He acknowledges that engineering is vital in ensuring human social-economic development.  The role that engineers continue to play in solving development issues (transporation, housing) cannot be underestimated. However, he concurs that there is an increased shortage of engineers around the world.  This reality is compounded by the fact that the profession is not attracting as many students, especially in light of the numbers needed to allow us to meet the social-economic obligations around the world.

Obviously the profession should increase its public awareness efforts and rebrand itself as the profession that promotes humanitarian development.  Unfortunately, given the fact that we still lack safe water, sanitation and electricity around the work; Perhaps we as engineering professionals are not doing enough to deliver solutions to problems we are mandated to solve.

Do you concur with Dr. Marjoram assessment? In your opinion, how can engineering be adequately applied to be more effective in delivering solutions for these problems?

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The projects below are our carefully researched list of some of the most interesting projects that commenced ended between 2000 and 2010. Notably three of the entries are from China, which led the world with several of their projects pushing engineering boundaries over the last ten years. The rest equally, pushed engineering boundaries and are equally impressive in their own right.

1. Millau viaduct

The Millau Viaduct is presently the tallest vehicular cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France. The height of the bridge is an impressive 1,125 feet, 62 feet taller than the Eiffel Tower. The bridge was opened in December 2004 and crosses the Valley of the River Tarn close to Millau in the South of France.

2. Burj Khalifa

The Burj Dubai, which was christened Burj Khalifa at its Jan. 4, 2009 opening, achieved instantengineering marvel status before it even opened. This is not because it was long projected to achieve the world tallest building status upon completion, but because the height proposed has never before been attempted, and especially not in the type of environment it now sits on. The construction of Burj Dubai therefore necessitated the the building be designed to withstand the tough and windy terrain, plus the projected human demands of the building.

3. Three gorges dam

The dam is located near the mouth of the lowest of the Three Gorges, where the current was divided in two by an island. In November l997, the first stage was completed with the blocking of two-thirds of the river’s width. The waterleaves had risen l8 metres (59 feet) by the end of l998, will rise a further 52metres (171 feet) by 2003, 30 metres (98 feet) more up to 2009, and a final ten metres (33 feet) that year, when the dam will come into operation. Smaller ships will use a single stage lift, and larger ones a stair of five locks. The waters in the Three Gorges will rise a total of l l0 metres (36l feet), gradua1ly changing the scenery forever.

4. Langeled pipeline

5. Qingzang Tibet railway

6. Taipei 101

7. Hangzhou bay bridge

8. Big Dig aka the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T)

On our recently featured compilation of the top 10 most impressive engineering projects, the Boston Big Dig project made it at number four, well ahead of The Millau Viaduct and The Channel Tunnel. What impressed us most about this Boston wonder was the audacious approach to solving a congestion issue. Where most people would have been content with wider lanes or maintaining the status quo, the project engineers sought to go under the city, marking the beginning of one of the most complex and technologically challenging highway projects in the history of the United States.

9. Ras Laffan gas trains

10. Large hadron collider

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No highway in the sky

The premise is as follows: Theodore Honey is an aeronautical engineer sent to Labrador from London to examine the wreckage of a new passenger plane designed by his company. His theory is that the planes are susceptible to metal fatigue after a specific amount of time in the air. The absent minded Honey boards the Reindeer class plane and only realizes that this particular plane is due to fail in the next few hours after the plane is airborne. He decides to warn the crew and creates an incident regardless of whether he is right or wrong.

We like the movie because it does not have the typical chase scenes, blood or gratuitous skin. The movie is just an engrossing human story, a hallmark of Neville Shute’s writing.

Flight of the Phoenix

Flight of the Phoenix, also by Jimmie Stewart, along with a top notch cast is an engaging story about a group of men stranded in the desert and how they “engineer” a way out.  Picture this interesting premise: a cargo plane goes down in a sandstorm in the Sahara with less than a dozen men on board. One of the passengers is an airplane designer who comes up with the idea of ripping off the undamaged wing and using it as the basis for an airplane they will build to escape.

