Hot spots in Cyberspace 7869Hot spots in Cyberspace 7869

Tech a look

Design News' Online Channels offers a deeper look at 16 markets and technologies. And within each channel can be found a variety of technical papers provided by a multitude of sources. Topics range from CAD/CAM to rapid prototyping to alloys and suggestions for getting FDA approval.

But Channels are more than technical papers. Each channel features website links, daily news updates from Lexis-Nexis, links to recent Design News articles online, news from industry leaders, and the scoop on new companies and mergers.

Channels at www.designnews.com can be found by clicking on the Channels button at the top of the page. A drop down menu in orange appears. You can then pick the Channel of your choice, including CAD/CAM/CAE, Electrical/Electronics, Fastening/Joining/Assembly, Ferrous/Non-Ferrous Metals, Fluid Power/Fluid Handling Devices, Lab/Production Test Equipment, Automation/Motion Control, Plastics/Elastomers/Non-metals, Power Transmission, Aerospace/ Defense, Appliances/Consumer Products, Automotive/Trucks/Off-Highway, Communications, Computers/Office Machines, Industrial Controls/Machine Tools, and Medical/Healthcare.

Have a cuppa CAD...

At the MCADCafe.com (www.mcadcafe.com ), try one of the more than 26 downloads or sample the job listings. You can even sit and have a cup of Joe and read three chapters from the book, "Mechanical Desktop 4.0 Quick Reference" by Doug Wolff, or a couple of e-zines including MCAD Vision and Engineering Process Journal. For those needing design help, check out the design tools offered, including finite element analysis, fluid and thermal analysis, kinematics, mold design and analysis and more. Just added to the site is a research paper database and a list of research labs dealing with design automation. There's also free e-mail, a news feed, and newsgroups discussing a variety of products, as well as university links and even a daily cartoon.

Have some TechSavvy

We all need a savvy now and then, and here's the site to help. TechSavvy.com (www.techsavvy.com ) helps users find suppliers through listings of 800 business centers and more than 45,000 manufacturer records, search among 450 leading technical and engineering standards, gather military specifications, and search through 90 million individual parts and hard-to-find technical data. The site is a service from HIS and Global Engineering Documents.

Have a free link or two

A virtual menu of links to websites offering just about anything an engineer needs to find is at www.getfreedata.com . The site offers links to communication-focused sites such as communication networking basics and standards, software and computer guides, satellite links that include a launch schedule and many of the organizations launching satellites, a comprehensive list of calculation and statistic sites, government and military sites, and general reference and news sites.

Have a smart kid?

Or want to help one? Then check out Kids Invent Toys or KIT at www.kidsinvent.org . The organization offers a weekly camp that stimulates the creative instincts of children to invent by having them design and build mock-ups of toys-then prepare a business plan and marketing materials, including a web-based home page (links to these pages and the creative inventions can be found here, too!). Kids can also invent flying machines or robots at the camps, as well. There is even an after school program that includes 24 totally creative, hands-on building projects.