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From: Jim Hampton on Jul 17, 3:32 pm
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Hello, Len
I wonder what the number of engineers with BS or higher degrees is doing
these days? Since we export jobs to India (for the smart stuff) and
China
(for the slave labor stuff), no one feels a need to know anything.
Well, still IN the electronics industry (although not at regular
hours), I don't see that gloomy a picture as far as engineers
and technicians are concerned.
"Exported jobs" are only in certain occupations, a very few to be
exact. What with the availability of multi-channel satellite
telephonic relays, lots and lots of telephone-contact jobs have
moved to India and similar places...but that is largely in the
"service jobs" which don't do that much design, development, and
manufacturing. Some software development has moved to India but
not some "mass exodus" of jobs...there's still plenty of software
development going on within our borders.
I don't have any firm numbers on occupation trends but can point
you to: www.doleta.gov/jobseekers [Department of Labor}
You can check out the in-demand jobs now and projections to the
year 2012. By state if you wish. Starting salaries, mid-term
salaries, top ten-percent salaries given.
This is not a rant for Morse (I think you know me better than that);
rather
a question as to whether or not folks care to expend even one iota of
effort
to learn anything of substance. We have more mystics around now and few
folks of substance. I had to chuckle about a new website for hams,
cbers,
and folks that like to discuss *theoretical physics*?!?!
Offhand, from my observation out in the southwest corner of the
USA, there's lots and lots and lots and lots of folks who DO
expend many many "iotas" of effort to learn new things or to
keep up with changing trends. For hobby activities in electronics
there's a humongous amount of folks interested in robotics of all
kinds, a very electronics-intensive hobby...everything from
making SMT soldering ovens out of countertop toaster-ovens to
all kinds of infra-red and supersonic sensing (with accuracy)
and, of course, microprocessor programming. At least two
monthly periodicals on such things as well as the good old Nuts
and Volts magazine.
Case in point involves Neil Hecht's cute little microcontroller
frequency meter with readout that he sells out of AADE in
Seattle, WA. Very popular unit to mod any old receiver or
transmitter for accurate frequency indication. However, like
all such microcontroller-architecture units, it outputs some
stray RF that can get into receiver front ends. A fella on AOL
came up with a NON-microcontroller frequency meter in a very
small size, a conventional time-base gated counter with presets
that does the same but with much less stray RF output. Full
plans and PCBExpress data files for the three small PCBs that
hold SMD logic packages, detailed parts list, schematics, etc.
In effect, it is a fully engineered project, both electrical
and mechanical. Lots of thought went into it. There's all kinds
of that "lots of thought" project stuff out on the web if anyone
cares to look.
"Mystics?" Those have always been around...for centuries before
you and I existed. Mostly those are con-artists duping the lay
people by all kinds of "magic." I don't concern myself with those
since I recognize what they are and who the people who frequent
such places are...from curiosity looking in to some BBSs years
ago.
Right.
Perhaps we should hire a priest to sprinkle some Holy Water on the group
to
fix everything LOL.
Turn the power off the group first. We don't want them with shorts.
All one needs is a scientific calculator or compooter and punch the
numbers
in.
THANK THE LORD for providing humans with minds to think those
things up!!!
Funny how some folks can't even make change without a calculator. Just
punch the number into the calculator.
I have two "everyday" watches. One is a La Crosse radio watch
that sets itself to WWVB between midnight and 6 AM. Made in
China. Don't know where the engineering design came from
other than its been done for years by hobbyists and is in the
example software from PIC Microchip (freebie). Cost me all of
$30 plus change (shipping included) via e-order. The other is
a watch-calculator purchased at the Sav-On drug store chain for
$15 plus tax. I wear that one for shopping to check out totals
and tax and things. The little microprocessor inside handles
the watch functions and the four-function calculator functions
plus decoding the little "keyboard."
At home, I've got an excellent programmable scientific calculator
from HP, an HP 32S II bought at Fry's (a supermarket of consumer
electronics here in the west) for $60 plus tax. CMOS circuitry
allows the long-life batteries to keep all memories "alive" with
the last calculations. Many, many built-in functions including
conversions Metric-English, etc., plus constant storage and a
small memory for program storage. Batteries last for over five
years. Two Pi is always stored in there to 10 places for
convenience and it does do complex number arithmetic, keeping the
real and imaginary parts separate. Excellent unit! A newer
HP-33S came out in late 2004 for about $55, essentially the same
guts but a "trendy" keyboard styling I don't personally care for.
Uh, was that +i or -i ... or was that
j? Impedance? Um .... is that like series or parallel resistors? Just
punch the numbers in. I certainly hope that someone understands what
they
are punching in.
I do and so do all my compadres in the electronics biz here.
If others don't know, that's their choice...but they can't say
they are "superior" to those who DO know. :-)
If someone doesn't know Z and Y but show a sincere desire to
learn, I'll try to help them learn. [if they demand I teach
them they will get an "impedance" up their I/O ports...:-) ]
Gawd, what are these things? Resistors, but how are they connected.
Someone said something about a bridge? Now what?
Ohm ohm on the range .....
...where the dits and dahs all do play...? :-)
Have a good one, Len. I'm heading to the 'fridge to get a couple of
tall,
cool 807s.
Good on that...but just don't bite off the plate cap with yer teeth.
Remember: Vacuum sucks! :-)
bit bit
Hello, Len
"where the dits and the dahs play" .... LOL. Cute.
As to storing pi to 10 places, I don't need it. I have pi stored in the
gray matter to 100 places although I doubt I'd ever need that many places.
It took some effort, but I managed to forget some places beyond 100.
Yes, there are some folks that wish to learn; my point is that as more and
more folks opt out of learning it is only a matter of time before we become
a 3rd world country.
We are about 8th in the world for broadband penetration. We are about 12th
in the world for life expectancy.
We'd best raise the terrorist level to red for a while to distract everyone
from what is happening.
I'm not too sure, but I find a lot of what you say does make sense. I'm
sure I'll take a few shots for saying this, but I really am not too worried.
What is it you say? "temper fry"? LOL
Do have a good one, Len. I may not always agree with you, but you do have
some good points and if it takes some stirring of the pot to keep the group
thinking, so be it.
73 from Rochester, NY
Jim AA2QA