For those of you that have an interest in the history of marine electronics, here is a funny quote in an article on innovation and offshoring that I would like to share with you. It tells the story of how the microwave oven was invented as a result of research into radar technology.
"It happened one day in 1946, the story goes, when Percy Spencer noticed that a candy bar had melted in his pocket while he was testing a new magnetron vacuum tube for Raytheon, as part of its radar research that began during World War II. Intrigued, he placed some popcorn kernels near the tube, and an egg, the next morning--and discovered that the intense heat had similar effects."
Forbes awarded the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) Web site as a �Best of the Web Pick. A special remark was made on Chuck Husick's marine electronics contributions.
"You can also find information on on-the-water towers, boat lettering services and boater education, and there's even a state-recognized free online boater safety course," she said. The Forbes.com editors rate each site according to five criteria: content, design, speed, navigation and customization, and BoatUS.com ranked near the top in every category, BoatU.S. said. "Some of the best information was the Boat Tech Guides with no-nonsense how-to's, and Chuck Husick's marine electronics information that demystifies higher-tech gear like GPS systems and electronic navigation charts," McErlane said."
The people from MarineLED keep sending out these press releases through which they promote their new 'wireless lightning technology.' May be someone who reads this is able to explain what they mean by that, because I find it hard to figure out...
""Wireless" lighting technology now available for the marine market. MarineLED� LLC - a Seattle-based dealer of marine-specific LED lighting - is pleased to announce the opening of their e-commerce website. Founded in January, 2003 by a group of boating enthusiasts, MarineLED is passionate about exploring the dramatic potential for light emitting diode (LED) lighting for vessels of all types and sizes. MarineLED is committed to working with its suppliers and partners to bring this cutting-edge technology to their valued clients."
SAIL launched a new magazine, BoatWorks. In the Spring 2004 issue they have some marine electronics related stories. Two of the topics that might provide you with a reason to buy the magazine are:
A Household Fridge On Board He couldn't find the fridge he wanted in the marine-supply catalog, so he strolled down to the local appliance store.
Confessions of an Autopilot Brain Surgeon No need to throw out your autopilot's healthy drive unit when all it needs is a new brain.
Interview with Gizmodo.com about me and why I started this weblog four weeks ago.
"Yme Bosma's Panbo.com, the marine electronics and communications weblog, has quickly become a favorite here at Gizmodo, with its sharp focus and incisive writing. We're happy that Yme took the time to participate in the first in a series of 'Gadget Weblog Spotlights' that we'll be running throughout the next few weeks. Our hope is to draw your attention to some of the great gadget reporting that's being done out on the web."
A bit of legal/political news, but still relevant. This trade agreement will, in the end, make marine electronics cheaper and sooner available on the market. Furthermore it will make it easier for some innovative, but small equipment manufacturers to broaden their market potential.
"The EU and the U.S. signed a mutual recognition agreement on marine equipment. Under the agreement, marine equipment certified as acceptable in the market of one party will be able to circulate in the other market without additional testing or certification. The agreement covers 30 types of marine equipment, including life-saving equipment (distress signals, rigid life rafts), fire protection equipment, and navigational equipment (GPS receivers, echo-sounding equipment)."
Slightly different topic then normal, but nonetheless very interesting application of digital technologies in a yachting context. eLearing applications focusing on navigation are continuing to pop up and can be really helpful.
"Now modern advances like radar/chart split displays, overlay, and automatic tracking are all helping to make low-visibility navigation more relaxed, but again a good grasp of the basics really helps you to understand and best use on even the fanciest machines. Besides, I’m convinced that one of boating’s many seductive qualities is that there is always more to learn."
An innovative way of assisting you when problems arise with your yacht is developed by Bluewater Logistics using simple internet technology.
"It "has developed a service called MasterLog whereby every piece of gear, serial number, consumable, and individual manual can be databased by name and onboard location into a hierarchy of HTML pages.""
For those of you that have an interest in the history of marine electronics, here is a funny quote in an article on innovation and offshoring that I would like to share with you. It tells the story of how the microwave oven was invented as a result of research into radar technology.
Forbes 
The people from MarineLED keep sending out these 
A Household Fridge On Board
I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but if you were subscribed to the following RSS/XML feed: 
A bit of legal/political 
An innovative way of assisting you when problems arise with your yacht is 
Yachting World's March edition features two interesting articles: