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PUBLIC LAW 109–58—AUG. 8, 2005 | ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2005
Reliability Spotlight: Cold Weather Preparedness https://t.co/hNaE5wP2ab
— Standards Michigan (@StandardsMich) January 16, 2026
January 25th Joint Meeting of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and FERC: Docket No. AD06-6-000. Given the close coupling of electric and natural gas supply with respect to power reliability, the mind boggles at the hostility of the Biden Administration to natural gas anywhere on earth. Natural gas is critical to generation plant black start capabilities and hospitals, among others.
A selection of the presentations:
“Long Term Reliability Assessment” – Presented by Mark Lauby, Senior Vice President and Chief Engineer, NERC
“Grid Reliability Overview & Updates” – Presented by David Ortiz, Director of the Office of Electric Reliability
“Status of Standards and Implementation for Cold Weather Preparedness and Applicability to Nuclear Plants” – Presented by David Huff, Electrical Engineer, Office of Electric Reliability
“Gas-Electric Coordination Since Winter Storm Uri” – Presented by Heather Polzin, Reliability Enforcement Counsel, Office of Enforcement
“Overview of Power Reactor Activities” – Presented by Andrea Kock, Deputy Office Director for Engineering, NRR
“Grid Reliability Updates” – Presented by Jason Paige, Chief, Long-Term Operations and Modernization Branch, Division of Engineering and External Hazards, NRR
Related:
Utah State University: History of Probability
Sample Probability and Statistics Problem from Professional Electrical Engineer’s Examination
“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.
I didn’t know that🤔 pic.twitter.com/rMT3X2fCN0
— Alix (@AlixG_2) August 17, 2024
For anyone who cares.. I have 2866 DAYS of sobriety ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PBKAle2m4c
— 🎀 Sᴀʀᴀʜ 🎨 Aʀᴛɪsᴛ 🎀 (@SarahXArt) December 30, 2025
— Dr. Maya C. Popa (@MayaCPopa) May 26, 2023
Casual reminder that Wisconsin has more bars than grocery stores pic.twitter.com/dG8YYRkoKd
— Midwest vs. Everybody (@midwestern_ope) March 30, 2025
not sure if anyone cares on here, but I’ve been sober 1 year today❤️🩹 pic.twitter.com/q33BaYPXPx
— Sophia Chloe 🇱🇷🇬🇧 (@_Hani_945) December 27, 2025
IES Standards Open for Public Review
Standard Practice on Lighting for Educational Facilities
Recommended Practice: Lighting Retail Spaces
IES Method for Determining Correlated Color Temperature
Today we feature the catalog of the Illumination Engineering Society — one of the first names in standards-setting in illumination technology, globally* with particular interest in its leading title IES LP-1 | LIGHT + DESIGN Lighting Practice: Designing Quality Lighting for People and Buildings.
From its prospectus:
“…LIGHT + DESIGN was developed to introduce architects, lighting designers, design engineers, interior designers, and other lighting professionals to the principles of quality lighting design. These principles; related to visual performance, energy, and economics; and aesthetics; can be applied to a wide range of interior and exterior spaces to aid designers in providing high-quality lighting to their projects.
Stakeholders: Architects, interior designers, lighting practitioners, building owners/operators, engineers, the general public, luminaire manufacturers. This standard focuses on design principles and defines key technical terms and includes technical background to aid understanding for the designer as well as the client about the quality of the lighted environment. Quality lighting enhances our ability to see and interpret the world around us, supporting our sense of well-being, and improving our capability to communicate with each other….”
The entire catalog is linked below:
Illumination technologies run about 30 percent of the energy load in a building and require significant human resources at the workpoint — facility managers, shop foremen, front-line operations and maintenance personnel, design engineers and sustainability specialists. The IES has one of the easier platforms for user-interest participation:
IES Standards Open for Public Review
Because the number of electrotechnology standards run in the thousands and are in continual motion* we need an estimate of user-interest in any title before we formally request a redline because the cost of obtaining one in time to make meaningful contributions will run into hundreds of US dollars; apart from the cost of obtaining a current copy.
We maintain the IES catalog on the standing agendas of our Electrical, Illumination and Energy colloquia. Additionally, we collaborate with experts active in the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which meets online 4 times monthly in European and American time zones; all colloquia online and open to everyone. Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page to join us.









