Understanding the Codes

The International Code Council committee hearings have been going on for the last week and usually its pretty newsworthy.  The question though for me is... have the moves taking place this week been good or bad for our industry?  So far I honestly haven’t been able to ascertain exactly how we will end up after this latest cycle.  And reading various reports and e-mails from people at the hearings has me even more confused.  So I’ll sit on this one, get more clarity and report in the next week or two.  Needless to say it is VERY important that we ALL get a clear idea of what happened there because it WILL have an effect on our industry.

Elsewhere…

--  Good news/bad news on the latest Architectural Billings Index (ABI) as the number was down, but is still in the positive territory.  Now the key is to watch how this progresses but this gives us a flavor for next year, and the verdict about 2014 has been mixed lately, some expecting growth and others calling for a downturn.

--  I’m a little late on this one, but major congrats to PPG on their new online Education Center.  It’s a treasure trove of great info and the layout is spectacular.  Kudos to Rob Struble, Glenn Miner and the entire team that worked on it.  Well done!!

--  Speaking of education, the Glass Management Institute is now open for registration and I urge you to look at the link and consider taking the course.  Yes I am biased as I am teaching one of the courses, but I truly believe in this effort, and think the other courses and instructors are simply off the hook and worth your attention.  Check it out… and be prepared I’ll be pestering you more about it as we get closer!

--  Anyone have any clue what the whole “Google Glass” adventure is?  Not sure I want my website up in my eyes… what am I missing?

--  Last this week… Blackberry fans (like me) are becoming more and more rare but evidently the new phone (with the physical keyboard) that Blackberry is coming out with could give them momentum.  Last week it got a great review in the Wall Street Journal. I for one remain hopeful because I will stick with that brand til the end.   My fat little fingers need that keyboard!

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Cool piece on using Twitter for the search.

--  Great story on Chinese reporter covering the Earthquake that interrupted her wedding.

--  Up here for the laughs…

VIDEO of the WEEK

Quick thinking TV weather person here when the automated camera goes haywire….

A rough week indeed

Well last week surely was a tough one, and quite frankly it was hard to focus on work.  The emotions from the Marathon to the catastrophic explosion in Texas to the manhunt and capture at the end of the week really were draining.  People much more brilliant than me will continue to weigh in on what that week meant and will eventually mean to our world and society.  For me, I am just glad its over and hope sincerely for better times ahead.

Elsewhere

--  No doubt that our world is an online one.  Last Friday as the manhunt was going on, I don’t think there were many people not connected to the internet, following by twitter or even listening online to the Boston Police scanners.  In fact I had a client who had to ask their employees to jump off the web because they were using bandwith at insane levels.  We are surely a “now” society when it comes to breaking news.

--  The Mid Atlantic Glass Expo was humungous success from all indicators and reports back to me.  There is no question that region supports that show like no other but again I also feel we are in prime “show time” as I think the timing is truly ripe for events that allow people to network, learn and grow. 

--  The incredible Julie Ruth wrote a must read piece in the last Glass Magazine on codes.  If you are in the business, you really need to read and grasp it.  I also know some folks in our industry have some thoughts on these code movements and I have reached out to them for comment on a future post.  If you have some angles on it, shoot me a note. 

--  The NFRC is still making their type of news on the Energy Star side… while they have softened their language of the need for people to sign up (and how they’ll bust them) they now are invoicing immediately.  That is before the program is really even going.  Gotta love it.  And the program itself is becoming pretty controversial.  I’m still in learning mode with it, but my mind is spinning on this one.

--  Last week on the blog I noted that Winter is still here and sure enough Mother Nature decided to confirm that by dropping a ton of snow on Colorado and Minnesota.  Seriously… enough is enough….

--  Last this week…  a happy birthday to one of the hardest working guys in this business, Scott Goodman of Flat Glass Distributors.  Knowing Scott he probably spent his birthday dropping off orders all over Central Florida!

LINKS of the WEEK

Let’s keep this light this week eh? 

--  Cupcakes… and Gourmet Cupcakes… in trouble.

--  A baseball game is 65-0.. after 3 innings.  I just read this article and have to wonder… how does this happen?  Just a bit mind blowing.

--  Huge solar project in Las Vegas comes online!

VIDEO of the WEEK

Since we were all glued to the news, had to go ahead and breakout the best news bloopers from March.  Some good ones in here.

Bits and Pieces

This past week was pretty quiet in terms of major news so for this post I decided to make it more of a quick hitter piece with notes and follow-ups.  So without further delay, here goes:

--  Last week I noted the great gesture from Bill Evans and his company.  Bill dropped me a line with more detail and kudos for the guys that physically got it done.  So thank you to Joel Poole, Terry Gilley, Fred Rowe, Jay Devers, and Versie Shannon.  It truly was a great thing you did for a family in need!

--  Sad news as yet another long time industry guy, Lester Peacock passed away.  I met Lester in Houston last year at his last professional home Binswanger Glass and he shared with me stories of working with many members of my family in the years past.  Lester was a tremendous man, respected by all,  who knew more about the ins and outs of the industry and its products, than I ever will.  He surely will be missed.

