Iancollmceachern

03/26/2019

My Latest Blog Post: The Improbable Origins of Powerpoint

In this article from IEEE Spectrum are the details behind the development of one of the most ubiquitous pieces of modern business software. Giving an idea of the time - it was originally envisined not only for video screens and projectors, but for 35mm slides and transparencies. I for one am happy the Microsoft Office suite no longer costs $1000!

In this article from IEEE Spectrum are the details behind the development of one of the most ubiquitous pieces of modern business software.  Giving an ide

03/19/2019

By Latest Blog Post: Engineering Tools I don't even know how to use

We are all amazed by those that came before us. I am particularly amazed, like many engineers, that many of the engineering achievements which we hold in highest regard were accomplished before what we consider to be modern engineering tools existed. I'm not just talking about CAD - I'm talking about calculators, measurement equipment, and other things we take for granted today. Apollo, the Brooklyn Bridge, The Golden Gate, the Interstate Highway System, The Manhattan Project and even the first artificial hearts were all designed and built using slide rules, protractors, pantographs, pencils and each of these tools were held in the hands of an engineer or drafter...

We are all amazed by those that came before us.  I am particularly amazed, like many engineers, that many of the engineering achievements which we hold in

03/05/2019

Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design

I have found Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design to be very applicable to the design of not only spacecraft but medical devices and other mission critical products as well. My favorite are the first six:

1. Engineering is done with numbers. Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.
2. To design a spacecraft right takes an infinite amount of effort. This is why it's a good idea to design them to operate when some things are wrong.
3. Design is an iterative process. The necessary number of iterations is one more than the number you have already done. This is true at any point in time.
4. Your best design efforts will inevitably wind up being useless in the final design. Learn to live with the disappointment.
5.(Miller's Law) Three points determine a curve
6. (Mar's Law) Everything is linear if plotted log-log with a fat magic marker.

Here is a link to my blog post with more of my favorites and a link to the complete list of laws:

Product design. Mechanical, electrical and systems engineering. Medical Device & consumer products. Rapid prototyping, 3d printing, Solidworks, Matlab, Labview.

02/26/2019

Norman Door (n.):
1. A door where the design tells you to do the opposite of what you're actually supposed to do.

2. A door that gives the wrong signal and needs a sign to correct it.

This video from Vox does a good job of summarizing the impact that good design can have on the everyday interactions we have with the objects surrounding us.

Norman Door (n.): 1. A door where the design tells you to do the opposite of what you're actually supposed to do. 2. A door that gives the wrong signal and need...

10/31/2018

Important announcement - there is an online database of paper airplane designs which you can download, print and fly!

A database of paper airplane folding designs and instructions

10/17/2018

I love Apollo. For me and many others one of the most interesting aspects of the whole project was the Computer Hardware created for the missions.

They were some of the first integrated circuit based computers.
They were made by manually wire wrapping each circuit and then potting the whole thing in epoxy.
They used hand woven memory.
They were remarkable.

I've had the great fortune of viewing some of this hardware in person during a visit to and tour of the DFJ headquarters on Sand Hill Road. All but one of the images here are from my photos from that visit.

Thankfully I'm not the only one interested in the history of this device and there is now a wealth of great detailed technical information about it out there including many folks who have made replicas. The source code, schematics and even simulators in your web browser are all there. I've collected all the resources I've found so far and collected them in a blog post on my website here (https://buff.ly/2J2yFt6). I will update this list as I find more resources.

10/04/2018

My startup Grow Computer was featured in Sacramento Business Journal!

Grow Computer is in the midst of an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to build 100 of its user-friendly GrowStrips, a smart hardware platform to control indoor hydroponic gardens.

08/03/2017

Progress is never easy

08/02/2017

"Design is knowing the right questions to ask"

"To use curiosity, creativity, and craft to elevate lives"

"Design, at it's core, is optimistic, it's the call to change what is into what ought it, it is the attempt to use heart and mind as tools of mass construction"

01/17/2017

Ever wondered how factories make chain link fencing? It's woven like a giant metal sweater!

Full Automatic chain link fence machine Diilmet SPECIFICATIONS • Type of wire: steel, galvanized, coated wire • Wire scope of weaving: 1.6 ÷ 4.2 mm • Mesh sc...

01/12/2017

Important technological developments here:

http://buff.ly/2ieilur

For science!

01/10/2017

My latest blog post - Ode to a Monte Carlo

"...It's the GM engineering I'd like to thank.." While listening to one of my favorite radio programs, Car Talk I came across this wonderful "Ode to a Monte C...