In his book about creativity, A Whack on the Side of the Head, Roger von Oech tells us about a major oil company’s concern with the lack of creativity among some of its research and development people.
To deal with the problem, top management brought in a team of psychologists to determine the difference between the [...]

“Things that happen because an executive (who usually doesn’t read such dangerous literature) reads an article about the “latest technology” in a magazine he got on an airplane.  Expecting that he just learned a big secret that he must act on instantly he changes the course of mighty projects to ensure he does not get [...]

How should an engineer use their 2008 economic stimulus payments? 
Well, first the details:
From the IRS web site:  “Eligible people will receive up to $600 ($1,200 for married couples), and parents will receive an additional $300 for each eligible child younger than 17. The exact amount depends on what the taxpayer reports on their tax return. [...]

Working at home is becoming more popular and more common for all sorts of jobs, including engineering.  This change in work location is enabled by powerful mobile computing equipment and readily available broadband internet connections.  Some large technology companies today acknowledge that up to 50% of their work force regularly and consistently work from home.  [...]

Perhaps you have read about a Canadian University study done some years ago now that compared the brain of Albert Einstein with nearly 100 “normal” brains.  In basic terms, the discovery was that while average overall, the parietal lobes of Albert Einstein’s brain were 15% larger than average.  There was also evidence indicating they had [...]

So, for a bit of educational entertainment, check out the History Channel’s Modern Marvels episode entitled “NATURE’S ENGINEERS“. 
Here is how they describe this episode:
 ”Towering skyscrapers buzzing with life, intricate tunnels connecting entire communities, mighty dams that tame the wildest rivers–this is construction animal style! Take a walk on the wild side as we investigate common [...]