--  Did you get your Glass Magazine Award nominations in yet?  I know many people who were working on this last week, and for good reason, it IS the most prestigious award program in our industry, especially the ones that will be voted on by the public.  So if you haven’t done it- hurry up and do it.  Deadline is April 16^th. 

--  Guardian SunGuard launched a revamped website and I must say it looks tremendous.  I really like the cleaner look and the fact on the front page you have access to everything.  I’m also a fan of the use of “icons” and Guardian really handled that nicely.  Well-done folks!

--  Also on that note… There have been some serious web improvements going on in our world, the last three I have noted Guardian, Viracon, and General Glass (GGI) have really raised the bar out there.

--  Last fall the excellent Dr. Helen Sanders of SAGE gave a speech on Eco Labeling at the Glazing Executives Forum at GlassBuild.  I have to admit, I had no clue what it was and unfortunately did not get to the speech. However since then I had learned more and more, and then this past week I ran into this article that really explained the process nicely and even has a pretty cool experiment going with it.

--  I know it’s a week late, but that college basketball championship game was absolutely fantastic.  Easily one of the best games I have ever seen- with both teams playing at the highest level.  Shame anyone had to lose.  Congrats Louisville fans…

--  Last this week… if was 39 degrees and raining last week in Michigan and 92 and blistering in DC.  Ummmm can someone alert Mother Nature that its Spring…. Not Winter or Summer….

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Want to know why newspapers are cutting back?  This piece helps put into perspective.

--  This is simply an infuriating situation and unacceptable.  Heads should roll at United Airlines for this.  Unreal.

--  Comical piece for those of you who liked “Weekend at Bernie’s”

VIDEO of the WEEK

If you don’t get chills when watching this video, then you are not human.  A little boy, with terminal cancer, getting his dream to come true running a touchdown for Nebraska.  Wow.  Class act folks and keep fighting little guy!

Springing in to Show Season

Spring is now starting to hit and trade show season is about to get moving into gear.  2013 is lining up to be an extremely memorable year for shows and it’s something that everyone in our industry should take as a VERY positive sign.  Just look we’ve had good efforts already with BEC and at the Glass Expo in the Northeast.  Next up is the Mid Atlantic Glass show that is looking to be a very strong event.  Following that is AIA in Denver, and then the biggie, GlassBuild America in September.  The reason all of this is positive is the more attendance and interactivity at these events, with the more business being done, and connections being made including product lines being diversified.  It also shows confidence in the industry and economy.  Another set of good signs include companies that have not exhibited in a while coming back and getting spaces along with other organizations stepping up and taking on major sponsorships.  So here’s the bottom line… while we can look at various indexes to see how the market is doing, it’s really the busy and successful shows, with companies of all sizes, shapes, and segments being involved is the real measure of the positive tidings in place and to come.

Elsewhere…

--  Speaking of good shows, evidently Glassplex India did very well and I have been hearing a ton about the growth and potential in that part of the world.  Plus this blog is very popular in India as well, so maybe I’ll go to that event when it comes back in 2015.

--  One of the best people in our industry is Bill Evans of Evans Glass.  Recently he proved it once again when he and his company coordinated with the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes charity in the building of handicapped accessible ramping for a disabled veteran in Tennessee.  Bill and his company could’ve passed or just done the bare minimum but they of course did not and they went above and beyond and got their mission accomplished in just 4 days compared to the several months it would’ve taken the VA.  It is heartwarming to know we have people in our industry who step up for a family in need and man who bravely fought for his country and came home severely wounded.

--  Movie to see… “Oz The Great and Powerful” was excellent.  Great, unique take off of the old Wizard of Oz story and James Franco was fantastic in the lead role.  Plus Mila Kunis may be the best looking wicked witch ever.

--  Crazy cool fact on line this week about prices of GigaBytes (GB) – Take a look at this, simply wild at how quickly the technology changed pricewise. I just chuckle looking at my flash drives....

Price of 1 gigabyte of storage over time:

1981 $300,000

1987 $50,000

1990 $10,000

1994 $1,000

1997 $100

2000 $10

2004 $1

2012 $0.10

--  OK last this week, baseball has begun and since I am on a serious roll picking, I need to make my choices… so here goes… your playoff teams in the American League will be Blue Jays, White Sox, and Angels, with the Tigers as the wild card.  I’ll go with the Angels to win the AL.  In the NL, my choices are the Nationals, Reds, Giants, and Cardinals with the Nats winning it and the Nats winning it all in the end.  Right now between the Ravens winning, the Red Hot Caps in hockey and the Nat’s this fall, it must be nice to be a fan in the DC/Baltimore area.

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Oh dear an airline charging by the bodyweight.  If that happens in the US I will have to seriously diet.  Actually I need to seriously diet anyway….

--  Not even sure what to make of this April FoolsDay joke gone sideways.

--  I really enjoy reading oral histories and this one on Jurassic Park is pretty darn good.

VIDEO of the WEEK

The great movie critic and Pulitzer Prize winner Roger Ebert passed away this week.  Here’s a classic outtake from his show with Gene Siskel that helped propel him to celebrity.