I run this town like Barbaro

For the new year I had to update my biography/resume. I guess I never realized how much I've done in the last few years. Anyway, check out my stats after the jump... 

 Biography:
Troy Bishop is a leading Engineer-In-Training with growing responsibilities to prepare him for professional certification. His experience has given him a great balance of responsibility, field and book knowledge, and practical sense. Mr. Bishop began his career in the construction industry in 2006 while designing, managing, and building pre-engineered steel architectural domes and radius steel projects known throughout South Florida. He soon received his General Contractor’s license in 2007, scoring a 95% on the 2-day exam. Within a year Troy was not only granted his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at Florida Atlantic University, but was also certified as a Florida E.I. to continue his path to become a Professional Engineer at Engineering Express. He has broad experience in numerous aspects of physical design and approvals, technology implementation, and design efficiency. His direct familiarity with contractors, architects, manufacturers, and building officials has given him skill not only as a forward-thinking engineer, but as a consultant who can understand and work through the complications of building in South Florida. Troy currently specializes in designs and inspections ranging from entire building envelope systems to various types of specialty pre-engineered structures as well as hundreds of railing, staircase, and sunroom installations throughout Florida. Mr. Bishop has been instrumental in the continuance of Engineering Express: he currently serves as Vice President of Operations, managing an average of 600 projects per year while sustaining his own departments’ long-term goals.

Areas of Expertise:

·         Licensed General Contractor (CGC#1514456)

·         Florida Certified Engineer-In-Training (E.I.)

·         Building envelope and build-out remediation, inspection, and design

·         Field inspection and modifications for masonry and steel structures

·         Calculations, designs, and inspections for build-out and as-built structures

·         Aluminum and glass railing safeguard systems

·         Value- and reverse-engineering applications

·         Window and door installation remediation

·         Manufacturer consulting for rooftop equipment applications

Career Highlights:

·         Designed and installed architectural copper and steel radius features for the following:

• The Meridian at One North Ocean, Boca Raton, FL
• 12th Avenue Bascule Bridge House, Miami, FL

·         Provided complete building envelope systems engineering, inspection, and design to include:

• North Broward Medical Center Elevator Tower, Pompano Beach, FL
• MD Anderson Parking Facility Aluminum Louvered Screen, Houston, TX

·         Full-scale commercial interior/exterior improvements (storefront design and engineering, build-outs, canopies, trellis and shade systems) to include:

• Mystic Pointe Storefront Replacement, Aventura, FL
• Tornino Lamborghini Interior Build-out, Hallandale Beach, FL
• Trulucks Restaurant Exterior Radius Canopies, Miami, FL
• Alhambra Building Rooftop Trellis and Rails, Coral Gables, FL

·         Value-engineering and manufacturer consultation from product inception, through testing and evaluation, to submittal and approval:

• Ingersoll-Rand Corporation,  XB/XR/XL Model Tiedown Kit Certification
• Carrier Corporation, Florida Product Approval Testing for Large Missile Impact, Cyclic and Static Wind Loading of Rooftop Equipment

$150k Construction Equipment Donated to Haiti

JCB, the world's third largest manufacturer of construction equipment, is donating equipment worth $150,000 to help the disaster relief effort in Haiti following the devastating earthquake that is feared to have killed tens of thousands of people.


The gift of two 3CX backhoe loaders is being made by JCB Chairman Sir Anthony Bamford in response to an appeal from relief agencies for foreign aid. Sir Anthony Bamford said: "The scale of the devastation is unimaginable and it's heart-rending to see the human suffering caused by the disaster. There is clearly a lack of equipment on the island and I hope our gift of JCB machines will help in some small way to alleviate that suffering and in the rebuilding in the aftermath of the earthquake."


The machines are being made available to the US Government and its aid agencies, which are taking a leading role in the relief effort on the Caribbean island. The earthquake, measuring 7.0 on the Richter Scale, has damaged the port and has created a number of logistical challenges hindering supplies entering the nation.


John Patterson, Chairman and CEO of JCB Inc., says, "We are working with the State Department and the United States Southern Command who are coordinating the massive relief effort in Haiti. We want utilize the most efficient channels available to ensure that the machines reach the agencies and the people that need them. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti."


The contribution to the aid effort follows a series of other JCB machinery donations in recent years to other parts of the world hit by natural disasters, including the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province in China, when six backhoe loaders worth over $600,000 and a team of operators were sent from the company's factory in Shanghai to help the clean-up effort in the region.


JCB also donated machines worth more than $2 million to help in the aftermath of the Asian Tsunami in 2004, with JCB diggers deployed to Thailand, southern India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Last year the company donated an excavator and a backhoe loader worth $250,000 to help the disaster relief effort in the city of Padang following the devastating earthquake that struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.


