A View from Space

This satellite picture was taken at 18:50 UTC on June 23 by NASA's Terra Earth observing satellite. The pixel resolution on this picture is 250 meters. The Terra satellite and other NASA satellites monitor the atmosphere for carbon monoxide and other pollutants. This picture shows the wildfires burning here in Arizona. Terra has been used for the past several years to monitor wildfires all around the world. The instruments on Terra are sensitive enough to allow analysts to be "able to tell the difference between pollutants originating from wildfires and those from urban and industrial sources."

The white fluffy things on the right are obviously clouds, but the gray smears to the south of the white clouds along the center right hand side of the picture are smoke trails from the wildfires. The gray smudge below the smoke trails is Phoenix. That's the Gulf of Baja at the bottom of the picture and the dark kidney bean shaped object towards the left is the Salton Sea. Of course, that's the Pacific coast of Southern California looking overcast all the way to the left.

If you are able to zoom in with your browser, you can see the red outlines drawn in by NASA showing where the wildfires are located. I'm not surprised at the number of fires. We had a relatively wet winter and spring was really beautiful here in the desert with all of the wild flowers. But, it has been over a hundred every day for the last couple of weeks and everything had dried up for the summer. The last couple of nights there have been lightning flashing in the sky all around and so there is bound to be fire. We even got a little rain last night which might signal the start of monsoon season.

Tacia, Class of 2005 

What is an Electrical Engineer?

The first thing that we need to do is define terms.

"Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline that deals with the study and application of electricity and electromagnetism. Its practitioners are called electrical engineers. Electrical engineering is a broad field that encompasses many subfields." (From Wikipedia.)

This is a good general description of an electrical engineer. The definition makes a point that electrical engineering is not one monolithic discipline but consists of several subfields. These include power, control systems, digital signal processing (DSP), analog and digital electronics, computers, biomedical, and radio frequency (RF) electronics.

The next step is to take a closer look at those subfields. Since this is my blog, I've chosen to take a look at the subfields or emphasis in electrical engineering that I am involved with.

Digital Electronics: "The branch of electronics dealing with information in binary form." (From Electroflash)

This is a short but concise definition. Along with digital I also have an emphasis in computers.

Computer Engineering: "A specialized discipline that combines electrical engineering and computer science. A computer engineer is an electrical engineer with a focus on digital logic systems, and less emphasis on radio frequency or power electronics. From a computer science perspective, a computer engineer is a software architect with a focus on the interaction between software programs and the underlying hardware components." (From Wikipedia)

Computer Engineering at some universities is a separate discipline; at others is an emphasis in electrical engineering. The definition given above for computer engineering details more specifically the types of activities that I was involved with while working to obtain my degree in electrical engineering. My focus was more on the interaction between software and the underlying hardware components along with my focus on digital logic systems.

I spent a lot of time dealing with lower level language such as assembly and in examining what exactly happens in machine language as instructions are executed. This provided me with a better understanding of what is occurring when executing higher level instructions in languages such as C/C++. Getting down to transistor level design is the most basic and most enjoyable part of what I do. I also work with large scale components such as Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs). When it comes to design entry languages using either Very High Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) Hardware Description Language (VHDL) or Verilog I prefer to use VHDL because I think that it works better for systems level design and in Register Transfer Level (RTL) modeling.

I also found fascinating the solid state physics involved in the creation of semiconductor devices. This is a topic that I would like to study more about in the future. It is truly amazing to me what is going on at the atomic level in these devices.

So this is where my head is at with this stuff. There is a lot of ambiguity as to what an electrical engineer is and does.

Once I was asked by a friend what I studied in college.

"Electrical Engineering," I replied.

"Oh, then you know how to wire houses and stuff."

"Yeah...and stuff."

Return to Space

Here is a little quiz for you. Name the orbiters in the original space shuttle fleet.

The orbiter Discovery and its new and improved external tank and solid fuel boosters rolled out to Pad B on June 15. The window for launch is now July 16 – July 31. This means that we are less than a month away from return to flight with STS-114.

