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 Here is very cool animation of global commercial airline traffic
over a 24-hour period. Watch the distinct patterns form and dissipate as the day/night
terminator moves across the face of the Earth.
1-6-2009
 Find out how to enter the IEEE-USA's online video scholarship competition
for engineering undergraduates. Titled "How Engineers Make a World of Difference,"
this effort is designed to inspire junior high school students to prepare for an
engineering career. Total of $5,000 in prizes available (it was $10k last year).
Entries due by 16 January 2009.
Here is last
year's winner.
12-2-2008
 The opening frame
here displays, "In this film we shall study scientific principles involved in the
operation of common home electrical appliances." See what the 1940s "modern home"
looked like - it would be considered lower class today. Thankfully, gone are the
bad old days of no safety grounds and no double insulated plastic cases (recall
that plastic did not come into widespread use until the 1950s).
11-4-2008
 Mysteriously, almost all the garage door openers in one neighborhood
stopped working around Christmas Eve. The hard-wired wall switches work, and some
remote controllers work when inside the garage, but not outside. People are blaming
the nearby military base, but the Fed says no way. I suspect someone attempted a
hijacking of the openers' codes. It is doubtful that a single RF interferer could
affect so many systems without being obvious in other ways. Do you have a theory?
1-13-2009
 Wireless energy transfer
is getting a lot of press these days, with the ultimate goal being not just wireless
but also battery-less devices. To illustrate the concept, Robin Massink, from the
Netherlands, has built this magnetic levitation light bulb - very cool.
12-9-2008
 Listen to what happens when this inexperienced German Coast Guard
radio operator receives his first "mayday" call.
11-11-2008
 The Navy recently set a new world record for the most powerful electromagnetic
railgun ever fired. The gun fired an aluminum projectile at 10.68 megajoules, traveling
at 2,500 meters per second (Mach 7). Eventually, the Navy wants to produce a 64
MJ version with a 200 nautical mile range that will fire 3,000 rounds per gun barrel.
This will keep dangerous gunpowder loads off the ship.
1-20-2009
 Taking
another step closer to true humanoid robots, Canadian Trung Le, has introduced Aiko
to the world. His extensive background in software and robotics led to developing
Biometric Robot Artificial Intelligence Neural System (aka B.R.A.I.N.S.) software
to control Aiko. She can read, recognize objects, respond to touch, and perform
physical tasks. Some have dubbed Aiko "She-3PO."
12-16-2008
 Animaris Currens
Ventosa. That is a new "species" as dubbed by it progenitor,
Theo Jansen. Theo's
massive creations are amazingly sophisticated mechanical contraptions "created"
to roam open beaches throughout their natural lives. His "bone yard" is full of
"extinct" models that have succumbed to natural selection due to an imperfect creator.
Here is the webcam inside his workshop.
1-27-2009
 This 1959 video shows a precision approach radar system
(FPN-16) that was part of the one I worked on in the USAF. It is shown sitting on
a turntable at Craig AFB, Selma, AL. Here is a photo I took of the
PAR display on one
of our radar shop's MPN-14, ASR-PAR mobile radars, circa 1981. Hi Don!
12-30-2008
 I've said it before, but I'll say it
again: Japanese advances in humanoid robots has been absolutely amazing and unparalleled.
This miniature "Murata Boy" incorporates multiple sensors for achieving balance,
navigation, and obstacle avoidance skills. Its technology has applications in real-world
vehicle stabilization and navigation roles, and for handicap assistance. The video
is a bit slow moving (made at the Electronica 2008 show), but it is worth watching
the entire show just to see what this little dude can do.
11-25-2008
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This archive links to the many video and audio
files that have been featured on RF Cafe.