An ounce of prevention
I was born in the late 1950s, just when vaccines were being developed for a number of diseases we hardly ever hear of now. The Salk polio vaccine came out […]
Insights
The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know
“The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.” Who first made this observation? Many attribute it to Aristotle, others to Einstein. Anyone who studies any subject in […]
Living well in middle age
While I’m not a fan of new year’s resolutions, I do think it’s helpful to set priorities for the coming year. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about Deborah Copaken’s […]
Deicing salts
Every December I try to remember why I ever left California. Last week Minnesota had a series of snowstorms, followed by subzero (Fahrenheit) temperatures. When it’s really cold, the snow […]
The power of an apology
A couple of months into a new job, I was struggling to get things under control. On the “L”, I checked my phone to see what fire I’d be putting […]
Ranked choice voting
Earlier this month we had municipal elections in Minneapolis. Although I have sometimes voted early or by mail, I prefer voting in person on election day. It helps that my […]
Technical writing through the looking glass
In teaching technical writing, I often quote Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. That may seem strange until you realize that Charles Dodge, who […]
The good, the bad, and the ugly
Sampling may be part of a forensic investigation. As we’ve discussed in previous blogs, it isn’t practical to obtain enough concrete cores for a proper statistical representation. Most owners don’t […]
ASTM C595 Type IL cement
In 2012, ASTM C595 and AASHTO M240 began to include Type IL cement, which contains 5 to 15% ground limestone. In the past few years Type IL cement has become […]
Diagnosing ASR
Alkali-silica reaction is a common deterioration mechanism in concrete. Some silicate minerals in aggregates react with hydroxide ions in concrete pore water, forming a gel that imbibes water and swells. […]