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By Design News Staff -- Design News, July 2, 2001
The robot revolution
Excellent robot technology article on BattleBots (DN 04.23.01)! Do you realize what you're doing? You and this bizarre robot thing are jump-starting the next generation or two of potential hardware techies.
We have been swamped with the premise that technology equals digital disco and on-line shopping and e-biz software, and kids are wandering away from hardware and real problems—wrong! In our day, we had science-fiction, hot-rods, and sputnik and the Moon quest. We knew what brittle failure and bad surface-prep meant, before we knew the terminology, because we built soap-box racers, and fixed our own bicycles.
The same sort of reality-hardware impetus applies to those TV junkyard-creation competitions. I see my own kids—liberal arts, E-baby gen X/Yers—suddenly fascinated by real hardware. Something is happening out there. Hardware is making a comeback. Let's see what we can all do, as an industry, to encourage and leverage this.
Tom Clifford
An aging but still enthusiastic aerospace engineer
Half Moon Bay, CA
Speed demon
You seem to be in agreement with the effort to slow drivers down nationwide (DN Editorial 04.23.01), but did you ever question the rationale?? The reduction in speed is a quantitative method for appearing to reduce accidents but does it really work, and is it the real culprit??
The ENTIRE reason for driving is to get from point A to point B. Getting there in the shortest time is a plus since there is less time out of our lives for travel. Higher speeds mean shorter travel times. Higher speeds do not correlate with more accidents. The real culprit is inattentiveness!!
As previously stated, The ENTIRE reason for driving is to get from point A to point B. The police and lawmakers should target the real problem and create laws restricting non-driving related activities in vehicles, and enforce them. It's bad enough that our politicians and public officials often take the "politically correct" approach to problem solving (remember there is politically correct and correct and they are mutually exclusive), but not the editor of an engineering journal too!!!!
Laign Eaton
San Antonio, Texas.
Pump it up
Regarding your editorial on Spalding's new basketball design (DN Editorial 05.07.01), I would take the reinflation of a basketball by a manually activated, enclosed pump design to the next step: connect a pressure relief valve to the bladder and modify the pump to be activated whenever it is dribbled. Dribbling the ball pushes air into the bladder. If it isn't needed, the relief valve releases the air.
Ronald J. Hemmer, PE
DuraTech Industries International, Inc.
Jametown, North Dakota
Steaming over junky e-mails
I just read your editorial titled "Warning: E-mail can be dangerous" (DN 05.21.01). Obviously, you seem to have a good picture of what garbage we get sent to us on the I-net. I think we should send your editorial out there on the e-mail airways to rebut the ridiculous microwaved water warning. I got that warning e-mail some time ago, too, and found it very silly. Keep up the good work.
John Peklo
Cummins-Allison Corp., Inc.
Mt. Prospect, IL
Truth or fiction?
I enjoyed your editorial about microwaving water. There is truth to be found on both sides of the issue. The original e-mail message is not all fiction, even if it takes on the appearance of an Urban Legend. You assert that "...this state of affairs would be practically impossible to reproduce in my kitchen," yet during a scientific presentation I witnessed the explosion of superheated water after being "over microwaved" for longer than the recommended time.
The presentation included some gruesome images of scalded persons who have encountered this with their home appliances, not aware of this phenomenon beforehand.
I agree that such anonymous information loses its credibility, but closer scrutiny such as yours usually reveals or discredits its validity. These purveyors of misinformation rely on our inability (i.e., lack of time) to verify the truth.
Personally, I would not have taken a microwave manufacturer's sole testimony to disprove this particular issue. Any manufacturer has a vested interest in downplaying any possible danger in the use or misuse of their product. In fact, microwaves can cause dangerous consequences when misused or improperly maintained.
John Fecher
White Electronic Designs Corp.
Fort Wayne, IN
Superheating does occur
I have quite often had the unpleasant experience of a microwave-heated cup of water erupting, somewhat violently. Admittedly, this usually occurs after I have moved it to the counter and add either the coffee or sweetener. However, having experienced this more than once, I do consider it a minor safety issue, regardless of the physics behind it.
D.Tate
Charlottesville, Virginia
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