A decade of significant change

I found it funny when Katy Devlin started her blog last week on looking back to 2004.  Reason being I have been having the same discussions, looking back 10 years and how so much changed in the glass industry.  If you told me then what our world would look like now I would’ve never, EVER believed you.  I’d be more apt to believe that the dream of having flying cars and a “Jetsons” like community would be happening than the different industry landscape we have now vs. then.  Only 10 years but so much has changed, so much is different, which makes you think where will we be in 2024?  I’m actually trying to avoid that thought; I’m still thrown by thinking about the past to now! Seriously think back 10 years and remember how different things were, what the products were, who were the suppliers, who were the voices of the industry etc. Just crazy. Not to mention Facebook was just born and YouTube or this blog did not exist for another year.  What a different world.   Oh and as for the blog that got me thinking and the companion piece in the magazine?  Splendid as always... Katy never fails to deliver the goods and those pieces are must-reads for sure.

Elsewhere…

--  Guardian released a new “app” recently with a focus on glass performances for windows.  It is a very sharp and impressive tool.  A great reference and training piece too, so if you have some new people, you need to download this and have those folks devour it.  Also paints our industry in a very positive light as well, which we always need.  Kudos to the team at Guardian who led the charge on this one.  To download, search your app store for Guardian Window InSight and it comes right up.

--  One big comment I get, at least weekly is “I didn’t know about that.”  Well in our industry there’s two events that can help solve that dilemma- GlassBuild in the fall and BEC next month…. So speaking of BEC…  one of the parts of that conference that has become even more prominent to attend is the technical meeting the night before the event opens.  Chuck Knickerbocker of TGP leads this portion and he’s a tour de force, and thanks to him and his team’s effort his session next month is loaded with tons of info and three strong presentations.  One from Jon McFarland of Wheaton-Sprague (Benefits of BIM & Curtain Wall) , one that brought the house down at GANA’s Annual Conference by Julie Schimmelpenningh (School Security & Safety) and even one from Jim Benney of NFRC (Codes and the NFRC) that is important to attend to know and understand what will effect you and your business going forward.  Plain and simple, if you are a contract glazier- you need to be there…  plus the rest of the event has excellent presentations planned as well. (which I’ll get to next week) It is worth the time and budget.

--  Olympic hockey is so enjoyable… but now there’s even more on the line for me.  If Canada beats the US and wins Gold… thanks to a bet with my friends at RavenBrick (proud Canadians) I will have to stand up in a restaurant and sing “O Canada”- but if the US wins, they will have to do the same with the “Star Spangled Banner”  - I don’t think I can lose on this bet… If the US wins I am thrilled.  If Canada wins, I will have a blast belting out “O Canada” and may even mix some of the French version in too…. 

--  The largest solar power plant in the world opened up in the California-Nevada’s desert last week.  This project is an important milestone for anyone who cares in the future of solar energy.  It has been adventure getting here as its been slowed by lawsuits and worries on the effect on the environment.  That conundrum has been interesting to watch since the same people against fossil fuels and who are pro solar, have lined up against this plant because of its effect on the wildlife etc.  Regardless, this project is the first major piece and could continue to renew and improve efforts to get more solar energy going.

LINKS of the WEEK

--  The crazy snow caused people to ski to the local stores… which somehow were open…  none of this makes sense to me.

--  The dumbest homework assignment ever… and its 10 miles from where I live too… ugh.  Our society is in trouble.

--  An Olympic story I did not see… tough one.

VIDEO of the WEEK

This past week Tampa Rays Pitcher Alex Cobb was creative in asking his girlfriend to marry him.  Well someone grabbed that and 6 other great sports oriented proposals and made it into a quick video.