Articles – Page 116

November 5, 2018

Their first job was to soften up the target. They did that using paratroopers who prepared the scene quietly and unobtrusively. Once that was done, the bombing campaign could begin in earnest.

In the era of fine feature resolution, sometimes it’s necessary to refine our processing tools. After all, backhoes are good at digging holes, but they’re not OK if you’ve shrunk the size of the hole to a couple of inches across; you need something more precise.

Killing Me Softly with its Upgrades

Microsoft’s Windows 10 is Slowly Killing My Old Lenovo Laptop

by Steven Leibson

November 1, 2018

“Find what you love and let it kill you.” – Kinky Friedman and Harley Quinn

They came in the night with little cat feet. It was just a simple email from Microsoft:

“Download and upgrade to Windows 10 now, for free. Later, it’ll cost you 100 bucks.”

Seemed like an offer too good to be true. What harm could there be? I’d probably be upgrading anyway because I always have. Why not now, for free?

Is There an “IoT” in “Satellite?”

Imagination Reveals Low-Cost Satellite Navigation IP

by Jim Turley

October 31, 2018

“I’m from the generation that wants to put a GPS in their kids so I always know where they are.” – Joss Whedon

It’s a trend as old as time. A new technology – rockets, computers, microwaves; take your pick – starts out expensive and exclusive, but then winds up so cheap and plentiful that we barely think about it.

So it is with satellite navigation. Today’s GPS started out as a horrendously expensive and complex military project designed to pinpoint certain, uh, mobile assets … Read More → "Is There an “IoT” in “Satellite?”"

Finance 104: The Aftermath of the IPO

Life in a Public Company Has its Ups and Downs

by Jim Turley

October 30, 2018

“Fortunately, we’re not a public company. We’re a private group of companies, and I can do what I want.” – Richard Branson

Your company has just gone public! Are you going to buy a yacht, a fleet of Lamborghinis, or a small Caribbean island? Why not all three?

Chances are, you’re not going to do any of those things because you made exactly zero dollars on the IPO. What’s that? No riches? What was the point, if not to make you filthy … Read More → "Finance 104: The Aftermath of the IPO"

Tons of LEDs – One at a Time

Rohinni Challenges the Usual Mass-Transfer Method

by Bryon Moyer

October 29, 2018

It just seemed so wasteful to him! All he needed was a thin coating of flour on the chicken, but the only way to do that was to dredge the piece in a pile of flour. Like, about 100 times more flour than he really needed. He could reuse the flour for any other pieces, but, once you were done for the night, he’d be throwing away more than 90% of the flour. Because, of course, it had touched raw chicken, and you don’t want that lying around.

OK, so flour is cheap; who … Read More → "Tons of LEDs – One at a Time"

Follow EE Journal’s Live Coverage of the MEMS and Sensors Executive Congress

by Larra Morris

October 28, 2018

Our EE Journal team is in Napa this week to cover the 2018 MEMS and Sensors Executive Congress, where industry experts and executives gather to break down the challenges facing the industry and shed light on the new and emerging opportunities.

From beds that monitor heart rates and breathing, to agricultural devices that measure sunlight, soil pH, and moisture content, to products aimed at enhancing athletic performance, we’ll be covering all the innovation and analysis at this year’s Congress. You can follow along with our live coverage on twitter: @EEJournalTFM or on this very page!

< … Read More →

Global Navigation in One Tiny, Surface-Mountable Module

Need to Know Where You Are? STMicro’s Teseo-LIV3F Will Tell You

by Steven Leibson

October 25, 2018

The amount of hardware in orbit for GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) navigation is big and getting bigger. The US GPS and Russian GLONASS satellite constellations are already complete. GPS originally consisted of 24 satellites flying in six orbital planes. Each plane had four slots with one operational satellite per slot. In 2011, the US Air Force expanded the constellation and added three satellites for a total of 27 operational slots. This expansion improved GPS-based positioning accuracy in most of the world. As of August 10, 2018, there were a total of 31 operational satellites in the GPS constellation, not including on-orbit … Read More → "Global Navigation in One Tiny, Surface-Mountable Module"

Finance 103: Reading the Stock Charts

What Do All the Squiggly Lines Mean, Boss?

by Jim Turley

October 25, 2018

“One of the funny things about the stock market is that every time one person buys, another sells, and both think they are astute.” – William Feather

Hooray, your company has gone public! You and all your coworkers can now stare at real-time stock tickers all day long, tracking your newfound wealth, second by second. Hey, our stock is going up! We’re awesome! Oh no, the price is heading down! What did we do wrong?

Like cats with a shiny new toy, employees in a … Read More → "Finance 103: Reading the Stock Charts"

Second Wind: The New Wind River

Software Company Looks Fighting Fit Following its Intel Spinoff

by Jim Turley

October 24, 2018

“Meet the new boss; same as the old boss.” – Roger Daltry

There’s a humongous redwood tree (sequoiadendron giganteum) in Yosemite National Park called the Grizzly Giant. It’s over 200 feet tall and almost 100 feet around its circumference. It’s astonishingly massive and probably two thousand years old. But the real point, says Wind River’s CEO Jim Douglas, is that it’s only the 25^th largest tree in the world.

Like the tree, it’s a wonder that Wind River is still standing. The company … Read More → "Second Wind: The New Wind River"

Matters of Integrity

Busting PCB Design Myths

by Kevin Morris

October 23, 2018

They say that practice makes permanent – whether it’s right or wrong. And, for those of us who have been designing printed circuit boards (PCBs) for years or even decades, the adage rings true. Many of our habits and beliefs are born of career-long repetition and reinforcement without benefit of a close critical examination. After all, we’ve designed board after board, and they almost always work correctly, so what’s the point in stepping back and challenging our well-worn norms?

Well, if you haven’t … Read More → "Matters of Integrity"