Blogs
Fiddling with fiducials again
May 14, 2012 5:46 pm | by Screaming Circuits | CommentsI recently posted a note about fiducials but I didn't have any images. Here's a couple of examples: This first example shows what IPC would like to see. If this is an individual board, this would be it. If it...
Dear 30% of gamers: Here's an easy way to save some money
May 14, 2012 5:21 pm | by Energy Savers Blog | CommentsA couple of years ago, I wrote an incredibly nerdy post about videogame consoles and energy. (I'm still stupidly proud of that lame Castlevania reference in the first line. Seriously.)
Repair cafes in the Netherlands
May 13, 2012 1:13 pm | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsRepair Cafes in The Netherlands Give Life Back to Broken Objects A new brand of DIY self-sufficiency is spreading across The Netherlands. Skilled craftswomen, mechanics, seamstresses, and handypersons are banding together to resist disposable consumer culture. It is the rise … Continue reading →
Do you have your own tips for saving fuel?
May 11, 2012 1:37 pm | by Energy Savers Blog | CommentsEarlier this week, Amanda shared a checklist on Fueleconomy.gov that helps you keep your car well maintained. Keeping your car well maintained is one way to make sure that it's not using more gas than it needs to.
A few simple steps for better gas mileage
May 9, 2012 3:20 pm | by Energy Savers Blog | CommentsLast week I went home for a family reunion. Visiting my family was great, and one of my favorite things was hanging out with my dad in the garage while he works on the car. When my siblings and I began to drive and own cars, my dad continually reminded us of the need to keep our cars on a regular maintenance schedule. With warmer spring weather here, and summer just around the corner, it’s a great time to get these things done. To make things easy, we have a checklist for you so it’s easy to remember what needs to be done.
Largest Google summer of code ever
May 8, 2012 6:53 pm | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsGoogle summer of code allows college students to work on open source software projects during the summer and get a $5,000 stipend from Google. Google Summer of Code 2012 by the Numbers This 8th year of Google Summer of Code … Continue reading →
The future of video inspection system products looks bright
May 8, 2012 4:04 pm | by Jim Norton, President, Custom Products & Services | CommentsIn recent years, many electronics manufacturers have been adopting the use of video inspection systems. These systems utilize digital cameras to perform many of the visual inspection functions formerly performed with optical microscopes. Digital camera technology has improved to the point where the image quality now rivals that of optical instruments for many applications.
Good for the Community, Good for the Globe
May 7, 2012 10:58 am | by Energy Savers Blog | CommentsApril showers may be best known for bringing in May flowers, but in my D.C. neighborhood, they also bring in…a local farmers market! There's something about fresh produce that just tastes better - kale is a little spicier, strawberries a little sweeter, and tomatoes are completely different fruit than those watery things sold at the grocery store. And it's so nice to know that I'm supporting my local farmers and economy by buying at the farmers market.
Using Nanocomposites to Improve Dental Filling Performance
May 6, 2012 8:14 am | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsAfter a dentist drills out a decayed tooth, the cavity still contains residual bacteria. Professor Huakun (Hockin) Xu says it is not possible for a dentist to remove all the damaged tissue, so it’s important to neutralize the harmful effects … Continue reading →
Low power, low-cost testing
May 4, 2012 12:29 pm | by M. Simon | CommentsI'm sure some of you were wondering about the board I described in A Beauty. What is it for? It is an electronic load of sorts for power supply testing. Low power (under a watt) power supply testing. The principle is simple. You apply a pulsing load to the power supply and watch its response.
Higher solar cell efficiencies taking benefits of IC technology experience
May 4, 2012 9:36 am | by Philip Pieters, business development director Energy at imec, www.imec.be | CommentsBy bringing expertise of the semiconductor industry to the PV industry, we can significantly increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. Of course, the semiconductor processes cannot simply be copied into the PV lines. They must be adapted towards higher throughput and lower cost. This is a challenge but also an opportunity for
Ode to Competition
May 3, 2012 1:55 pm | by Screaming Circuits | CommentsThanks to Theodore Roosevelt, we almost all have competition of some sort or another. I'm not a big fan of the statement made so often: "We welcome the competition, It validates the market." or similar such sentiments. You usually hear...
Majority of Clinical Trials Don’t Provide Meaningful Evidence
May 3, 2012 6:32 am | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsThe largest comprehensive analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov finds that clinical trials are falling short of producing high-quality evidence needed to guide medical decision-making. The analysis, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found the majority of clinical trials … Continue reading →
Is it your fiduciary duty to use fiducials?
May 2, 2012 4:49 pm | by Screaming Circuits | CommentsWe don't require fiducials here. It's not mandatory. That's because we live in a prototype world and in that world, theory doesn't always match up with reality. That being said, there are things we can do and things we would...
Picking robotics stocks is complicated; some are a waste of time
May 2, 2012 2:32 pm | by Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report, www.therobotreport.com | Comments"Pure play" is an investment term that refers to a company which is exclusively focused on a particular product or service. An investor buys stock in pure play companies in order to obtain a market share in the industry as well as in the company. Robotics, to many, are just a tool to accomplish business tasks in an efficient way.
