Blogs
UN looks for an Internet "fix"
December 6, 2012 3:45 pm | by M. Simon | CommentsQuite a few of the member states (colloquially known as "Dictators 'R Us") of the UN want to change the rules of the game. The Internet Game. They want to be able to shut down Internet traffic at will. And they want to do it legally. Whatever that means in the context of nations. Anyway, here is what they ( the miscreants) are proposing.
Cancer Risks From Our Food
December 3, 2012 2:38 am | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsRandall Munroe illustrates RA Fisher’s point that you must think to draw reasonable conclusions from data. Click the image to see the full xkcd comic. Pretty much everything you eat is associated with cancer. Don’t worry about it. by Sarah … Continue reading →
Beagle CAD paw prints
November 30, 2012 1:03 pm | by Screaming Circuits | CommentsUnfortunately, I can't generically hand out Eagle CAD QFN footprints without knowing the specific part, but I can illustrate the areas I initially had difficulty with. All of the traps that used to get me seem blindingly obvious now, but...
“Sustainability” is inherently unsustainable
November 29, 2012 9:50 am | by M. Simon | CommentsI recently came across a site (no link will be provided for reasons that will be obvious shortly) that proposed that engineers design products for sustainability (how long is that?). They also propose going one better for really advanced products. Those would be products that pose no risk to society.
The ESD Habbit or an unexpected shock
November 29, 2012 12:34 am | by Screaming Circuits | CommentsExcitement is building here. In a little over two weeks from today, The Hobbit movie will be released to theaters. I'm sure everyone reading here knows the story, but in case you don't I'll spoil it for you. It's a...
Long lines on a PCB
November 28, 2012 12:17 pm | by M. Simon | CommentsOn a list I belong to (which prefers to remain anonymous), there has been a long discussion on how to terminate lines on a PCB that uses parts with fast rise times. Of course, circumstances vary and it depends on the rise time, but for rise times on the order of one nanosecond (TTL, AHC, LVC, etc), a resistor from 22 to 50 ohms in series with the source seems to work well.
Something Completely Different
November 28, 2012 7:48 am | by Screaming Circuits | CommentsHere's something you don't see every day. We, at Screaming Circuits, have had folks jump on a commercial airplane and fly here from another state to pick up boards we've assembled for them, but we've never had a personal helicopter...
Mobile computing will still be gasping for air time at CES
November 26, 2012 9:47 am | by Noam Kedem, Leyden Energy | CommentsThe world is going untethered, with computing no longer tied to the home or office. Business is getting behind this ina big way: according to Cisco, over a third of the U.S. workforce is now completely mobile, and Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) programs are taking off. Both consumer and business mobility depend on the developing cloud....
Drug Company Funding Taints Published Medical Research
November 26, 2012 7:15 am | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsScience provide the opportunity for us to achieve great benefits for society. However, especially in medical research money can make what are already very difficult judgments even less reliable. Add that to a very poor understanding of science in those … Continue reading →
Giving thanks
November 21, 2012 9:12 am | by M. Simon | CommentsM. Simon, freelance writer extraordinaire, shares some of the things he's thankful for this holiday. "A few of the things I'm thankful for this holiday. In quasi random order": Atoms, electrons, protons, neutrons, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, Thomas Edison and his assistant Nikola Tesla....
What I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving
November 20, 2012 11:46 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | CommentsIt's that special time of year when we all get bloated from eating too much turkey, get into fist fights at Best Buy over that last doorbuster sale, and enjoy Christmas music that started in June. But there is much to be thankful for, and it goes far beyond my propensity for Holiday-induced mayhem.
Parrots Given “Names” by Their Parents and Use Them Throughout Their Lives
November 18, 2012 10:27 am | by Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog | CommentsParrots learn their ‘names’ from their parents Parrots, which have long amused us for their ability to imitate our vocal patterns, actually learn to caw their “names” from their parents, says a new Cornell study. The research offers the first … Continue reading →
Trending at electronica: More from less
November 16, 2012 11:51 am | by Jeff Reinke, Editorial Director | CommentsOkay, so it’s no surprise that the engineering community is continuing to be taxed by a need to shrink both the number of components housed on the board as well as the size of them. So it’s been great to see how a number of semiconductor, power supply, and connector companies are working to provide these solutions.
The future of nanotechnology is now
November 16, 2012 8:57 am | by M. Simon | CommentsI count several popular science fiction writers as friends. I share a political/whimsey blog with one of them, Sarah Hoyt. I was visiting Sarah's personal blog, and the question of the future of nanotechnology — given the upcoming fiscal cliff — came up in the comments. Sarah was of the opinion that the technology would be delayed indefinitely.
Raspberry Pi, Android accessory access, a Smarter Zeus and 48-Volt Systems ... someday
November 15, 2012 1:47 pm | by Jeff Reinke, Editorial Director | CommentsMy first trip to electronica has proven both awesome and challenging. Awesome in the number of new technologies that are on display; challenging in navigating a show that is so expansive. Awesome in how much I love Munich; challenging in that my body is not loving the amount of bier being consumed.
