“We wish to suggest a structure
for the salt of deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA).”
James Watson | “Nature”, April 1953
Finance & Administration: Facilities
“We wish to suggest a structure
for the salt of deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA).”
James Watson | “Nature”, April 1953
Finance & Administration: Facilities
Facilities & Energy Services: Procedures & Standards
“Everything You Know About The Future is Wrong”
How surprisingly recent of an invention is your favourite way of brewing your morning coffee? pic.twitter.com/mnZYOPqs8L
— Simon Kuestenmacher (@simongerman600) January 27, 2024
Aristotle: On Sophistical Refutations Coming To Be Passing Away The Cosmos
Purdue University: Logical Fallacies and How to Spot Them
Plunder and Deceit: Big Government’s Exploitation of Young People and the Future (Mark Levin, 2015)
“No village or individual shall be compelled to make bridges at river banks,
except those who from of old are legally bound to do so.”
— Magna Cara Clause 23 (Limiting forced labor for infrastructure)
“Clare Hall and King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, from the Banks of the River Cam” / Joseph Mallord William Turner (1793)
Smart Infrastructure: Getting More From Strategic Assets
Dr Jennifer Schooling, Director of CSIC
Dr Ajith Parlikad, CSIC Co-Investigator and Senior Lecturer
Mark Enzer, Global Water Sector Leader
Mott MacDonald; Keith Bowers, Principal Tunnel Engineer, London Underground
Ross Dentten, Asset Information and Configuration Manager, Crossrail
Matt Edwards, Asset Maintenance and Information Manager, Anglian Water Services
Jerry England, Group Digital Railway Director, Network Rail
Volker Buscher, Director, Arup Digital
Smart Infrastructure is a global opportunity worth £2trn-4.8trn. The world is experiencing a fourth industrial revolution due to the rapid development of technologies and digital abundance.
Smart Infrastructure involves applying this to economic infrastructure for the benefit of all stakeholders. It will allow owners and operators to get more out of what they already have, increasing capacity, efficiency and resilience and improving services.
It brings better performance at lower cost. Gaining more from existing assets is the key to enhancing service provision despite constrained finance and growing resource scarcity. It will often be more cost-effective to add to the overall value of mature infrastructure via digital enhancements than by physical enhancements – physical enhancements add `more of the same’, whereas digital enhancements can transform the existing as well.
Smart Infrastructure will shape a better future. Greater understanding of the performance of our infrastructure will allow new infrastructure to be designed and delivered more efficiently and to provide better whole-life value.
Data is the key – the ownership of it and the ability to understand and act on it. Industry, organisations and professionals need to be ready to adjust in order to take advantage of the emerging opportunities. Early adopters stand to gain the most benefit. Everyone in the infrastructure sector has a choice as to how fast they respond to the changes that Smart Infrastructure will bring. But everyone will be affected.
Change is inevitable. Progress is optional. Now is the time for the infrastructure industry to choose to be Smart.
LEARN MORE:
Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction
Perspective: Since this paper is general in its recommendations, we provide examples of specific campus infrastructure data points that are difficult, if not impossible, to identify and “make smart” — either willfully, for lack of funding, for lack of consensus, for lack of understanding or leadership:
“In a world of infinite information,
the scarce resource is attention.”
By design, we do not provide a SEARCH function. We are a niche practice in a subtle, time-sensitive domain with over 30 years of case history. We were the first movers in the largest building construction market in the world. We are happy to answer all questions but place priority on collaborations. We provide links to the most accessed topics in recent days. All queries presented during our “Open Office Hours” every work day, or via email, are gratefully received and prompt a near-immediate response.
Alexis de Tocqueville on the Foundations of American Democracy
Standard for Interactions Between Medical Examiner, Coroner and Death Investigation Agencies
Acceptable Performance Standard for District Cooling Systems
As part of its ongoing, exhaustive effort to continually promote campus safety, the University of Georgia announced today several additional measures, totaling more than $7.3 million, to further strengthen campus security on its Athens campus. https://t.co/bTg6b4DLUX
— UGA (@universityofga) February 27, 2024
@rmayMVS here ya go! From Kruger National Park South Africa #mvinterim #mvinterinterim2southafrica24 pic.twitter.com/QU0rUuGJgg
— Dr. Kelli Bynum (@kellimccbynum) March 3, 2024
Stacks of fun at @OrielOxford‘s annual #ShroveTuesday race 🥞#PancakeDay pic.twitter.com/nTXOpkR1zO
— University of Oxford (@UniofOxford) February 13, 2024
Electrical heat tracing: international harmonization-now and in the future
Electrical heat tracing: international harmonization-now and in the future
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession
of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
— Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
“I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk
that keep the darkness at bay.”
— J.R. R. Tolkein
Annual Report and Accounts 2023/24: £1.310 billion
Tolkien, author of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit,” completed his studies at the University of Birmingham in 1915. He graduated with first-class honors in English Language and Literature. After graduation, Tolkien went on to serve in World War I before embarking on his distinguished career as a writer and academic.
![]() |
![]() |
Old Joe Clocktower | Fixing Old Joe
Roger Scruton “Why Intellectuals are Mostly Left”
coffee shop 🍪☕ pic.twitter.com/W8EOY5auQu
— 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚊𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚊 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚜 (@AcademiaDreams) May 23, 2024
One in every two jobs in the West Midlands are filled by university graduates as latest @UniversitiesUK data shows how crucial universities are to the UK industrial strategyhttps://t.co/hJLrqXs2D2 pic.twitter.com/yZkZ3bJWv1
— Uni of Birmingham (@unibirmingham) March 10, 2025
Our researchers have found that banning phones in schools doesn’t improve students’ mental health and wellbeing. However, increased phone and social media use correlated with negative impacts. Addressing use both in and out of school is crucial. Read more: https://t.co/OrMdq735f5 pic.twitter.com/hkuuqGnQ8q
— Uni of Birmingham (@unibirmingham) February 5, 2025
‘If you trust government,
you obviously failed history class.’
Senator John Needly Kennedy (Senator, Louisiana)
How the language of climate change has changed
Readings:
Politics and the English Language
Political linguistics: How language shapes politics
The Left and the Right Speak Different Languages—Literally
A Psycholinguistic Study of Political Rhetoric of Fear
The USDA is now censoring its staff on the use of “climate change”
During the early years of Earth Day, there was talk of "global cooling", which included 3 cover stories in Time Magazine. pic.twitter.com/hjijre1k8v
— Bill Steffen (@bsteffen) April 22, 2017
Financial Statement: An apparent CA$40.193 shortfall | National Building Code of Canada
Dal Student Life: Our Favorite Coffee Shops
This is what Canadians built before the country went insane pic.twitter.com/iZ5xZiMJxH
— Jeremy Wayne Tate (@JeremyTate41) February 2, 2024
June 5 is Constitution Day in Denmark 🇩🇰
We celebrate our democracy and the duty to pass it on 📜
Marked with flags, speeches, and community spirit🤝 pic.twitter.com/WbqQy55l72
— Denmark.dk (@denmarkdotdk) June 5, 2025
Aarhus Universitet Financial Report 2023: 262 DKK million | Danmark
Aarhus University was founded in 1928 and is the second oldest university in Denmark. It has a total enrollment of approximately 39,000 students and employed around 9,000 faculty members and staff. During the summer its doors are open to everyone on earth.
“At the Breakfast Table” | Laurits Andersen Ring
Afternoon Tea.
Sherree Valentine-Daines. Contemporary British artist, born 1956. pic.twitter.com/065XFtkIFA— El Eremita (@dinamittEros) May 31, 2022
“The coffee-house is an original British institution, but as there are daily effusions of wit and humor in several of these little periodical papers, I think we may be justly said to have our Coffee-houses among us.” (From “The Spectator,” No. 9, March 10, 1711) |
Ellie Younger: Best Coffee Spots Near Campus
Artisanal coffee departs from mass-market approaches and replaces it with emphasis on craftsmanship, quality, and attention to detail throughout the entire process—from cultivation to brewing. Key aspects:
» Artisanal coffee producers often prioritize high-quality beans. They might focus on specific varieties, regions, or even single-origin beans, showcasing unique flavors and characteristics.
