Category Archives: news

How is the Carnival Cruise Ship Disaster Like Some Construction Projects?

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cruise shipNow that I have your attention:  Have you followed the “cruise from hell” story, in which Carnival Cruise passengers were forced to make do on a ship with no working power or lavatory facilities for the better part of a week?

Think this has nothing to do with construction projects?

On the contrary, this story serves as a reminder that if something can go wrong, eventually, it WILL go wrong.

No where is this more true than on a construction project.

Read my guest post on today’s Construction Law Musings to find out how you can prepare for the unexpected on your construction projects.  While you are there, browse around and check out the wealth of information on Chris Hill’s Virginia-based construction law blog.

~ Melissa

PS:  New to this blog?  Please sign up for email delivery and your free white paper on 7 Critical Mistakes made by architects & engineers.

Photo:  (c) Roger Wollstadt

The Old Defeats the New (Usefulness of LEED?) (News Note)

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This was originally published on January 10, 2013.

A report which came across my desk recently is one from SustainableBusiness.com, in which it is reported that some (although certainly not all) of New York City’s oldest buildings are out-performing LEED-certified buildings.7 World Trade Center

The magazine compares the new 7 World Trade Center, a LEED-Gold certified project, to the 1930s-era Chrysler Building, which is more energy efficient.  The 7 World Trade Center building has an Energy Star score of 74, while the Chrysler building scores 84 (in part due to extensive efficiency upgrades).

The cited reasons include thicker walls, fewer windows and less ventilation in the older buildings, as well as the fact that LEED-certified buildings look at other environmental features, such as the kinds of materials used and recycled, water systems, and proximity to public transportation.

Does this surprise you?  Are you a critic of the LEED process or an advocate?  Share your thoughts below.

Photo (c) davidlat. 

Engineers: Here’s how to Securing your Mobile Device from Cyber-Attacks (guest post)

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smartphone iconToday, a very important post from guest blogger Silvia Brook.  Silvias writes about home and cyber security for homesecurity.org. When she’s not writing, Silvia enjoys biking with her friends or cooking a new recipe from her compendium of cookbooks.

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Believe it or not, cyber security is still a big issue in the tech industry. It seems as though every year a new electronic device is released by one of the major hardware developers, and yet every year consumers who buy those same devices fall prey to a host of viruses, glitches, and malware. A tablet released this year may get hit with just as many (if not more) viruses as they model that preceded it the year before.

Part of why that’s the case is because malicious applications are changing and evolving at the same rate as the new devices that they target. Developers on both sides of the equation are fighting to make the better application—those who design security apps and protection software will try to keep your information, while hackers will try just as hard to take it away.

A recent assessment of the Android OS’s newest virus protection software might explain this problem. The new smartphone OS—Android 4.2—has a built-in malware scanner for apps. A computer scientist at North Carolina State University decided to see how this new scanning software stacked up third-party virus protection apps in a test that pits them all against the latest malware targeting smartphones. The study found that the Android OS app scanner caught malware content only about 20% of the time. The third-party security apps fared much better, some of which caught malware nearly every time.

What are we supposed to do with this information? Google seems to have trouble designing a competent virus scanning application for its own line of smartphones, all of which seem at least vulnerable to potential viruses according to the above report. If that’s the case, then how can people expect to put sensitive information (emails, finances, photos, etc.) on their smartphones?

I think the most important takeaway is that cyber security should be taken seriously by people who use mobile devices on a regular basis. There really are malicious apps out there that could do some serious damage to smartphones and tablets.  Design professionals such as engineers and architects who rely on their electronics for mobile work  are best off defending themselves from such annoyances with third-party apps designed by professionals with a proven track record.

Below are two apps by such developers which have received nothing but glowing reviews from critics.

Avast!

Avast! is a comprehensive software that addresses many key cyber security concerns. For one thing, the software will help users track their smartphones or tablets should they ever get lost or stolen. Avast! will let users locate their misplaces phones via GPS and send SMS messages to it should they want to address whoever has it. Of course the software also protects mobile devices from malware apps and websites that could be packing a nasty virus by scanning every app before it’s loaded. Avast! also allows users to build a firewall for their mobile devices should they suspect that hackers want to tamper with their data. In other words, Avast! is the whole security package for the Android, and it’s free!

