Engineering is the application of scientific and technical knowledge to solve human problems. Engineers use imagination, judgment and reasoning to apply science, technology, mathematics, and practical experience. The result is the design, production, and operation of useful objects or processes.

Methodology

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The crucial and unique task of the engineer is to identify, understand, and integrate the constraints on a design in order to produce a successful result. It is usually not enough to build a technically successful product; it must also meet further requirements. Constraints may include available resources, physical or technical limitations, flexibility for future modifications and additions, and other factors, such as requirements for cost, marketability, producibility, and serviceability. By understanding the constraints, engineers derive specifications for the limits within which a viable object or system may be produced and operated.

Problem solving

Engineers use their knowledge of science, mathematics, and appropriate experience to find suitable solutions to a problem. Creating an appropriate mathematical model of a problem allows them to analyze it (sometimes definitively), and to test potential solutions. Usually multiple reasonable solutions exist, so engineers must evaluate the different design choices on their merits and choose the solution that best meets their requirements. Genrich Altshuller, after gathering statistics on a large number of patents, suggested that compromises are at the heart of "low-level" engineering designs, while at a higher level the best design is one which eliminates the core contradiction causing the problem.

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NYT > Technology

Microsoft Works to Perfect Windows Vista
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:15:54 -0000
Faced with Windows Vista’s image problem, Microsoft has been working for more than a year to change the experience of buying and using computers that run its software.
Practical Traveler | iPhone E-Guides: Clueless in Cleveland? Use Your Thumb
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:36:35 -0000
From showing you the nearest sushi bar in London to telling you how to say “Where’s the toilet?” in Cantonese, travel apps for the iPhone are proving to be a useful tool.
Samsung Weighs Buying SanDisk
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:57:40 -0000
The memory chip maker said that it might buy a flash memory maker, SanDisk, in a deal that could reshape a struggling industry.
Nokia Lowers Forecast for Market Share
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:24:25 -0000
The world’s biggest cellphone maker said that its third-quarter global market share would decline because of aggressive price cuts by its rivals.
Dell May Shrink Its Network of Factories
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:22:14 -0000
In a government filing this week, the computer company strongly suggested that it planned to close factories as part of its drive to reduce costs.
Cost of Living: Justifying the Cost of an iPhone
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:27:30 -0000
I don’t know how any of this stuff works, and I don’t want to pay for it. Yet, I am on the brink of buying an iPhone.

NerdTV | PBS

NerdTV #13: Judy Estrin
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:00:00 -0700
Judy Estrin's career ranges from founder of Bridge Communications to CTO of Cisco to running Packet Design LLC. Quite the girl geek, eh?Download video:Entire Show:MPEG-4 | TorrentNerdy Bit:MPEG-4 | TorrentJuicy Bit:MPEG-4 | TorrentDownload subtitled video:Entire Show:With Subtitles | Torrent w/ SubtitlesNerdy Bit:With Subtitles | Torrent w/ SubtitlesJuicy Bit:With Subtitles | Torrent w/ SubtitlesDownload audio:Entire Show:MP3 | TorrentAAC | TorrentOgg Vorbis | Torrent
NerdTV #13: Judy Estrin - Transcript
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:00:00 -0700
For those who would rather read than watch or listen.
NerdTV Archives
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:00:00 -0700
Miss a past show? Check out our archives.Past guests include:#12: Bob KahnInventor of TCP/IP.#11: Doug EngelbartComputer mouse inventor.#10: Dan BricklinInventor of the Spreadsheet#9: AninaHigh Fashion Meets High Tech#8: Avram MillerCo-founder of Intel Capital#7: Dan DrakeCo-founder of Autodesk#6: Dave WinerFather of RSS and Web Logging#5: Tim O'ReillyOpen Source pioneer#4: Brewster KahleInternet Archive founder#3: Bill JoyCo-founder of Sun#2: Max LevchinCo-founder of PayPal#1: Andy HertzfeldThe first Macintosh programmer...ever

Reuters: Technology News

Dell outsourcing plan may be tough to execute
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:27:09 -0400
NEW YORK/BOSTON (Reuters) - Dell Inc plans to make fewer computers itself and rely on contract manufacturers to cut costs, but the company could find it hard to get rid of its North American factories at a good price.
Sony recalls 438,000 laptops on burn concern
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:49:54 -0400
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Japan's Sony Corp has launched a voluntary recall of 438,000 Vaio portable computers, citing a potential hazard that could cause the machines to overheat or possibly burn a user.
Napster faces challenges within and without
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:13:00 -0400
DENVER (Billboard) - When Napster reported its fiscal first-quarter results in August, it tried to paint a positive picture to investors who were growing increasingly nervous about the company's future.

AP Top Technology News At 1:23 a.m. EDT

Google reigns as world's most powerful 10-year-old
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:23:17 -0000
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) -- When Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google Inc. on Sept. 7, 1998, they had little more than their ingenuity, four computers and an investor's $100,000 bet on their belief that an Internet search engine could change the world....
Microsoft deploying in-store customer-service reps
By RACHEL METZ Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:47:01 -0000
NEW YORK (AP) -- As part of its new $300 million marketing campaign and image makeover, Microsoft Corp. plans to deploy its own customer-service representatives at retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City to help people with their PC purchases....
Tech firms fare better than most in jobs slump
By BARBARA ORTUTAY Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:21:54 -0000
NEW YORK (AP) -- Technology appears to be one of the least hard-hit sectors in an economy beset by unemployment at a five-year high....

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