By the Numbers – 2007-03-01

18 inductees for the National Inventors Hall of Fame 2007 will be honored May 4 and 5 in Akron, OH. Inventors’ technologies include digital packet switching, magnetic resonance imaging, and the Ethernet. To read more about Robert Metcalfe’s original Ethernet sketch, search on the word napkin at www.

By Staff March 1, 2007

18 inductees for the National Inventors Hall of Fame 2007 will be honored May 4 and 5 in Akron, OH. Inventors’ technologies include digital packet switching, magnetic resonance imaging, and the Ethernet. To read more about Robert Metcalfe’s original Ethernet sketch, search on the word napkin at www.controleng.com to read “Ethernet at a Glance.” www.invent.org

48% of all applications using enclosures were for SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition), according to Control Engineering subscribers responding to the February 2007 monthly subscriber survey. To see what ranked 2nd-14th, read the “Product Research” on enclosures at www.controleng.com/archive .

37 sites are included under “A Sightseer’s Guide to Engineering,” in the “industrial manufacturing” category, in case you’re looking for vacation ideas from the National Society of Professional Engineers. www.nspe.org

160 researchers work for Brenda Dietrich in the math sciences department at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center, according to the February 2007 Fast Company article, “She’s Got Their Number.” Learn the kind of creative, money-making things that IBM is doing with that kind of computational wisdom at www.fastcompany.com .

>50 posts on programmable logic controllers were available on the PLCs topic, Feb. 1-14 at www.control.com .

43,891 visitors attended SPS/IPC/Drives show in November 2006, exceeding 34,653 in 2005. International visitors numbered 6,229 (14% of total), up from 3,487 (10% of total) in 2005. To read Control Engineering technology coverage from this event, search SPS at www.controleng.com ; scroll to the bottom of the page to see other industry events. In 2007, SPS/IPC/Drives is Nov. 27-30 in Nuremberg. www.mesago.com/sps

15 Scientific and Technical Academy Awards for 2006 were given by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Feb. 10. Technologies include wireless control and motion innovations. www.oscars.org/scitech

>12,000 standards are available in the 70+ volume Annual Book of ASTM Standards 2007, in print and CD-ROM. The volumes can be purchased individually, as a section, or as a set. ASTM International, originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), was formed in 1898. www.astm.org .

3 April Fool’s Day pranks to encourage everyone to avoid: 1. Flip open the laptop and see something banned by Human Resources. 2. Hear scratching noises inside a tech cart toolbox. 3. Rewire something “All in good fun.” To read three outlandish “News and products I’d like to see” (posted a prior April 1), search April Fool’s atop www.controleng.com .