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Reprinted from other members of ECMA
(Engineering College Magazines Associated)
When Brandon Lee, the star of The Crow, was shot and killed accidentally in March of 1993 on the set of the movie, the director of the film, Alex Proyas, decided to complete the film without Lee. Even after screenwriters had modified the script, Lee's presence was still required. The filmmakers hired Dream Quest Images, a motion-picture, television, and commercial special-effects company. Electronic imaging technicians were charged with the task of blending existing footage of Lee into new scenes. They achieved this by digitally tracing Lee and blacking out the background. They then used the computer to alter Lee's face, forming a composite of that image and the one of Lee's body. The result blended so well into the scenes that audiences couldn't tell the difference between live footage of Lee and scenes that included his digitized image.
-Wisconsin Engineer, September 1995
The Denver International Airport contains several improvements over existing airports. Passengers have two options for checking in luggage: a curbside system or an indoor ticketing process. Both are designed to minimize congestion at the airport, which handles a high volume of traffic each day. The number of parking spaces is 15,000, nearly twice that of Stapleton, which only has 8,500. The atrium located in the main terminal contains 216,000 square feet of space and offers a picturesque view of the Rocky Mountains. Security has also been upgraded to include checkpoints on the atrium level and again before entry to the concourses. The gates at the airport are wider than those at Stapleton in order to accommodate wide-body aircraft used for international travel. The multi-lingual customs agents will be able to process 600 passengers per hour, and signs written in several languages direct international passengers to baggage claim areas and connecting flights.
The construction of the terminal required one year of foundation and tunnel work, two years of construction, and six months of tenant finishing. When the automated baggage system is free of bugs, it will handle 42,000 pieces of luggage per hour through the use of 21 Destination Coded Vehicles, which each carry one piece of baggage and move through a 21-mile underground track at 19 miles per hour. Opening day was set for May 15, 1995.
-Colorado Engineer, Spring 1994
UW-Platteville has constructed a Distance Education Room, complete with cameras, monitors, and audio equipment, whose purpose is to simultaneously instruct students from Platteville and UW-Stout. The instructor conducts a class of up to 42 students. Microphones are located near each student and the instructor has a wireless microphone. Students from Stout and Platteville use the microphones to ask questions, but because they are always on, they must be careful not to talk or shuffle papers. The course is taught like all others, the only difference being that students at Stout can only see what is shown through the camera. For this reason, instructors have become accustomed to slowly writing notes on notebook-sized paper.
Other UW schools, including Eau Claire and Madison, have set up similar programs, and other branches of the university are in the process of completing distance education rooms. In the future, the room may be used for video conferences, company interviews, and technical electives.
-Geode
(University of Wisconsin-Platteville), April 1995
Most students don't bother to look at their electric bills, but it can pay to examine them closely. The meter uses an electromagnet to measure energy use, which is conveyed by the rotation of the disc on the inside of the meter. The disc then rotates the dials to indicate the amount of energy used. An increase in current flow results in a faster rotation of the disc and a higher electric bill. What should be measured is the amount of current originating in your house or apartment, but the electromagnet can be influenced by outside sources. An air conditioner with two breakers, one seemingly hidden, can contribute to unintended energy use when only one is turned off.
In Kansas, customers have a choice of two meters: standard or demand. A flat rate is charged to those with standard meters; the rates vary with demand meters. The better economical choice depends on energy consumption. Apartment residents are usually charged the demand rate, so the standard rate should be requested if energy use is high enough to warrant the change.
-Kansas State Engineer, Spring 1995
