For years, it has been observed that seismic waves travelling in the east-west part of the earth are faster than those in the other parts. And scientists may know the reason now.

According to them, the iron alloys located at the center of the earth appeared to have crystallized in a way that is easier to pass on the north-south axis than on the east-west. The study was led by Maurizio Mattesini, a geologist at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. It was published on the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“The structure of the atoms looks different in one direction than the other,” Norm Sleep, a geologist who was…

Do you intend to wear on your sleeves your actual love for the Iron Man 2 movie that was recently shown in theaters? If you do, then here’s another chance for you to buy one of the most incredibly designed USB flash drives since the Steampunk USB.

The Iron Man 2 ISB flash drive is a fully sculpted 3D drive that comes in different sizes and capacity. They are available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities. The only thing I am waiting for is to know whether these USB flash drives will light up once you plugged them into your USB port.

You can get the 4GB version for about $34.99, the 8GB for $44.99 and the 16GB for about $59.99.

Remember Tony Starks in Iron Man 2 when he was distracted by a certain decorative art object in Pepper Potts’ desk? If you like that same object, well here is your chance to get one. This sturdy, unique and high quality kinetic energy sculpture seems to defy gravity and the laws of physics when it just, in fact, weirdly extraordinary beauty that you can place on top of your mantel at home or on your office desk.

Here are the features of this Swinging Sticks:

* As seen on Pepper Potts’ desk in Iron Man 2
* High quality, museum grade decorative art object
* Swings noiselessly and fluidly in perpetual motion
* Will hypnotize you and make you stop mid-sentence
* Sleek, beautiful and deceptively simple but difficult to build
* Ideal for offices, home entryways, conference rooms, waiting rooms
* Great for people who loved Iron Man 2
* Also great for people who love things that annoy Tony Stark
* Simply hold the rods vertical to turn off. Horizontal to turn on
* Takes 4 AA batteries. (included)
* Dimensions: 16.25″ tall, base 10.5″ x 3.25″

automation controllerDIN rail mountable package. The controller can be used in a stand-alone configuration or it can be easily networked via its serial and LAN connections. The built-in web server makes Internet or intranet access a snap. For larger applications the Model 5300 supports up to 1024 I/O points and up to 16 axes of motion control.

The 5300 features a proven mufti-tasking real-time operating system with plenty of non-volatile memory. Programming the 5300 is simple with CTC’s intuitive next-generation Quicksilver™ state language or for advanced applications use C/ C++. You can even combine both languages in a single application. To learn more about the 5300 explore the links above or contact CTC for a demonstration.

I am seeking cost effective solutions for replacing my Rosemount System 3 control system.

I have decided that using remote I/O multiplexers for the HART smart analog and 120VAC Discrete I/O provides several significant advantages. "Home run" twisted pair cables from local area junction boxes would be replaced with an open protocol, high speed industrial Ethernet like Profinet, or Modbus TCP/IP to a server/HMI. While researching this over the last 6 months, I have discovered several multiplexer/controller solutions that are are rated for Class I, Group II environments.

The current list that I believe are strong contenders include Delta V, MTL MOST (Now GE Fanuc), Siemens S7 & PCS7 and Yokogawa Stardom FCN. I invite other suggestions. There are numerous features that I would like to see in the "open" system such as OPC or OPC UA, redundant hardware, easy to configure and troubleshoot, an inexpensive historian attached to the company LAN and minimum Licensing fees. I am inviting both pro and con comments, either directly and via this forum, on selection of a new cost effective "DCS" that would be a true distributed control system.

I feel this open discussion could also provide help to others with older control systems. My I/O count is over 1000 points. A spreadsheet comparing features of potential candidates would be of strong interest.