Volumes & issues:
Volume 15, Issue 6
1 July 2020
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- Author(s): D. Ross
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, page: 4 –4
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0617
- Type: Article
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It's quiet around here . . . perhaps too quiet? As we start to emerge from lockdown, do you crave more noise or wish it could stay like this? - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, page: 5 –5
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0618
- Type: Article
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The new-look E↦T Innovation Awards will recognise engineering excellence. Entries related to the pandemic or to easing life in lockdown are encouraged this year. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 6 –7
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0619
- Type: Article
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News from around the world. - Author(s): S. Morgan
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, page: 8 –8
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0620
- Type: Article
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The EU's euro750bn coronavirus recovery plan is aimed at helping battered economies pull through the crisis. This will affect the UK, despite Brexit. - Author(s): P. Dempsey
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, page: 9 –9
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0621
- Type: Article
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New sci-fi comedies make science look sane and everyone else mad . . . - Author(s): B. Heubl
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, page: 10 –10
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0622
- Type: Article
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Various emerging superpowers appear eager to increase their nuclear defence capabilities - a dangerous cocktail in times of turmoil. - Author(s): C. Chambers
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, page: 11 –11
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0623
- Type: Article
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As the world's economies buckle under the strain of the coronavirus lockdowns, can financial engineering stop the worst recession ever seen? - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 12 –13
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0624
- Type: Article
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A giant virtual wave crashes against a glass box in an epic art installation in South Korea. - Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 14 –15
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0625
- Type: Article
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Send your letters to The Editor, E&T, Michael Faraday House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage, Herts SG1 2AY, UK, or to [email protected]. We reserve the right to edit letters and to use submissions in any other format. - Author(s): D. Betts
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, page: 17 –17
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0600
- Type: Article
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Contactless technology is proving invaluable during the current coronavirus pandemic by eliminating the need to exchange cash or press buttons on a chip-and-pin machine. However, for many businesses, such as fast-food restaurants, the only option for taking a customer's initial order without face-to-face contact is a touchscreen - and that actually risks spreading infection more widely. Antibacterial touchscreens exist, but this misses an important factor. As well as being genuinely hygienic, kiosks have to be perceived to be safe by customers. An anti-Covid coating isn't likely to cut it for the general public: many people won't trust it, no matter how good it is. Even before the current health crisis, there were reports of gut and faecal bacteriabeing found on every fast-food touchscreen swabbed in a study conducted by London Metropolitan University. The paper considers whether the latest audio technology might provide a contactless solution? In particular beamforming and blind source speraration are discussed. - Author(s): H. Lamb
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 18 –21
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0601
- Type: Article
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Deepfakes are AI generated synthetic media, that involve deep neural networks manipulating videos and images using abstract representations. They are becoming much more sophisticated and damaging. This article discusses the effect these have had, predominately in politics, but also recognises the impact on other areas such as health care and science. Experts seem to agree that a multi-pronged approach is necessary, consisting of a combination of legislation, investment in screening technology, media literacy efforts and bolstering institutions like free and open press. However this also comes under fire when considering freedom of expression and responsibility of enforcement. - Author(s): B. Heubl
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 22 –25
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0602
- Type: Article
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Personalised guns have been a failure in the US, but with updated tech and new political will, there is hope. The paper looks at the chances of smart gun success. The politics behind the increasing interest in smart guns is discussed and some of the companies involved in smart gun development are mentioned. - Author(s): S. Doyle
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 26 –27
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0626
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The biggest clamours most of us will experience are things like fire alarms and jet engines - but the loudest noises in existence would do far worse than make you wince. Here are some of the most ear-shattering sounds ever recorded. - Author(s): N. Smith
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 28 –31
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0627
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With levels of road transport, air travel and industrial output lessening dramatically during the Covid-19 lockdown, one side-effect has been a reduction in noise pollution. But there's more to 'global quieting' than being able to hear more birds. - Author(s): S. Claridge
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 32 –33
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0603
- Type: Article
