By Miller Tong Uncategorized 0 Comments

Why Did My iTunes Music Disappear? Common Causes and Solutions to Restore Your Library

It can be frustrating and concerning when your iTunes music disappears unexpectedly. Losing your entire library or even just a few songs can feel like you’ve lost a part of yourself. Fortunately, there are several common causes for missing iTunes music, and solutions to help restore your library. Whether it’s due to an accidental deletion, syncing issues, or updating errors, we’ll explore some possible reasons for your missing music and provide practical steps you can take to recover it.

iTunes is a popular media player, library, and device management software developed by Apple. One of the common issues that iTunes users might face is the disappearance of their music from their library. This can be frustrating and can create a lot of confusion. In this article, we will explore the common causes behind this issue and suggest some solutions to restore your missing music.

1. Syncing Issues

One of the primary reasons why your music may disappear from iTunes is because of syncing issues. If you have enabled automatic syncing of your music collection, then any changes made to your library on other devices or in the cloud can cause your music to disappear from iTunes. This can be easily fixed by disabling automatic syncing and manually syncing your music library.

2. Accidental Deletion

Another common cause of disappearing music is accidental deletion. If you accidentally delete a song or an entire album from your iTunes library, it will disappear from your device as well. You can check your trash folder to see if you can recover the deleted files. If not, you may need to restore your music from a backup.

3. Corrupt Library Files

Sometimes iTunes library files can become corrupt, causing your music to disappear. This can happen if you have an outdated version of iTunes or if there is a problem with your hard drive. You can try repairing your library file using iTunes’ built-in tools or restoring it from a backup.

4. iCloud Music Library

If you use iCloud Music Library, your music may disappear from iTunes if there are syncing issues between your device and the cloud. You can turn off iCloud Music Library and then turn it back on to force a sync. Make sure you have a stable internet connection when doing this.

5. Limitations with DRM-Protected Music

DRM-protected music purchased from the iTunes Store has certain limitations. For example, if you exceed the number of authorized devices, your music may disappear from your iTunes library. You can resolve this issue by deauthorizing all your devices and then authorizing them again.

In conclusion, there are several reasons why your iTunes music may disappear from your library. The good news is that most of these issues can be easily resolved with the right set of tools and knowledge. If you are still having trouble restoring your missing music, don’t hesitate to contact Apple support for further assistance.

By Miller Tong Uncategorized 0 Comments

10 Must-Have Notepad Extensions to Boost Your Productivity

Notepad extensions are a great way to enhance the functionality of your basic notepad app and help you boost your productivity. These extensions offer additional features such as syntax highlighting, auto-completion, code snippets, and many other useful tools that can save you time and effort while working on various projects. In this article, we will introduce 10 must-have notepad extensions that can take your note-taking and coding experience to the next level. These extensions are compatible with a range of popular notepad apps and are designed to make your work more organized, efficient, and enjoyable.

Notepad is a simple and easy-to-use text editor that comes pre-installed on most Windows operating systems. However, its basic functionalities can be limiting when it comes to productivity. Fortunately, there are several extensions available that can enhance its capabilities and make it much more efficient. In this article, we will take a look at ten must-have notepad extensions to boost your productivity.

1. Notepad++

Notepad++ is an open-source code editor that supports several programming languages. It comes with syntax highlighting, auto-completion, and other features that make coding easier and faster. Additionally, it has a plugin manager that allows you to add more functionality to the editor.

2. TextFX

TextFX is a powerful plugin for Notepad that adds advanced text editing features such as sorting, filtering, and converting case. It also enables you to remove blank lines, duplicate lines, and keep only unique lines.

3. Compare Plugin

If you need to compare two files, the Compare Plugin is a handy tool to have. It highlights the differences between two files and allows you to merge them easily. This plugin can save you a lot of time if you frequently work with multiple versions of the same file.

4. NppExec

NppExec is a plugin that allows you to execute commands directly from Notepad++. With this extension, you can run scripts, compile code, and perform other tasks without switching to another program.

5. Emmet

Emmet is a time-saving plugin that makes HTML and CSS coding faster and more efficient. It allows you to write code snippets and generate complex structures quickly.

6. MarkdownViewer++

If you frequently work with Markdown files, the MarkdownViewer++ plugin is a must-have. It provides a preview of your Markdown files in real-time, making it easier to see how your document will look before you publish it.

7. Spell Checker

If you often create documents or emails using Notepad, a spell checker can help you catch errors and improve your writing. The Spell Checker plugin for Notepad++ uses the Hunspell library, which supports over 80 languages.

