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Wind Farms Get Pass on Eagle Deaths
May 14, 2013 3:22 am | by Dina Cappiello - Associated Press | News | CommentsIt happens about once a month here, on the barren foothills of one of America's green-energy boomtowns: A soaring golden eagle slams into a wind farm's spinning turbine and falls, mangled and lifeless, to the ground. Killing these iconic birds is not just an...
Corporations Kill Eagles
May 13, 2013 4:18 pm | by Mike Rainone, co-founder of PCDworks | Blogs | CommentsEntrepreneurship is undergoing a renaissance all over the world, according to the media. It is the next “new” thing. From American to European corporations, everyone is touting the importance of being an entrepreneur, except for the French who, according to a former president, don’t have a word for entrepreneur.
GM Says Supercomputers to Keep Recalls in Check
May 13, 2013 3:31 pm | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsGeneral Motors says a new supercomputer data storage center and efforts to write its own software are paying off. The company formally opened a giant data center on Monday in the Detroit suburb of Warren, Michigan. The Detroit automaker says the changes are examples of how it's moving faster to cut costs and serve customers better.
Engineering Answers: The Bionic Dragonfly
May 13, 2013 2:39 pm | by Melissa Fassbender, Associate Editor, PD&D | Festo Corporation | Articles | CommentsThe Bionic Learning Network takes its design inspiration from nature. A partnership between Festo, various colleges and universities, and development companies, the network has produced a variety of intriguing products throughout the years. After successfully mimicking bird flight with the SmartBird, the developers at the Bionic Learning Network took on their next big challenge, modeling the dragonfly at a technical level.
Kickstarter of the Week: 128 Miles Per Gallon
May 13, 2013 2:23 pm | by Eric Sorensen, Coordinator of Multimedia Development | Videos | CommentsToday on PD&D's Kickstarter of the Week, we're exploring the northern reaches of Wisconsin on a gas-powered, DC Lowrider bicycle from Sunny Hill Cycles.
Team Observes Real-Time Charging of a Lithium-Air Battery
May 13, 2013 1:41 pm | by David L. Chandler, MIT | News | CommentsOne of the most promising new kinds of battery to power electric cars is called a lithium-air battery, which could store up to four times as much energy per pound as today’s best lithium-ion batteries. But progress has been slow: The nature of the electrochemical reactions as these batteries are charged remains poorly understood.
Sun Unleashes Strongest Solar Flare of 2013
May 13, 2013 1:37 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe sun has fired off a massive flare, the strongest solar eruption this year. The powerful flare occurred Sunday and erupted on the side of the sun that was not facing Earth. While the planet was not hit with radiation, space weather forecasters say the solar blast briefly disrupted high-frequency radio signals.
Astronaut Exits Space Station with Music Video
May 13, 2013 1:34 pm | by Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer | News | CommentsIn a high-flying, perfectly pitched first, an astronaut on the International Space Station is bowing out of orbit with a musical video: his own custom version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." It's believed to be the first music video made in space, according to NASA.
Photos of the Day: Yemeni Military Plane Crash
May 13, 2013 1:07 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Yemeni military plane on a training exercise crashed Monday in the country's capital, slamming into a residential neighborhood and setting at least four houses ablaze, according to a military official and an Associated Press reporter at the scene.
Military Plane Crashes in Yemen's Capital
May 13, 2013 1:00 pm | by Ahmed Al-Haj, Associated Press | News | CommentsA Yemeni military plane on a training exercise exploded in midair over the country's capital on Monday, killing the pilot and slamming into a residential neighborhood, according to an army official. Fragments of the plane hit buildings on the ground in Sanaa and set small fires in four houses. Three people were slightly injured, according to the official.
Nuclear Authority Not to Allow Restart of Monju Reactor
May 13, 2013 12:56 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's Nuclear Regulation Authority is considering not allowing the operator of the prototype fast-breeder nuclear reactor Monju to resume operations before its sloppy safety management is improved, sources close to the matter said Monday.
Air-Launched Missile Target Prototype
May 13, 2013 12:54 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsLockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) have successfully tested a prototype air-launched Extended Medium-range Ballistic Missile (eMRBM) target at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.
Industrial-Grade LED Message Displays
May 13, 2013 12:40 pm | by PD&D Staff | Automationdirect | Product Releases | CommentsAutomationDirect (Cumming, GA) has introduced the ViewMarq line of industrial-grade LED message displays, utilizing the latest LED and communications technologies to help communicate important information in industrial environments. Used to display preformatted messages or factory floor data, the displays can be controlled from a PLC or any device that uses supported protocols.
M18 Cylindrical Photo Sensors
May 13, 2013 12:37 pm | by PD&D Staff | Product Releases | CommentsOmron Automation and Safety (Schaumburg, IL) has developed a new generation of M18 cylindrical photoelectric sensors that combine simple selection and installation with reliability, versatility, rugged construction and value. The E3FA plastic body and E3FB metal body sensors are suitable for applications in all industries from food and beverage production to material handling and logistics.
EPCOS PFC Controllers with Expanded Functionality
May 13, 2013 12:34 pm | by PD&D Staff | Product Releases | CommentsTDK Corporation has presented two new types of the BR7000 series of EPCOS power factor controllers. The BR7000-T power factor controller offers 15 transistor outputs instead of 15 relay outputs. It is designed for applications that require fast switching operations and enables delay-free switching of thyristor modules, such as the EPCOS TSM series.
