Blogs
2012 Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education
January 10, 2013 7:02 am | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsI have posted on the Olin College of Engineering several times. I really like what they are doing. Innovation in engineering education will pay high dividends, especially providing a focus on the nexus of engineering and entrepreneurship. Olin College of … Continue reading →
How NOT to mark a diode
January 9, 2013 10:00 am | by Screaming Circuits | CommentsA while back, I wrote about ambiguity in the markings on electrolytic capacitors. In doing that, I cobbled together a little image to illustrate how surface mount electrolytics are marked. Take a look at the image below: Note how I...
RFID Technology – Taking Notes from Orwell
January 8, 2013 3:01 pm | by Chris Fox, Associate Editor, PD&D | CommentsRadio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has been a controversial issue for quite some time, but for one reason or another, nobody seems to be talking about it – at least not very loudly. Consider this my mountain-top proclamation.
Quick Webcast With a Few Interesting Science Facts
January 7, 2013 9:19 am | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsInteresting facts: I didn’t know that we require 13 minerals or that alcoholic beverages contain amounts of all the minerals we need. An amazing fact: the average person walks the equivalent of 3 times around the earth in a lifetime. … Continue reading →
It's BAAACK: Ready or not, here comes RoHS 2
January 3, 2013 10:42 am | by Ken Manchen, Director of Safety & Environmental Affairs, Newark element14 | Newark | CommentsEvery North American electronics company that trades in the EU should make at least one New Year’s Resolution: to learn how RoHS 2 will impact them, because ready or not, this regulation takes effect January 2, 2013.
How corn syrup might be making us fat
January 3, 2013 3:38 am | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsHow Corn Syrup Might Be Making Us Hungry–and Fat by Katherine Harmon …Glucose lowered the activity of the hypothalamus but fructose actually prompted a small spike to this area. As might be expected from these results, the glucose drink alone … Continue reading →
Would you like to contribute to our Brainstorm section?
January 2, 2013 4:50 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | CommentsWe here at ECN love to hear what you have to say, so for our February issue we’re opening up the Brainstorm discussion to our faithful readers. We want to hear your thoughts about consumer electronics and the future of technology. Typically, the Brainstorm is an editorial section consisting of short commentary....
The chicken-and-egg challenge of innovation
January 2, 2013 11:06 am | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | CommentsInnovation is a very popular topic right now, and has been for several years. The inventive spirit and a long history of innovative prowess has kept United States industry on top of the global pile for, arguably, nearly a century. It’s hard to argue that it has been so for the last half-century.
Semiconductor testing: Going back to the future
January 2, 2013 10:19 am | by Dirk de Vries, co-founder of Qualtera | CommentsThe integrated circuit semiconductor testing process produces oceans of data. This data is used to control product quality, performance and yield, and to resolve issues in those areas. Paradoxically, while the semiconductor industry has been one of the key enablers in the development of the technology responsible for dramatically changing our daily lives, it is conservative in its ways of working.
What is wrong with programming?
January 2, 2013 8:32 am | by M. Simon, Technical Contributor | CommentsPoul-Henning Kamp, "one of the primary developers of the FreeBSD operating system", has written a long screed about the current state of programming. He discusses Eric Raymond's The Cathedral and the Bazaar (Eric chimes in with a comment) and has this critique of the Bazaar....
Transcipt for Engineering Newswire 8: Glasses-free 3D and a near replacement for Knight Rider
January 1, 2013 12:00 am | by Editor | CommentsThis is the full transcript for Engineering Newswire 8: Glasses-free 3D and a near replacement for Knight Rider Welcome to Engineering Update, brought to you by Mouser Electronics, the electronic components distributor with the widest selection of the newest products. With this week’s headlines, here’s Executive Editor David Mantey
Transcript for Engineering Update #9: The gossiping Pinoccio and the power line inspecting Skysweeper
January 1, 2013 12:00 am | by Editor | CommentsMelissa Barnes: Welcome to Engineering Update, brought to you by Mouser Electronics, the electronic components distributor with the widest selection of the newest products. I’m Melissa Barnes, Associate Editor of ECN. In this week’s headlines: New Movies In An Old Format
System for Approving New Medical Options Needs Improvement
December 31, 2012 8:13 am | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsSomething Doesn’t Add Up Not only did the team find that evidence for Infuse’s benefits over existing alternatives for most patients was questionable; they also discovered in a broad array of published research that risks of complications (including cancer, male … Continue reading →
Make Crosswalks More Visible
December 25, 2012 10:28 am | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsGood simple idea. And then executed well – for nighttime at least. Crosswalk lights up when in use giving drivers a more visible clue to stop. Related: Ministry of Silly Walks – Kindergarten Students Pedel Their Own Bus to School … Continue reading →
Circumhorizontal arcs – fire rainbows – cloud rainbows
December 20, 2012 7:52 pm | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsYesterday afternoon I spotted this odd, colorful, spectrum seemingly in a cloud in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The colors are similar to a rainbow but the prism effect takes on a bit different form than a rainbow as I learned with … Continue reading →