8. QuickText

QuickText is a productivity plugin that allows you to insert frequently-used text snippets with just a few keystrokes. This feature can save you a lot of time if you type the same phrases over and over again.

9. MultiClipboard

The MultiClipboard plugin allows you to copy and paste multiple items at once. It saves all the items you copy, allowing you to paste them later in any order you want.

10. AutoSave

Finally, the AutoSave plugin automatically saves your documents at regular intervals, ensuring that you never lose your work due to a power outage or other unforeseen event.

In conclusion, Notepad is a simple yet powerful tool for text editing. By adding these ten must-have extensions, you can significantly increase your productivity and efficiency. Whether you are a programmer, writer, or student, these plugins will help you get more done in less time.

By John Lam Uncategorized 0 Comments

What we said about “subletting” in semi-government property have proved correct – Lesson Learnt

SCMP – 06TH JUNE 2022 – PAGE A5

 

The news today in SCMP referred . The HKSTP has confirmed failed to take reasonable step for controlling the lessee from sub-letting to 2nd or third tier of leasee. For us, it was not surprised , when we firstly highlighted the issue of mini-storage , shared office , co-working space which are all featured with 3rd tier of leasee in the lease structure, we have made notice to the issue about subletting down drifting the lease structure. Honestly, this kind of issue won’t be materialistic in private property like many in urban area, but it becomes profoundly sharp in the organisation such as HKSTP or probably other similar organisation which are duty-bound to some mission pushed forward by Government. To exemplify, we foresee the place such as West Kowloon Cultural area, Cyber port , Productive council ,…. may be in the rader.

More to discuss later

 

 

By John Lam Uncategorized 0 Comments

Hong Kong Surveyor in Australia Residential Projects with BIM

Great news to our industry. We have successfully extended our professional foot-print to Australia market. With the BIM technology backup and the Professional Knowledge, the residential projects has been accelerated from ground works, drainage works and now to timber structure. We are now in the process of window frame installation , which is posited in the cavity wall.

The land administration system there is alike to other commonwealth countries , where GBE has rided on similar system in UK. The country of the sub-urban took lead on the development control and impose the development constraint varying to the prevailing policy. They pose heavy emphasis to waste management , vehicles control and water supply system. Thus, when we entered into the Building permit stage, all the prerequisite requirement must meet the schematic approval .

The picture below is the ground sub-structure together with the drainage downpipe. The 2nd picture is the erection of the timber structure in pre-designed lattice form. To attain the insulation performance, cavity wall will be in place.

Picture 1

Picture 1

 

Picture 2

 

 

By John Lam Uncategorized 0 Comments

Hong Kong Surveyor in Overseas Project in today Pandemic

Though we are restricted travelling these day, the advanced telecommunication and BiM Technology has taken us far digitally.

Being a Hong Kong Surveyor, we are glad to participate in one small scale development project in Australia, a market where experienced a lot of upsurging in last 2 years.

From the professional perspective , the planning control there is highly similar to what we have practicing in Hong Kong . Indeed, the planning condition from local Australia Government has tightened and deepened control on both the construction details as well. The project program is usually short given the construction complexity is lower , but the distorted global supply chain and the shortage of labour there are hitting the progress.

Like Hong Kong and UK, there are Building control after the planning permission, but the Australian government is running the private sector manning the private sector . Developer, usually the professional Builder, will deploy the Building Surveyor to check and sign off the plan. Given the honest system, and accountability of the Surveyor upheld, there are usually sometime a conflicting view between the Builder’s and Surveyors. Well, a water running under the bridge at the end.

My office is glad to be the surveyor from Hong Kong to oversee the entire development. We have applied the latest BiM to showcase the design, progress and program. Though we were restricted going there , we mastered the entire progress at this moment. Good luck to us

(Sorry for all not be able to disclose more under NDA)

 

 

By John Lam Asset Enhancement • Building Technology • Uncategorized • • 0 Comments

Drone inspection Paradox – Speaking from Professional

Drone application in the view from Professional Surveyor 

As drone technology, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) , becomes increasingly mature and commercialized, the real estate industry has jumped at its potential for building inspection. 

Use of Drone in Construction field / inspection 

Drone technology contributes to the construction field in several ways. It can be used to capture a full picture and provide a solid understanding of the site. It can help in constructing a progress model that assists in monitoring construction process with ease. 

