There has been for several years now a digital standard
http://www.dcc.info/ for controlling trains: it would have been far more impressive had they implemented this instead of a servo turning a crank. They could have even done this with off the shelf hardware.
http://www.digitrax.com/menu_computercontrol.php
I would suggest tracking down a copy of The Existential Engineer by Samuel C Florman. He tries to illuminate why engineers do what they do, drawing on a broad literary foundation. In particular, he mentions many poets and other authors
who try to capture the joy of getting hard stuff to work. Many of the sources are older (book is from 1976) so they are more about exciting technologies like dams and steam engines.
If you dont like the rain, but like CMU, there is another option. Apparently, CMU West is accepting applications, and offers the same MSE program. I thought CMU's expansion plans died with the.coms, but apparently not: anyone have more information about this?
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There has been for several years now a digital standard http://www.dcc.info/ for controlling trains: it would have been far more impressive had they implemented this instead of a servo turning a crank. They could have even done this with off the shelf hardware. http://www.digitrax.com/menu_computercontrol.php
I would suggest tracking down a copy of The Existential Engineer by Samuel C Florman. He tries to illuminate why engineers do what they do, drawing on a broad literary foundation. In particular, he mentions many poets and other authors who try to capture the joy of getting hard stuff to work. Many of the sources are older (book is from 1976) so they are more about exciting technologies like dams and steam engines.
Damn and I was all interested in posting/whoring it. This artcle (I even read it) is just a poor rewrite of albini's.
If you dont like the rain, but like CMU, there is another option. Apparently, CMU West is accepting applications, and offers the same MSE program. I thought CMU's expansion plans died with the .coms, but apparently not: anyone have more information about this?