Flash of Genius

Now for a more recent movie that is based on the true story of college professor and part-time inventor Robert Kearns’ long battle with the U.S. automobile industry. Flash of Genius tells the tale of one man whose fight to receive recognition for his ingenuity would come at a heavy price. But this determined engineer refused to be silenced, and he took on the corporate titans in a battle that nobody thought he could win.

We like this movie not just because it is a well played little-guy-fights-back-against-the-big-corporation type of movie, but it also provides an epic story on ingenuity, family values and sanity.

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Perhaps one of those movies that every civil engineer should watch, The Bridge on the River Kwai is about British prisoners of war during World War II who are ordered to build a bridge to accommodate the Burma-Siam railway. Their instinct is to sabotage the bridge but, under the leadership of Colonel Nicholson, they are persuaded that the bridge should be constructed as a symbol of British morale, spirit and dignity in adverse circumstances. At first, the prisoners admire Nicholson when he bravely endures torture rather than compromise his principles for the benefit of the Japanese commandant Saito.  He is an honorable but arrogant man, who is slowly revealed to be a deluded obsessive. He convinces himself that the bridge is a monument to British character, but actually is a monument to himself, and his insistence on its construction becomes a subtle form of collaboration with the enemy.

Primer

At night and on weekends, four men in a suburban garage have built a cottage industry of error-checking devices. But, they know that there is something more. There is some idea, some mechanism, some accidental side effect that is standing between them and a pure leap of innovation. And so, through trial and error they are building the device that is missing most. However, two of these men find the device and immediately realize that it is too valuable to market. The limit of their trust in each other is strained when they are faced with the question, If you always want what you can’t have, what do you want when you can have anything?

The Dam Busters

Finally, we are happy to officially proclaim The Dam Busters as an engineer’s war movie.  The Dam Busters is the story about British engineer Barnes Wallace and his development of a bouncing bomb used to attack hydroelectric dams critical to Germany’s war production in WWII.  The special effects are okay by 1950s standards, but still intriguing and well-acted.

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Shute started off as an engineer, taking a third-class degree from Balliol College, Oxford and worked for Vickers, the aircraft company, in the early Twenties. He worked on the R-100 airship as chief calculator. It is perhaps at Vickers that the engineering basis of flight and the rivalry between private enterprise and public project fed his imagination, in unexpected ways. Evidently, aviation themes are predominant backdrops in many of Shute’s novels.

Novels

Shute’s novels are written in a simple, highly readable style, with clearly delineated plot lines. Typically, most of his novels revolve around a hero’s struggle against circumstances and, often, against hostile political regimes. The themes in his novels vary depending on the prevailing social conditions at the time of the writing. For example, in On the Beach, which was interestingly foreshadowed by a pre-Second World War novel, What Happened to the Corbetts (1938) profiles a devastating bombing raid on Southampton which leads to food shortages and cholera, as well as psychological problems. Another recurrent theme is the bridging of social barriers such as class, race or religion.

Some of Shute’s Most Popular Novels

Shute’s Novels that have been turned into Movies

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Anyway, in a child’s life these are the moments which define them, at least academically. Whenever a child is able to understand a once-thought-to-be-complex topic, they increase their confidence and develop a hunger to learn and experience more of the same. From that one experience they can proceed to conquer those impossible feats that they would not have fathomed had it not been for that initial experience. So, it seems obvious that by increasing such opportunities to intellectually challenge them, you effectively enable them to progressively increase their intellectual capacity.

For the young engineer, such daily challenges will only prepare you for a career where solving problems is part of the daily program.  In a world where Playstations seem to have dominated most children’s  free time, it has become even more important to provide alternate forms of productive entertainment. The following games and books would appeal to the young engineer within as they provide fun and interactive modes of entertainment. More importantly, they are intellectually engaging.

