Digital Nation

Response to Question for Class

I found this video very interesting because it applies to modern everyday life. Technology has nonetheless taken over our day to day lives; we use technology pretty much every day to accomplish our "mandatory" tasks. Without technology the tasks which are considered mandatory by today’s standards would not be considered mandatory. I personally feel technology is a bitter sweet addition to the world; it's opening up new doorways which we never thought were possible. Email, instant messaging, video chatting, texting, and blogging are just a few technologies which are contributing to the new "technology era." Overall I do believe technology, if utilized properly, will benefit the world.

Another interesting topic discussed in the video was the fact that technology is allowing/forcing people to multitask. Most people (mainly college students) believe that they can multitask very well. Some people even said that it was required at their place of work. Research showed that the individuals who believed they were great multitaskers actually ended up being horrible at it; their productivity dropped significantly when asked to work on multiple projects at once. I do believe technology has forced us to "multitask" and will continue to do so in the future. I multitask almost every day and it seems normal for me. The more I think about multitasking, the more problems I see with it. Studies showed it can train the brain to work on multiple activities at once; when presented with one long term project one could have problems focusing.

Artificial Intelligence

          Emulating the human brain using electronics has been a goal for programmers and electronics engineers for as long as computer technology existed. Until recently, the human brain was modeled using mostly software algorithms; IBM has now created a brain like, synaptic CPU. The processor is constructed using transistors, but they are arranged in a way that mimics the neurons and synapses of animal brains. The microchips have 256 digital neurons that operate at 10Mhz, and other typical features such as memory, communication controllers and more. 

        The CPUs can actually learn and "rewire" themselves based on external input. IBM has stated that the chips have successfully learnt their way through a maze and played pong. This CPU has tremendous potential, and more than likely will be used in future technological advancements.

Original Article: http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/93060-ibm-creates-learning-brain-like-synaptic-cpu

Received O-Scope in the mail!!

Ok so I received the scope in the mail on tuesday and was very happy to discover that everything was working as designed!! The calibraion sticker does show that it is still in callibration. I will post some more pictures shortly.

The Beast!

Since I'm on the topic of oscilloscopes I thought I would post a picture of my Tek 545B O-Scope. This thing is a beast! It weighs at least 70 pounds and has over 100 vacuum tubes. When powered up it draws about 500 watts!! the current plugin module states it has a 30 Mhz bandwidth which isn't bad for its time.

Good Buy... I Hope...

So I decided against buying the multimeter at this particular moment in time. I instead purchased a Tektronix 2246 oscilloscope. I couldn't resist the price, and it's still in calibration according to the documentation. The only thing that scares me is this particular model has a known power supply issue; hopefully its just a simple capacitor swap. Anyways, I have not received it yet, but when I do I'll write a short review.

Junk Multimeters!!

So I went and bought a $100 multimeter a few days ago hoping I would be getting a decent meter... Well I was wrong. Very wrong... After the first few measurements it decided to randomly turn off. conveniently, I was on a roof at night testing the running capacitor on a commercial air-conditioning unit. After fiddling with the selector switch I soon discovered it to be malfunctioning. needless to say, I promptly returned it for a refund. After much frustration with the notorious lack of quality control on imported meters, I decided to look for a meter made in the U.S.A. After some searching I found the one!! Its a Fluke 289. For $580 I'm sure it will function properly!! I will be ordering this beast in a few days, and I will definitely follow up.

Welcome!!

Hello, and welcome to my blog! My name is Eric McGaha and, as most of you already know, I am currently attending Frederick Community College. I'm currently working towards an associate degree in general engineering. After I graduate I plan to attend the University of Maryland and pursue a degree in electrical engineering. My eventual goal is to start a business after I graduate. As most of you have probably already figured out, I'm a severe electronics enthusiast (aka. NERD!). I have been interested in electricity since I was able to walk... Well maybe not that early, but it wasn't long after! Enough about myself, now I want to tell you a little about the future contents of my blog. I will be sharing my knowledge and love of electronics. I will include many interesting science/tech related topics. They will include everyting from Tesla Coils to CNC Machines, and whatever else! I'm creating this blog for my class assignment; if you see posts which are irrelevant to electronics or electricity, this is why. Even though this blog is being created for a mandatory class assignment, I'm still going to take full advantage of this opportunity. I hope you find the information posted enjoyable and helpful; I will do my best to continue to keep it fresh and interesting. Thanks again for visiting!