» The roasting process is considered an art in itself. Artisanal coffee roasters carefully roast the beans to bring out the best flavors. They may experiment with different roasting profiles to achieve specific taste profiles.
» Unlike mass-produced coffee, artisanal coffee is often roasted in smaller batches. This allows for better quality control and the ability to pay closer attention to the nuances of each batch.
» Artisanal coffee is appreciated for its distinct flavor profile. Roasters and baristas might highlight tasting notes, aromas, and other characteristics that make each cup unique.
» Artisanal coffee shops or enthusiasts often explore various brewing methods, such as pour-over, AeroPress, or siphon brewing. These methods can be more time-consuming but are believed to extract the best flavors from the beans.
From the way the beans are ground to the water temperature during brewing, artisanal coffee enthusiasts pay attention to every detail to ensure a superior cup of coffee.
— Publisher Marketing
The Great Good Place: Ray Oldenburg
“I have often pleased myself with considering the two different scenes of life which are carried on at the same time in those different places of rendezvous, and putting those of the playhouse and the coffee-house together.” (From “The Spectator,” No. 10, March 12, 1711) |
America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything
“For decades, left-wing radicals patiently built a revolution in the shadows. Then suddenly, after the death of George Floyd, their ideas exploded into American life. Corporations denounced the United States as a “system of white supremacy.” Universities pushed racially segregated programs that forced students to address their racial and sexual “privilege.” And schools injected critical race theory in the classroom, dividing children into “oppressor” and “oppressed.” In this New York Times bestseller, Christopher F. Rufo exposes the inner history of the left-wing intellectuals and militants who slowly and methodically captured America’s institutions, with the goal of subverting them from within. With profiles of Herbert Marcuse, Angela Davis, Paulo Freire, and Derrick Bell, Rufo shows how activists have profoundly influenced American culture with an insidious mix of Marxism and racialist ideology. They’ve replaced “equality” with “equity,” subverted individual rights in favor of group identity, and convinced millions of Americans that racism is endemic in all of society. Their ultimate goal? To replace the constitution with a race-based redistribution regime, administered by “diversity and inclusion” commissars within the bureaucracy. America’s Cultural Revolution is the definitive account of the radical Left’s long march through the institutions. Through deep historical research, Rufo shows how the ideas first formulated in the pamphlets of the Weather Underground, Black Panther Party, and Black Liberation Army have been sanitized and adopted as the official ideology of America’s prestige institutions, from the Ivy League universities to the boardrooms of Wal-Mart, Disney, and Bank of America. But his book is not just an exposé. It is a meticulously-researched and passionate refutation of the arguments of CRT—and a roadmap for the counter-revolution to come.” |
“To be at home is to have a place in the world which is yours, where you are not a stranger and where you find the outlines of your identity. In the modern world, however, where the sense of home has been eroded by technology and bureaucracy, architecture can create a substitute for this sense, by defining spaces which answer to the dreams and memories of the people who live in them.”
— Roger Scruton
Water is essential for sanitation and hygiene — and proper sanitation is essential for protecting water sources from contamination and ensuring access to safe drinking water. Access to safe water and sanitation is crucial for preventing the spread of waterborne diseases, which can be transmitted through contaminated water sources or poor sanitation practices. Lack of access to safe water and sanitation can lead to a range of health problems, including diarrheal diseases, cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis A.
On the other hand, poor sanitation practices, such as open defecation, can contaminate water sources, making them unsafe for drinking, bathing, or cooking. This contamination can lead to the spread of diseases and illness, particularly in developing countries where access to clean water and sanitation facilities may be limited.
