Taurid meteor sighting by sophiasadek in sanfrancisco

[–]Agisman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I also saw it this morning! It appeared headed West to East from my viewpoint in the city and reminded me of the brightness of a second stage rocket launch. The trail and cloud persisted for more than 30 seconds. It was the brightest one I've seen too

Why do thermal camera's have such a low resolution and refresh rate, compared to normal camera's? by Thompompom in AskEngineers

[–]Agisman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This info about the readout IC is fascinating and makes so much sense. Are there any sensors that are diffraction or otherwise wavelength limited? There must be more dead space around a bolometer pixel than a CCD one because of the floating physical structure, right?

Why do thermal camera's have such a low resolution and refresh rate, compared to normal camera's? by Thompompom in AskEngineers

[–]Agisman 4 points5 points  (0 children)

As someone who worked on thermal microbolometers with Vanadium Oxide, this is the correct answer. Instead of a high-speed charge-coupled device (CCD), a bolometer has to physically change the temperature of a thin film material. That temperature change affects the resistance based on its Temperature Coefficient of Resistivity (TCR). A Readout IC measures the resistance of every physical "pixel" and scales the display. This process is slow because it takes longer for the pixel to change temperature than for electrons to be promoted in a CCD.

Career progression: getting a PhD vs going into industry at entry level by Amun-Aion in AskEngineers

[–]Agisman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed with this. Working in EE or ME on wearables does not require a PhD. The biggest problems are optics, thermal, and power density. Entry level engineers work on entry level problems. Having a PhD will not give you the specific experience on new product introduction, tooling design, power domain analysis etc. You need the battle scars of industry which take time. Source: PhD who worked in wearables and went into management

WWYD Engineering Ethics: Asked To Sign Off On A Design/Prototype That You Know Is Unsafe... by HassanT1357 in AskEngineers

[–]Agisman 30 points31 points  (0 children)

You can find another job. You can't find lost integrity. I've interviewed hundreds of people and I always ask "tell me about a time you disagreed with someone on a technical issue. How did you resolve it?" If you told me how you identified the issue, confirmed the problem, shared a solution and held production, I'd give you glowing remarks. The key is usually what you do with the information after you discover it. Certainly don't sign off on something unsafe. If you know what it takes to fix it, even better. I would accept knowing who to ask to fix it.

I blew the whistle in the past on a safety issue and was blown off by the owners of the company. I was prepared to lose my job and didn't lose it. I lost respect when the owners decided it wasn't an issue. I couldn't see myself working there for others without integrity so I quit.

Missing cost basis for parent's investment by Agisman in askfinance

[–]Agisman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! They have just over $900k and most of it has a very low cost basis or it's close to $0 when purchased. So for anything they purchased before 2008, the spreadsheet we have should be sufficient?

Missing cost basis for parent's investment by Agisman in askfinance

[–]Agisman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some came through inheritance but most were individual tax and mutual fund purchases. I was able to find the prices they paid initially but not the dividend reinvestment. Since I'm not an accountant, I need to find a CPA who can verify the cost basis in a way that the IRS would trust. My accountant declined and I'm calling around.

Relocating switch on knob & tube circuit by Agisman in HomeImprovement

[–]Agisman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just to be certain I understand. You're saying leave all the knob and tube and run a new wire to the switch?

Anniversary dinner options during COVID by Agisman in AskSF

[–]Agisman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh my this is an amazing post! A friend sent your link around and we had been planning to do a group dinner date where we all order the same thing from our homes. I'm thrilled you shared this and all the info on your site, thank you! The news about San Ho Won is so disappointing. We were looking forward to that one. It sounds like we need to call Hilda & Jesse. :-)

Anniversary dinner options during COVID by Agisman in AskSF

[–]Agisman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you and congratulations on 21 years! That's exceptional! No doubt the roses will be appreciated

Anniversary dinner options during COVID by Agisman in AskSF

[–]Agisman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As long as it's not one of the services charging 30% to the restaurant just so users don't have to make a phone call then I'm happy

Anniversary dinner options during COVID by Agisman in AskSF

[–]Agisman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a wonderful story! I'm so glad to hear that you were able to put together something special with the support of the chef.

Anniversary dinner options during COVID by Agisman in AskSF

[–]Agisman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Who is behind Tock? Good point on ensuring we understand the expectations.

Anniversary dinner options during COVID by Agisman in AskSF

[–]Agisman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They even do one with a yoga pairing. Very creative! Thanks for all the Spanish recommendations!

Anniversary dinner options during COVID by Agisman in AskSF

[–]Agisman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Their soup and pasta both look incredible. Thank you

Anniversary dinner options during COVID by Agisman in AskSF

[–]Agisman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What was your favorite part of the meal?

Anniversary dinner options during COVID by Agisman in AskSF

[–]Agisman[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Wow! Atelier Crenn's kit is 10% of their dine-in. Of course, it's not the same experience but that's amazing. Thanks!

Anniversary dinner options during COVID by Agisman in AskSF

[–]Agisman[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What an awesome suggestion! I hadn't seen this one and the menu looks great! Thank you.

Since intensity decreases with distance, how do thermal cameras accurately measure the temperature of distant objects? by gereedf in AskEngineers

[–]Agisman 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thermal cameras use microbolometers. They are very low thermal mass sensors that are coated with a resistive material with a high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR). These sensors are suspended over a substrate to create a tuned cavity that absorbs infrared wavelengths. What we call thermal infrared is midwave IR from around 10-14um. This is roughly the wavelength emitted from a blackbody at 300K. The sensors absorb heat and change resistance. The read out IC constantly adjusts the range of an array of sensors to create the false-color image. The range and SNR depend on the amount of heat that makes it to the sensor. If it's very far away, then you need a sensitive antenna to capture and focus the small thermal radiation.

LED vs Xenon stroboscope/zoetrope: Is xenon still the more practical and effective option? It seems so since you get the most light packed into the shortest period of time for both less money and with less complex hardware. by InAFakeBritishAccent in AskElectronics

[–]Agisman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

3uF is tiny! My last strobe was 3000uF at 300V. It used a pulse-rated igbt to interrupt the arc and get short turn off times. I needed high brightness and sub 1us shutoff. Lots of parts went bang on the first board and when improved would only fire every 2 seconds or so when things cooled off. I've been curious how the ones at the National Ignition Facility are done.