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ARLINGTON The City Council Monday formally adopted a code of ethics to guide its members in how they should conduct themselves in office, and how unprofessional behavior will be handled if someone steps over the line.

City Attorney Steve Peiffle and City Administrator Paul Ellis added the new language to the Councils existing procedural rules of professional conduct, which was prompted by an incident involving an outgoing councilmember last year.

Peiffle said while researching several codes of ethics that focused more on financial conflicts of interest that are already handled under state law, he felt the council was looking more toward an aspirational statement.

The code of ethics as adopted touches on personal integrity, avoiding the appearance of impropriety, treating others respectfully and refraining from abusive conduct, accusations or verbal attacks while in their role as elected officials.

The code also calls for respecting the decision-making process, and conducting themselves professionally, courteously and attentively when discussing business at hand. Additionally, the ethics code says city elected officials should base their decisions on the merits and substance of the matter at hand, rather than on unrelated considerations.

If a Council member violates a rule, the presiding officer can call that member to order, who must then be silent except to explain, or continue in order. If the presiding officer is the violator in question, any other council member may step in to call that fellow elected official to order.

Additional consequences may include a verbal admonition, written reprimand, censure, expulsion from the meeting at which the conduct is occurring, removal of the Councilmember from committee chair positions or committee memberships, or removal of intergovernmental duties, based on an affirmative vote of a majority of the council.

Banishment for such behavior in the councils presence will require a majority vote from the council.

Peiffle pointed out that, short of removal from office, the council already has power under state law to impose punishment on its members for violating council rules or state law.

City Councilmember Debra Nelson said her intent bringing the matter forward last November was for the council to have tools that lay out expectations of themselves when conducting the citizens business, a code of behavior, and steps for what happens next if a member violates the rules.

Councilmember Jan Schuette said, Hopefully well never have to refer to it (the ethics code). But at least weve got something in there now, and we didnt before.

Councilmember Mike Hopson said his rule of thumb in meetings and workshop: That you dont interrupt people, dont start calling people names; all that bad stuff that just looks terrible and is really out of line.

Councilmember Jesica Stickles offered whether a no vote on a meeting agenda item should come with an explanation for other officials to better understand the reasoning political or otherwise. Fellow councilmembers thought a directive bumped up against freedom of expression.

Schuette said, Anytime I have voted no on something, I can assure you the councils going to know why I did it.

In other Council actions:

* Approved a request for bidders to replace the City Council Chambers microphone system, which may run up to $30,000 for the related equipments, installation and training. The existing system was installed when the building opened in 2005 and has since become outdated and prone to cutting out, with worn, messy cabling strewn on the floor another challenge . The Information Technology director is recommending a wireless system with 12 new tabletop microphone and charging stations that will integrate with the rooms other existing hardware. Proposals would come in March, with installation and a usable system in place by mid-April.

* Accepted dedication of right-of-way on 180th Street from the SmartCAP building and on 63rd Avenue from the new Dantrawl Fisheries & Industrial Supplies company to put in a trail extending through the business park located east of Arlington Airport.

* Appointed Jan Berg to the Planning Commission. Berg has been involved in municipal government for over 30 years, with eight serving as city administrator Lake Stevens. She was also involved in that citys planning activities including the 20-year comprehensive plan update, two subarea plans and major annexations.

* Approved replacing Arlington Fire Districts Medic #48 unit for $236,000. The 2014 International with just over 100,000 miles was set to be replaced this year. To save $50,000, the district is removing the patient area box off the existing EMS unit, then updating and remounting it on a new chassis.

Read more:
City Council adopts code of ethics they hope they will never need - Marysville Globe

Immerse yourself in the funky art and fun products at House of SHOWFIELDS, a revolutionary new art and retail space in Manhattan. On a special visit with Untapped New York Insiders, you can get a top to bottom look at this innovative new space filled with interactive art installations and pop up shops. At SHOWFIELDS, shoppers dont just get to look at products, they get to experience them.

Photograph Courtesy of SHOWFIELDS

The Insider experience will start at The Loft and Roofdeck on the top floor of SHOWFIELDS four-story building. The loft is an ever-changing space where community programming is held. From art workshops to yoga classes, pop-up concerts to comedy shows, and collaborative branded events, theres always something new to engagewith, learn about, and enjoy. The Loft includes a gorgeous rooftop space overlooking the Noho skyline, currently covered and heated for the winter. After a short mingling session in The Loft, guests on our Insiders tour will dive into House of SHOWFIELDS. After exploring The Loft, guests on our Insiders tour will dive into the House OF SHOWFIELDS (by literally taking a slide).

The loft is an ever-changing space where community programming is held. From art workshops to yoga classes, pop-up concerts to comedy shows, and collaborative branded events, theres always something new to engagewith, learn about, and enjoy. The Loft includes a gorgeous rooftop space overlooking the Noho skyline, currently covered and heated for the winter. After a short mingling session in The Loft, guests on our Insiders tour will dive into House of SHOWFIELDS.

Photograph Courtesy of SHOWFIELDS

A short slide down to the second floor transports you into an immersive theatre experience that bridges art and retail. Here you will get to touch, smell, eat, and test all products and artwork onsite. House of SHOWFIELDS is a self-guided experience, but Insiders will have a personal guide who will share more in-depth knowledge on each art installation. Throughout the experience you will see work by artists like George Skoufas, Roses et Pivoines and Nat Girsberger, among others.

