Archives 2015

According to a March 16 Forbes article, forklifts have been excluded from “smart” technologies for as long as they’ve been in use. These machines rely entirely on an operator’s control and input, and aren’t connected to any networks.

As part of the “Internet of Things” — a term used to describe the eventual network connectivity and intelligence virtually every object will have in the future — the “smart” forklift will be equipped with diagnostics that send out signals when it needs servicing, speed controls, anti-slip technology, collision detection and much more.

Smart forklifts, which are already in use today, are also able to raise and lower their forks much faster than would safely be possible if a human were operating the vehicle, and the forklift can even detect the height of the pallet being picked.

In addition to becoming smarter, forklifts are becoming more efficient. According to ferret.com.au, changes to the AC operating systems within electric forklift units are making them significantly more efficient, extending the lifespans of forklift batteries and reducing their carbon footprint.

Despite the fact that these smart forklifts are currently in use, they’re far from being a common implementation at warehouses, Forbes reports. The majority of warehouse control systems and architectures still need to be adjusted and re-conceptualized to enable optimum warehouse performance with the use of smart forklifts.

Even so, it might be sooner than you think before you see a smart forklift moving along the aisles of your warehouse.

Just last year, Maryland added an additional 73 megawatts (MW) to its solar electric capacity, bringing the state’s total to a whopping 215 MW. That’s enough affordable and sustainable energy to power almost 25,000 average homes. While the report focused on Maryland’s flourishing residential solar power market, the state also experienced an increase in commercial solar system installations.

Of the 73 MW of solar electric capacity added last year, 40 MW were residential while the remaining 33 MW were commercial. Combined, these installations represent a staggering $221 million investment across the the state of Maryland, which is a 95% increase from the previous year.

“To put the state’s solar growth in some context, the 215 MW of solar PV installed today in Maryland is nearly as much as the entire country had installed by 2005. And frankly, the state is just scratching the surface of its enormous potential,” explained Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “Looking forward, we expect 2015 to be another good year for new PV installations across the state, with growth topping 100 percent.”

Maryland’s thriving solar power market has also expanded into the higher education sector. Recently, the University of Maryland announced plans to install roughly 7,000 solar panels — enough to power over 218 average U.S. homes for an entire year — on the roof tops of three parking garages by December 2016, according to university officials. This would bring more clean, sustainable energy to the campus.

The New York Post reports that the suit accuses the company of neglecting to warn its customers about a chemical present in its flooring glue, formaldehyde, as well as lying about its compliance with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards. CARB standards are used by various states to enforce clean air measures in addition to federal standards.

Paul Said, one of the four plaintiffs in the lawsuit, paid $3,000 for 1,000 square feet of laminate flooring in his home on the upper west side of Manhattan. He claims to have suffered asthma attacks during the installation and has since taken asthma medications and begun using an inhaler. Despite his experience working on construction sites, Said had no previous history of asthma.

“He needs to use asthma medications and an inhaler whenever he is inside his home,” the suit said. “His medical doctor told him that dust from the flooring installation is causing the asthma.”

The other plaintiffs include a resident of Bayonne, New Jersey as well as a couple in North Richland Hills, Texas. The latter, Frank and Melanie Graham, purchased and installed 350 square feet of laminate flooring in December. Since then, Melanie has suffered from severe respiratory problems. Amazingly, the Grahams learned about the alleged cause from a 60 Minutes report in March which revealed, among other things, that only one out of 31 samples of the company’s laminate flooring passed formaldehyde emission standards.

The floors, it should be noted, are imported from China.

Scant amounts of formaldehyde are allowed under CARB and federal law. However, in larger doses the organic compound is considered toxic and carcinogenic. Formaldehyde can also lead to death. Some of the company’s tests indicated 13 times the legal limit according to 60 Minutes.

Flooring companies across the country must fulfill strict standards in order to secure the safety of its customers.

Lumber Liquidators, for its part, is denying the accusations of the suit.

“Lumber Liquidators is committed to providing our customers with safe, high-quality products. We intend to defend ourselves vigorously against the claims asserted in this suit,” a spokesman for the company said.

National Real Estate Investor reports that the number of lenders who provide CMBS may lead to complications. It is estimated that there are 35 lenders or conduit lenders that provide CMBS loans, and given that the top five lenders — Deutsche Bank, J.P. Morgan, Wells Fargo, CCRE, and Bank of America — issue 50% of all CMBS loans, there is talk of oversaturation of the market.

“To say that there are too many conduit lenders today is an understatement,” said Bryan Gortikov, associate director at George Elkins Mortgage Banking Company in Los Angeles. He added that the large number has affected both prominent and smaller CMBS lenders. Smaller lenders are forced to offer better deals to borrowers, such as lower interest rates and better spreads, in order to compete with the more established firms. The established firms, in turn, have to change their terms in order to sway borrowers away from “cheaper” deals.

