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English for Technical Professionals

IEEE English for Technical Professionals is a 14-hour online learning program designed to provide non-native English speakers with a working knowledge of English techniques and vocabulary that are essential for working in today’s technical workplace.

 

IEEE English for Technical Professionals

Electropedia: The World’s Online Electrotechnical Vocabulary

Standards January: Language

Lingua Franca

Plain Writing Act of 2010

White House: Designating English as the Official Language of The United States

2026 National Electrical Code Article 100 Definitions Public Input Transcript (Definitions)

2026 National Electrical Code Article 100 Definitions Public Comment Transcript (Definitions)

“The English genius is essentially eclectic;

it borrows from everywhere and from every time.”

— Peter Ackroyd | 2004  Albion: the origins of the English imagination

“The Tower of Babel” 1563 | Pieter Bruegel the Elder

 

“Wer von Fremdsprachen nichts versteht, kennt seine eigenen nichts.”

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 

Disagree with someone and cannot persuade them?  Do you need to hide your intransigence or ulterior motive? Then change the basis of discussion by changing the subject with a different definition.

This happens routinely in political discourse and rather frequently in best practice discovery and promulgation in building construction and settlement infrastructure standards[1].  Assuming all parties are negotiating in good faith resolution may lie in agreement on a common understanding of what a satisfying agreement might look like.

Admittedly, a subtle and challenging topic outside our wheelhouse[2] hence the need to improve our organization of this topic starting with today’s colloquium; with follow on sessions every month.

Starting 2025 we will organize our approach to this topic, thus:

Language 100.  Survey of linguistic basics for developing codes, standards and regulations.  Many vertical incumbents have developed their own style manuals

Language 200.  Electrotechnical vocabulary

Language 300.  Architectural and Allied trade vocabulary

Language 400.  The language of government regulations; the euphemisms of politicians with influence over the built environment

Language 500.  Advanced topics such as large language models or spoken dialects such as “High Michigan” — arguably, the standard American dialect where it applies to the standards listed above.

Naming & Signs


It may not be obvious how profound the choice of words and phrases have on leading practice discovery and promulgation.  For example, “What is Gender” determines the number, placement and functionality of sanitary technologies in housing, hospitals and sporting.   The United States has a Supreme Court justice that cannot define “woman”

As always, we will respond to public consultation opportunities wherever we can find them.  Some organizations are better than this than others.

Large Language Models

Glossary: Education

Examples of Variations in Translations of Homer’s Odyssey

The Surprising Factor That Determines English Fluency

Banished Words 2024

Today we limit our discussion to language changes in the catalogs of ANSI-accredited standards developers whose titles have the most influence over the interoperability of safety and sustainability technologies that create and sustain the built environment of educational settlements.

American Institute of Architects: Definitions for Building Performance 

ASHRAE International

Language Proficiency

International Code Council

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers

National Fire Protection Association

Qu’est-ce qu’une nation?

Using tasks in language teaching

print(“Python”)

Love and Mathematics

The Guy Who Over-Pronounces Foreign Words

Every building construction discipline has its own parlance and terms of art.

This is enough for a one-hour session and, depending upon interest, we will schedule a breakout session outside of our normal “daily” office hours.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

ΒΙΒΛΙΟΘΗΚΕΣ

Starting 2024 and running into 2025 we will break down this topic further, starting with construction contract language — Lingua Franca 300:

“Standard” History

History of the English Speaking Peoples

Language Proficiency

Geomatics

Large Language Models

Travels with the Sundry Folk

Reflections on the verb “to be”

Banished Words 2024

Forbidden Words

Using tasks in language teaching

William Tyndale: The Father of Modern English

“Music does an end run around language” — James Taylor

Electropedia: The World’s Online Electrotechnical Vocabulary

Standard Definition: “Developing” Country

The Guy Who Over-Pronounces Foreign Words

ANSI Acronymn Dictionary

Footnotes:

(1) The United States government defines a “Green Building” as a building that has been designed, constructed, and operated in a way that reduces or eliminates negative impacts on the environment and occupants. The government has established various standards and certifications that buildings can achieve to be considered “green.”

The most widely recognized green building certification in the United States is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, which is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). To achieve LEED certification, a building must meet certain standards related to sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

In addition to the LEED certification, there are other programs and standards that can be used to measure and certify the sustainability of buildings, such as the Green Globes rating system and the Living Building Challenge.

Overall, the goal of green building is to create buildings that are not only environmentally sustainable but also healthier, more comfortable, and more efficient for occupants, while reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. By promoting green building practices, the U.S. government aims to reduce the environmental impact of the built environment and move towards a more sustainable future.

(2) The U.S. Green Building Council is a conformance organization.  See the discussion our ABOUT for background on incumbent stakeholders.

“All Applicable Standards”

From time to time we drill into representative design guidelines and specifications for facility classes that are present on educational campuses; including projects involving the spaces between buildings — i.e. water, pathway, power and telecommunication infrastructure.

We place particular emphasis on the “General Conditions” of these guidelines and specifications because up to 20 percent of a construction project may involve the cost of general conditions; depending upon how many disciplines are involved.

We find excesses in the General Conditions that tend to inflate contingency requirements but also shortcomings that design professionals, construction project managers and building service engineers* should know about.   Facility development units will likely want to tweak design and construction documents to harmonize with the latest changes in the codes and standards that govern the safety and sustainability agenda of the education facility industry.

Tulane University School of Architecture

Building services engineers are responsible for the design, installation, operation and monitoring of the technical services in buildings (including mechanical, electrical and public health systems, also known as MEP or HVAC), in order to ensure the safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly operation.