Books

1001 Inventions That Changed the World

Cost: $22.27

This is a well written book describing various inventions that we take for granted, using them daily and enjoying their benefits.

Why we like this book:

The book does a very good job describing the origins and development of some of the inventions that we use on a daily basis. This absorbing new book tells the stories behind the inventions that have changed the world, with details about–
Convenience items, such as safety pins, toothbrushes, and bifocals

Toys and Games

LEGO Bricks & More Builders of Tomorrow Set 6177

Cost: $29.99

Appropriately titled, these LEGO blocks will provide young engineer’s with hours endless building fun. The set comprises of 650 pieces of colorful LEGO bricks, is a variaty of colors and shapes. The colors include the following: white, orange, red, blue, yellow, brown, black, dark green, and light green.

Why we like them

The LEGO Bricks & More Builders of Tomorrow Set 6177 are ideal for young people who like using their hand. Given the high number of pieces, the opportunities for design are infinite. Beast of all, the bricks are created in such a way that one has to be creative to continually come up with a more challenging creation.

Additional Product Features

• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 2.8 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0039PUTZY
• Item model number: 4568348
• Manufacturer recommended age: 4 – 10 years

Draganflyer Complete Airframe – Includes Frame, Motors, Gears, & Rotors

Price: $189.99

This Draganflyer Complete Airframe is a frame with motors, gears, and rotors. The package includes everything but the main circuit board, transmitter, and battery. Use as a complete mechanical replacement, or for experimentation. Great for hobby or University projects. The Draganflyer Complete Airframe Includes: 4 x Carbon Fiber Arms 4 x Vertical Risers 4 x Motor Mounts 1 x Center Cross Piece 1 x Main Wire Harness 1 x Clear Canopy 1 x Carbon Fiber Base Plate 4 x Draganflyer Motors 4 x Main Gears 1 x Rotor Set (2 “A” Blades & 2 “B” Blades) All Necessary Screws Are Also Included Compatible with all Draganflyer versions except the Draganflyer X-Pro.

Rokenbok ROK Works Construction & Action Set

Price: $129.99

Rekenbok has has everything you need to build a vibrant, interactive construction site. Put the remote control Loader to work with the included ROK Star Controller. Steer it left and right. Spin it. Back it up. Scoop, haul, and dump. Then dump a load of ROK balls into the Motorized Conveyor and watch it come to life, automatically. ROKs are lifted into a chute system where they are sorted and stored in spring-loaded dumping bins. Designed to be a home base, this set is the best starting point for anyone looking to create a dynamic, expandable Rokenbok world. ROK Works includes a broad selection of Rokenbok building pieces. The Monorail, Forklift, and ROK Lift are especially easy to add when you’re ready to expand your Rokenbok world.

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As we pointed out before, engineers are peculiar people with unique tastes in products. We like complexity and dislike anything petty and unchallenging. Our previous entries on this topic have provided few products that any engineer would enjoy as a gift. This one focuses on electronics, which any engineer would appreciate. For electronics, the key is functionality and durability. Ask any engineer around you how many times they took apart electronics just to see how they work and you will see why we need something that actually plays an important function in our busy and demanding lifestyle.

The following electronics will be ideal for any engineer are they are durably and highly functional.

HP TouchPad Wi-Fi 32 GB 9.7-Inch Tablet Computer

Price: 279.95

Product Features

• Brilliant 9.7-inch diagonal LED backlit multitouch display
• Seamless multitasking with HP webOS 3.0 and essential productivity apps
• Exclusive Beats Audio for studio-quality sound
• 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core APQ8060 processor

Processor, Memory, and Motherboard

• Hardware Platform: PC
• Processor: 1.2 hertz
• Number of Processors: 1
• RAM: 1 GB
• RAM Type: SDRAM
• Max RAM: 1 GB

