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09.07
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... On Backscatter: The
Unfathomable Internet (December 2006)
I was intrigued by this article
as it addressed the problem of searching for
relevant information. I was reminded of the
difficulties of searching the IEEE digital
library/Patent Database using keywords. Why not,
I thought, search for "Control Diagrams" and
"Circuit Diagrams"?
The inspiration behind this is
as follows: After performing a thorough
literature survey on my "invention" we decided
to patent it. The patent attorney's first search
yielded no matches and he proceeded further.
After the second search he discovered there
existed something similar.
This time-consuming process was
a result of being forced to use text search to
find circuit diagrams and control system
diagrams — a very inefficient way to search for
schematics. I am currently trying to explore a
search algorithm to help designers and engineers
have a bird's eye view of related literature
(better than searching diagrams using text).
Some sort of open, standardized, graphical
description language derived from Berkeley SPICE Netlist might be used to describe schematics,
flowcharts, and control diagrams.
I am interested in the opinions
and ideas of others on this.
— Rahul Khopkar
IEEE Member
Nashua, New Hampshire
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...On Backscatter: More About
Math (April 2007)
I recall having some pretty
significant math difficulties in middle school
some 45 years ago. My mechanical engineer dad,
angry with my algebra teacher, pulled me from
the Los Angeles school system and placed me in a
private high school, whereupon my math skills
improved. I finally "followed my genes" and
became an engineer like my dad, and have been
practicing in aerospace/defense since 1997.
My personal feeling about math
is that even though my systems engineering work
does not often call for me to work integrals or
do differential equations, my mantra continues
to be that math causes one to think through any
problem logically and to keep at that problem.
It's what I call "brain candy." Viewed another
way, it's a right of passage along the road to
becoming an engineer, and the passage is
enjoyable and very challenging at times, but
stepwise, steady progress in solving such
problems teaches you tenacity, confidence, and a
pride in work well done when you succeed.
— Joel K. Harris
IEEE Member
Westlake Village, California
***
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