Building services engineers work closely with other construction professionals such as architects, structural engineers and quantity surveyors.

Building services engineers influence the architectural design of building, in particular facades, in relation to energy efficiency and indoor environment, and can integrate local energy production (e.g. façade-integrated photovoltaics) or community-scale energy facilities (e.g. district heating). Building services engineers therefore play an important role in the design and operation of energy-efficient buildings (including green buildings, passive houses and zero energy buildings.  uses. With buildings accounting for about a third of all carbon emissions] and over a half of the global electricity demand, building services engineers play an important role in the move to a low-carbon society; a prevailing sentiment among many educational settlements.

Update: 29 November 2024

print(“Python”)

Python 3.14.0 was released for public use October 7th.

 

“Python is the programming equivalent

of a Swiss Army Knife.”

— Some guy

 

The Python Standard Library

Open source standards development is characterized by very open exchange, collaborative participation, rapid prototyping, transparency and meritocracy.   The Python programming language is a high-level, interpreted language that is widely used for general-purpose programming. Python is known for its readability, simplicity, and ease of use, making it a popular choice for beginners and experienced developers alike.  Python has a large and active community of developers, which has led to the creation of a vast ecosystem of libraries, frameworks, and tools that can be used for a wide range of applications. These include web development, scientific computing, data analysis, machine learning, and more.

Another important aspect of Python is its versatility. It can be used on a wide range of platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and even mobile devices. Python is also compatible with many other programming languages and can be integrated with other tools and technologies, making it a powerful tool for software development.  Overall, the simplicity, readability, versatility, and large community support of Python make it a valuable programming language to learn for anyone interested in software development including building automation.

As open source software, anyone may suggest an improvement to Python(3.X) starting at the link below:

Python Enhancement Program

Python Download for Windows

Python can be used to control building automation systems. Building automation systems are typically used to control various systems within a building, such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, security, and more. Python can be used to control these systems by interacting with the control systems through the building’s network or other interfaces.

There are several Python libraries available that can be used for building automation, including PyVISA, which is used to communicate with instrumentation and control systems, and PyModbus, which is used to communicate with Modbus devices commonly used in building automation systems. Python can also be used to develop custom applications and scripts to automate building systems, such as scheduling temperature setpoints, turning on and off lights, and adjusting ventilation systems based on occupancy or other variables. Overall, Python’s flexibility and versatility make it well-suited for use in building automation systems.

Subversion®

Building Automation & Control Networks

Sport News

 



Michigan Girl, Our Michigan Girl….

Sport Standards

 

 

Mixed Gender Sport by Design

Engineering in Sport



“Rowing is more poetry than sport.” — George Pocock (‘Boys in the Boat’ 2024), a British-born boat builder, rowing coach, and influential figure in American rowing, best known for his craftsmanship of racing shells and his philosophical approach to the sport.

Winter Sport

French Onion Soup

Standards North Dakota  |  Campus Master Plan 

Click image below for recipe

photograph of a bowl of french onion soup on a plate with two onions next to it

Click for Extension Service Full Playlist

North Dakota State University | Fargo County

United State Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel

Academy Facilities

Memorial Church Sunday Service

Hillsdale College | The Theological–Political Problem and the American Founding | Glenn Ellmers

From George Washington to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, 18 August 1790

The Best Breakdown of America You’ve Never Heard: Richard Miniter

In Federalist No. 2, John Jay [1764 Graduate of King’s College; now Columbia University] argues that a strong union under the Constitution will promote peace and prosperity, which are conducive to the spread of religion and morality:

“Providence has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people—a people descended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar in their manners and customs… These considerations, and many others that might be mentioned, prove, and experience confirms it, that artificial distinctions and separations of [America’s] land are essentially unnatural; and that they may be eradicated and extirpated by the united and advisable efforts of individuals and communities…”

The Federalist Papers discuss themes of morality, social order, and the importance of a cohesive society, they do not explicitly emphasize the importance of Christian faith to the American constitutional republic.  The authors generally focused on principles of governance, political theory, and the structure of the proposed Constitution.

“The experience of the sacred is a universal phenomenon,

found in all human societies, however primitive or complex.”

— 1957 Mircea Eliade (‘The Sacred and the Profane’)

Other Campus Worship Livestreams

Harvard’s Memorial Chapel, also known as Memorial Church, was designed by the architectural firm Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch, and Abbott. The church was dedicated on Armistice Day, November 11, 1932, as a memorial to Harvard alumni who died in World War I.

Sunday Service Announcements and Music Notes

Standards Massachusetts

Readings / The Education of Henry Adams

Readings / The Administrative State

John Harvard, the namesake of Harvard University, was a 17th-century English minister lived on campus from 1607 – 1638 and conformed to Puritan ideal of  dedicating Sundays to worship, prayer, and rest.

Can London Be Saved? The Cultural Genocide of London

Institute of Engineering Technology | St Paul’s Cathedral: Sir Christopher Wren’s Engineering Masterpiece

Lorem ipsum

Tea Water & Scones

What Are People Wearing?

Smart Cities: Wicked Problems

 

Ralph Vaughan Williams “Sea Symphony”

Standards Michigan Central

This is his RVW’s first completed symphony and one of the earliest major choral symphonies in English music. Setting poetry from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, it explores the sea as both a literal and spiritual metaphor for exploration and human destiny. Premiered at the Leeds Festival, it signaled Vaughan Williams’s move toward a distinctly English symphonic voice, blending expansive orchestration with modal harmonies and visionary choral writing. The work’s significance lies in its ambition: it established him as a leading British composer and opened a new path for English symphonic and choral expression.

MORE

 

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