This is a great article about how to take control of the price of your PCBs. Do you take all this into consideration??
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/methods-printed-circuit-board-pricing-optimisation-belle-cullen?trk=hp-feed-article-title-share

This would be a great project to work on. Not only cool, but it makes a difference in lives of many people.

I really like when new tech looks cool.

Working In PCAD - Defining the Thickness of the PCB

Before the board is exported in IDF to go to ProE/Creo, the PCB thickness must be defined. This needs to be done in the Layer Setup menu. 

Depending on how many layers you have and the copper thickness. Define your copper thickness for each layer. 

Then define if the insulating material is substrate or Prepreg and the thickness of each. 

Chávez will be moderating a panel discussion on innovation and STEM

http://blog.girlscouts.org/2013/05/anna-maria-chavez-to-moderate-panel-at.html

Girl Scouts of the USA Chief Executive Officer Anna Maria Chávez will be in some very impressive company on Thursday, May 9, when she takes part in the inaugural Forbes Women’s Summit: Power Redefined in New York City. The summit will feature a who’s who of accomplished women from Forbes Most Powerful Women, 30 Under 30, and Celebrity 100.

more...

Thanks,

Allen

Tech Firms Push to Hire More Workers From Abroad

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/12/technology/tech-firms-push-to-hire-more-workers-from-abroad.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&partner=yahoofinance

This article was in the New York Times, Technology section authored by Somini Sengupta.

I have mixed feelings about this topic. Part of me is still saying "Hire American" while part of me feels for these people and their families looking for a fair shake at a better life. I have a few friends who came to the US, live and work here now. They have all become contributing members to their communities and the US in general. Some have even earned and obtained US citizenship.

Mike Buetow wrote "H-1B Free?" in Hot Wire http://circuitsassembly.com/blog/?p=3624, a Circuit Assembly blog, on this topic. Some of his concerns are the same as mine.

One of the statements in NY Times article says, "Unemployment in the technology industry hovers below 4 percent, far less than the national average." They don't say where this number came from. I question the overall accuracy of this number. I've known people from differnet tech fields who were out of work for so long they've change career paths to something totally unrelated.

I don't remember which article I read this in, but there is significant concern that the H-1B is paid far less than the equivalent US citizen. This is neither fair to folks here or the people looking for a better life. They both loose.

I'd like to hear from some folks from both sides of this discussion. What do you think? Just keep if civil and professional.

Thanks,
Allen

The PC isn't dead, it's just gone 'ultramobile'

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/04/09/pc-mobile-gartner-group-ultramobile/2067417/

This article in USA Today, written by Carol Kopp, caught my attention because I am thinking of getting a desktop PC at home to use as a workstation. I still have my laptop which is good for most of my surfing and presenting. Even with a 64bit processor and operating system 4 MB of RAM is not enough to do some tasks I’d like to play with.

OK, so my laptop is a little old. There are some laptops with 8MB capability and a core i5, but how long till that’s not enough. At least with a desktop I can do some upgrades as needed and afforded.

This ultramoble has my interest. I think I’m going to have to wait till they come out in the Fall and take a serious look and see how they compete for power with a desktop workstation.

My questions to you folks, how many still use or prefer a desktop for your serious work? Have you found a laptop that competes in both power and price? Since I haven’t gone the direction of the tablet yet, what have tasks you found to be limited on tablet that can be done easier or faster on a desktop?

Thanks,

Allen