Month: August 2016

Engineering, TechnologyLeave a comment

Right, that’s it, I’m leaving the country – #Brexit triggers EU citizenship surge – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

While the long-term effects of Brexit remain unknown, one immediate after-effect is becoming clear: a lot of people are seriously thinking about leaving the country. Or at the very least, becoming a citizen of another country. In the two months since 51 per cent of British voters chose to quit the European Union, embassies and high commissions in London have reported increases in passport and citizenship applications. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading Right, that’s it, I’m leaving the country – #Brexit triggers EU citizenship surge – an annotated infographic

Engineering, TechnologyLeave a comment

US company in massive EU tax avoidance shocker! #Apple

E&T magazine

Everyone’s favourite future-facing tech titan Apple Inc is facing a whopping €13 billion EU tax bill (plus interest!), after it was decided that the extremely favourable (at least for Apple) tax conditions set by Ireland breached EU rules. Funny that. The EU ruling decreed that Ireland had illegally slashed Apple’s tax bill over several decades. It is the largest penalty in a three-year EU crackdown on so-called ‘sweetheart’ tax deals. We don’t know about you, but of all the sweethearts we’ve ever had in our lives, not one of them slipped us €13 billion. E&T news covered the story of … Continue reading US company in massive EU tax avoidance shocker! #Apple

Engineering, Technology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

E&T #news weekly – we choose our favourite #engineering and #technology stories from the past week

E&T magazine

Friday 26 August 2016  Dominic Lenton, managing editor Facial recognition tech to combat terrorism in Germany Instagram users analysed by algorithm for signs of depression Some of E&T’s social media followers were uncompromising in their reaction to the news that Germany is even considering using facial-recognition technology to try and prevent terrorist attacks at airports and railway stations. “Facial recognition is the final nail in the coffin to freedom,” commented one. “They can F off if they think they are scanning my face,” a more forthright tweeter agreed. A lot of this is down to an understandable mistrust of machines, … Continue reading E&T #news weekly – we choose our favourite #engineering and #technology stories from the past week

books, Engineering, History, Science, Technology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Book review: Telescopes, Test-Tubes and Theories – A Scientific Journey

E&T magazine

By William Harrop From the belief that maggots simply sprung from dead flesh to the example of Newton plunging a needle into his eye to see if pressure caused us to see colours, this book perfectly encapsulates the absurdity and … Continue reading Book review: Telescopes, Test-Tubes and Theories – A Scientific Journey

UncategorizedLeave a comment

E&T #news weekly – we choose our favourite #engineering and #technology stories from the past week

E&T magazine

Friday 19 August 2016 Vitali Vitaliev, features editor IET backs International Baccalaureate to tackle A-level decline I cannot recommend the International Baccalaureate strongly enough, having witnessed my eldest son Dmitri completing it in Australia some years ago. Our decision for Dmitri to take up the IB at Melbourne’s St Leonard’s College, the only such course available then in Victoria, was dictated by a number of personal circumstances (not all of them favourable). For my son it also meant a certain disruption, for he had to leave his high school a couple of years before he was due to finish it. … Continue reading E&T #news weekly – we choose our favourite #engineering and #technology stories from the past week

Engineering, Technology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

E&T #news weekly – we choose our favourite #engineering and #technology stories from the past week

E&T magazine

Friday 12 August 2016  Vitali Vitaliev, features editor ‘Space tour guide’ could be your future career This news story could not fail but spark off my imagination. I do not share Steve Tooze’s opinion that it is hard to predict what those future jobs will be like. Nothing can be easier, if you ask me. “Space Tour Guide” sounds intriguing of course, but how about such future professions as: “Pokémon Trainer” (as well as “Pokémon Tamer” for the most unruly specimen); “Augmented reality controller”; “Delivery Drone Dispatcher”; “Robot Care Home Carer” (not a robotic carer, but a human carer for … Continue reading E&T #news weekly – we choose our favourite #engineering and #technology stories from the past week

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Book review: Astrophotography – Rhodri Evans

E&T magazine

By Jade Fell  For millennia people have been fascinated by the stars, looking up to the sky at night to search for answers, look for peace, and predict the future. As human beings we often forget our place within the wider universe, and nothing will better remind you of your relative unimportance than looking up at the night sky. It is worth noting however, that the stars above us, while intoxicating to view outside of the city lights, are just a small snippet of world outside our atmosphere. Astrophotography by Rhodri Evans serves as homage to the beauty of the … Continue reading Book review: Astrophotography – Rhodri Evans

booksLeave a comment

Win! Book review and giveaway: War and Technology A Very Short Introduction – Alex Roland

E&T magazine

By Jade Fell  ‘Humans were born armed’ is the premise to the next of our Very Short Introduction series of reviews, War and Technology, which seeks to trace the combined history of, you guess it – war and technology. Some of you may take issue with the statement – how can a human be born armed? It is interesting to note however, that weapons formed from natural material and used to defend, hunt and fight, have been around before the first Homo sapiens, back to the time of archaic proto-humans. In the 19th century, Jurist Sir Henry Maine famously commented … Continue reading Win! Book review and giveaway: War and Technology A Very Short Introduction – Alex Roland

EventsLeave a comment

IET #events this August – #engineering and technology dates for your diary

E&T magazine

The IET calendar may get a little quieter over the summer months as Local Networks slow down for summer holidays but, even so, there are still many interesting events taking place throughout August. Conferences take a look at driving horizontal innovation and the role WWI had on the telecommunications sector this month, while there are several courses looking at both technical and soft skills. Birmingham is hosting the Young Entrepreneurs Competition this August, giving young business-minded engineers the chance to demonstrate their abilities, plus there are several technical visits on offer across the UK and beyond. The Hong Kong network … Continue reading IET #events this August – #engineering and technology dates for your diary