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Carpentry

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The Imitation Game

“Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals” Alan Turing PhD dissertation 1938

Computing Machinery and Intelligence 1950

 

May 28, 1936: Alan Turing submitted his paper “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” that would quietly spark the digital revolution with the design of a machine (Bombe) that significantly shortened World War Two in Europe.

– Alan Turing (1912-1954)

Related:

Facilities | WRNS Studio Frist Health Center (~$48.5 Million)

Nursery Stock

“Children in the Garden” 1892 Gładysław Podkowiński

The purpose of the American Standard for Nursery Stock — ANSI Z60.1 — is to provide buyers and sellers of nursery stock with a common terminology in order to facilitate transactions involving nursery stock.  This standards establishes common techniques for

(a) measuring plants,

(b) specifying and stating the size of plants,

(c) determining the proper relationship between height and caliper, or height and width, and

(d) determining whether a root ball or container is large enough for a particular size plant.

This document — prepared under a grant to ANSI by AmericanHort — is a communication tool for the exchanges of products and services but does not provide buyers with any assurance of the health or quality of the nursery stock being specified or sold.  It does not cover labor resources.

The American Hort standards landing page is linked below:

American Nursery Stock Standards

CLICK HERE for the current edition of ANSI Z60.1 2014

The 2014 revision should be entering another revision cycle though the pandemic has slowed standards setting among many non-profits.  We encourage front-line staff to participate directly in the American Hort standards setting enterprise.  CLICK HERE for contact information.

We sweep through the status of best practice literature for anything related to exterior assets in education communities during our Bucolia colloquium.   See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

Issue: [18-160]

Category:  Bucolia, Pathways

IoT Enabled Smart Gardening

Pros and Cons of Owning A Dog During College

Getting a dog during college can be an exciting thought for many students who are leaving home and are experiencing their first taste of true freedom; However, many young adults fail to consider the responsibilities and obligations that come with owning a dog while in school.

Apart from the necessity as companions for students with disabilities; consider the following:

Pros:

They can lead to decreased stress.

Dogs have the incredible ability to make you feel more relaxed and less stressed. A study actually found that when people took care of dogs for just three months, they showed significant drops in blood pressure and reactivity to stress. There’s no better feeling than coming home after a long day to your furry best friend who’s thrilled to see you.

They help motivate you to exercise.

Daily exercise is an essential part of a dog’s well-being and absolutely cannot be neglected. However, this requirement becomes mutually beneficial because it also ensures that you’re getting outside daily, intaking sunlight, and getting your own exercise. Even if you’re having a rough day and don’t feel like doing much, your dog will make sure that you go outside and get moving.

They make great companions if you live alone.

Dogs can be fantastic companions for students who choose to live alone. Living by yourself can be lonely. Your pet can serve as a companion to keep you occupied, as well as a solid guard dog when needed (or you can at least let them think they are).

Cons:

They require a time and patience.

If you’re thinking about getting a dog in college, be prepared to commit tons of time and attention to them. Training sessions will be vitally important in ensuring that your dog is potty-trained, can behave on a leash, and can be trusted around other dogs. You’ll also have to make time for vet appointments, play time, and letting them out on a consistent basis.

They can be expensive.

Dogs can be extremely expensive. Between vet bills, food, toys, and general dog supplies, the costs can quickly add up. Assessing your financial situation beforehand and determining whether or not now is the right time for you to get a dog, is absolutely essential.

They can cut into your social life; although can expand your social life with a starting point for common conversation with other dog lovers.

Like it or not, having a dog will cut into your social time with your friends. Staying out until 4 am on the weekends or being away from your house for 12 hours at a time is no longer feasible when your pet is waiting for you at home. Plan to make arrangements to fit your dog’s needs, which may mean missing out on social activities from time to time.

