Each week, the editor of Planet Analog finds technical items of interest and highlights them in this “Also of Interest” feature. In addition, we also provide an archive of recent weekly Planet Analog Newsletters, viewable as pdf files; see the list at the very bottom.

[Sharp-eyed regular readers or those with good memories will notice that we no longer have our “Elementals” sub-section; it was just getting to be a lot of extra work for little return, since most of the items there could be found by basic keyword search. This is unlike “Also of Interest”, which has the special serendipity factor.]

The “Also of Interest” listing is the embodiment of our belief that engineers are interested in exploring topics which are not directly related to their jobs, but which will broaden their knowledge and sometimes spur further innovative and creative approaches.

Among the publications we check are IEEE Spectrum , Machine Design , Design News , Laser Focus World , Photonics Spectra , NASA Tech Briefs (in its various manifestations), Microwave Journal , RF & Microwaves , and Physics Today —and there are others, as well.

Consider these items as online “extras”, and worth a look and a few minutes of your time. (Please note: there are also links to the past weeks' editions of this feature, in the “Navigate” box to the right.)

Also of Interest:

• Electrohydrodynamic (EHD)-based thermal control, the technology promises to make it easier and more efficient to remove heat from small spaces, a particular challenge for advanced space instruments:
  “NASA Makes Hot Electronics Cooler,”
  NASA Tech Briefs , September 2011
• Trends making waves in the motion-control industry:
  “The Top Three Trends Shaping Motion Control,”
  Machine Design , June 23, 2011
• The James Webb Space Telescope will peer back in time for clues about how planets, stars, and galaxies formed:
  “NASA develops the space-based Webb Telescope,”
  Machine Design , July 7, 2011
• How non-linear FEA ensures a fast, robust product design.:
  ” ‘Getting’ the Boot with FEA Software,”
  Desktop Engineering , October 2011
• Wounds can be closed rapidly, without staples, sutures, or tapes:
  “Microwave Tissue Soldering for Immediate Wound Closure,”
  Medical Tech Briefs , August 2011
• An FPGA-based switch test can be performed on tens to hundreds of switches:
  “Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) Switch Test,”
  Defense Tech Briefs , August 2011
• Meet the material that will supplant silicon in hybrid cars and the electric grid:
  “Silicon Carbide: Smaller, Faster, Tougher,”
  IEEE Spectrum , October 2011
• Diagnosing a problem in your optical system can be confusing, time-consuming and costly; beam profiling can help:
  “Profiling Gets You the Right Beam, Every Time,”
  Photonics Spectra , July 2011
• New detector materials such as quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, and graphene can significantly enhance the performance of infrared cameras, thanks to compressive sensing architectures:
  “Compressive sensing architecture advances infrared camera design,”
  Laser Focus World , June 2011

Recent Planet Analog Newsletters (click to see as a pdf):

• November 16, 2011
• November 9, 2011
• November 2, 2011
• October 26, 2011