Lost in the massive malaise of the depressing run on Wall Street last week, along with the continued pathetic performances coming from Washington DC, the AIA released some positive news with the Architectural Building Index. The ABI actually bounced back, shocking analysts and on lookers alike. The biggest surprise was the leap in new projects on the board. There’s two ways to look at that- one it’s about time, we were due for this and it does mean next summer the building segment will be strong. The other is that these projects are pie in the sky efforts that will never get the financing and the study is skewed. My opinion is it’s a little of both. I do think better times are ahead and I continue to discount the ABI for the most part, but I also don’t think massive jumps are in the offing. A steady positive run will be the play here. Bottom line, this was some good news to grab ahold of in the middle of a very volatile week.
Elsewhere…
-- Last week’s blog by the brilliant Bill Evans to me shows that he is a great voice of the glass shop and glazier. He is pure money and I am in awe. When I met Bill at GlassBuild he mentioned he was amazed I write my blog 52 weeks a year, and how do I come up with stuff. I told him what I do and write about is nowhere near the weight and importance that he brings and last week proved that point. Bill’ s work was a tremendous and powerful read and it’s an honor to share a page with him.
-- Was honored yet again to return to Colorado and speak at the Colorado Glazing Contractors Association. I have been a huge fan of the CGCA for years and consider it the model that every regional trade group should follow. Rebecca Kaspari, along with this year’s President Marty Richardson of Metro Glass just do an awesome job.
-- By the way comically when I got to the hotel at the CGCA event was at, I asked the front desk where they were having the speech. They sent me to a room where I started to set up but I recognized no one. I was really spooked; I mean I figured I’d see the ultra classy Cameron Scripture of Viracon at a minimum- and no Rebecca or Marty? What was going on here? So I’m quietly trying to get organized when I asked someone there if this was the CGCA meeting…. And I was then told it was a benefit for orphaned animals in Rwanda. The funny thing is no one there was stopping me from setting up….I should’ve spoken there too!
-- Time for a list… recently Trust in America came out with the “Fattest States” list and here is your top 10…
10. Michigan- Wow we can’t even win this one. But we are fattest in the North!
9. Arkansas
8. South Carolina
7. Oklahoma
6. Kentucky
5. Louisiana
4. Tennessee
3. West Virginia
2. Alabama
1. Mississippi
Amazing comparison, Mississippi a few months ago was noted as the “unhappiest” state by another poll. So that doesn’t jive for me, isn’t the term “Fat and Happy”?
-- The fight in Vegas over the Harmon building at CityCenter rolls on. I’m telling you some day someone will do a book on the entire process, from the birth and concept of that structure, to construction mode with all of its issues, through the lawsuits and eventual conclusion. It will be riveting.
-- Last this week, the Dynamic Glass world surely did get positive momentum with the marketing agreement between PPG and Pleotint. PPG putting its credibility behind a product brings a lot of value and I believe this move benefits all of the technologies in that segment. End of the day new technology in our industry will be the difference maker we need going forward.
LINKS of the WEEK:
-- Wild story on a fake pilot trying to beat security at an airport. A dumb prank with deep repercussions.
-- Well since I live in the 10th fattest state and I myself am in a fat state right now, maybe this amazing new mp3 imbedded jogging suit is my next purchase!
-- Ah forget it, I’d rather eat these triple stack deep fried Oreos… I’m sure they’re low fat! LOL
VIDEO of the WEEK
Well may as keep with the Fat and workout theme, with a comical video of a treadmill FAIL. Wonder what the guy was planning on doing in taping himself on there….
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Putting GBA 2011 in the books
The 2011 GlassBuild is now history and what a wild and enjoyable time it was. Surely great to see everyone and the show continues to cement its place as THE networking event to be at. In case you missed my other recaps, you can find day 2 HERE and Day 3 HERE. Fun stuff in both, especially the incredible hair on one of our industries most talented guys… who knew Fabio was a consultant? Some concluding thoughts of GBA…
- Machinery dominated the floor and had the most interest. I spent a lot of time at Erdman booth and even was lucky enough to get a private tour at the GED booth where the awesome Bill Briese and Dan Reinhart showed me just mind-blowing technology.
