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Author Message Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEED AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 416 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Monday, August 14, 2006 - 05:52 pm:    Just found this one in a Rubber Flooring spec provided by the manufacturer: D. Installation of mock-up is highly recommended and must be deemed acceptable by Owner and Architect. Mock-up to be installed following the same procedure and material as per the actual flooring installation. -Muck-up size: [XX’’ x XX’’ (XX cm x XX cm)]. More truth than typo here? Anonymous   Posted on Monday, August 14, 2006 - 06:20 pm:    I just saw this on a set of drawings (for a foot grille): Grate, minimize debree transfer to interior Jim Brittell Senior Member Username: jwbrittell Post Number: 26 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Monday, August 14, 2006 - 07:49 pm:    <-Muck-up size: [XX’’ x XX’’ (XX cm x XX cm)]. More truth than typo here?> Could that be classified as a Freudian slip and fall? Vivian Volz, RA, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: vivianvolz Post Number: 77 Registered: 06-2004 Posted on Monday, August 14, 2006 - 08:12 pm:    What's the Freudian-slip-resistance of that flooring? Thanks for the snickers! Brett M. Wilbur CSI, CCS, AIA Senior Member Username: brett Post Number: 137 Registered: 12-2004 Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 04:31 pm:    This is not a spec typo, but similar, thought it deserved a chuckle. An Architect in our Dallas office wanted me to email him some information on Peel-n-stick flashing membrane. I didn't notice but in the subject line I typed Pee-n-stick. He wrote me back and said "Yep, it works better when you pee on it"! Not a statement about how I feel about rubberized asphalt flashing membranes is it? Should I talk to a therapist? Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEED AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 420 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 04:42 pm:    No, you just wanted to get the "L" out of there... Wayne Yancey Senior Member Username: wyancey Post Number: 162 Registered: 05-2005 Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 08:30 pm:    The local outdoor swimming pool in Kailua, HI has a sign that reads: THERE IS P IN OUR OOL. LETS KEEP IT THAT WAY. Wayne Robert E. Woodburn Senior Member Username: bwoodburn Post Number: 133 Registered: 01-2005 Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 09:59 am:    Are you sure it didn't say, "There is no "P" in our ool. Let's keep it that way."? Wayne Yancey Senior Member Username: wyancey Post Number: 163 Registered: 05-2005 Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 10:17 am:    Robert, A big fat OOOPPPs! on my part. You are absolutlely correct. Another favorite typo just created by accident or not paying attention to detail. A classic example of why one should not proof their own text. I could not spot the obvious and kept reading the phrase with the NO even though the word NO was obviously missing. Reminds me of the times when I printed my specs using fan fold paper from a dot matrix printer. I thought my spec was flawless till the first page printed and the error (usually spelling) stood out as big as a bread box. These events usally happened at midnight.. Thanks Wayne Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEED AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 421 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 10:59 am:    Wayne, my quip is "I knew exactly what I meant, why don't you understand it?" because writing what you mean is not always comprehensible to another person... Brett M. Wilbur CSI, CCS, AIA Senior Member Username: brett Post Number: 139 Registered: 12-2004 Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 11:16 am:    BTW, NE1 that has taken 2 using their fone to TXT msge Pple nos that U cant always undrstand the intent B cuz the writtn word doesnt always xpress the inflection and tone B hind it. Thats Y they came up w/ little emoticons like: :o0 and ;o) and =)and ;o/ or We should think about using them in our specs!! ;o)D Like: "No substitutions shall be considered after Award of Contract " lol Brett M. Wilbur CSI, CCS, AIA Senior Member Username: brett Post Number: 140 Registered: 12-2004 Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 11:20 am:    Whoops, that didn't work. When you go to the discussion thread page you can see the emoticons displayed. Vivian Volz, RA, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: vivianvolz Post Number: 78 Registered: 06-2004 Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 12:32 pm:    ROTFL! (Rolling on the floor laughing) I can see my dotted-i's, crossed-t's construction manager on my cantankerous public-bid job now... "RFI 347: What does ' ' mean? That substitutions will be considered forever? ;-) " Thanks, Brett! Stansen Specifications Senior Member Username: stanspecs Post Number: 6 Registered: 11-2002 Posted on Monday, August 28, 2006 - 10:19 pm:    Under a list of possible failures to warrant against in a wood window spec: 'insulting glass failures'. Jim Brittell Senior Member Username: jwbrittell Post Number: 27 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Friday, September 01, 2006 - 04:56 pm:    This just in... Under finish requirements for site paving: acid itched finish. Does that mean they put the acid on and scratch it off? Barry Books, CCS (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Friday, September 08, 2006 - 02:22 pm:    My favorite drawing note of all time: "All dimensions are from edge of CMU wall, existing or new, to edge of wall, if the wall is CMU. If the wall is a steel stud system then all dimensions are from the center of the stud to center of stud wall or to end of the stud wall or face of a CMU wall. Some dimensions are also to center of columns and this could also be center of the stud wall." Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEED AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 528 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 09:08 am:    Some typos or errors can last a lifetime. According to Dr. Goodword, the word "ameliorate" happened when the word "meliorate" originally borrowed into English from Latin, was borrowed again from French, "a meliorate" (to better, the French "a" meaning "to"). Meliorate (or ameliorate) means, in one sense, "to better" anyway. So the French became "ameliorate" in English - and we have 2 words with exactly the same meaning. http://www.alphadictionary.com/goodword/word/meliorate Anne Whitacre, FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: awhitacre Post Number: 496 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 12:12 pm:    my long time favorite was when "vegetable soap" (used to be a piping lubricant for fresh water piping) got changed to "vegetable soup" in the specs. its also my best example of why not to trust spell-check... Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEED AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 529 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 12:19 pm:    "Vegetable soup" and the "repelling wall" instead of "rappelling wall" for the fire fighting training center...I use these examples for not trusting spell-check. Sheldon Wolfe Senior Member Username: sheldon_wolfe Post Number: 249 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 12:21 pm:    I have a spelling checker, It came with my PC; It plainly marks four my revue, Mistakes I cannot sea. I've run this poem threw it, I'm sure your please two no; Its letter perfect in it's weigh, My checker tolled me sew. Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI Senior Member Username: rliebing Post Number: 573 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 01:02 pm:    The "Wolfe in CSI clothing" has been revealed! Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEED AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 530 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 01:05 pm:    Spell-check has other victims, too; I saw two headlines that read as follows: captioning a picture of the British prince "Heir to the Thrown"; and after the passage of the trade agreement "NAFTA Eeks Out a Victory." John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 271 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 12:13 pm:    47 RULES FOR WRITERS: 1. Verbs has to agree with their subjects. 2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with. 3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. 4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive. 5. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.) 6. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration. 7. Be more or less specific. 8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary. 9. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies. 10. No sentence fragments. 11. Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used. 12. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos. 13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous. 14. One should NEVER generalize. 15. Comparisons are as bad as cliches. 16. Don't use no double negatives. 17. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc. 18. One-word sentences? Eliminate. 19. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake. 20. The passive voice is to be ignored. 21. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words however should be enclosed in commas. 22. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice. 23. DO NOT use exclamation points and all caps to emphasize!!! 24. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them. 25. Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth shaking ideas. 26. Use the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when its not needed. 27. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know." 28. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly. 29. Puns are for children, not groan readers. 30. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms. 31. Even IF a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed. 32. Who needs rhetorical questions? 33. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement. 34. The passive voice should never be used. 36. Do not put statements in the negative form. 37. Verbs have to agree with their subjects. 38. A writer must not shift your point of view. 39. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences of 10 or more words, to their antecedents. 40. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided. 41. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is. 42. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors. 43. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky. 44. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing. 45. Always pick on the correct idiom. 46. The adverb always follows the verb. 47. Be careful to use the rite homonym. And Finally... 47. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out. Nathan Woods, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 191 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 12:40 pm:    marvelous! David J. Wyatt Senior Member Username: david_j_wyatt_csi_ccs_ccca Post Number: 47 Registered: 07-2005 Posted on Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 01:26 pm:    A great list, John. I have always loved the line "Never use a long word when a little filthy one will do." Ron Beard CCS Senior Member Username: rm_beard_ccs Post Number: 176 Registered: 10-2002 Posted on Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 02:33 pm:    John: Great list. But how should it be modified to be complimentary to the imperative mood? PS: I have been known to sling bull but I have no intentions to take one by the hand. <g> David Axt, AIA, CCS, CSI Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 847 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 06:14 pm:    John, Where did you get that! It's classic! Don Harris CSI, CCS, CCCA, AIA Senior Member Username: don_harris Post Number: 120 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Friday, March 30, 2007 - 08:17 am:    That is a classic. Don't give it to any school kids today. They won't "get it." BTW my favorite typo was my own doing. A client wanted us to change the word Architect to Engineer throughout the spec. Of course the easiest way to do it was with a global search and replace. I ended up with "Engineerurally Exposed Structural Steel". Lesson...always check the "whole word only" option. David R. Combs, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: davidcombs Post Number: 218 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Friday, March 30, 2007 - 09:03 am:    Don, Did you have Engineeral Interior Woodwork also? One of my favorites, from many years ago, was from a co-worker who labeled a vertical chase in a residential building "laundry shoot." He never lived it down. Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEED AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 534 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Friday, March 30, 2007 - 09:06 am:    His response, of course, would have been "Oh chute!" Don Harris CSI, CCS, CCCA, AIA Senior Member Username: don_harris Post Number: 121 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Friday, March 30, 2007 - 10:01 am:    Yes David I did. Thanks for the reminder. Wayne Yancey Senior Member Username: wyancey Post Number: 336 Registered: 05-2005 Posted on Friday, March 30, 2007 - 10:06 am:    John, Sometimes, generally, always, as a rule I follow the 47 rules. Wayne John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 272 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Friday, March 30, 2007 - 03:32 pm:    Ron Beard: About metaphors, it was W.C. Fields who pontificated, "There comes a time in the affairs of men when we must take the bull by the tail and face the situation." Ron Beard CCS Senior Member Username: rm_beard_ccs Post Number: 177 Registered: 10-2002 Posted on Friday, March 30, 2007 - 04:06 pm:    That's what so interesting about being a specifier. Everyday one faces a new and challenging dilemma - mostly with clients, contractors, and manufacturer's website designers. IIRC, W. C. Fields was also quoted saying, “If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull.” Wayne Yancey Senior Member Username: wyancey Post Number: 337 Registered: 05-2005 Posted on Monday, April 02, 2007 - 10:38 am:    While we are in the mood for quotes, two of my favorites are: "Am I confusing the issue with facts?" and "Fools and children should not see half finished work." My Scotish (not Scotch) grandmother used the second one alot when I prematurely commented on her cooking or baking, before the end result. Jim Brittell Senior Member Username: jwbrittell Post Number: 36 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Monday, April 02, 2007 - 12:18 pm:    Manufacturer listed in Section 09960 High-Performance Coatings: Sherman Williams Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEED AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 537 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Monday, April 02, 2007 - 12:23 pm:    My son distributes excerpts from this to his students: William Safire's Fumblerules (4 November 1979, New York Times) • Avoid run-on sentences they are hard to read. • Don't use no double negatives. • Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isn't. • Reserve the apostrophe for it's proper use and omit it when its not needed. • Do not put statements in the negative form. • Verbs has to agree with their subjects. • No sentence fragments. • Proofread carefully to see if you any words out. • Avoid commas, that are not necessary. • If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing. • A writer must not shift your point of view. • Eschew dialect, irregardless. • And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. • Don't overuse exclamation marks!!! • Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents. • Hyphenate between syllables and avoid un-necessary hyphens. • Write all adverbial forms correct. • Don't use contractions in formal writing. • Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided. • It is incumbent on us to avoid archaisms. • If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is. • Steer clear of incorrect forms of verbs that have snuck in the language. • Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixed metaphors. • Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky. • Never, ever use repetitive redundancies. • Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing. • If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, resist hyperbole. • Also, avoid awkward or affected alliteration. • Don't string too many prepositional phrases together unless you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. • Always pick on the correct idiom. • "Avoid overuse of 'quotation "marks."'" • The adverb always follows the verb. • Last but not least, avoid clichés like the plague; seek viable alternatives. Tim Werbstein, AIA, CSI, CCS Intermediate Member Username: tim_werbstein Post Number: 4 