Hard Drive

• Size: 32 GB
• Type: Serial ATA

Graphics and Display

• Graphics Card: Adreno 220
• LCD Native Resolution: 1024 x 768

Ports and Connectivity

• USB 2.0 Ports: 1
• Modem: Modem

Cases and Expandability

• Size (LWH): 0.54 inches, 7.48 inches, 9.45 inches
• Weight: 1.6 pounds

Garmin nüvi 1450LMT 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Map & Traffic Updates

Product Features

Kindle Keyboard, Wi-Fi, 6″ E Ink Display

Price: 139.99

If you’re If you’re purchasing a device primarily for reading, an important consideration is the screen technology. Unlike devices with LCD screens, Kindle e-readers use the latest generation of Electronic Ink (“E Ink”) technology – E Ink Pearl – designed specifically to deliver clearer, sharper text that makes reading for extended periods of time more comfortable. Here are some of the advantages to reading on an E Ink device:purchasing a device primarily for reading, an important consideration is the screen technology. Unlike devices with LCD screens, Kindle e-readers use the latest generation of Electronic Ink (“E Ink”) technology – E Ink Pearl – designed specifically to deliver clearer, sharper text that makes reading for extended periods of time more comfortable. Here are some of the advantages to reading on an E Ink device:

Price: $139.99

Apple iPod touch 32 GB 4th Generation

Price: $264.99

• It has one-year limited warranty.
• It supports AAC, Protected AAC (iTunes Store), MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV audio formats, H.264, MPEG-4 and Motion JPEG video codecs in M4V, MP4, MOV and AVI formats.
• It has up to 40 hours of audio playback or 7 hours of video playback on a single charge.
• iPod touch has 32 GB capacity for about 8,000 songs, 40,000 photos, or 40 hours of video.
• It has 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display with 960-by-640-pixel resolution (326 pixels per inch).

Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 4X Optical Zoom (Grey)

Price: $109.95

• Canon’s HS SYSTEM with a 12.1 MP CMOS and DIGIC 4 Image Processor improves shooting in low-light situations without the need for a flash and
• Full 1080p HD Video for exceptional quality and keep footage stabilized with Dynamic IS.
• Get high-speed shooting in a point-and-shoot camera: High-speed Burst Mode captures 8.2fps and
• Smart AUTO intelligently selects the proper settings for the camera based on 32 predefined shooting situations.
• 4x Optical Zoom with a Wide-Angle lens (28-112mm) Optical Image Stabilizer and a 3.0-inch PureColor System LCD.
• Lowers noise levels at higher ISO settings.
• Super Slow Motion Movie records video at high speeds to allow slow motion playback.

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We all know that engineers like to read. The question though is what type of books they would like. For the knowledge-seeking  engineer with a desire to learn more about the profession, the following books will be a great addition to their existing collection. Most of these books are written by engineers usually addressing a social/environmental challange and how to approach its end.  Others simply look at the role engineers have played thus far and what the future holds for the professions.

Engineering and the Liberal Arts : A Technologist’s Guide To History, Literature, Philosophy, Art and Music

This is the first book in a new series titled McGraw-Hill Series in Continuing Education for Engineers. It gives engineers a quick refresher of the liberal arts and encourages them to explore further in this area of knowledge. Topics covered include the history of technology, the world of history, the engineer in literature, the world of literature, the world of philosophy, the fine arts, the world of music. Each of these topics is related to the engineer’s knowledge of science and technology.

The Existential Pleasures of Engineering (Thomas Dunne Book)

Humans have always sought to change their environment—building houses, monuments, temples, and roads. In the process, they have remade the fabric of the world into newly functional objects that are also works of art to be admired. In this second edition of his popular

Price: $10.36

To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design

The moral of this book is that behind every great engineering success is a trail of often ignored (but frequently spectacular) engineering failures. Petroski covers many of the best known examples of well-intentioned but ultimately failed design in action — the galloping Tacoma Narrows Bridge (which you’ve probably seen tossing cars willy-nilly in the famous black-and-white footage), the collapse of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel walkways — and many lesser known but equally informative examples.

