5 Mentally Engaging Books that Engineers would like as Gifts
On our third installation of gifts for engineers, we present yet another guide for the confused souls who are unable to buy gifts for theirs engineer wives, husbands, friends etc. The Gifts for Engineers series is a passionate attempt at providing guidance to those who might be clueless when it comes to getting gifts for [...]
5 Amazing Gifts for Engineers that will cost you less than $20
Engineers are peculiar people. We see numbers where others see lines. We like complexity and dislike anything petty. Much more so, it the latter does not involve math. We admire the marriage between steel and concrete. So it is not a surprising occurrence for a non-engineer to be unable to understand the things we like. [...]
Brain Teaser: Fill in the Blanks
Four words with the letters SNT, in that order, have all their other letters removed. You must use the letters below to fill in the blanks.
_ _ S _ N T _ _ _
S _ _ N T
S _ N _ _ T
S _ _ _ N T
Letters to use: A, A, E, E, E, I, I, L, L, Q, S, S, U, U
Brain Teaser: A Sliding Ladder
A 25 ft ladder (assume it is not an extension ladder) is placed with its foot 7 ft away from a building. If the top of the ladder slips down 4 ft, how many feet will the bottom slide out?
New article – Power Distribution of Electricity Explained: A Beginner’s Guide
It is often asked ‘what is power distribution’? Power distribution is the delivery of electricity to an end user in the final stage. In the current day and age, the primary circuit leaves the sub station and will then reach the meter socket of the end user.
A Quote from the Profession of Engineering by Herbert Hoover, President and Engineer
America’s 31st president was a passionate engineer generally credited with the vision for the Hoover Dam. It is not a wonder this impressive structure was named after him. The following quote was derived from one of Herbert Hoover’s memoirs. It is a great profession. There is the satisfaction of watching a figment of the imagination [...]
World’s longest sea bridge opens in China
China has yet again proved that no engineering feat is impossible. Be it a seemingly impossible river diversion project or a 26.4-mile long sea bridge, engineers in China appear ready to conquer any challenge. The 26.4 mile long Jiaozhou Bay Bridge was recently opened after four years of construction. This impressive structure connects China’s eastern port city o [...]
What type of gifts do engineers like?
A spouse of one of our loyal users contacted me asking me for advise on the type of gift she should get for her husband. The husband, a 34-year-old civil engineer is apparently a nerd with a passion for reading. So, I decided to do a tally and determine what type of gifts engineers would [...]
Taiwan’s Taipei 101 receives LEED platinum rating
Taiwan’s 509-metre Taipei 101 recently become the world’s tallest building to receive LEED platinum rating, the highest level in the green building rating system. In a ceremony held in held in Taipein, officials from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and local dignitaries said the achievement begins a new era in green building. Taipes, [...]
China’s $62-billion river diversion project might be the next Great Wall
I suspect that when the plans for the Great Wall of China; were presented to the then Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, he might have remarked at the audacious approach chosen by the engineers. Back then the idea for the wall was to simply fortify their expanding territory, an effort which culminated in the [...]
Judge orders test on Halliburton cement in BP well
NEW ORLEANS – A federal judge is ordering tests to be performed as soon as possible on cement Halliburton Co. used to seal the BP well that later blew out catastrophically in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier said some of the components may be “deteriorating over time” and that tests should [...]
Successful Application of Cloud Computing in Engineering – Roel Construction
We recently featured a highly insightful article on the benefits of cloud computing for engineering companies. Based on the discussions and emails, most people do agree that cloud computing does provide a better alternative for engineering companies in that their IT budgets are greatly reduced and productivity is enhanced. It is not surprising that a [...]
Project Spotlight: The Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a 31.4 mi undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent near Dover in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France. The tunnel goes beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, the Channel Tunel is 246 ft deep. Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project [...]
Santa Clara University offers courses in Renewable Energy
SANTA CLARA, CALIF — Santa Clara University’s School of Engineering is now offering a Renewable Energy Certificate for engineering graduate students. The certificate helps engineers in the semiconductor field prepare for one of the fastest growing sectors in world – alternative energy. “For the first time, Santa Clara University is offering that opportunity to students [...]
The Transatlantic Cable: The 19th Century’s Greatest Underwater Engineering Feat
Long before the Chanel Tunnel, an underwater project of grandeur would connect people separated by oceans. In 1839 two inventors, William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone unveiled the telegraph, sparking a decade of experimentation and growth of knowledge in underwater telegraph cables. During that time, the idea of expanding the technology between major cities separated by [...]
Lessons learned from the BP oil spill disaster
The impact of the oil spill disaster on the Gulf ecosystem and the livelihood of many will be a subject of many future discussions and litigation. The spill, which has now been contained, has clearly been a nightmare that BP wishes to put behind it. Especially so, given that ongoing investigations continue to reveal that [...]
5 most dangerous roads in the world
My first engineering job in college was working for a roadway design consultant. I found the work fascinating because it mostly involved site surveys and CADD design. During the short duration of that internship, I don’t recall experiencing a challenge that I could not address, especially given the vast tools available at my disposal. So, [...]
