Motion Control Components

When Warren Buffett speaks — or more specifically, when he acts — lots of economy-slugged folks listen, and follow suit. Is his and Berkshire Hathaway's $44 billion buyout of Burlington Northern a bet on old railroad technology, or a sound investment and confidence builder about what's just around the bend in a roller coaster economy?

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

Social networking is part of our culture, both on and off the job. But just how much responsibility does an engineer have to her or his company when logging on during off-hours? Not unlike smoking, some employers are trying to restrict or govern this internet behavior. No standards yet exist, but a recent survey found 10% of employers with a policy directed at use of social networks. Where should we draw the line on imposing rules for off-duty hours?

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

Offensive outbursts at recent town hall meetings caught some by surprise, but the yelling seems to be the tip of a growing "public incivility" iceberg. People lash out more often, in more places. Just a sign of the public's edginess over adverse times? Or, as some writers claim, a failure of our education system, failure to keep our prejudices in check?

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

Practicality takes a second seat when the race is on to be the tallest. But, the bragging that began with the tallest skyscrapers now includes a supremacy scuffle in Ferris Wheels, with a new tallest of "observation" structures, the Great Wheel of China, due for completion later this year. Are these really fantastic feats, or colossal calamities waiting to happen? Should we discourage each big reach, or view the works as testaments of engineering know how?

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

President Obama named a manufacturing czar on Labor Day, "someone who wakes up thinking about manufacturing policy" and cooking up incentives for U.S. businesses to adopt smarter and sustainable manufacturing. If you had been given a vote, would it have come down on the "yes" or the "no" side of the ledger? Is this position needed, and will it provide a positive push for U.S. manufacturing's future?

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