Drives Blog

Nicholas Carr's now famous article in The Atlantic, "Is Google Making Us Stupid" says our high tech environment is 'dumbing us down', flattening our intelligence, shortening our attention spans, and rewiring the neural circuits in our brains so we can no longer read or think about deep material. On the other hand, Damon Darlin of the New York Times says Google has liberated us from the time-wasting activities associated with finding information. So is high tech helping or hurting us?

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If hydrogen is such a good, non-polluting potential fuel for automobiles, why does it seem to be so far away from realization? The technology is proven and several large car manufacturers, including GM, Honda, and Hyundai produce hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). But with few cars, the fuel companies are reluctant to build filling stations. Can the government step in on this classic chicken-and-egg problem with some funding to get the industry going?

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Skills shortages and the ageing work force are compelling employers to look for new sources of engineering recruits. Could they be overlooking talented women? In the U.K. there is a good gender balance in university science and engineering courses. Yet only 27% of women with degrees progress into associated careers, compared with 54% of men. Why do so few women go into engineering careers? What could be done to encourage more to enter the field?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Drives, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Drives today.

It is becoming much easier for Asian companies to reverse engineer technical products made in the West and produce them a much lower price. As the cost of seeking worldwide patent protection soars beyond the means of all except the largest global manufacturers, are there other, and perhaps better, ways to protect intellectual property? Are there good arguments to persuade a potential buyer that price alone may not be the only valid consideration? What are some alternatives that companies could consider?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Drives, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Drives today.

Servo systems became widely available back in the 1970s. In his Blog, 30 year manufacturing veteran Keith Campbell wonders why we bother with basic scientific research, when it takes two to three decades to achieve routine application of servos and robotics? We're still learning to apply discoveries of the NASA program. But if the time between the initial discovery to full commercialization is longer than most careers, why should we care about it?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Drives, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Drives today.