Author: Peggy Smedley

Wearable and hearable devices have grown significantly in the past decade. In fact, just from 2021 to 2022, the growth rate was 41.51% and it is anticipated to rise another 18% compound annual growth rate through 2026. Still, challenges remain such as energy density and charging capabilities—and many tech companies and manufacturers are working to solve existing hurdles in this market. Li-on (lithium-ion) microbattery has limitations that prevent product manufacturers from meeting demand for new features and better charging capabilities. Recently I discovered a company called, Ensurge Micropower that hopes to be at the forefront of solving this problem with…

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The skilled labor shortage continues to be an ongoing challenge at most construction companies—something many are actively trying to solve. In fact, the National Assn. for Business Economics has found roughly 57% reported skilled labor shortages at the beginning of last year. Like many organizations, it is looking to provide resources to help. To help better identify the construction job landscape—and the opportunities that exist for skilled trades—Today’s Homeowner takes a look at the average pay for 10 jobs, their expected growth, and the places that are hot spots for skilled trade opportunities. As I have been saying for years,…

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We are facing a host of climate challenges here in the United States—and across the globe, for that matter. For instance, different places in the United Kingdom openly report they are missing the mark. I recently had an opportunity to gain a better understanding of what is transpiring in the United Kingdom from Chris Stark, chief executive, Climate Change Committee. He stresses last year was the hottest year on record for the United Kingdom. “We also have droughts,” he says. “We have wildfires in this country. We have winter storms. All sorts of impacts are playing out. I think, for…

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Supply chains, in general, are very complex—supply chains for automotive are another level of complexity altogether. In addition to all the components that go into a vehicle, it also stays in the field a lot longer, which means it has a long product lifecycle. The problem is when complexity is high, this leaves room for bad actors to come in and exploit it. This is exactly the conversation I was having recently with Henry Bzeih, global industry lead for automotive, mobility, and transportation, Microsoft, and Kaivan Karimi, global partner strategy leader, automotive, mobility, and transportation, Microsoft, on The Peggy Smedley…

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Everyone keeps talking about the net-zero goals set forth for the next decade—but what will that truly look like in 2035? One new report aims to identify what a reliable, resilient, decarbonized electricity supply system could reveal by that time—and perhaps more importantly the steps we will need to take to even get there. The report, “Delivering a Reliable Decarbonised Power System,” from Climate Change Committee, uses real weather data and hourly analysis of Great Britain’s power system. In the hopes of helping us all learn together, let’s see what these folks have uncovered. Let my first salvo be that…

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As of January 2023, one in 20 construction jobs were unfilled. The labor shortage is a discussion that was being had far before the words COVID-19 became a common household phrase. Still, the pandemic caused hiring to stagnant. Since that time, the industry has slowly began to recover jobs lost in the early months of 2020, according to analysis from Marcum LLP, but it is still slow going—and the pace of hiring certainly would be seeing a more rapid pace if not for the construction labor shortages. I know I am preaching to the choir, but this is a big…

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We are seeing the rise of cloud services, 5G, and the IoT (Internet of Things), which is changing the way media and telecom companies conduct business. Add in the intense desire to be more sustainable and we have the perfect recipe for businesses to transition legacy businesses. This is something that Scott Campbell, industry executive advisor, SAP, sees and experiences every day. Many of the customers he works with have been using SAP for a very long time. “We have had to move their businesses forward to enable them to handle 5G and Internet of Things and all these new…

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If you know me, then you know I have a passion for saving lives on our roadways and building strong, resilient infrastructure that can serve the needs of all citizens, which is why my interest was piqued when I heard about Bicyclist & Pedestrian Counts, which is part of a larger program, right here in my hometown of Columbia, S.C. To start, let me share with you a little bit of background about this program. The city of Columbia had an objective to study and plan for the movement of bicyclists and pedestrians as part of the Walk Bike Columbia…

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Digital twins offer many benefits to construction companies: data-driven decisions, more streamlined project delivery, money and time saved, better quality, and the list goes on and on. But as any die-hard construction professional knows this also comes with challenges. “The problem is one of the obstacles to model-based digital delivery from the creation of a construction digital twin for bidding through execution is the way the civil design models come in aren’t often complete,” says Rich Humphrey, vice president of product management, Bentley Systems. “Sometimes they get completed through CAD. Sometimes you have to integrate the models together.” Civil construction…

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Cyberattacks are on the rise, as threat actors become more creative, geopolitical conflicts rise, and supply-chain disruptions continue to surge. At the same time, security teams are tasked with siphoning through a massive amount of raw data to uncover true threats. As the challenges continue to mount, this is causing general fatigue among security teams, as they continue to face all the cybersecurity and ransomware attacks thrown at them. This is where a third party can cut through all that noise and find the true threats quickly. I recently had an opportunity to sit down with Ryan Throop, executive consultant…

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