I can remember when we returned to space after the loss of the Challenger. I was at work and the plant manager wheeled a television into the plant and stopped production so that everyone could gather around to watch. It was one of those kinds of events. I still remember the roar of applause and cheers from everyone in the plant as we watched the launch.

STS-114 commander Eileen Collins says that the crew is ready to go. They are very confident in the improvements made to the entire space transportation system, enough so to climb aboard and light the candle in July.

When asked if she thinks that it is worth the risk, she responds that the need for humans to explore makes it worth the risk. She states that we are taking just tiny first steps – we are flying the space shuttle, building the space station, preparing to return to the moon and then go on to Mars – in the beginning of manned exploration of space. Commander Collins agrees that there are still risks, but she feels that the shuttle is safe enough to take those risks. She equates what we are doing now to what the early explorers did setting sail into the Atlantic in those tiny little boats. Those boats, she explains, were a lot less safe than the shuttle is and she thinks that those early explorers were crazy to do what they did. But that is where we are now, taking the first tiny steps of exploration into a new world.

The answer to the quiz is this: There were six orbiters in the original fleet. We have lost Challenger and Columbia in accidents. The remaining orbiters are Discovery, Endeavor, and Atlantis. The first orbiter of the fleet was an experimental/test orbiter that never made it into space – the Enterprise.

Day Seven

On the Road Again

We're getting ready to head out first thing tomorrow to California for Tacia's high school graduation on Thursday. I plan on spending Friday and Saturday on the beach. I’ve got my bottle of SPF 80 sunscreen all ready to go.

I've got all of the essentials packed: my PocketPC filled with recent podcasts and ripped mp3s, digital camera and digital video camera, Todd Cochrane's 'Podcasting' book, Kevin Mitnick's book 'The Art of Deception', my USB thumb drive with my school stuff on it, and my toothbrush. After the graduation ceremony and festivities on Thursday I'll jack Tacia's laptop and then head off to find a hot spot.

Chris will probably disappear with his surf buddies. I won't see him again until it is time to leave on Sunday. I told him not to leave the state without me. He still hasn't unpacked his bag from his last trip to California over spring break, so he's all ready to go.

Luz and Amanda will be taking off visiting friends and relatives in Long Beach and San Diego. They have two huge suit cases packed and a couple of other bags staged and ready to go.

Tacia has some loose ends to tie up - surfing and beach parties - before she leaves to come back to Arizona, find a job for the summer, and get ready to start at NAU in the fall.

Day Six

A New Planet Found Orbiting Gliese 876

A planet that is being called “Earth’s Big-Cousin” has been found orbiting a star about 15 light-years away. The planet is 5-7 times as massive as the earth and orbits its star in less than 2 days. This means that it must orbit very close to the star, only about 2 million miles away. Being that close to its star means that it is probably composed of rock, making it the first solid extra-solar planet discovered.

There have been approximately 150 extra-solar planets discovered so far, but they have all been gas giants like Jupiter. There have been no direct observations of Earth size planets because they would be hidden by the glare of the stars that they circle. It is kind of like looking for a pea on the lens of a search light.

A new type of space telescope that is due to be put into orbit in the next few years will have the capability of directly observing Earth size planets. Once they are detected we can use various methods to analyze the light being reflected off of the planets to look for clues of life.

The question of are we alone in the cosmos will probably be answered within the next twenty years. If we do detect evidence of life out there, then the question becomes what do we do next?

Day Five

Nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, and Space Exploration

I just read a very interesting article on micro-spacecraft that are being developed by 'The Aerospace Corporation' working with NASA Ames Research Center. The spacecraft will be cone shaped, similar to the Apollo capsule, only much smaller - on the order of only one foot in diameter. This is being made possible through the application of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology deals with the construction of machines and electronics on the scale of a billionth of an inch (smaller than the thickness of a human hair). The techniques for constructing such devices relies in part in photolithographic techniques such as are used to construct microchips. This technology allows us to construct much smaller, much more complex machines requiring much less energy to operate.

