July 6, 2020

Birmingham’s journey from grey to green

The Covid-19 crisis offers the opportunity to rethink the way we design our cities, said speakers at Planning and Development to Enhance Health and Wellbeing, the third of Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation’s e-Roadshow events on Realising Resilience. Focused on Birmingham, the first UK city to join the global Biophilic Cities network, the

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Kubota Announces the Availability of U50-5

Kubota, a leading manufacturer of construction machinery, has announced the availability of the U50-5, to complete its new series of 5-tonne machines. The U50-5 will join the KX060- 5 and U56-5, which were recently made available. With construction output set to drop by 25 per cent because of COVID-19, the industry needs machines

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How A Big Company Like Nike Is Integrating Blockchain Technology?

It is not some hidden fact but it is an open truth that blockchain technology has brought technological innovation in the industries. Several industries got disrupted due to blockchain technology interventions. There are several companies that have modulated plans to adapt themselves for the blockchain technology. One of the leading

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Blockchain Development Tools

If becoming a web developer needs an opportunity, then that opportunity is today. As the world has stepped into the world of the digital era, developers are needed for web developers. It is a flourishing business today. And with the blockchain technology coming in the picture, it has become one

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Latest Issue
Issue 322 : Nov 2024

July 6, 2020

Birmingham’s journey from grey to green

The Covid-19 crisis offers the opportunity to rethink the way we design our cities, said speakers at Planning and Development to Enhance Health and Wellbeing, the third of Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation’s e-Roadshow events on Realising Resilience. Focused on Birmingham, the first UK city to join the global Biophilic Cities network, the event showcased how England’s largest unitary authority has set itself challenging targets linked to increasing green assets, reducing carbon emissions, and improving the health and wellbeing of its residents. In her introduction, Vikki Woodhouse ­– National Specification Sales Manager at Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation – outlined the importance of multi-functional green assets and the need for a circular approach that reuses rainwater, rather than a linear one. “We need a combined approach, with early engagement from the project management and design teams,” she said. “Covid 19 has brought to the fore the inequality of access to green spaces,” said Simon Needle, Principal Ecologist and Arbologist at Birmingham City Council, showing the city’s Multi Challenge Map which reveals how deprived communities have fewer green assets nearby. He also explained some of the city’s targets including net zero carbon by 2030 and a 25% canopy cover for every ward in the city. Jane Findlay, Director of Fira Landscape and president-elect of the Landscape Institute, talked about the importance of evidence-based design, an approach pioneered in the health sector, where views of nature have been shown to increase healing and boost mental health. She highlighted research by Natural England and Nottingham University which shows that living within 300m of a green space promotes physical activity, improves mental health and increases life expectancy. Lastly, Peter Wharton, former tree protection officer and Director of Wharton Natural Infrastructure Consultants, asked the question: “ Is it easier to sell houses in a well-planned and delivered environment, where buildings, green infrastructure and people coexist to deliver sustained benefits?” Of course the answer is ‘yes’ but that doesn’t mean it is happening, he revealed. Lack of early collaboration, especially with the right people i.e. arborculturalists or ecologists, meant developers were missing out on the ‘value’ of green assets. He cited one development where 86% of the new trees planted had died within five years. He recommended measures such as Capital Asset Valuation of Amenity Trees (CAVAT), a method for managing trees as public assets rather than liabilities, be adhered to. London is the virtual venue for the next Polypipe e-roadshow on 7th July and will explore the theme of Shaping City Policy to Support Biodiversity and Green Urbanisation. The final event of the series concentrates on Scotland and the challenge of Delivering Active Travel through Integrated Green Infrastructure. All of the guest speaker presentations for the Birmingham e-Roadshow event can be viewed at https://www.polypipe.com/news For information on the full programme and details of how to register visit: – https://www.polypipe.com/roadshow-2020 Pic caption: Research shows that living within 300m of a green space promotes physical activity, improves mental health and increases life expectancy. Image shows Five Ways, Central Birmingham. 

