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Welcome to 2011! We look forward to continuing economic
improvements in the economy in general and our customers in specific.
Last year brought a return to 2008 levels for most of our clients.
However, general wariness of investing in capital equipment and hiring
continued in 2010. However, I believe this condition will continue to
improve in 2011 as the sense of stability returns. I’m pleased to mention that Viewpoint
continued our investments and achievements in 2010: In addition, we observed some noteworthy
trends in 2010: I’m excited about these trends. I
think it portends the grassroots growth in our country’s manufacturing
capabilities and recognizes the importance of improving our manufacturing
efficiencies to maintain our competitiveness. It always amazes me how complex the
testing of products can be. Even seemingly simple products are tested
in myriad ways that initially would not even be considered. How about
the common household lighting? Simple … right? With the increasing use of CFL (or
CFB) and LED lighting, light testing now must consider the electronics
that run the bulb. This testing has become especially important since
Federal Law says incandescent bulbs are to be phased out starting in
2012 (see http://energy.senate.gov/public/_files/RL342941.pdf). Checkout how RPI is using LabVIEW (watch
for the computer monitors!) to test this lighting. http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/12/a_tour_through_a_center_that_tests.html. Thanks for reading!
Jim Campbell |
 Part 1:
When Does It Make Sense to Use A Test Executive?
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As the ‘Part 1’ in the heading suggests, the next couple newsletters will cover selected topics about Test Executives. Recall that a Test Executive is an application that manages the execution of a sequence of test steps, thus helping to automate a test procedure. During last year’s Business Optimization consultations with clients, Test Executives were an important component of the discussions. I thought some content of those discussions would be worth sharing. Naturally, these topics are based on our many years of experience designing and delivering product test systems. The first topic covers the obvious question: does it even make sense to use a Test Executive? This month outlines some important reasons to consider in the decision. Next month will review a cost scenario illustrating that using a Test Executive does not always make financial sense. Read on... |
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A Decade of Quick Edits |
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January 15, 2011 will mark the ten-year anniversary of Wikipedia. Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launched the free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia in 2001. As of January 2011, there are 3,522,331 articles in the English Wikipedia and 22,795,455 overall. The basic open nature of Wikipedia has allowed it to become one of the most rapidly updated news and current event sources on the web. However, since nearly all Wikipedia entries are open to editing by anyone, and official prepublication peer review is nonexistent, there is legitimate skepticism of the quality of the information it provides. This has ranged from accusations of “character assassination” to a much more humorous take by the web comic industry. As it has matured, Wikipedia has developed its own style of policing itself. There is now a manual of style and a collection of principles, referred to as the five “pillars”, to guide Wikipedians while creating and updating entries. |
Primed for 2011
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