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What’s the Difference? Concrete vs. Asphalt Driveways

Whenever you have cracks, stains, holes on your driveway and you think maintenance and repair will never solve the problem anymore, you think of replacing the old to a new one. And when you get to decide, choosing between the asphalt and concrete could one of the major decision-making you need to overcome.

Both are laid on a mixture of stones and sand although these two use different adhesive: cement for concrete and tar for asphalt. In addition, both of these materials have pros and cons to them. So here in this article, we will share with you some tips to help you see a bird’s eye view of these materials and decide for yourself after weighing down the pros and cons.

1. Concrete offers more visual options

The asphalt can just provide two color options: black and gray. The concrete, on the other hand, is able to provide you different visual options from stains, patterns, and molds. If you want to have some personalized choice, opt for concrete and contact concrete contractors Vancouver. Otherwise, choose asphalt. If you want to

2. Concrete is easily stained while the asphalt needs sealing every few years

When it comes to maintenance, both can be a little bit demanding. On the one hand, your asphalt is able to withstand different stains like rust, gas drip, oil, etc. because of its matte finish layer that is able to hide the stains away. However, your asphalt needs to be resealed every after three to four years to make sure it is still durable and usable. On the other hand, your concrete may be able to withstand force and pressure and it is considered to be very durable but it is very susceptible to stains.

3. Concrete performs poorly in an extremely cold environment while asphalt can be damaged in extreme heat

Your concrete can buckle when it is exposed to a cold environment and the salt that is used to melt the ice can also stain your concrete, leaving marks on it. The asphalt can work inn cold temperature although it melts and becomes sticky and gooey under extreme heat. When the environment cools down, the asphalt hardens again making it sag or crack.

So, when choosing what to install, take into consideration the environment where you are exposed. If you are living in a cold environment, choose asphalt. However, when you are living in an area where there is a constant sun, choose concrete.

4. Concrete is harder to repair but it takes it longer to get damaged

Asphalt tends to damage and deteriorate faster because it is softer compared to concrete. However, it is easier to fix. The concrete, however, is very durable and it ill requires you a few times for repair and replacement although it can be difficult to repair and replace it.

When choosing, consider two things: durability and the frequency of the repair procedure. Concrete, in this aspect, has more advantages compared to asphalt.

Asphalt is faster to cure but concrete lasts longer. Consider the things before you get to finally choose fir a driveway material.

The Social and Environmental Impact of Mobile Phones

Since 2007, there have been 7 billion smartphones that have been made and released, and there is no wonder why when you go to the public, early everyone has it. The rate of smartphone ownership among people aging 18 to 35 has been increasing, and this has made an enormous impact socially and environmentally.

Take a bus or a train, and notice everyone being glued to their smartphones, tapping and scrolling arching their back and not paying full attention to their environment. Take notice how smart technology has been increasingly being relevant to different institutions especially education, health, and even development. Notice how the production of these 7 billion smartphones used the power that can power an entire country for a year. And see how each device contributes to the e-waste that is accumulating yearly. Surely, the smartphone has a profound impact on society and the environment.

The Environmental Cost

The expected life expectancy of smartphones is 5 to 10 years; however, nearly all people who get their phones use them for an average of 12-24 months and when you see the trends and how they are advertised, you would understand how this is happening. Statistics will give us an estimate. 60% of mobile phones are produced to replace existing phones and 90% of these phones are still even functional.

Although there are companies that make use of these well functional phones similar to the used phones Canada that can be purchased way cheaper than the new ones, the environmental implications of the trend where everyone wants to have a new phone every year are enormous. This constant updating has produced an enormous size of e-waste. This electrical and electronic equipment and produce chemicals that can leak into groundwater which is harmful to trees, plants, animals, and humans.

This is all connected to the rate of individual consumption which is getting more and more unsustainable. However, the companies are actually the ones to blame for the planned obsolescence of this technology as part of their marketing strategies.

The Social Cost

Certainly, more and more people are being so drawn with their cellphones. For instance, children are getting more hooked on their cellphones and not being presently available to their surroundings. However, the social impact goes more than this; it extends to the third world countries that are being exploited by the CEOs ad companies who produce and manufacture smartphones.

For instance, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is being exploited with its mineral where 50 % of which is controlled by the violent armed groups and independent militias. Women and children are oftentimes sexually abused as these independent groups are moving into mining areas. Workers as young as ten years old are forced to dig for tungsten, tin, and tantalum which are needed to manufacture goods and electronics. There is only a little economic growth that happens in the country as the end profits are mostly obtained by companies that produce electronics in the West.

There are many ways on how to, at least, minimize the effects of smartphones socially and environmentally. And we can start by reusing old functional phones and saving our planet form exhausting too many resources.

Education Software: Why Use it?

The term education software is an all-encompassing-term that refers to all software designed for educational purposes, which maybe include language learning software, reference management software, and other software and apps that teach and share information to the users.

Schools, universities, and educational institutions have begun to embrace technology and integrate different software for learning.

Why Do We Use Education Software?

Almost everyone has access to gadgets like smartphones, tablets, and laptops. In fact, some even change their brands year after year. If you want to rebrand or remodel, you may want to know how much is my phone worth and get something new. This is the trend that is happening in America and there is no question that everyone can have access to smart technology. With this, the educational institutions want to make use of this technology to benefit the teachers, students, and parents such as enhanced content distribution, improved visibility, and better, wider communication channels.

