Posts by: Joel Nelson

sinkhole aftermath in a residential neighborhood

Look Out Below

Managing Sinkholes

One of them, measuring 100 feet wide and 50 feet deep, opened up at the center of a soccer complex in Alton, Ill., taking down a light pole, benches and artificial turf. Another one in Madera, Calif., consumed a truck trailer. Others forming in front yards in Highland City, Fla., and Las Cruces, N.M., swallowed […]

As you admire the expansive view or plush furnishings from the highest reaches of a commercial, residential or other type of building, it’s easy to take some things for granted – such as the system that distributes water for drinking, removing waste and suppressing fire.

News

Pressure Test

High-Rise Water Infrastructure

As you admire the expansive view or plush furnishings from the highest reaches of a commercial, residential or other type of building, it’s easy to take some things for granted – such as the system that distributes water for drinking, removing waste and suppressing fire. How does water arrive ready for use at the highest […]

Twenty-six U.S. states require or will require high school financial education; personal finance education bills are pending in another 15 states.

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School Money Rules

HS Financial Education Expands

The traditional core curriculum for K-12 education comprises “reading, writing and arithmetic,” with science, the arts and health also maintaining a presence. Another concentration is joining this essential group: personal finances, a subject that encompasses such concepts as maintaining bank accounts, paying bills on time, creating a household budget, saving for retirement and understanding borrowing […]

What tech is top priority for you or a friend or loved one who’s about to embark on the college adventure?

Technology

School’s In

College Tech Necessities

Technology for college students used to mean lamps, typewriters and alarm clocks. Essential items for thriving in today’s higher education environment include: Laptop. “Small screen touch notebooks are a great solution for everyday computing and entertainment around the dorm or apartment, or on the go from class to class,” said Scott Shutter, a senior manager […]

Fumigation is a big business in the U.S. – and a growing one. Industry revenues totaled about $26 billion in 2022 and have grown almost 9% on average each of the previous five years, according to business research firm IBISWorld.

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Debugging Properties

Fumigation Basics

Chances are good that you’ve seen a building encased in a swath of vinyl-coated nylon tarpaulins in residential and commercial properties. That’s a sure sign that fumigation is in progress, which means the space is being inundated with sulfuryl fluoride gas to eliminate termites, cockroaches, wood-destroying beetles and/or other destructive pests. Fumigation is a key […]

Property management companies are turning to the gamification tools in Yardi Aspire to enhance engagement, focus and motivation.

Technology

Making Work Fun

Role of Gamification

Engaging employees and boosting their performance can be challenging, especially with a busy and dispersed workforce. Traditional training methods often fail to keep employees motivated and interested but gamification can increase employee engagement by over 48 percent, according to some reports. That’s why property management companies are turning to the gamification tools in Yardi Aspire […]

Energy

Significant but Understated

Embodied Carbon’s Impact

Most people realize that carbon emissions come from heating, cooling and lighting buildings, houses, roads, bridges and other elements of the built environment. But there’s another significant source of carbon whose environmental implications might be less visible but no less urgent: embodied carbon, which comes from the extraction, manufacturing, transportation, installation and disposal of materials […]

When reading about real estate in publications or online platforms, have you ever wondered why the word “realtor” is often in capitalized letters or marked with a registered trademark symbol?

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Realtor Reality

Why a Word Matters

When reading about real estate in publications or online platforms, have you ever wondered why the word “realtor” is often in capitalized letters or marked with a registered trademark symbol? Or what the difference is between “REALTOR” and “real estate agent?” Second question first. While the terms are often used interchangeably, there are significant differences. […]

The moon has been orbited, sampled by uncrewed spacecraft, walked and driven on by humans, and proposed as a waystation for interplanetary travel.

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Moon Mining

How realistic?

The moon has been orbited, sampled by uncrewed spacecraft, walked and driven on by humans, and proposed as a waystation for interplanetary travel. With the Earth facing steady population growth and diminishing resources, its only natural satellite has also been targeted as a potential source of valuable materials. Proposals to secure those resources have been […]

Energy

Energy Forecast

EIA Looks Ahead

Here’s the latest on our periodic reports on research by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), a statistical and analytical arm of the U.S. Department of Energy that collects, analyzes and disseminates energy information. Sun is up in forecast EIA’s short-term energy outlook in January projected that solar electric generation will account for 7% of […]

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Stamp of Approval

Postal Services Adopt Collaborative Model

How are government and private carrier services adapting as online communication and purchasing practices continue to supplant traditional paper mail? According to McKinsey, the global volume ratio of letters to parcels declined from 13:1 in 2005 to 4:1 in 2015 and is expected to reach 1:1 parity by 2025. Total U.S. parcel volume declined 2% […]

Energy

ARPA-E Projects

Energy Tech Innovation Updates

Here’s the latest of our periodic updates on energy conservation technologies being developed under the sponsorship of Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the R&D arm of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Grid goes underground In January, the DOE announced funding for 12 projects designed to develop cost-effective, high-speed and safe undergrounding technologies. The projects […]

Technology

Science Fiction Tech

How Much Came True?

Science fiction literature and movies can be inspirational, provocative or outlandish. But how often does the exotic technology they often depict actually go into development and gain widespread use? Perhaps more often than you might think. Here’s a sampling of latter-day technology that originated, or at least became widely known, from science fiction. Mobile Phones […]

Building codes are regulations that apply to architects, builders, owners and others involved in a structure’s construction and maintenance.

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What’s New in Construction?

3-Year Update

An article published here almost three years ago explored the state of housing construction, which were reaching the highest prices in 15 years because of rising demand driven by low mortgage interest rates and the spiriling cost of materials such as steel and copper wire. By May 2021, lumber price spikes alone added nearly $12,000 […]

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Dynamism On Display

See Revamped IM Website

The Yardi Investment Management team has amped up its real estate investment management website to provide new value for all owners, investors and investment managers. The website represents a single repository for information about the Yardi Investment Suite and its elements: investor services, investment accounting, debt management and investment analysis. Readers can view user testimonials […]

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