What Is A Standard Drink?

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What Is A Standard Drink?

May 16, 2026
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“It’s a fine line between Saturday night

and Sunday morning” – Jimmy Buffett

 

“Rather a bottle in front of me

than a frontal lobotomy” — Some guy

 

Many people are surprised to learn what counts as a “drink”. The amount of liquid in your glass, can, or bottle does not necessarily match up to how much alcohol is actually in your drink.  Even before the United States federal government withdrew from regulating alcohol, the conversation, and degree of agreement and  attitude, remains remarkably regionally specific:

Missouri University of Science & Technology: What is a Standard Drink?

University of South Alabama: What is a Standard Drink?

Stanford University Office of Alcohol Policy and Education

Other nations serve alcohol to students on campus in university owned facilities.

Maynooth University Student Union County Kildare


College students create the ultimate hangover cure


“Tea, Earl Grey, Hot”

May 16, 2026
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The command issued by the character Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” finds its way into the archive of photographs of Nobel Laureates consorting with politicians at the University of Michigan and elsewhere.

Attendees of the Theoretical Physics Colloquium at the University of Michigan in 1929.

American Institute of Physics Archive

Ex Libris Universum

…”There’s not good math explaining forget the physics of it.  Math explaining the behavior of complex systems yeah and that to me is both exciting and paralyzing like we’re at very early days of understanding you know how complicated and fascinating things emerge from simple rules…” — Peter Woit [1:16:00]

Coffee & Tea Standards


Since 1936 the Brown Jug has been the ancestral trough of generations of University of Michigan students and faculty — notably. Donald Glaser (inventor of the bubble chamber) and Samuel C. C. Ting (Nobel Laureate) whose offices at Randall Laboratory were a 2-minute walk around the corner from The Brown Jug.  As the lore goes, the inspiration happened whilst watching beer bubbles one ordinary TGIF Friday.

The Brown Jug is named after the Michigan vs Minnesota football trophy, which is the oldest in college football.

Holla….A Qualitative Examination of Black Middle-Class Parents…

May 15, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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Radio 400

May 15, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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“The wireless age has brought us closer together,

yet we must work to ensure that it does not divide us.”

— Guglielmo Marconi

When the electric grid and the internet are down and there is no cell service, radio can still work to help communities stabilize.   Starting 2024 we will break down our coverage of the radio frequency technology standards used in educational settlements into into two categories:

Radio 300: Security and maintenance radio.  These usually use a single radio channel and operate in a half-duplex mode: only one user on the channel can transmit at a time, so users in a user group must take turns talking. The radio is normally in receive mode so the user can hear all other transmissions on the channel. When the user wants to talk he presses a “push-to-talk” button, which turns off the receiver and turns on the transmitter; when he releases the button the receiver is activated again. Multiple channels are provided so separate user groups can communicate in the same area without interfering with each other.

Note that a core title in this domain — NFPA 1802 Standard on Two-Way, Portable RF Voice Communications Devices for Use by Emergency Services Personnel in the Hazard Zone — is part of an NFPA catalog reorganization.  Best practice content will be rolled into NFPA 1300 Standard on Fire and Emergency Service Use of Thermal Imagers, Two-Way Portable RF Voice Communication Devices, Ground Ladders, and Fire Hose, and Fire Hose Appliances.  

As of this posting APCO International has no public consultations on any titles in its public safety radio standards catalog.

Radio 400: Student radio.  College radio stations are typically considered to be public radio radio stations in the way that they are funded by donation and grants.  The term “Public radio” generally refers to classical music, jazz, and news. A more accurate term is community radio, as most staff are volunteers, although many radio stations limit staff to current or recent students instead of anyone from the local community.  There has been a fair amount of drama over student-run radio station history; a topic we steer away from.

The Low Power FM radio service was created by the Commission in January 2000.  LPFM stations are authorized for noncommercial educational broadcasting only (no commercial operation) and operate with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 watts (0.1 kilowatts) or less, with maximum facilities of 100 watts ERP at 30 meters (100 feet) antenna height above average terrain.  The approximate service range of a 100 watt LPFM station is 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles radius).  LPFM stations are not protected from interference that may be received from other classes of FM stations.

Structural Standards for Steel Antenna Towers and Antenna Supporting Structures

We follow — but do not respond — to consultations on titles covering the use of radio frequencies for the Internet of Things.  At the moment, most of that evolution happens at the consumer product level; though it is wise to contemplate the use of the electromagnetic spectrum during widespread and extended loss of broadband services.

Maxwell equations: Four lines that provide a complete description of light, electricity and magnetism

We do not include policy specifics regarding the migration of National Public Radio beyond cultural content into political news; though we acknowledge that the growth of publicly financed radio domiciled in education communities is a consideration in the technology of content preparation informed by the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.

Sacred Heart University / Campus Public Safety & National Public Radio Studios / SGA Architects

We drill into technical specifics of the following:

  • Radios used for campus public safety and campus maintenance
  • Student-run campus radio stations licensed by the Federal Communications Commission as Low Power FM (LPFM)
  • Facilities for regional broadcast of National Public Radio operating from education communities
  • Off-campus transmission facilities such as broadcast towers.
  • Grounding, bonding, lightning protection of transmission and receiving equipment on buildings
  • Broadcast studio electrotechnologies

Radio technology is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission with no ANSI-accredited standards setting organizations involved in leading practice discovery and promulgation.  Again, we do not cover creative and content issues.  Join us today at 11 AM/ET using the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.


More

List of campus radio stations

International Telecommunications Union: News Magazine No.1 2022

International Electrotechnical Commission TC 103: Transmitting and receiving equipment for radiocommunications

International Special Committee on Radio Interference

NFPA 1802: Standard on Two-Way, Portable RF Voice Communications Devices for Use by Emergency Services Personnel in the Hazard Zone

Campus Safety Radio JVCKENWOOD CAMPUS SAFETY 5 TIPS TO LOWER COSTS

The Common Cup

May 15, 2026
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Michigan Central Summer Fall | Michigan Central Winter Spring

Home

Open every day since 2007: offering locally sourced coffee, teas, baked goods, and a welcoming space for studying or events.  Across Linden Street from First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor, Angell Elementary School and footsteps away from Chi Omega and seven other sororities and fraternity houses on the oddly-shaped lot bounded by South University. Washtenaw and Hill Streets.

 

 

A post shared by The Common Cup (@thecommoncupcoffee)

Glen Paulsen Architect

The University Lutheran Chapel in Ann Arbor, Michigan was designed by architect Glen Paulsen in 1959; a local Ann Arbor architect known for his modernist work and close ties to the University of Michigan community. The chapel is one of his most celebrated designs and is widely regarded as an outstanding example of mid-20th-century ecclesiastical architecture in the Midwest. The dramatic hyperbolic-paraboloid roof and the integration of natural light through colored glass strips are signature elements of the building.
His work often emphasized clean lines, structural expression (e.g., exposed concrete and steel), and integration with natural surroundings, influenced by his time with Eero Saarinen and his teaching roles at the University of Michigan and Cranbrook Academy of Art. While the University Lutheran Chapel (1959) in Ann Arbor exemplifies his ecclesiastical modernism with its hyperbolic-paraboloid roof, below is a curated list of his other key projects, drawn from biographical records, architectural archives, and historical surveys.  In the fullness of time his private practice from 1958 to 1969 morphed into TMP (Tarapata-MacMahon-Paulsen, 1969–1977).

Glen Paulsen Architect

The University Lutheran Chapel in Ann Arbor, Michigan was designed by architect Glen Paulsen in 1959; a local Ann Arbor architect known for his modernist work and close ties to the University of Michigan community. The chapel is one of his most celebrated designs and is widely regarded as an outstanding example of mid-20th-century ecclesiastical architecture in the Midwest. The dramatic hyperbolic-paraboloid roof and the integration of natural light through colored glass strips are signature elements of the building.

 

His work often emphasized clean lines, structural expression (e.g., exposed concrete and steel), and integration with natural surroundings, influenced by his time with Eero Saarinen and his teaching roles at the University of Michigan and Cranbrook Academy of Art. While the University Lutheran Chapel (1959) in Ann Arbor exemplifies his ecclesiastical modernism with its hyperbolic-paraboloid roof, below is a curated list of his other key projects, drawn from biographical records, architectural archives, and historical surveys.  In the fullness of time his private practice from 1958 to 1969 morphed into TMP (Tarapata-MacMahon-Paulsen, 1969–1977).