Photograph Courtesy of SHOWFIELDS

Dont forget, SHOWFIELDS is a store, so after you test the products in House of SHOWFIELDS and emerge from the wonderful art installations, you get to shop! The Lab showcases all of the products found within the House of SHOWFIELDS experience. Beyond that, guests can explore two floors of pop up shops from direct-to-consumer brands. The brands at SHOWFIELDS include purveyors of home goods, apparel, tech, fitness, accessories and more. Each brand is set up in its own unique showroom.

If you are an Untapped New York Insider, you can experience the entirety of SHOWFIELDS at one of our special visits with the Showfields team leader on Sunday, February 16th and Sunday, February 23rd. Registration for those experiences opens today at noon!

Book Here

See our full list of Untapped New York Insiders member eventsandour upcoming public tours.

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Slide Down Through the Colorful House of SHOWFIELDS, an Immersive Art Experience - Untapped New York - Untapped New York

THE 21million redevelopment of@colegcambriaYale will transform education in Wrexham.

The Grove Park Road site is due to be finished in July and open this September in time for the 2020/21 academic year.

Improved facilities include a new-look kitchen and restaurant, a sports complex, cutting-edge study spaces, IT suites and a 200-seat conference hall.

Bodelwyddan-based Wynne Construction is ahead of schedule and much of the 96,000 sq ft building has been completed already, including the concrete flooring.

Vertical insulation cladding is in the process of being covered with rain-screen cladding to finish and water-proof external walls, all classroom and office walls are constructed, and electrical and mechanical works are underway.

In the coming weeks a crane will be on-site to lift plant equipment onto the roof, solar panels are to be installed and the new entrance from Chester Road begins taking shape.

Cambria Chief Executive Yana Williams looks forward to unveiling the building and further enhancing the student experience.

The revamped Yale site will impact on learners in Wrexham for generations to come, said Ms Williams.

Coleg Cambria has invested tens of millions in new buildings across north east Wales notably Bersham Road in Wrexham, Deeside Sixth Form Centre and Cambria Business School in Northop and there is more to come at our land-based education campus in Llysfasi, where a rural education hub is under construction.

It is an exciting time for the college, and while the facilities are important this commitment to providing high-quality, modern and innovative study environments shows our students, their families and the local community they are our number one priority.

She added: I am delighted swift progress has been made and the new Yale building will be ready ahead of the next academic year.

Our young people can be inspired and challenged to meet their potential here and progress to the best university courses, apprenticeships and employment. We cant wait to see the completed project and open its doors this September.

Graham Dickson, Contracts Manager at Wynne Construction, confirmed the scheme was progressing well.

The internal partition walls and plaster finishes are nearing completion to the first and second floors and the under-floor heating installation and floor screeds are due to start in the next couple of weeks, he added.

The team has worked very well together on all aspects so far and, overall, the project is on programme and budget.

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21m Coleg Cambria development will transform education in north east Wales - FE News

When attending red-carpet affairs such as award shows and premieres, celebrity realty agents are likely to don Jimmy Choo heels or a Tom Ford tux. Youll spot Yawar Charlie, however, in a traditional Pakistani kurta.

I always try to wear South Asian clothes to represent a part of the world we dont get to see much in a positive light, said the Karachi, Pakistan, native. But making such a bold fashion statement can be too risky when selling pricey homes a dictum that Charlie and his fellow agents with Compass Aaron Kirman Group advise their clients on CNBCs Listing Impossible, which premiered Jan. 15.

On the show, Kirman and crew deliver tough love along with some staggering staging budgets to owners of hot-mess mansions that wont bust out of listings. Those jumbo acrylic animal statues that make a Laguna Niguel home resemble the set for Wild Kingdom? Theyve gotta go along with millions off the asking price.

To sell such untamed listings, Charlie uses active listening skills drawn from his former acting career his grandfather was Indias famed Noor Mohammed Charlie, a pioneer of the Bollywood film industry. The elder star played comic hero roles, and as a fan and mimic of Charlie Chaplin, he took Charlie as his surname and copied Chaplins trademark toothbrush stache.

We chatted with Yawar Charlie from his Carthay Square duplex, shared with husband Jason Miller. Queen Latifah married the pair during the 2014 Grammy telecast, one of 33 couples who tied the knot in a ceremony soundtracked by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Madonna.

Q: Listing Impossible often treads into the ever-juicy realm of homeowners questionable taste. How do you tell sellers that their lousy decor is stalling a sale?

A: I always, always tell sellers, Look, this is not a commentary on how you live, or your taste level, even though it might be, right? I had a client it literally looked like Liberace threw up everywhere. I said, You have to let me do my job. Im going to paint everything beige, and we need to stage this house as simply as possible. We sold it in two days.

Q: Do you think sellers of multimillion-dollar homes easily misjudge the value of their homes, given the myriad emotions that are tied up in such properties?

A: People dont pay attention to negative market trends, right? You only hear the news that you want to hear. Sellers will latch on to some positive news saying, Hey, I had an appraisal from two years ago and its at this. Well, that was two years ago and the market is very different; the market is different than it was three months ago. And were here to tell you that your house is no longer worth that. Its a challenge when you have a seller who feels that they know the market better than you do.