- The news of people trying to steal intellectual property was a part of the buzz at the show and should be taken seriously. Sadly other trade media chose to make light of this incredibly serious, immoral, unethical, and basically criminal situation. People work way too hard to create and build products and giving crooks that are trying to steal IP a forum is despicable.
- Chris Mammen was elected as the new Chairman of the NGA and he will do a tremendous job. Chris is the owner of M3 Technologies and just a class guy through and through. He will be a wonderful leader for the organization.
- In case you missed it, Glass Magazine did release an “App” for Apple (and now on Android as well) for the magazine. Very very sharp stuff here. So go to your various “App” store and download it. I have and it really is very cool.
- Last for the show stuff, this year I had the absolute honor of getting to work with the GBA organizers. For years I was an exhibitor and/or attendee and took a lot of things for granted. And I even took some unfair shots too. Well all I can say is when you get in the middle of it; you are blown away about how it all gets done and comes together. Putting on an event to take care of thousands of people and hundreds of exhibitors takes time, precision, care and talent- and the folks at GBA showed all of those skills and more. Thank you for letting me get a taste of it!
Elsewhere…
-- A major congrats to Jennifer Duemler Donahue on the birth of her son Henry Steven. Jennifer is a PR and writing goddess, and one of my favorite folks around. I’m very happy for her and the expanding empire at the Donahue World HQ.
-- The Solyndra solar story has been pretty prominent in the national media now, but those of us who were following the solar world for a while were not surprised. This company had been taking heat from the solar community for a long time. I give them credit for trying to buck some systems, but shame on the DOE and those who kept on approving cash here because the signs were very clear that this was not anywhere near a slam dunk that deserved a half a billion in funding.
Another positive forecast about the flat glass industry hit the streets last week as well. This report is calling for a 9.1% surge in demand thanks to emerging technologies and recovery from the recession. Hopefully this one is on target.
-- Next up show wise is Greenbuild in Toronto in just a few weeks. That show continues to grow- but this edition will be very interesting to see two things. How will the mix of attendance be with the event in Canada for the first time, and will the older more seasoned architects be more in attendance than in the past.
LINKS of the WEEK
-- This is a great example of a frivolous lawsuit. Guy suing fast food chain because he can’t fit in the booths they have. Seriously. And its not like he’s not getting in there because of a disability (that would be a worthy suit)
-- Fun piece here… Top 10 resume bloopers. Yikes!
-- The coolest idea I have seen in a long time! Let’s get these out there!
VIDEO of the WEEK
Because of the show and the ton of video coverage from various news sources, I am video’d out right now. So we’ll skip the video this week from me- sorry gang. We’ll surely be back with one next week.
- Machinery dominated the floor and had the most interest. I spent a lot of time at Erdman booth and even was lucky enough to get a private tour at the GED booth where the awesome Bill Briese and Dan Reinhart showed me just mind-blowing technology.
- The news of people trying to steal intellectual property was a part of the buzz at the show and should be taken seriously. Sadly other trade media chose to make light of this incredibly serious, immoral, unethical, and basically criminal situation. People work way too hard to create and build products and giving crooks that are trying to steal IP a forum is despicable.
- Chris Mammen was elected as the new Chairman of the NGA and he will do a tremendous job. Chris is the owner of M3 Technologies and just a class guy through and through. He will be a wonderful leader for the organization.
- In case you missed it, Glass Magazine did release an “App” for Apple (and now on Android as well) for the magazine. Very very sharp stuff here. So go to your various “App” store and download it. I have and it really is very cool.
