Christmas Cheer

To all my readers, have a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

A Major Move

Today I have removed my old Konstrukshon Web site, try as I might, I just could not remove the links some one had added, so I have changed all passwords, and removed the complete site and redirected to my new home in Google Blogger framework.

It took some time to get the html right and uploaded, but its all done, I still have a lot of the older posts, I use IfTTT to copy to my Evernote account, so I can easily see any old articles.

Don't forget, to visit my personal Prof Stephen J Scaysbrook page  for more up to date info, or my Company page for Konstrukshon Ltd.

Cite This For Me, Chrome App

I am at present finishing one Academic paper and I have at least 4 lined up to write, my biggest problem, and its not a major thing really, but getting web citations right, I find painful, that is until I found a great app on the Google Chrome apps page, that works a treat.

Its so simple and easy to use, and the button to bring it into play is on the top right of the Chrome bar. It seems to be for web sites only, but this was always the worst thing to cite, and this little app makes it so easy.

Car Parking

One of my lectures I give is the design of car parks, and as part of this I walk my student round at least one car park, explaining the design and operation.

Yet this is a low level approach to the problem of cars and what to do with them in big cities.
This article on ArchDaily, and very obviously one sided, takes a look at how Audi, might tackle the problem with self parking cars and reduced volume car park, with no pedestrian space.

Its an interesting problem, the other side is the way Uber might evolve and then there is Googles auto drive car, here we might just send it away to drive around till it's needed.

So many interesting concepts. Last time i was in New York I saw what can only be described as car jack that held two cars in what I recognised as garage car lifts.

I take the train to Birmingham every now and then, its a reminder just how difficult the problem is, getting onto a crowed train and putting up with time tables and ticket machines, only emphasises the need to sort out parking, because its so easy to drive in compared to the alternatives.

Computational Thinking

I have just signed up for a course run by Google called Computational Thinking, as if I don't have enough to do over the Christmas break, still I have no work to mark, just three planning applications and a building regs drawing to complete.

But what intrigues me about this course is that its there for free, and its a subject I can't ignore, we as technologists, spend so much of our time on computers solving construction problems by drawing them, but that if there is a better way to approach the problem. Our regulations, and here I talk globally, are complex, often require calculation and last but not least, understanding, some times the law is not quite clear.

And then there is BIM and big data, this subject on its own justifies my time here.

I also want to be able to teach the subject, so perhaps I can mingle with other like minded educators and see how they approach the subject.

So I thought, why not take a look at this course and see if I can learn something different that may help tackle the problems we face daily and approach it in a different way. after all, we all have quite powerful computers sitting on our desks, can we use them in a different way to find answers to problems, or perhaps not even use it, just change my approach to problem solving.

Thats it, my spare time over Christmas sorted,  I will let you know how I get on, I plan to tackle this in small chunks, say an hour each morning whilst I an keen, I am a morning person, I fade as the day grows so morning is best.

Until I find more out, I went to Wiki to see what it says about the subject

"Computational Thinking (CT) is a process that generalizes a solution to open ended problems. Open-ended problems encourage full, meaningful answers based on multiple variables, which require using decomposition, data representation, generalization, modeling, and algorithms found in Computational Thinking."

Sounds interesting does it not !, and the CPD is top notch.

Related articles

• Because keeping things safe should be rewarded
• Breaking Into Quantum Computing
• Google rolls out Shared Albums in time for holiday family photos and videos
• Architectural Technologist - BIM for the SME
• Marionette, CAD cross-platform visual-scripting
• An Evening with BIM Estimating - exploring 5D BIM for the QS

Cognitive Internet of Things and IBM

The video below is, in my mind a must view presentation by Dr. John E. Kelly III, Senior Vice President, IBM Solutions Portfolio and Research, on the massive amounts of data we will generate from the way we will use sensors and the general IoT ( Internet of things ).

It was only put up a few days ago The vast amount of money ($3b ) IBM is investing is staggering,  plus a hub in Munich Germany, plus the acquisition of a weather company in addition of the money already set aside. Its this last purchase that points to the direction they may take.

The leader of this new section is Harriott Green a leader in Industry.

Related articles

• IBM Bets Big on Internet Of Things With New Watson IoT Global Headquarters
• IBM adds to Watson IoT arsenal with new APIs, 'experience centers'
• IBM places Watson's IoT brains in Munich
• IBM adds to Watson IoT arsenal with new APIs, 'experience centers'
• Architectural Technologist - IBM and the next solar collector

The Paris Climate Talks

Do we as Technologist really need to follow the Paris Climate Talks, the answer has to be yes on several levels, one we are probably more qualified than many of the people, who attended the meet, and decided or tried to decide, how we should tackle the problem, and secondly we can easily influence a lot of the problems by our detailing, specification and general design, plus its not a country problem, its a global problem, and we should take an interest.

So whats the best way to take note, well the article on the Huffinton Post by I think Eric Mann, is a dam good start, its a good intro into both the issues at stake, and the very political problems, plus the general misunderstanding on the measurements,

I suggest reading up on the Global temperture, the Nasa site is a good start, then try Roy Spencer and NOAA and finaly the Wiki Global Warming Page, if a tad frightening.

More sites

The Engineer

Then I suggest you take a look at any Passive Haus design page, the Passivehaus trust is a great start, or same site but their rules of thumb

Thats it for today, a bit doom and gloom, but its a problem that will not go away that easily, its going to take more than a bunch of political animals who have no real tech knowledge to sort it out, that I am afraid is really down to us.

There are many who seem to think its a load of whooy, well they have their opinion, but the evidence speaks for its self, its here, and its happening, todays graph I have seen fro several different sites, all say the same.
Take an interest please.