Why Gas Turbines Rule the World
It is an interesting fact that the most efficient way to generate electricity — at least so far — is to spin the shaft of a generator. The only real …read more Continue reading Why Gas Turbines Rule the World
Author Archives: Al Williams
Electric Truck Carries 74 Tons
Thanks to the various measurement systems in use, we aren’t sure if Volvo has created an electric truck that carries 74 metric tons, 74 short tons, or 74 long tons, …read more Continue reading Electric Truck Carries 74 Tons
Robot Hand Has Good Bones
What do you get when you mix rigid and elastic polymers with a laser-scanning 3D printing technique? If you are researchers at ETH Zurich, you get robot hands with bones, …read more Continue reading Robot Hand Has Good Bones
Tech In Plain Sight: What Does a Yellow Light Mean?
The traffic light is a ubiquitous feature of modern life and is quite old — dating back to 1868 London, although that device was a modified railroad semaphore operated by …read more Continue reading Tech In Plain Sight: What Does a Yellow Light Mean?
A Brief History of Weather Control
It used to be a common expression to say that something would happen when “people walked on the moon.” That is, something that was never going to happen. Of course, …read more Continue reading A Brief History of Weather Control
3D Printed Stamp Rollers
If you have an artistic bent, you might have seen self-inking stamp rollers. These are like rotary rubber stamps that leave a pattern as you roll across a page. [Becky] …read more Continue reading 3D Printed Stamp Rollers
General Instruments Video Game Chip Rides Again
Early video games like Pong were not computer-controlled. They used discrete logic to generate the TV signals. As you might expect, the market exploded when you could get all the …read more Continue reading General Instruments Video Game Chip Rides Again
General Instruments Video Game Chip Rides Again
Early video games like Pong were not computer-controlled. They used discrete logic to generate the TV signals. As you might expect, the market exploded when you could get all the …read more Continue reading General Instruments Video Game Chip Rides Again
Data Science the Stanford Way
Data science is a relatively new term for a relatively old discipline. Essentially, it is data analysis, particularly for large data sets. It involves techniques as wide-ranging as statistics, computer …read more Continue reading Data Science the Stanford Way
A Classic Shortwave Radio Restored
Before the Internet, if you wanted to hear news from around the world, you probably bought a shortwave receiver. In the golden age of world band radio, there was a …read more Continue reading A Classic Shortwave Radio Restored