Q: On the show, your client attempts to unload a 6,200-square-foot Lake Hollywood property that has a choppy floor plan and a concrete-laden industrial look. How do you deal?

A: We come in and repackage, relaunch and also retool expectations. We had to warm it up; it was very cold. Its kind of this unicorn in a neighborhood where it doesnt necessarily belong. The lesson learned is when you build your dream home, it may not be everyones dream home.

Q: How can homeowners avoid owning such white elephants for example, avoid fake grass?

A: Astroturf can be beautiful, but you have to get the right kind.

Fixtures, flooring, marble all of it can be beautiful and all of it can be gaudy. I always look at homes as investments and, what is the next person going to see and do here?

Ive had situations where theres $250,000 worth of beautiful marble just installed and the buyer was going to tear it out because it was just not their style.

The bleeding heart in me always feels bad when people, no matter how much money they have, sort of waste it on certain things.

Q: To keep the mojo flowing, an agent on your team cleanses his cellphone with lighted sage, and while driving affirms, I am one contact away from an explosion of success. Whats your go-to ritual?

A: I have a business coach who literally changed my life. She always said, Be happy for other peoples success, because when other people succeed that gives you the permission to succeed. And I do a really wonderful visualization every morning about how I want to see my day go. That puts a smile on my face.

Link:
CNBC's 'Listing Impossible' delivers hard truths to wayward homeowners - The Union Leader

As the ProAV sector gears up for ISE 2020, opening its doors on February 11, 2020, heres a review of what Futuresource sees as the key trends and technologies likely to emerge from the worlds largest exhibition for AV and systems integration professionals.

Brought to you by the professional AV team at Futuresource, this pre-show roundup will help you navigate the technology landscape. With more than 80,000 attendees expected from across the globe, and more than 1,300 exhibitors, theres a lot to take in. If you need any further guidance, the Futuresource team will be on hand throughout the event to ensure you get the best possible experience.

As smart buildings gain traction, we should see companies on the show floor depicting the transformation from todays open-plan offices into working environments that integrate smart technology to enhance and improve the office experience. Look out for a change of emphasis, from simple lighting and heating control to promoting increased wellbeing and improved workplace productivity.

Meeting room booking systems that integrate more succinctly into building management systems (BMS), immersive audio, voice and gesture control, and products using 5G and Wi-Fi 6 are all solutions that Futuresource expects to be featured across the show floor. Watch out for a continued shift from dedicated hardware into software-based solutions, as PC processing power becomes more affordable.

Theres no doubt that data will be at the forefront of pro AV industry growth moving forward, and this will be reflected on the show floor. Whether thats through digital experience platforms (DXP) in signage, AVMS in corporate environments or less complex analytics tools tailored towards education. Companies will be demonstrating analytics that offers the potential for end-users to gain far greater value from their AV investment, helping them to design cost-saving and resource-efficient initiatives. Buy-in to signage platforms, whether integrated into display solutions or not, also raises the potential to lock customers into respective ecosystems, providing a new way for AV brands to foster customer loyalty.

As tier-two vendors and players from other sectors enter the video and control market, Futuresource expects to see launches of more mid-range products from the tier-one vendors. Alongside this, visitors should also see more vendors launching low bandwidth codecs like HEVC and AVB.

Looking to AV over IP, Futuresource anticipates more vendors announcing that they have joined the Software Defined Video over Ethernet (SDVoE) Alliance or Dantes AV Alliance. There could also be an Application Specified Integrated Circuit (ASIC) from the SDVOE, with examples integrated into projectors, wall plates and other equipment. Cloud-based room control systems are also likely to be a hot product at the show.

The corporate space is being dominated by two mounting trends: collaboration and connectivity. Ecosystems and their interoperability will be a key focus at ISE 2020, as will further launches of solutions offering these features.

Many of the interactive display brands that have spent the last week at Bett, the international education show in London, will switch their focus to show their corporate displays range at ISE. Due to the close proximity of the two events, some have chosen ISE over Bett, so expect to see more than two dozen brands exhibiting interactive flat panel displays (IFPDs) at the show. Fleshing out the features has been a core trend for IFPDs in recent years, primarily concentrating on the integration of collaboration tools like cameras, high-quality audio conferencing and wireless presentation. Futuresource expects this trend to continue, with more vendors incorporating sensors into the displays, as meeting room analytics becomes an increasingly hot topic for the AV industry.

Expect the worlds leading front projector brands to focus on flexibility at ISE 2020. Mapped installations will envelop the show-floor, astounding visitors and demonstrating projections creative potential. Watch out for the increased availability of high-bright and 4K solutions in the high-end, while solid-state and connectivity will be a focus in the lower-end. Advances in ultra-short throw and laser projection techniques will also be on display.

Its projections ability to sit across a range of verticals, from education to signage, that will be evident, as the industry underlines its continued relevance and attempts to fight off competition from LCD, OLED and LED.

The rapid growth in direct view LED walls will continue to spread across the show floor. However, this year there will be a strong focus on sub-1mm displays, with a host of vendors expected to show 0.9-millimeter, 0.7-millimeter and even 0.5-millimeter options. Yet, confusion surrounding the underlying technology will still abound, as vendor marketing materials reference MiniLED, MicroLED, X-in-1 and, to a lesser extent, COB. Visitors may also see improvements to contrast ratio, showcasing HDR content, as advances could be used for more precisely controlled backlighting.