Theory Vs Practical and Professional 

In theory, it is an elegant solution that allows inspection to be carried out on areas that are hard to access. In addition, some IT Engineer alleged that an accurate diagnosis of the building could be be exponentially enhanced by AI. Though, we have had a lot of reservation to this AI application theoretically. However, the actual application of drone technology in building inspection can be less than optimal and costlier than previously believed. Aside from all the hype, it may not stack up against other alternative building inspection technologies and methods.

Professional Surveyor Feedback to Drone application

While UAV can reach areas that are difficult to reach, they have their own physical limitations in professional building surveying. 

Physical Limitations includes:

Hardware Limitations 

  1. UAV has a general altitude limitation of 90m and the image pixel is limited at 1084-2k in most models. The image via the controller is usually compressed for storage, at an even lower resolution. For some inspection which demands close visual inspection, such as sealant shape, cracks on the wall, damp patches mark, deformation of materials, rusty stain etc. The image captured are lust loss and become unreliable. 

Glare from the reflective surface 

  1. Drone operation is heavily dependent on weather conditions. Sunlight can cause glare on reflective surfaces, rendering footage and image unusable. Should there is strong reflective sunlight, the image becomes glared with distorted illusion background . 

Insufficient data for thousand type of variation to build machine learning

  1. AI diagnosis for building inspection is often mentioned as a feature together with drones. AI is built on top of a massive database that promises diagnosis and predictive ability. However, buildings vary by many elements, such as building envelope, height, location, profile, and usage. Furthermore, buildings are dictated by regulations as a product of the location, weather and idiosyncratic factors. There simply isn’t enough data available to power AI to be a blanket solution to building inspection. Currently, professional knowledge is still essential to interpret information generated by AI.

Safety and Lack of Standardization 

  1. There are designated No Fly Zones due to congested buildings, privacy, securities, etc. In addition drones application is not standardized for UAV inspection deliverables. One very rare known limitation is the safety distance between the building and the drone, many drone model is designed to be in hold position when the drone intervenes into the safety distance. This distance makes the image captured ability be doubtful.  

Form over substance

Professional Knowledge is indispensable and cannot be replaced by UAV or AI currently. Having said that, drones can assist Surveyor in capturing images, reference pictures and preliminary scans prior to on-site survey. Unfortunately, it may upset the Surveyor owning to the image reliability. 

Drone application and 360 Cam

Our feed previously posted has presented the 360 Cam for capturing in centimetre distance to the external wall. The image is sent via data to the mobile phone. The inspector can inspect the physical object with the immediate aid of 360 image .

 

Be a smart user to technology 

Always be handy to the technology can advance your professional skill. On the contrary, too much fantasy to the technology will be ended with effort abortive

By Mike Mak Uncategorized 0 Comments

Hand-free Toilet

In the week between May 7th and 15th, 867 COVID-19 infections were found in Thailand Simmummuang fruit and vegetable market. Health investigators in Thailand identified the entrance of the public toilet as the suspected source of most infections. This rises our concern on the infection possibility of public toilets in Hong Kong.

Simmummuang fruit and vegetable market: https://www.bastillepost.com/hongkong/article/8489819-%e6%b3%b0%e8%a1%97%e5%b8%82%e7%88%86867%e4%ba%ba%e6%96%b0%e5%86%a0%e7%a2%ba%e8%a8%ba-%e5%8e%9f%e5%85%87%e7%ab%9f%e6%98%af%e5%85%ac%e5%bb%81

Transmission Route in Public Toilets

According to Joseph Allen, associate professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, public toilets can be an important source of COVID-19 spread. The major way of spread are flushing and touching.

When toilet water contains viruses and bacteria, the churning and bubbling of water creates particles that will float in the air. These  viruses and bacteria will spread around the toilet, linger in the air and settle onto surfaces in the toilet. COVID-19 can survive in the air for 3 hours and even up to 24 hours in paper. Hence, the possible transmission route are people breathing in viruses when flushing and people touch installations in the toilets which viruses and bacteria settled.

COVID-19 in toilets: https://specialty.mims.com/topic/covid-19-in-hospitals–toilets–staff–public-areas-show-contamination-

Ways to Prevent Infection in Public Toilets

In Hong Kong, the most common way to prevent infection in public toilets are wearing mask, wash hands after using the toilet and increase disinfecting arrangements. Nonetheless, these precautions still remain some loopholes in our dense against COVID-19. One common example is after washing hands, people still need to hold the door handle and open the door. If there are some viruses settled on the door handle before, the people will also get in touch with the viruses and may get infected if he or she then touch his or her mouth, nose or eyes. This example is just a tip of an iceberg, in public toilets, not only we need to touch door handles, but also push button toilet flush, faucet handle, soap dispenser handle, etc.. The more we touch, the higher the possibility that we are infected.

