Switching to engineergoggles.tumblr.com

I've decided to switch to my engineergoggles.tumblr.com blog from now on. I still have a ton of work to make it have the look and vision I want, but I've found their posting system to be much easier linking to other web services (twitter, facebook, etc.).

I purchased the domain www.engineergoggles.com. I want to eventually have that take people to the tumblr blog (or maybe somewhere else in the future, who knows).

New soda can design

Quoting from the website theawesomer.com:

"Every once in a while, an idea comes along that’s so simple in execution that it’s brilliant. This concept for a soda can would allow you to cover up your pop and keep the fizz in between gulps."

I love simple ideas and solutions, the ones that make you wonder why it wasn't created sooner. While I personally don't have a problem finishing a 12oz soda before the fizz is gone, I know others who don't have the same tendency to gulp all their drinks. I especially like the color indicator to easily identify when the can is sealed.

Here is the post on their website: http://theawesomer.com/soda-seal-resealable-soda-can/41636/

And a link to a video of the concept on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-MRbTkfKgg

I like the above design better than this one. I do think it's clever to use the rubber seal, but I'd be hesitant to assume the tab would be so easy to flatten out again. Open any can and the tab always stays at a slight angle. The tab can only handle a limited number of bend cycles before they break apart.

Shout to Ben Z. for sharing the link.

Polarized Sunglasses

I recently bought a new pair of sunglasses. I decided to go with a polarized pair, instead of the standard "darkened" lenses. I won't go into depth to how polarization works but basically there are micro-scores on the surface of the lens. These lines are spaced to limit the wavelengths of light to only one direction. Any light waves in a perpendicular orientation to the lines will be blocked. Polarized sunglasses are great because they reduce the glare off water or cars, anything that reflects the light.

I assumed when the sunglasses are assembled, they would align the polarization to be horizontal, along the axis of the sunglasses. I'm starting to question this assumption because of what I see happen when I look at LCD screens. LCD's omitted a polarized light; when looked at with a polarized filter, either you will see nearly all light or none. I also assume that the light from the LCD is aligned to the shape of the screen, either vertical or horizontal. When I look at the LCD with my sunglasses on, I would guess I would either see all the light or none, but this is not the case.

What I see if a partially faded image when the glasses are worn in the normal orientation. When turned 45 degrees, everything goes black. When turned the other 45 degrees, the shading is minimized.

This makes me believe the lenses in the sunglasses are oriented at a 45 degree angle to the body. I'm not sure why this is done. My only guess is many items, including LCD and other light sources, if omitting polarized light, tend to be in orientations horizontal or vertical. If the lenses were oriented the same way, people would not be able to walk around in their everyday life without having trouble viewing screens. I've already experience this with the GPS unit in my car. I either need to tilt my head to clearly read the screen or remove the glasses all together. I will note that this hasn't been an issue with my iPhone. I don't know if they use a newer screen technology that does a better job of omitting light in non-polarized directions or some other method.

Anyone have an idea why the sunglasses are built this way?

New iPhone "Refresh List" design

I've see this new "refresh" design in a few apps now and I really like it. Basically, any app that displays a list of things, by holding your finger on the screen and pulling down, it will update the list for new posts once it snaps back to the top. Many apps used to have a fixed refresh button somewhere on the screen. This only served to use valuable screen real-estate for a feature that was rarely used. Since most apps can't live feed a stream of updates, people have to manually refresh to see if anything was posted after they opened the app. I found that I rarely stayed in an app long enough to worry there would be any new posted since the app first opened on my phone. This new setup is very intuitive, fits perfectly into the natural motion and UI of the iPhone, and I find a bit fun to use for some reason. I'm not sure if this is an API Apple developed recently and now develops are implementing it, or if developers are getting very creative themselves in how to design the apps. Either way, it's a "refreshing" new design I hope to see in more apps.

RedBlueCNC: A modular CNC

RedBlueCNC: A modular CNC: "

MAKE subscriber Nick Santillan of Vancouver, BC, an ID student at the Emily Carr University of Art & Design, created this CNC for his thesis project.

