>30 tips for hypermiling (exceeding the EPA mpg ratings for a vehicle) are available in the article “Beating the EPA—the Whys and How to Hypermile.” Mileage logs often show 20% gains in mpg, even for vehicles that are not hybrids. www.cleanmpg.com

1,000s of postings mentioning “wireless” are available online; joining those will be 4 new articles on wireless trends and technologies in a supplement in this issue. www.controleng.com

7 tips for noncontact infrared surface temperature measurement accuracy includes advice about instrument positioning. See the metal and non-metal emissivity tables at www.raytek.com/emissivity.

100 miles traveled may provide a better way to understand fuel efficiency than miles per gallon (mpg). This example can help your less-math-inclined friends understand mpg better. www.fuqua.duke.edu/news/mpg/mpg.html

11 scientific observations from George Carlin were collected in a CNN blog. Take a look at these classic Carlin insights on topics including energy, electronics, invention, aviation, and military technology, among others. http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2008/06/24/george-carlin-standup-scientist/

3 may keep a secret if two of them are dead, said Ben Franklin, whose wit extended from observations on human nature to engineering. His inventions include swimming fins in 1717, lightning rod in 1750, and bifocals in 1784. www.pbs.org/benfranklin

22 countries are represented in the Oughtred Society, founded in 1991 by a group of slide rule collectors dedicated to the preservation and history of slide rules and other calculating instruments. In 16 years it has evolved to an international organization. www.oughtred.org

10 million variable frequency drives were shipped by Yaskawa Electric through June. The company claims it is the world's first company to ship 10 million. Yaskawa says it has more than 14% of the global market for drives rated from 0.1 to 300 kW. It took 19 years to reach 1 million, in 1993. www.yaskawadrives.com

>15 “Laws of Ultimate Reality,” widely cited on the Internet, includes engineering humor on probability, mechanical repair, and gravity: “The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.” “After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch...” “Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.” For more, search “Laws of Ultimate Reality” with www.zibb.com or www.google.com.

<1.2% of total U.S. electricity generation came from renewable resources (geothermal, solar, and wind) in 2005 (latest year for which data are available), says Edison Electric Institute. Other sources were: biomass 1.6%, fuel oil 3.0%, hydropower 6.5%, natural gas 18.7%, nuclear energy 19.3%, and coal 49.7%. www.eei.org