“You are no better than anyone else and no one is better than you.”
– John Wooden
1. If You Manufacture It, Gen Z Will Come
I love Gen Z. I applaud their drive to “chase that bag” until they find their passion. Because of them, employers are realizing that they themselves are expendable and they must earn loyal workers. Treat your people right and they won't leave. There is no workforce shortage; there's a shortage of employers with common decency. The "whoever dies with the most toys wins" mentality will send entitled CEOs to their retirement communities all alone … I’ve been watching too much George Carlin stand-up. Save us, Gen Z – you’re our only hope!
2. Two-Photon Lithography
Stanford engineers have been playing with a new, 3D-printed, high-performance, nanostructured alloy that enables the printing of materials at the nanoscale. This technology could provide superior structural protection for satellites, drones, and microelectronics. “Two-photon lithography, which the researchers are using to print, hardens the printing material through a chemical reaction started by laser light.” The printing process is able to print at a speed of 100 millimeters per second using metal nanoclusters and proteins, which is roughly 100 times faster than what had previously been possible with nanoscale protein printing.
3. SI Units Have Officially Been Expanded
Science alert? More like NERD ALERT! You can keep your “ronnagrams” and “quettameters.” ‘Murica will stick with freedom units, thank you very much! Like inches, pounds, football fields, bald eagles per bacon cheeseburger. We’ll only acknowledge the superiority of the metric system with large bottles of soda and bullet diameters!
4. Is the Infinite Cloud Just Smog?
The cloud data storage industry is responsible for a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Data centers aren’t just an eyesore; this article argues that the industry needs to take responsibility for its impact on the environment and take steps to reduce its emissions.
5. Coming Up: Engineering Workforce Webinar
This upcoming webinar addresses skills shortages in engineering. “The skills gap will only widen as manufacturers accelerate their digital transformation to Industry 4.0. … Machine Design examines the jobs of the future and the skills needed for those roles. [The webinar will draw from] a recent ASME research study that investigates the future workflows and skills needed for mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, and machinist roles over the next decade.”
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