2017-03-27

Notes.
I finished my new, sturdy-as-hell engineering workstation (aka desk) last weekend. It's fantastic, and I'm enjoying working at it instead of on it :)

Planning & Strategy.

• Robert Caro is working on an audio series called On Power.
• The Hardware Workshop is back up, and hitting Seattle, Boston, SF and NYC this year. We attended in the time leading up to TPR's first run; it's a *great* use of a few days and $75.
• Elliot Management - the same activist investor that blocked GE's acquisition of SLM - is fighting Arconic's (nee Alcoa's) CEO.
• A good post mortem on Ara, Google/ATAP's modular phone project. I'm curious about how Dugan's two-year policy affects... everything at DARPA/ATAP.
• An event in NYC next week on the engineering, manufacturing, and logistical rocketship that is China's New Silk Road Program.

Making & Manufacturing.

• A profile of the female engineers at the Indian space organization, which sent a probe to Mars for about 3/4 the cost of The Martian. Pretty great.
• Researchers at the University of Sheffield are working on diode array printing of metal parts. I've heard rumblings about diode array powder bed printing for a little while now, and I'm curious to see these systems get into the market. For context, diode array printing is to traditional laser sintering as digital light processing is to traditional SLA.
• A very nice multi-axis automated fiber placement machine in use on Airbus parts. Carbon fiber: Full 3D or bust!
• Fusion 360 now has git style branch-and-merge built in.

Maintenance, Repair & Operations.

• Apparently some anarchists in Portland, Oregon have taken pothole repair into their own hands.
• This John Deere stuff - not only preventing their customers from doing basic repairs, but then updating their EULA to seal the deal legally - is really sad.
• An overwhelming story in the NYTimes on the immense difficulties in cleaning up Fukushima.

Distribution & Logistics.

• ULA announced an indefinite delay in the Atlas V launch schedule.
• A collection of really wild photos of grand Russian subway stations.
• The Trump administration's ban on electronics on airplanes just *might* be a targeted attack on the specific airlines that'll be affected by it most.

Inspection & Testing.

• Scott Torborg's hardware teardowns are very thorough - and include some pretty fancy camera gear.

Tangents.

• Michael Horodniceanu, the MTA's head of capital construction who presided over the 7 line extension and 2AS opening, is retiring.
• MacRumors is expecting the iPhone 8 to have a forged (and then subsequently CNC machined) stainless steel frame.
• I haven't checked in on the Arduino vs. Arduino split in a while - wild stuff.

Thanks as always to our recurring donors for supporting The Prepared. Credit also to Jordan, Kevin, Kane, David, Andre, Dylan, Adam for sending links.
A photo tour of Canon's high end lens factory.