Author Archives: mike@standardsmichigan.com

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Timon of Athens

The Oxford Union Debating Society, founded in 1823, is one of the world’s most prestigious debating societies, affiliated with the University of Oxford. It has hosted numerous influential speakers and debates, including historical figures like Winston Churchill and Malcolm X. Over the years, it has played a vital role in shaping public discourse and fostering critical thinking among students. The society’s iconic debating chamber and rich tradition of lively debates have made it an enduring institution in the world of debate and public speaking.

“In an era of cancellation and defenestration we sometimes forget that we both cannot go on like this and that we have been here before. We know this because our greatest writers and artists have addressed this question in their own times.

When Roger [Scrouton] was going through his own battle with the shallows I often thought of Shakespeare’s rarely performed but great play Timon of Athens. Timon has the whole world before him. He is surrounded by friends and admirers. He is generous to all. Yet he falls on hard times and when he does absolutely everybody deserts him. He is left with nothing and nobody, and risks being filled with despair and rage. It does not help that he is shadowed by the cynical philosopher Apemantus, who has warned him that just such a desertion might occur.”

— Douglas Murray

Service Level Agreements

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“Seek Ye First”

“And therefore, I said, Glaucon, musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly educated graceful…”

— Plato, The Republic, Book III, 401d–402a

Standards Pennsylvania

https://youtu.be/SufEe-d4DN4?si=c07WOdgnlaVybant

Summer Sport

“No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training…

what a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing

the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”

— (Plato, Republic 403d)

Athena with Hermes, God of Sport

Today we slice horizontally through the multitude of technical and policy silos applicable to seasonal recreational and competitive sport activity.  We limit our examination to the conformance catalogs of ANSI. ASHRAE. ASTM, AWWA, ICC, IEEE, IES, NFPA, NSF International, and UL.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_Summer_Olympics

Relevant changes proposed for the next revision of the International Building Code:

Sprinkler coverage over bleachers or sport spectator seating (p. 665)

Lightning Protection Systems (p. 751)

Spectator live loading on bleachers (p. 1098)

Permitting of outdoor luminaires per zoning codes (p. 2587-2593)

Last year we examined the standards that applies to the 2024 Paris Olympics; worth a second look this year and in anticipation of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles

Beach Volleyball

Equestrian

Rowing

Sailing

Swimming & Diving

Track & Field

We deal with the catalogs of CSA, DNV GL  ISO, IEC, SGS, TIC and TÜV in a separate, international session.

Swimming Pool Dimensions and Construction

Engineering in Sport

Readings / Sport, Culture & Society

National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security

Maths and Sport

A novel smart energy management system in sports stadiums

Athletic Equipment Safety Standards

More:

Category: Recreation and Sport Facilities

Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa & Hot Tub Code

water

“The Bathing Pool” / Hubert Robert (French, 1733–1808) / Gift of J.P. Morgan

2024 Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code

READ-ONLY ACCESS

The IAPMO code development process is one of the best in the land.  Its Read-Only Access — needed for light research — is also the best in the land; unlike other ANSI accredited standards developers (who shall be un-named).   The current edition is dated 2024, with the 2027 revision accepted public input until March 3, 2025 according the schedule linked below:

2027 USPSHTC Code Development Calendar

Related:

What are Plumbing Codes?

Uniform Plumbing Code

Coronavirus in Plumbing Systems

Stata Center

Financials and Endowment 2024: Investments returned 8.9 percent 2024; endowment $24.6 billion

Named after its major donor — co-founder of Analog Devices — this Frank Gehry designed holds the top spot for highest absolute cost per square foot of any US university research — just shy of $500 million in today’s dollars.

The project replaced a “temporary” structure from World War II known for fostering innovation, particularly through the MIT Radiation Laboratory. The new center was intended to continue this legacy by housing the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS), and the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, while promoting interdisciplinary collaboration through its innovative design.


The donations were driven by MIT’s goal to consolidate its computer science, electrical engineering, and artificial intelligence departments into a state-of-the-art facility to encourage the exchange of ideas and technology. The project, completed in 2004, faced challenges, including cost overruns and a subsequent lawsuit against Gehry and contractor Skanska USA for alleged design and construction flaws, such as leaks and drainage issues. This lawsuit was amicably resolved in 2010. Despite these issues, the Stata Center remains a landmark of MIT’s campus, celebrated for its bold architecture and role in fostering innovation.