Touching doors in toilets: https://health.ucdavis.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-information/coronavirus-mistakes.html

Touching Flush Button: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/public-bathrooms-carry-coronavirus-risks-heres-how-to-be-careful

To close up the loopholes, the best ways is to reduce the amount of viruses and bacteria spreading from flushing and minimize the need of touching in public toilets.

Reduce Viruses from Flushing

People no need to touch the toilet lid, the lid will automatically opens and closes when nearing or leaving the toilet. Therefore, even when people forget to close the toilet lid, the auto open/close lid will close the lid and reduce the amount of viruses and bacteria spreading.

Minimize the need for Touching

Although closing the toilet lid will reduce the amount of bacteria and viruses comes from flushing, there are still risk of getting infected in public toilets as it cannot minimize the amount of bacteria and viruses to 0. As a result, another effective precaution will be minimize the need for touching in public toilet, that is, to update a traditional toilet into a hand-free toilet. Here are the lists of installations in hand-free toilets.

  • Auto Toilet Door
  • Auto Flush Sensor
  • Auto Trash Bin
  • Auto Toilet Seat Sanitiser Dispenser
  • Auto Toilet Paper Dispenser
  • Auto Tissue Dispenser
  • Auto Soap Dispenser
  • Auto Faucet
  • Auto Door
  • Auto Hand Dryer

No ones knows when this pandemic will end, but we can try out best to minimize the possible spreading routes. Wearing mask and frequent disinfection are ways preventing viruses getting into our body, while upgrading toilets to hand-free toilets are smart ways to reduce the amount of bacteria exists in toilets. GBE will keep updating different measures to stop transmission route for the public to fight COVID-19.

GBE welcomes comments from professionals and enquiries from the Public

By John Lam Building Law • Building Technology • Design • Uncategorized • • • 0 Comments

Cracks in Stone Cladding

Nice Stone Cladding but Danger from Height 

Stone cladding are natural, good-looking and durable, and are widely used in both interior and exterior applications. Although stones are durable, on average, you may not know that there at least is 1 to 2 % of stone panels on buildings in US (Simmons & Richter, 1993) contain cracks due to various reasons.

Example of cracks on stone cladding: http://www.service.hkpc.org/hkiemat/previous/2008/mastec03_notes/SLCHAN.PDF

Common Types of Stones

  • Granite

Most granites are suitable to be used as building materials, as they are hard, dense, durable, virtually impermeable to water, resistant to impact damage and stable within industrial environments. Because of the high cost of quarrying and finishing granite, it is frequently used as a cladding material or alternatively cast directly onto concrete cladding units. Besides, granite is also available for flooring and for hard landscaping including pavings, setts and kerbs.

Granite: https://www.minimegeology.com/granite-igneous-rock-graywhite

  • Sandstones

Natural sandstones can be fine or coarse in texture depends on the nature of the original sand deposit. Some types of sandstones, for instance, Calcareous sandstones, are not durable under acid rain.

Sandstone: https://freewp.cfsscloud.hk/idb/rs024-sandstone/

  • Limestones

Limestones must not be mixed with or located above sandstones, as this may cause rapid deterioration of the sandstone. Some limestones, for example, dolomitic limestone, is more durable then original limestone as it replace calcium carbonate content by magnesium carbonate. Nonetheless, it still cannot resistant to heavily polluted atmospheres.

Limestone: https://www.azomining.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=1236

Effect of Cracks

The major concern of cracks development on stone slab is the weakening of fracture withstand ability on the maximum wind load of the stone panel. Another concern is that cracks may diminish much water exclusion properties of the of sealer applied on the stone surface. The effect of cracks will eventually contribute to highly undesirable appearance effect and worst still , the safety issue for instance, corrosion of anchors. Other effects includes aesthetic qualities and durability of the stone.

Stone cladding falls from the building facade: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Examples-of-stone-slabs-removed-from-the-building-facade-a-east-side-b-south-side_fig4_336970581

Types of Cracks

  • Natural Crack

Natural cracks are formed by geologic processes in the stone before it was quarried, hence, natural cracks are most likely more than several million years old. Some natural cracks appears to be artificial cracks, so natural cracks are recognized by the presence of natural crystal. Natural cracks are ubiquitous in some granites, 1 to 2 dozen may occur within an area of one square foot. When liquid, for instance, sea water and rain, makes its way through the clefts and dispense minerals into the crack, crystals formed. Although natural cracks are common in stones, not all of them weaken the stone, only some severely decrease the strength of stone.