Registered: 09-2006 Posted on Wednesday, April 11, 2007 - 12:41 pm:    I'm reading an article on concrete-repair-material data protocol in the Winter Issue of SWR Institute's magazine "Applicator." It refers to "the modulus of rapture test." Is this something I should be concerned about? Should I get the test for the sake of my eternal salvation? Vivian Volz, RA, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: vivianvolz Post Number: 88 Registered: 06-2004 Posted on Wednesday, April 18, 2007 - 07:35 pm:    Boy, am I glad you guys are here to see these. So far, in one drawing set, I have found the following: for quirk: "quark". for rabbet: "rabid". And a great load of simple misspellings. I guess it's worse when they try. ;-) Helaine K. (Holly) Robinson CSI CCS CCCA Senior Member Username: hollyrob Post Number: 321 Registered: 07-2003 Posted on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - 01:21 pm:    Spell-check doozies recently seen: Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee becomes a "chickadee." "Prosciutto" ham becomes a "prostitute." Russell W. Wood, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: woodr5678 Post Number: 86 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - 02:03 pm:    Had a boss years ago named Mr "Hiedlich" (not his real name) and without noticing spell check changed his name to Headlice. So the letter I wrote said Mr Headlice this...and Mr Headlice that. Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEED™ AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 571 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007 - 01:52 pm:    Just read this one in a magazine/journal article reporting on a building's silver award and listing the contractors: "Flooring and interior pain contractor: (name withheld)". One of my co-workers quipped that he's worked with the contractor and it's NOT a typo! Anne Whitacre, FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: awhitacre Post Number: 542 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007 - 02:09 pm:    My former partner refused to use spell check and finally gave in ... but never checked the results. the project was for the Piggott Building at Seattle University -- the Piggott family in Seattle founded Paccar and are at the stage in their lives where they are building university buildings. Well, the spell check changed every sheet of her presentation to read "The Piglet Building" ... and all 20 copies of it ended up in the conference room, along with the "Piglet" family. Ron Beard CCS Senior Member Username: rm_beard_ccs Post Number: 195 Registered: 10-2002 Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007 - 02:13 pm:    OUCH!! Stansen Specifications Senior Member Username: stanspecs Post Number: 17 Registered: 11-2002 Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007 - 07:37 pm:    I finally located one of my all time favorites I found when editing and updating specs for a former employer. 'During cold weather, applicable areas shall be heated during the storage of high humidity'. It doesn't get any better than that! Ron Beard CCS Senior Member Username: rm_beard_ccs Post Number: 196 Registered: 10-2002 Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007 - 11:04 pm:    What spex look like to a contractor: Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! Stansen Specifications Senior Member Username: stanspecs Post Number: 18 Registered: 11-2002 Posted on Thursday, May 17, 2007 - 05:04 pm:    This just in from a young architect I am working with, and I quote: "..our waterproofing consultant ... suggests we provide uplift pressures etc to the roofing subcontractor to create a fascinating schedule... Is this something we can do without having our structural engineer evaluate all the different conditions?" Facinating..... ken hercenberg Intermediate Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 4 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 05:32 pm:    Wow, those are some fantastic entries. As some of you already know, I moderate the "How Not to Screw Up" Forum on www.csinet.org. I'd love to have input from all of you. No doubt each of you can come up with many fantastic stories. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Anne Whitacre, FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: awhitacre Post Number: 576 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 07:15 pm:    I've seen some schedules that are sort of interesting, but I admit none of them have been "fascinating". David R. Combs, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: davidcombs Post Number: 247 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Monday, July 30, 2007 - 03:32 pm:    Just received this question from an interior designer, trying to red-line the ceramic tile specification: "I don’t have any particularly thick tiles. Do I need to keep the Thickset installation [method]?" Anne Whitacre, FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: awhitacre Post Number: 612 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Monday, August 06, 2007 - 06:07 pm:    oh.... I just got one. Our consultant doing the "Facade Access Equipment" has multiple references to a "bosoms" chair. and... of course, the project is located in Las Vegas. (where else?) Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEED™ AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 632 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Monday, August 06, 2007 - 09:03 pm:    So do you sit in it upside down sort of Mork-like? Or is it more like how one sits in a massage chair? Or...? The visual images conjured up are intriguing... Vivian Volz, RA, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: vivianvolz Post Number: 92 Registered: 06-2004 Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 01:18 pm:    Lucky me, I found one in the keynote list, before it proliferated on the drawings! 