 

Readings

University of Michigan: Animals on Campus

North Central Michigan College

20 Pet Friendly Colleges

Standards Michigan: Animals

“Nipper” RCA Victor

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

The University of Wyoming Extension service provides research and education to farmers and ranchers; funded by federal, state, and local sources:

  • Agricultural production and management: The Extension service provides information and resources on topics such as crop production, livestock management, and farm business management.
  • Soil and water management: The Extension service offers expertise on soil fertility, irrigation, water quality, and conservation practices.
  • Pest management: The Extension service provides resources and support for integrated pest management, including information on insect and disease control, weed management, and pesticide safety.
  • Youth education: The Extension service offers educational programs and activities for youth interested in agriculture, including 4-H clubs and competitions.
  • Community development: The Extension service works with local communities to support economic development, tourism, and natural resource conservation.

The Extension service also offers consultations, workshops, field days, and other events to help farmers and ranchers stay up-to-date on the latest research and technologies in agriculture.

Standards Wyoming

Morrill Land-Grant Act

Albert Bierstadt: Landscapes of the American West

Remaking Jams and Jellies

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Civil Rights Act (Voting Rights Act) of 1965

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Metering and Billing

Although electrical power  delivered with both active and reactive components our interest lies primarily in the useable power component — watts (power) and watt-hour(energy).  A secondary concern is whether or not energy useage meters are over-specified; particularly on points in building power chains downstream from the utility service meters.

Electrical meters, used for measuring electricity consumption, must comply with various codes and standards to ensure accuracy, safety, and reliability.  Today at the usual hour – from the user point of view – we will review the status of key codes and standards relevant to electrical meter manufacturing, primarily focusing on North American standards.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

ANSI C12.1 – Code for Electricity Metering

  • Specifies performance criteria for AC watt-hour meters, demand meters, pulse devices, and auxiliary devices.
  • Covers testing, installation, accuracy classes, voltage/frequency ratings, and environmental tests (e.g., RF interference).
  • Current edition: ANSI C12.1-2024.

ANSI C12.10 – Physical Aspects of Watt-hour Meters

  • Defines physical and dimensional requirements for watt-hour meters, including socket and bottom-connected meters.
  • Ensures compatibility with metering installations.

ANSI C12.20 – Electricity Meters – 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 Accuracy Classes

  • Establishes accuracy requirements for revenue-grade meters (0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.5% accuracy classes).
  • Note: Content merged into ANSI C12.1 in recent updates, with C12.20 withdrawn.

ANSI C12.31 – Standard Definitions of AC Electrical Power

  • Defines terms for active, reactive, and apparent power/energy, ensuring consistent measurement methodologies.
  • Under revision as ANSI C12.31-202x.

NEMA C12 Series

  • Published by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).
  • Aligns with ANSI C12 standards, focusing on metering equipment specifications and safety.

UL 2735 – Standard for Electric Utility Meters

  • Safety standard for electric meters, addressing electrical shock, fire hazards, and mechanical risks.
  • Ensures meters meet safety requirements for installation and operation.

NFPA 70 – National Electrical Code (NEC)

  • While not specific to manufacturing, NEC governs meter installation requirements (e.g., meter base mounting, grounding).
  • Relevant for ensuring meters comply with installation safety standards.  We cover this topic of a safety point of view in the sessions linked below:

Electric Service Metering & Billing

Electrical Meter Center Manufacturing

Related:

The Effects of Energy Dashboards and Competition Programming on Electricity Consumption on a College Campus (Western Michigan University)

Comparative Feedback on Consumers’ Energy-Saving Behavior: A College Dormitory Example

Lawn & Garden Tools

“Le Parc Moncea” 1848  Gustave Caillebotte

The education industry in the United States is steward to large tranches of land assets; either through the Morrill Land Grant Act or municipal set-asides for public schools.  In terms of square footage, the spaces between buildings far exceeds the square footage of the built environment — and the locus of public interest and environmental regulation.   All of that square footage — usually measured in hundreds and thousands of hectares and acres — requires consideration of the competing interests of many stakeholders.

We display the accomplishments of employees devoted to the landscaping and gardening of educational organizations in a dedicated post:

Gardens and Arboretums

Landscape and garden assets have their own set of construction and maintenance tools, many of which are continually improved by global equipment manufacturers, and fall within the scope of Subcommittee 13 under parent Technical Committee 23 Tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry administered by the Association Française de Normalisation; the French national member body to the International Organization for Standardization.  

CLICK ON IMAGE

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) is ANSI’s US Technical Advisory Group administrator and the Global Secretariat for ISO TC/23/SC 13.  The work program for Subcommittee 13 is linked below:

ISO/TC 23/SC 13 / Powered lawn and garden equipment

Note product standards cover many equipment classes and accessories for engine powered lawn movers, snow blowers, gardening machinery and the like.

ANSI encourages relevant stakeholders to participate in discovering standardization solutions in a broad range of technologies and markets with like-minded experts in other national standards bodies.  The full sweep of ANSI’s participation in consensus documents developed by the ISO is described in the link below:

ISO Programs – Overview

We encourage our colleagues in exterior grounds and landscaping units in the education facility industry to participate directly as a User interest in the OPEI standards development process.   OPEI Standards Staff Contacts are listed on the OPEI Standards home page linked below:

Product Safety Standards Listing

We review the developmental status of consensus products that set the standard of care for equipment used to maintain pathways, lawns and gardens in education communities.   Automation of the maintenance of these spaces is gathering pace; reducing cost and risk.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

Issue: [18-155]

Category: Facility Asset Management, Grounds and Landscaping, International

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Christine Fischer, Jack Janveja, Richard Robben

 

 

Energy Standard for Sites & Buildings: Metering

Section 8 Key points:

Metering for New Buildings: New buildings larger than 25,000 square feet must be equipped with metering to measure the electrical energy usage of the entire building.

Tenant Spaces: In buildings with tenant spaces, individual tenant spaces larger than 10,000 square feet must also be separately metered.

Subsystem Metering: Buildings with electrical loads exceeding specified thresholds must have additional metering to measure energy use for various subsystems, including:

HVAC systems
Lighting systems
Plug loads
Process loads

These metering requirements are intended to help building owners and operators monitor energy consumption, identify opportunities for energy savings, and comply with building energy codes and standards.

Despite best intentions a fair question to ask: What does over metering look like? (University of Alberta Research)

University of Michigan

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is an ANSI-accredited continuous-maintenance standards developer (a major contributor to what we call a regulatory product development “stream”).   Continuous maintenance means that changes to titles in its catalog can change in as little as 30-45 days.  This is meaningful to jurisdictions that require conformance to the “latest” version of ASHRAE 90.1

Among the leading titles in its catalog is ASHRAE 90.1 Energy Standard for Sites and Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.  Standard 90.1 has been a benchmark for commercial building energy codes in the United States and a key basis for codes and standards around the world for more than 35 years.  Free access to ASHRAE 90.1 version is available at the link below:

READ ONLY Version of 2022 ASHRAE 90.1

If you cannot access it with the link above, try the link below and select 90.1 from the title list:

Current Popular ASHRAE Standards and Guidelines

Chapter 9: Lighting, begins on Page 148, and therein lie the tables that are the most widely used metrics (lighting power densities) by electrical and illumination engineers for specifying luminaires and getting them wired and controlled “per code”.   Many jurisdictions provide access to this Chapter without charge.  Respecting ASHRAE’s copyright, we will not do so here but will use them during today’s Illumination Colloquium, 16:00 UTC.

Keep in mind that recently ASHRAE expanded the scope of 90.1 to include energy usage in the spaces between buildings:

25 January 2023: Newly Released ASHRAE 90.1-2022 Includes Expanded Scope For Building Sites

At this time, there are no redlines open for public comment

Online Standards Actions & Public Review Drafts

Education industry facility managers, energy conservation workgroups, sustainability officers, electric shop foreman, electricians and front-line maintenance professionals who change lighting fixtures, maintain environmental air systems are encouraged to participate directly in the ASHRAE consensus standard development process.

Univerzita Karlova

We also maintain ASHRAE best practice titles as standing items on our Mechanical, Water, Energy and Illumination colloquia.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

Issue: [Various]

Category: Mechanical, Electrical, Energy Conservation, Facility Asset Management, US Department of Energy, #SmartCampus

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Larry Spielvogel, Richard Robben

Under Construction:  ASHRAE WORKSPACE

More:

US Department of Energy Codes Program: Power and Lighting

Rightsizing Electrical Power Systems

 

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