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Design engineering at large
Chevy Volt, Performance Capabilities Subject to Change
Posted by John Dodge
on September 29, 2008
Did I hear that right? A Chevy Volt radio ad this morning concluded with a line like performance capabilities subject to change or may vary. I think it was the former. Should I be surprised given the GM’s rush to get this electric car into production by late 2010? That’s how fluid the battery situation is. The ad touts that you might seldom buy gasoline if you travel 40 miles or less ...... Read More
Comments (2)Industries:
Motion Control/Automation
Bill Gates on the Financial Crisis, Innovation
Posted by John Dodge
on September 26, 2008
Want to feel better about the current financial crisis? Listen to Tom Brokaw’s interview with Bill Gates whose optimism about innovation and the economy is matched only by his wealth. Gates thinks investment in innovation will continue on through the crisis. Why do I think Gates is running for something? He comes off as a guy who might have some macro answers. I interviewed him a doze ...... Read More
Comments (1)GM Throttles Back Chevy Volt's Design
Posted by John Dodge
on September 17, 2008
The Chevy Volt’s official design has come in for some heavy criticism for being far from the futuristic and sporty concept car GM rolled out at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. It was that model that adorned our March 19, 2007 cover. In photos of the production model released yesterday on GM’s 100th birthday, I find the design quite appealing and have more of an appreciation for innov ...... Read More
Comments (6)Yammer, a Simple Collaboration Tool for Engineers
Posted by John Dodge
on September 12, 2008
We’re all told that social networking is next wave of interaction between collagues, but now there’s Yammer. I’ve checked and and it looks like it could be pretty useful for engineers. It’s secure chat within your enterprise based on one simple question made famous by Facebook: “What are you doing right now” except Yammer asks “What are workin ...... Read More
Comments (0)Industries:
Electronics/Test
, Software/Hardware
Engineers without Borders
Posted by John Dodge
on September 5, 2008
We have started to talk a lot of engineers tackling some of the world’s most pressing problems involving health, agriculture, sanitation and education. And the more we dig, we more we find engineers applying their skills, talent and energy to solving humankind’s problems. One such organization I came across recently is the aptly named Engineers without Borders. Allied with the Rotari ...... Read More
Comments (2)The DC-3's Connection to Bulldozers
Posted by John Dodge
on August 26, 2008
The Wall Street Journal Saturday ran a fabulous piece on the DC-3 airplane, an estimated 500 of which are still flying. Tens of thousands were made, 3,000 during the war effort in the Soviet Union. What struck my eye was the wing testing when the plane was designed. According to an interview in 1985 with chief designer Arthur Emmons Raymond to celebrate the plane’s 50th birthday, ...... Read More
Comments (0)Industries:
Materials/Fastening
, Software/Hardware
The Amazing Intelligence of Crows
Posted by John Dodge
on August 25, 2008
You might have heard of the TED conference where some of the world’s greatest doers and thinkers hob knob and speak every year in Monterey, Calif. It boasts speakers from Bill Clinton to fascinating people you have never heard of. For the past two years, TED has posted free videos of the presentations and one of my favorities was from Joshua Klein who has studied the “the amazi ...... Read More
Comments (1)Got Design Tools?
Posted by John Dodge
on August 22, 2008
Imagine, a major CAD company JUST selling design tools. It makes no sense in the age of PLM and large enterprise systems that oversee product conception, design, use and end of life. How refreshing it was when I interviewed Buzz Kross, senior VP in charge of Autodesk’s manufacturing side. “We just do design tools. We’re nowhere near done with them. SAP handling BOM numbers doe ...... Read More
Comments (0)Wanted: Mechanical and petroleum engineers
Posted by John Dodge
on August 19, 2008
Mechanical and petroleum engineers are the most sought after upon college graduation, according to a story in Yahoo Hotjobs. Of course, now I can’t find the story to link to, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway. The demand for mechanical engineers was attributed to increasing retirements. Hotjobs current lists 9,465 engineering positions. ...... Read More
Comments (0)Industries:
Careers
Electric Car Do-It-Yourselfers
Posted by John Dodge
on August 14, 2008
CNN has a great story about folks who couldn’t wait for the big automakers to come out with electric cars….do-it yourselfers. Check it out. ...... Read More
Comments (0)Hydrogen Budding in New England
Posted by John Dodge
on August 13, 2008
Hydrogen refueling stations and the idea of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) are taking root in New England, which surprisingly, given the region’s technology and innovation prowess, has lagged behind the leaders, California and the Mid-Atlantic states. The Public Works Dept. in Hampden, Conn., has one now to fuel public transit vehicles and Nuvera, a fuel cell company, opened a PowerTap station i ...... Read More
Comments (0)Mesta Machine Co. Photos
Posted by John Dodge
on August 4, 2008
For machine tool history junkies (sadly, the machine tool industry in the U.S. is largely history), I found a marvelous set of historical photos of the Mesta Machine Company in Homestead, Pa. Mesta for decades was largest steel making machine tool company in the world and was located next to U.S Steel’s former Homestead, Pa. Works. It was even on Nikita Kruschev’s ...... Read More
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