Karl Wiegers, Principal Consultant with Process Impact and author of 14 books, and Candase Hokanson, Business Architect and PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner at ArgonDigital, speak with SE Radio host Gavin Henry about software requirements essentials. They explore five different parts of requirements engineering and how you can apply them to any ongoing project. Wiegers and Hokanson describe why requirements constantly change, how you can test that you're meeting them, and why the tools you have at hand are suitable to start straight away. They discuss the need for requirements in every software project and provide recommendations on how to gather, analyze, validate, and manage those requirements. Candase and Karl offer in-depth perspectives on a range of topics, including how to elicit requirements, speak with users, get to the source of the business or user goal, and create requirement sets, models, prototypes, and baselines. Finally, they look at specifications you can use, and how to validate, test, and verify them. Brought to you by IEEE Computer Society and IEEE Software magazine.

Eyal Solomon, CEO and co-founder of Lunar.dev, joins SE Radio’s Kanchan Shringi for a discussion on tooling for API consumption management. The episode starts by examining why API consumption management is an increasingly important topic, and how existing tooling on the provider side can be inadequate for client-side issues. Eyal talks in detail about issues that are unique to API consumers, before taking a deep dive into the evolution of middleware built by teams and companies to address these issues and the gaps. Finally they consider how Lunar.dev seeks to solve these issues, as well as Eyal's vision of lunar.dev as a open source platform. This episode is sponsored by WorkOS.

Wouter Groeneveld, author of The Creative Programmer and PhD researcher at KU Leuven, discusses his research related to programming education with host Jeremy Jung. Topics include evaluating projects, constraints, social debt in teams, common fallacies in critical thinking, maintaining flow state, documenting and retaining knowledge, and creating environments that encourage creativity. Brought to you by IEEE Software and IEEE Computer Society.

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Facing the ongoing impacts of pollution and derailments, activists in East Palestine, Ohio, and Baltimore are teaming up to pursue justice for their communities.

Frontline communities continue to pay for plastics—from production to pollution. Now advocates are trying to reach consensus on a global plastics treaty before it’s too late.

The United States has historically provided hundreds of billions of dollars in foreign aid to Israel. The flow of taxpayer funds to Israel’s military has only increased since Israeli forces

On Aug. 8, 2023, 13-year-old Kaliko was getting ready for her hula class at her mother’s house in West Maui. The power was out, and she heard there was a

The Tony Award-winning play, loosely based on Alicia Keys’ childhood, falls into the same trap much theatre does, failing to depict the nuances of Black trauma.

Long harmed by patriarchal, casteist norms within the legal system, women in India are implementing women-centered forms of grassroots justice.

An innovative sex-ed curriculum in Southern California is teaching incarcerated men about consent, birth control, and dismantling masculinity.

Journalist Sonali Kohli’s new book centers the life and work of three young women of color who refused to let powerful elites shape their lives and communities.

Sex education is often taboo in close-knit Druze communities, but a new generation is creating its own care networks.

In the months prior to Vice President Kamala Harris’ nomination to the Democratic presidential ticket, I felt a lingering fear in my body about what it would mean for Black

In an Election Day conversation, Serene Khader reflects on how women were mobilized by attacks on their bodily autonomy, and what post-election organizing can look like.

Works good for me.

The government has announced plans to make it illegal to smoke outside schools and hospitals, and in children's playgrounds in England. They have also said that some outdoor places could become vape-free.

Nina brings us an animal themed Your Planet this week with stories from South Africa and the United States of America, as we look at what is being done to help endangered animals.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel Energy’s 2019 Integrated Resources Plan (IRP), which guides the utility’s direction over the next 15 years.

The CareerTech Testing Center (CTTC) works closely with instructors, industry representatives and credentialing entities to identify and develop assessments and assessment preparation materials that are aligned with recognized industry standards.

Study guides are designed to help students prepare for the assessments. Each study guide includes:

It's unbelievable that 2016 is here and the school year is half over, but that also means we are closer to the busiest time of year for those of us in the assessment industry.

I hope everyone has created and follows a secure assessment policy, but if not, John Kleeman, founder of Questionmark, created Ten tips for Securing Your Assessment System, which provides a secure foundation for your assessment system.  It seems security breaches most often occur as we get busy and are more prone to creating shortcuts in our work, but a "system" should help minimize these errors.  Please read John's post in its entirety and address any weaknesses in your assessment security:

What can you do to make your assessment system more secure? How can you avoid a disruptive data breach where people’s personal information is disclosed? Using a vendor who takes security seriously reduces risk, as I wrote in my blog article Eight ways to check if security is more than skin deep. But security involves both vendor and user. This post gives ten good practice tips on how you as a user or administrator of an assessment system can reduce the risk of data breaches.

