A 2010 Camaro vs. a 2003 Elantra

Yesterday afternoon, after fidgeting for an hour in a cracked, plastic chair at the Motor Vehicle Administration, my middle son received his learner’s permit and his Rookie Driver handbook….just thought ya’ll should know about this disturbing fact.  If you are a parent of teenage sons, as I am of three […]

Rediscover Your Inner Scientist

So, it’s Jules Verne’s 183rd birthday today.  Did you see the Google logo tribute today? Pretty cool…based on 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. I hadn’t thought of Jules Verne lately…not since I read those classics aloud to my three sons who loved them as much as I did when I was […]

The Terrible Towels vs. the Cheeseheads: Super Bowl XLV Will be Epic

Super Bowl XLV is only three days away and the excitement is building for what could potentially be an absolutely epic game. Both teams are well positioned to walk away with the Lombardi trophy and a pile of oversized, gaudy rings on Sunday.   Of one thing you can be certain […]

6 Prognostications for Business in 2011

Punxsutawney Phil, he of the infamous shadow, announced today that he saw no shadow upon emerging from his rodent abode, so spring will be here soon.  Not a moment too soon for most of the country which has seen quite enough snow, ice and finger-numbing temperatures.  Probably quite enough for […]

Brace Yourselves for More Snow While We Keep Repairing Your Electronics!

Brace yourselves!  The Snowpalooza is apparently here.  We in the Mid-Atlantic are shivering in our boots, just not used to all this ice and snow.  Ocean City beaches are just a faint, sandy memory at the moment. And driving?  If you’re from Chicago or Buffalo, you know Baltimoreans are incapable […]

The Sweet Smell of Success

Sweet!  The smell of economic improvement is in the air!  AP reports today that industrial production rose in December 2010 by the largest amount in five months which is a great surge of momentum to start 2011. Activity at factories, mines and utilities increased 0.8 percent last month reports the Federal […]

Need Quick-Turn, Low-Volume CNC Machined Parts?

Hey design engineers and CNC operators, have you tried Proto Labs’ online First Cut or Protomold CNC Machining Services?  If you don’t already know about these guys, they could be quite a time and cost savings find for you. After establishing Protolabs, this 10-year-old Minnesota-based company launched First Cut and […]

2011 Electronic Gadgets Revealed!

Gadget guys rejoice!  I have it on good authority that the electronic gadgets revealed this year at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas had more hits than misses.  More cool toys for you and I to play with in 2011! This is the largest trade show in […]

Tomorrow’s a New Day!

2010 Flashback:  Remember the massive Toyota recall that kept getting shockingly worse, the inspiring Chilean miner rescue, BP’s devastating Gulf Oil Spill, the Tea Party, Mark Zuckerberg (who knew the name Mark Zuckerberg (besides his mom) before 2010?  Now it’s everywhere! ), Facebook, Wikileaks, Twitter, Android phones, the Apple iPad, […]

Encoders…The Weakest Link

Talk about out of proportion!   It struck me today as ironic that an entire manufacturing plant’s production can literally be held hostage by the failure of one relatively inexpensive part:  an encoder. When motion control is important to your production, then your encoder is a key component… and yet, often […]