Beyond pixel pitch, Futuresource expects to see more all-in-one solutions from vendors, targeting presentation spaces with high-resolution walls. This will reflect the growing awareness and sales performance from this segment in the last 12 months. Closely linked to both these topics, there will be conversations around improved durability, which is a much-needed feature. Also, in a world that has been so heavily focused on standardization to drive volume, watch out for creative solutions, particularly flexible and transparent LED.

8K resolutions are expected to be the focus for many flat-panel vendors. Still very much in its infancy for professional displays, 8K is becoming a key demonstration technology, highlighting applications where the extra detail could be appreciated and needed. In addition, Futuresource expects analytics for both signage and presentation spaces to take center stage. On the signage side, analytics are become ever-more essential, as advertisers explore ways to target visitors with tailored messages, rather than off-the-peg messaging, which often fails to connect.

For LCD video walls, visitors will see a continued focus on very small bezels. More vendors are expected to show the latest generation of Razor Narrow Bezels (RNB), where images are less obscured by the join. This will become more important, as LCD tries to impede the advances of Narrow Pixel Pitch LED products, emphasizing its economical appeal when compared with the very expensive NPP product.

Large-format displays have the potential to migrate from commercial to residential installations, though still many years away. However, this illustrates the beginnings of ambient intelligence and screens that can blend into the environment. Expect to see new display technologies that include live projection mapping and blending. Volumetric display and point-cloud capture techniques may also be showcased during the event.

ISE 2020 could be the best year yet for audio, with installed live sound targeted at theatres, stadiums and other venue spaces a key feature during the show. Be prepared for a buzz around the opportunities in small venues, auditoria, lecture theatres and corporate event rental.

In commercial audio, new and existing surface mount and ceiling speakers will continue to play an important role, riding the wave of retail refurbishment, hotel installs and large PA and background music projects. The show will also be important for brands aiming for the vast quantity of small businesses, bars and cafes that need the right balance between usability and sound quality. Watch out for the continued overlap of residential brands and the potential for consumer brands to impact this market.

In the workplace collaboration space, expect innovations attuned to the video conferencing trend and the frequent discussion of DSP systems and networking. While audio, visual and IT will all combine to form integrated offerings.

Watch out for new hybrid lighting fixtures and laser-based offerings in the moving head professional lighting and console sector. Higher output Lamps and LED-based fixtures will be on display, along with more high-end fixtures, with an MRSP above $6K, as this segment becomes more competitive.

Futuresource also expects a focus on more output with less power, in terms of lumens per watt, and a wider offering of IP rated fixtures for use outdoors and in dusty or damp environments. There could also be more integration of moving head pro lighting with LED walls and projection.

Futuresource is here.

Excerpt from:
Heres the Major Tech Youll See at ISE 2020 - rAVe [PUBS]

Laurence Kemball-Cook is not your typical entrepreneur. Described by The Daily Telegraph as a boy genius, last month he got Prime Minister Boris Johnson to jump up and down on his award-winning flooring and the image immediately went viral.

His company Pavegen has wonthe backing of the richest men in the UK, the Hinduja brother, and his technology will be used in the creation of $7.5bn Bleutech Park in Las Vegas, billed as the worlds firstenergy-efficient mini-city.

Our vision is to cover every single city in the world with our technology, said Kemball-Cook.

Our involvement with Bleutech Park will be instrumental because it will get us to a point where we can mass produce our kinetic energy tiles.

A keen mountain climber, Kemball-Cooks green credentials are evidencedfurtherby the fact that he lives in an eco-sustainable house boat in London and even has a pet duck called Billy.

His story begins after graduating from Loughborough University with a degree in Industrial Design and Technology. He joined E.ON and worked on a sustainable street lighting project but it didnt work out.

Undeterred, the entrepreneur founded Pavegen in 2009 and - five years of research later - invented a floor system that instantly converted kinetic energy from footfall into off-grid electricity, data and rewards.

Today Pavegen has installed over 200 permanent and experiential projects in 36 countries but the most memorable one remains the first.

Kembell-Cook broke into a building site in Londons South Bank and installed his first ever prototype in the concrete floor. As people walked over the floor they created energy and it was enough to convince a company called Westfield to place a 200,000 order.

The rest, as they say, is history. Today Pavegen has grown to 50 staff and Kembell-Cook has worked with iconic companies including Adidas, Coca-Cola, Google, Heathrow, Lexus, Samsung and Shell.

Recent installations have included smart city developments, retail destinations, sports stadia and education establishments in Hong Kong, India, Korea, Thailand, UK and USA. Clients include Abu Dhabi International Airport, Google and Siemens.

Highlights have included creating the worlds largest energy harvesting floor with Google to launch the companys new flagship smartphone in Berlin and powering a building in Hong Kong by a running track that surrounds it.

According to their website the technology works like this. Each footstep on a Pavegen walkway generates between two and four joules of off-grid electrical energy or around five watts of power for the duration of the footstep. Bluetooth beacons in the system connect to smartphones, rewarding users for their steps and generating permission-based analytics.

Pavegen is still a sub 5m revenue company but its founder is thinking big. His vision is simple. He wants people who walk into work in the morning to power the lights on the way home.

