Forensic Reverse Engineering

Forensic Reverse Engineering Forensic Reverse Engineering Engineers can often recount a story from their youth about taking apart a clock, a small engine, or some gadget, to figure out how it works and to try to put it back together again. Now those same engineers can trace over existing parts and assemblieswhether small or largeand input those shapes into a CAD system, perhaps in the hopes of coming up with a competing design. In both cases the reverse engineering is done to find out how a product works.Colin Gagg, though, uses reverse engineering to discover how a product doesnt work. An associate lecturer in forensic engineering at the Open University in Milton Keynes, England, Gagg makes his livelihood by understanding how and why products fail.To recognize how a component or system failed, the engineer must understand how it worked and welches manufactured in the first place, Gagg said. By stepping back through the transformation stages, hell be in a better position to determine the most probable or expected points of failure within a component or system.An archetypal example comes from his book, Forensic Materials Engineering Case Studies, co-authored, with Peter Rhys Lewis and Ken Reynolds. This case began when a dock worker noticed a split in the end panel of a loaded 33-foot-long container being lifted from a ship. The container showed no other obvious signs of external damage, and the piece of machinery it held was still anchored inside.Shortly after that first split was found, workers at other ports noticed similar failures in the same type of freight container. Costs quickly escalated. Machines had to be loaded into other containers, empty containers needed to be shipped to those ports, and the damaged containers had to be either disposed of or repaired.Investigators found that all the containers had been made at the same factory during a two-month period. On each one, the riveted seam between the two end panels in the side of the container had spli t open from bottom to top. All the containers had split in the same way, and all had been carrying heavy machinery rather than bulky loads evenly distributed throughout their length.A mechanical engineer found nothing wrong with the original design or with the construction of the containers.Forensic reverse engineers were called in to track each part and how it had been manufactured. They determined that the containers side panels were sheets of aluminum alloy, riveted to each other and to the frame along vertical lap joints. All the failures involved the unzipping of the vertical lap joint between the first and second sheets from the end of the container.As the aluminum sheets were deemed innocent, their focus turned to the rivets. Although microscopic examination found no internal fault, wear, or corrosion, investigators found that if one rivet near the end of a seam failed, it would throw the extra load onto its neighbors, which could overstress them, causing all the rivets to un zip. After looking at the specification for the rivets on the engineering drawing, they performed a hardness test on the failed rivets. They were well below the strength indicated on the drawing.A mechanical engineer then found that a batch of containers was produced with rivets that had been set without being first solution treated, as specified on the drawing. It was subsequently discovered that a single employee at the container factory had omitted the solution heat treatment. Case solved.Its my view that a good forensic engineer will glean relevant information through meticulous investigation and by taking a reverse-engineering approach, Gagg said.The same could be said of engineers charged with creating a parts in the first place. Any engineer should be aiming to train himself to become a failure detective, Gagg said.Adapted from Working Backward, by Jean Thilmany, Associate Editor, Mechanical Engineering, June 2005.Shortly after that first split was found, workers at other por ts noticed similar failures in the same type of freight container. Costs quickly escalated.

