The Must-Have Technology Tools

AGC TechBrief, April 2012
By James Benham, President of JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., Makers of SmartBidNet

Depending on your age, the technology on your desk has probably evolved quite a bit since your first day there. Whether your beeper was going off at your hip or you were punching away at an encyclopedia-sized laptop, technology today makes those days seem archaic in retrospect. But the best part is there’s a good chance you haven’t even seen the best of today.

Every day, an innovation emerges with the potential to propel your work day into the Jetsons’ era faster than you could have predicted. Many of these developments will be bought by the likes of Google or Facebook, who will then find a way to incorporate them into something you already use or an unreachable luxury for high-class nerds. But some will find their way into what I will call your "Tech Toolbox." These are the technologies that can and will impact personal and corporate bottom lines and whose value far outweighs the minimal capital investment required to employ them. Most are cloud-based, some are free, some are $1.99 in the app store and some are business suites with annual subscriptions well worth the price tag, but all of them can transform your work day.

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The Future of Online Plan Rooms

Constructech Magazine
April 6, 2012

The plan room has evolved from paper, to FTP (file transfer protocol) sites, to online collaborative platforms where partners can download files, and print only when necessary. The online plan room opens the door to new technology capabilities, such as integrations with other technology solutions.

This week, Barryhund Online Plan Services, www.barryhund.com, Sacramento, Calif., a Web-based plan room solution, and SmartBidNet, which is developed by JB Knowledge Technologies, www.smartbidnet.com, College Station, Texas, announced new integrations between the two platforms.

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ENR Readers Recommend Their Favorite Technology, SmartBidNet Among Them

SmartBidNet was recently featured in Engineering News Record's "Recommended Reading" release, listing "Products and services that ENR readers say they are now using with good results that have potential to improve their jobs, or even the entire industry."

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SmartBidNet Construction Bid Software Wins Constructech 2012 Commercial Top Product Award

College Station, TX (PRWEB) March 27, 2012

JB Knowledge Technologies, Inc., a leading information technology solutions provider, announced that its SmartBidNet construction bid software is a recipient of Constructech’s Top Products Commercial Award in the Trusted Products category for 2012. This esteemed award recognizestechnology solutions that demonstrate the greatest innovations geared toward the commercial construction market.

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Construction Tech of the Week | SmartBidNet | Skyscraper Greenhouses

While builders in the Middle East are redefining skyscrapers, builders in Sweden are working to set the standard for the vertical farms now being called 'plantscrapers.' Hoping to promote more urban farming in big cities, Plantagon has developed a series of plans for skyscraper greenhouses. What at first looked like wishful green thinking, has turned into the future of green architecture as Plantagon broke ground these week in Linkoping, Sweden. The glass-faced tower will showcase the entirety of the plants growing inside and will be called the "International Centre of Excellence for Urban Agriculture."

"Inside the massive glass walls, vegetables will be grown in pots and then transitioned to trays positioned around a giant central helix. The plants grow as the trays slowly migrate down the central core and are ready to be harvested once they reach the bottom. Plant residue and manure will be collected along the way and transformed into biogas to run the heating and cooling systems of the greenhouse."

Ladies and gentleman, 'green' has reached a whole new level. 

Read more about this skyscraper greenhouse technology