 

Standards Michigan Coffee | Standards Michigan Chapels

Open Commission Meeting

May 15, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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“The wireless age has brought us closer together,

yet we must work to ensure that it does not divide us.”

— Guglielmo Marconi





Maxwell equations: A complete description of electromagnetism and light


Net Neutrality & Education Settlements

Why Must the Electromagnetic Spectrum be Regulated?

 


Tentative Agenda

FCC Proposes to Modify Technical Rules for Digital FM Stations

Radio 400

Readings / Public Broadcasting Act

H.R. 3410 Prohibit Federal funding of National Public Radio

H.R. 3392 Prohibit Federal funding of National Public Radio

Broadband Access for Hospitals & Students

The FCC is the United States’ primary authority for communications laws, regulation and technological innovation. We provide a link to the August 3rd meeting during which time rules for Digital FM Radio and Non-Federal Spectrum Usage were discussed. Campus Security Radio, National Public Radio and Student Radio are central features of education community culture and safety and are typically available when the internet is not.

Cinnamon Banana Pancakes

May 14, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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NDSU Net Position 2024: $570 M | Standards North Dakota | Capital Renewal Master Plan

CINNAMON BANANA PANCAKES

Old Main, North Dakota Agricultural College | Milton Earl Beebe, Architect

🐦 Homophily Michigan 🐦


Elevators & Lifts

May 14, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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The first elevator in the United States was installed at Harvard University in 1874. It was not a passenger elevator as we typically think of today, but rather a freight elevator used to move heavy items within a building. The installation of this elevator marked an important development in building technology and transportation within multi-story structures. It was based on the design of Elisha Otis, who is famous for inventing the safety elevator with a safety brake system that prevents the elevator from falling if the hoisting cable fails. Otis’ innovation played a pivotal role in making elevators safe and practical for everyday use, leading to their widespread adoption in buildings around the world.

International Building Code Chapter 30: Elevators and Conveying Systems

Elevator design by the German engineer Konrad Kyeser (1405)

Education communities are stewards of 100’s of lifts, elevators and moving walks.  At the University of Michigan, there are the better part of 1000 of them; with 19 of them in Michigan Stadium alone.   The cost of building them — on the order of $50,000 to $150,000 per floor depending upon architectural styling — and the highly trained staff needed to operate, maintain and program interoperability software is another cost that requires attention.   All building design and construction disciplines — architectural, mechanical and electrical have a hand in making this technology safe and sustainabile.

We start with international and nationally developed best practice literature and work our way to state level adaptations.  Labor for this technology is heavily regulated.

Its a rarefied and crazy domain for the user-interest.  Expertise is passionate about safety and idiosyncratic but needs to be given the life safety hazard.  Today we review o pull together public consultation notices on relevant codes, standards and regulations today  11 AM/EDT.

Московский государственный университет имени

Elevators 500

More

NFPA 70 Article 620 Elevators, etc.

NEC Article 620 | David Herres

Elevator U

International Building Code Chapter 30: Elevators and Conveying Systems

Inside Higher Ed: Tragedy in an Elevator

Jimlielevators

University of Michigan Elevator Recall Control Wiring Schematic

University of Michigan Elevator Shaft Lighting Schematic

 

Lifts, escalators & moving walks

May 14, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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At the 1853 New York World’s Fair Elisha Otis amazed a crowd when he ordered the only rope holding the platform on which he was standing cut by an axeman. The platform fell only a few inches before coming to a halt; thus proving the safety locking mechanism he had invented will work. These elevators quickly became the type in most common usage and made vertical living possible.

Elisha Graves Otis shows his first elevator in the Crystal Palace, New York City, 1853. — Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

Most large research universities have 100 – 1000 elevators that are highly regulated, maintained by highly regulated service personnel and inspected by highly trained conformance operatives; thus our primary interest in state-specific regulations.  We have a  secondary interest in innovation in the technology generally.  Many sustainability goals urged in academic circles  — which include greater population density in smaller areas — are challenged by mobility issues.