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The UK governments Future Flight Challenge aims to revolutionise the way people, goods and services fly, and support the development in the UK of new technologies such as freight-carrying drones. Already used in industries such as entertainment and utilities, with pilot schemes and development opportunities being implemented by Amazon and UPS, this article looks at the future impact of using drones across the industrial and consumer worlds. The discussion focusses around the negative noise effects on both human health and wildlife, with the WHO (World Health Organisation) stating that adverse health effects are likely to occur in humans if night time noise levels exceed 40dB. With the average drone noise level falling between 70-80dB whilst in flight, dependent on drone size and mechanical/aerodynamic/electrical noise, and the addition of the nuisance factor, this could be a big problem to future health. With businesses and manufacturing already striving to reduce their noise levels, this is something to be considered in the widespread use of consumer drones. Other factors including the effect on bird migration patterns and practical and logistical points are also considered. - Author(s): C. Edwards
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 34 –37
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0604
- Type: Article
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Music artists just can't catch a break. As digitalisation swept through their industry, performing musicians saw the money they can earn from their music steadily drop off. While music has gone digital and downloadable, music fans have been only too happy to invest in the live experience. Festivals that range from folk to electronic dance music (EDM) have gone from being fringe events to huge happenings.The general expectation in the music industry is that live music is probably the last type of social gathering to go back to normal because so much of it has relied on closely packed audiences. Can technology provide a way to deliver the live experience without asking people to come together to a performance who are then forced to sit metres apart? Virtual performances have attracted headlines but more for their apparent novelty than for their ability to replace the physical experience. Another option is to dispense with the real stage altogether and put the concert into a virtual world.The common belief among performers and promoters is that live events as we used to know them will return eventually, though the financial damage to their end of the industry could be severe. - Author(s): N. Smith
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 38 –39
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0605
- Type: Article
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With 2.5 million units sold annually in the US, and the UK pitching in with an extra 750,000, guitars are a billion-dollar business.This article discusses the engineering behind the production of guitar strings. The author explains the five key factors that make up a guitar string's tone: gauge, material, core, winding and coating. - Author(s): J. Wilson
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 40 –44
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0606
- Type: Article
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This article considers the science of designing spaces to optimise their acoustic characteristics, looking at the architecture and design of well known buildings such as concert halls and recording studios, in terms of the materials used, the internal geometry and overall architecture. - Author(s): D. Ross
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 46 –47
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0607
- Type: Article
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Discusses modern aspects of hearing aids. The electronics which make up the hearing aid. A new app that enables anybody to test their own hearing. The app uses four microphones on each ear which work out your hearing frequency profile and transmits that to the headset, amplifying only the sounds you personally need. Then there is the issue of pairing it with a smartphone in order to use hearing aid as a Bluetooth device. - Author(s): C. Andrews
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 48 –51
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0608
- Type: Article
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The article analyses factory farming and the potential links between the conditions in this industrial sector and the development of virulent diseases, such as COVID-19. It takes a look at how industrial farming has developed, leading to packed animals, low genetic diversity, an increased uptake in antibiotics and how these conditions can potentially accelerate the evolution of pathogens. It takes a look at genetic selection for animals with stronger immune systems as a potential solution. - Author(s): B. Heubl
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 52 –53
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0609
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Shortcomings in the NHSX contact-tracing app could limit its effectiveness and scare away users. The article investigates concerns raised by computer engineers about timestamp and Google Analytics tracking. An essential element of the contact-tracing app is that the host phone can identify other nearby devices. Problems that have already received a lot of attention include the app failing when both devices are locked, and the way secret keys are generated. But the article has investigated further issues: the app's tracking of user timestamps and data points that record the exact moment when the app makes a connection with another phone. The implications for user security and data privacy issues are highlighted. - Author(s): C. Thomson
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 54 –57
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0610
- Type: Article
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SIXTY JELLY BEANS and a tube of cocktail sticks might sound like leftovers from a postlockdown party, but this is actually all you need to give your kids an understanding of engineering that ties in with what they will be learning when back at school. As a fairly new STEM ambassador and a parent of a 10and 12-year-old who have very different enthusiasm levels for schoolwork, I decided during the Covid-19 lockdown to put some STEM resources to the test. I was joined in this venture by another STEM ambassador with younger children, aged six and three. The lockdown has resulted in raised awareness of online learning resources, some of which have been made freely available recently to help teachers and parents during this challenging period. Schools are also making good use of Google Classroom to post STEM learning topics alongside other curricular and optional fun activities for children. For example, my children decoded Morse as part of their work on VE Day. My main criteria in choosing activities were picking ones which did not require a great deal of components or resources that I would not already have in the house, and ones which were not likely, at an educated guess, to immediately turn off my children. I know from experience that what may look interesting to me can be boring or impractical for children. For example, my elder child was not at all interested in watching a programme about the rise of the microprocessor, and while a DIY dodecahedron may look impressive in a handout illustration, it rarely looks like anything more than recycling material when made in my house. - Author(s): D. Birkett