How long does it take to regain a spark and motivation

How long does it take to regain a spark and motivationHow long does it take to regain a spark and motivationIf you abflug doing small daily activities (aka habits) that inch you toward your goal and fuel your motivation? About 66 days.Three Ways toChangeThere are only three to four known ways to modify human behavior for good. You can wait forenlightenment, and this is one way. However, its highly unreliable. You cannot engineer enlightenment.Another method is tochange your environment, what surrounds you. You can throw out every piece of furniture from your bedroom. You can change jobs. You can move to a different city or country. Each of those changes will introduce changes in your environment, and your environment often provides cues for your habits.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThus, your habits will change. But this kind of change lacks the element of conscious design. So me of your habits will disappear, others will emerge and you will start behaving differently. How differently? Time will tell.There is one more problem with this method not everyone can afford it. Its not so easy to change a job on a whim or move to another country, especially if you have family and life obligations.When I decided to change my life at the age of 33, I had a day job, was married, had three kids and a 35-year mortgage to pay off. I could not drop everything and start a new life.The ThirdWayAnother great way to change your behavior is tospend time with people you want to be like. Find people who have the spark and motivation. Mingle with them. Interact with them. Thats all. Human social nature will take care of the rest.We are social mimicking machines. Everything, from body language and vocabulary to value systems, transfers from one person to another at a subconscious level. You can slow down or accelerate this process of osmosis only with your conscious effort.The F ourth and BestWayMeeting new people may not be an immediate option for everyone. I was shy like hell when I began to change my life. Others may be constricted by geography, physical disabilities or circumstances (its pretty hard for an ex-convict to get into the top tier of society right after getting out of jail).Hence, the fruchtwein reliable and available method to change ones behavior is bychanging personal habits.The idea of habit does not include the size of the activity. Doing a pushup once a day is as much of a habit as working out in a gym for two hours a day.SustainabilityWhen building new habits, dont chase immediate results, aim for sustainability. If you can do something for 100 days in a row without fail, thats sustainability. Michael Phelps can swim four hours a day, every day. You cant. Aim for somethingYOUcan do every day.I recommend starting a couple of habits one that will be directed toward your goal, and one specifically to fuel your motivation.So, if you want t o write a book, write every day. If you want to lose weight, exercise every day. If you want to graduate, study every day.Remember, the scale is irrelevant at the beginning. It may be one sentence, one pushup or half a page from a textbook. Only sustainability truly matters, and its easier to maintain if your initial discipline is tiny. Also, keep in mind that tiny is subjective. One swimming pool length is tiny for Michael Phelps and writing 1,000 words is not a problem for Stephen King.When I started developing my habits I decided on several 10-minute disciplines that might have been grueling for others, like reading a book written by a saint or studying database administration documentation. But they were small in my mind.MotivationPeople often say that motivation doesnt last. Well, neither does bathing?- ?thats why we recommend it daily.?- ?Zig ZiglarWhatever your primary discipline is, you should start also a habit of igniting and maintaining your motivation. You cannot just wa it for it to appear. You need to cultivate it.The range of options is wide you can read yourpersonal mission statement, look at a vision board or visualize your success (or your process of getting to that success or both).The key is to make ita habit, not to invent the fanciest motivational tool.This article first appeared on Medium.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Types of Resume Formats and Which One to Choose

Types of Resume Formats and Which One to ChooseTypes of Resume Formats and Which One to ChoosePutting togetzu sich a resume is very serious business. It is your introduction to a prospective employer and, as with all first impressions, there are no do-overs. If the employer likes what he or she sees on your resume, you will have the opportunity to make a second impression, on a job interview for example. If he or she is unimpressed, it could end up at the bottom of the pile or in the trash. Your first step is choosing the right resume format chronological, functional or combination. Chronological Resume The chronological resume is probably the one with which fruchtwein people are familiar. On it, work experience is listed in reverse chronological order (most recent job first). This information goes beneath your personenname and contact information (address, phone numbers, and email address) and objective, as it does regardless of the format you choose. For each job, indicate the period of time during which you were employed. The name of your employer and then the employers location should follow this. Below that you should give a description of each job. Follow your work history with a section on education that lists each degree, certificate, etc. you have earned. This format is best to use when you are trying to show career growth. For example, if your most recent job is a store manager, the one before that is department manager, and prior to that you were a sales clerk, you can show a history of upward progression. However, if your work history has been spotty or if it has been stagnant you shouldnt use a chronological resume. If you are changing careers, a chronological resume is not for you either as you will not be able to show acareer trajectory. Functional Resume A functional resume is a good format to use if you are changing careers. Although you dont have an employment history in the field in which are seeking a new job, you do have skills you have obtained through other experiences, both paid and unpaid. These are called transferable skills and a functional resume allows you to highlight them. This type of resume categorizes your job skills by function, emphasizing your abilities. Follow your name, contact information, and objective with a section for each of the functions or abilities you want to highlight. Your related work experience goes beneath each section heading. For brevitys sake, try to keep to a maximum of three of four functions. For example, you might have sections titled Supervision and Management, Accounting, and Writing and Editing. Within the section titled Writing and Editing, one of your items might be Edited monthly newsletter to promote upcoming library events and workshops. Begin with the function on which you want to place the most emphasis. Choose the one that is most relevant to the job for which you are applying. Target your resume to different employers by changing your objective as well as th e order in which you list the functions. The one downside of a functional resume is that it doesnt provide a job history. This may arouse the suspicions of the person reviewing your resume who will surely want to know something about your employment history. A combination resume will solve this problem. Combination Resume A combination resume is exactly what it sounds like- it is a hybrid of a functional resume and a chronological one. This is a useful format if you are changing careers but have a solid, though seemingly unrelated, employment history. You can also use the combination format if your work history includes only one place of employment, but you spent a significant amount of time there and your job duties were very diverse. It lets you stress the various skills you attained through that job. The first item on a combination resume, after your name and address, should be your objective. Next come the sections describing your abilities or job functions. Follow the inst ructions for putting together a functional resume but keep your descriptions a shorter since you will have to leave room for the second part of this format Employment Experience or Work History. This part resembles a chronological resume. List employers and dates here, but do not offer further descriptions as you have already described your abilities in the functional part of this resume. Using the resume format that is best suited for your background and job search objectives gives you the best opportunity to tell a prospective employer about yourself and how you will best serve his or her needs. If you have an extensive work history that does a good job of showing off your attributes, go with a chronological resume. Use a functional resume to show off your abilities while de-emphasizing a limited work history, or use a combination resume to show off your abilities and a bit more extensive but still limited work history.