- Last for the show stuff, this year I had the absolute honor of getting to work with the GBA organizers. For years I was an exhibitor and/or attendee and took a lot of things for granted. And I even took some unfair shots too. Well all I can say is when you get in the middle of it; you are blown away about how it all gets done and comes together. Putting on an event to take care of thousands of people and hundreds of exhibitors takes time, precision, care and talent- and the folks at GBA showed all of those skills and more. Thank you for letting me get a taste of it!
Elsewhere…
-- A major congrats to Jennifer Duemler Donahue on the birth of her son Henry Steven. Jennifer is a PR and writing goddess, and one of my favorite folks around. I’m very happy for her and the expanding empire at the Donahue World HQ.
-- The Solyndra solar story has been pretty prominent in the national media now, but those of us who were following the solar world for a while were not surprised. This company had been taking heat from the solar community for a long time. I give them credit for trying to buck some systems, but shame on the DOE and those who kept on approving cash here because the signs were very clear that this was not anywhere near a slam dunk that deserved a half a billion in funding.
Another positive forecast about the flat glass industry hit the streets last week as well. This report is calling for a 9.1% surge in demand thanks to emerging technologies and recovery from the recession. Hopefully this one is on target.
-- Next up show wise is Greenbuild in Toronto in just a few weeks. That show continues to grow- but this edition will be very interesting to see two things. How will the mix of attendance be with the event in Canada for the first time, and will the older more seasoned architects be more in attendance than in the past.
LINKS of the WEEK
-- This is a great example of a frivolous lawsuit. Guy suing fast food chain because he can’t fit in the booths they have. Seriously. And its not like he’s not getting in there because of a disability (that would be a worthy suit)
-- Fun piece here… Top 10 resume bloopers. Yikes!
-- The coolest idea I have seen in a long time! Let’s get these out there!
VIDEO of the WEEK
Because of the show and the ton of video coverage from various news sources, I am video’d out right now. So we’ll skip the video this week from me- sorry gang. We’ll surely be back with one next week.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
GlassBuild Day 3
Day 3 at the show… I’ll be short here because I am whipped and because I’ll have the big recap on Sunday.
As most expected the traffic was lighter on Day 3- but the machinery side was jumping. If there’s a storyline here, it’s the machinery booths seem to have solid to awesome traffic throughout.
A fun video about the show will be up on GlassBuildAmerica.com soon and it does feature a certain well-dressed Canadian showing off his dance moves. Also I did see Greg “Fabio” Carney and he was not pleased with me. Love the hair no matter what.
With the shorter day I missed a few folks in getting back around to them. The fine folks at Technoform- I was there for a heartbeat on Monday and just never made it back. Was great seeing the always awesome Milind Jhaveri, even it was only for a second. Also missed hooking up with Chad Simkins of Soladigm- saw him a few times for a few seconds each, but never could connect. He’s a busy dude growing that product line.
I did get around though to several booths and saw some great things- the equipment at Erdman was awesome, as was the machinery at GED. Loved seeing the new technology at 3M and some wild stuff at Zircon. For all intents, this show really brought out the best in the exhibitor.
The full recap is coming over the weekend. We’ll catch up with you more next post!
As most expected the traffic was lighter on Day 3- but the machinery side was jumping. If there’s a storyline here, it’s the machinery booths seem to have solid to awesome traffic throughout.
A fun video about the show will be up on GlassBuildAmerica.com soon and it does feature a certain well-dressed Canadian showing off his dance moves. Also I did see Greg “Fabio” Carney and he was not pleased with me. Love the hair no matter what.
With the shorter day I missed a few folks in getting back around to them. The fine folks at Technoform- I was there for a heartbeat on Monday and just never made it back. Was great seeing the always awesome Milind Jhaveri, even it was only for a second. Also missed hooking up with Chad Simkins of Soladigm- saw him a few times for a few seconds each, but never could connect. He’s a busy dude growing that product line.