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 58 –61
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0611
- Type: Article
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Where are you going on holiday this summer? The answer is - probably nowhere! With the arrival of Covid-19, our vacation planning has been put on hold. So to replace our annual fortnight of rest and relaxation, tour companies and tourist boards have been rushing to create virtual breaks. At the heart of enabling these experiences are technologies that allow us to escape from the confinement of lockdown to another part of the world. Some of this technology is tried, tested and relatively cheap. But the ways in which we travel virtually are expanding and improving rapidly. - Author(s): S. Doyle
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 62 –63
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0612
- Type: Article
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For years, movie magic has been bought to life thanks to the power of the green screen. Whether it's the final battle in a fantasy film or a single actor playing identical twins in a comedy, this technique suspends our disbelief and immerses us in a vivid and brilliant make-believe world. Used as a tool for chroma key compositing, a technique for layering two images or video streams, the green screen is often used to reduce the cost of building sets and to avoid sending crew to faraway locations. Technologists, however, are now turning to large-screen LED displays and augmented reality (AR), which is likely to replace, or at least alter, the use of the green screen. With the Covid-19 outbreak, however, our everyday lives have come to a halt. Could these immersive environments help us stay informed about the world, while also catering to broadcasters and those working remotely? SmartStage, a system built by audio-visual company White Light, is an immersive video environment which allows presenters and viewers to see and interact with the content around them. “This technology was conceived to facilitate creative minds in the live broadcast industry, specifically sports analysis,” says Andy Hook, White Light's technical solutions director, “but it quickly became apparent that it could be used as a viable alternative to green screen presentation, especially for those outside the broadcast industry. - Author(s): L. James
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 64 –67
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0613
- Type: Article
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The article takes a look at how COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing measures have affected the construction industry's supply chain, projects and labour availability. It suggests that advances in robotics might help the sector increase construction speed and decrease waste generation, particularly concrete walls 3D printing robots and rebar structure manufacturing. It proposes that automation integration could lead to an increase of interest of skilled workers in the industry, potentially pushing the sector to an innovation disrupting event. - Author(s): S. Griffiths
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 68 –69
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0614
- Type: Article
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Before the pandemic, open-plan offices and hot-desking were de rigueur in many industries. But, as we start the bumpy journey to a post-lockdown `new normal', details like where people sit and workplace ventilation have come under fresh scrutiny, meaning our workplaces could look and feel very different when we all eventually return to them. A growing number of experts believe ventilation should be improved to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is primarily transmitted through large respiratory droplets that settle on surface areas or are spread through human contact, rather than being `airborne' per se. “Shops, offices, schools, restaurants, cruise ships and, of course, public transport, is where ventilation practices should be reviewed and ventilation maximised,” Lidia Morawska from Queensland University of Technology writes in an article in the Environment International journal. So, employers and companies may not only have to mark out two-metre distances and create safe working zones, but check out the ventilation too. Ventilation plays a role in how the virus can spread through indoor spaces, especially if they are crowded and contain people who have Covid-19. Luckily, the European Federation of Heating and Ventilation Engineers (REHVA) has developed comprehensive guidance for building services engineers to help to minimise the spread of the virus through HVAC or plumbing systems. - Author(s): H. Pozniak
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 70 –73
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0615
- Type: Article
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While we were growing used to skies free of noisy aeroplanes during lock-down, it was a mixed blessing for meteorologists. Every day they were accustomed to receiving millions of weather observations from commercial flights - information on wind speed or air temperature some 10 km above the Earth at a given point. Fewer flights meant less information to feed into the supercomputers that calculate weather with ever greater precision. In the UK, accurate weather reports can keep the country running, particularly in times of uncertainty where changing conditions are more apparent - and sometimes they can even mean the difference between life and death. But quiet skies have left a little hole in meteorologists' data and shed light on the delicate science of weather forecasting. To meet this shortfall, they've been launching more weather balloons than usual - but this is an expensive stopgap. The paper looks at the different sources of information available to UK meteorologists and how weather forecasts are produced in the short term and long term. - Author(s): B. Heubl
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 74 –77
