One of the perennial questions I keep getting asked is, “What is an embedded system?” Strange as it may seem, the problem isn’t that we lack a definition, but rather that we have too many – many of which subtly or overtly contradict each other. For example, some people would state that an embedded system is one that doesn’t have a user interface, while others … Read More → "What the FAQ is an Embedded System?"
Every once in a while, I find it refreshing and stimulating to stop thinking about circuits and to ponder where we will get all of the electricity to power those circuits in the coming years. During a recent trip to the big island in Hawaii, I got a reminder. My wife and I visited NELHA, the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, located between the ocean … Read More → "Extracting Power from Seawater without Nuclear Fusion"
Today we’re going to talk about – um… hang on a sec, my phone is buzzing……… OK, sorry, I’m back. Um, so, yeah, haptics. Generically, it’s what we do on equipment to lend not only a sense of sound and sight for feedback, but also touch. And that touch angle has many forms – like when your phone vibrates.
Batteries have woven themselves intimately into our lives. But are they friend or foe? They’re obviously friends when they let us move around with untethered gadgetry. But when we need them now and they aren’t charged, they’re less friendly. And when we try to recharge them and they will no longer take a … Read More → "Batteries as a Service"
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 … Read More → "Tons of LEDs – One at a Time"
“For those about to rock, we salute you.” – Brian Johnson
Let’s play a game! First, we’ll divide the players into two teams. The first team includes fluffy kittens, nuns and orphans, baby ducks, and Delta blues guitarists. The second team includes patent trolls, the Ebola virus, personal-liability lawyers, and Brussels sprouts.
Which team does … Read More → "AI Meets AC/DC"
