2021.03.03 Introducing myself

Hi Steemit,

I am Alex Hicken. I don’t contribute that much to the blockchain and crypto industry. Although my podcasting dominates much of my time, I do love to write. My interests, which I discuss with my little brother on the Very Hicken Brothers podcast, are decentralization, augmented reality, hydrogen fuel, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, social networking, Linux, wearable technology, renewable energy and sustainability, and more.
I was actually introduced to this platform by a new member at Mastodon. I look forward to contribute to the Steemit community and compose some of my thoughts during train ride commute to work.

My Profession

My profession is in the construction management industry, and I am very grateful for where my career has led me. I worked as a project engineer for almost four years, going from a quantities engineer to a quality control project engineer, and I now work in an estimating department now for a civil contractor.
I completed my quantity takeoff work for a massive project, and I almost completed a more simple project’s takeoff today. I think that working in estimating is exciting because I am exposed to many design styles and projects.
I texted with my older brother about foundations and the purpose of footings today. We we had the following conversation:
"I just finished quantifying a huge project. The building has a 17 foot wide continuous footing, and some 29 foot wide spot footings."
"What does that mean? is a "footing" like a platform for people to walk on?"
"It is basically a big block of concrete to hold up a building a part of the foundation."
"So to qualify something you need to choose the material, how much of it you'll need and how much it will cost?"
"I don't estimate the cost. I provide the quantities to the estimator. The footings are 4 feet tall."
"I see, so you'd have to calculate, for example how much cement you'd need for the footing. What is the conversion rate of pounds of cement mix to ft^3?"
"Yes. Construction is very logical like that. Concrete is not only cement and water. It includes aggregate and sand, and some additive mixtures to spin the outcome to the project's preference. There are standard mixes that cities prefer.
The company that I work for is not solely a concrete company; although, we do some concrete work. Our main purpose is preparing to property for building by clearing the land, installing utilities, and grading the property to design levels. Concrete flat work is optional. Subcontractors bid the concrete work, and we pick the best bid. We sometimes provide the concrete to the subcontractor that will produce that sidewalk or curb.
Cement is actually a small part of the mixture."
"Interesting! I was curious about what they use in the foundation of skyscrapers. And this is what I learned:"

"One of the many things that make skyscrapers special is their substructure. For example, the depth of the pit that holds the substructure has to reach all the way to bedrock. If bedrock lies close to the surface, the soil on top of the bedrock is removed, and enough of the bedrock surface is removed to form a smooth platform on which to construct the building's foundation" (wiki).

Yeah. Buildings are like boats on the earth. If the footings are not big enough to support the building, it will sink.

"In some places, the bedrock IS the ground. In other places - like the valleys of large rivers for instance, or areas along the US Southeastern coast, the first bedrock can easily be thousands of feet down." (Wiki)

"I wonder what they had to do for those large hotels on the Florida coast.
for a typical house, can the foundation be made of cement?"
"Cement is the substance that holds the foundation structure together. Rock is used to reduces the quantity of cement in the mix. Water activities the curing process. The proper balance water and cement is important. You don't want to water down the cement. Concrete is used in most foundations."
"In my mind concrete and cement were the same thing, now I know. ya learn things everyday. haha"
"It's a common misnomer. You can buy bags of cement, but you don't want to buy a bag of concrete. It's like buying a rock."
"yeah, it's buying the ingredients to a cake.
"Yep. There is a lot of chemistry in concrete. The curing process is a chemical reaction."
"That makes sense."

It’s good to text my older brother, since it has been hard to keep up with him. I thank the Fabriq app for reminding me.

My Calling

I was sustained as a primary teacher in my ward within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, and this morning I engaged in my new calling by asking the primary president for guidance on how she would like me to fulfill my role as we do not have weekly primary classes.
I was also asked to lead a Zoom discussion with the Elders Quorum at the end of the month, and I have been reviewing talk by the Apostle David Bednar in preparation.
In his last conference talk, he spoke about how man’s purpose is to prepare and prove that we are faithful enough to abide in Heavenly Father’s glory, “for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy.” (Doctrine and Covenants 98:14)
These were some words that I have noted to review the my Elders Quorum discussion.
I am currently preparing to host a couple full-time missionaries this evening. Missionary work is so hard. I don’t think that the work can be effective; unless, you dedicate your life to it. I wonder if I should quit podcasting, but I think that my devotion to my brotherly relationships are important too.

My Hobby

As you can see, I love to write. My new Mastodon friend from yesterday introduced me to Steemit, and I introduced him to the CryptoTab browser that turns my devices to Bitcoin mining machines. I only get about 5000 hashes per second, but I watched my balance pass 0.00002000 Bitcoin today. I am planning to withdraw my Bitcoin for the first time this weekend, so I have that to report on later.