How to make your blog "C.R.A.P."py!

Why would I want to make my blog crappy? You don't! Actually if you follow these rules it will probably make your blog better. The rules of which I am talking about are known as C.R.A.P.  According to DailyBlogTips.com, it stands for contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. These rules aren't just for blogs either, as they can be applied to almost any form of electronic media.

Contrast

Contrast may be used to differentiate between your headings, body, pictures, articles, and even ads if you have them. If you used a constant size, font, and color all throughout your blog, readers may become bored, or even lost in what you wrote. For example I went with a red, black, and white color scheme for this blog. I used red font for some of the information which I wanted to stand out more, including the blog name, article list, and any links to other website in my articles. I used black as the background, as I believe it is easier to read white font on a black background, than vice versa. It may also be better for mobile users, as it may help their battery last longer (because more of the screen is black than white).  I did stay consistent with the font style, but I did bold the headings in the articles to help separate different subjects better.


Repetition

This does not refer to stating the same material over, and over, and over again! That is bad, as your reader may get bored. This repetition means using the same colors, sizes, and formatting throughout your blog. I tried to make my articles very consistent in length and also format.  This meant keeping the font, size, and color consistent for the bodies, headers, and links. I also tried to make the images match the color scheme of the blog as a whole.  Repetition helps your reader relate one article to the next, while still keeping them separate.  It makes your entire blog flow together better.


Alignment

Alignment helps keep your blog clean and sophisticated.  This includes not just putting visual elements in just because. It should be thought out, as well as consistent. For instance, I tried to keep my page balanced by putting more images on the left side than the right, as my profile information and my picture are on the right.  I also wanted to keep the pictures in the actual body, with the text wrapped around the picture, to better associate the image with the text.


Proximity
This element refers to keeping similar information close together.  This includes keeping the headers in your articles close to the actual body, rather than inserting a space.  This is also known as blocking, as the information looks like it is in separate blocks, instead of one huge paragraph or individual sentences.  This also helps the reader find a piece of information again, and also helps with the overall flow of your blog.

The Known and Unknown of Mechanical/Automotive Engineering

Names like James Watt, Archimedes, Nicolas Otto, and Leonardo da Vinci are names most, if not all people have heard at least once in their lives.  These are just a few of the many engineers and visionaries that helped to transform the world into what we know it as today.  Everything from the transmission (first thought of by da Vinci) to the four-stroke engine (invented by Otto) and even the simple tools of the lever and the pulley (credited to Archimedes), were created by engineers.  But none of these people are alive anymore. How are we still improving technology so rapidly without the minds of these brilliant individuals?  There are some new innovators in the world, and a few may even surprise you.

Elon Musk
In my opinion, Elon Musk is the most brilliant mind in the world today.  Not only did he found the companies Zip2.com, PayPal.com, and SpaceX, he also doesn't even have an Engineering degree! He does however have degrees in Economics and Physics from the University of Pennsylvania.  According to Biography.com, he also attended Stanford to receive a Ph.D in Energy Physics, and then dropped after a mere two days of classes.  He dropped out in order to start his first company Zip2.  Even though he does not have a degree in Engineering, he defiantly fits the description. He is currently the CEO and CTO of SpaceX, a company devoted to re-inspire people into space travel and make it economically viable. He is also the CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors.  This is the company that Elon Musk is most known for today.  This company, which was started in 2003, now makes the quickest (0-60mph) production four door sedan in the world.  People are even calling him a real-life "Iron Man", hinting at the fact that he is working to innovate energy and transportation as a whole. I wish Elon Musk, and all of his companies good luck, and am interested in purchasing a Tesla someday.

Alba Colon
I didn't know about Alba until I started researching minorities in engineering. And though I didn't know of Alba, I have heard of many people associated with her including: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr., and Danica Patrick. These are all NASCAR drivers, which is fitting as Alba is the first non-Caucasian female to work as an engineer on NASCAR vehicles. According to TheHenryFord.org she was born is Spain and moved to Puerto Rico at the age of three.  She studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico. After receiving her degree in 1994, she was hired by General Motors. During her climb to where she is now, as Chevy's NASCAR Sprint Cup Program Manager, she encountered obstacles, with many coming from her gender. Even throughout college, she faced barriers, being one of only seven women in the mechanical engineering program.

James Flaherty
James Flaherty is the Vice President and General Manager of Federal Machine Co, which is based out of Fargo, ND. This company specializes in the heat treating of
 metal products. Some of his responsibilities at Federal Machine Co include working with product design engineers to design better products and also communicating with the customer.  These communications may include anything from reports to drawings. James also co-teaches the Mechanical Engineering 221 course at North Dakota State University.  This course covers the internal and external forces required to keep a system static, or not moving. I had the pleasure of having him as my lecture instructor in the Fall of 2015.

