Backscatter
-
Cyber Gridlock
What are the chances of a cyberattack shutting down one of the three North American electrical power grids? Or even part of one?
-
Boss or Friend?
Can you and your boss be friends? Or can you be friends with those who work for you?
-
New eBook: The Best of Backscatter, Book 5, Offers Thoughts and Recollections on Things Engineering
What could be better than reading one of Donald Christiansens Backscatter columns in IEEE-USA InSight? How about having the opportunity to read 16 of these thought-provoking and well-researched essays, by the respected former editor and publisher of IEEE Spectrum?
-
Supersnobs? Maybe Not.
Does excessive pride in the rationality of technology and of our profession lead us to profess that technological advances can fix any faults or obviate any dangers that misuse of existing technology may have caused?
-
Backscatter: Whats All This With Trains?
Is it true that nerds have an intrinsic fascination with trains? Self-described
-
Backscatter: The Dynamics of a Brand Name
A look at rebirths of companies or of brand names that some may have thought defunct.
-
Caution: Self-Driving Cars Ahead
There is something to be said for being in control of your car from instant to instant.
-
Backscatter: Predicting the Downside of Technology
One attempt to address the potential downside of new technologies has been through technology assessment (TA). Another more recent refinement of TA is termed responsible research and innovation (RRI). But who is responsible for carrying out this work?
-
Backscatter: The Plagiarism Trap
Is it ever permissible to plagiarize? Not an easy question to answer. Even the experts do not always agree on the definitions of plagiarism in its many variations.
-
Backscatter: Art Deco Radio
Don Christiansen revisits the style and aesthetics that made art deco radios popular during their era -- and even more valuable today.