Issue: [Various}
Category: Electrical, Energy, Illumination, Facility Asset Management
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Gary Fox, Jim Harvey, Kane Howard, Glenn Keates, Daleep Mohla, Giuseppe Parise, Georges Zissis
* “Brownian Motion” comes to mind because of the speed and interdependencies.
LEARN MORE:
Illuminating Engineering Society Welcomes New Director of Development
Shayna Bramley Brings 21 years of Lighting Industry Experience to IESTo learn more, to go: https://t.co/YApdTPvR8E pic.twitter.com/PGDCtO4jrC
— Illuminating Engineering Society (@The_IES) December 26, 2018
The LD+A editorial and sales team members just couldn’t resist visiting Bugsy and Meyer’s Steakhouse (covered in the December 2021 issue) while in Las Vegas for LightFair! Read up on the details of the shadowy project here: https://t.co/7eoLPT69Dx #TheIES #LightFair2022 #lighting pic.twitter.com/uWmolsNpMz
— Illuminating Engineering Society (@The_IES) June 22, 2022
It’s the first day of #EngineersWeek 2025! Join the NAE this #Eweek2025 for a celebration of outstanding #engineering to inspire, engage and empower the next generation of engineers.
Stay connected with @theNAEng this #Eweek2025 here: https://t.co/OaxeE1t7GY pic.twitter.com/J3Pjv29uco
— National Academy of Engineering (@theNAEng) February 16, 2025
Ferris State University was awarded a $15,000 prize in the 2023 Surveying Education Award competition. Learn more about the university’s Surveying Engineering program: https://t.co/4OxbZC7gVJ pic.twitter.com/TwPnyqpAPn
— NCEES (@NCEES) November 20, 2023
Electrical Engineering License: Example Questions
Electric Machines Motors & Generators
Digital Electronics
Power Systems
Stability Analysis
Communication
Illumination
Cost Analysis and Project Economics
Mechanical Engineering License: Example Questions
Civil Engineering License: Example Questions
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The Boys in the Boat is a true story based on the struggles and sacrifices made by the University of Washington rowing team to compete at rowing at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men’s eight.
Joseph Sutton-Holcomb from The Seattle Times writes that author Daniel James Brown got the idea to write this book when his neighbor Judy Willman said that her father, Joe Rantz, was a fan of his works and wanted to have a conversation with the author. That conversation with Joe Rantz about life during the Great Depression led to an in-depth chat about his time as a rower at the University of Washington.
K-12 Schools with Fireplaces as a Library Focal Point






An inglenook is an intimate space typically found beside a fireplace. Inglenooks often have built-in seating or benches, providing a comfortable spot for people to gather around the warmth of the fire. Originally inspired by cooking, but over time, they became more functional as spaces for relaxation, reflection, reading and socializing.
Today at the usual hour we examine that state of best practice literature for their safety and sustainability,
The codes, standards and guidelines that track accepted best practice:
ASME
ASME B31.9 – Building Services Piping
ASME B31.8 – Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems
ASTM
ASTM E2726 – Standard Terminology Relating to Chimneys and Ventilation Systems
ASTM E2558 – Standard Test Method for Determining Particulate Matter Emissions from Fires in Wood-Burning Fireplaces
AGA
Natural Gas Transmission & Distribution
Environmental Protection Agency
EPA Emission Standards (for Wood Stoves)
Compliance Requirements for Residential Wood Heaters
ICC
International Building Code: Chapter 21 Masonry
IEEE
NFPA
NFPA 221 Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances
NFPA 10 Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers
Underwriters Laboratories
UL 127 for factory-built fireplaces
UL 103 for chimney systems
United States Department of Energy
Fireplaces, Proper Ventilation for New Wood-Burning Fireplaces
Representative Specifications:
University of Vermont: Ignite Your Knowledge of Fireplace Safety
City of Chicago: Gas Distribution Piping Inside of Buildings
University of Rochester: Fire Place Safety
Related:
The clarity of this first hour—the pensive hope of winter—the ritual morning brings. These are the things. pic.twitter.com/CwdExLn5gC
— 1000yearhouse (@1000yearhouse) January 27, 2026
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
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