Although this was posted over on Govloop, I thought I’d repost here because it is so relevant to the public works industry. For some time, we’ve been advocating for the use of virtual worlds for training, design, and networking in our industry. And now it seems there is finally a sign that the technology isRead… Read more »
Shortly after I started inspecting construction almost thirty years ago, I started realizing most contractors have the same response to similar situations. When I was younger and asked a contractor to do something, the typical response was something like, “Honey, I’ve been doing this for thirty years, and ….” Then they would go on toRead… Read more »
Recently I met another civil engineer who works for a county in the State of Washington. He contacted me through the virtual world of Second Life where he is known as Jered Spitteler. Jered works for a county in the state of Washington and has been building a model in Second Life of one ofRead… Read more »
Over the last year or so I’ve worked on creating a 3D environment as a representation of the ADA Toolkit for Local Government. Last December I submitted the build in the Federal Virtual Worlds Challenge. The winners were just announced this week, and my entry was not one of the finalists so I began theRead… Read more »
Over the past few years, I’ve spent considerable time online exploring many different virtual worlds or 3D immersive spaces. Some of these like World of Warcraft are designed to only offer a gaming experience while others like Second Life look like a game, but do not offer gaming as a primary function. My main reasonRead… Read more »
One of the few television shows I watch is Hoarders – a program produced by A&E Television Networks that highlights attempts at cleaning up homes. The homes profiled on the show are not your average households. Instead they are structures completely filled with objects accumulated by people who do not want to give them up.Read… Read more »
I work at the bottom of the transportation food chain. At this level, we have some very basic needs. Each year, we need to fix roads, and we need to find the money to do so. And for the first time in my career, Congress seems to be considering a transportation bill that might justRead… Read more »
Even though this offer has been Tweeted and posted all over the Internet, I thought I would add a quick post here to make sure our readers know about it. For the month of February Digital Art Zone (DAZ) is offering the following software free of charge – you can pick it up at http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d/free-3d-software-overview:Read… Read more »
We currently have a project out to bid for the installation of about a quarter mile of 10-inch water main. As usual, after we release the notification to bidders, we begin receiving requests from companies asking for a list of bidders or plan holders. Our city’s policy is to not release this list until afterRead… Read more »
As a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), I regularly receive information and notices proclaiming their annual “grading” of our nation’s infrastructure. There is even a website to promote this effort: http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/. My opinion on this might not be popular with my colleagues, but frankly I have never thought this report wasRead… Read more »