Kembell-Cook says programmes like Blue Planet with Sir Richard Attenborough and the work of teenage environmentalist Greta Thunberg have made sustainability real and a priority.

Away from Pavegen, Kemball-Cook is a regular keynote speaker on technology and entrepreneurship, speaking all over the world including at CES, the RSA, London Tech Week, GITEX and the Conservative Party Conference.

The entrepreneur is passionate about smart cities but says they should be created with people in mind and not machines.

Kembell-Cook is one of 12 speakers taking in BusinessClouds SmartTech conference on February 12. The other speakers include James Backhouse, CEO of Skarp; Niko Kavakiotis, head of building performance and sustainability at Siemens Building Technologies; and Dawn Embry, director of strategy and performance at Mobica.

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News Meet the man changing the world - a step at a time Entreprenuer Laurence Kemball-Cook - BusinessCloud

Running cabling in a few inches of space between trains and tunnels. Smashing apart rooms to rebuild fireproof walls. Drilling holes through foot-thick floors for cooling. Setting networking equipment on fire to see how it drips. This is how engineers at Canada Water station have spent the past few months, in a race to install 4G on the London Underground for the first time and meet a tight political deadline.

It's the lament of the spoiled Londoner that there's no mobile connection on the Underground, as though it's perfectly reasonable to expect 4G service under the Thames in a tunnel that's part of a 157-year-old train network.

But Moscow, Seoul and Toyko have connected commutes, so why can't we? The difference between those networks and our own is tunnel size. It's not easy or cheap to install 4G networks in the space of a few inches, and that's only the first of plenty of hurdles facing Transport for London (TfL) engineers and contractor Installation Technology who are trying to bring mobile connections to the Underground for the first time.

"We've been working on the idea for the better part of ten years now with no solution," says Shashi Verma, chief technology officer for TfL. So what changed? The Home Office needed a new Emergency Services Network (ESN) and money suddenly appeared. Now, the systems for ESN and commercial 4G are being trialled in parallel in a project covering the tunnels and platforms from Westminster to just beyond North Greenwich, as well as most of the station areas.

If all goes to plan, the system will go live in March, giving commuters connectivity in tunnels underground along that stretch of the Jubilee line. And if you look closely, you'll be able to see where it comes from.

Between stations of the Jubilee line, in the inches-wide gap between the train window and the wall, try to spot the black cables running along the tunnels. These are called "leaky feeders" and they are seeping radio connectivity into the tunnels, in the same way as a water pipe that's been methodically slashed would spray at intervals.

At the core of the cables is a copper wire, but the casing that normally protects the radio waves has regular apertures to passively leak out the signal.

"It's a fairly basic technology that's very low maintenance," says Martin Osborne, Head of Mobile Infrastructure Delivery at TfL. "We've been running systems using leaky feeder for 20 years."

Two leaky feeder cables have been installed: one for the commercial service and a second for the Home Office's emergency network. They join a leaky feeder cable already in place, used for drivers' radios and all three need to squeeze into the few spare inches between the tunnel wall and the trains hurtling by, without interfering with each other's signal.

To manage that, engineers used lasers to scan tunnels and 3D imaging to virtually install the cables, to see if it fit alongside trains - and discovered that they could risk placing them as close as 100mm away from each other without interference.

The team running thick cable from 500-metre drums in the dead of night when the tube isn't running have an even bigger problem to contend with: they might have connectivity, but it's not strong enough for anyone to really be able to use it.

Higher frequencies are faster and have more bandwidth, but need to be helped along by repeaters. While the emergency network happily operates at 800MHz via the leaky feeder alone, the signal strength is nowhere near enough for anyone on the train to use 4G.

TfL has built a hidden room with massive boxes of high-powered radio equipment, like a home router at a massive scale. That sends the data via a hub to convert the radio signal to optical, letting it hop onto a fibre line that also runs through the tunnels; look for the thinner, bright yellow cable along the walls. On the platforms, there are high-powered directional radios pointing into the tunnels, as well as low-power units above commuters heads, both of which connect to fibre and on to operators networks.

TfL has installed 4G server rooms to guarantee coverage in tunnels

TfL

The aim is that if you're on the train, your phone won't switch between systems, but if you emerge and head up escalators to the ticket hall, then you'll move onto a local network. "All we're doing is taking the signal from mobile operators and putting it through various different antennas and broadcasting it out across the tunnels and into the stations," says Osborne.

The eight stations in the trial are served by a "base station hotel" a mini data centre for each of the four main 4G operators to keep their own separate equipment at Canada Water station.

For the wider network, one will be needed every 15 kilometers or so, meaning as many as ten will be required. Here at Canada Water, EE has its own hotel in a nondescript room along the bus station, while the other three are setting up shop in a long corridor a few levels underground; as of our visit, only Vodafone and EE had installed equipment with weeks to go until launch.

All that may sound complex, but the system is straightforward to network specialists, who are using equipment bought off the shelf. "The challenge for us is doing it in a very difficult environment, underground, which is noisy, dirty, old and has no space," says Osborne. And that's spurred the design, with passive equipment such as leaky feeders used in locations where maintenance is a challenge, because no-one wants to have to do this work again.

To get fibre in, the pavement was ripped up. To install cooling in the other areas below ground, fist-sized holes were drilled through the concrete flooring.