Regardless of the difficulties the CMBS market is facing, it is still doing phenomenally well with borrowers and lenders alike jumping at the opportunity. Over the next three years, roughly $300 billion of these loans will mature, which is 2.5 times larger the amount of maturity between 2012 and 2014. Many of these loans have a 10-year balloon plan, which is advantageous to borrowers.

Generally, the commercial real estate market is growing much faster than many other sectors of the economy.Newsweek reports that real estate has done much better than other economic sectors since the Great Recession due in part to the better yields commercial real estate loans provide than other investments such as bonds.

However, one problem with CMBS lending is that the volume of issuance has gone done. In 2007, for example, American CMBS issuance was $230 billion. Last year, the issuance was only worth $94 billion. One reason for this may be the increased number of lenders. The smaller lenders, especially given their lack of reputation and experience, have ultimately driven down the amount of CMBS issued. The bottom 20 CMBS lenders issued a mere 8% of CMBS loans last year.

Still, financial industry insiders remain confident that CMBS loans will continue to flourish as borrowers become more confident.

“I do think it’s a great time to be a borrower. There is a tremendous amount of liquidity out there,” said Gregory H. Nalbandian, senior vice president and managing director at NorthMarq Capital in Morristown, New Jersey. “It will be interesting to see with the increased competition, how far lenders will be willing to push the underwriting envelope.”

TechCrunch reports that Infinit just released a mobile app for both iOS and Android systems. Previously exclusive to computers, Infinit will now allow users to send large files such as videos and photos without altering the content size right from their smartphones. The file-sharing service company uses peer-to-peer technology to enhance sharing features between two users. Unlike many other file-sharing services, Infinit has no file size restrictions.

Before the mobile app’s release, Infinit was popular with video game developers and media specialists in that it allowed them to send massive digital files sans compression or other alterations. Transferring is quick and easy, especially with other Infinit users. Among other advantages, Infinit permits users to leave their computer during an upload. If an upload is disrupted for any reason (for example, if the computer falls asleep or gets locked-out), it will simply pause and continue the upload when the computer is back up.

Infinit is fastest when two users are on the same local network, but it works just fine with a home peer-to-peer connection. If the recipient is not online, Infinit will store the content on its servers. In addition, the recipients do not need an Infinit account to access the files. They can download them through a link on Infinit’s servers.

The app comes at a time when smartphone use is rising at an astronomical rate. Experts estimate that global smartphone users are growing at an annual rate of 42%. Most smartphones have some kind of camera; several models have built-in HD cameras. Smartphone users with such cameras often have trouble sending videos and photos with large file-sizes to other users and even their own computers. Because these files are so large, they are often compressed or altered so that they can be shared either through file-sharing systems or email.

Infinit is similar to file-sharing apps such as AirDrop and Dropbox in that it can be used to share files between your personal devices, making it a popular choice with many smartphone users. The company plans on introducing a premium service soon.

File sharing isn’t the only hot feature for smartphone users. According to Financialpost.com, Twitter rolled out its Periscope app, which allows users to use their phones to live-stream videos and images of their everyday lives, last week. The app comes after existing live-streaming apps like Meerkat and Ustream.

Uterine fibroids, which are sometimes referred to as myomas, are muscular tumors that grow in the walls of the uterus. Typically benign, fibroids can grow as a single tumor, or as multiple tumors. Some can be as small as an apple seed, but they can also grow to be as big as a grapefruit.

Though they’re typically asymptomatic, fibroids can cause problematic symptoms depending on where they develop and how large they grow. Some women who have such uncommonly problematic fibroids may experience pelvic discomfort, bladder problems, lower back pain, or even abnormal menstrual bleeding so heavy it can lead to the development of anemia.

Doctors usually recommend that a patient undergo a hysterectomy, which is the removal of the uterus and the most common surgical procedure to treat uterine fibroids. Although surgery is the only fully curative method, (because without the uterus, fibroids cannot occur), there are other minimally invasive procedures that can eliminate the problematic tumors.

The Treatment Results of Uterine Sparing Technologies — or TRUST — Study follows 300 women over a period of five years, and is funded by Halt Medical Inc., the medical device company that developed the Acessa™ Procedure system. This system uses radiofrequency energy to destroy or shrink fibroids so that they no longer cause pain or bleeding, and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2012.

In order to find out which of three alternative treatments is best, researchers will compare the procedures’ direct costs, such as hospital stay, procedure costs, complications, safety, and the need for additional therapy. They are also comparing the procedures’ indirect costs, such as recovery rate and time lost from work, as well as quality of life.

With the study’s conclusion, patients who want to preserve their uterus will be able to choose the best direction for their treatment, rather than automatically opting for hysterectomy.

If made into a law, the bill will allow courts to decide who keeps pets during the divorce process, and after. Courts will make decisions based on what is best for the animal. For purposes of the law, any non-human vertebrate is considered a pet, with the exception of fish.

