Blogs
Obama’s brain project: A hall of mirrors?
March 5, 2013 9:04 am | by Karl Stephan, Consulting Engineer, Texas State University, San Marcos | CommentsOne of the famous line drawings of the artist M. C. Escher portrays a realistically drawn hand holding a pencil. The line drawn by the pen turns out to be the cuff of a shirt sleeve, from which emerges a second hand ... which grows out of the paper somehow and holds a pencil, whose line is the cuff of a shirt sleeve, from which emerges the first hand.
A drag on windpower
March 1, 2013 5:02 pm | by M. Simon, Technical Contributor | CommentsECN recently published an article from Eurekalert! on the limits of large scale wind power. I thought it might be a good idea to go to the source to find out if the posted article reflected the actual paper. The first thing I found without any effort at all (it was in the abstract) is that the Eureka people got the previous maximum-estimated wind source number wrong.
Top 10 must-read posts from February
March 1, 2013 3:12 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | CommentsHere’s a rundown of the most read, most popular, most awesome articles on the web. Take a look at what you missed the first time around or check up on an old favorite to see the conversation in the comments. Keep checking out the Lead at www.ecnmag.com and follow us on Twitter @ecnonline for our most up-to-date articles.
Mayer’s memo ending telecommuting puts Yahoo in good company
March 1, 2013 12:27 pm | by Chris Warner, Executive Editor | CommentsMarissa Mayer created quite a hornet’s nest when she issued a memo effectively ending the work-at-home option for Yahoo employees. In the memo, obtained by AllThingsD, Mayer writes, “To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side."
Why 3D-printable guns are a terrible idea
March 1, 2013 9:45 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | CommentsMention the words "3D printed guns" and you’ve got an instant, increasingly heated debate on your hands. When you consider there were 16 mass shootings—defined as a shooting with multiple, random victims—in 2012 with at least 88 people dead including children, it’s definitely a topic worth discussing. My take? No one needs a 3D printed gun or the ability to create one.
University of Washington EcoCAR 2 Team midpoint update
February 28, 2013 10:40 am | by Communications Manager, UW EcoCAR 2 Team | CommentsWe’re now at the midpoint of Y2 of the 3 year EcoCAR 2 competition. In the last few months, the 2013 Chevy Malibu was disassembled– almost to the point of body-in-white. Further, much of the rear sub-frame was
Software patents are evil
February 28, 2013 10:08 am | by M. Simon, Technical Contributor | CommentsI was planning to write about software patent trolls and was entering "software patents" in my search engine when it offered the suggestion "are evil" to complete the phrase. I'll buy that. So to encourage more traffic here, that is the title of this post. Yes. I have been blogging for quite some time.
Pass the Marketplace Fairness Act
February 27, 2013 3:35 pm | by Rex Solomon, Houston Chronicle | CommentsOn July 1, 2012, online retail giant Amazon.com began collecting and remitting state sales taxes in Texas. As a small-business owner and president of Houston Jewelry, I can say from experience that this was cause for celebration in the Texas retail community.
Hydrogen fuel cells get a lift
February 27, 2013 9:16 am | by M. Simon, Technical Contributor | CommentsI was reading one of the logistics magazines I regularly get and found out something amazing. By about 2020, roughly 80 percent of the lift trucks in America will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The fuel cell advantage is constant voltage output and longer continuous run time.
People are superorganisms with microbiomes of thousands of species
February 25, 2013 5:58 pm | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsIn a recent article in National Geographic Carl Zimmer has again done a good job of explaining the complex interaction between our bodies and the bacteria and microbes that make us sick, and keep us healthy. The damage done by … Continue reading →
Too big to fly: Why engineering should stay small
February 22, 2013 12:29 pm | by Chris Fox, Associate Editor, PD&D | CommentsEverybody has heard the now-clichéd term, ‘too big to fail’, and all of the negative connotations that are associated with said title. Also, I’m sure most, if not all, of you have heard or read something about the recent problems Boeing is experiencing with the Lithium Ion batteries. It is also quite apparent, by the many responses and comments...
The greatest use of (bus stop) technology ever
February 21, 2013 3:13 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | CommentsCompanies often struggle with how to incorporate new technology in a useful way, but Qualcomm knocked it out of the park this week with their new bus stop surprise. Qualcomm, a company that specializes in wireless technology, decided that they could use the combination of smart phones and boredom at bus stops
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day
February 19, 2013 4:18 pm | by Polygon Solutions Inc. | CommentsOn February 21, 2013, women engineers, along with their male counterparts, will engage and mentor as many as one million girls around the country during National Engineers Week Foundation’s 12th Annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.
Re-understanding “integrated” supply chain
February 19, 2013 1:08 pm | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | CommentsSomewhere along the way, it became the norm to give up control of component supply and call it “business improvement.” Re-think the standard mode of buying stuff from others if you can do it yourself.
Engineering the future: Do we know what we’re doing?
February 19, 2013 12:53 pm | by Karl Stephan, Consulting Engineer, Texas State University, San Marcos | CommentsI assume many of my readers are either engineers or interested in engineering and its effects on society, so what I am about to say may surprise you. It is simply this: Engineers are playing a role in American society that may end American society as we have known it up to now. Let me explain.