From the project prospectus:

“…The main feature of these products is that they are an integral part of industrial, residential or public buildings. Consequently, they should be adaptable to the technical and architectural constraints of such buildings. They must also meet the capacity requirements imposed by the intended use of the building. These products are considered as means of transport and therefore represent an essential component of the functional life of the buildings in which they are installed. Contrary to most public means of transport, they are intended for free use and operation by their passengers, which makes the integration of safety an essential concern…”

STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN ISO/TC178: Lifts, escalators and moving walks

The Association française de normalisation (AFNOR) is the global Secretariat.  ANSI’s US Technical Advisory Group Administrator is the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.  Stakeholders in US-based education communities are encouraged to communicate directly with ASME;  CLICK HERE.

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

Michigan Stadium — the largest collegiate stadium in the world — has 19 elevators.

Issue: [11-50]

Category: Mechanical, Mobility, Global

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Larry Spielvogel

Paternoster Lift Challenge

Sicurezza degli ascensori

Building Structural Maintenance

May 14, 2026
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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φ
Any multi-story building requires inspection and maintenance of structural steel framework. The steel supports the building’s weight and resists environmental forces like wind and seismic activity. Over time, corrosion, fatigue cracks, or connection failures can weaken the structure, risking collapse. Inspections detect these issues early, while maintenance, like repainting or replacing damaged parts, preserves steel integrity. For student housing, occupant safety is critical, and compliance with building codes reduces liability risks. Neglecting these practices can lead to structural failure, endangering residents and causing costly repairs or legal issues. Regular upkeep ensures safe, long-lasting buildings.
During today’s session we examine the relevant standards with proposed revisions open for public comment.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
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No single universal code or standard guarantees that buildings will never crack or fail structurally, as structural integrity depends on various factors like design, materials, construction quality, environmental conditions, and maintenance. However, several widely adopted codes and standards aim to minimize the risk of structural failure and ensure safety, durability, and serviceability. These provide guidelines for design, construction, and maintenance to prevent issues like cracking or catastrophic failure.
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Key Codes and Standards:

International Building Code (IBC): Widely used in the United States and other regions, the IBC sets minimum requirements for structural design, materials, and maintenance to ensure safety and performance.  It references standards like ASCE 7 (Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures) for load calculations (e.g., wind, seismic, snow).Maintenance provisions require regular inspections and repairs to address issues like cracking or deterioration.

ACI 318 (Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete): Published by the American Concrete Institute this standard governs the design and construction of concrete structures.Includes requirements to control cracking (e.g., reinforcement detailing, concrete mix design) and ensure durability under environmental exposure.Maintenance guidelines recommend periodic inspections for cracks, spalling, or reinforcement corrosion.

AISC 360 (Specification for Structural Steel Buildings): Published by the American Institute of Steel Construction, this standard covers the design, fabrication, and erection of steel structures.  Addresses fatigue, connection design, and corrosion protection to prevent structural failure. Maintenance involves inspecting for issues like weld imperfections or coating degradation.

ASCE/SEI 41-17 (Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Buildings):  Focuses on assessing and maintaining existing structures, particularly for seismic performance.  Guides retrofitting to address vulnerabilities like cracking or inadequate load paths.
Maintenance Standards
  • ACI 562 (Assessment, Repair, and Rehabilitation of Existing Concrete Structures):
    • Provides a framework for evaluating and repairing concrete structures to address cracking, spalling, or other damage.
    • Emphasizes regular inspections and timely repairs to maintain structural integrity.
  • NACE/SP0108 (Corrosion Control of Offshore Structures):
    • Covers maintenance practices to prevent corrosion-related failures in steel structures.
  • ASTM E2270 (Standard Practice for Periodic Inspection of Building Facades):
    • Outlines procedures for inspecting facades to identify cracking, water infiltration, or other issues that could lead to structural problems.

IEEE: Structural Health Monitoring system based on strain gauge enabled wireless sensor nodes

Steel research in the steel city

Researchers Make Wood Stronger than Steel

Concrete Matters

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