Price: $9.88

The Essential Engineer Why Science Alone Will Not Solve Our Global Problems

The moral of this book is that behind every great engineering success is a trail of often ignored (but frequently spectacular) engineering failures. Petroski covers many of the best known examples of well-intentioned but ultimately failed design in action — the galloping Tacoma Narrows Bridge (which you’ve probably seen tossing cars willy-nilly in the famous black-and-white footage), the collapse of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel walkways — and many lesser known but equally informative examples. The line of reasoning Petroski develops in this book were later formalized into his quasi-Darwinian model of technological evolution in

Price: 23.99

The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914

All that changed, writes David McCullough in his magisterial history of the Canal, in 1848, when prospectors struck gold in California. A wave of fortune seekers descended on Panama from Europe and the eastern United States, seeking quick passage on California-bound ships in the Pacific, and the Panama Railroad, built to serve that traffic, was soon the highest-priced stock listed on the New York Exchange. To build a 51-mile-long ship canal to replace that railroad seemed an easy matter to some investors. But, as McCullough notes, the construction project came to involve the efforts of thousands of workers from many nations over four decades; eventually those workers, laboring in oppressive heat in a vast malarial swamp, removed enough soil and rock to build a pyramid a mile high. In the early years, they toiled under the direction of French entrepreneur Ferdinand de Lesseps, who went bankrupt while pursuing his dream of extending France’s empire in the Americas. The United States then entered the picture, with President Theodore Roosevelt orchestrating the purchase of the canal–but not before helping foment a revolution that removed Panama from Colombian rule and placed it squarely in the American camp.

Price: $10.00

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So, as a public service for the benefit of these confused souls, The Engineering Daily will attempt to demystify the mystery of what type of gifts one should get for engineers.  For starters, no Turtle neck pullovers.

The first part of the series is, Gifts that cost less than $20.00.

1. PI Clock

Simple yet highly useful, the PI clock tells an engineer that you at least know what the basis of the profession is. As explained, engineers dislike anything petty. An alternative to this would be plain one with the usual 1,2,3. Such kinds of clocks are the ones that we used to break apart to see the inner workings after kindergarten class.

Price: $15.00

2. Flying Alarm Clock

Speaking of clocks, the flying alarm clock is perhaps the best alarm ever created. The idea is simple: there is a detachable helicopter, which when the alarms sounds, flies away from it port. The only way to silence the alarm is to put it back to its port.

Price: $19.99

3. Our Amazing Bridges Architecture Kit

Engineer’s like to build things. Especially the ones we also break apart. The Bridge Architecture is a great game for any engineer because it allows one to discover the wonders of building. With this you can build and display attractive models of 3 different bridge types – The Roman Arch, The Truss Bridge, and The Suspension Bridge.

Price: $19.95

4. Wooden Boomerang

When I was younger, I was sure that a boomerang defied the fundamental laws of gravitation. That was until I had my first boomerang experience. A experience that provoked in me a passionate desire to create something similar. I never succeeded, so I ended buying a commercial one which provided me with month of pleasure.

Price: $6.95

5. Men’s Mathematics Silk Tie

Make your engineer feel like the genius he is.

Price: $19.95

Others

Engineer’s Motto T-Shirt

Price: $19.99

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A substation will have a transformer which will feed distribution cables, reducing the voltage as the electricity passes through. The conductors which distributed can often be seen on over head pole lines, which often run through the UK countryside, or, in more busy areas where this is not possible, the cables will be buried underground.

Varying loads are required dependant on the end user. A home owner will not require the same amount of electricity as an area where industrial activity is rife. In built up busy areas, a ‘three-phase’ system is used to meet the varying demands of the consumer. This is different to power distribution in rural areas where a ‘single-phase’ system is installed as this is usually the most economical solution as three-phase power is not required for the amount of customers.