1. Don’t give yourself or other administrators unnecessary privileges. Follow the principle of least privilege. It may sound counter-intuitive, but most administrative users don’t need access to all capabilities and data within your system. Limiting access reduces the impact of a data breach if an account is compromised or someone makes a mistake. If you are using Questionmark, allocate appropriate roles to limit people to what they need.

2. When someone leaves the project or organization, remove their access. Don’t allow someone who has left your team to still have access to your assessment data.

3. Follow good password security. Do not share passwords between people. Do not use the same password for two accounts. Choose strong passwords and change them periodically. If someone asks you for your password, never, ever give it. And if a web page doesn’t look right, don’t type your password into it.

4. Install all the patches and secure the system. A common cause of security breaches is failing to install the latest versions of software, and attackers exploit known vulnerabilities. You need to be proactive and always install the latest version of system and application software, set up good technical security and follow the vendor’s recommendations.

If you haven’t got the time or resources to do this properly, move to a cloud solution. In a cloud SaaS solution like Questionmark OnDemand, the vendor is responsible for updating Windows, updating the application, monitoring security and ensuring that everything is up to date.

5. Install good quality antivirus / anti-malware software. Reportedly there are nearly a million new or variant malware and viruses produced each day. Protect your computer and those of your co-workers with up to date, professional software to address this threat.

6. Protect any downloaded data. Questions, assessments and reports on results are generally safer on a server or in an on-demand service than on a workstation. If you need to download data locally, set up security procedures to protect it and try to ensure that any download is temporary only.

7. Dispose of data properly. Deleting a file on a computer doesn’t erase the data, it simply erases the index to it. If you use a reputable service like Questionmark OnDemand, if a disk is repaired or reaches end of life, it will be securely destroyed for example by degaussing. But if you download data locally or use installable software to manage your assessments, you need to do this yourselves. A recent study suggested that about half of used hard drives sold online contain residual data. Make sure this is not your assessment data!

8. Be careful about clicking on a link or attachment in an email. Phishing attacks use email or malicious websites (clicking on a link) to collect sensitive information or infect your machine with malware and viruses. Such attacks could even be aimed at your organization or assessment activity directly (this is called spear phishing!). Think before clicking.

9. Be aware of social engineering. Social engineering is when someone tries to trick you or someone else into a security breach. For example someone might ring up and claim to be a student who wants their results, but really is an imposter. Or someone might spoof an email from your boss asking for the questions for the next test to review. Be wary of strange phone calls or emails that ask for something urgent. If something seems suspicious, clear it with a security professional before you give them info or ask a caller to hang up and call them back on an official number.

10. Conduct security awareness training. If you’re not already doing this, organize training sessions for all your authors, proctors, administrators and other users to help them be security aware. if you can, deliver tests after the training to check understanding. Sharing this blog article with your co-workers would be a great way to start.

To see more Questionmark posts click HERE.

Photo courtesy of the Clayton Christensen Institute

Want to know how sleep "resets" your brain? How memories are formed and retained?  Then watch The Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep, embedded below, and learn how sleep balances and regulates the body's vital systems which, in turn, affects declarative and procedural memory.

This short TED-Ed lesson by Shai Marcu is an important topic as school starts and students will soon be staying up late or all night in order to cram for tests and other educational requirements. Marcu goes into detail describing the neurological importance of 8 hours of sleep, but the application is interesting as going to sleep three hours after memorizing math formulas (declarative memory) and one hour after practicing music scales (procedural memory) is the most ideal.

I'm left wondering what I might have accomplished if my sleep and learning patterns were consistent during my formative years...
    

Follow us! @CareerTechTest

Nearly a year after releasing its Moments curation feature, Twitter Moments is now available to users.

Twitter Moments are curated stories about what’s happening around the world—powered by Tweets.  Originally, a user could click on Moments on their profile page to find curated stories, i.e News, Entertainment, Sports, and Fun, in a typical news format.

But now, it’s easy to create your own story with Twitter Moments.  I think this is a great way to share school events and activities and it could also assist with classroom discussion, especially when dealing with current events.

Either watch the video by Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers or follow the directions from Twitter below:

How to create a Moment

There are three ways to begin creating your own Moment. You can access Moments through the Moments tab, your profile page, or through a Tweet detail. To get started all you need is a title, description, Tweets, and a selected cover image.

