Design of Experiment: AT&T vs. Verizon 3G Networks

Hey there PaleoPals.  Today’s article is a bit unorthodox, as it’s actually a quick summary of an experiment that I did with a friend for one of my graduate classes recently.  If you’re interested in engineering, statistics, testing, and scientific journals, you should enjoy it.  If none of those things interest you, I promise there will be a prize at the end if you read all the way through.

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In engineering, there exists a field of study known as Systems Engineering, which deals with managing extremely complicated systems (like a rocket or jet fighter) which comprise many different disciplines, and producing a product with the ease and efficiency of building a Lego set.

Inside of Systems Engineering, there is a study known as Design of Experiments (DoE), which deals with how to effectively “design an experiment” (engineers aren’t very creative, lexicologically.  Yes that’s a word.  I just made it up.)   DoE is an extremely important tool for complex projects where many thousands of things may need to be tested at once. You want to design the test such that the important results are readily apparent, so that we don’t have to dig too far through the data to give us the answer we need, and DoE allows us to do that.

So, in my DoE course for my Systems Engineering Master’s degree, I decided to design an experiment to test the 3G networks of AT&T and Verizon.  The results may surprise you…

Continue reading Design of Experiment: AT&T vs. Verizon 3G Networks

REVIEW: Jurassic Park Redemption #1 from iFanboy.com

Hey Paleoposse,

I’m gonna level with ya, this one is a bit of cheat but it’s still worth reading. I wrote a review of the comic Jurassic Park Redemption #1 that went up this morning over at iFanboy.com. If you want something more directly Science… sort of check out my post from Monday, Another Manic Monday: How the Sausage is Made. Hope you enjoy a bit of comics! It is Wednesday after all…

Continue reading REVIEW: Jurassic Park Redemption #1 from iFanboy.com

SUCK, SQUEEZE, BANG, AND BLOW! Or, How a Jet Engine Works!

Here at Science… sort of, we know that our listeners are high-flying important-types, who spend more time in the air than they do on the ground.

So while you’re flyin’ in first class on a Boeing Triple-Seven, sippin on Courvoisier, watching Soul Plane while writing a business pitch on your MacBook Air, I’m sure you’ve occasionally stopped to wonder… “Why is this plane in the air, and not falling towards the ground?”

It’s because Snoop’s gotchya back

Continue reading SUCK, SQUEEZE, BANG, AND BLOW! Or, How a Jet Engine Works!

Another Manic Monday: How the Sausage is Made

If you’ve listened to Episode 41, which just went up, you’ll have heard Jacob make a comment about how much of a shambles our operation is. And he’s right. What you listen to each week is the floating head of the great and terrible Wizard named OZ. But I figure you guys might be curious for a bit of a backstage look behind how Science… sort of gets made.

Continue reading Another Manic Monday: How the Sausage is Made

Pulling a Ben… sort of

Here’s the skinny, paleoposse. I’m in an airport posting from my phone (the future is awesome). I’m running on very little sleep (you know who you are). My flight is supposed to leave in 7 minutes (it won’t). But here I am trying to do something. I’ll write something better on the flight and post it once I land but I thought you might appreciate a quick note earlier in the (if you don’t, I got nothing). See ya soon in either Atlanta or Nashville!