 

Other major contributors:

  • Bill Gates, who donated $20 million through the William H. Gates Foundation, resulting in one of the center’s towers being named the Gates Tower.
  • Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. (MIT class of 1954), who gave $15 million, leading to the naming of the Dreyfoos Tower.
  • Morris Chang of TSMC and Charles Thomas “E.B.” Pritchard Hintze (an MIT graduate associated with JD Edwards, now Oracle), who also provided significant funds.
  • Steven Kirsch, founder of Infoseek, who contributed $2.5 million specifically for the construction of the center’s auditorium.

IBC Electrical (Outdoor Lighting)

2025 Committee Action Hearings – Group B #1

Proposal for Performance-Based Building Premise Wiring | Chapter 27): Monograph Page 754

Electrical building — World Columbian Exposition, Chicago, Illinois 1892

The International Code Council bibliography of electrical safety practice incorporates titles published by the National Fire Protection Association which reference electrical safety science titles published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.  The relevant section of the International Building Code is therefore relatively short:

2021 International Building Code: Chapter 27 Electrical

Note that Chapter 27 provides more guidance on managing the hazards created when electricity is absent*.  Since the National Electrical Code is informed by a fire safety building premise wiring culture; absence of electricity is not as great a hazard as when building wiring systems are energized.  (“So they say” — Mike Anthony, who thinks quite otherwise.)

2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE

2025 GROUP B PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE I-CODES | Complete Monograph (2630 pages)

Although we collaborate most closely with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee (four times monthly in Europe and the Americas) we e encourage our colleagues in education communities everywhere to participate directly in the ICC Code Development process.   CLICK HERE to set up an account.

It is enlightening — and a time saver — to unpack the transcripts of previous revisions of codes and standards to see what concepts were presented, what got discussed; what passed and what failed.  We provide links to a few previous posts that track recent action in the ICC suite relevant to electrotechnologies:

Electric Vehicle Charging

Entertainment Occupancies

K-TAG Matrix for Healthcare Facilities

International Energy Conservation Code

The ICC suite of consensus products are relevant to almost all of our work; everyday.   See our CALENDAR that reflects our Syllabus.  Today we deal with electrical safety concepts because technical committees are meeting from November to January to write the 2023 National Electrical Code.  CLICK HERE to follow the action in more detail.


* The original University of Michigan advocacy enterprise began pounding on National Electrical Code committees to install more power reliability concepts in the 2002 Edition with only modest success.  Standards Michigan has since collaborated with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee to drive “absence-of-power-as-a-hazard” into the National Electrical Code; the 2023 now open for public consultation.


N.B.

Assuming building interior fire safety issues can be managed, one way of getting more electric vehicle charging stations built around campus is to install requirements into the building code — thereby putting the construction cost, operation, maintenance and risk upon real-asset Developers and Owners. Code change submittals for the Group A tranche of titles will be received until January 8, 2024.

 

Information technology for learning, education and training

Illustration from 1913 showing Pythagoras teaching a class of women. Pythagoras believed that women should be taught philosophy as well as men and many prominent members of his school were women.

We follow the catalog of best practice titles developed by a joint committee of the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission that should interest educational institutions with an interest in capturing revenue from students outside their home country (which is nearly every educational organization as far as we can see, save for secondary school districts).

ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 36 Information technology for learning, education and training is charged with standardization in the field of information technologies for learning, education, and training to support individuals, groups, or organizations, and to enable interoperability and reusability of resources and tool. Excluded from this scope are: •standards or technical reports that define educational standards (competencies), cultural conventions, learning objectives, or specific learning content.  Work done by other ISO or IEC TCs, SCs, or WGs with respect to their component, specialty, or domain. Instead, when appropriate, normative or informative references to other standards shall be included. Examples include documents on special topics such as multimedia, web content, cultural adaptation, and security.   The landing page for all ISO/IEC JTC 1 is linked below.

ISO/IEC JTC 001/SC 36 “Information technology for learning, education and training”

The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards is the Global Secretariat.  INCITS is ANSI’s US Technical Advisory Group administrator.   CLICK HERE for a list of committees.

We maintain the work products of this committee on the standing agenda of our Global, ICT and Acoustics colloquia.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

Issue: [13-100]

Contact: Mike Anthony, Christine Fischer, Paul Green

Category: Academic, Finance, Global, ICT

Freely Available ICT Standards


LEARN MORE:

Workspace ISO/IEC JTC1

MaternityMetrix

Related:

University of British Columbia: SUPPORTING THE TRANSITION TO PARENTHOOD WITH ONLINE SEX AND RELATIONSHIP KNOWLEDGE PILOT STUDY

Founder of Maternity Metrix, Dr. Akkeneel Talsma

 

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