On a tour of the station, one of the engineers took visitors down a bright hallway in the hidden side of Canada Water station, slipping a key into a lock at the end. "We won't all fit in," he joked, pulling the door open to reveal not another hallway or room, but the equivalent of a broadband cabinet. For fire-safety, TfL had to build a foot-wide structure out of breeze-block to house a dozen cables plugged into ports.

EE's data hotel looks like any server room, with rows of racks filled with networking equipment. But it needed a new wall for fire containment and its networking kit needed to be fire tested. That means it was taken to a lab and lit on fire, to see how material would drip from it important information for equipment installed over people's heads.

Fire isn't the only challenge. The Jubilee line is the newest part of the tube, but it still dates to 1998. Requirements were different then, so the network doesn't have enough power supply for all this additional equipment. Plus, the extra equipment gives off heat, meaning even more power is needed for cooling. To make it work, new power feeds had to be run from a local substation not easy when external permission from local residents is required and energy savings had to be found across other systems.

The installation team is already keeping an eye on temperatures outside the remit of the trial. Further down the line, trains often wait in tunnels outside Green Park station; because of the stop, trains pull hot air with them and leave some of it behind. One engineer said that spot is being monitored to see the temperature impact from a few radio boxes several stations away.

The heating and power would be less of an issue if the mobile operators were willing to upgrade their equipment to low-power alternatives. Had this project waited three years, that shift would likely already have happened, Osborne says.

But as this is only a trial, it's difficult to demand operators invest in new equipment. For the full rollout, there are hopes that operators choose or are forced to upgrade to low-power kit. "We hopefully be using [this trial] as a lever to try to encourage the industry to move to low-power solutions," Osborne says. However, the arrival of 5G will only exacerbate the heating and power woes, as higher frequency equipment demands more energy and more antennas.

For now, commuters will have to make do with 4G. Progress may feel slow, but the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has lit a fire under this project. Last year, the mayor's office got in touch with Verma. "We were told in no uncertain terms you have to build something," he said, referencing the 4G rollout.

While it may have pushed the project forward, the attention from on high means added pressure. "It has been very difficult and very challenging, especially in terms of time," he told the assembled installation team, gathered together to receive a safety award. One engineer told us the time pressure was the one part of the project he would have liked to have done differently.

The mad rush to finish this trial in March may have something to do with the mayoral election in May. But of course, Khan's pressure isn't the only reason this rollout is happening. Alongside the emergency network, there are plans to hand the system to a commercial supplier to implement, selling access to the mobile operators and bringing in much needed revenue to TfL. And, for Verma, there's a further motivation.

"Delivering a train service is kind of taken for granted," he said. "Our ability to delight people is very limited." Putting Wi-Fi into the stations ahead of the 2012 Olympics did just that, Verma says. He hopes that this new feat of engineering will be enough to spark a similar effect.

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Inside the messy mission to bring 4G to the London Underground - Wired.co.uk

As easy as it is to add a second Amazon Echo smart speaker to your home network and Alexa app, it's as easy to add even more.

At its simplest, this means you can speak to the Alexa assistant from more places in the home, but there's much more you can do with multiple Echo speakers. Here is a look at what else you and your smart home can now do.

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Stereo Pairing

First up, we're going to assume you have two Echo speakers in the same room and want to increase the breadth of their soundstage by turning them into a stereo pair. This means one Echo handles the left channel of a music track, and the other looks after the right channel, creating a broader, more dynamic sound.

Stereo Pairing works with all Echo speakers from the second-generation Echo Plus and third-generation Echo Dot onwards, as well as the latest third-generation regular Echo, and new Echo Studio.

So long as you have a pair of the same Echo speakers (two Echo Dots, or two Echo Studios, for example) you can create a stereo pair. To do this, follow these instructions:

On the next screen you'll be asked to confirm which two Echo speakers you want to pair together. Remember, these need to be the same type of Echo speaker.

Three Echo Dots make a home-wide sound system for $150Amazon

You then need to tell the app which Echo speaker is left and which is right. The app doesn't let you play a sound to identify each speaker (which can be confusing if they both look the same and you've forgotten which is which), but you can easily swap them later if you get it wrong.

Tap Next after you have picked the two speakers, and the setup is complete. Now you will see this newly created stereo pair under your list of Speaker Groups in the Alexa app. When speaking to these Echos, Alexa will only reply out of whichever is closest to you.

Home Theatre and Surround Sound

Expanding on this concept, multiple Echo speakers can also be used to create a surround sound system for your Amazon Fire TV device.

We've explained this in greater detail here, but in short the feature lets you pair up to four Echo speakers and the Echo Sub to create a home cinema system.

You can add two or four Echos (as long as they are all the same) and the Sub is optional. Using the new Echo Studio also opens the door to Dolby Atmos, with the speakers firing sound upwards and bouncing it off the ceiling to add depth to whatever you are watching.

Music in multiple rooms

Setting up a multi-room speaker group with AlexaGearBrain

The Alexa app makes it easy to name each Echo then assign them to a room or floor in your home. This means you can ask the assistant to play music "in the kitchen" or "upstairs", no matter which Echo you ask.

You can also ask Alexa to play music everywhere, so the same track will play, perfectly synchronized, through all the Echo speakers on your network. This is great way to create a Sonos-like sound system on a budget (since a set of two Echo Dots currently costs $60.)

