In keeping with the "cafe" genre, these tidbits of information are truly a smorgasbord of topics. They all pertain to topics that are related to the general engineering and science theme of RF Cafe.
Gold foil is used on spacecraft because it is such a good reflector of both visible light and infrared energy (up to 99%). Silver and aluminum do not reflect infrared wavelengths nearly as well. In space the only form of heat dissipation is via radiation into cold space - no conduction or convection is available in a vacuum. Spacecraft gold foil is composed of a very thin layer of gold deposited on a Mylar substrate for flexibility and durability.
EEs That Work 45 Or More Hours Per Week EE Times Research 2006
Country
%
Japan
81
India
69
United States
52
Europe
48
EEs That Are Satisfied With Their Work
Country
%
India
90.4
Europe
87.0
United States
86.7
Japan
84.5
If You Are Like Me, You Almost Never Get Anywhere Near 8 Hours of Sleep Per Night Discover Research 2006
Some Sleep Fact
Mattresses have an average life span of 8-10 years. They harbor some really nasty bacteria.
>100,000 car crashes are caused each year due to drowsiness.
17-year-old Randy Gardner stayed awake a record 264 hours and 12 minutes, then slept for 15 hours.
Somniphobia is the fear of sleep.
An adult bedbug can live for a year without feeding.
People who only sleep 6-7 hours per night have a lower death rate than those who get 8 hours. ? ! Vindication ! ?
According to Isaac Asimov in "C for Celeritas (1959)": "c, that is the speed of light in vacuum, and if you ask why c, the answer is that it is the initial letter of celeritas, the Latin word meaning speed."
"Is Nerdis Americanus Endangered?" Popular Science Research 2006
% of 4th graders performing < math proficiency levels for their grade
68
Rank of 15-yr-olds in math, out of 30 industrialized countries
21
Rank of 15-yr-olds in science performance, out of 29 industrialized nations
19
% of public middle school science teachers lacking certification in their field
42
% of undergrad degrees awarded in science, technology, and engineering in USA
32
% of undergrad degrees awarded in science, technology, and engineering in Japan
64
Average Patent Processing Time EE Times Research 2006
The Air Force accounts for more than half of all the fuel the United States government uses each year. Go Air Force!
Whence Cometh c?
"c, that is the speed of light in vacuum, and if you ask why c, the answer is that it is the initial letter of celeritas, the Latin word meaning speed." Isaac Asimov in "C for Celeritas (1959)"
Value of Fabs Built Worldwide 1995-2006 Semicon Int'l Research
Country
$Billion
United States
74
Taiwan
72
Japan
66
South Korea
40
China
26
Europe
18
Southeast Asia
17
Total
313
Top 10 Companies for Patent Awards in the Year 2004 EE Times Research 2006
H-1B: Professional workers *: Advanced degree exemption H-1B1: Special for Chile & Singapore H-2B: Special for meeting peak loads, seasonal & intermittent needs H-3: Non-immigrant receiving training E-3: Special for Australian workers F-1: Practical training F-4: STEM grad students L-1: Multinational company temp assignaments
The name "eBay" comes from the domain founder Pierre Omidyar used for his site. The company name was Echo Bay, and the "eBay AuctionWeb" was originally just one part of Echo Bay’s website at ebay.com.
The first item ever sold on eBay was Pierre's broken laser pointer, for $14.00.
10 Cellphones with the Highest Radiation Levels CNET Research 2006
Model
SAR
Max Allowable
1.60
Motorola Slvr L6
1.58
Motorola V120c
1.55
Motorola V265
1.55
Motorola V70
1.54
Motorola C290
1.53
Motorola P8767
1.53
Motorola ST7868
1.53
Motorola ST7868W
1.53
Motorola A845
1.51
Palm Treo 650 GSM
1.51
Panasonic Allure
1.51
Wage Comparison by Profession EE Times Research 2006
Job Title
50th pctl ($)
90th pctl ($)
Computer Hardware Engineer
84.4k
128.3k
Electronics Engineer
78.0k
114.6k
Accountant or Auditor
52.2k
89.6k
Dental Hygienist
60.9k
85.7k
Electrical Engineer
73.5k
110.6k
Purchasing Manager
76.3k
127.0k
Mathematician
80.9k
121.8k
Sales Engineer
74.2k
121.7k
MITEQ is an acronym for Microwave Information Transmission EQuipment
M/A-COM is an acronym for Microwave Associates - COMmunications
Japan is facing a "brain drain" problem due to forced retirement of its baby boom generation (born 1947-49). Japan's Stabilization of Employment of the Aged stipulates a minimum retirement age of 60, and most companies use that age for mandatory retirement. Those born in 1947 would retire next year. An emergency amendment passed in April 2006 extended the age to 65, but the problem looms.
Hybrid Car Mileage Scientific American Research
Make & Model
MPG
Honda Insight
56
Toyota Prius
55
Honda Civic
50
Ford Escape
31
Mercury Mariner
31
Lexus RX 400H
29
Toyota Highlander
29
Honda Accord*
28
Chevy Silverado
19
GMC Sierra
19
* Not sure how a car gets worse mileage than a couple SUVs. New EPA rating system expected to greatly reduce ratings for 50+ MPG models.
Note: Numbers shown are NOT total page views; they are unique IP addresses for each 24-hour period (i.e., unique visitors). Typical page view counts are at least twice the reported unique visitor number.
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