3 motion applications were among those featured in the July 2007 “soft launch” of CE TV, Control Engineering’s online station delivering innovative videos to engineers. Videos include product demos, how-to’s, messages from solutions providers, and more! Tune in often and get the latest engineering information on demand. www.controleng.com

38 years was George Gershwin’s age at his passing. Among accomplishments were 274 songs (listed at www.songwritershalloffame.org), including “Pardon my English,” a lament some engineers may have. Need English help? See the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University. owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

100 million pounds of trash have been cleared from 170,000 miles of shorelines, rivers, lakes, and wetlands by thousands of volunteers in the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup (www.oceanconservancy.org/icc) since 1986. This year the event is on Sept. 15, 2007. Engineers have a special role to play year round in working the Reduce Reuse Recycle mantra into what they create, package, and market. www.epa.gov/msw/reduce.htm

8 areas covered by a predictive analytics software suite can bring $1 million in value annually to an average 650 MW fossil-fuel power plant, according to SmartSignal’s description of its Shield Services Suite. www.smartsignal.com/prod-shield.asp

2 year term for Dr. Victor R. McCrary Jr. started July 1, 2007. He was elected the president of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE, say No-be-shay). A member of NOBCChE since he was an undergraduate chemistry student at Catholic University, he most recently served as the organization’s vice chair and is a past vice president. He will oversee NOBCChE’s 35th International Conference in March 2008 in Philadelphia. Past president was Dr. Joseph Francisco of Purdue University. NOBCChE is a professional society with 4,000 minority scientists and engineers. www.nobcche.org

13.7 billion years is “How long has this been going on,” according to “Mr. Gradgrind’s Literal Answers to Rhetorical Questions.” Paul Brians (Mr. Gradgrind), professor of English at Washington State University, spoke on Weekend Edition (www.npr.org) July 14, 2007. (“How long...” is the age of the universe, ±1%.) www.wsu.edu/~brians/gradgrind.html.

>18,900 active members are in MentorNet, a “nonprofit e-mentoring network that positively affects the retention and success of those in engineering, science and mathematics, particularly but not exclusively women and others underrepresented in these fields.” It provides online training, coaching and consulting, an online community, and regular independent evaluations to measure results. www.mentornet.net

$59 is the price for a recently release book from The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), “Walking the Talk: Pathways to Leadership,” said to provide advice on “closed-looped leadership principles.” (Engineers have been closing the loop for years.) Order online. www.sme.org/store