College Career Centers You Should Follow on Twitter

College Career Centers You Should Follow on Twitter College Career Centers You Should Follow on Twitter College Career Centers You Should Follow on Twitter If you asked me if my college career center was helpful when I was in school, I'd have to say no. And a lot of college graduates would agree, either because their own colleges' career centers were a joke, or they just didn't care enough to use them. It depends on who you ask (I would blame my experience on the latter). BUT, (yes, there is a but) career centers are well aware of this unhelpful stigma, and some are going the extra mile to change it. They're turning to resources like Twitter, knowing that students and alumni are likely using the site already. Not every college is following this trend, but here's a short list of the ones we found that are.NOTE: You don't have to be a student or alum of these schools to reap the benefits of their Tweets. @LUCareerSvcs Lewis University Illinois @UCSBcareer University of California (Santa Barbara) @CCSUCareer Central Connecticut State University @PennCareerServ University of Pennsylvania @UIScareercenter University of Illinois Springfield @WSCCareers Westfield State College Massachusetts @ASCCareerOffice Alfred State College New York @BUCareerService Boston University @CareerCenter_LU Lindenwood University Missouri @HireOSUgrads Oklahoma State University @BSUCareerCenter Boise State University Idaho @LUCCareer Loyola University Chicago @UWCareerCenter University of Washington @UGACareerCenter University of Georgia @UOCareerCenter University of Oregon If you follow any that aren't on this list, please share them in a comment below!

Production Artist Job Description and Salary Outlook

Production Artist Job Description and Salary Outlook Production Artist Job Description and Salary Outlook A keen eye for detail along with a healthy mix of creative and technical know-how makes the production artist an indispensable - and in-demand - part of the creative team. While the earliest production artists performed paste-up duties for the advertising industry, the position has evolved to include prepress work for both print and digital projects. Today’s production artist assists design teams primarily in producing print, packaging, advertising, point-of-purchase and digital graphics. The most common duty for a production artist is preflight formatting, in addition to collecting, processing, checking and uploading files. A successful production artist must possess a mix of both creative and technical skills. They must be able to work quickly but also remain extremely detail-oriented. Here’s a look at the production artist job description and average starting salary. Production artist salary benchmarks According to The Creative Group’s 2019 Salary Guide, the midpoint starting salary for a production artist is $52,000. Use our Salary Calculator to find out what a production artist can make in your city. Check out our available production artist positions now! Production artist duties and expectations While an art director comes up with creative concepts and a graphic designer executes them, it’s the production artist who brings them to life. That’s why strong typographic and layout skills, strict attention to detail, and outstanding organizational, project management, file-organization and archiving skills are a must. The production artist job description often includes the ability to: Collaborate closely with art directors, designers and developers Prepare final press-ready files based on supplied specifications for several types of printing Make various formats of supplied artwork production-ready and resolve any artwork issues that arise during production Provide image retouching, clipping paths and additional image manipulation Package and preflight files for release to printers or media partners Create PDFs for print and client review Conduct press checks Prepare images for online and mobile applications Catalog and reference art for future projects Follow a development timeline to ensure tasks are being completed on time Troubleshoot problems as they arise with both the creative team and the printer Looking to hire a production artist? Learn how we can help you with your staffing needs! Professional experience and skills A bachelor’s degree in design or other related positions is preferred for the production artist position. Significant course work in graphic design, print production, visual arts or a related field, along with an outstanding portfolio and experience that demonstrates clear knowledge of print production and design, may suffice in the absence of a degree. A production artist must have a solid knowledge of printing processes and should be adept with software applications such as FlightCheck, the Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office. Experience with digital content such as websites, social media, online advertising and email campaigns may be required, along with basic knowledge of HTML5, Adobe After Effects and web-development software. A production artist should have strong analytical skills, excellent verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to handle multiple projects in a fast-paced environment. These creative professionals should also be process-oriented self-starters. And they must stay up to date with new production techniques and trends through research and education. This post has been updated to reflect more current information.

