By the Numbers

Staff -- Control Engineering, 11/1/2006

6 categories of RSS feeds are available at www.controleng.com for instant access to Control Engineering headlines. Learn how it works and connect now. www.controleng.com/LearnRSS

4,761 lightning discharges to ground were detected in the U.S. on 10/16/06 from 15:00:00 to 17:00:00 GMT, according to the Vaisala Lightning Explorer with data from Vaisala's U.S. national lightning detection system. https://thunderstorm.vaisala.com

>100 active working groups in 8 areas (general, Internet, operations and management, real-time applications and infrastructure, routing, security, and transport) comprise The Internet Engineering Task Force. Groups include “Ethernet Interfaces and Hub MIB (hubmib)” [MIB stands for management information base]. www.ietf.org

25% cost advantage on export sales goes to European manufacturers, as compared to export sales by U.S. producers, among tax rules that the “Stand Up For Steel” Website deems unfair, placing U.S. companies at a disadvantage. These rules allow countries that employ a value added tax (“VAT”) – like most U.S. trading partners – to rebate the VAT on exports, while imposing this tax on imports, the site says. www.standupforsteel.org

0 is the industrywide gain in vehicle fuel economy since 1987, says “Ford Report of Business Impact of Climate Change.” The document says the Ford's long-term U.S. fuel economy performance went from 24.2 mpg in 1987 to 22.8 mpg in 2005. www.ford.com

180 rare earth (neodymium) magnets in 30 identical rhomboid pyramids comprise the “Ball of Whacks.” A little larger than a Rubic's Cube, it comes packaged as a 30-sided rhombic triacontahedron. Reassembly into varied shapes intends to “stimulate creativity, imagination, and inventive problem-solving skills,” says Roger von Oech, founder of Creative Whack Co. Suggested retail price is $29.95. www.creativewhack.com

12 things to remember, according to Elbert Hubbard (publisher, craftsman, philosopher), 1856-1915, founder of the Roycroft Community: Value of time; success of perseverance; pleasure of working; dignity of simplicity; worth of character; power of kindness; influence of example; obligation of duty; wisdom of economy; virtue of patience; improvement of talent; and joy of originating. www.quotationspage.com, www.roycrofter.com

30% increase in cafeteria utilization occurred at Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury, CT, when students used quality methodology and classic analytical tools to improve the quality of school lunches, resulting in a tasty profit. A recent Quality Minute from Juran Institute shows the value of data collection in improving quality. www.juran.com

8 patent licensing programs, including ultra-high frequency radio frequency identification (UHF RFID) and IEEE 802.11, are available or are in formation from Via Licensing Corp., a subsidiary of Dolby Laboratories Inc. www.vialicensing.com