I did get around though to several booths and saw some great things- the equipment at Erdman was awesome, as was the machinery at GED. Loved seeing the new technology at 3M and some wild stuff at Zircon. For all intents, this show really brought out the best in the exhibitor.
The full recap is coming over the weekend. We’ll catch up with you more next post!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
GlassBuild America Day 2
Day 2 at the show was very strong. Very heavy traffic and it seemed like old times for a moment there. Really a fun day all around…. Now to the floor…
I witnessed my first ever impact demo at a show- video of it will be up on GlassBuildAmerica.com by Wednesday morning. Very cool stuff…. Yesterday when I stopped at PPG I did not see Jan Rogan, and I thought she skipped on this one, so I was thrilled when I saw her smiling face this AM. Also nice to see Mark Kearns from Dlubak- the guy is always working it.
The BIG STORY at the show and I’ll mention this in next weeks post as well was Greg Carney… and more specifically, Greg Carney’s hair. Greg now has flowing locks like Fabio. Seriously. For a guy like me that can’t grow hair on my head- seeing Greg sporting just a huge headful… it was stunning.
Elsewhere… the machinery booths were all packed today- surely seemed like interest was at an all time high. The gang from Glassopolis were extremely busy, but they promised SWAG yet all I have seen is cookies… c’mon Rob, gotta step it up. There was a Scott Surma sighting on the floor. So great to see Scott, as I consider him one of the most talented people around. Also the Glass Pundit herself, Kris Vockler was out in about, Wednesday she’ll be leading a very cool seminar on decorative glass but today she was working the floor along side good friend of the blog Steve O’Halloren. I got to walk to the show with Dr. Helen Sanders of Sage, which as always is a complete honor and got to meet Sage’s new VP of Marketing Derek Malmquist, who was an extremely impressive individual.
Missing from the floor…. No Julie Schimmelpenningh as I hear she is down under. (I did see the awesome Aimee Davis of Solutia though) also no Garret Henson from Viracon but there are rumors he may appear on Wednesday. I don’t think I have ever done a GBA without a Viracon sighting. Bobby Hartong of WA Wilson was a no show- we got his Dad and his business partner, but I guess the lack of DQ’s in Atlanta kept him away.
All in all good day at the show- one to go….
I witnessed my first ever impact demo at a show- video of it will be up on GlassBuildAmerica.com by Wednesday morning. Very cool stuff…. Yesterday when I stopped at PPG I did not see Jan Rogan, and I thought she skipped on this one, so I was thrilled when I saw her smiling face this AM. Also nice to see Mark Kearns from Dlubak- the guy is always working it.
The BIG STORY at the show and I’ll mention this in next weeks post as well was Greg Carney… and more specifically, Greg Carney’s hair. Greg now has flowing locks like Fabio. Seriously. For a guy like me that can’t grow hair on my head- seeing Greg sporting just a huge headful… it was stunning.
Elsewhere… the machinery booths were all packed today- surely seemed like interest was at an all time high. The gang from Glassopolis were extremely busy, but they promised SWAG yet all I have seen is cookies… c’mon Rob, gotta step it up. There was a Scott Surma sighting on the floor. So great to see Scott, as I consider him one of the most talented people around. Also the Glass Pundit herself, Kris Vockler was out in about, Wednesday she’ll be leading a very cool seminar on decorative glass but today she was working the floor along side good friend of the blog Steve O’Halloren. I got to walk to the show with Dr. Helen Sanders of Sage, which as always is a complete honor and got to meet Sage’s new VP of Marketing Derek Malmquist, who was an extremely impressive individual.
Missing from the floor…. No Julie Schimmelpenningh as I hear she is down under. (I did see the awesome Aimee Davis of Solutia though) also no Garret Henson from Viracon but there are rumors he may appear on Wednesday. I don’t think I have ever done a GBA without a Viracon sighting. Bobby Hartong of WA Wilson was a no show- we got his Dad and his business partner, but I guess the lack of DQ’s in Atlanta kept him away.