What's more, you can ask Alexa to play from different sound sources on each Echo. That way, one person can play a radio station from TuneIn in the kitchen, while someone else has their favorite Spotify playlist on in the living room.

There are a couple of down sides here though, as third-party Alexa speakers like those from Sonos cannot be added to an Alexa multi-room setup, as the feature is exclusive to Echo products.

By default, you cannot play different music from the same source in different rooms. But, this is possible if you pay $14.99 a month for an Amazon Music Unlimited family plan. This gives you access to 50 million songs and the ability to create up to six user accounts.

Once set up, you can play different tracks through up to six different Echo speakers in the same home.

To set up a multi-room music group of Echo speakers, follow these instructions:

Here, you will be asked to name the new group (such as Living Room, Downstairs or Everywhere). Then tap on the speakers you want to include in the group, and tap Save.

Now, you can say to any Echo speaker in the home: "Alexa, play [artist name] everywhere" and every Echo will be brought to life.

Create a home intercom system

Echo speakers show a green light when being dropped in onGearBrain

With two or more Echo speakers in your home, you can create an intercom system. Once set up, you can say to one Echo: "Alexa, drop in on the living room," and a two-way audio connection is established between the two Echos, meaning people in the two rooms can talk to each other.

We have previously written about how to get started with Alexa Drop In here.

This feature may only have limited uses for some, but it's a handy way to drop in on the kitchen to see if dinner is ready, or for getting the kids to come downstairs.

When an Echo is being dropped in on, its light pulses green to let you know someone elsewhere in the house is listening.

Broadcast messages across the home

Similar to drop-in, this feature lets you broadcast recorded messages to every Echo in the home, but without listening in through their microphones. All you have to do is say: "Alexa, broadcast [message]," and Alexa will play your message to every other Echo. Instead of "broadcast," you can also say "announce".

Read more from the original source:
The benefits of installing multiple Amazon Echos in your smart home - Gearbrain

Whether you have a large or small home, room and house additions are invaluable investments. Along with expanding your available storage and living space, adding rooms withfeatures that are desirable to home buyerscan increase the value of your home. But before you start adding an addition to your home, here are a few things to keep in mind:

The first part of planning a home addition is finding inspiration. Below are some home addition ideas that can help inspire your next home improvement project!

One of the biggest home addition projects is adding a second story. While this major addition can cost anywhere between$90,000-$200,000, it does add significant square footage and resale value to your home. Work with a builder or architect to make sure your homes structure and foundation can handle the additional weight!

Creating abonus roomor apartment over a garage is a great way to add extra square footage without turning your home into a mess. With the foundation of the garage already in place, all you need are walls and a roof. Once its finished, you can rent it out or use it as a guest bedroom. Keep in mind that certain additions like a new roof, Type X fireproof drywall, and vapor barriers will be more expensive than other home addition projects. Costs typically average around$35per square foot when building a bonus over-the-garage room.

A modular addition is a pre-fabricated room that can be added onto the exterior of the house to create a second story, and theyre popular home expansion projects for single-story buildings like ranch homes. These additions run10-20%cheaper than conventional additions and can be made off-site, saving you from living in a constant construction zone. Costs vary between$80-$200per square foot, depending on the size of the addition and where it goes.

Dormers not only expand your attic and provide much needed light, but they also add major curb appeal and make your home look larger. Some homeowners choose to installDIY dormersto increase their attic ceiling space. A DIY project will run about$1,800, while professional installation can cost anywhere between$2,500-$20,000.

Finishing your basementincreases the livable square footage in your home, and it gives you an additional space you can use for a small apartment, a home theater, or an entertainment room. The average cost to finish a basement is between$6,500-$18,500with a return on investment around69%. Just be sure you include emergency windows or a backyard walkout if you plan to use a basement space for bedrooms.

Remodeling your kitcheneven on a minor scalecan provide a great return on investment. Expand your kitchens square footage by turning a flex space or bump-out addition into a walk-in pantry or breakfast nook. Kitchen remodel projects can cost between$12,000-$21,000and recoup almost93%of the cost at resale. Check out thesekitchen remodeling ideasfor more inspiration!

Increasing bathroom square footage can greatly increase the value of your home. Similar to a kitchen addition,bathroom projectshave an ROI of up to62%. Costs start around$3,000for a bathroom upgrade or expansion and can go up to$25,000for a full-on addition. Looking for bathroom addition ideas? Try extending your master bathroom to include space for a soaking tub or dual sinks. Or add a half-bath in an underutilized small space like under the stairs, a closet, an attic bonus room, or a basement.

While many homes have entryways, an entire mudroom addition is a handy way to keep shoes, coats, and backpacks all organized in one space. Installing wall hooks, built-in cabinets, lockers, or cubbies during the remodel adds both additional storage and visual appeal. Mudroom additions can cost anywhere from$400for a minor project in an existing room to$25,000for a total addition.

If you love spending time on your front porch, enclose it and turn it into a sunroom! In order for your porch to be considered livable square footage, it needs to have heating and be accessible from the house. Make your sunroom addition feel like a second living room with lamps, comfortable furniture, and plenty of seating. If you live in a state with extreme winters, you may need to consult an architect or builder to make sure the roof and walls are strong enough to support heavy snow. The cost to add a sunroom varies from$15,000-$22,000with a50%return on investment.

