The news in several places that the recently released movie, The Avengers broke the $1 billion mark for ticket sales (see here, for example) left me wondering, Why? What is it about this movie that has knocked earlier blockbusters (such as the Harry Potter canon) off their pedestals? I mean, I love a good movie, and may even set things …
Taking Big Bites
A couple of weeks ago there was much sound (and some fury) at the prospect of a group of billionaires coming together to form an entity that would seek out and mine asteroids. I loved it! That asteroids may be sources of multiple gigatons of useful materials (metals, mostly) has long been known. That mining them could bring untold riches …
Protective Coloration
A recent report from the California Academy of Sciences caught my eye, as it seemed to have implications for organizational dynamics. Summarized here, with a video of the interaction here, the report describes how a fish has developed the capability of imitating the look of an octopus that imitates the look of potentially dangerous fish, thereby allowing the octopus and …
What Would You Do If You Could Not Fail?
I came across this question recently via two different communications channels (Wired magazine and a YouTube video), both referring to the same person. That person is Regina Dugan, who—until March 2012—was director of the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency, or DARPA. She left DARPA to move to Google, and faced lots of criticism for the way she allocated work to …
Interaction Modes
Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. -William Arthur Ward, college administrator, writer (1921-1994) Questions: How do you interact with others? What do you do to get others to change their behavior? What makes you …
Human Spaceflight: In Harm’s Way
Because of my long association in various contractual capacities with NASA, friends and neighbors often turn to me to opine about happenings with the agency. The most recent spate of questions began with the stand-down of the Space Transportation System, aka the Shuttle. Most have the perception that NASA is folding. Completely. I hasten to reassure them that NASA is …
It Must Be Magic
A little item has crossed my desk twice in the past week. As is often the case, it came from two different correspondents, a continent apart. How and why such things spread is worthy of another post, but for now, allow me to point you to this: A little thought and some research that confirmed my hypothesis was very satisfying, …
Hydrodynamics and Crowds
I took some time today to try to catch up on readings that have eluded me owing to other, perhaps more pressing matters. An article in the December 2011 issue of Communications of the ACM 54(12) caught my eye, with the engaging title of “Visual Crowd Surveillance through a Hydrodynamics Lens”, by Moore, Ali, Mehran, and Shah (included just for …
Married to an Idea: Is it Time for a Divorce?
I’ve been working on an in-house project for a couple of months. It’s one of those things that can (and did) become almost all-consuming, as there were many components, all of which had to fit together into a cohesive unit for optimum effectiveness. I was within days of launching it, when I realized that a major piece of it just …
The Need for Professionalism in Engineering
I came across this today. It resonated with me, so I thought it appropriate to share with you, perhaps to communicate to students, coworkers, and/or anyone who might appreciate the sentiment: “A doctor can kill only one person at a time. An engineer can kill thousands.” Questions: None. Just think about it.