Interesting article about Kickstarter getting used as a source to scam people out of money.
Thankfully for another kickstarter project that is making a documentary about kickstarter itself, oust the scam before it reached funding stage where backers' credit card would be charged.

So it goes to show that we should always be vigilant when parting with money however small or big the amount is.

Full article can be found here: http://qz.com/94597/kickstarter-almost-enabled-a-120000-fraud-and-its-not-the-first/

It's been an adventure, but finally we find ourselves at the cusp of a right turn in history - the launching of the new Engineers Looking For Stuff.  So what should you expect here?  Expect clever, creative, technical people that have ideas they want to turn into reality. Expect spirited discussions by passionate folk that want to make their opinions known.  Expect development of new technology. Expect new partnerships. Expect fun.

In addition to those modest expectations, here is what you can expect in terms of features.

1. Social profiles - you can tell the engineering world about yourself and your interests, upload photos of your projects or yourself, and connect with other ELFS members of like mind.
2. All of the necessary functionality of a social network, but with none of the fluff. Connect with other members, like their content, write on their wall, send them private messages. But no chat, no endless inane banter, and nothing off topic.
3. Expansive forums - participate in cross-functional technical discussions from all over the engineering spectrum. Participate as much or as little as you want. And the forums are moderated to kick out spammers and recruiters.
4. Integrated blog - write as much or as little about your interests as you want.
5. Optional integration with your other social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc for single sign-in and broadcast to all activity feeds.
6. Weekly "Best of ELFS" newsletter with a digest of the best and most popular discussions, blogs, and content.

And to celebrate the launch of the site, the first members to sign up will get automatic "Senior Member" status. These members get access to a private Senior Member forum that no standard members can see. And the best of these Senior Members, the ones that post and participate actively, will get the opportunity to be promoted to Administrator, which includes special moderation privileges.

In the future, I will look at adding features, so please give me as much feedback as possible for what you would like to see on the site. Features I have in mind already are user-defined groups, events and a master event calendar, videos, and youtube integration.

Welcome to the new Engineers Looking For Stuff!

Ahhh, Google. When it's not wacky anti-porn goggles or autonomous cars, we figured you were just playing ping pong or laughing at Bing.  But it turns out you've had even more up your sleeve, this time in the form of some big jellyfish-like balloons intended to bring internet access to the developing world. I'm still a little puzzled on the way these balloons maintain control and will end up evenly dispersed enough to not cause massive gaps in coverage (anyone care to 'splain?), and also, won't 70% of them be uselessly over the oceans?  Anyway, still pretty cool if it works as promised eventually!

Google launches internet balloons in New Zealand

Facebook is too loose, LinkedIn is too tight, Twitter is too useless. So where do engineers, technicians, and entrepreneurs with hands-on skills go to find kindred spirits that can help them realize new products, processes, or businesses?  A few credible sources such as IEEE Spectrum, Professional Engineering Magazine, and ASME's magazine have broached the topic recently to see if engineers and social networking can not only coexist, but thrive and prosper in a productive manner. I think the answer is a resounding yes, but that's what ELFS is all about - bringing engineers together to get stuff done.  But take a look at these articles to see for yourself, and to also discover other places where people like us can get together online.

IEEE Spectrum - Online groups and sites are cropping up to cater to specialized interests

ASME - Engineers Make Practical Use of Social Media

PE Magazine - Social Net-Working

What do you think?  Can engineers make valuable use of social media to further technology and practical innovation? Or is it just a time-waster and real innovation only happens offline?

Well, I've never been much of a blogger. I've never been much of an astronaut, either. I feel equally unqualified for both positions. I do have some experience writing things for various reasons, both promotional and technical, and sometimes with lots of crossover. But usually, not so much.

But in the effort to keep some content flowing on the site, I will try and pick some interesting topics, hopefully scammed from your interesting forum posts so I don't really have to work hard at thinking of said topics. Or maybe I'll use the random Wikipedia feature and just blog about the rare flowers of Nepal or bee sting allergies or when the first mutation of the gene that makes folks blonde happened.  But probably not.

Either way, there could...or could not...be some interesting stuff here eventually. So keep a look out.