At Random Columns by Bob Colwell in IEEE Computer

(each link is to the article abstract page at IEEE Xplore, which will contain a link to the article)

2002

• Phrenology, Astrology, Risk, and Product Quality, January 2002, pp. 12-14
      The one constant is change - engineers never design the same thing twice.
      [includes Intel FDIV anecdote]
• On Computers and Rock 'n' Roll, February 2002, pp. 9-11
      The process of looking for correspondences is great fun.
      [includes circuit error anecdotes]
• Engineering, Science, and Quantum Mechanics, March 2002, pp. 8-10
      Quantum physics is both wildly successful and incredibly weird.
• Near Misses: Murphy's Law is Wrong, April 2002, pp. 9-12
      We must learn from our mistakes and never make the same one twice.
• If You Didn't Test It, It Doesn't Work,' May 2002, pp. 11-13
      Most things you design can't be tested to saturation.
• Engineering Follies, June 2002, pp. 10-12
      Sometimes the real lessons of an undergraduate education are not the ones intended by the erstwhile instructors.
      [includes Multiflow circuits anecdote]
• What Technology Is Doing to Music, July 2002, pp. 6-8
      Today's amplifiers have enough built-in digital signal processing to power a radar installation.
• Weird Books, August 2002, pp. 10-12
      These books will make you think - unless you're a Capricorn.
• Employee Performance Reviews, September 2002, pp. 12-15
      [describes Intel's ranking and rating (R&R) process]
• The Power of the Most Likely, October 2002, pp. 12-14
      Unquestioned assumptions are by far the biggest time-waster for system debuggers.
• The Coolest Thing on Earth, November 2002, pp. 10-12
      Building Heathkits provided valuable lessons in engineering and electronics.
• Science-Philosophy Celebrity Death Match, December 2002, pp. 13-15
      Two conflicting ideas can appear to be mutually exclusive, yet each of them seems plausible when considered in isolation.

2003

• A Man, a Dog, and a Machine, January 2003, pp. 14-16
      Building complex systems with humans in the loop presents a difficult engineering challenge.
• Me and My Theremin, February 2003, pp. 8-9
      You play a theremin by moving your hands near its antennas: one controls pitch, the other volume.
• Ground Bounce, March 2003, pp. 11-13
      The engineer or designer's toolkit includes analogies, rules of thumb, and folk wisdom.
      [includes Multiflow circuits anecdote]
• Science Fairs, April 2003, pp. 13-16
      Enthusiastic young scientists remind you of why you got into a scientific field in the first place.
• Leave Bernoulli Out of This, May 2003, pp. 10-12
      Concerning flight, Bernoulli's principle applies to the shape of an airplane wing.
• That's Not Computing--This Is Computing, June 2003, pp. 6-8
      You can't appreciate where you've gotten to unless you know where you came from.
• Tools of the Trade, July 2003, pp. 7-9
      The work engineers do reflects their tools just as surely as finished furniture reflects the woodworker's tools.
      [discusses CAD tools]
• Engineering Decisions, August 2003, pp. 9-11
      Using an engineering approach is more effective for decision making than for dealing with salesmen or attorneys.
      [includes P6 RTL validation anecdote]
• Engineering, Marketing Teams, and Management, September 2003, pp. 5-7
      Engineers, marketing folks, and managers must agree to a joint vision to develop a product.
      [includes P6 management anecdote]
• Design Reviews, October 2003, pp. 8-10
      The best design engineers are adept at accepting valid criticisms of their ideas and proposals.
      [includes several design review and management anecdotes]
• How Not to Teach Science, November 2003, pp. 7-9
      Computers only do what their programming tells them to do.
• Benchmarketing Competition, December 2003, pp. 9-11
      Benchmarketing aims to make the benchmark numbers as high as possible, regardless of whether they actually have any predictive power.

2004

• Design Fragility, January 2004, pp. 13-16
      Tying conceptually separate functions together increases overall complexity and thus has a real price.
• Computer Lessons from Pop Songs, February 2004, pp. 7-9
      Pop songs often have computer design secrets buried deeply in their lyrics.
• The Zen of Overclocking, March 2004, pp. 9-12
      Overclocking is a large, uncontrolled experiment in better-than-worst-case system operation.
• Brainstorming, Influence, and Icebergs, April 2004, pp. 9-12
      Brainstorming done right is an exhilarating, exhausting process.
      [includes Intel management anecdote]
• Engineering a Sustainable World, May 2004, pp. 9-12
      The more important a technology becomes, the more its users take it for granted.
• Let's Hear from Those in the Back, June 2004, pp. 6-9
      Heroes and winners aren't the only ones who provide inspiration.
      [includes Three Rivers Computers and Multiflow anecdotes]
• Travel Stories, July 2004, pp. 8-10
      Engineering is the name they give to the act of constantly being transported from one geographic location to another.
• The Art of the Possible, August 2004, pp. 8-10
      Often, a product prevails because it embodies the best available set of compromises.
• Engineers as Soothsayers, September 2004, pp. 6-9
      Useful insights can be gleaned from the process of collecting many inputs and synthesizing the big picture.
      [includes Intel management anecdote]
• Trusting a Chaotic Future, October 2004, pp. 8-10
      If dangerous technologies were an ethical problem several years ago, they're an even bigger one now.
• All Things Are Connected, November 2004, pp. 10-12
      For any field to move ahead, researchers must try things even when they don't quite know what they're doing.
• Interface Quotas and Internet-Derived Value, December 2004, pp. 10-12
      Eventually, we reach a limit where it's more appealing to criticize a new interface than to learn it.

2005

• Machine Intelligence Meets Neuroscience, January 2005, pp. 12-15
      With each passing year, the goal of achieving "artificial intelligence" seems to recede further into the distance.
• Behind the Scenes at Micro-37, February 2005, pp. 8-11
      The best conferences place very smart, intense people in close enough proximity to generate sparks.
• Engineers, Programmers, and Black Boxes, March 2005, pp. 8-11
      Behind most of the classes an engineer encounters as an undergraduate is one overriding paradigm: the black box. A black box takes one or more inputs, performs some function on them, and produces one output.
• Point of Highest Leverage, April 2005, pp. 12-14
      Whole-project thinking is surprisingly effective, but it's also surprising how few engineers take the initiative to occasionally step outside their box to see if the overall project picture looks right.
      [includes Multiflow anecdote]
• Pecking Orders, May 2005, pp. 8-10
      Why do people seem to naturally want to sort themselves into a pecking order?
• Frames of Reference, June 2005, pp. 9-11
      Effective communication requires conveying ideas efficiently and unambiguously using closely aligned frames of reference, thus avoiding the need to offer extensive preliminary explanations.
• Judging Science Fairs, July 2005, pp. 12-15
      Engineering must work or it's of little value, even in a science fair.
• What's the Worst That Can Happen?, August 2005, pp. 12-15
      When engineers design systems to work in the real world, they must repeatedly ask themselves...
• Presentation Lessons from Comedians, September 2005, pp. 10-13
      Presenting is a skill, essential to engineering and to the final quality of whatever we design.
• Complexity in Design, October 2005, pp. 10-12
      How well you handle your design comes down to how well you handle complexity.
• Books Engineers Should Read, November 2005, pp. 7-10
      A recommended reading list includes books that offer wisdom on how to think about the task of engineering.
• It's Time to Move On, December 2005, pp. 9-12
      Reflecting on his contributions to the At Random column during the past four years, Bob Colwell concludes that part of the fun of writing is recognizing the interconnections stimulated in real time while communicating.