Frog Up or Down

After a few months of adding, editing and pulling pages into place, the scays web site is finally looking useful and coming close to how I originally thought it might be. I still have more to do, move pages about, add contents and several subjects I want to include before I consider it finished if it ever will be. A lot, if not most of my slide set has no lecturers notes, after all, they were meant to be for me only, and I used them as an aid memoir so that's now the next big push, to add lecture notes and expand these into a small book. Books whilst I am on the subject, is an interesting way of sharing information, but it has a fault in that the information is so often out of date, consider the digital revolution, the construction industry is going through, hardly a day goes by with some new material, or CAD program being updated. So my intention is to keep the information live, Not just by my intervention, but other clever web sites feeding clips and research papers int...

So, after some time I have started to pull all my sites into shape, : Scays  My Architectural Technology site for my AT slides I use as a lecturer on Architectural Technology Scaysbrook.com My family genealogy site for the Scaysbrook names Konstrukshon.co.uk my company site Konstrukshon.com Current unattached, it was my CPD site but I am transferring that role to Scays, si this site will go to Konstrukshon.co.uk The photo for this issue is an internal photo os a sash window detail ar Somerset House which we use as a surveying exercise for our third-year students at Birmingham City University.

The Architectural Review A fine copy of the January 1907 original of the Architectural Review I recently had the chance to browse an old bookstall and managed to find an original copy of the January 1907 issue of "The Architectural Review", what an excellent find, full of old adverts for products long since gone, but more interestingly packed with some excellent Articles on Architecture, all be it in a very detailed manner, showing construction and build methods of the day, I tend to look at this style of work a lot as we undertake work on Historic buildings, so this was a massive find, well worth the £5 I paid for it. I ember finding this excellent magazine, Its on a shelf in my study, I think its time to get it down and scan it and load up to my Apple Notes Knowledge Base. I have uploaded a new photo of the Tube in London, no other reason than the post needed a photo.

BT signal Assist I live in an area that has a strong 4G signal most places, except where I live, and here its almost none existent, I had to hang out of an upper bedroom window just to get the most basic of a signal. I moaned like crazy to BT my provider, with no effect, they insisted I have a signal, I kept telling them I did not. But this week I again moaned to BT but they then said they have a new piece of kit that plugs into my router and will give a local 3G signal. Now I have a cupboard full of these wonderful pieces of electronic garbage, all promised something and gave nothing. But, with the hope it might work, I shelled out £20 and ordered my signal assist booster, it duly arrived and set up was no more than plugging it into my router and the power supply, the blurb that came with it quoted 24 hours max to set itself up, well after 10 mins I had a signal, my Pixel 2 had picked it up, and at last after almost 20 years I have a strong signal that allows ...

For as long as I have been involved in the Architectural process of client, site, Planning Reg application, I have worked within a framework of past experience based upon materials and use that has a history stretching into the past well beyond Charles the 1st. But all of that is changing, a new era approaches, that of the digital age, the unknown effects of sensors, the all most rapid use of data,  almost instant communication, not just between humans, but the blinding speed of communication between machines. I have been asked to write a paper on HBIM or heritage BIM, its an eye opener, so many opinions from people who do not understand the difference between new materials and those made a few hundred years ago. Wanting me to apply standard values to the BIM table, They have no understanding of manufacture of a brick just 100 years ago it was a hit and miss approach, and one single length of a wall might have two or three different kiln burnings producing three to...

Since my last post on this subject I have worked hard to eliminate Apple, It's almost there, but not quite. Let me explain. It all started some years ago, and I was all but an Apple employee, all my work, files and most of my CAD was Apple based, not a problem, I did not share much, as it was only for my consumption. records, photos and my writing, CAD was the one thing I shared and that was mostly pdf oriented and Vectorworks my then and mostly now program for drawing was damned good at its generation. all was well in the world, I was happy to spend the hight bucks on Apple machines in the belief that I needed the power. Then came teaching, I did not go searching for this, but as always I got sucked into lecturing and found I liked it., but Apple did/does not share well outside the Apple ecosphere, and Google came on board and they do like sharing, I also found that the Chromebooks were great, so much cheaper yet did all my writing and photo work with ease, but could not draw...

It's not long to my Final year students BSc Hons AT Degree Day Show at Birmingham City University, if you're in the area and would like to see the final project work, drop by, its free and you can chat to the students re their last three years training, and their hopes for the future. If your thinking of what to do when you leave school, then it's a great way to see the discipline of Architectural Technology at its best. We will also have past students who are now in practice, plus most of the lecturers, including my good self. Confused as to the difference between an Architect and Technologist, come along and chat, there will be free soft drinks and nibbles.