“Texas divorce law treats family pets like inanimate personal property such as a couch. The dog or cat is valued on what it could be sold for and not what the animal is worth emotionally to its owners,” said Greg Enos, principal attorney at The Enos Law Firm, PC. “I have had cases where spouses testified about why each should be awarded the dog and a judge had to make that decision. I have even heard of judges ordering visitation with beloved pets that live with the other spouse while a divorce is pending.”

The divorce process isn’t the only thing affected by the new bill. If signed into law, the bill requires amendments be made to domestic violence policy to include protection for family pets. Representative Liz Vasquez, one of the bill’s authors, explained to Reuters why such a bill was necessary.

“More and more animals are used by an abuser for punishment, manipulation or revenge against a victim,” Vasquez stated. “They will threaten to kill, maim or torture a pet to gain control over the family.”

Provisions for the safety of family pets will be written into protective order, granting custody of the pet to the appropriate party and helping them find safe housing.

“Victims and children would hesitate to leave an abusive relationship or abusive environment for fear of leaving behind their pets. We can stop that,” Vazquez told the New York Daily News.

The amendment would also require owners whose animals were seized for cruelty or neglect to cover the costs of their care in a shelter. The bill must be passed by April 19, or it will not be considered again until next year. There are currently 13 confirmed legislators in support of the bill.

The Aurora Sentinel reports that though the Legacy sedan came out before the mid-sized Outback, the latter seems to be outperforming it. Still, the latest Legacy model will more than please Subaru fans and general car consumers alike.

Starting at $21,695, the Legacy gets 36 miles to the gallon (26 miles in the city) and comes with Subaru’s standard all-wheel drive and boxer engine features. It also comes with brand new designs, especially in the interior. From smaller luxuries like heated seats to impressive safety designs such as blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance, and EyeSight, a system that notifies the driver about potential dangers on the road, it is so well-equipped, in fact, that one could say the driver barely needs to drive at all.

Power-wise, the Legacy is also quite stellar. The standard engine is a 2.5-liter, four cylinder boxer engine that spins 175 horsepower at 174 lb.-ft. of torque. For $3,000 more, buyers can have a six cylinder engine with 256 horsepower at 247 lb.-ft, although that upgrade automatically comes with the “Limited” model range that includes leather seats, premium stereo, 18 in. wheels, and heated rear seats, among other features.

All in all, a fully upgraded 2015 Subaru Legacy is roughly the same price as an average, new mid-sized sedan, many of which don’t come with all-wheel drive. It is also worth noting that an upgraded Legacy closely resembles the Outback in features and price, so it may be more advantageous for buyers — especially those who consistently drive on terrain — to get the Outback.

Regardless, the 2015 Subaru Legacy is the latest model from a long, proud line of Subaru vehicles. The Legacy has certainly gone a lone way from Subaru’s first model, the Subaru 1500, in 1954.

The Studio offers free after-school classes to kids twice a week for 30 minutes each. The goal is to get kids up and off the couch to start early on lifelong fitness decisions.

In addition to regularly scheduled classes, they also offer sessions to young cyclists from Star Track Cycling, an organization that aims to get children and teens interested in track cycling.

Kids’ fitness has long been a hot button topic as more government and medical officials try to push for better nutrition in schools and more opportunities for physical activity during the day.

“[Parents should] encourage children to be more active by offering incredible growth opportunities hidden in fun, creative, and exciting activities,” said Eric Colton, owner of Fitness by the Sea Kid’s Summer Camp. “[They should] also encourage children to ‘learn by doing’ and serve as mentors and participants during these activities.”

But it’s not only health that should be on parents’ minds when examining their children’s daily habits, says Micah Maxwell, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Muncie, Indiana. When kids stay physically active and have a healthy diet, they are more likely to perform well in school, maintain academic success, and show improvements in their self esteem.
Maxwell’s Boys and Girls Club held a CrossFit Field Day to engage kids in a series of fun high-energy activities designed to lower stress.

CrossFit, which uses a WOD, or “workout of the day,” develops strength and agility training and allows individuals to work at their own pace. But even CrossFit gyms, or “boxes,” as they’re called, have been open to children in other settings, too.

Seaside CrossFit in Hanson, Massachusetts, recently held a contest that put kids through three WODs as a sort of tournament. Adults kept score to track each child’s progress in the workouts, but most of the emphasis was on keeping order and making sure that fun was had by all.

And to make the event more kid-friendly, the gym’s owners used a zoological theme that had kids competing with frog jumps, bear crawls, and a weight-lifting exercise that required an “angry gorilla chest.”

But not all exercise programs are about competition. Kids’ yoga classes, which have popped up all over the country in recent years, have also been brought to schools, like PS 205 in Bayside, Queens, in New York.

One local yoga studio, Little Flower Yoga, brings yoga to kids to get them to relax and connect their mind and body.

The fourth grade participants said that the activity helped them with everything from reducing headaches to improving flexibility for soccer and other sports.