100% Remote! 13 Cool Companies to Apply to Today

100% Remote! 13 Cool Companies to Apply to Today 100% Remote! 13 Cool Companies to Apply to Today No commute, no one stopping by your desk to ask you a “quick” question, no need to even change out of your pajamas in the morning if you don’t feel like it… what’s not to love about working from home ? This hot perk is one of the most attractive benefits out there, and employers are taking note. As a result, an increasing number of companies allow employees to work from home on occasion, and some even hire for full-time remote positions. But a handful of companies are taking this concept to an entirely new level, with all of their employees working remotely. Dubbed “virtual companies” or “distributed companies,” these employers have no physical offices - instead, each worker telecommutes from whichever location they’re based out of. These companies invest in retreats, offsite team-building activities and conferences to build a sense of community and belonging. Sound like a dream come true? Good news: we’ve rounded up a list of fully remote companies that are hiring now. Apply today - these jobs won’t be open for long! What They Do: “PartnerCentric, Inc. is a fully remote performance marketing agency with over 40 full-time employees based in the US and Europe. At our core, we build meaningful relationships and aim to be the best partners for our clients and for each other.” What Employees Say: “Nicest people ever. Talent level is very high across a highly experienced team in their industry. The service really delivers for the clients. They have 100% figured out how to be successful as a fully remote workforce.” - Current Manager What They Do: “We are the people behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Jetpack, Simplenote, Longreads, VaultPress, Akismet, Gravatar, Polldaddy, Cloudup, and more. We believe in making the web a better place.” What Employees Say: “Open source, great pay and benefits, supportive group. Lack of office means less politics. Surprisingly little bureaucracy for a five hundred person company.” - Current Employee What They Do: “Toptal is a network of the world’s top 3% of software engineering, design, and finance talent â€" available on demand to help companies accelerate, adapt, and scale.” What Employees Say: “This is a culture of high standards, autonomy, and empowerment to go out and execute. Honesty is essential, and there is no sugar coating at Toptal. We work smart, take risks, and have a lot of fun collaborating with each other.” - Current Sales Development Lead What They Do: “Close.io is the inside sales CRM of choice for startups and SMBs. Increase productivity with all your sales communication in one place. We’re changing how the world sells by providing leadership in toolset and mindset.” What Employees Say: “ As one of the newer employees, working at Close.io has been a very unique and positive experience. By unique, I mean that it’s not everyday that you find a job that you love, with a team that you look forward to spending time with, at a company that prioritizes continuous truth-seeking, trusting your team, and embracing the ridiculous. By positive, I do not mean that it’s not challenging or hard work, but it’s the type of hard work that you look forward to waking up in the morning and diving into.” - Current Customer Success Manager What They Do: “We help people easily connect and automate the apps they use every day so they can get more work done with less effort. Partners and developers, including Google, Salesforce, Intuit, and Dropbox, use Zapier to offer their customers integrations with over 1,000 other apps.” What Employees Say: “Pros: The people!! The Zapiens make working from home much easier than I expected it to be and they are the probably nicest team I’ve ever worked with. The work is challenging and everyone helps each other succeed.” - Current Employee What They Do: “MoveOn is the largest independent, progressive, digitally-connected organizing group in the United States.” What Employees Say: “Really incredible culture - open, transparent, supportive, inspiring, positive. Great leadership - I really trust our EDs and senior leaders. It’s a relatively flat organization, so I feel like I have a voice, and I’m able to contribute outside of my job description. And lastly, the work is meaningful!” - Current Employee What They Do: “We are one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. and the world’s #1 product roadmap software. More than 150,000 product and company builders at many of the best-known software, web. and technology companies trust Aha! to create a link between strategy and the team’s work and to build visual roadmaps.” What Employees Say: “From day one I felt like I was part of the team and that my work was valued in the organization. I wasn’t sure how an all-remote team would keep up a good culture, but we communicate so well that it just comes naturally. (Meeting twice a year in great places at our onsites also helps.)” - Current Employee What They Do: “InVision is the Digital Product Design platform used to make the world’s best customer experiences. We provide design tools and educational resources for teams to navigate every stage of the product design process, from ideation to development.” What Employees Say: “Challenging, exciting work on an industry-defining product. Very good engineering tools and deployment processes. Working remote is the best perk. Strong work/life balance; management is understanding of day-to-day family time and family leave.” - Current Senior Software Engineer What They Do: “TrustHCS serves the healthcare industry by eliminating backlogs, improves documentation and reducing downtime for you and your organization. Ultimately, the TrustHCS team is dedicated to [implementing] new and efficient processes in coding, compliance, and revenue cycles that remain in place long after our consulting engagement ends. By delivering long-term value with every consulting initiative, mutual success is assured.” What Employees Say: “Very [knowledgeable], flexible with work schedule, wonderful supervisors willing to help in anyway they can. Co-Workers also extremely helpful.” - Current Remote Coder What They Do: “Modern Tribe, Inc. is a rapidly growing software & design company. We develop custom solutions for some of the world’s largest companies, government institutions and smaller growing organizations.” What Employees Say: “Fulfilling projects that utilize and expand my skillset, opportunity for growth and career development, positive and supportive team members, flexible schedule, and work/life balance. Truly an incredible place to work.” - Current Graphic Designer What They Do: “Trusted by 78,000+ organizations worldwide, Articulate makes it easy to create compelling courses for every device.” What Employees Say: “The culture at this company is unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced. Free and open communication, respect and trust for the employees to do their jobs, and a focus on simplifying the customers’ interactions from sale to support… The philosophy is simple: Make your employees feel comfortable and happy, and they’ll put love into the work they do.” - Current Employee What They Do: “Student Loan Hero combines financial education with easy-to-use tools, unbiased personalized advice and repayment plans to help student loan borrowers become financially healthy.” What Employees Say: “I was skeptical about Student Loan Hero; I thought it was too good to true: Above market salaries, 100% remote, with health insurance and other benefits. But I quickly found out that it’s absolutely legit. I’ve been here for a year, and it’s a positive work environment with fantastic, talented people. I am so thrilled I decided to skip the doubt and join this team.” - Current Content Writer What They Do: Collage.com allows users to create and purchase customized photo collages in frames, on mugs, on blankets and more with their easy-to-use website. What Employees Say: “It’s a small and very dynamic company, with smart people that are all working towards the same goal: customer satisfaction. Decisions are always data-driven (A/B testing, cost/ROI estimates on all projects), which greatly reduces the risks of politics. There is no micro-management and processes are built to be as lightweight as possible. Lastly, having all employees being remote solves a lot of problems I’ve seen in the past with team partially being remote.” - Current Senior Software Engineer