We track the catalog of the following ANSI accredited standards developers that necessarily require mastery of building premise water systems:
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers: ASHRAE develops standards related to heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration systems — and more recently, standards that claim jurisdiction over building sites.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers: ASME develops standards related to boilers, pressure vessels, and piping systems.
American Water Works Association: AWWA is a standards development organization that publishes a wide range of standards related to water supply, treatment, distribution, and storage.
ASTM International: ASTM develops and publishes voluntary consensus standards for various industries, including water-related standards. They cover topics such as water quality, water sampling, and water treatment.
National Fire Protection Association: NFPA develops fire safety standards, and some of their standards are related to water, such as those covering fire sprinkler systems and water supplies for firefighting within and outside buildings. We deal with the specific problems of sprinkler water system safety during our Prometheus colloquia.
National Sanitation Foundation International (NSF International): NSF International develops standards and conducts testing and certification for various products related to public health and safety, including standards for water treatment systems and products.
Underwriters Laboratories (UL): UL is a safety consulting and certification company that develops standards for various industries. They have standards related to water treatment systems, plumbing products, and fire protection systems.
* The evolution of building interior water systems has undergone significant changes over time to meet the evolving needs of society. Initially, water systems were rudimentary, primarily consisting of manually operated pumps and gravity-fed distribution systems. Water was manually fetched from wells or nearby sources, and indoor plumbing was virtually nonexistent.
The Industrial Revolution brought advancements in plumbing technology. The introduction of pressurized water systems and cast-iron pipes allowed for the centralized distribution of water within buildings. Separate pipes for hot and cold water became common, enabling more convenient access to water for various purposes. Additionally, the development of flush toilets and sewage systems improved sanitation and hygiene standards.
In the mid-20th century, the advent of plastic pipes, such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and CPVC (chlorinated polyvinyl chloride), revolutionized plumbing systems. These pipes offered durability, flexibility, and ease of installation, allowing for faster and more cost-effective construction.
The latter part of the 20th century witnessed a growing focus on water conservation and environmental sustainability. Low-flow fixtures, such as toilets, faucets, and showerheads, were introduced to reduce water consumption without compromising functionality. Greywater recycling systems emerged, allowing the reuse of water from sinks, showers, and laundry for non-potable purposes like irrigation.
With the advancement of digital technology, smart water systems have emerged in recent years. These systems integrate sensors, meters, and automated controls to monitor and manage water usage, detect leaks, and optimize water distribution within buildings. Smart technologies provide real-time data, enabling better water management, energy efficiency, and cost savings.
The future of building interior water systems is likely to focus on further improving efficiency, sustainability, and water quality. Innovations may include enhanced water purification techniques, decentralized water treatment systems, and increased integration of smart technologies to create more intelligent and sustainable water systems.
The first mover in building interior water supply systems can be traced back to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley. However, one of the earliest known examples of sophisticated indoor plumbing systems can be attributed to the ancient Romans.
The Romans were pioneers in constructing elaborate water supply and distribution networks within their cities. They developed aqueducts to transport water from distant sources to urban centers, allowing for a centralized water supply. The water was then distributed through a network of lead or clay pipes to public fountains, baths, and private residences.
One notable example of Roman plumbing ingenuity is the city of Pompeii, which was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The excavation of Pompeii revealed a well-preserved plumbing system that included indoor plumbing in some houses. These systems featured piped water, private bathrooms with flushing toilets, and even hot and cold water systems.
The Romans also invented the concept of the cloaca maxima, an ancient sewer system that collected and transported wastewater away from the city to nearby bodies of water. This early recognition of the importance of sanitation and wastewater management was a significant advancement in public health.
While the Romans were not the only ancient civilization to develop indoor plumbing systems, their engineering prowess and widespread implementation of water supply and sanitation infrastructure make them a key player in the history of building interior water systems.
New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwB pic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
— USPTO (@uspto) July 13, 2023
Standards Michigan Group, LLC
2723 South State Street | Suite 150
Ann Arbor, MI 48104 USA
888-746-3670