Category Archives: History

Doing the Math: Munitions & Nonwovens Production

Posted on April 17, 2014 by flybrand1976

Running numbers is crucial to understanding where you are with a new technology, especially if it is a physical product or tied to heavy industry.  Even if you’ve only got three numbers in that initial .xls sheet, your ability to … Continue reading →

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Policy and Innovation History (Radar, Manhattan Project and Apollo)

Posted on April 16, 2014 by flybrand1976

Innovation is a newborn baby that politicians love to kiss – regions and municipalities want more of it, but are uncertain of how to proceed.  Metrics are challenging – for the politician and bureaucrat it isn’t clear whether they should … Continue reading →

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Wearable Technology and the State of the Art in Fabrics

Posted on April 15, 2014 by flybrand1976

Wearable technology, as defined by Wikipedia to the right, integrates electronics into a wearable item, often into conventional apparel. There is often an electronic device, housed in hard plastic shell, that is then combined with conventional fabrics to achieve its … Continue reading →

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Nanofibers: Textiles Fourth Great Gift to Medicine

Posted on April 15, 2014 by flybrand1976

Sprayable bandages with super-wound healing capabilities.  Dialysis components small enough to be worn by the patient.  These are just two of the life science product concepts using nanofibers (“NF”) which have captured the attention of the popular scientific press – and … Continue reading →

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NanoH2O Acquisition: The Product

Posted on April 14, 2014 by flybrand1976

On Friday, March 14, Korean industrial concern LG Chem announced they were purchasing NanoH2O, an RO membrane maker that took its first external funding at the peak of the CleanTech bubble in 2005 for $200 MM.  Industrial technology has proven … Continue reading →

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Nonwovens in Tech News: Feminine Care & Apparel

Posted on March 17, 2014 by flybrand1976

Working with industrial technology often feels like being behind stage at a play – you’re able to see all of the behind the scenes action that enables modern life.  Often times articles in the popular press, and particularly tech news, … Continue reading →

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Interested in the Carolinas? 12 must read books

Posted on March 14, 2014 by flybrand1976

North Carolina has been our adopted home since 2001 – I’ve lived here longer than anywhere else (despite all the time I’ve spent on the road for work).  It is an interesting state with a long political, commercial and technical … Continue reading →

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New Products: What We Study

Posted on March 13, 2014 by flybrand1976

I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children … Continue reading →

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Define the Mission, then the Vehicle

Posted on March 12, 2014 by flybrand1976

Pat Duggins’ book Final Countdown, which documents NASA’s move to shutdown the Space Shuttle Program repeats an important aviation and aerospace maxim: The mission should define the vehicle, not the vehicle define the mission. Apollo’s mission was to put a … Continue reading →

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Reading and Listening to Revolutionary America

Posted on March 11, 2014 by flybrand1976

The American revolution is fascinating from a political, military, economic and social standpoint.  I didn’t fully appreciate its importance until moving to Virginia for college.  When reading, listening and learning about this time period, I look at things in three … Continue reading →

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