Hovering between Apple & Google

I hover between Google and Apple, my primary is Apple, it has to be, but Google Becons so often, Notice though Microsoft does not get mentioned here, I will use anything rather than go here, the University has Microsoft OS and I have to use it some times, but if I can link my Mac into the plus on the wall for Internet, or presentation them I will.

My last blog was on the trials I an going through with Google Keep and Evernote, and thats on going, and will be, it might end up with me again hanging in the coats of both, but leaning to Apple. The real test will come so soon, I dropped , yet again, my iPhone 5s, this time I managed to slightly dislodge the screen from the metal band, it seems not to make much difference, but, i think its time to look for an upgrade. What I will wait for is Apples big show, if the rumours are right, them I might be tempted, otherwise I will be looking for a deal, on a slightly older model 7, or a Pixel, but if I go that route then Apple might well loose to Google for a long time, something I dread.

Last night, I started re organising my Gmail account, I don’t use it much except for emergencies, like my trip to the Caribbean recently, the ships wifi was so bad, Mac mail would pick up, but not send, but Gmail would, nice to, I used it infrequently to send notes out, but the moment I got back Apple mail was working just fine till I had one of those moments to clean up the labels in gmail, I had no need to, and wished for a while I did not, but I did, and Mac Mail which I link to gmail, had a small tantrum, and crashed. I went online to Apple and got a screen dialog going with an Apple Engineer, after 15 mins he had it sorted, found the problem and told me how to fix it, easily.

So problem solved, mail started to flow in, and low and behold, my free Mooc on Data use, came in telling me I can start on the course next month, Whooooo, great, but scary, I am a Technologist, who can use a variety of CAD formats, I teach construction and CAD use, the buzz word BIM has now taken over, and to a certain extent, its annoying, data has been present on our CAD files for a long while, and as we progress, we are finding ways to use it, being confined by government as to how I might develop this, is the annoying part, the Mooc course, I hope is going to break me free and allow me to expand the data I know is there and combine it in ways that I know might be possible and exciting, some of my friends call it the box effect, looking at it outside of that controlled environment. And its here that Google raises its head once more, Their understanding of Data, there cloud environment, but best of all their spreadsheet, and how I might use it. Apples spreadsheet, just sucks at this.

As they say in these circles, I’ll let your know, but for now its just a waiting game, and time I intend to watch some of the existing video, and start reading how to use “R”.  Scary, oooh yesy, I have dealt with bricks and mortar for far to long, bending my head to these concepts is going to be so much fun.

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CIAT CPD Officers Meet 20-06-2016

In about five weeks, or on the 20th June 2016, all the region CIAT CPD officers will meet in City Road, London, to discuss CPD. As yet I have seen no agenda, but you know me, thats not going to stop me making a list of things I want to talk about, from manufacturers presentations, to real study time, to reading lists, to note taking to building up some sort of personal archive of information. to just an electronic record system.

I also want to discus the way BIM seems to be taking hold of CAD, not that thats a bad thing, just the way the "CAD" bit is being dropped and I hear only I am going to BIM this up, not CAD or draw it up. Yet BIM surely should be on the list as it will and is affecting the way we draw, and also with it huge potential for data rules base, or internal / external algorithms, and how it will be shared via IFC.

Evernote, or anything similar, is there anything!, should surely be discussed, as the personal archive I mentioned before.

Is there a place for online lecture, or hangouts, I attend several and find then just as good, with no travel time.

I wonder if the way academic papers are written and viewed, might be discussed, its a major way to learn and research a subject, but for many its a system that might be unknown, thinking its only for academics, yet its not, and so many of the AT universities might well help is reading and advising on a papers format and subject.

So there it is, if you want to add to my list,  drop me a line and  will raise it, or contact your local CPD officer.

Todays photo is of the old Queens Hotel that was built onto the side of Curzon Street Station Birmingham the subject of much discussion as HS2 becomes more of a certainty,  and pulled down as part of the saving of the main station entrance building. I have never seen any other photos of the hotel building, one of the other lecturers who was heavily involved in the work says there are some, so watch this space to see if they turn up. This shot was from the rear of the site looking south West wish.

Is CPD just attending trade lectures

I have for a while, in fact I may well have written about this on my old site, But I am a little frustrated with the current thinking on CPD, most seem to think its just a matter of attending some free trade shows, and racking up a few hours listening to sometimes very biast lectures from a trade manufacturer. Don't get me wrong, I have learned a lot from one or two very good manufacturers, Marley Roofing for one, and Leaderflush as another, but so often you leave with no involvement whats so ever, and I question if you have even listened, any learning taken from sparse notes or hand outs.

My thoughts on this are not to test your memory after the lecture, this does nothing for you, but drive the attendees away, my thinking on this is going in the direction of perhaps the research, of proper subject lists and research gathered about that subject, rather like a university, PhD research student, producing a reading list, and pulling together thoughts on the current materials that might fall into that material. This makes you think, and explore, the mind is now active and learning.

Currently I am researching brickwork, now you might say, I should know all there is to brickwork detailing, but sadly I don't, take for instance why we started to use a cavity, brick sizes and how they evolved, the effects of insulation in that cavity, weep holes and how lead flashing has evolved. I also want to add here, life span of brickwork. weathering, now you can see why learning this way opens the mind and makes knowledge so much more useful.

I would then like to see the research published online and the time taken awarded as CPD, not only is it going to enhance the knowledge base but change our attitude to learning, and make it more usable.

My own CPD list is already geared up for this, I add subjects I need to know about for current projects, or I want to know about, and I add notes or information to this in the way of research,  reading, talking and actual site visits. The only difference is I award myself time I have spent of learning. Perhaps publishing the work in a research journal or site, is a next step, and peer review to gain or verify the hours spent. I experimented with this recently within a small private group using a Wordpress theme, and it worked well. Perhaps it's time to open it out.

I can easily see Universities, gaining much needed revenue by offering to peer review, charging a small fee, say £25 a paper, but it would be well worth it. verified CPD perhaps adding to some sort of qualification not just time.