Enclosing a back patio can create a cozyoutdoor living room! This home addition project can be quite extensiveespecially if you extend your roofso make sure you enlist the help of builders or contractors. Like a sunroom, a patio must be enclosed and accessible from the house in order to count toward livable square footage. Back patio enclosures typically run between$8,375-$24,305.

Cantileveredhouse bump outsare small extensions (or micro-additions) of rooms that can be considered extra square footage. Bump-out additions can be as small as two feet and as large as 10-15 feet. Because bump outs do not require a roof or foundation work, the cost of bump-out additions can be15-30%less than a conventional addition. Some bump-out ideas for small rooms include creating a window nook in a living room, building a walk-in closet, adding a space for a bathtub in a bathroom, or increasing the space of a kitchen to allow for counter space.

As far as home addition projects go, an attic has unlimited potential! The only square footage stipulations that must be followed are at least half of the ceiling must reach seven feet, and the attic must connect to a stairway. Once these requirements are met, you can take advantage of that extra square footage and turn it into a bedroom, home gym, art studio, or office. Converting an attic into livable space can recover as much as53%of the value!

If youre looking for a creative home addition idea, consider the garage! An attached garage can only be considered additional square footage if you dont use it as a garage. Instead, consider turning your garage into a gym, art studio, guest bedroom, or craft room! The average cost of making a garage into a room addition project is around$11,065with up to an80%return on investment.

Is your current laundry area small? Expand it and get more square footage! Second-floor laundry rooms are ahighly desired unique home feature, so moving your laundry room from a basement or first level to an upstairs addition can be a worthwhile investment. If youre feeling ambitious, tackle the project yourself using thisDIY tutorialfrom The Family Handyman.

Knowing which home additions increase home resale value and square footage can help you make good investments in your home that will last for years. Looking for other creative ways to improve your home? Check out thesehome remodeling ideasfor more inspiration!

***

Need to store furniture while youre remodeling your home? Extra Space Storage has easily accessible storage locations throughout the U.S.Find a storage unit near you!

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14 Home Addition Ideas for Increasing Square Footage ...

Last year, homeowners spent nearly $19 billion on home improvements, reports Scarborough, a consumer trend research group. If you're thinking about joining this club by building a garage addition to your home, there are a few important things to consider. These tips will get you started in the right direction before you start hammering nails or calling contractors.

Before you do anything else, find out what the zoning laws are in your area. They will state such things as where a garage can be located on your property and the size limitations. They will also specify any special requirements such as roofing materials and drainage considerations. Based on the zoning information, you'll know whether you can even build a garage on your lot and what types are allowable.

The Housing Forum recommends an attached garage if you just need something in which to park your cars. This is a less expensive option because one wall will already be in place. A detached garage would be the choice in which to have a workshop where you want to shield the house from the noise of power tools.

If you're planning on a single-car garage, House Logic says to start with a 14 feet by 20 feet addition. For a two-car garage, go 20 feet by 24 feet. This will just let you get your cars in and open the doors. If you want additional space for storage or a workbench, you'll want to add 6 or 8 feet.

If you already have a carport and are planning on an attached garage, your existing driveway may be sufficient. If not, for a single car garage, you'll need to plan on a 10 feet wide driveway from the garage door to the street. If there are obstacles, such as trees or a wall on either side, you may want a 14 feet wide driveway to make sure the car doors clear the obstacles when opened.

For a two-car garage, you'll want a 20 feet to 24 feet wide driveway. If you need space to turn the car around so you can pull forward out into a busy street, you'll need to plan on a 10 feet wide by 12 feet deep space right in front of the garage.

You'll want to make the garage look like a part of the house and not detract from it. An attached garage placed with the doors opening to the side with some windows in the front looks like just another room addition. This will likely increase your driveway expense since it may not be a direct line into the garage.

If the doors must face front, consider using two one-car doors for better eye appeal. Blend the roof overhang into your house's roof, too, for continuity.

The prices can vary greatly based on the location in the U.S., the materials and extras you add such as a floor drain, extra electrical outlets or built-in shelves. For planning purposes, the Housing Forum suggests using $40 to $50 per square foot for a basic construction. This makes an average one-car garage run $9,600 to $12,000 and a two-car garage $15,200 to $19,000.

To build a garage yourself, you'll need to know the zoning laws and codes inside and out. You can check with a commercial construction equipment company such as Neff Rental to see what the costs are for trenchers and backhoes. You'll have to work with the concrete companies to poor the footings just right. But unless you're a licensed plumber and electrician, you'll need someone to come in and do that work, or inspect it, to make sure it meets the city's codes. There are many pieces to stay on top of.

People with a contracting background may choose the DIY route, but the next best thing is to be an educated consumer. Do your homework first, says the Garage Plan Shop, and you can oversee the contractor's work and make sure that the costs are staying in line with your own budget.

Take a moment to stop and think about your garage addition and if you will have any living spaces above the garage which is very common. Maybe this will become a new rec room, tv room or playroom.Will you need to invest in additional construction steps,hardwood flooringany other architectural details to make this room complete? The good news is, once your garage is complete, if you aren't quite ready to tackle another living space, install a nice interior door and get to it when your schedule, and budget allows.

Creative Commons image by sheilaq6931

Originally posted here:
Things to Consider Before Planning a Garage Addition