All in all good day at the show- one to go….
Monday, September 12, 2011
GBA 2011 Day 1
So day 1 of GlassBuild America is in the books and after a slow start the afternoon saw some brisk movement throughout the hall. My first thought is this year the show floor looks the best it has ever looked. The exhibiting companies really brought their “A” games. I am blown away by the style and class so many of the booths are showing. Really top notch!
As for seen on the floor… and the way I do this is in a rapid-fire style… so hang on, here it comes….
The first guy through the gates this AM was Dan Pompeo, the headlining manufacturers rep- one of the best around no doubt… As always the gang from Walker Textures dazzled not only with their impeccable clothing choices (as always) but the continuation of the Saturday Night Fever style dance floor. I’ve noted in the past that PPG sets the fashion tone for traditional booth-wear and Rob Struble did not disappoint with lightweight vests that had pockets. Nice stuff, Glenn Miner and Joanne Funyak were styling as always.
Great looking booths… Cristacurva left you speechless. Just strong. My friends from General Glass (GGI) had amazing examples of what they do in full size surrounding the space and they are serving Ice Cream in their booth- so you get great looking stuff and one of the greatest foods around! Loved the Lauren International booth… as they told me it’s hard to make rubber products look exciting- well they did, and they did it with style! Guardian’s booth was huge and very impressive- no doubt Earnest Thompson, Chris Dolan and company are bringing the best every time out now. They raise the bar with each show.
I met one of my blogging heroes, Bill Evans on the floor. The guy is awesome in print- inspirational as heck and just a thrill to meet him in person.
The Glazing Executive Forum was a veritable “who’s who” of the best glaziers in our world- along with some seriously good suppliers. It looked like things went very well though I’ll be curious on what everyone thought of the keynote speech and I’ll have to bring that up in a future post.
The highlight of my time though was the whole Quanex experience. Quanex is without question the dominating presence at the show… bigger than life. This year though I had an amazing opportunity to get inside the booth and have time with the Chairman, President, & CEO of Quanex David Petratis. I did an interview with him that will be up on GlassBuild.com soon and quite frankly I found him to be engaging, genuine and motivating. The guy is a gem. Then later I got to meet Mike Hovan in person for the first time after following him for years and catching up with great old favorites like Erin and Larry Johnson, Joe Erb and new friends Brian & Kim Kress. Just a thrill for me for sure. Ironically they all like the older version of my blog when I was a little “harder” with my edge… I’m a kindler, gentler blogger now… but you never know maybe my teeth with show again…
All in all Day 1 was a crazy whirlwind of a show… people are busy right now for sure, but I believe everyone is very worried about the coming months. No one can really accurately predict what next year will bring and I think that just scares people to the core.
Day 2 and 3 I’ll be all over the floor- I look forward to catching up with more people and seeing things that are “new” for me. So that’s the goal. To me the show is strong because as noted above, the exhibitors really came out strong- people that are attending are enjoying the benefits of that for sure.
More to follow in the coming days- then next Sunday a wrap up….
As for seen on the floor… and the way I do this is in a rapid-fire style… so hang on, here it comes….
The first guy through the gates this AM was Dan Pompeo, the headlining manufacturers rep- one of the best around no doubt… As always the gang from Walker Textures dazzled not only with their impeccable clothing choices (as always) but the continuation of the Saturday Night Fever style dance floor. I’ve noted in the past that PPG sets the fashion tone for traditional booth-wear and Rob Struble did not disappoint with lightweight vests that had pockets. Nice stuff, Glenn Miner and Joanne Funyak were styling as always.
Great looking booths… Cristacurva left you speechless. Just strong. My friends from General Glass (GGI) had amazing examples of what they do in full size surrounding the space and they are serving Ice Cream in their booth- so you get great looking stuff and one of the greatest foods around! Loved the Lauren International booth… as they told me it’s hard to make rubber products look exciting- well they did, and they did it with style! Guardian’s booth was huge and very impressive- no doubt Earnest Thompson, Chris Dolan and company are bringing the best every time out now. They raise the bar with each show.