From the Moments tab:

1. From the Moments tab, click the Create new Moment button.
2. Click the Title your Moment field to give your Moment a name.Note: Titles can be up to 75 characters in length.
3. Click the Add a description field to type in a description for your Moment.Note: Descriptions can be up to 250 characters in length. 
4. Choose Tweets to add to your Moment: 
1. From the Add Tweets to your Moment section at the bottom of the page, quickly access content to select Tweets from Tweets I’ve liked, Tweets by account, Tweet link, and Tweet search prompts. 
2. To add a Tweet to your Moment, click on the checkmark icon 
5. Click Set cover to choose a cover image from one of your selected Tweets, or to upload an image from your computer. Drag your selected image to set a Mobile preview, click the Next button, then click the Save button.Note: To change your selected image, hover over the cover image and click on Change cover media. After you’ve set your cover media, the source will be credited below the image. 
6. Once you have Tweets in your collection, click on the up  or down arrow buttons  to the right of a Tweet to move it up or down.
7. Click on the delete button  to remove a Tweet from your Moment.
8. Click on the crop button  next to any of your selected Tweets to make an image selection for mobile viewing.
9. Click the Finish later button at the top of the page to save a draft.
10. When you are ready to make your Moment live, click on the Publish button at the top of the page.

From a Tweet:

1. Click the more button 
2. Select New Moment to add the Tweet to a new Moment.Note: Any completed Moments or Moments drafts you have in progress will also be listed in the drop-down to choose from.
3. Follow the directions above to complete your Moment.

From the Moments tab on your profile page:

1. Click on the Moments tab, then click the Create new Moment button to get started.
2. Follow the directions above to complete your Moment.

From the More menu at the top of the page:

1. Click on ••• More while in draft mode.
1. Select Choose mobile theme color if you’d like to apply one.
2. Select Mark that Moment contains sensitive material if appropriate.
3. Select Share Moment privately to copy and paste your Moment’s URL to share privately with others. Note: The Moment will only be visible to people who have the URL, it will not be visible on your profile page, or published on Twitter.
4. Select Unpublish Moment to unpublish a Moment you have previously published. 
5. Select Delete Moment to permanently remove the Moment from your profile and Twitter. Note: You will see a confirmation pop-up message to confirm the deletion.

After you’ve saved your Moment as a draft:

• You can click on the Edit button under the Moment description to continue editing your Moment.
• Click the Tweet button under the Moment description to share your Moment with your followers. Note: The Tweet compose box will pop up giving you an opportunity to edit or add to the auto-populated Moment title and link in the compose box.
• Click on the more button  under the Moment description to send your Moment via Direct Message, and to view the copy and embed links to your Moment. Note: As you scroll through your saved or published Moment you will see a menu pop-up on the left hand side to conveniently Edit, Tweet, or Message your Moment.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make my Moments private?
When creating a Moment, you can select Share Moment privately, which will only make the Moment available to those who have the link. If you would like to make previously published or shared Moments visible to only you, select Unpublish Moment.

Can content in my Moment be reported?
Yes. Content displayed in a Moment, such as photos, videos, or Tweets can be reported. To learn about the various options for reporting components of a Moment, read our How to report violations article.

What happens if a Tweet I included in my Moment is reported?
If the cover or any of the individual Tweets of your Moment is reported to us and found to be in violation of the Twitter Rules, your account may be locked—even if you did not author the Tweet.

To be honest, a circuit breaker is fairly simple device. However, the process of specifying circuit protection is often complicated and unclear, leading many engineers to either include insufficient or excessive protection in their equipment designs. Insufficiently protected circuits expose... Read more

The post Twelve ultimate mistakes when selecting circuit protection for low-voltage equipment appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

In addition to the known phenomena of lightning and switching, numerous new sources, in particular power converters, can cause disturbance in installations. This disturbance, which is generated by the installation itself or carried by the system from external sources or... Read more

The post Six less known phenomena that can cause disturbance in electrical installations appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Once the branch circuit loads are calculated, the feeder circuit loads may be calculated by applying demand factors to the branch circuit loads. General Lighting Loads (Article 220.42) Show window or track lighting (Article 220.43) Receptacles in other than dwelling... Read more

The post 8 NEC Basic Feeder Circuit Sizing Requirements appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

There are a lot of opportunities to optimise lighting system in (almost) any industrial facility. Seven practical energy-efficiency opportunities to reduce energy use cost-effectively are given below: Lighting controls Replace T-12 tubes by T-8 tubes Replace mercury lights with metal halide or... Read more

The post 7 energy-efficiency improvement opportunities in lighting system appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Parallel switching occurs when two or more circuit-breakers are tripped to interrupt a shared fault current. This is typically the case for such bus arrangements as a double breaker, breaker-and-a-half, breaker-and-a-third, and ring buses. Ideally, all of the circuit-breakers should... Read more

The post Parallel switching phenomenon when MV/HV circuit breakers interrupt a shared fault current appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Schematic drawings, also known as electrical or circuit diagrams, are essential tools for understanding and designing electrical circuits. Mastering schematic drawing is a fundamental skill for field engineers, allowing them to effectively troubleshoot, maintain, and modify electrical schemes. This technical... Read more