Most of the time, it is only large end users who will take a feed of electricity straight from distribution voltages, whereas most customers will have a transformer, reducing the voltage to a low voltage which is commonly used by interior wiring systems or lighting systems. The transformer itself will be set into the ground or possibly pole mounted dependant on the area where the transformer is going.

In more abstract, rural areas, the transformer is likely to be mounted onto a pole, serving only one end user, completely the opposite to more densely populated areas where a number of consumers may be connected.

In very dense city areas, a secondary network may be formed with many transformers feeding into a common bus at the utilization voltage. Each customer has an “electrical service” or “service drop” connection and a meter for billing. (Some very small loads, such as yard lights, may be too small to meter and so are charged only a monthly rate- source-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_distribution

It is likely that a customer’s system will be connected to the ground, this will limit any high voltage that may occur should a failure occur in the distribution transformer or if the high voltage conductors fall on the low voltage conductors.

Stray voltage problems can occur due to the multiple connections between the customer ground and the utility ground connections. This is particularly dangerous should this happen where people have swimming pools or other areas where an electrical current poses a serious safety threat.

For more information on power distribution please visit CMD Ltd

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The following quote was derived from one of Herbert Hoover’s memoirs.

It is a great profession. There is the satisfaction of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a plan on paper. Then it moves to realization in stone or metal or energy. Then it brings jobs and homes to men. Then it elevates the standards of living and adds to the comforts of life. That is the engineer’s high privilege.

The great liability of the engineer compared to men of other professions is that his works are out in the open where all can see them. His acts, step by step, are in hard substance. He cannot bury his mistakes in the grave like the doctors. He cannot argue them into thin air or blame the judge like the lawyers. He cannot, like the architects, cover his failures with trees and vines. He cannot, like the politicians, screen his shortcomings by blaming his opponents and hope that the people will forget. The engineer simply cannot deny that he did it. If his works do not work, he is damned. That is the phantasmagoria that haunts his nights and dogs his days. He comes from the job at the end of the day resolved to calculate it again. He wakes in the night in a cold sweat and puts something on paper that looks silly in the morning. All day he shivers at the thought of the bugs which will inevitably appear to jolt his smooth consummation.

On the other hand, unlike the doctor his is not a life among the weak. Unlike the soldier, destruction is not his purpose. Unlike the lawyer, quarrels are not his daily bread. To the engineer falls the job of clothing the bare bones of science with life, comfort and hope.

No doubt as years go by people forget which engineer did it, even if they ever knew. Or some politician puts his name on it. Or they credit it to some promoter who used other people’s money with which to finance it. But the engineer himself looks back at the unending stream of goodness that flows from his successes with satisfactions that few professions may know. And the verdict of his fellow professionals is all the accolade he wants.

- Herbert Hoover, President and Engineer
The Profession of Engineering (from his memoirs)

What are some of the feelings you have towards engineering?

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Over the years, the tendering process has remained unchanged as well slow in its transition to a web-centered modus operandi. Given the advancement in web technology, one can argue that a traditional newspaper is no longer the ideal mode for dealing with tenders in part due to the following shortcomings:

1. The cost of posting a single entry on a single-day newspaper is in the range of $200.00. This amount is not only prohibitive for most small companies, but also a newspaper is
2. highly untargeted in that you broadcast to an entire nation in the hope that your ideal readers will see your tender. Furthermore,
3. communications following the posting of the tender are equally prohibitive because companies are compelled to utilize the same medium to provide addendums, corrections or cancellations. With each correction, then a,
4. series of letters are usually necessary to ensure that all bidders are similarly advised.