I met one of my blogging heroes, Bill Evans on the floor. The guy is awesome in print- inspirational as heck and just a thrill to meet him in person.
The Glazing Executive Forum was a veritable “who’s who” of the best glaziers in our world- along with some seriously good suppliers. It looked like things went very well though I’ll be curious on what everyone thought of the keynote speech and I’ll have to bring that up in a future post.
The highlight of my time though was the whole Quanex experience. Quanex is without question the dominating presence at the show… bigger than life. This year though I had an amazing opportunity to get inside the booth and have time with the Chairman, President, & CEO of Quanex David Petratis. I did an interview with him that will be up on GlassBuild.com soon and quite frankly I found him to be engaging, genuine and motivating. The guy is a gem. Then later I got to meet Mike Hovan in person for the first time after following him for years and catching up with great old favorites like Erin and Larry Johnson, Joe Erb and new friends Brian & Kim Kress. Just a thrill for me for sure. Ironically they all like the older version of my blog when I was a little “harder” with my edge… I’m a kindler, gentler blogger now… but you never know maybe my teeth with show again…
All in all Day 1 was a crazy whirlwind of a show… people are busy right now for sure, but I believe everyone is very worried about the coming months. No one can really accurately predict what next year will bring and I think that just scares people to the core.
Day 2 and 3 I’ll be all over the floor- I look forward to catching up with more people and seeing things that are “new” for me. So that’s the goal. To me the show is strong because as noted above, the exhibitors really came out strong- people that are attending are enjoying the benefits of that for sure.
More to follow in the coming days- then next Sunday a wrap up….
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The Pre Show
Different posting schedule this week with the onset of GlassBuild 2011.... This post will be very shot then I'll have posts here all three nights of the show with recaps and sightings.
I was on the floor yesterday and the exhibits looked spectacular, people really upped their game this year with some great booths. I am excited to see how this all turns out and also as always gauge the attitude and mood of the crowd. Been an odd year for sure- most people are very busy, but I believe everyone is casting a very wary eye towards winter and the the early parts of 2012. So we will see.
And yes it is 9/11 and the 10th anniversary of the horrific event that continues to touch all of us. I am not going to delve deep into it, there's so many tributes and insights out there already- some more amazing than others, that I wouldn't and couldn't do it justice. Needless to say my thoughts are there.
We'll do the LINKS of the WEEK here though because we have some good ones... and on that note, it's always tough to find the good ones, no one does it as good as my old conspirator now across the street. So if you have any good links you want to share, please do not hesitate to send them to me.
LINKS of the WEEK
-- We need more judges like this... he took some attorney's to task in a very creative, and successful way!
-- To me this is just a blatant publicity stunt.... but I am curious what the idea is behind a guy biking 1600 miles to try and meet with Warren Buffett. Biking... sounds uncomfortable.
-- GREAT Story on when bloggers feel swindled. You know you should NEVER get on the bad side of a blogger! LOL. Seriously though these guys portrayed in this story were way over the top and too dramatic. Sorry guys, you are not better than the rest of the world... unless you blog about glass....
I was on the floor yesterday and the exhibits looked spectacular, people really upped their game this year with some great booths. I am excited to see how this all turns out and also as always gauge the attitude and mood of the crowd. Been an odd year for sure- most people are very busy, but I believe everyone is casting a very wary eye towards winter and the the early parts of 2012. So we will see.
And yes it is 9/11 and the 10th anniversary of the horrific event that continues to touch all of us. I am not going to delve deep into it, there's so many tributes and insights out there already- some more amazing than others, that I wouldn't and couldn't do it justice. Needless to say my thoughts are there.
We'll do the LINKS of the WEEK here though because we have some good ones... and on that note, it's always tough to find the good ones, no one does it as good as my old conspirator now across the street. So if you have any good links you want to share, please do not hesitate to send them to me.
