The article 10 Tips for Writing Consistently Popular Programming Articles is very relevant to the types of articles I am trying to include on PLCdev. Number 1 Choose a Pithy Topic and 2 Augment Existing Documentation are especially relevant. I love numbers 3 Compare Things and 4 Make a List and would like to have some more of that in automation articles. All in all, this is a must read if you'd like to contribute to PLCdev.

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A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts:

Excuse me, can you help me? I promised my friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man below says: "Yes. You are in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above this field. You are between 40 and 42 degrees N. latitude, and between 58 and 60 degrees W. longitude."

"You must be an engineer" says the balloonist.

"I am" replies the man. "How did you know?"

Recently I came across this YouTube video from Sesame Street where they show crayon making in the late 70s or 80s. It's interesting to see the old ladies at work.

Looking at these old photos of the Atwater Kent radio factory in Philadelphia circa 1925 it really strikes me how far automation has come.

Queens of the Radio: 1925
The Enormous Radio Factory: 1925
Radio Room 1925
Making Capacitors
The Test Table

I've now opened up the ability for anonymous users to post comments on the site. The reason? I just installed a new technology called Mollom which blocks comment spam. Here's crossing my fingers hoping it works!

A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.' 'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.' A student asked, 'What gender is the 'computer'?'

A young engineer was leaving the office at 6 p.m. when he found the CEO standing in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Listen," said the CEO, "this is important, and my secretary has left. Can you make this thing work?"

"Certainly," said the young engineer. He turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button.

"Excellent, excellent!" said the CEO as his paper disappeared inside the machine. "I just need one copy."

A programmer and an Engineer are sitting next to each other on a long flight from Los Angeles to New York. The Programmer leans over to the Engineer and asks if he would like to play a fun game. The Engineer just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and rolls over to the window to catch a few winks.

The Programmer persists and explains that the game is real easy and a lotta fun. He explains, "I ask you a question, and if you don?t know the answer, you pay me $5. Then you ask me a question, and if I don?t know the answer, I pay you $5."

Again the Engineer politely declines and tries to get to sleep.