While newspaper-posted tenders provide newspaper companies with an almost guaranteed revenue stream, to the end user, the process remains old-fashioned and ineffective. Unnecessarily so given that tendering would have with far-reaching benefits if entirely performed through a website. Here is why:

Not even discussing the obvious benefits such as reduction in cost, reduction in paperwork, global and twenty-four hour access to tenders, etc, an adequately optimized tenders management website would enable the following;

1. A wider more diverse group of bidders given the wider reach;
2. More informed bidders through access to real-time information;
3. Ease in managing and communication with bidders,
4. Opportunities for long term business growth through embrace of technology; and most importantly
5. With the advancement in technology, it would now be easy to send instant updates either via emails, smses or desktop alerts. So you have a last minute change of submission time, the client simply updates the tender and the changes are automatically submitted to all interested parties. Try doing that with a newspaper.

TENDER.AFRICA

Few websites have attempted to provide applications for posting tenders. Many have under-delivered. Often driven by a short-sighted need to obtain many fee-paying subscribers, the websites fail to comprehend value of the internet a medium for productive and beneficial collaboration. Luckily, a new website by Touch Web-Services takes a different more interactive approach to tendering. While, tenders.africa is primarily a tenders management website catering to the entire continent, it also provides a platform for involved parties to interact through access to actionable information. One of the unique features of tendersafrica.com is the supplier, contractor and client pages which allow companies to showcase details about their company. In these pages, companies are at liberty to provide pertinent details that describe their company and the goods and services. A client on the other hand has the ability to post tenders and solicit bids from other companies. So, tendersafrica.com is essentially an online marketplace for productive interacting with all parties involved in a tender.

Case in point

So if a particular client is preparing to post a tender on say the construction of a bypass in Juba, all they have to do to review the contractors registered and determine which ones are best suited for the job. Once the tender been posted, the client can invite these contractors to review the tender. The contractors and the clients can then communicate though the Tender Messaging System (TMS) on any request for clarifications, status changes, change of scope etc.

Design and Usability

The website is design with the end user in mind, providing and easy to use interface. Best of all, the website is free to join and access tenders. They are currently in beta phase until the end of the year, during which time they make community-upgrade changes on their website so as to be able to cater to the varying types of tenders and register as many companies as possible.

Start connecting today, visit the website and register.

Kenneth Kabaki is the founder and lead designer of TendersAfrica.com. He is a civil engineer by profession. Tender.Africa is his contribution to the future development of Africa.

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The structure

Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is 42.5 kilometres (26.4 mi) long, making it according to Guinness World Records the world’s longest bridge over water (aggregate length) as of July 2011.  The structure is supported by 5,000 pillars stretching across 24 miles.

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Kindle, Wi-Fi, 6″ E Ink Pearl Display – includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers	5 Amazing Gifts for Engineers that will cost you less than $20
The type of Games that Engineers would love	5 Mentally Engaging Books that Engineers would like as Gifts
The Best Electronic Gift Ideas for Engineers	Gift Suggestions to inspire the Young Engineer within
6 Wonderful Engineering-Oriented Movies

So what are some of the gifts you would like to have?

We have a embarked on an ambitious quest to come up with a realistic guide on they type of gifts engineers would like. See the rest of the articles here.

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The project traces its origin to a comment made in 1952  by Chairman Mao who reportedly proposed that since there was  “a lot of water in the south, but not much in the north,” then they could “borrow some, then everything would be OK.”   In simple terms, the completed project will channel water from the flood plains of China’s south and the snow-capped mountains of the west all the way to Beijing.

Scope of the project

The project encompasses three major components: The 885-mile eastern line from Hangzhou to Beijing, which mostly follows the route of the Grand Canal and is hoped to be ready by 2013. The middle line, which is supposed to open in 2014, runs 766 miles, although it might be extended. The western section, which is still in the planning stages, would funnel water from the Tibetan plateau. But with serious cost overruns and delays on the eastern and middle routes, there are doubts about whether the third line will be built at all.
h2>Challenges

It is clearly obvious that such a project carries a sizable number of challenges. Nevermind the obviously complicated hydrology and ecological factors, the project has faced objections from environmentalist and preservationists alike.  According to one pro-democracy activist, “the project is robbing the water of the rest of China to supply Beijing.”

Objections aside, the project is flowing along as planned.

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