Some of the components of these spacecraft will be data recording devices, transmitters, accelerometers, chemical and biological sensors, and pressure sensors. Spacecraft of this size can be used as probes launched from larger spacecraft to explore much larger areas of a planets. They will also be used as black boxes to record flight information from satellites and the new CEV (Crew Exploration Vehicle) that is being designed as the next generation spacecraft to replace the space shuttle. In one application scenario they will be dispersed to form a network of interconnected nodes to gather information about a particular environment in preparation for subsequent exploration.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in designing similar devices is becoming more prevalent. Already, AI has been used to design antennas for spacecraft according to predetermined specifications. The AI is able to generate designs and "evolve" them to arrive at a design in which flaws and weaknesses have been eliminated through survival of the fittest type design reiterations.

The stuff of science fiction from only a few years ago is continuing to become science fact in relevant engineering applications. There is an article at the NASA website that discussed more details of what is coming in this area of technology.

View the article at NASA's Micro Spacecraft.

Micro Spacecraft - Now fact, not fiction. 

Day Four

Classic Rock

I added a link on the right to a local classic rock radio station. If I had one reason to stay in this area, this radio station might be it. Fortunately, they have a streaming broadcast so I will be able to listen online whereever I end up.

What I like best about this station is "NO COMMERCIALS" at all. (Except for their occasional station identification as mandated by law, but they're so cool you really don't notice them.) They also play a really good mix of the classics.

A word about the station's philosophy from their website:

"KCDX, a privately owned and funded radio station, operates each day with one mission in mind: Staying true to the music. We have thrown the corporate radio guide book out the window, and replaced it with real listeners' views and opinions.

Artists and listeners alike know that Rock and Roll isn't made up of just 500 hit songs. Rock and Roll is so much more than that. We know this. This is why we here at KCDX spend countless hours digging deeper into our collections to find those missing pieces of Rock and Roll history.

As KCDX nears its fourth year of playing NON-STOP Rock and Roll, we promise to never let our search for Rock and Roll end. If you, too, are passionate about your Rock and Roll and would like to help the search for great Rock and Roll, please visit our “Rate the Rock” page and help us discover."

Give a listen to what's playing at KCDX.

Day Three

Day three and I'm still going.

I've been getting a lot of good information on podcasting out of Todd Cochrane's Podcasting book. Lots to learn here. Podcasts are like self-produced radio programs that anybody with a computer and a microphone can put together. I'm on Chapter Three - "Finding and Subscribing to Podcasts" - and there is just too much information out there. Really good stuff. I've spent a lot of time looking around on the websites that he suggests and have downloaded a couple of different podcatcher clients to try out. I have been using the one that comes as a part of Thunderbird to catch blogs and I really like it, but the various podcatcher software that Todd describes in the book are really good and open up a whole new level of the podcasting experience to explore. I like the idea of having podcasts of topics that I am interested in downloaded onto my PocketPC and then being able to take that with me to listen to the podcasts throughout the day - listening to what I want, when I want.

Day Two

This is my second day of blogging.

"Blogging" kind of sounds like a made up word for something that I used to do as a kid in the winter back in Michigan.

Bob: "It snowed twelve inches last night. What go you want to do today?"
John: "Let's go blogging."

I think the term that we used was 'boggining.

I just received in the mail today a copy of "Podcasting: The Do-It-Yourself Guide" by Todd Cochrane.

It has a really nice look and feel to it. I've read his acknowledgments and Introduction and have just started on Chapter 1. It's nice to be able to put a face with the voice that I've been hearing on the "Geek News Central" podcasts. I think that the book is going to be one of those "can't-put-it-down" kind. Leafing through it, it seems to have a nice mix of technical and layman explainations on how to find podcasts to subscribe to and what it takes to produce and distribute your podcast.

You can find it at Amazon: Podcasting

I'm thinking that a podcast would be a good way to get Tacia's music out to a larger audience. It's something to think about.

Tacia (left) at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival 

First Post

Let's see how this thing works.

I've been listening to a lot of podcasts over the last few days. This is something new to me. It is supposed to be the next big thing in broadcasting.

Here are a couple of geek/tech blogs with podcasts that are kinda cool:

Geek News Central
Evil Genius Chronicles

There are a couple of blogs that I have been following, again computer geek/tech stuff:

Kevin Rose
Space.com

That's all I want to do for my first post. I want to work on getting the hang of this before I try anything more.