Well, it’s done. Time for a long vacation with chaise lounges and drinks with umbrellas. SL7Expo now has its logo. In my life, I’ve been through at least eight logo designs for various ventures. Every time, I’m reminded: logo design and organization name selection is hard work. First, a new venture needs a name. The… Read more »
As a semi tradition, one of our summer intern assignments is to do a little project that summarizes issues that run through Rik’s head. In this case Abigail Crow, UVA Systems Engineering Sophomore, was asked to get organized on ship alternative fuel efficiencies. This is her summary: Determining the most suitable fuel for… Read more »
November 2025 update: NJ Innovation never stops. This one is so impressive that it needs to be included in this list: Monarch butterfly real time tracking. This hits the “Whaaat? That’s an incredible level of inventiveness and development!” Since 1995 Martin & Ottaway has been a New Jersey company. We like being a New Jersey… Read more »
Martin & Ottaway is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. While maritime technology changed a lot in that period, it still relies on foundational truths. For example, maritime continues to be a very capital intensive industry. The returns on investment are often assumed to take a decade, and with cyclical ups and down, can easily… Read more »
The 29-day voyage of the “Grain de Sail” from Saint Malo, France to New York, New York, completed on December 16, 2020, was not publicized in the New York Times, USA Today, or any other big-name tabloids. Its cargo of about 14,000 bottles of wine has yet to hit the menus of New York restaurants… Read more »
Standard wheelchairs have not changed in decades. It is a chair with wheels and has foot pads to support a person’s feet and to keep them from dragging on the ground. The foot pads are actually quite complicated, because they need to flip away when the person is being seated or stands up and they… Read more »
My wife posted this picture on my Facebook page. I copy it here because the picture made me think, and that led me right into a patent and copyright approach that I have been toying with for a number of years. First of all, I could not figure out where the picture came from (who owns it), but… Read more »
A recent Wall Street Journal article named The Myth of Basic Science by Matt Ridley makes a fascinating argument that government spending on basic science does not result in technical innovation. The article argues that, instead, most innovation results from tinkering, and only after the tinkering results in new technology, will science catch up to… Read more »