August 2005 Edition Land Surveying Automatic Grade Control Systems Replace Old Problems with New Ones The expense of hiring surveyors to stake out the cut and fill of earthwork or re-stake a site damaged by a clumsy operator used to be a big money-drainer for contractors. But as more earthmoving machines roll out of factories with global positioning systems built in, what’s left in the place of those wooden stakes is the laborious process of making site plans into machine-compatible, 3D files. Read the Full Story at McGraw-Hill Civil Engineering Green Building is Here to Stay Green building appears to be headed mainstream. As costs come down and companies and public agencies mandate environmentally friendly buildings with plenty of light and fresh air, what was once a niche is evolving toward business as usual. Read the Full Story at buildings.com Neighborhood tries to honor Mother Nature's runoff rules The tract of raw dirt and pavement crisscrossed by bulldozers at the High Point housing project in West Seattle doesn't look much like a meadow. But when it rains, it's supposed to act like one. Read the Full Story at seattletimes.com (free registration) Land Use Planning The Brits can teach us Yanks how to create livable cities Britain cares about its cities; the United States does not. It was tough for Americans attending the Urban Land Institute's World Cities Forum here last week to reach any other conclusion. And the Brits' visionary urban-agenda setter, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, made the point without a word of trans-Atlantic criticism. Read the Full Article at seattletimes.com (free registration) Quote of the Month "The ultimate inspiration is the deadline." -Nolan Bushnell - Computer Pioneer Harmsen & Associates Inc 17614 West Main Street Monroe, WA 98272 360.794.7811 info@h-ai.com This message has been sent to those who have either listed with Harmsen & Associates, Inc. at www.h-ai.com as someone who has expressly shared this address for the purpose of receiving information, are fellow members of professional organizations, or have an existing client relationship with us. If you have received this message by mistake or wish to be removed from the list, please send a message to info@h-ai.com with "unsubscribe newsletter" as the subject. If you have any questions about H&AI's privacy policy, please direct them to info@h-ai.com.