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0616
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Subject access requests are surging under lockdown, making it harder than ever for companies to meet all the requirements of GDPR rules. - Author(s): N. Smith
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 78 –81
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0628
- Type: Article
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One of the digital era's most exciting innovators, social entrepreneur Charles Adler is best known as co-founder of Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform that for a decade has changed the way new ideas are brought to market. - Author(s): C. Quin
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 82 –83
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0629
- Type: Article
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High-tech summer boredom-beaters including a smart Rubik's Cube, ultimate marbles,'music, gardening, barbecuing and scribbling. - Author(s): P. Dempsey
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 84 –85
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0630
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Apple delivers smart reuse in a smartphone at a keen price. - Author(s): N. Smith
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 86 –87
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0631
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Access to big data means that we are increasingly outsourcing our decision-making to protocols, experts and technology. But that's not always the best solution, warns author Vikram Mansharamani. - Author(s): M. Williamson ; N. Smith ; V. Vitaliev
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 88 –89
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0632
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Stealth aircraft, Antarctic science and the strange beliefs of the otherwise brilliant. - Author(s): R. Northfield
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, page: 90 –90
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0633
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Pet owners may be feeling guilty during this lockdown - you're home way too much and in their way all the time. So why not buy them a present that they'll probably despise? - Author(s): J. Pollard
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, page: 91 –91
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0634
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This month's edition tells the story of how mowing the lawn evolved from a task for an expert scythe-man to an 'amusing, useful and healthy exercise' for everyone. - Author(s): S. Doyle
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, p. 92 –93
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0635
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The Department for Transport (DfT) has said that it will start trials for the use of rental electric scooters in the UK - but what standards will e-scooters have to meet to be road-legal? - Author(s): H. Lamb
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, page: 94 –94
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0636
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A villain wonders what they will ever do with their impulse purchase of a barrel of assorted nuclear waste. - Author(s): S. Doyle
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, page: 95 –95
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0637
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From a retinal-imaging device that could detect Alzheimer's to a sand-conquering rover, here are the stories that make words like 'healthcare tech' and 'robotics' trend. - Author(s): D. Sandham
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, page: 96 –96
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0638
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Give your brain a lockdown workout with this month's puzzles. - Author(s): V. Vitaliev
- Source: Engineering & Technology, Volume 15, Issue 6, page: 98 –98
- DOI: 10.1049/et.2020.0639
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Our columnist recalls his visit to one of the world's most reclusive communities, made prosperous by modern technologies.
Opinion - Editorial. Editor's Letter
News - Briefing: E&T Innovation Awards reveal new categories for 2020
News - Briefing: World News
News - Comment. View from Brussels: COVID-19 No island is an island: How the EU's virus fund affects the UK
News - Comment. View from Manchester: Sci-fi Lockdown for take-off with these promising new sci-fi comedies
News - Briefing. The Graphic: Nuclear stockpiles
News - Comment. Money & Markets. Finance - It's metaphor bingo! No one knows how this is going to go . . .
Technology - Digital design. The Bigger Picture: Hyperrealistic wave simulation
Opinion - Feedback. Your Letters
Is it time to make touchscreens contactless? [Health and Safety]
Can you believe your eyes? [Issues of Deepfakes]
Smart guns: will they hit the target this time?
Sound - Loudness. What?! I can't hear you!
Lockdown - Noise pollution. A quiet place
What's all the buzz about? [Impacts of drones]
Let me entertain... who? [Long distance entertainment]
Stay in tune with a sonic miracle [Sound - Guitar Strings]
Hear here [architectural acoustics]
Turn it up! [Hearing aids]
Factory farming time to change? [Coronavirus Farming]
Contact app under scrutiny [NHSX Covid-19 contact-tracing app]
Inspiration not perspiration [STEM Homeschooling]
The world on your desktop [Virtual Reality - travel]
Beyond the screen [immersive audio-visual environments]
How to build a house in 3 days [Construction - robotics]
The air that I breathe [Coronavirus Ventilation]
What's happened to the weather? [Weather - Met Office]
Data holders feel the strain [Management - Data]
Interview: Charles Adler
Reviews - Consumer Technology. Gadgets: Thinkers Notebook; Makeway; Shure Aonic; GoCube; Everdure Cube by Heston; Stihl GTA 26
Reviews - Consumer Technology. The Teardown - iPhone SE 2020
Reviews - Book Interview. Common sense in an era of experts
Book Reviews: Stealth, Land of Wondrous Cold, In Praise of Folly
Technology - Blog. Bizarre Tech: Poop Cube; Piqapoo; Invoxia pet tracker
Regulars - Columnist: The Eccentric Engineer. How green, green grass became the symbol of a well-kept home.
News - Briefing. The Measure of: E-scooters
Regulars - Columnist. Dear Evil Engineer: Question - Waste Disposal. What can I do with the nuclear waste I bought online?
Technology - Blog. Buzz Words: Healthcare tech; Drones; Rover design - Robotics
Regulars - Columnist. Thinking Cap [puzzles]
Regulars - Columnist. After All: Technology - At home in the (almost) unchanged world of 18th-century Russia
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