F-Secure Mobile Security

F-Secure is an acclaimed security software company, protecting both home computers and mobile devices all sorts of cyber security threats. F-Secure will ensure that mobile users can browse the web safely without fear of encountering malware; the service will also scan incoming apps and data for any potential viruses that could compromise the safety of the device. Like Avast!, F-Secure also has a feature that will help users track down their mobile device should it be misplaced or stolen (and users can erase their data remotely it they suspect that someone has access to their information). F-Secure has a subscription fee, and it’s only available for Android users.

Melissa here again.  What about you?  Do you have a favorite cyber security app?  Depending on how much you work in the Cloud, you should!  

Share your recommendations in the comment section, below.  Just remember, I’m a luddite, so talk in plain and simple terms!

Photo (c) Lora Williams

 

Engineering for the Earthquake- Dumbarton Bridge (News Note)

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(This article was originally posted on December 24, 2012)

Engineers who design in earthquake-prone areas know that they need to design the seismic loads of their bridges to account for potential massive shifts during a quake.  (This is what is legally known as the professional standard of care, which takes into account what similar engineers, in the same conditions and community, would consider acceptable design)**.  The Dumbarton Bridge, the farthest south bridge across the San Francisco Bay, is no exception to this rule.

Currently, the Dumbarton Bridge is being renovated as part of the San Francisco Bay Area Toll Bridge Seismic Retrofit Program.  When the bridge is finished (expected in early 2013), the bridge will increase its ability to move from 20 inches of lateral movement to as much as 42 inches of lateral movement.

Dumbarton BridgeThe retrofit includes friction pendulum bearings designed by Earthquake Protection  Systems, Inc., which will isolate the superstructure from two pier structures where the main span of the bridge meets the approach structures.  A concrete taper will be used from the joints to the main span to ease the transition, as the approach span is 5 inches lower than the main span.

According to Earthquake Protection Systems president Victor Zayas, in a statement to Roads & Bridges magazine, the most critical part of the bearing is the bottom lining, which is a self-sacrificing, solid-lubricant polymer composite that was developed based on earlier research done by NASA in the 1960s.

Click here to read more on the Dumbarton Bridge retrofit.

**  If you missed my post on the jury instruction on standard of care, be sure to check it out here.

 

Photo (c) Jill Clardy via CC.

 

Hurricane Sandy broke the record books! (News note)

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Hurricane Sandy map[This article was originally published on November 8, 2012]

Now that the waters are receding, and while the recovery work progresses, thought I’d share an interesting article I came across on the many and varied records that Hurricane Sandy broke, including:

 1. Strongest Hurricane to Make Landfall North of Cape Hatteras

With a record low barometric pressure of 27.76, Sandy was the strongest hurricane north of Cape Hatteras to ever make landfall. Although Hurricane Gladys of 1977 holds the overall record for the region at 27.73, she remained off the U.S. coast.

 2. Largest Atlantic Hurricane on Record

She was a big girl. Sandy made the record books as the largest hurricane to have formed in the Atlantic Basin, according to the National Hurricane Center, reaching a truly impressive gale diameter of 1,000 miles.

 3. Highest Storm Surge

The storm surge for New York City was expected to be around 8-10 feet, yet Sandy’s strength and unusual angle worked to create a surge far surpassing estimates. The surge level at Battery Park was a whopping 13.88 feet at 9:24 p.m. Monday, out-surging Donna’s efforts of 10.02 feet in 1960.

There are 9 more here, although some of the categories (most photoshopped disaster photos, anyone?) are not as impressive as others.

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Want to Help?

Want to give to help the victims of Sandy’s massive impact? The American Red Cross is accepting monetary donations in any amount through their website.

However, they do not accept donated goods directly, as noted here:

The American Red Cross does not accept or solicit small quantities of individual donations of items for emergency relief purposes. Items such as collections of food, used clothing, and shoes often must be cleaned, sorted, and repackaged which impedes the valuable resources of money, time, and personnel that are needed for other aspects of our relief operation.

The Red Cross, in partnership with other agencies, suggests that the best use for those types of donations is to support needy agencies within donors’ local communities.

The best way to help a disaster victim is through a financial donation to the Red Cross. Financial contributions allow the Red Cross to purchase exactly what is needed for the disaster relief operation. Monetary donations also enable the Red Cross to purchase relief supplies close to the disaster site which avoids delays and transportation costs in getting basic necessities to disaster victims. Because the affected area has generally experienced significant economic loss, purchasing relief supplies in or close to the disaster site also helps to stimulate the weakened local economy.

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While the impact of Sandy will be felt for some time, the sheer size of the “perfect storm” is something to behold!

Photo: (c) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center via CC.