Reader reaction to our first issue (June 1997) of Control Design included these remarks, which I guess you could take as restrained optimism that we might possibly survive another issue or two: "I don't know how you got my name, but I got your premier issue of Control Design and I'm glad I did...You had a lot for me in this first issue. I don't know if this was just coincidence or if you somehow managed to editorially tune in to the technical interests of engineers like me.  read more »

We've run our share of articles and debates about the purported lack of skilled workers available in the manufacturing industry these days. We've also talked about whether America's education system is giving students the kind of teachings they need to learn technical skills. But how about the companies that are willing to step up and really do something about it?  read more »

As I assemble our 15th anniversary issue, which looks back and excerpts our content over the years, I reread the first issue of Control Design. The leading industrial PC technology of the time had 200 MHz Pentium processors, 512 MB RAM, powered by Windows NT.

Manufacturers are gaining more trust in wireless technologies, and in some situations, wireless devices are the only answer. As freelance writer Hank Hogan notes in Control Design's May issue, wireless sensors can streamline and speed up production. They can even improve worker safety, as GE Aviation explains.  read more »

The winning video in a recent competition about the "Future of Electronics Innovations" is an outstanding perspective on how the students of today are likely to be affected by the rapidly changing landscape in information gathering.  read more »

We're about ready to post our May issue cover story about machine safety. Here's an excerpt many of you will identify with: Many small builders are still left mostly to their own devices to figure out which standards to use and how to make their specific machines and users safer. "It's already confusing for builders and users to understand what standard to apply to their specific machine or production process," says T.J. McDermott, senior project engineer and manager at Systems Interface, a system integrator and control panel builder in Bothell, Wash.  read more »

It was on this day in 2000 that Mattel unleashed Barbie for President on unsuspecting young girls, trying to help them "envision themselves as the future leaders of this country." Actually, Barbie first ran for president in the 1992 election, but her campaign wasn't nearly as successful. She's run in every election since 2000 (she announced her 2012 candidacy last month, and will be available in four different races by August), but running on a platform that includes opportunities for girls and educational excellence doesn't win her many political allies.  read more »

Mike Carlson, safety products marketing manager of Banner Engineering passes along some tips on how to determine which type of resolution detection capability (high-resolution, medium-resolution or low-resolution) is needed in a safety light screen.  read more »

A press release from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL):

Global Skills Gap Leaves 10 Million Manufacturing Positions Unfilled  read more »

We just got word from our publisher that sister publication Control Global has gone live with The Flow Forum, a repository of best practices and other educational information related to industrial flow measurement.  read more »