Latest Insights from the EngX Community

  • Thoughts Around the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

    Thoughts Around the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

    Yesterday evening I went to a talk given by the Sussex branch of the British Computer Society. The title of the talk was 'Calculemus (Let us calculate): What world is AI giving us?' and, although on the subject of AI, the speaker was a philosopher. So the topic was really about how we should view developments in AI and the 'products' that will result. After presenting a view on what we mean by artificial intelligence (Is an electronic calculator intelligent because it can do sums that a human would find difficult?) the talk moved into comparisons between the learning process of a child and that of a machine. Then comparisons with other inventions, such as plastic, were explored, arguing that we should put some form of constraints on the products which were being developed by corporations, whose…

  • Are we leaving kids unprotected and at risk from abuse in the virtual world?

    Are we leaving kids unprotected and at risk from abuse in the virtual world?

    The IET’s latest research shows that Generation Alpha is spending more time online than in the real world (and yes, as a GenX’er I had to look it up too – Gen A are born in the 21st century, mainly between 2010 and 2020) The IET study of 1,000 parents of children aged 5-13 found: 57% of children spend the majority of their recreational time online. Children are spending the equivalent to a whole day online every week - 23 hours. Kids’ engagement with Virtual Reality has grown by 320% in the past year alone (63% in 2023 vs. 15% in 2022). This boggles my mind – as a kid in the 1970’s it wasn’t unusual for me to be outside from breakfast until teatime – and my mum even had a hand bell she would ring to summon us in from the far playing fields. Now, I also realise that computers didn…

  • Exploring the World of Tribology: The Science Behind Friction, Lubrication, and Wear

    Exploring the World of Tribology: The Science Behind Friction, Lubrication, and Wear

    Have you ever wondered why objects slide smoothly or why some materials wear out faster than others? The field of tribology holds the answers to these intriguing questions. Tribology is the study of friction, lubrication, and wear between interacting surfaces. It plays a crucial role in various industries, from automotive engineering to manufacturing. In this blog post, we'll delve into the fascinating world of tribology, exploring its principles, applications, and the impact it has on our everyday lives. Understanding Tribology: At its core, tribology investigates the science behind interactions between surfaces in motion. Friction, the resistance encountered when two surfaces slide or rub against each other, is a key aspect of tribology. By understanding the factors influencing friction…

Latest IET EngX News

  • Handy tips for sharing and adding extra content to your posts

    Handy tips for sharing and adding extra content to your posts

    Did you know that you can add and share extra content into your forum and blog posts in EngX? You can include polls, embed YouTube videos, Facebook posts and even files from Google docs too! Vote in our Poll! Including a poll in your question or discussion is a fun and easy way of surveying the EngX community’s opinion about a topic. Select insert from the editing options when writing your post and then poll . A new window will pop up for you to add your question, a short description (which is optional) and then the options you’d like the community to vote on. If you need more options than the three that are visible just select ‘add option’ to add more! Don’t forget to switch over to the configuration tab in the window to enter an expiration date for your poll and choose the display…

    Lisa Miles
  • Thanks for all the feedback!

    Thanks for all the feedback!

    Moving to a new software service is never easy. I’m sure you, like me have been frustrated when your favourite app or piece of software is updated, then you have to relearn everything all over again because nothing is in the same place and the way you did X to get Y is now completely different (umm… Windows 11…. #justsaying) Online communities are no exception. Those of you who have been a member of our online community at the IET for some time will have been through a number of different iterations over the years. First the Fusetalk forum then MyCommunity followed by Engineering Communities and now we have IET EngX. Of course with every changing of the platform software comes a variety of feedback both positive and not so positive. Picking through that feedback to find the things that…

    Lisa Miles
  • Happy Birthday IET EngX

    Happy Birthday IET EngX

    EngX was launched in December 2021, the result of an IET staff and member collaboration to make it easy for engineers and technicians to connect with and support one another, and to access useful engineering information from trusted sources. It’s been such a busy year and I’m delighted to see that so many community members have enjoyed using the site. Thank you all for your support, enthusiasm, and feedback! In 2022 content on EngX had over 3 million views, and over 3000 new community members joined. We’ve also hosted over 15,000 discussion posts and replies and over 300 blog posts and comments. I’m always interested in seeing what’s popular in the community, and I was not surprised to see that the most discussed topic this year, Severe Tinnitus Following the Installation of New Electricity…

Latest articles from E&T Magazine

  • The tech helping debunk long-held archaeological beliefs

    The tech helping debunk long-held archaeological beliefs

    In recent years, airborne laser scanning technology lidar, which can penetrate thick foliage and vegetation, has led to the dramatic discovery of a vast, 2,000-year-old Mayan settlement hidden beneath a Central American rainforest, as well as medieval cities beneath Cambodian jungles, for example. After more than three decades of application, ancient DNA has helped rewrite human history and unlocked secrets of the evolution of language, migration, and even the origins of the Black Death. Rather than physically dismantling mummified remains, Egyptologists use close X-ray scanning to digitally unwrap artefacts, leaving them intact. Techniques such as mass spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence allow them to look at the composition without disturbing ancient objects. And to identify mysterious…

    E&T Magazine
  • Sunak and Biden promise action on AI, data sharing, defence and green subsidies

    Sunak and Biden promise action on AI, data sharing, defence and green subsidies

    The agreement is far from a trade deal. Instead, the US President and the United Kingdom's Prime Minister have focused on a series of targeted pledges covering artificial intelligence, critical minerals, clean energy and security concerns. Sunak described the agreement as a “new economic partnership for a new age". When asked whether the Declaration was an "acknowledgement of the failure" to strike a broader trade deal, he said it "responds to particular challenges and opportunities we face right now". The Atlantic Declaration could be seen as an effort to lessen the impact of the US'   Inflation Reduction Act (IRA),   which includes tax credits worth $3,750 (£3,000) for each EV manufactured in the US, or that uses components mined, processed or manufactured in the country. The text of…

    E&T Magazine
  • Pinpointing lost treasures already in museums

    Pinpointing lost treasures already in museums

    ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ has its fair share of iconic cinematic moments, including Indiana Jones outrunning a giant rolling rock to escape a booby-trapped Peruvian temple with a golden idol, not to mention the special effects of spirits escaping from the opened Ark of the Covenant that were probably responsible for many children’s nightmares in the 1980s. But it is the final scene of the film that is perhaps the most thought-provoking, as the Ark – a “source of unspeakable power” – is sealed shut in a wooden crate and moved to a mysterious and expansive warehouse for ‘top men’ to study. The film finishes with a single figure wheeling the anonymised top-secret crate through row upon row of near-identical boxes, leaving us to imagine the other treasures stashed inside. The dusty shelves…