Is there cause for concern after the latest Architectural
Billings Index fell again this past month?
The headlines surely give you pause, but when you dig into the report,
it does not look as negative as you may think.
The “New Projects” rating was positive again as was the “Design
Contracts” index. Plus the winter
weather may have left a bit of hangover when it comes to the overall
performance. I not only see, but also
continue to hear too much positivity and confidence in the economic future of
our industry to raise the red flag yet.
Obviously this and the other indexes bear watching but for now, I
wouldn’t consider this last report anything but a blip on the radar.
Elsewhere…
-- Congrats to Tubelite on celebrating their 70th
year in business. Really an incredible
and impressive run through some volatile territory and times.
-- Excellent article in the new Glass Magazine on ergonomics in
the workplace. It is a must read,
especially when you are talking health and welfare of your plant
personnel. Kudos to Lisec, AGNORA, and
all others engaged in this excellent process.
-- Minnesota is home to some of the best minds in our
industry. And now that state has a city
that is going to really do something fascinating. Rochester, MN is working to transform itself
and doing so with an ambitious 20 year, 6.5 Billion dollar renewal, that will
surely need a lot of glass. Fast Company
magazine has the insight and it’s a great read.
-- As many know, I am big fan of solar, and I still believe in
it. But even though solar performance is
growing and products are improving there’s still a massive reluctance to use
it. The big utilities still stand in the
way of solar growth and there are a few states that are letting that
happen. It’s an unfortunate battle that
is not good in the end for our environment or energy needs. It also does affect many in our industry that
supply to it, though I do know much of it does come from off shore, it’s still
a tough one in any form.
-- For those of you in my generation, a fun documentary to
watch… “Atari-Game Over” is a good one
chronicling the rise and fall of Atari with regards to one game and its burial
in a landfill. Technology on gaming has
come so far in such a short time, and this documentary was a pretty neat walk
through the 80’s and the initial gaming explosion.
-- Last this week, just downloaded a new book I am looking
forward to reading. “Losing
the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall
of BlackBerry” is now in my queue and while I will never go back to a
blackberry (I love my iPhone) I have a feeling this insider tale may be one to
immerse myself in and enjoy. Once done
I’ll provide a review. Still finishing
the current book “Becoming Steve Jobs” which has been solid read for sure.
LINKS of the WEEK
-- Interesting graphic on what your hourly
wage would need to be by state to afford a 2 bedroom rental.
-- Never knew this existed and it’s wild.
VIDEO of the WEEK
My good friend Dave Gillikin passed this one to me and its
awesome. It’s the incredible Eminem
anthem “Lose Yourself” in sign language.
Extremely impressive.
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