10 28 00 FAMINE NAPKIN DISPENSER Poor fellow, spellcheck wouldn't have helped him. David R. Combs, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: davidcombs Post Number: 249 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 03:27 pm:    Aside from the typo, he apparently didn't even notice the oxymoron either. Jim Brittell Senior Member Username: jwbrittell Post Number: 42 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Friday, August 31, 2007 - 06:20 pm:    This just in..... last American paint. (elastomeric paint) Now that's some creative spell checking. Richard L Matteo, AIA, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: rlmat Post Number: 236 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Friday, August 31, 2007 - 07:29 pm:    Jim, Given the amount of stuff that's coming in from China - you never know. Helaine K. Robinson CSI CCS CCCA SCIP Senior Member Username: hollyrob Post Number: 343 Registered: 07-2003 Posted on Saturday, September 01, 2007 - 07:15 pm:    Go to MPI and look at the tab title: PainInfo http://www.specifypaint.com/APL/paintinfo_APL/ProductIdxByMPInum.asp linda stansen (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 11:13 pm:    This just in: B. Furnish manufacturer's written warranty warranting doors against warp, photographing, and delamination, and defects in workmanship and materials. I have walked a lot of jobs, but never saw a door trying to photograph anything! Jeffrey Wilson CSI CCS Senior Member Username: wilsonconsulting Post Number: 9 Registered: 03-2006 Posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 11:41 am:    Believe it or not, "photographing" might be a legitimate term in this context. A web search brings up several citations indicating that "telegraphing" and "photographing" are interchangeable to descibe the visible transmission of irregularities in an outer surface, although the first is more commonly used. I checked because I recalled reading a similar provision. Bob Woodburn Senior Member Username: bwoodburn Post Number: 209 Registered: 01-2005 Posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 03:46 pm:    There is a whole category of inkjet printers (flatbeds using UV-cured ink) that can print photographic images directly on doors (and other architectural surfaces such as paneling, counters and tabletops--even glass, stone and marble). But the door is a passive participant... Jerry Tims (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 - 10:51 am:    OK, I'll keep this as clean as possible. Didn't see this one listed any any of the previous posts. But it actually happened in our office. A set of drawings went out the door, and the note for the concrete block wall at the dumpster enclosure had a slight typo. Instead of saying 8" CMU, well, the M and the U were reversed. I left it to our female project architect to send the RFI to the contractor! And I'm just wondering how the poor guy in the field thought he was going to accomplish his task! Don Harris CSI, CCS, CCCA, AIA Senior Member Username: don_harris Post Number: 159 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - 03:15 pm:    On the cover of an unnamed manufacturer's spec it says... "Prepared according to Construction Specifications Institute (CSI)" The third line of the spec reads... "All work shall be performed in a first class, safe and workmanlike manner." Did I miss something in the CCS class? Anonymous   Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - 03:38 pm:    An old favorite drawing note from a renovation project: "All existing toilets to be cleaned and re-used for the owner's functions..." John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 343 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - 07:43 pm:    Don: Obviously, you missed the first class. John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 344 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - 08:04 pm:    Check out the weekly column of Stephen Wilbers that appears in the business section of many newspapers. I especially liked this week's column about redundant words. The writers of many manufacturer's and consultant's specs would benefit from writing more concisely without losing meaning. Us profeshunal spek riters don't need no help cause we already rite real good like. http://www.wilbers.com/ George A. Everding, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: geverding Post Number: 365 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - 03:19 pm:    "Manufacturer's testes shall be witnessed and reported on by independent testing agency, both in the fabricating facility and in the field." That's taking Quality Assurance way beyond the standard of care, in my opinion. Ronald L. Geren, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA, SCIP Senior Member Username: specman Post Number: 549 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - 03:30 pm:    I bet manufacturers who read that won't have the b*lls to bid on the project. Don Harris CSI, CCS, CCCA, AIA Senior Member Username: don_harris Post Number: 213 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2008 - 10:05 am:    Core drill 4" x 6". Yeah I know they mean 4" diameter and 6 "deep, but I got a laugh picturing the rectangular drill bit. Wayne Yancey Senior Member Username: wayne_yancey Post Number: 133 Registered: 01-2008 Posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2008 - 10:47 am:    John R, Thanks for the link to Stephen Wilbers. Great stuff and good sense of humor. Sometimes, generally, always, as a rule, I like try to use good grammer and talk bestest. Wayner Lisa Goodwin