Electric Cars: Perfect solution? Maybe not

The electric powered automobile has come and gone throughout the ages.  In fact the electric car was invented before the gasoline car.  The first electric cars, conceived during the early 1800's, were simply buggies, that were once horse drawn, equipped with batteries and a small electric motor. According to the US Department of Energy, it wasn't until 1890 that the first successful electric car was made here in the U.S. It held six passengers and had a whopping top speed of 14 miles per hour. Compare that to the Tesla Model S, the quickest (0-60) production sedan ever made, and you could say improvements have been made. 

Tesla Model S

Benefits of an Electric Car

One of the main benefits of an electric car is not having to pay for gas.  Even with the lowest gas prices since 2008, I don't know a person who would turn down not having to pay for gas. Another key factor that influences someone to buy an electric vehicle is the environment. Electric cars, unlike gasoline or diesel cars, do not emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Another benefit of electric cars is the smooth ride, as there are no gears to shift. An electric vehicle doesn't have to change gears as the torque is immediate. It isn't like a gas engine which takes a certain RPM to reach maximum torque and horsepower. An electric motor produces just as much torque at 1 RPM as it does at 6000 RPM.

Another benefit of this immediate torque is performance. With peak torque available with a minimal amount of throttle input, some electric cars can actually be fun to drive. According to CarandDriver.com the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV has 140hp and a whopping 400 ft.-lbs. of torque. Compare that to its gasoline counterpart at 84hp and 83 ft.-lbs. of torque, and you see quite a difference. That is a 167% increase in horsepower, and a stunning 481% increase in torque. A gas engine with comparable torque numbers is a GM Ram Jet 350 crate engine. Yes it takes 5.7 liters of gasoline powered engine to pump out as much torque as an electric motor in a compact car. And it takes revving up to 3500 RPM to reach that max torque, whereas the Spark EV's torque is immediate.

What they don't tell you

While many car dealers and electric car owners will tell you, "Well if you buy this electric car you wont have to pay for gas ever again." or "My car doesn't hurt the environment.", they are forgetting one thing. That is that this energy that is powering their cars isn't free, and it doesn't just come from nowhere. Much of the electricity consumed by Americans is produced by burning coal. This process releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. And the more strain is on the grid (the more electricity used), the more coal has to be burned. So based on this electric cars release greenhouse gases, indirectly. The amount that is released is significantly lower than that of a common automobile, but it is still an impact. Also, unless you have an immensely generous power company, you have to pay for all of the electricity that you use. So unless you have a Tesla and use their system of Supercharger stations, you are still paying for your fuel. Once again, it is about a fifth of the cost of gasoline, but it isn't zero.

In the end, the electric car may be a more suitable solution to the depletion of fossil fuels and the accumulation of greenhouse gases than gasoline cars, but it is still not the PERFECT solution.

What is Mechanical Engineering?

We have probably all heard about this field, but what exactly is it? Mechanical engineering is probably the broadest branch of engineering, spanning the concepts of energy, force, and motion. In short, mechanical engineering is the designing of things that can move. This could include anything from a furnace in your home, to the air conditioner in your car (or even your car itself).  Also included could be the watch on your wrist, or the chair you are sitting in.  

What does a mechanical engineer do?

It is very rare for one single mechanical engineer to be designing all of the items listed above. Many mechanical engineers have specialized in a more specific field to better their understanding of that individual subject. One may focus on automobiles, while another focuses on hand drills. The possibilities are seemingly endless. But even though their specialties may be different, they probably still relate to the same concepts of energy, force, and motion. 

What is a mechanical engineer like?

To me a mechanical engineer is the person who goes to work Monday through Friday, designing some of the things that I spoke of before, and then on the weekends can be found tinkering in his shed, garage, or shop. This is the kind of person who will spend a rainy Saturday watching reruns of Modern Marvels, MythBusters, and How it’s Made.  Then the next day he/she may try to design or test some of these things on his own. A mechanical engineers mind is constantly asking the same three questions: “How does that work?”, “Could I make that better?”, and “What’s next?”.

How do mechanical engineers help the world?

You may be asking, “Okay, now how do they help me?” The answer is simple. Look around! That car you drove to work today, that was a mechanical engineer.  The mouse you are using to scroll with right now, yeah that was probably a mechanical engineer also. A mechanical engineer possibly also played a role in designing the shoes you have on your feet. And these are just the things YOU use. Mechanical engineers play a role in designing helmets for our armed forces. They also have an influence on the way firearms and other weapons are made. These items help to keep our country, and our soldiers, safe. So like I said, look around. Most of the things you can see, a mechanical engineer had a part in designing.