From http://concreteconstruction.net/industry-news.asp?sectionID=718&articleID=1172199

Hope

We all know about the Haiti earthquake but only some of us in America may have been affected by it. Since my roommate is of Haitian descent, this disaster has been especially hard on him as he lost loved ones in the 6.9 tumbler. Thankfully, he finally heard from his Dad yesterday and discovered he is alive and well. Last night I read this incredible story from Sergey Brin, Co-Founder of Google, Inc and I thought it would be appropriate to share its message of encouragement:

Several days ago I volunteered on a relief mission to Haiti that brought in nearly 20,000 lbs of supplies. While the trip was brief, I did travel into the city of Port-au-Prince to deliver medical supplies to a key hospital and witnessed the devastation first hand.

Upon arrival at the airport, the first thing you see is the sheer scale of the relief effort. Numerous C-17s and other cargo planes are continually flying in and out, offloading vast amounts of supplies. Dozens of military helicopters are simultaneously in operation on a scale far beyond anything I have ever seen. Thousands of military and civilian personnel are active from the US, UN, Haiti, and relief organizations.

Driving into the heart of the capital city the need for such scale becomes apparent. Because the airport is farther from the epicenter, the damage you first see appears relatively minor -- cracks in buildings, damaged walls, and littered streets. But soon the sheer magnitude of the devastation becomes difficult to comprehend. Many entire buildings have been reduced to rubble. Makeshift tent camps dominate plazas and parks. Perhaps the most haunting are the buildings that have partially failed but not entirely collapsed. The National Palace stands a surreal site with tilted domes and crumbling walls. Other government buildings are completely leveled.

The vast majority of the former buildings in the hospital I visited are too damaged to be safe. The remaining two buildings that are being used to care for patients show their own signs of compromise. Yet heroic volunteers are able to serve over 1000 patients with a wide variety of serious injuries. They are short on supplies and only recently got electric power so they have light which allows them to work at night.

However, the real heroes are the people of Haiti. Despite tremendous challenge and suffering, they still show an incredible strength of spirit and resilience to the harshest of conditions. Seeing the people firsthand left me with a vastly different impression than I had going in based on news reports. Instead of roving gangs of violent criminals, I found people caring for the wounded and providing critical supplies to those most in need. Instead of people weeping of despair, I saw people busy rebuilding their lives in the most challenging of environments.

Yet immense challenges do remain and it is a race around the clock to prevent suffering, untreated injury, and loss of life. I believe there are several key factors that could tilt the odds dramatically. First, while there is tremendous relief effort from the US, UN, Haiti, and NGOs, the coordination and organization between these remains unclear. It is critical to have top level command and control across the entire breadth of efforts in order to maximize effectiveness.

Second, it is necessary to scale up the provisioning of shelter, food, water, sanitation, and health care by at least an order of magnitude. As much as it has difficult associations, I believe the best way to accomplish this is large scale temporary tent camps to house hundreds of thousands of people. I believe these should be near the airport or other facilities to which supplies can be readily delivered.

Lastly, there are several categories of people who should be evacuated out of Haiti to other countries (notably the US) where there is far more capacity to provide care. This includes those who are severely injured as well as orphaned children. While each of us is a citizen of a particular country, we are all citizens of the world. The responsibility falls on all of us to lend a hand when a tragedy of this magnitude befalls some of us.

Photos from my trip are here. Note they may be difficult to look at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/sergey.brin/201001Haiti

In the past two days, we have posted fresh high resolution imagery in Google Maps which I hope will be valuable to aid workers:

http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-imagery-of-port-au-prince.html

The main Google crisis response page for the Haiti earthquake is here and has numerous resources including how you can help:

http://www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake/index.html

POSTED BY SERGEY BRIN AT 11:55 AM 0 COMMENTS

 
Original blog post here: http://too.blogspot.com/2010/01/hope.html

Droid Smartphone Takes #1 Spot for Best Gadget

Have you been debating if you should get a Motorola Droid or an iPhone? Have you made your purchase already and now maybe you're having second thoughts? 




Well, Time Magazine is either here to help you out or add salt to your wounds. They've released their Top 10 Everything of 2009 list and guess what's up top. That's right... the Motorola Droid is #1. I'm excited about this because I am FINALLY due for a Droid come Christmas (thanks to my girlfriend--thank you and love you baby!)

Take this iPhone!