The post Fundamental concepts of schematic drawings for true field engineers (hands on HV schemes) appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Welcome to this comprehensive technical article that delves into the intricacies of electrical schematics, shedding light on crucial elements such as loops, wire connections, auxiliary contacts, MCBs, contactors, circuit breakers, isolators, earth switches, and terminal blocks. In the world of... Read more

The post Fundamental concepts of schematic drawings: Going deeper into analysis and design intricacies appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Many young engineers consider cement plants pretty complicated because of their weird technology. The reason probably lies in the fact that you cannot understand all those technologies unless you worked in such a plant and saw all processes from scratch.... Read more

The post The essentials of electrical systems in cement plants appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Efficiencies of fan systems vary considerably across impeller types. The average energy saving potential in these systems in the U.S. manufacturing industry is estimated at 6%. For optimal savings and performance, it is recommended that a systems approach is used.... Read more

The post Six energy efficiency improvement opportunities in fan systems appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Instrumentation consumes large amounts of compressed air at many individual locations in a textile plant, but these uses are susceptible to leakage. Most such leaks are at threaded connection points, rubber hose connections, valves, regulators, seals, and in old pneumatic... Read more

The post Eleven energy-efficiency improvement opportunities in compressed air systems appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Despite ongoing advancements in measurement technology, instrumenting a process for feedback control remains a technical challenge. Today’s sensors are certainly more sophisticated than ever before, and fieldbus technology has simplified many installation issues considerably. Nonetheless, much can still go wrong... Read more

The post Selecting Wrong Sensor As a Mistake #1 In Instrumentation appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Generally speaking, there are four ‘Poors’ that can lead to incorrectly installing instrumentation sensors: Poor placement Poor control Poor protection Poor grounding Each of above sensor ‘poors’ are described below, and by the way… have you read what is the mistake No.1... Read more

The post Installing Sensors Incorrectly As a Mistake #2 In Instrumentation appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Capacitive voltage transformers (CVTs) are used on higher voltage levels, starting from 66 kV and upwards. The type of the CVT is always a single-pole one, thus the connection is between phase and earth. The higher the voltage level is,... Read more

The post Capacitive Voltage Transformers (CVT) For HV Measurements appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

This approach assumes retrofitting and upgrading old substation secondary equipment such as intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), monitoring sensors, power apparatus, communication protocol and operating standards to improve the overall performance or reduce cost without disrupting the continuity of service. For... Read more

The post Secondary equipment you should always consider when retrofitting existing HV substation appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

The accurate measurement of the voltage, current or other parameter of a power system is a prerequisite to any form of control, ranging from automatic closed-loop control to the recording of data for statistical purposes. Measurement of these parameters can... Read more

The post How to make the right selection of a digital transducer for power system measurements appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Celebrate International Women's Day on March 8th - explore representations of women in film and promote female role models with our online resource for ages 11-18.

The aging process starts the moment new substation equipment is put into service; how quickly it happens depends on a number of factors, including the equipment’s use, the environment, the quality of maintenance, and many more. However, things aren’t the... Read more

The post Substation Equipment Maintenance: Often Neglected Until Something Big Drops Dead appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Let’s start with basics you probably already know, but nevertheless. It’s important to explain the basics first. Electrostatic Discharge (or ESD) refers to the transfer of electrostatic charge between bodies at varied voltages that is caused by direct contact or... Read more

The post Never underestimate electrostatic discharge (ESD) while working with data networking equipment appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

A few years ago I participated in an interesting project Telenor Data Center in Belgrade – The most advanced technical building in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. The building extends to 2,600 square meters and has the most... Read more

The post Eight substation equipment needed to power up data center appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

The space requirements of a power substation depend on the equipment to be housed, and on whether a new building can be erected for it or it has to be fitted into an existing building. In the case of an... Read more

The post LV/MV power substation equipment and wiring requirements you must understand appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Generally, the useful life of power system components heavily depends upon the level of care given to them and their duty cycles. For example, a circuit breaker on mainly switching duty can last 40 to max. 50 years. The majority... Read more

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These new technologies will help to significantly increase the efficiency and precision of environmental analysis.

Lab testing and evaluation of wastewater among services now offered by online shop.

Professional-grade tape has painter’s tape adhesive on one side and aggressive adhesive to hold plastic sheeting.

Protimeter has unveiled its latest innovation, the Digital Mini moisture meter, featuring enhanced accuracy, a larger display, Bluetooth connectivity, and compatibility with the Protimeter Connect app. Discover how this advanced tool makes moisture data reporting more efficient and accessible for restoration professionals.

R&R celebrates Women in Restoration by asking about a few of their favorite things.