I decided to tackle on making CNC machine by allowing people to be more experimental with them to progress CNC technology from the bottom-up. The end result is a prototype that is completely modular; users can rearrange the CNC in a few minutes to specifically suit the tasks. So a desktop CNC that can engrave below the surface can be transformed into a wall-plotter in a few minutes using only 1 wrench. Also it can transform into a wheeled-cart for ease of transportation. This allows DIY hobbyists to concentrate on new tool-head development without them having to learn how CNC mechanics works.



I created a blog that goes through my entire year-long process, and will continue updating it when I experiment with it. I currently have a Makerbot plastruder, though have not have the time to install it yet. The prototype is a fully functional 3 axis CNC (with a 4th axis lathe not yet shown), with a little fine-tuning I should have a video of it in action hopefully by the end of the month.

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I follow the makezine.com RSS daily ( Who am I kidding, probably more than daily, more like deca-daily). I always like their posts but this one particularly stood out. Module design is quickly replacing the one-use one-ability designs of the past, for obvious reasons. From a manufacturing aspect, it is much easier to setup a plant of a tool station to create only one style of part. It's also good for the environment as parts aren't as quickly thrown to the dump because they become outdated or unfitting for the situation.

I love designs that have more than one use, even if it is only a base for other pieces or apparatus to attach to. I agree with the author that this machine would work well in the DIY area since most don't have a large budget to buy specialty tools for each application. While it make take an extra step to disassemble/reassemble this machine ( also good design that is only requires one tool to take apart) for each use, many DIY will deal with this to save money and space.

I will continue to follow his blog and see what we makes of this concept.

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Digg this!"

format

No worries, I have not forgot about this blog.

I've been discussing this project with other engineers and they seem to like the idea. I'd like to think it is because they are curious about the stuff around us and how it was developed, but I'm pretty sure it is because engineers in general tend to me a little arrogant and enjoy arguing their point.

I've also spent time thinking about the format I want for this site. I don't want it to become a rant on all things I find negative and I don't want to give vague reasons like "it's bad design". Those types of comments do nothing to further the development or improvement of a given item. I am going to implement a rule that I need to give at least one valid reason or explanation when I criticize something. This will not only help accomplish my goal of portraying the engineer thought process as well as continuing to shape me analytical and articulation skills.

Finally, I showed this blog to my sister Sarah and she suggested I look at other blog websites which she feels have better themes and options. She made a great point that if the goal of this is to showcase good and bad design, the blogger layout is not the most appealing. I have started an account at tumblr and will refine the look of that website while I continue to post here (and they have a great iPhone app!). When I feel that is ready, I will shift to their website. I will post when that will happen (on a side note, does anyone know if it is possible to transfer a blog history to another blog website so I could keep the archives if I transferred?).

Novero's Bluetooth headset doubles as neckwear, savings destroyer

Novero's Bluetooth headset doubles as neckwear, savings destroyer: "

Can't say we've ever heard of Novero before today, but after watching the undoubtedly mesmerizing homescreen loop linked there in the source, we can safely say we'll never (ever) forget about 'em. From what we can gather, this company specializes in overpriced jewelry, and given that Bluetooth headset use is rising stratospherically, seeing a new necklace-slash-BT headset hit the market just makes perfect sense. All sarcasm aside, the new Victoria line actually is fairly edgy, and if the light hits you right, it's actually palatable. The collection consists of the Victoria Lapis, Pearl, Stripes, Wave and Victor, all of which purportedly boast the same innards but different exteriors. Specifications are unsurprisingly hard to come by, but considering some of the more blinged out models are priced at around $120,000, it's not likely to matter. Video's past the break, richy.

Continue reading Novero's Bluetooth headset doubles as neckwear, savings destroyer

Novero's Bluetooth headset doubles as neckwear, savings destroyer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While I commend the idea of trying to redesign the way bluetooth headsets look; I think most people look ridiculous with a small plastic electronic sticking in one ear, walking around talking to themselves others. This isn't the right direction yet, nor the right price.

I'm still waiting for implant chips to become mainstream, taping directly into our ear drums and vocal cords. Better yet, tap into our brains and send the signal directly to our thoughts. No more having to talk out loud; think how quiet bus's, subways, and airport terminals would be. It might look awkward if something is having an argument disagreement with someone solely in their head, I believe that is schizophrenia.