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 The International Space
Station (ISS) is a prime example of what nations working together (primarily
the U.S., Russia, the EU, and Japan) can achieve. Beginning in 1998 with a single
Russian-built Zaryna module, the scifi-like structure has grown to around 25 components.
The above video shows that evolution. Orbiting at 355 km altitude, it takes the
ISS 91 minutes to round the Earth while traveling 27,744 km/h.
4/14/2009
 IEEE-USA held it first
Online Student Video Scholarship Competition in 2008 called, "How Engineers Make
a World of Difference." The goal is for undergraduate engineering students to produce
videos targeting a 11-to-13-year-old audience to pitch how engineers improve quality
of life. Click the icon to see the top 3 winners for 2009.
3-31-2009
 Nano is going 3-D with this newly developed
method of "nano origami." Researchers at MIT are folding 2-D nano objects into shapes
using electrical currents. A 3-D nanoscale capacitor has been developed, which allows
it to store more energy. Extra layers also promote faster information flow, just
as the human brain's many folds allow for quicker communication between brain regions.
This looks like shape-shifting to me. Today a capacitor, tomorrow the world.
3-3-2009
 In the world of IFR piloting, an adage
is, "Die by your instruments." What that means is your artificial horizon, turn &
bank indicator, altimeter, airspeed indicator, etc., are far more reliable than
physical perception when flying blind, so ignore physical instincts and trust the
instruments. Imagine doing that down to 250 feet
MDA. Having a FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared Radar) system at your disposal
can make the process a lot more natural. Unlike a GPS-based system that combines
stored mapping data with fixes to generate an artificial "view," FLIR is a real-time
image (albeit not in the visible spectrum). This video effectively demonstrates
the incredible capability of FLIR.
2-3-2009
 Tesla's coil meets Monte Python's
Knights Who Say
"Ni" meets Faraday's shield... all to the 'electrifying' tune of Lucas' Stormtroopers'
"The Imperial March." There sure seems to be a lot of amateur high voltage generators
out there worldwide judging by the number of videos on YouTube. Maybe there is a
world domination conspiracy going on that should be looked into.☺
4-7-2009
 This report from Forbes highlights a recent trend in H1B recruitment
- countries are attempting to lure their nationals back to the homeland. Billboards
in Silicon Valley are being used to convince hardware & software engineers,
scientists, and managers with advanced degrees and experience to return to China.
It's a sweet deal for those countries. First they got the technology transfers while
we exported manufacturing; now they get the warm bodies (and brains).
3-10-2009
 The "How Stuff Works" guy explores
the construction of a cathode ray tube (CRT) using a highly unusual method of gaining
access to the guts of it. Let's just say you should not try this at home (unless
you live in the country, anyway). Warning: Do not view if the exercising of 2nd
Amendment rights bothers you.
2-10-2009
 The world is an increasingly
dangerous place. Just as we run antivirus and firewall software on our computers
to protect against cyber terrorists, prudence dictates protecting physical assets
as well. Accordingly, the RF Cafe board of directors decided at the last meeting
that enlisting the services of a security force is in order. Here is a short video
of the intensive training undergone by members of the staff. Consider your own options.
4/21/2009
 The brave new world
of nanotechnology has produced another nanowonder. Berkeley scientists have created
an AM radio that combines the tunable RF front-end, envelope detector, and amplifier
all in a single nanotube. The only other components are a battery and a speaker.
I always wonder how anyone even thought to try something like this, since it was
not one of those serendipitous discoveries like Percy Spencer's
microwave oven. I found the story in
SciAm.
3/17/2009
 A year or so ago there were news reports of pieces of a complex,
2,0000 year old mechanism found in a shipwreck near
Antikythera, Greece that had been subject to new imaging techniques
to help reveal details buried in fragile, barnacle encrusted clumps. The find occurred
a century ago, but just recently the former curator of the Science Museum in London,
Michael Wright, completed a fully functional replica. It accurately reproduces planetary
motion, including retrogrades, and predicts eclipses. Mr. Wright's ability to decode
and reconstruct the mechanism is nearly as amazing as the ability of the Greeks'
to design and build it in the first place.
2-17-2009
 Miniatur Wunderland
in Hamburg, Germany, is the world's largest model train layout. As with most hobbies
these days, electronics technologies are a big part of the system. 500k working
hours and €8.7M have created 9 km of track with 700 locomotives & 10k cars,
2.8k buildings & bridges, 250k lights, on 900 m^2 of landscape. Control of it
all requires 33 computers. It will double in size. The operations center looks like
it could be a nuclear power plant.
3/24/2009
 It is easy while dwelling
in the realm of 0201 resistors and isolators in 1 sq. cm packages to forget
about the world of macro electronics. Believe it or not, DIP packages and leaded
resistors are still the norm in many industries where d'Arsonval movement analog
meters can still be found on lab benches used. This video of the
Chevrolet Volt's
16 kWh, T-shaped lithium-ion battery provides a glimpse. The battery pack is 6 feet
long (1.8 meters) and weighs nearly 400 pounds (181 kg).
2-24-2009
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This archive links to the many video and audio
files that have been featured on RF Cafe.