Monthly Archives: November 2014

Submarine Fuel Math

Introduction I just read an interesting article about an arctic environmental problem being presented by a Soviet-era nuclear submarine that had been scuttled back in 1982 (Figure 1). Apparently, scientists are now concerned that the submarine's reactor could leak dangerous … Continue reading

Posted in General Science, Military History, Naval History | 3 Comments

Engineer's Thanksgiving Humor

Quote of the Day If it bleeds it leads; if it thinks it stinks. — Journalism maxim I received the following photo this morning from an engineer who is responsible for preparing his family's Thanksgiving meal.

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An Estimate of the Heart's Chemical to Mechanical Efficiency

Quote of the Day I like opera, I just don't want to be around the people who like opera. — Justice Clarence Thomas, during a discussion of Justice Scalia and Scalia's love of opera. I also have experienced being around … Continue reading

Posted in General Science, Health | 3 Comments

How to Drive a Bobcat

Quote of the Day I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. — Douglas Adams One of the engineers I work with has a Bobcat (Figure 1) that he uses for digging holes and … Continue reading

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Making IP Addresses Sortable By Number

Quote of the Day Abolition was a pipe dream in 1835 – it was reality 25 year later. — Tom Rick, defense analyst, quoting his historian wife about how fast things can change in the US. My oldest son called … Continue reading

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Heart Energy Per Day Versus Truck Energy Consumed Over 20 Miles

During my web browsing, I sometimes encounter a statement that just seems too incredible to believe. Figure 1 contains such a statement. It states that the human heart "creates" daily an energy equivalent to driving a truck for 20 miles. I thought about this statement for a minute and it makes no sense. Continue reading

Posted in General Science, Health | 28 Comments

The Limits of Human-Generated Power

Quote of the Day I will do nothing, but I will do it very well. - Campaign slogan of an Italian politician Introduction My wife and I attend a card club of former neighbors once a month and last night … Continue reading

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Estimating the Weight of Philae on Comet 67P

I have been following the Rosetta mission for years and I have been completely captivated by the Philae probe (Figure 1) landing on the surface of the comet C67P (Figure 2). In addition to watching the television coverage of the landing, I have been reading all the articles I could find. Most of the articles I have read quote information from the ESA website. There is quite a bit of information available on technical details like the battery capacity, lander mass, and power usage. Continue reading

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Estimating the RMS Ring Voltage at a Telephone

Introduction I just saw a customer report of phone ringing issues with an old 2500 series phone (Figure 1). While these are good phones, they can be difficult for Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) deployments because they have 1 Ringer Equivalence Number (REN) … Continue reading

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New Telescopes Coming Online In the Next Ten Years

I am just amazed at the new technology in telescopes today. Take a look at this article – these are the kinds of instruments that will change our view of the universe. If you have trouble getting access at PhotonicsSpectra, … Continue reading

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