Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

During the Industrial Revolution, which started in the 18th century, the origins of automation emerged, leading to significant technological change. This era introduced the use of mechanized equipment, such as the steam engine and the spinning jenny, revolutionizing the manufacturing process by reducing the reliance on manual labor. These advancements laid the foundation for what we now know as automation.

They look a lot like a whiffle ball – and sound like one, too – but that thwok, thwok, thwok sound now resounding through cities and suburbs, alike, is probably coming from a pickleball ball, the centerpiece of a sport soon to be coming to a court near you (in the unlikely case that it hasn’t already), and possibly even to an Olympic arena, if proponents have their way.

Recently, my wife and I had the “pleasure” of visiting a relatively new hospital complex. For almost a year, I watched the 5-story edifice being built as I traveled up and down Highway 49 in Northwest Arkansas.

It took a while, but people finally understand that watts don’t measure visible light output.

Lumens do.

Watts has to do with energy consumption, not light output. Getting some folks to understand that was a tough nut to crack, and I’m guessing some still don’t have a handle on it.

I’ve owned three homes in my life. The youngest was 41 years old when I moved in and the other two were both over 80. I chose all three based on a combination of affordability and character – I’m a sucker for period features like ceiling molding and solid-pine paneling.

A decade ago, LED lighting was still fighting for acceptance among designers, contractors and consumers. Early product generations suffered from quality control problems, flickering and light that was too far into the blue end of the visual spectrum.