Trying to Believe

Each month the Architectural Billings Index comes out and I usually make a quick comment or two on it.  It’s been a tremendous struggle for me to trust the numbers, because forecasting in our industry is pretty much a disaster.  If you look at the various professional predictions over the last few years they have come up wrong, significantly wrong in some cases, so my confidence in relying on these efforts is not strong.  So that said, when this month’s ABI was released I was very excited but also wary because I just don’t want to get let down again.  The numbers coming from the ABI are showing that we are trending out of the malaise and challenged economy we have all been dealing with in some form or fashion over the last few years.  Combine that with an incredibly positive trade show performance at GlassBuild America as well as expanding employment numbers and we just may be on that right path again.

Elsewhere…

--  Props to AAMA for putting together a first class fall conference coming up later in October, specifically the scheduling of Dr. Karma Sawyer of the DOE to deliver the keynote speech.  I had the honor of meeting Dr. Sawyer once and she is sharp, focused, and professional.  I believe she has the ability to really benefit our industry and our world as a whole. 

--  And those who know me know that I am a huge believer in “karma” so it’s only natural I would be a fan of a person with that name. 

--  Nice work by Guardian on their joint white paper with the University of Michigan on the benefits of glass and daylighting.  Once again Chris Dolan and his team come through with a meaningful and significant effort.  Papers like that are crucial to our industry.

--  A favor to ask… former NGA VP David Walker is doing amazing things in his new life as CEO of the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes’ charity.  Recently he was nominated for a “Rare Life” honor in which his story and others are told and the public votes for a winner.  What David is doing is significant and a win in this contest would bring to tremendous benefit to the organization he now runs.  So please click the link, read about David and click to vote.  Thank you.

--  The Pittsburgh Pirates made the playoffs in baseball.  Been a long time coming for sure… first time since 1992.   My World Series picks though are Oakland out of the AL and the Dodgers from the NL with LA winning it all.  That pitching in LA will be hard to beat.  Oh and if you missed Mariano Rivera’s last Yankee Stadium appearance it’s my video of the week and it’s beautiful.

--  And while we’re talking sports… the NHL drops the puck formally this week too… my call for the finals there… Washington and LA with the Kings winning it.  Going to be a good year to be an LA fan.

--  Last this week… I noted that I’d be saying goodbye to my beloved blackberry next spring when my contract is up… well I may have to move that schedule up since a company I do work for switched their e-mail format to a platform that doesn’t support blackberry at all.  I guess the end really is near…

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Serious drinking problem here.  Wow.

--  This sort of story doesn’t go away… now it’s the effect of “wi-fi” on your health.

As you know I love twitter but this article is so true… thanks to our current society (which lacks class and grace) it really can be a very angry medium.

VIDEO of the WEEK

The great closer Mariano Rivera is retiring after this year… and in his last game at Yankee Stadium, a couple of his long time teammates came out to get him from the mound.  Great, moving video.