LINKS of the WEEK
-- We need more judges like this... he took some attorney's to task in a very creative, and successful way!
-- To me this is just a blatant publicity stunt.... but I am curious what the idea is behind a guy biking 1600 miles to try and meet with Warren Buffett. Biking... sounds uncomfortable.
-- GREAT Story on when bloggers feel swindled. You know you should NEVER get on the bad side of a blogger! LOL. Seriously though these guys portrayed in this story were way over the top and too dramatic. Sorry guys, you are not better than the rest of the world... unless you blog about glass....
Sunday, September 04, 2011
A warning realized...
Lost in the excitement and action of Hurricane Irene was the Earthquake that struck earlier that week. Thankfully there were no reported deaths or major injuries and for the most part everything and everyone survived. However one thing that came out of it was said perfectly by Arlene Stewart, the legendary energy consultant in a tweet. Here goes:
ArleneOnEnergy Arlene Z. Stewart 10 yrs ago, I watched SE codes bodies look at Nanette Lockwood like she was nuts for advocating for seismic provisions. Vindicated much?
And there ya go. For years people have been warning of issues to come and even though we skated on this one, the seismic provisions still should be something to be addressed and put into play. And as for Nanette Lockwood of Solutia, it’s been many years since I had the honor of working with her, but she happens to be an absolute authority on so many of these issues, if she told me to prepare for another quake tomorrow, I’d drop everything and go. So this whole scenario bears watching and we’ll also have to see how it affects us in the glazing world- because it will. And oh if you are not following Arlene on Twitter, you need to.
Elsewhere…
-- One tough image and result from the hurricane was the damage in Vermont. The iconic covered bridges that stood for so long- completely wiped out. Towns flooded. Just awful…
-- The Steve Jobs resignation was also a tough one to take. While many expected this day to eventually come given his health battles, the finality of it all is still stunning. Apple is more than Steve Jobs and I am sure their products (and love of everything glass) will continue on, but it won’t be the same. By the way, here is a quick and simple article on the three main takeaways from the way that Steve Jobs did his business.
-- We are coming up on another anniversary for this blog. I started in October of 2005 and almost 400 postings later I am still here, still plugging along. I thank everyone who reads this and supports it. And just a note, I do actually post this on Sundays at my original site. Ironically it gets tons of hits from the state of Virginia that day, guess I am popular there! Anyway it continues to be a thrill that many of my stories/opinions/comments get picked up by competitors to run on the day before my posts appear Tuesday’s in the always-excellent e Weekly. In any case, for what started as therapy continues and I appreciate everyone for following along!
-- Missed noting my brothers birthday last week… and for his big day the best gift he got was a years membership in the Dairy Queen Blizzard Club. Who woulda thunk that the first Perilstein to have a membership in such an epic club would be the skinny one… Happy Birthday bro…
-- Football predictions… as many may know I have not been into Football this year, but I still have to make my traditional (and usually wrong) call on who wins it all… So fans of 30 teams will be happy and fans of the 2 I pick… not so much… so here goes… your Super Bowl will be the New England Patriots vs. the Chicago Bears… for some reason I think Jay Cutler has a huge year this year, and Brady and the Pats look unstoppable. Of course, and as always, I hope I am wrong.
-- Last this week… here we are on the cusp of the show of the year… GlassBuild America kicks off Monday the 12th. The show floor is sold out and there’s some nice momentum out there on people attending the show. I am really looking forward to seeing so many of the folks that I can only usually hook up with at GBA. I will also, as tradition, something I started way back in the early days of this blog, be posting nightly with all of the flavor, pomp, and color of the show. If you are coming to the event, look for me running around or at my booth #1104. See you there!
LINKS of the WEEK
-- Another industry that is working to develop new products… the paperclip industry… yes seriously… and a very interesting read about a needed work material we use and abuse.
