schedules and many responsibilities. The bathroom is the place where you can close the door on your problems.  It is where you can be free from outside tribulations, family life and just be yourself. You can just lock the door, fill a bath with essential scented oils and unwind in hot soaking water, freeing all muscle aches, letting go of all problems and stress of the day and allowing your spirit to redo the world…

As Feng Shui highlights it, bathrooms can represent a drain on your finances, especially if they are located in the Wealth area of your home. So if you’re thinking of adding a new bathroom to your property, find out if the location would be auspicious for your finances. When remodeling your bathroom, think about the different parameters that would give it value, a sense of comfort and bring positive chi energy. Here are some helpful guidelines.

DOs

1. Placing a mirror over the sink is functional for washing and shaving, but it also serves in expanding the space for more Chi energy to circulate.
2. Displaying a selection of healthy, round-leaved plants bring more chi into the room and absorb any stagnant humidity.
3. Keep the bathroom door and the toilet lid closed to prevent a negative draining effect.
4. Choose pastel shades such as soft pinks, peaches, creams and biscuit tones for your bathroom walls as they are very soothing.
5. Install strong lighting to increase the chi and boost the energy in a humid atmosphere.
6. Choose aromatic soaps, essential oils, incense or candles to fill the atmosphere with a wonderful aroma and sense of peace.
7. Create a stylish, attractive bathroom using a range of accessories that help to create a theme making your bathroom a special place to be. Be sure, though, to keep surfaces as free as possible from bath products if not in use.
8. Repair leaks immediately as they represent financial loss.

DON’Ts

1. Be sure to remove out-of-date drugs in your medicine cabinet. Discard or return to the pharmacist any tablets, creams or syrups that are past the expiration date, or you will encourage more ill health in the family.
2. Toilet paper and cleaning products should not be on the floor and around the bath, but put them away in a close cabinet to promote better Chi and prevent accidents.
3. Placing the bathroom in the center of the home allows waste energies and odors to circulate everywhere (valid for new constructions or renovations).
4. Your bathroom should not be opposite your front door, as it is a place where you need privacy and protection. If you have this layout, place a screen or plants between the toilet or bath and the door.

For more information about interior design and Feng Shui, visit www.marieburgosdesign.com, or email Marie Burgos at marie@marieburgosdesign.com.

I have had a few conversations stemming from that statement.  Most everyone thought it was “possible”, including a few people who are involved in the very decision to delay the public release of new innovation.

One instance in particular, I was trying to explain my theory to an older family friend.  He felt I was incorrect due to the publicity around the introduction of 3D television and it’s projected demand.  I replied that the initial demand would be directly affected by the amount of cash invested in 3D programming.  We both wondered how much, if any, those advertisers would “contribute” to making the hardware affordable in much the way cellular carriers reduce the cost of your phone when signing a contract.  Putting that aside, we fell back to the argument of “need” versus “want.”  If your existing television set fails, you will likely replace it with the best comparable item that you can afford, and it would be unlikely that the consumer would pay a premium for a feature that they had not already had.  We concluded that until the general populace has “disposable” capital to spend on innovative (and therefore unproven) technology, we will not see any substantial acceptance into the mass market.

Now I put the question to you.  Are technology companies forcing a slow-down in the release of new innovations or are innovations coming more slowly due to a suffering economy?  Do you think it is something else entirely?

Your feedback in the comments below and on TECHNOGORILLA.COM will drive any follow-up to this article.

To see original publication, visit TECHNOGORILLA.COM - Visit the site for more articles and insight into cutting-edge technology and how it is interacting with and influencing your physical environment.

When discussing the immediate submarket with the Landlord, I recommended it made more sense to keep the tenant versus the potential down time for lease up and the ongoing costs for CAMs that would never be recaptured if the tenant vacated.  Plus, the lease commission and tenant improvements would have to be paid at some point when a new tenant came along.

The Landlord decided to counter at a price that would have equated to another $180/month (which represents about 4%).  The tenant immediately gave notice.  The Landlord was shocked.

Now, the Landlord asked me to get involved and help salvage the deal.  It is still in the process, but I think I might have been able to keep a good tenant in the building.  Yes, it is lower than the Landlord’s expectations, but the “bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”

What are you seeing out there?  I would like to know!

The other day I found a note under my windshield wiper. It was an angry note calling me some choice words for parking so close to this person’s car on the packed streets in downtown Albany.

So do I get it? 

Yes I do - having lived in downtown Albany for 20 plus years and having to park on the street. What I’m wondering is, why the rant? I don’t believe I hit his/her bumper, I always check and I know I didn’t hit the side of his/her car. Sure we all get angry, but suppose I just turn out to be your boss or your mom’s best friend or your father’s new girlfriend!?

Consider this lovely note written by Dan Gilbert, Majority Owner, Cleveland Cavaliers, about Lebron James’  “defection” to Miami. 

“This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his “decision” unlike anything ever “witnessed” in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.”

And then this morning -

COBLESKILL, NY — A racial controversy in the Town of Cobleskill came to a head Monday night, as roughly 130 people showed up at a town meeting demanding answers. (The mayor has been recorded as using racial slurs.)

And then there’s Mel Gibson. Could he get himself in anymore trouble?

From presidents to presidents, words have managed to destroy many careers.

“I did not have sex with that woman.” One of the most famous lines.

What happens to us in the heat of emotion? Do our real feelings come out? Do we feel we have the right to say “what we really think?” I think not.

Anger is just as much violence as if one took a baseball bat to the victim. We don’t think it causes as much hurt as it does.

My thoughts - words can bring you down.

Remember when you were a kid, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never harm me?” I don’t think it’s true. Words are just as harmful, and words often lead to “sticks and stones.” Children start on the playground with harmless words and then graduate into sticks and stones. I was walking behind a group of tykes, and they were cursing like the big boys!

You never know who is listening, or judging. Why would you want to air opinions in anger that you would never air if you were in your right mind?

As a business owner, you are always in the public light, anything you say will be used for or against you.

As you probably know, Mr. Craig is a regular contributor to the UPworld blog. Duane also posts prolifically to his own website, The Construction Informer.

THE CONSTRUCTION INFORMER

Daune combines his years of construction experience with his journalism background to provide timely and interesting news for and about the construction industry. The Informer covers market trends, industry news, product reviews and other useful content.

A unique feature of Mr. Craig’s site - and a prime example of NetGiving - can be found under the “podcast” tab. In each installment, Duane interviews an interesting person from the field of construction like thought leaders, innovators and specialists. His podcasts include topics such as green building, industry marketing, and applied technology.

Duane utilizes his journalism skills to research the topics, to deftly interview his chosen experts and to artfully edit the raw audio. Each interview is then enhanced with images representing the subject matter and contact information for the interviewee. By this effort, Duane Craig not only offers his readers unique content, but he also produces a well-crafted piece highlighting his industry guest. Such positive media is not easy to come by - at any price!

If you haven’t yet, check our one of UPworld’s true NetGivers at www.constructioninformer.com