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Tech Smorgasbord Archives - 6 |
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Whence Cometh "Anode" and "Cathode"?
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English scientist William Whewell suggest the new words to Michael Faraday, who was at the time experimenting with the electrolysis process.
The terms are based on the Greek prefixes "ana-" (up) and "kata-" (down). This comported with the day's theory that electrons "flowed" from
the negative to the positive terminal, like water flowing down a hill. The suffix "ode" means "path." Whewell also coined "anion" and "cation"
for Faraday rather than Mike's suggested "zetode" and "stechion."
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The American Dialect Society has named "plutoed" the 2006 Word of the Year: |
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to pluto/be plutoed: to demote or devalue someone or something, as happened to the former planet Pluto when the
Int'l Astronomical Union decided Pluto no longer met its definition of a planet. |
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Other 2006 Words
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data Valdez: an accidental release of a large quantity of private or privileged info (Exxon Valdez).
climate canary: organism or species whose poor health or declining numbers hint at a larger environmental catastrophe
on the horizon. boomeritis: afflictions or injuries of Baby Boomers, caused by their age.
flog: a fake blog whose purpose is to promote a commercial product. |
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Some Things to Do With Your Camera Phone
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* Use the Pictavision Postcards
software to turn you phone pictures into instant e-postcards, with text and voice messages if you like, and send them instantly, for about $3-$6. |
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* Engage in what is essentially phone cam espionage or voyeurism. Upload your phone pic of anything, anywhere, to
ScanR.com, and they will send you an e-mail with a PDF file
containing the image. Warning: Don't think they don't keep a copy to turn over as evidence if necessary. |
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* Take from 10-35 shots of any item from all angles, upload them to Picture Cloud, and the site will create a 360° object that can be rotated for viewing. |
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* While walking around, take a picture of a 2-D barcode on something and upload it to
Semapedia. The website will take you to the Wikipedia page describing
the object. |
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Sony Li-Ion Battery Recalls in 2006 Cost: $429 M
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Company |
Quantity |
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Apple |
1.8 M |
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Dell |
5.1 M |
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Fujitsu |
287 k |
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Hitachi |
16 k |
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IBM/Lenovo |
526 k |
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Sharp |
28 k |
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Toshiba |
830 k |
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Time for a Split?
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If you think that Google's (GOOG) recent stock price of over $500 per share is extravagant and a split is about due, consider this.
Gazillionaire
Warren Buffet's company, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) today, November 28, 2006, is over $106,000 per share. You read it right.
That makes it the highest priced stock on the market.
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Engineering Salary vs. Hours Worked
Electronic Design Research
2006
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Hours/Week |
Salary |
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≤40 |
$82,353 |
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41 to 45 |
$85,220 |
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46 to 50 |
$90,725 |
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51 to 55 |
$93,833 |
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56 to 60 |
$102,150 |
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>60 |
$109,563 |
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0.9 = 0.999... = 1
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Yes, the decimal with an infinite repetition of 9s is in fact precisely equal to the number 1. The proof is quite simple, and many proofs
exist. Consider that 0.3 = 0.333... = 1/3, exactly. It goes like this: 1/3 = 0.333..., and 3
x 1/3 = 1, so 3 x 0.333... also equals 1. Well, obviously 3 x 0.333... = 0.999..., therefore 0.999... must also equal 1. Q.E.D.
Not convinced? Here is another. Let c = 0.999..., so 10c = 9.999..., and 10c-c=9.999... - 0.999... = 9 = 9c. Solving then c = 1, which according
to the original definition, c = 0.999... = 1. Q.E.D. again. |
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22,300 Miles
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This altitude is significant because it produces an orbital period equal to the Earth's period of rotation (known as the sidereal day),
which of course results in a geosynchronous orbit. OK, so maybe you knew that already. Did you also know that the mailing address of
Comsat Labs is 22,300 Comsat Drive Drive, Clarksburg, MD? Comsat was the U.S. signatory
for the Inmarsat radiotelephone system, and developed the "Comsat Maneuver" that maintains a constant footprint on Earth.
I worked for Comsat at that location for a little over three years in the early 1990s. Anybody out there? |
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Meteor, Meteoroid, Meteorite?
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Contrary to the belief of many, a "meteor" is only the streak of light seen as a "meteoroid" travels through the upper atmosphere.
Once the meteoroid hits the surface, it becomes a "meteorite." A meteoroid is any interplanetary particle larger than a grain of dust, but smaller
than an asteroid.
Fact #1: A foot-thick blanket of Kevlar protects the International Space Station from meteoroid impacts.
Fact #2: Martian meteorites fetch up to $500/gram.
Fact #3: You can buy validated meteorites on
eBay.
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Patent Cooperation TreatyApplication by Nationality
1998-2006
(applications for U.S. patentsby foreign interests)
EETimes Research
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Country |
# Patents |
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China |
13,500 |
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India |
10,500 |
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Canada |
6,900 |
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U.K. |
6,900 |
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Germany |
4,000 |
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France |
2,400 |
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Russia |
2,000 |
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S. Korea |
2,000 |
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Japan |
1,800 |
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Australia |
1,300 |
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Italy |
1,000 |
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Israel |
1,000 |
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Iran |
700 |
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Global Spending on NanoTech ($Millions)
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US |
EU |
Japan |
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05 |
1,081 |
1,050 |
950 |
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04 |
989 |
950 |
900 |
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03 |
862 |
650 |
800 |
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02 |
697 |
400 |
720 |
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01 |
465 |
225 |
465 |
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00 |
270 |
200 |
245 |
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99 |
255 |
179 |
157 |
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An Argument for Nuclear Power
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Newly commissioned aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) can exceed 30 knots and carries
 80+ aircraft in its 1,092-foot length. Its four brass propellers each
weight 30 tons and are powered by two nuclear reactors that can operate for *20* years without refueling.
Now *that* is why we need to bring back nuclear power plants!
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Environmentalists For Nuclear Energy ™
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Top Reasons Why Engineers Change Jobs Electronic Design
Research 2006
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Reason |
Rating |
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Higher compensation |
1 |
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More interesting work |
2 |
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Personal fulfillment |
3 |
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Job stability |
4 |
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More dynamic company |
5 |
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Stock options |
6 |
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More responsibility |
7 |
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Personal/family needs |
8 |
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New geographical area |
9 |
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Poor management |
10 |
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Seeking less stress |
11 |
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Skill set underutilized |
12 |
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Fear of layoff |
13 |
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Join a start-up |
14 |
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Distribution of Professional Occupations in the U.S. Electronic Design
Research 2006
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Profession |
% |
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Education, Training, & Library |
30 |
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Health & Technical |
24 |
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Computer & Math Science |
11 |
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Engineering & Architecture |
9 |
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Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, Media |
9 |
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Community & Social Services |
8 |
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Life, Physical, & Social Sciences |
5 |
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Legal |
4 |
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How Average Are You?
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According to Electronic Design's latest extensive poll of more than 2,500 engineers and managers, the "Average" engineer has following
traits: |
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• Is Male • Is 47 years old
• Makes $96,319 per year •
Has 21 years of experience •
Works 54 hours per week • Has been at
his current company for 10 years • Has been
promoted 2 times with that employer •
Has worked at 3 or 4 different companies in his career
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"
Brattian drew his team's point contact transistor. Note the excerpt to the left that depicts
the transistor. Now, 
remove the "point contact"
and you see what looks like today's bipolar junction transistor symbol. Coincidence?