-- Simply the best “out of office” e mail ever written! Wow.
-- Excellent story on the recent Kardashian wedding and how it should actually be considered.
VIDEO of the WEEK
For those of you Jersey Shore fans out there… the fight between Ronnie and “The Situation” was hyped a ton but really did not turn out as much… yet. In case you missed it, here was the “fight” in its glory. By the way, as a parent, if my daughter showed up as a booty call on Jersey Shore, I’d probably lose my mind. Brutal.
ArleneOnEnergy Arlene Z. Stewart 10 yrs ago, I watched SE codes bodies look at Nanette Lockwood like she was nuts for advocating for seismic provisions. Vindicated much?
And there ya go. For years people have been warning of issues to come and even though we skated on this one, the seismic provisions still should be something to be addressed and put into play. And as for Nanette Lockwood of Solutia, it’s been many years since I had the honor of working with her, but she happens to be an absolute authority on so many of these issues, if she told me to prepare for another quake tomorrow, I’d drop everything and go. So this whole scenario bears watching and we’ll also have to see how it affects us in the glazing world- because it will. And oh if you are not following Arlene on Twitter, you need to.
Elsewhere…
-- One tough image and result from the hurricane was the damage in Vermont. The iconic covered bridges that stood for so long- completely wiped out. Towns flooded. Just awful…
-- The Steve Jobs resignation was also a tough one to take. While many expected this day to eventually come given his health battles, the finality of it all is still stunning. Apple is more than Steve Jobs and I am sure their products (and love of everything glass) will continue on, but it won’t be the same. By the way, here is a quick and simple article on the three main takeaways from the way that Steve Jobs did his business.
-- We are coming up on another anniversary for this blog. I started in October of 2005 and almost 400 postings later I am still here, still plugging along. I thank everyone who reads this and supports it. And just a note, I do actually post this on Sundays at my original site. Ironically it gets tons of hits from the state of Virginia that day, guess I am popular there! Anyway it continues to be a thrill that many of my stories/opinions/comments get picked up by competitors to run on the day before my posts appear Tuesday’s in the always-excellent e Weekly. In any case, for what started as therapy continues and I appreciate everyone for following along!
-- Missed noting my brothers birthday last week… and for his big day the best gift he got was a years membership in the Dairy Queen Blizzard Club. Who woulda thunk that the first Perilstein to have a membership in such an epic club would be the skinny one… Happy Birthday bro…
-- Football predictions… as many may know I have not been into Football this year, but I still have to make my traditional (and usually wrong) call on who wins it all… So fans of 30 teams will be happy and fans of the 2 I pick… not so much… so here goes… your Super Bowl will be the New England Patriots vs. the Chicago Bears… for some reason I think Jay Cutler has a huge year this year, and Brady and the Pats look unstoppable. Of course, and as always, I hope I am wrong.
-- Last this week… here we are on the cusp of the show of the year… GlassBuild America kicks off Monday the 12th. The show floor is sold out and there’s some nice momentum out there on people attending the show. I am really looking forward to seeing so many of the folks that I can only usually hook up with at GBA. I will also, as tradition, something I started way back in the early days of this blog, be posting nightly with all of the flavor, pomp, and color of the show. If you are coming to the event, look for me running around or at my booth #1104. See you there!
LINKS of the WEEK
-- Another industry that is working to develop new products… the paperclip industry… yes seriously… and a very interesting read about a needed work material we use and abuse.
-- Simply the best “out of office” e mail ever written! Wow.
-- Excellent story on the recent Kardashian wedding and how it should actually be considered.
VIDEO of the WEEK
For those of you Jersey Shore fans out there… the fight between Ronnie and “The Situation” was hyped a ton but really did not turn out as much… yet. In case you missed it, here was the “fight” in its glory. By the way, as a parent, if my daughter showed up as a booty call on Jersey Shore, I’d probably lose my mind. Brutal.
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