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Kubota Announces the Availability of U50-5

Kubota, a leading manufacturer of construction machinery, has announced the availability of the U50-5, to complete its new series of 5-tonne machines. The U50-5 will join the KX060- 5 and U56-5, which were recently made available. With construction output set to drop by 25 per cent because of COVID-19, the industry needs machines that offer value for money and meet the demands of the job. The U50-5 has been built for the hire market and designed as an entry-level machine. The size of the excavator means it is well suited to working in smaller spaces and will have excellent site access. The U50-5 comes fitted with the following features: Developed with sustainability in mind: As sustainability becomes a key focus across the globe, new machinery needs to reflect this. The U50-5 comes fitted with a Kubota Original Direct Injection Engine with CRS and DPF Muffler and a fully Stage-V compliant engine. Easy access to information: With a full-color, high-resolution 7” LCD screen and job dial navigation as standard, the operator has access to all information needed, from AUX flow adjustment to important maintenance information, as well as detailed alerts. Improved comfort and safety: Double adjustment air suspension has been included on L models to maximise on comfort and to allow for easy height adjustment via an air compressor. The new CAB structure is fitted with noise-cancelling technology, reducing noise by 5dB to ensure a more stress-free working environment for the operator. An orange high visibility seatbelt and alert functions have been fitted to encourage the operator to wear the belt and reduce the risk of serious injury. Better maintenance access: The machine is designed to provide easier access for both operators and service engineers, with accessible radiators and wide opening bonnets. The new and improved DPF reduces maintenance by increasing the service intervals for the regeneration filter and ash cleaner. Glen Hampson, Business Development Manager for Construction at Kubota UK, said: “We’re proud to be welcoming the U50-5 into our 5-tonne range. The U50-5 is a brilliant entry-level machine, it’s easy to operate and the new features ensure it’s safe to use. Our products are built to last, from sustainable engines to straight forward maintenance access. It is important for us here, at Kubota, that we’re providing machines that get the job done, but are also enjoyable and comfortable to use -which the U50-5 certainly is.”

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How A Big Company Like Nike Is Integrating Blockchain Technology?

It is not some hidden fact but it is an open truth that blockchain technology has brought technological innovation in the industries. Several industries got disrupted due to blockchain technology interventions. There are several companies that have modulated plans to adapt themselves for the blockchain technology. One of the leading names among the top companies is Nike. Nike saw potential in the blockchain technology and experimented with its use to see whether this technology holds any power to solve the issues faced by Nike. And Nike was right on the mark. A report state that Nike was able to use the blockchain to solve their lingering problems and announced officially to use the blockchain technology. Where Nike is heading towards with Blockchain technology? Blockchain technology never ceases to amaze us. After the implementation of the blockchain technology in UPS tracking, it is now used by Nike. Nike just recently patents a new method called Crypto kicks. It really took the world with surprise, when Nike came up with a method to use the blockchain technology. With how the blockchain technology is being adopted by the big enterprises, it is not too far where the blockchain will be the core technology used in every industrial field. Nike wishes to implement Blockchain in supply chain management Supply chain management has always been a priority of the companies. But with the recent event, it has proven that the supply chain management needs technological innovation to completely track the goods. There have been cases where fake products are reaching to the customers. This has made the brand lose its face in front of the audiences. To fight back this crisis, brands and companies are trying to incorporate the blockchain technology in the supply chain management. Nike has confirmed that fact that there has been cases where their customer has got a fake Nike product. And this has resulted then their loyal customer. After considering all the recent events, Nike decides to use blockchain technology to track down its product. How Cryptokicks are related to the supply chain management Cryptokicks are the crypto token given by Nike to its customers. This action of Nike has made the nontangible decentralized digital currency into a tangible asset. In this case, it is Nike Shoes. How Cryptokicks actually work? Well, Nike has attached Crypto token with its products. With the hello of the crypto token, the customers can easily track down their purchase and the origin of their shoes. The customers can easily authenticate the credibility of Nike with the help of the embedded with the Cryptokicks token. In addition, there is an additional facility where the owner of Cryptokicks can be changed with the help of a crypto exchange platform like bitcoin evolution, read more here bitcoins-evolution.com/about/. Have you ever played the Cat crypto game? These Cryptokicks are just like this game and can give offsprings in the form of physical shoes as per Nike protocols. More technical detail The blockchain network used by Nike is the Ethereum Blockchain network. Nike uses NFT of the ether blockchain technology. NFT stands for the Non-Fungible Token. These tokens have an individual specification and can’t be interchangeable. There is only one way to know the password to unlock the tokens is by buying Nike shoes. There you will get a 10-digit code that will help you to unlock the tokens. The data of the buy-sell will be stored on a blockchain network with the help of the 10-digit identification. You can even consider it as one in a kind of Crypto exchange. The only difference is that, in this exchange shoes are exchange instead of crypto coins. Conclusion Nike was able to understand how important blockchain technology is and was able to predict it future possibilities. It is high time for the other companies to venture into the unknown territory of the blockchain.