Natural cracks: https://www.123rf.com/photo_98560883_red-granite-slab-with-a-deep-crack-natural-stone-texture.html

Natural crystal in natural cracks: https://tinyrituals.co/blogs/tiny-rituals/pyrite-meaning-healing-properties-everyday-uses

  • Exacerbated Natural Crack

Exacerbated natural cracks are natural cracks that have been widened or lengthened by non-geologic activities. They are recognized by its width and length exceeding the value expected for a natural crack.

  • Artificial Crack – Crack developed other than by natural process

Artificial cracks are formed by non-geologic processes. They appeared to have sharp edges on polish face, irregular walls and do not have well developed crystal. If artificial cracks are located in or near mid-span, they can severely decrease the strength / durability of the stone panel.

Artificial Crack: https://www.cnilawfirm.com/specific-construction-components-gallery/

Professional Building Surveyor pay attention to the “Causes of Cracks”

Cracks formed when the local stress of stone is larger than the local strength. The reasons increase local stress includes geological processes, quarrying, handling, fabrication, and erection. Each kind of reasons carries a ton of knowledge behind. Besides, residual stress may also be a major factor in the development of cracks, source of residual stress includes handling, fabrication, shipping, dunnage, and erection on the building. The most typical is the “erection” problem

 

  • Geological Processes

Stones experience heat and cold cycles repeatedly, in heat days, the stone expands while in cold days, the stone contract. The repeated thermal expansion stresses tend to open cracks along grain boundaries.

Cracks: https://www.champlainstone.com/stone-101/

  • Quarrying Process – Fine flaw hidden in the slab block 

stone can be damaged in the quarry if it is extracted by the use of explosives which may cause internal fractures and cracks.

 

  • Handling and Fabrication

damage can be caused by excessive tooling of the surface of the stone, it may cause hairline cracks.

 

  • Dry fixing / erection

If the workmanship or the installation of the stone cladding is too not strictly controlled, mal-anchorage may cause the hairline cracks will be easily found near the anchor point.

  • Shipping – Storage of inventory 

Granite slab should avoid being carried flat . The localised stress building up due to unduly surface may cause hairline granite crack. Examine the stone finishes before hanging on the wall is highly important

  • Dunnage

Dunnage is used to protect stones during shipping, if unsuitable material are used, for example, softwood, the stone may slide around and form cracks or damage.

 

Quality Control before Installation

Before installation, materials should be inspected according to the construction quality acceptance specifications and design requirements, for example, have factory certificate, inspection report, material mechanical properties test and stone radioactivity. On site witness sampling and sampling inspection can also be conducted. The variety, color, pattern, flexural strength, tensile strength, compressive strength and common defects of the stone tile should be checked.

Inspection

 Inspection Method Related Defects
Crack Meter/ Crack Comparing Device/ Optimal Measuring Device, Mechanical Extensometer Fracture, Cracking, Cracking or fracture of the stone element near the joints
Cladding Flatness and Slope Evaluation Vegetation, loosening of the stone element, non-linearity or inadequate dimensions of the joints, cracking or fracture of the stone elements near the joints
Measurement of Internal Humidity Level Biological Colonization, alteration or deposition, cracking or fracture of the stone element near the joints
Percussion Test

 

 Loss of adherence of the stone element, flatness flaws of the cladding surface, Gap in the stone

 

Cladding Flatness and Slope Evaluation: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00170-019-04893-7?shared-article-renderer

 

Tapping rod for percussion test: https://shopee.com.my/TAPPING-ROD-MOSAIC-TESTER-TILE-TESTER-TILE-CHECK-EXTENDABLE-HOLLOW-WALL-HAMMER-CHECKER-HOLLOW-EXAMINER-TILES-CHECKING-i.53165988.1957429999

Maintenance – Cleaning

External granite and marble cladding require regular washing with a mild detergent solution. For example, highly polished external marble should be washed at least twice per year to prevent permanent dulling of the surface.

Cleaning: https://www.industrial-clean.co.uk/services/brick-and-stone-cleaning/

 

In short, although stones are durable, regular inspection and maintenance are required to identity the effect of cracks one by one and to distinguish whether maintenance is required.

GBE welcomes comments from professionals and enquiries from the Public

 

References

Simmons G., Richter D. Cracks in building stone. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences & Geomechanics Abstracts, 1993, 30(7): 1553-1557.