Time Magazine: Everybody likes Android, Google's open-source smartphone operating system. But a smartphone operating system isn't all that satisfying without an actual kick-ass smartphone wrapped around it. Now Android has one: The Droid is a hefty beast, a metal behemoth without the gloss and finish of the iPhone, but you don't miss it. The Droid's touchscreen is phenomenally sharp and vivid, it has an actual physical (not great, but good enough) keyboard, and best of all, the Droid is on Verizon's best-of-breed 3G network. It's Android's first credible challenge to the iPhone. Price: $200 with a 2-year contract.

Here's the entire list for "Top 10 Gadgets of 2009":

1. Motorola Droid
2. The Nook
3. Dyson Air Multiplier
4. iPhone 3GS
5. Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
6. Dell Adamo XPS
7. FinePix Real 3D W1
8. Casio G-Shock GW7900B-1
9. Beats Solo by Dr. Dre
10. Panasonic G10 Series Plasma HDTVs

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1945379,00.html#ixzz0ZPD2C88J

Slow Atlantic Hurricane Season Comes to a Close

The 2009 Atlantic hurricane season officially ended last week, marking the close of a season with the fewest named storms and hurricanes since 1997 thanks, in part, to El Niño.

Nine named storms formed this year, including three hurricanes, two of which were major hurricanes at Category 3 strength or higher. These numbers fall within the ranges predicted in NOAA’s mid-season outlook issued in August, which called for seven to 11 named storms, three to six hurricanes, and one to two major hurricanes. An average season has 11 named storms and six hurricanes, including two major hurricanes.

“The reduced activity was expected and reflects the development of El Niño during the summer,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. “El Niño produced strong wind shear across the Caribbean Sea and western tropical Atlantic, which resulted in fewer and shorter-lived storms compared to some recent very active seasons.”

Two systems, Claudette and Ida, brought tropical storm force winds to the U.S. mainland. For the first time in three years, no hurricanes hit the U.S. There were 38 hurricane hunter aircraft reconnaissance missions flown by NOAA and the U.S. Air Force over the Atlantic Basin this year compared to 169 in 2008 – another indication of a less active season.

“El Niño is expected to reach peak strength this winter, and will likely continue into the spring. It is far too early to say whether El Niño will be present next summer,” added Bell. NOAA will issue its initial 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Outlook in May, prior to the official start of the season on June 1.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment—from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun—and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

By the way, my new favorite website (at least for next year) is http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ the National Hurricane Center.

From http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20091130_endhurricaneseason.html

Engineering the ATLANTIS in the Bahamas

So…

Add this onto the list of cool things I design!

My engineering firm may be designing a replacement for these huge “roof petals” over the top of a waterslide in Atlantis in the Bahamas! Apparently they're currently made of steel and rusting ALOT. The client would like to do it in welded aluminum (which won't corrode as bad near the water), but I have reservations as to how effective that would be. I also would want to see some cables or bracing added to the system; I'm not comfortable with hanging these 20-ft petals over everyone's head by themselves. Also, the biggest problem with aluminum is that when you weld it, it becomes weaker. This means the end product could be ALOT larger than the steel you see in these pictures. I would prefer to make it out of stainless steel, being sure to heat-treat the welds afterwards (stainless steel is composed of chromium, which is displaced when welded; heat-treating the weld restores the chromium which is stainless steel's main helper to resist corrosion).

Maybe I’ll just charge them a couple nights stay!!

Car vs. Storefront and Kneewall: Driving FAIL

This is epic. Shortly after pulling into this Olive Garden restaurant, this guy actually DROVE INTO the Olive Garden restaurant. Way to go buddy! By the way, the culprits are right there on the bench in the photo. Apparently they slammed on the gas as they tried to park, confusing the pedals and driving through breadstick country.

Nobody likes an intruder...

Check out this broken kneewall and the busted aluminum mull:

I'm wondering what kind of glass this is...it doesn't look like impact, and definitely not laminated. This restaurant is in North Florida, near Clearwater. Maybe their construction standards are lighter (I know the wind speed criteria is less than here in SoFla), or the windows are just old and not impact-rated. I'm sure my window and storefront guru Andrew back at Engineering Express would know plus give me make model and serial number from the factory that made it; I'll have to ask him. BTW, gotta LOVE the fact the handicapped sign would be the preferred parking for these nimwits.

Whoa! Would NOT have wanted to sit at this table.....ouch...

And finally, the interior damage assessment. What a mess.

I don't have time now, but the next time I get an exterior kneewall/storefront design or repair I'll update the blog and educate the masses. Based on my current workload that could be as early as tomorrow....

Well until then, please don't drive through my (or any other engineer's for that matter) professionally designed concrete or glass structures. And please enjoy the all-you-can eat salad and breadsticks.