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Blockchain Development Tools

If becoming a web developer needs an opportunity, then that opportunity is today. As the world has stepped into the world of the digital era, developers are needed for web developers. It is a flourishing business today. And with the blockchain technology coming in the picture, it has become one of the most pursued career paths. There are several companies that working on multiple platforms and are looking for web developers that can implement the blockchain technology in their system for digital transactions. But integrating the blockchain technology into an existing system can really be a laborious job. Hence, it has become mandatory for the blockchain developers to use tools for developing blockchain-based operating system. What do people expect from Blockchain developers? Blockchain is an open-source network, and people expect the blockchain web developer to follow the same principle while developing a project. The open-source even help the inexperienced web developer to develop a good quality system. It is not always necessary to build your own blockchain network, you can always use existing blockchain network for your web development projects. Some of the famous blockchain networks are the Bitcoin and Ethereum. Even the website https://profit-revolution.com uses the existing Blockchain of the Bitcoin. Tools used for Blockchain-based Web Development While developing blockchain web development, it become necessary to use the following tools to make your web development more efficient and accurate. Mist Mist is a tool that helps you store Ether cryptocurrencies. In addition, it also helps you with the smart contracts and crypto exchanges. This app is one of the products of the ether developers that you can use to create your own network. To start with, you first have to download the mist app and start working on the app on the browser. However, to initiate smart contracts, you will be asked to have an initial investment in ether. This initial investment will act as fuel to boost your ether contracts. Solc Solc is a programming language that is used by the programmer to write codes for the Ethereum blockchain network. If you are one of the Ethereum traders, there might be a chance that you are using the Ethereum node coded with the Solc programming language. With the help of the Solc, you can input codes in Ethereum network while being offline. Blockchain test net Being a web developer means that you need to keep tabs on the performance of the app you are developing. However, being on the original network can be a hassle at times. You will keep getting notification that will be not required for web development. Hence, most of the developer use the copy of the same blockchain network to test their app. This network can be created by a blockchain test net. This app helps you to be on the network without any additional distractions. Ether scripter You all know what smart contracts are. But do you know how the smart contracts are made? Well, the answer is right in front of you. Ether scripter is behind the encryption of smart contracts. It just like other ordinary compilers. The only difference between Ether scripter and other compiler is that Ether compiler can use only the Serpent programming language. Baas Baas is the product of the Microsoft Azure and stands for Blockchain As A Service. It was built to help the developer to build app in a secure and less costly environment. Baas was created solely for a single purpose to launch the blockchain network with just a few clicks. Conclusion If you have gone through the above content then you must have noticed that in this article, we have talked about the tools that developers use for the blockchain web development. If you can really use these tools to their full potential, you will be able to develop projects with more efficiency.

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