Gathering and Discerning Information in the 21st Century
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“Each of us believes himself to live directly within the world that surrounds him, to sense its objects and events precisely, and to live in real and current time. I assert these are perceptual illusions. Sensation is an abstraction, not a replication of the real world.” Vernon Mountcastle

Quote from YouTube Video: Kavli Prize Laureate Lecture – The Restless Brain

The Home Renovation Planner

Sample Specifications Sheet:

Once you have a clear picture of what you want to do, it¡¯s time to develop a specifications sheet to enable you to get the necessary quotes from the various suppliers of products and services you will need to complete your projec. Remember that you generally want to get 3 quotes for each product or service you intend to use. Make sure that each contributor is given the same details so that they are competing on the same terms and that the resultant quotes can be balanced against each other. Apples to apples!

Below is a sample of a specification sheet I use for a large apartment remodel. This is here to give you some ideas on materials. In section 9 there will be some blank tables for you to develop your own specification sheet for you to send out for quotes on the materials your considering using.

Project Name: Apartment Remodel

Project Address: 123 Plan Street, Vancouver
Contact Person: John Doe
Telephone: Day, 222-1234

Evening, 333-1234

 Fax: 222-2345
Project Start Date: May 15, 2000
Completion Date: June 15, 2000

 

Paint

Room or Item

Type of Paint

Color & Code
Ceilings: Ceiling latex Flat white
Walls: Super Eggshell Pink Fizz 987
Bathroom: Semi gloss Pink Fizz 704
Kitchen: Semi gloss Pink Fizz 704
Door Jambs: High gloss Rose Fragrance 990
Doors: Semi gloss Rose Fragrance 987
Window Sill and valance: High gloss Rose Fragrance 990
Primer: Latex primer Rosco, Tough Coat

 

Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet type: EuroRight Plain white As per diagram
Door style: Raised white panel
Door knob: Porcelain Knob with pattern Part #

Counter Top
Make: Color: Type:
Wilson Art Caldera Rose Back splash with D wrap

Miscellaneous Cabinets
Bathroom Vanity: Raised white panel 36″x20″, 1 door, 2 drawer
Bathroom Medicine Cabinet: White wood trim/mirror 30″x30″x4 1/2″
–
–

 

Electrical Fixtures
Kitchen: Noma 3 light mini-swirl BG-43 White
Bathroom: 4 Light strip Chrome
Dining room: Noma Chandelier SH-1463 White
Front Entry: Noma 12 swir CF-270 White
Hall way: Noma 12 swir CF-270 White
Above Stove Hood Fan: Nutone Model #RL6200F
Miscellaneous: Decor plugs & switches
–
–

 

Plumbing Fixtures
Kitchen Faucet: Moen, chrome single lever with hose spray
Kitchen Sink: Stainless steel 1 1/2 bowl
Bathroom Faucet: Moen, chrome single lever with mechanical pull
Bathroom Sink: Crane “Sonnet” Oval “China” basin
Toilet: Crane, Cranada 13 L, one piece
Toilet Seat: Molded wood with raised swirl
Shower valve: Moen, chrome Posi-Temp Single lever, pressure balance
 –

 

Flooring

Room or Area

Type

Color/Spec
Kitchen Flooring: 12×12 floor tile Texas Grigio
Bathroom Flooring: Armstrong Prevail #64300
Front Entrance: 12×12 floor tile Texas Grigio
Living Room: 100% BCF Nylon carpet 570 Silver
Bedroom: 100% BCF Nylon carpet 570 Silver
Carpet Under Lay: 7/16 x 4 lb.
Base Board: Johnsonite 2.5 Cove Bas Color: #38 Putor

 

Once you have chosen your materials you can save some time by faxing your spec. sheet to the quoting parties and have them fax back the prices and product availability. Some of the suppliers will have to come to your project to measure or have a closer look at the job to give an accurate quote.

 

Section 3 Check list:
If married have both spouses agreed upon the materials/style/colors. (Especially colors).

Have you got advice from professionals and others.

Did you check out several of the points listed at the start of this section.

Time savers: Fax specification sheet around for quotes.

Consider sales people who are really interested in your wants and needs.

Make sure you are having fun with the process.

Science-fact-theory-hypothesis

Definitions key to discussions:

  • Fact: A fact is a statement that is true and can be proved with evidence.
  • Hypothesis: A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon that can be tested by the scientific method. A hypothesis has not been tested.
  • Theory: Scientific theories are distinguished from hypotheses, which are empirically testable conjectures, and from scientific laws, which are descriptive accounts of how nature behaves under certain conditions. Theories have been rigorously tested and widely accepted by the scientific community who agree the theory best explains the observations or phenomenon we experience.
  • Scientific Method: The scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge.
  • Empirical Evidence: Empirical evidence is the knowledge received by means of the senses, particularly by observation and experimentation.
  • Reality: Reality is the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them.
  • Delusion: A delusion is a belief that is held with strong conviction despite superior evidence to the contrary.
  • Insanity: Insanity, craziness, or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns.