Cosmic Ray Navigation
GPS is a handy modern gadget — until you go inside, underground, or underwater. Japanese researchers want to build a GPS-like system with a twist. It uses cosmic ray muons, …read more Continue reading Cosmic Ray Navigation
Author Archives: Al Williams
Behind the x86 Pipeline Curtain
We’ve often heard that modern x86 CPUs don’t really execute x86 instructions. Instead, they decode them into RISC instructions that are easier to schedule, pipeline, and execute. But we never …read more Continue reading Behind the x86 Pipeline Curtain
Better Antennas via Annealing (Simulated)
If you want to simulate a tic-tac-toe game, that’s easy. You can evaluate every possible move in a reasonable amount of time. Simulating antennas, however, is much harder. [Rosrislav] has …read more Continue reading Better Antennas via Annealing (Simulated)
Detecting Meteors with SDR
The simplest way to look for meteors is to go outside at night and look up — but it’s not terribly effective. Fortunately, there’s a better way: radio. With a …read more Continue reading Detecting Meteors with SDR
If not Ethernet…
It is hard to imagine today, but there was a time when there were several competing network technologies. There was Ethernet, of course. But you could also find token ring, …read more Continue reading If not Ethernet…
Intel to Ship Quantum Chip
In a world of 32-bit and 64-bit processors, it might surprise you to learn that Intel is releasing a 12-bit chip. Oh, wait, we mean 12-qubit. That makes more sense. …read more Continue reading Intel to Ship Quantum Chip
Clock Project Doesn’t Require a Decision
You decide to build a clock. The first thing you have you determine if it is going to be digital or analog. Or is it? If you build [Ivanek240267]’s clock, …read more Continue reading Clock Project Doesn’t Require a Decision
Thermal Camera Reviewed
We keep thinking about buying a better thermal camera, as there are plenty of advantages. While [VoltLog’s] review of the Topdon TC002 was interesting though, it has a connector for …read more Continue reading Thermal Camera Reviewed
Hinged Parts for the 8th Grade Set
I recently agreed to run a 3D printing camp for 8th graders. If you’ve never shared your knowledge with kids, you should. It is a great experience. However, it isn’t …read more Continue reading Hinged Parts for the 8th Grade Set
The Fake Moon Landing Quarantine
We aren’t much into theories denying the moon landing around here, but [Dagomar Degroot], an associate professor at Georgetown University, asserts that the Apollo 11 quarantine efforts were bogus. Realistically, …read more Continue reading The Fake Moon Landing Quarantine