World Trade Center 1 Passes Empire State Building

 The World Trade Center 1 Tower just passed the Empire State Building as the tallest building in NYC.


These photos look like the 2012 version of the guys eating lunch on a beam from the 1930's--

How bout them Mavericks?

Cool Fort & A Way In to Disneyland

Too Early to Go Home

My brother and I had just come out of a college basketball game at the Anaheim Convention Center and were about to head home when we saw a packet of A, B & C tickets in the glove compartment and thought "how can we put these to good use?" ---Next thing we know, we are parking our car in a motel parking lot about a 1/2 mile from from the entrance to Disneyland and thinking up ways to climb the fence and get in.

It turns out, there was a hedge that fully covered the 20-foot-high fence, just to the left of the main entrance. We quickly scaled the fence, but proceeded to get hung up clearing the top barbs, just as the lights from a security cart were coming around the service road on the inside of the fence, going toward the entrance to the right. We jumped down and hopped into the bushes --just in time to be out of sight, and proceeded to head the opposite direction to find a way into the park.
















My favorite free "ride" at Disneyland has always been the Swiss Family Tree House (now called the "Tarzan Treehouse"), and this became our route that got us into Adventureland for free-- There was a ridge between the Safari Boats and the Pirates of the Carribean rides that lead directly to one of the major branches of the Treehouse. We climbed over one of the rails onto the stairs and walked up, over and in!























No Need to Turn Us In

We ended up getting brought into the Disneyland security office, on a later trip and got our due . . . but this time we did the best we could using the tickets we had for Mr Toad's Wild Ride, Peter Pan and a couple of other "kiddie" level rides, before we almost got caught -- You'll have to ask my brother about that.

The lasting memories I have about this time (now 35 years ago), include:

1. Bonding with my brother
2. I couldn't have written a more exciting real-life adventure
3. How much fun you can have with no money and a little ingenuity
4. How cool the Swiss Family Tree Fort was (and how it made a way in--kept us from being stranded on the service road)

The parking lot is now California Adventure, and the motel was about where the Tower of Terror ride is now.

I hope we find ways to get out and do wild things (without getting hurt) --things that inspire us to think about having fun without the regular forms of entertainment.

Seems like work is work and play is play, but it's always great to find things that remind you how hard you worked at having fun--- every time I see a treehouse, I feel like a kid---

So, What's Your Problem?

Locale over Leaks

On a recent trip to Mexico, my wife and I were informed by the proprietor of the bed & breakfast we had chosen to stay at that "the plumbing isn't so good here," but we should be satisfied by the overarching reason most people leave happy - "the location is great." At the end of the visit, we were in fact happy . . . so, I guess she was right.

"Plumbing isn't so good" didn't refer to the selection of faucets or the toilet style, she was talking about the flow of water - both supply (in this case, hot water) and capacity of the drains. Bad plumbing tends to be about improper movement of water: too slow to drain, or come out of the tap-- Or, in the case of a leak-- coming out where its not supposed to--

One Step Beyond

Most building problems involve too much or too little flow (water, heat or electricity) - How's that for a bold generalization?

Think about the last time you had a serviceman to your home-- I bet it was for a stopped-up pipe, air conditioning that wasn't blowing cold air, or an electrical device that wasn't operating properly (not getting 'juice') --- Am I right? And I haven't even been to your house--

Consider these examples of common household repair problems:

1. Roof Leaks
2. Flashing or Caulking Leaks
3. Slow Draining of Shower or Toilet
4. Supply or Drain Line Leaks
5. Stopped Up Sewer Drain
6. Ponding on Flat Roofs or Parking Lots
7. Erosion (due to excessive flow or channel failure)
8. Insulation Leaks
9. Electric Short Circuits
10. (Insert your own household problem here)

These all have in common some type of unwanted flow issue--

















OK Popeye, What's the Fix?

Here are some thoughts to help avoid many of these problems:

1. Water Flows Downhill - Ample slope is needed (top to bottom) and opening sized to allow proper speed of discharge.
2. Water Pressure Can Be a Powerful Force - More water volume and restricted flow each can create increased pressure. Think about "pinch points" (desired and undesired), and problems can be avoided.
3. Water Seeks It Own Level - Think about where the water "wants to go" (during rain, when the tap is on, when the drain is open, etc), and help it get there.
4. Energy Transfer Needs a Conductor - For Heat, sealed air is the best insulator (conversely, open air is the cause of most heat/cooling transfer problems). For Electricity, overcurrent insulators are sized based on the amount of amperage in the conductor, to avoid danger in handling or routing the lines (short circuiting occurs when electricity "jumps" the insulator).

Generally, consider the source and natural tendency of the water, heat or electricity, and you will be well into solving, or better yet - avoiding common household problems.

So I'm Told--

This is not to say, I have solved all my household problems or even that I can solve them all myself - More often than not, these days I hire a professional. But I am at least more able to identify the problem, and help the pro get right to the fix.

