I’ve been looking for a decent treatise for my sons, which explains the interrelationships of technology, marketplaces, and wealth. I recently found a book by Andy Kessler called, “How We Got Here”, that does an admirable job providing a pragmatic
Category: Engineering
MythBusters & Robots
For those of you that enjoy MythBusters on cable television, there is an article in Robot magazine, which describes their recent experience using Radio Shack’s new VEX Robotics Design System… this looks like a step-up for those of us that have
Defective Anti-Virus Software… Deletes Wrong Files
It sounds like everyone’s computer nightmare… Anti-virus software (from McAfee) incorrectly flags hundreds of legitimate software programs as a virus. The virus definition update was shipped on March 10 with definitions for a wide range of new malware threats, but when
US Navy Phasing Out the F-14
The airplane made famous in the Tom Cruise movie “Top Gun“, is nearing retirement. The US Navy is phasing out the F-14 Tomcat (see photo below) by the end of 2006 in favor of the F-18 multi-role fighter.
New DVD Formats
When DVD burners opened up to the consumer market a few years ago, I spent a considerable amount of time comparing the +R, –R, RW, formats. I finally purchased my first Sony DVD burner when it was the first that
An Engineer’s View of the Situation in Iraq
There’s an old saying, “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” History suggests this additional version: “To the leaders of a nation with an overwhelmingly powerful military, every problem looks like it has a military solution.”
Replacement Hand ala Luke Skywalker
A recent issue of Popular Science describes some of the landmark progress with artificial limbs. Researchers in Italy have prototyped the first brain-controlled prosthetic hand (see photo below). The “Cyberhand” is intended to make patients feel as if they have
Department of Perpetual Hype
A recent issue of CIO magazine had an interesting article about the perpetual hyping of video conferencing. It highlights approximately fifteen quotes from various pundits over the last 20 years. An excerpt of some of the prognostications: Sep. 1987 [PC
Directed Energy Weapons
Directed energy weapons are a new category of non-lethal devices developed by the military (e.g., a military vehicle that projects a sonic blast to disperse rioting crowds). This article in National Defense magazine provides a nice explanation about their operation and application.
Suicide Bombers in Iraq
If you’re interested in how the enemy operates in Iraq, you may want to watch this video from Strategy Page (click on graphic below). A suicide bomber in Baghdad attempted to ram his car into an Abrams tank. Since the