Author Archives: engineerzero

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About engineerzero

Once and future engineer.

Electronic Schematics in Sketchup

Posted on February 18, 2011 by engineerzero

Sure, your electronics graphics program can make 2D schematics. But can you do this? “Why would I ever want to do that?” you ask. Well, say that you’re putting together a presentation and want to hi-lite specific parts of the … Continue reading →

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Mount Saint Helens Seismic Data Visualization

Posted on February 18, 2011 by engineerzero

This is an attempt to visualize data from recent seismic activity around Mt. Saint Helens. Nothing fancy, I simply used Google Sketchup and imported the quake map off the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network page for around 2PM Thursday Feb 17, … Continue reading →

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The Volcano Beside Me

Posted on February 17, 2011 by engineerzero

As a native of the Seattle region, I have often found it disconcerting to hear about killer weather, of tornadoes, hurricanes, cold snaps, and heat waves that leave death tolls in their wake. All we have to complain about around … Continue reading →

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Why Microsoft Could Die Within Five Years

Posted on February 16, 2011 by engineerzero

I was just watching a slide show presentation about the new Windows Phone 7. The effort looks competent. But that’s not enough to keep Microsoft from dying. Whether it’s fair or not, people hate Microsoft. In order to overcome that … Continue reading →

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PC control of RC toy via Arduino

Posted on February 15, 2011 by engineerzero
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China’s Drought and Spirulina

Posted on February 13, 2011 by engineerzero

New York Times: U.N. Food Agency Issues Warning on China Drought The state-run news media in China warned Monday that the country’s major agricultural regions were facing their worst drought in 60 years. On Tuesday the state news agency Xinhua … Continue reading →

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In Defense of Thomas Edison

Posted on February 12, 2011 by engineerzero

Hey, it’s Edison’s birthday and Google’s doodle today is about Edison. And the Tesla Cult is angry about it. When I was growing up, Thomas Edison was regarded as a hero. His reputation has been tarnished in recent years by … Continue reading →

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Reed Switch and Transistor

Posted on February 10, 2011 by engineerzero
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Near Miss versus Near Collision

Posted on February 9, 2011 by engineerzero

Just so everyone is clear, a near collision is a miss, and a near miss is a collision. But what are we to make of this Google count: Anyhow, if the Internets are going to be that inaccurate, then I … Continue reading →

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Plane Near-Collision in Sketchup

Posted on February 8, 2011 by engineerzero

In the news this morning was a story about a near collision of a 777 American Airlines jetliner with a pair of US Air Force C-17 cargo planes. Here’s what the graphic looked like on ABC News: Well, I realize … Continue reading →

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