A few years ago I wrote an article for USGlass in which I told about my parents' house. Years ago when they bought it I never really thought about glass--all its windows and doors. There are tall casement and fixed windows all around the house, and a glass back door that opens from the kitchen to the porch. When I was a kid I convinced myself it was "bullet-proof glass." After all, I told myself, we'd need it in case anyone ever tried to break in or rob us at gun point. (I guess you could say I had an over-active imagination.)

Of course, the glass is not "bullet-proof" nor is it "bullet-resistant." It's IG.

My folks also have two tables with glass tops and every time I see them I think about two things:

1) There's no standard out there for such glass; and
2) Whether or not the glass came from China.

I've examined the glass and have seen no markings to tell me anything about from where it came. So who knows. For me it's interesting how all the things that have always just been there--like those tables--now make me think about my work.

As far as the windows, they make me think about work, too. A few years ago the IG in a few of the windows fell victim to edge-seal failure (and I do know the manufacturer of that glass but won't say who). Some have been re-glazed, but there's still a few yet to be done.

If you're like me you just can't go anywhere without thinking about the glass. We know what the others don't--there's just so much more to it than just glass.

Right Before Your Eyes

A lot has happened this week in the glass industry, and, as always, USGNN.com brought you a lot of that news. All you have to do is turn on your computer, a couple of clicks and presto! You're there. The industry is at your fingertips.

There's no doubt that the world as we know it is moving closer and closer to a paperless way of life. Does that mean magazines, newspapers and books will one day become obsolete? I doubt it. I find a certain comfort in picking up the book or magazine I want to read, holding it and reading it, page by page (not click by click).

There's a certain intimacy I think you can find in reading a book that you're just not going to get from reading a computer screen. It's hard to imagine curling up in front of a fire on dreary, rainy day, glass of wine and a laptop. Swap out the laptop for your favorite reading material (USGlass, perhaps) and it's a different picture.

The glass industry has been slower than some other industries to embrace online technology, but we're moving in that direction. More companies are offering online catalogs, shopping and purchasing; more are launching websites where they can also offer online customer service. Some might not like it, but we're changing--we can't afford not to.

As you move more and more into the online, computer-powered world, take a moment to think about how easy so many things are nowadays--it's all right at your fingertips--even USGlass www.usglassmag.com).