Robbins, RA, CCS, LEED ap Senior Member Username: lgoodrob Post Number: 13 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Friday, November 07, 2008 - 11:10 am:    I once had an admin assistant who changed all the tegular edge tile to regular, because she was sure I couldn't spell. Maybe the more shocking part of this story is that the spec writer had an admin assistant once upon a time. Jim Brittell Senior Member Username: jwbrittell Post Number: 57 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Friday, November 07, 2008 - 01:31 pm:    Lisa, We have a saying for that in my office: "Don't think - it can only hurt the team..." John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 421 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Saturday, November 08, 2008 - 01:19 pm:    Compatibility with EPIC (a European system for construction information) is said to have played a large role in the reorganization of Masterformat. The next logical step will be to adapt specifications language to a common form of English. Thus: THE CONVERSION TO EURO ENGLISH The European Commission has announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union (EU), rather than German which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, it was conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and a five year phase-in plan has been accepted to convert to what will be known as "Euro-English". In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of the "k". This should klear up konfusion and keyboards kan have 1 less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like "fotograf" 20% shorter. In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be ekspekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkorage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent "e"s in the language is disgraseful, and they should go away. By the fourth year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v". During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters. After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi to understand ech ozer! Margaret G. Chewning FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: presbspec Post Number: 165 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Saturday, November 08, 2008 - 03:27 pm:    It's really weird, but I actually was able to read the last part of that. It resembles the phonetic spelling I have to use for the German text on some of the pieces we sing in my a cappella group! Robert W. Johnson Senior Member Username: bob_johnson Post Number: 187 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Saturday, November 08, 2008 - 03:42 pm:    John Not that it is much to do with the main content of your posting, but EPIC did not play a major role in the reoraganization of MasterFormat. EPIC did play a role in the formulation of OmniClass and is listed as a legacy document for Table 23 - Products. Anne Whitacre, FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: awhitacre Post Number: 854 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - 02:54 pm:    I'm reviewing a set of specs from the mechanical engineers and the equipment is to be protected "to prevent premature microbial growth". Ronald L. Geren, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA, SCIP Senior Member Username: specman Post Number: 710 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - 03:39 pm:    I guess "premature" is defined as "within the statute of limitations for a claim on professional negligence." Don Harris CSI, CCS, CCCA, AIA Senior Member Username: don_harris Post Number: 214 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 - 09:13 am:    This is what happens to us evil specifiers that do not strictly adhere to MasterFormat. I have a section that I titled "Electric Traction Machine Room-Less Elevators." A comment from a reviewer said: "Section title says it does not apply to passenger and service elevators. Yet, the requirements appear to be for the elevators." I obviously wrote a section for an electric traction machine room with the elevator coming later. An old philosopher once said, "Today we'll give you the elevator, tomorrow we'll give you the shaft." Anonymous   Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 - 11:41 am:    If "necessity is the mother of innovation" then "innovation is the father of 'think-it-throughs'" Anonymous   Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 - 11:58 am:    Invention--necessity is the mother of invention, as in, "They considered calling themselves "The Necessities," but on thinking it through..." ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 9 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 - 12:10 pm:    I never thought this string would end up referring to Frank Zappa and 'The Mothers of Invention", but considering the almost-esoteric levels of some messages found here ("...Less Elevator"? Don, you crack me up), I suppose it's appropriate. Anonymous   Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 01:32 pm:    Don - The reviewer's name does not say he/she is stupid, but the comment surely does. Since when it the section title supposed to convey, in detail, ALL of the section's content? If that were the case, then just section titles would be the complete spec! Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 842 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Friday, December 12, 2008 - 04:22 pm:    I have a designer who wants to use "natural steamed beach" for a door veneer - might make folks a little crabby... Don Harris CSI, CCS, CCCA, AIA Senior Member Username: don_harris Post Number: 217 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Monday, December 15, 2008 - 08:43 am:    Natural steamed crabs are much tastier.