Now Hear This!
Offering news and business analysis for the design engineer, Managing News Editor Suzanne Deffree filters the electronics industry's developments and trends to explain how what's happening in the board room today can impact the tech innovation of tomorrow. Follow Suzanne on Twitter, @Deffree. Suzanne also manages EDN's Twitter account, @EDNMagazine.
Top engineering schools ranking
US News and World Report recently released its annual ranking of the best colleges and universities across the United States. The usual suspects topped the national ranking: Harvard and Princeton tied for first with Yale following. Among the top schools making up the national ranking, two that are STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)-focused made appearances: California Institut ...... Read More
Comments (54)World Maker Faire photos and take aways
First, thanks to those who offered advice on Maker Faire in this blog’s post on Friday. As I stated, this was the first Maker Faire I attended and I didn’t know what to expect. Dale Dougherty, a Maker Faire moderator and of Make magazine, summed up what I was thinking in my planning during a session on bringing more kids into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). He was ...... Read More
Comments (6)Maker Faire NY: Newbie needs advice
World Maker Faire sent me a press package last night that pretty much made my jaw drop. Paul Rako or Margery Conner have traditionally covered Maker Faire for EDN but with this weekend’s event right in this New Yorker’s backyard (Queens, NY) and Paul and Margery out in California, I’ll be attending, as will EDN’s Patrick Mannion. I knew it would be big when the location ...... Read More
Comments (8)Nerd fun in Boston
This time next week I’ll be packing for Design Days Boston, made up by UBM’s ESC, Designing with LEDs, DesignCon East, and DesignMed events. I’m really looking forward to the trip, first because the shows will make up a great event and second because in all the places I’ve dragged my suitcase to on business, with the exception of a one night flight delay, I’ve ne ...... Read More
Comments (3)Star Trek turns 45: Fun facts about the series
My recent blog post “What would MacGyver do?” about relying on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills to recover from Hurricane Irene got some interesting comments that I was not expecting. I had thought, given the headline, that there would be comments on MacGyver. That seemed like a reasonable assumption. While there are comments on the 1980’s TV show and ...... Read More
Comments (22)Engineering the next generation: ESC Boston mentor meet-up
In July, EE Life’s Brian Fuller wrote a blog post, “What happens when you’re gone?” pondering what will happen to engineering once the current generation of engineers are no longer at their desks. “The passing of Bob Pease and Jim Williams highlighted a problem I’ve been worried about for some time: What happens when you retire? Or, assuming most of us pro ...... Read More
Comments (1)What would MacGyver do?
Hurricane Irene has come and gone but she’s left a trail of destruction on the East Coast of the US. Meet up with anyone here on Long Island and the first question they will ask (hopefully after they see you are unharmed) is if your home was damaged; second question will be, do you have electricity? More than half a million folks here suffered from power outages, including yours truly ...... Read More
Comments (24)Zombie tablet: HP resurrects TouchPad for 1 last run
HP’s fire sale pricing of its webOS-based TouchPad earlier this month showed the company just how hot its tablet could be. HP said in a blog this week that it was “pleasantly surprised by the response” to the revised pricing of the TouchPad, a move that saw the tablet price lowered to $99 for a 16-GB and $149 for a 32-GB as HP looked to clear out existing inventory. When w ...... Read More
Comments (17)Will Apple sour without Jobs?
Steve Jobs has resigned as Apple CEO. This executive change was formally announced by the Cupertino, Calif-based company this evening, but had been coming for some time. Jobs in an open letter to Apple’s board and the Apple community did not directly state that his lingering medical issues were behind the resignation, but this can safely be assumed. Tim Cook has taken the helm, effective im ...... Read More
Comments (11)HP TouchPad fire sale price offers $318 worth of materials
Unless you were hiding under a rock last week (or were on vacation, as I was) you caught two important pieces of news: 1-Google wants Motorola Mobility and is willing to pay $12.5 billion for it; and 2-HP is plans to discontinue operations for webOS devices, including the TouchPad tablet, as it explores spinning out or a possible sale of its PC business. Both news items continue to evolve. EDN ...... Read More
Comments (23)STEM degree offers positives, even if career path does not lead to engineering
The US Department of Commerce recently released a report on STEM (science, technology, engineer, and math) employment that stated some interesting facts. In 2010, there were 7.6 million STEM workers in the United States, representing about 1 in 18 workers. STEM occupations are projected to grow by 17% from 2008 to 2018, compared to 9.8% growth for non-STEM occupations. STEM workers command higher ...... Read More
Comments (9)Countdown to final Space Shuttle launch: Will engineers, space companies be able to fill the void?
The countdown for the final Space Shuttle launch began earlier this week. I’ve set my calendar alarms to remind me of Atlantis’ liftoff, scheduled for 11:26 am EDT this Friday, weather permitting. I’ve watched nearly every launch, either on TV, through NASA video, or via YouTube, and sadly that includes the Challenger disaster for which I as an eager child (who happened to be ...... Read More
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