Zeroing in
One way to find useful information on the Internet is to use a Web-wide search engine. Yahoo, for example, will search across the Web for keywords; find its search page at: http://www.yahoo.com. Another search site, Excite, examines 1.5 million Web pages, as well as 10,000 Usernet newsgroups. Find it at http://www.excite.com. A couple of other possible search tools: Infoseek (http://www2.infoseek.com) and Webcrawler (http://webcrawler.com). In addition, Digital Equipment Corp. is hosting a site, called Alta Vista, that will search either the Web or Internet news groups for key words. Find it at http://altavista.digital.com/.

Virtual job hunts
If you're looking for a new job, the Internet could save you some time. Instead of poring over pages of newspaper classifieds, for example, you can search the listings of six major daily newspapers with a few keystrokes. The site, at http://careerpath.com , pulls together listings from the Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, San Jose Mercury News, and Washington Post. Engineering is one of the main job categories, and then you can nar- row your focus by adding key words of your choice. You must register to use the site, but it's free.

To broaden your job hunt, you can find an impressive array of links to job-listing sites at http://rescomp.stanford.edu/jobs/#science (despite the name, this page shows jobs in engineering as well as scientific research). From here, you can jump to sites maintained by organizations, companies, recruitment agencies, and even Internet newsgroups.

Software test drives
A lot of companies are putting their Web sites in their ads these days. But Algor has gone a step further, taking out full-page advertisements in a number of technical publications (Design News among them) touting their Internet site. What's there to see? Users can "test drive" Algor software by downloading special versions of the company's finite-element analysis software. Algor users can download beta versions of updates (with proper up-grade contract), as well as models to check how well Algor programs run. Find it at http://www.algor.com .

Check out others' simulations
Knowledge Revolution recently launched a WWW site for its Working Model motion-simulation program. Along with the usual company and product information, the company has also posted a number of models users can download and try out. Find it at http://www.krev.com .

More than just computer stuff
An increasing number of non-computer and electronics companies can be found on the Infobahn. If you're seeking data on lubricants, for instance, you can find pretty much anything you'd ever need to know about DuPont's products at http://www.lubricants.dupont.com/ including properties, special uses, and even academic papers.

Where do I start?

If you're an engineer wondering how to even begin checking whether the World Wide Web has things of interest to you, one place to start is the engineering "virtual library." With listings in categories such as institutes and on-line services, this gives a taste--but just a taste--of the many engineering resources on the 'net. Find it at http://cdr.stanford.edu/html/WWW-ME/home.asp

A similar service is provided by Yahoo, where resources are also arranged in orderly subject categories and subcategories. Mechanical engineering, for example, is at http://www.yahoo.com/Science/Engineering/Mechani-cal_Engineering/ which then shows added subcategories such as companies, design, and rapid prototyping.

Reader Feedback

Cycling Deja vu
In reading the December 18, 1995 issue of Design News, I found the article "Toying with ideas leads to hit products" very interesting. The Power Pumper reminded me of the Car Bike I had when I was young. This was in the late 1940's.

This modern version has larger wheels and seat but other than that it is almost exactly the same. It appears that the old saying, "What goes around comes around," applies to this situation. Your magazine is one of my favorite magazines. Keep up the goodstories.

Gene P. Hopp,
Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp.