 OK,
one - make that two - final tributes to the Applemeister, and then let the world move on to the next iconic
genius. Here are clips from Comedy Central's Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on the night after news of Steve
Jobs' death (succumbed to pancreatic cancer). As you might expect, there was a mix of humor and serious
gratitude. Both hosts have done numerous skits over the years where they make fun of Apple products, their
users, and Jobs, while also begging on-air for early samples of the next big thing. I'm a firm believer in the
notion that nobody is irreplaceable, at least on an all-of-humankind scale. Isaac Newton, Henry Ford, Thomas
Edison, and Galileo Galilei contributed mightily, but each was followed by another. It's time to let the
venerable Mr. Jobs rest in peace. Every person leaves his mark on the people around him, and the rare few
leave a mark on the world. Who will be the next tech wonder? It isn't likely to be this
<more>
10/11/2011
 In
the news recently was restoration to operational condition a Tunny code-breaking machine from the World War II
era. It is part of the collection of calculating machines on display at the UK's
National Museum of Computing, located in the renowned
Blechley Park
complex. Tunnys were used to decipher messages generated on the
Lorenz SZ42 enciphering machines and
sent from Hitler to his generals. Work was at a fever pitch in the days running up to the
D-Day invasion. Keep in mind that the computers did not crack the code, they were for rapid deciphering of
the volumes of messages sent daily. Restoration work on Tunny was performed by a team led by computer
conservationists John Pether and John Whetter. "As far as I know there were no original circuit diagrams left.
All we had was a few circuit elements drawn up from memory by engineers who worked on the original," per Mr.
Pether. One of the original electrical designers, Sid Broadhurst, reportedly left an envelope filled
<more>
9/13/2011
 "55
year old Maurice Johnston lives in Boston, by way of Cleveland. He has a Masters Degree in Plasma Physics from
Dartmouth College, and a masters in Electrical Engineering and acoustics from Purdue University. He's worked
over 10 years at Lockheed Aerospace & Aerodyne Research Corp. Maurice has taught in Science and physics, and
took care of both his parents in their time of need." Maurice has also been out of work for many months and is
currently living on the streets of Boston. He moved there on the promise of a job which, upon arrival, he
discovered it had been given to someone else. Despite having had a huge amount of media coverage - including
Time, and many other online publications (including, now, RFCafe.com) - there is no indication that
Maurice is employed yet. Maurice is suffering from the same horrible economy that is similarly affecting many
people. He is an extremely likeable person judging from the interview, so why, after all this coverage, is the
good man still on the <more>
8/16/2011 |
 "Should
Math Be Taught in Schools?" That was the question posed to a group of Miss USA contestants featured in this
video. The responses offered will surprise you... or maybe not. Every year at beauty pageants, at least one
answer to the pool of questions will elicit a rambling, nonsensical, usually politically correct reply where
you find yourself embarrassed for the poor lass
(disclaimer: I never watch them). In these days of instant video
postings, if you screw up, the whole world will know within hours. Probably the most memorable example of late
was the during the 2007 Miss Teen USA contest where the
question, "Recent polls have shown at 1/5 of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think
this is?" Miss South Carolina's answer: "I... personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so,
because, um, some people out there in our nation don't have maps and, uh, <more>
10/18/2011
 If
you have never watched the Red Green show on PBS, you don't know what you've missed. It is a veritable
treasure trove of How-To and Do-It-Yourself instructional videos. Possum Lodge's grand pooh-bah, the Doctor of
Duct Tape (aka duck tape
for the ignorant), Red Green has produced a seemingly endless collection of useful project shorts that
cover just about every topic. The featured video has a Possum Lodge expert answer a viewer's question about
Boolean Logic in his new car's fuel injection system. You can't get this kind of education at some fancy
university. Another one shown is a prime example of how a bit of redneck ingenuity allows the dedicated
tinkerer to easily and cheaply convert manually operated car windows to electric power. As Red aptly asks,
"Ever notice how winding your window down by hand makes you look lower-middle-class?" I won't spoil the
surprise by telling you how he does it. <more>
9/20/2011
 There
are a few realms remaining where America's lead has not been surrendered to the world; among them are military
and aerospace systems. The technological prowess applied to these tactical and strategic systems are the most
advanced anywhere. Yes, there are areas where other countries have the lead, but despite the best efforts of
some of our scumbag politicians, overall our advantage is unquestionable. It has never been so that if you are
nice to everybody, then everybody will be nice to you. Any country or bloc that lets down its guard will
eventually be attacked and dominated by an aggressor. Sorry, it's just the way it is on Planet Earth. That
said, I am glad to see promotions (call it propaganda if you like) for systems like Northrop Grumman's
AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (DAS) for airborne platforms like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. It
assimilates data from a wide array of sensors spread across the aircraft structure to generate a comprehensive
<more>
8/23/2011 |
 We
have been treated to videos of superconductor levitation for many years, so watching a super-cooled object
float above a magnet is nothing new. The novel factor in this demonstration is an effect called quantum flux
tube formation (Trekkies must love that term) where the properties of
the superconductor are such that rather than completely repelling the magnetic filed, which is the norm for
superconductors, portals are created through the material where flux line clusters actually retain the puck.