Pros to Contact:

Here are some helpful Professionals I have worked with in the past on the Commercial Construction side:

PSG Consultants (no website) - Phone: (763) 755-4777
George D. Alan
ReevCon
New Millennium Engineers


Links to two Popeye cartoons (neither one results in a "fixed" problem at the end):

The Plumber Is A "Pipe"

House Builder-Upper

2010 Blog Topic Index

Trivia Loosely Related to this photo--

Danny Bonaduce lived up the street from us when we lived in Woodland Hills, CA in the 1960's and early 1970's - Danny and I built a fort together in a tree on Mulholland Drive across from San Feliciano Blvd. You could probably say I was the contractor (I found the wood and did most of the work)-- Danny was more the developer (he convinced me we wouldn't get in trouble building the fort in a tree that was on someone else's property).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . And A Partridge In A Pear Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

In the spirit of the season, here are the topics and associated lists (that may or may not be accompanied by music) from my blogs this year-- I hope this is useful--

April

• Project Success (7 Project Tips)


• Join-To (4 Details that Determine Quality)

May

• As-Planned vs. Luck (5 Parts of a Plan)


• Done? (Smoldering vs Dead Out)


• Clean Up (Part of the Process)

June

• Scope, Then Price (5 Scope Clarifiers)


• Right Tool for the Job (Rube Goldberg)

July

• Hit It On The Head (Focus and 5 Process Improvement Ideas)

August

• Put Your Energy To Use (Natural Tendency)

September

• Customers Count (3 Steps to Amazon Order Management & 5 Ways to Improve Commitments)

October

• Pre-Building (5 Lessons from Revolution-Era Pre-Fab & 6 Pre-Build Considerations)

November

• Say What? (5 "Hearing" Tips, 5 More "Get-it?" To-Do's and 3 Levels of "Knowing")

Wow, time flies when you're pontificating about stuff most people may know, but forget----

I look forward to more in 2011--

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Say What? - Part 1

Did You Get It?

When something is really important, when you absolutely have to be sure - like confirming the time a crucial product will be delivered to your project - what do you do? Think about it . . . What are you willing to risk if you miss the deadline?

We tend to treat communication about things that are really critical differently than just casual conversation. Where we get into trouble is when one of the parties communicating doesn't THINK it is important at the time (or if they are intentionally trying to be vague).

One of my favorite examples of someone forcing clarity in an important conversation is in the movie "The Specialist" where the mafia boss - Joe Leon, played by Rod Steiger, tells his son - Thomas Leon, played by Eric Roberts-- to agree to stay out of a business matter:

"I no hear you say OK - OK?"


After trying to avoid the question, Thomas finally responds:


"OK"---

Not quite the same ring as the Godfather's "Make him an offer he can't refuse", but the same intended severity. Mafia movies tend to show very serious repercussions for not following the directives of the "Boss" - ultimate accountability.

------In real life, we have to find other ways to get buy-in and hold people accountable.

Listen Carefully

If you have ever played the campfire game (or for my daughter, after-dinner-table game) "Telephone", where one person whispers a phrase into the ear of another and they pass it to the next, etc, --you know that the message gets pretty garbled by the time it gets to the end - to humorous effect. Unless you're trying to keep yourselves entertained, mixed-up messages aren't very useful.

An often-underappreciated part of effective communication, is to make sure you are hearing what is being communicated to you:

1. What was the intent of the message?
2. What words did they use?
3. What were the critical details?
4. Was anything repeated or emphasized?
5. Was there any particular emotion or sense of urgency?

I have found it's a good idea to repeat-back what you thought you heard - give the other person a chance to clarify or correct their message.

Many times delivery or tone is crucial to how you respond-- Quiet, low tone, casual and loosely chosen words, make it harder to read urgency and importance (if that is the underlying intent).

We all respond to orders barked at us, regardless of whether they are well-thought-out, or if there is any real urgency behind them. Unfortunately, it's up to you - if you are trying to writhe a directive out of a poorly delivered message.

Come On, Really?

I hate to bring it up, but sometimes people say things because they expect that is what you want to hear from them, or they feel like something has to be said and no one can check at the time whether the statement is reasonable or not - hence the throw-away "Two weeks" promises from The Money-Pit contractor.

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Here is a list of things you can do to help make sure you get the message (no particular order):
  
• Watch Body Language - Check out the Fox TV show "Lie To Me"
• Confirm the Message - Does the message make sense with what you know, or can you compare it to what you know? - Reasonableness check
• Summarize the Basics - What are the 3 to 5 most important points the person is trying to get across to you?
• Memorize the Message - If you had to repeat the message back or tell someone else the message you recieved, could you do it?
• The Whole Thing - Got it? - Got it!

I believe there are 3 general levels of "knowing" or understanding a message:

1. Recognition - You know it when you see it.
2. Regurgitation - You can repeat it back as it was told or taught.
3. Reapplication - You can use it or teach it in a different form than you recieved it.