Being lucky, persistent and pushy Musings from the entrepreneurial journey

Being lucky, persistent and pushy Musings from the entrepreneurial journey Being lucky, persistent and pushy Musings from the entrepreneurial journey On being luckyI shake my head when people say the job market or their career success comes down to “luck.”As in, some people get the breaks and others don’t.False.“Some people” know how to prove their value and others don’t.How do you demonstrate your worth? Quantify your success through relevant stats/metrics and share stories of how you overcome obstacles.Then, you don’t need luck. The deck is already stacked in your favor.On being persistentGood things come to those who:A) WaitB) HustleC) PersevereD) All of the aboveObviously, it’s “D.” But the answer is easier said than done. I mean, if it was so simple to achieve major career milestones, wouldn’t everyone have them?The big moments take time (Wait), non-stop effort (Hustle) and dedication no matter the odds (Persevere).I’m not big on multiple-choice tests, but this is one question where the answer is clear.On being pushyNever apologize for looking out for your own career.If other people think you’re “p ushy,” so be it. No one - and I mean no one - will fight for you as hard as you’ll fight for yourself.Bosses, business partners and others you deal with generally have good intentions, but they are focused on their own bottom line - as they should be.Make people remember you provide a special kind of value they can’t find anywhere else.This  column  first appeared on  DannyhRubin.com.