The following are the reasons why we need to use educational software:

1.Communication between teacher, parents, and students

The educational software allows interaction between these parties by means of forums, portals, and other interactive apps that allow each other to communicate and be reachable.

Students are enabled to ask teachers questions while at the same time parents can inquire about their children’s performance. Teachers can also reach their students too.

2.Provides smarter content

Education software is equipped with tools that revolutionize the way information is presented, obtained, and learned by students. It can now be equipped with artificial intelligence that can tailor learning to what the students prefer and need individually. In this way, the content is more enhanced and made easier to teach and obtain.

Teachers are also provided with the opportunity to create built-in assessments to make interaction limitless and more convenient.

3.Provides a better learning environment

The learning environment is an important element of learning. the environment the children must be exposed to needs to be conducive to learning and well-equipped. The teachers are expected to not just provide good content but also an environment that makes learning fun, interactive, comfortable, and convenient. The education software is able to provide all of these.

For instance, the whole class may be taught different content through simulation and AR/VR software. Furthermore, education software is able to give an avenue for teachers to tailor their content to the needs of the students.

4.Improved efficiency and efficacy

All institutions desire to become more efficient and effective in their tasks and responsibilities, and education software is able to provide this.

Teachers are empowered to reach their students, give lessons and assessments even when they are at home, and reach parents whenever necessary. Administrators are also benefiting from the information system provide to them for faster and easier creation and implementation of policies and administrative decisions.

These all allow the teachers as well as administrators to be free from tons of asks and students get the information they need for their education.

If you are into smart technologies, you must consider installing and having educational software.

What to Know About the Best Concrete Service and Contractor in Your Area

We can’t deny the fact that most of the construction companies would use and recommend the usage of the of the concrete materials when it comes to building the houses and the offices in a building as it can give a great satisfaction that everyone is looking for and you can guarantee that the price is going to be the most affordable one. Aside from that, you need to choose the right concrete contractors Abbotsford so that it would be very nice and be very helpful to you when it comes to doing a lot of things and they can give you so much suggestions about what you really need to do when it comes to the things that you have to check and to prepare before making a good decision of the installation of the concrete there.

Of course, a lot of house owners would want to have a very nice flooring at home and it doesn’t mean that the concrete is cheap, then it would not give you a nice job but actually you can be more resourceful and try to find more ideas on how you are going to cover the flooring of the concrete like using the concrete paint which can let you choose the color that you want and the style for this project. The best way here is that you need to choose and pick the right person to work with this kind of material as they have the knowledge about where and how to give the best output for this one and most of the people who don’t have knowledge to this kind of matter would get a not so pleasing result. The tendency is that you are going to hire more people in the future or even the repair for this kind of flooring of concrete would be more expensive and a lot of trouble because it is not giving you the result that you are aiming here.

If you could check the overall portfolio of that person or the company then that would be a big step for you to get to know more of them and this will help you to identify which one you can accept and which one you need to reject because of the poor presentation that they have given. You need to see in their portfolio all the things that you want to check and that includes the design that they have done and they have finished for some houses and even for the buildings or roads.

It is not going to be easy if you don’t have the reference to check as this will give you some help in selecting the right company and based on the experiences of the previous clients so that you can ask more questions about the project and the result of it. They should be professional when it comes to handling the problems and the proper communication to their clients is very important so that both parties can work harmoniously.

How to Find a Concrete Contractor

Whenever you are planning any projects in your house or property, a good and dependable contractor is an important element to make them successful. However, finding a competent and service-oriented contractor might not be that easy. Surely, there are some that have good Internet presence but you need to take note that feedbacks can be bought and faked. Also, licenses can be bought and faked too.

If you are finding a concrete contractor Richmond, read through this article and we will share with you some of the effective tips on how to hire the best and correct concrete contractor in your house.

1. Research companies near your location and study carefully their credentials. You can also read feedback and reviews as well as study how many years the company has been serving. Opt for the company that has more years of service as they are generally more reliable compared to the new ones. Also, make sure that you go to legitimate and popular websites like Angie list and do not fall prey to websites created by anyone on the internet.

2.Calculate the expected amount of the project. It is very important that you know the whole estimated cost so that you will never fall prey to fake and frauds that offer more expensive services. Identify the type of concrete that you need and contact the prospected companies within your location. Tell the company the dimensions of the areas well as the needed concrete densities as different purposes may require different types of concrete to pour.

3.Contact your municipal building department and ask a reputable construction inspector for a list of concrete contractors. For you to make sure that the concrete contractors recommended to you are good and legitimate, construction inspector makes sure that they inspect the concrete forms as well as the site before any concrete is poured down. They are very good at providing you advice on how to choose a good contractor, recommending you some, and how to keep the bad contractors at bay. Make use of their advice.

4. Visit construction sites within your place and ask other contractors for other referrals. In this way, you are provided a good list of contractors you can choose. You can also ask family members or friends for recommendations if they have a trusted contract that they can recommend.

5.Call the contractors that you were able to include in your list and call for a personal meeting to discuss the project. In this way, you will be able to watch and observe how they respond to questions. You can also inquire about their experiences, training, and method of how they will finish your project. A good contractor is able to explain to you the step-by-step plan and procedures. Lastly, aside from the contractor that has insurance and licenses, choose the one that makes you feel comfortable and respects you.

When doing any concrete projects in the house, make sure that you hire the correct contractor to finish the job faster with excellent quality output. Hiring a good contractor will make the project cost-effective too.