Videos
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Bob Lutz Picks His Favorite Cars
June 22, 2011 7:01 am | CommentsBob Lutz, the author of “Car Guys vs. Bean Counters,” recounts some of his favorite cars over the years. To give him credit, he has a wide range of tastes, from the orginal BMW 3-Series, all the way through the current Chevy Malibu. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to mention that he helped design these cars as well.
Chatting At The Speed Of Light
June 22, 2011 6:58 am | CommentsHere, the Engineer Guy uses propylene glycol to show how a fiber optic cable works when sending signals across the ocean. They rely on a phenomenon called “total internal reflection,” which allows the beam of light to continuously reflect on the interior of the cable. This small discovery, combined with some engineering prowess, allows telecoms to lay these tiny lines under the ocean to enable hyper-speed global communications.
What's The Deal With Graphic Cigarette Labels?
June 22, 2011 6:52 am | CommentsAs you've likely heard, the FDA has unveiled nine new graphic warning labels that hope to stop current smokers from partaking in their next pack, and discourage potential new smokers. So far, the response to the labels seems to be mixed. What are your thoughts? Are they overbearing, or will they keep people from taking up smoking? Feel free to comment below.
Dicing Up Chickens At Warp-Speed
June 21, 2011 8:21 am | CommentsMayekawa Mfg. has developed an automated chicken de-boning system that is able to accurately and repeatedly strip breast meat from carcasses that are fed into the machine. According to the company, it’s ten times faster than doing the work manually. Putting aside the debate between robotic and human work, it’s sort of mesmerizing to see the machinery in action.
Will The Electric Car Revolution Stick?
June 20, 2011 7:05 am | CommentsCBS News national correspondent Ben Tracy reports on how consumers are reacting to the numerous elecric car choices that are current on, or coming soon, to the markeplace. It turns out that 57 percent of Americans won't seriously consider an EV purchase, mostly because of the short ranges. The hope is that with more early adopters, the technology will finally get pushed forward, despite similar surges in both 1890 and 1990.
Gauging The War On NASA, Science
June 17, 2011 7:30 am | CommentsRepublican presidential candidates are certainly showing their disdain toward NASA, so MSNBC sat down with Neil deGrasse Tyson, legendary astrophysicist, to talk about the larger implications of cutting science funding, even in troubling economic times. Tyson says that abandoning all big science projects will prevent our country from achieving the kind of “zeitgeist” that swept America up in the 1960’s, which will in turn prevent future innovation.
Did You Know IBM Invented That?
June 16, 2011 5:29 am | CommentsIBM has been around since 1911, and in that time, they’ve made some pretty fantastic innovations, like the orginal punch card counting machines, digital calculators, or solid-state memory. Bernie Meyerson, VP of innovation at IBM, walks through some of the company’s best products over the years.
Bringing Bowling Back To The U.S.
June 15, 2011 7:13 am | CommentsEbonite, a maker of bowling balls and gear for almost 100 years, recently bought a Mexican bowling-pin company to expand their reach into the market. But instead of simply running the factory out of the country, Ebonite decided to bring all the machinery back to Hopkinsville, KY, where they use a dozen workers to do the work of what used to be 27 employees.
'Car Guys' Take On 'Bean Counters'
June 15, 2011 6:45 am | CommentsBob Lutz was the former vice chairman of General Motors, and deeply considers himself one of the “car guys.” In a new book, he criticizes the automaker’s movement toward people he calls “bean counters,” which generally were incredibly business savvy, but cared little about the actual product they were creating.
NASA Embraces The Private Sector
June 15, 2011 6:41 am | CommentsAstronaut Max Walheim will be the mission specialist for NASA's final shuttle mission, and he sat down with MSNBC to discuss how the agency has come under fire from various GOP presidential candidates. Instead of handing all the power over to the private sector, he wants to build a collaboration when it comes to space.
Airbus Showcases Flying Of The Future
June 15, 2011 6:39 am | CommentsAirbus is looking ahead to 2050 with the unveiling of a new concept plane that pretty much revolutionizes everything we think about flying today. The company has envisioned seats that mold to the traveler’s body and a cabin that’s completely enveloped by glass, or some other transparent material.
The 'SWITL' Works Its Magic On Ketchup
June 15, 2011 6:38 am | CommentsThe SWITL in action doesn't exactly seem real. It uses a Teflon-covered plate to scoop up semi-liquid materials, like ketchup or mayonnaise, without disrupting their shape. While the SWITL is pretty cool to watch, it does have some applications in automated packaging, for example. If you’re having trouble watching this video, try downloading the latest version of Flash Player or contacting your IT department.
A Musician May Have Solved The U.S. Energy Crisis
June 14, 2011 8:06 am | CommentsOne Pennsylvania-based musician thinks he has the (right) solution to the country's energy crisis. Soon after Brandon Hollinger managed to turn his old Saab into an electric vehicle, he developed a business to transform other gas-guzzling vehicles into eco-friendly transportation options. If you’re having trouble watching this video, try downloading the latest version of Flash Player or contacting your IT department.
Fareed Takes On America's Jobs Crisis
June 13, 2011 6:38 am | CommentsCNN ’s Fareed Zakaria has recently been talking up jobs in just about every media format available, whether it’s TV or in print. He says that the absolute key to restoring America's economy—and thereby reducing its debt—is reducing unemployment. This time, he breaks down a proposal for an infrastructure bank, which would push the creation of America’s infrastructure to the private market and ideally create jobs in the process.
Is Solar Becoming The Cheapest Energy?
June 10, 2011 9:49 am | CommentsThomas Dinwoodie, the founder and CTO of Sunpower, claims that new solar power construction will end up being a cheaper alternative to new coal or nuclear power. He cites the enormous construction costs that go along with a nuclear plant, compared to the plummeting costs of solar arrays. He also takes issue with the government’s assessment that solar is in fact not the cheaper alternative.
