NorthStarNerd.Org

Wordle Me ... Wordle You!

I've noticed a reasonable amount of buzz around the net about Wordle. I decided I needed to check out this phenomenon ... and I find Wordle is addicting, but more importantly it can help you see relationships in your words. In short, Wordle lets you take any text or web site and get a graphical representation of the word relationships. I find I like Wordle's which are mainly horizontal, and somewhat circular.

I've created two Wordle's for your review. The first is my LinkedIn profile; the second is this blog. I challenge everyone to Wordle your resume or LinkedIn profile; you might not be emphasizing what you think you are! Make certain you click upon each Wordle for an expanded view. In this instance, a picture is worth a thousand words! Creat your own Wordle via this link.
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The Price of the Printer

I normally steer away from politics in this blog, but as the USA considers the most massive financial bailout since FDR's New Deal, I invite you to consider what happened in two financial markets yesterday: (see Google Finance)

• The price of oil rose over $25

• The price of a Euro rose from $1.45 to $1.48

In other words, investors know that the only way to pay for the proposed bailout is to run the printing presses at the US Mint. Your savings and purchasing power fell yesterday. As we head towards the November elections, support your favorite candidates, but make them find real ways to "pay" for any new programs. Money does not grow on trees; the United States just prints it (Econ 101).

Conquer the Galaxy!

My son who is a freshman engineering student at Rose-Hulman is busy conquering the Galaxy! Meet Spore! Watch the video! Start with a single spore, and take over the universe! Click upon any image for an expanded view!

Ranking Engineering Colleges

A colleague passed along this link: Boeing to Rank Colleges by Measuring Job Success. While the US News methodology is controversial, this may make schools think twice.  After all, Boeing has over 35,000 engineers. How was your performance appraisal?

Make certain you see my prior post and follow-up on college rankings. It generated some good discussion points by leading web thought leaders. Finally, link to my college search section of this blog. My son, Erik, gave me his permission to blog about his search for the perfect engineering school, which ended with his choice of Rose-Hulman.

 

Open Source Hardware

It may be 6:30 a.m., but I have not gone crazy! Anyone who thinks the idea of open sources software and Lego Mindstorms are both great ideas, needs to listen to Peter Semmelhack's podcast from O'Reilly's eTech Conference (all podcasts). Most everyone understands that the key concept of open source software is that the technical community freely builds upon each other's work. What is you could do the same when it comes to hardware design for electronic devices?

Give some thought to Legos. If you've used Lego Mindstorms, you will understand the Bug Labs open source hardware concept immediately. Besides, these folks have fun. Watch the short video on their home page. It's a hoot! Seriously, link to their products page and watch some product videos. It will help you understand the concept.

I've added this podcast to the engineering podcast search engine. Learn more via my wiki.