In the other demos, you see a small puck levitating over a large magnet. Here, it is the opposite. Rather than
being constrained by the magnetic wrapping around the perimeter of the puck and pretty much locking it in
place, this structure allows the supercooled puck to move around within the field. It can run along a track
impeded only by air <more>
10/25/2011
 It's
about time for another episode of "Will It Blend?" Überblender maker Blendtec has created an Internet
sensation with their series of "Will It Blend?" videos, where the white-lab-coat-wearing engineer Tom
demonstrates the brute power of his company's blenders by reducing household items to a small pile of dust and
chips. Last year sometime I posted a video of the iPhone 4 being blended, and now we get to see whether an
iPad 2 will meet a similar fate. Whereas in the past, a simple video of the DTB (device to blend) being
dropped into the blender and being decimated sufficed for entertainment, now Blendtec is making more of a
full-scale production. In this video, a faux Steve Jobs does the introduction and takes pleasure in
admonishing Tom that the iPad can never be blended simply because it will not fit into the glass blender
thingy. Will the iPad 2 blend? You'll have watch to find out.
9/27/2011
 The
news is replete with references to carbon nanotubes, and deservingly so since they are in the process of
revolutionizing many technologies and allowing the creation of new ones. If you do not really have an
understanding of just what carbon nanotubes are, this excerpt form the TV show Nova does a good job
of introducing them. Carbon nanotubes are rolled-up sheets of graphene, which is a one-atom-thick layer of
carbon atoms. To date, carbon nanotubes have been used to create the world's smallest
radio, transistors,
frequency
mixers, superconductors, and
much
more. As you can see from the dates on some of the articles, carbon nanotubes have been around for over a
decade. The reason for a seemingly overnight interest in them is the discovery in 2004 by two
Russian scientists of an amazingly low-tech method for creating graphene on a large scale. All it took was
some pencil 'lead' and a piece of Scotch tape. If you want to see more on nanotubes, there are plenty of other
videos listed on the page linked to with the thumbnail.
8/23/2011 |
 Well,
somebody has finally done it - a 3D Smith Chart applet that plots the entire reflection coefficient and
impedance planes. Specifically, Andrei Muller (who contacted me) and
cohorts done it. "The 3D Smith chart demo version has 3 planes: normalized impedance plane, reflection plane
and 3D Smith chart. One may draw the impedance and get the image of it on the reflection coefficient's plane
or on the 3D Smith chart. On the 3D Smith chart one can rotate it and play with the constant r,x, and abs(z)
circles. The 3D Smith chart includes both extended reflection and impedance planes." It will take a bit of
experimentation to figure out exactly what is going on in 3D after years of using the standard 2D version we
are all familiar with. Andrei says that for now, there is no plan to extend the functionality beyond plotting
of S-parameters, but he and his co-developers are open to working with someone that is interested in
integrating the concept into a commercial application. It is copyrighted so permission is required.
11/1/2011
A 3-D Smith Chart Based on the Riemann Sphere for Active and Passive Microwave Circuits
June 2011 IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters:
 When
it comes to Star Wars hysteria, there is no concept of what is a reasonable limit to the extent to which
someone will go to develop yet another novel application of some feature of the epic film series. I'm glad to
suffer their eccentric, yet entertaining, endeavors. This video demonstrates how just about anything can be
made into a musical instrument. The film maker used two vintage floppy disk drives to perform a virtuoso
performance of the Imperial March music from Star Wars. If you are old enough to have used those floppy
drives, you well remember the electromechanical clacking and humming sounds emanating from the bowels of the
device. If you worked in an open office area (the pre-cubicle days), you can attest to how that sound violated
laws of physics by travelling extraordinary distances to reach your ear. Anyway, grab the light saber from the
back of the desk drawer and enjoy the ingenuity of the video.br>
10/4/2011
 If
you recall back when 3D printers first started making the news, they were rather crude, cobbled-together
machines that laid down successive layers of plastic polymer material by a nozzle driven in the x,y, and z
axes. Then, the structure was cured with radiant heat or microwaves. New generation 3D printers are capable of
much more intricate form factors that include integrated, moving parts. Resolution is fine enough that round
surfaces can be fabricated. This video shows an adjustable wrench being made. Its sliding jaw half and worm
gear are "printed in one step while the main body is being made - pretty slick. You might be surprised to see
what the finished part looks like before being removed from the machine. Having such a capability greatly
increases the likelihood of first-time success with manufacturing prototypes. These printers are to mechanical
engineers what we electrical types have in the way of printed circuit board etching machines that use a
high-speed milling bit to cut controlled impedance microstrip substrates.
9/6/2011 |
Kirt
Blattenberger… single-handedly redefining what an engineering website should be.
Carpe Diem!