Following on this, the best communication occurs when the deepest level of understanding is achieved. Finding a way to make the message you heard your own, is the first step-----

The other end of the effective-communication process is what YOUR message is (and WHY they should follow or buy-in) - but that is a topic for another blog.


Related Sources
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People by Joe Navarro and Marvin Karlins

Unrelated Trivia
United States President S. Grover Cleveland (22 & 24) won the popular vote in 3 separate presidential elections, however, he lost the electorial vote to the 23rd US President, Benjamin Harrison. Benjamin's grandfather, William Henry Harrison (9th US President), had the dubious distinction of holding office for the shortest period of any US President in history (30 days), since he died due to contracting pneumonia from giving the longest presidential inauguration speech in history, in the rain.

Like Benjamin's grandfather, it also rained on his inauguration day, but #23 was no fool, he made sure his speech was short, and he got S. Grover Cleveland to hold his umbrella (the big guy left of center holding a top hat is 22/24). Inauguration photo.

The "S." stands for Stephen ---there's the real trivia for you - a US President whose first name is Steve :) --

Pre-Building The Job

Bodacious Plan

On the evening of March 5th, 1776, General George Washington and his rag-tag army of 2,000 volunteers completed staging what would turn out to be one of the most important early victories of the American Revolution-- Colonel Henry Knox had successfully transported 59 canon and ordnance 300 miles from the vacant Fort Ticonderoga to Boston, and the rebels prepared the first large-scale prefabrication in US history. That evening they moved the canon, barrels filled with sand and stone (to be used as breastworks, or to be rolled down the hill on charging Red-Coats, if it came to that . . . ), and facines (bundles of branches or logs) - creating the effect of a fortified wall atop the ridge of Dorchester Heights, overlooking Boston and the British ships in Boston harbor.

General William Howe - commander of the British forces occupying Boston at the time, is reported to have remarked when he saw the fortifications the next morning-- "The Rebels have done more in one night than my whole army would have done in a month" -- The result of this effort was that the 11,000 occupying troops and 1,000 loyalists fled Boston to Nova Scotia - without a shot being fired--

Isn't It Great When A Plan Comes Together?

A lot of coincidences contributed to the success of the efforts of Washington, Knox and the Rebels-- In the end, it helped convince the British that the Americans were serious about Independence (It took another 5 years to actually achieve that goal . . . ). The fact that they had a vision, a plan and buy-in by all the participants set up the whole effort at Dorchester Heights to even have a chance to succeed.

5 Lessons from the Fortification of Dorchester Heights:

1. First Get All the Materials - Without the canon, gunpowder, ordnance, barrels/birch trees, the Rebels couldn't have even started work on the fortifications.
2. Stage Assemblies (then transport into position) - They couldn't have built the fortifications in place without risking attack. Building the facines and gabions down the hill (out of sight) and moving them into place at night was the only chance they had.
3. Plan Logistics (address site considerations) - The Rebels used straw to deaden the sound of the wagon wheels transporting the pre-fabricated fortifications and canon, to avoid calling attention to the movements.
4. Use Weather to Best Advantage (often a judgement call) - General Howe had considered retaliating, but a snowstorm dampened his confidence, and the decision was made to completely evacuate, including all ships from the Boston harbor.
5. Be Ready With Contingency Plans - Washington expected retaliation, and had planned escape routes that would have been difficult for the British to follow. The fortifications were designed as both blockades, and if worse came to worse, they could be used as weapons.

How 'bout Them Forefathers?

Thinking through how you plan to build something is as critical as the construction effort itself. The goals for any construction project should include minimizing time and resources, without anyone getting hurt--

Here is a list of 6 "Pre- Build" Considerations:

1. How Can the Project Be Accomplished Safely? - Everyone Goes Home Unhurt
2. What is the Optimal Sequence of Activities? - Critical Path
3. What Materials or Processes are Similar? - Economies of Stacking, etc.
4. Which Parts are Standard? - Can More Parts Be Standardized?
5. What Adjacencies Need to Be Considered? - Restrictions, Services, Exit Plan
6. Does Any Aspect of the project lend itself to Pre-Fabrication & Transport to Site?

Prefabrication or Modularized Assembly may not be an option for all situations, but considering aspects or portions of the project for Pre-Fab may drive better work/assembly patterns and solutions.

Related Trivia:

George Washington went on to win the revolutionary war, defeating the strongest, best-equipped, best-trained military machine in the world at the time, through leading ordinary men to extraordinary accomplishments - by sheer perseverance and belief in the goal of independence.

More information on George Washington:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington

Henry Knox went on to be Washington's first Secretary of War, found the Society of the Cincinnati (an organization of American Military officers), and Fort Knox and Knoxville, Tennessee were named in his honor.

More information on Henry Knox:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Knox

Recommended Books:

"1776" by David McCullough

http://www.amazon.com/1776-Illustrated-David-McCullough/dp/1416542108/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286766801&sr=1-2