Dr.EW
Johnny Heikell
Said by experts:
"Airplanes suffer from so many technical faults that it is only a matter of time
before any reasonable man realizes that they are useless."
Scientific
American, 1910
"Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value."
Marshal
Ferdinand Foch, French professor of military strategy
"The helicopter is aerodynamically unsound (...) and no matter what the Army
says, I know that it does not need any."
Director of requirements of
the US Air Force to US Army Major General James Gavin
Dr.EW Downloads
Tutorials and Slide
Presentations of Interest
Please feel free to download the material below. It has been produced partly for fun, partly with serious intent. On the top of the stack is copyrighted samples of course material in .pdf format. The remaining material is in both .ppt and .pdf format and released under Creative Commons, No Commercial, Share Alike. Otherwise: ©Johnny Heikell 2011-2019.
Helicopter EW Self- Protection (PDF)
Sample of handouts for the four-day seminar "Helicopter EW Self-Protection: From Femtoseconds to Operational Capability." A detailed seminar outline can be found here. The seminar aims at giving participants a holistic understanding of electronic warfare self-protection of battlefield helicopters and other low- and slow-flying aircraft. The sample material has 44 slides (including 11 blank slides), the seminar handout contains over 400 slides. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL
LibreCAD for Real Dummies (PDF)
An introdution to LibreCAD version 2.2.0, a free software for Computer Aided Design (CAD). The tutorial was born as a self-teaching project and should not be seen as a professional-level document. LibreCAD is however, in line with most freeware, weak in documentation—geeks do not like to document what they code. The tutorial presents all basic aspects of LibreCAD and is enough to get the reader ready to start his/her own design projects. The six exercises should nevertheless be taken lightly since they are partly clumsy—my attempts to learn the trade. LibreCAD's website can be found by clicking here.Feedback to the tutorial is welcomed.
Scilab for Real Dummies (PDF)
Those who use only LibreOffice or OpenOffice may see a problem with the .ppt file because PowerPoint presentations typically are messed up when opened. It would require quite an effort in this case to re-edit the presentation, although it is possible. The .pdf altenative can therefore be a more attractive alternative for LibO and OOo users. The conversion has increased the file size to over 8 MB. However, the presentation was done for Scilab 5.3.2 while Scilab 6.0.1 has already been released. There are big differences in the user interface and in Scilab commands (built-in functions).
NOTE: An update to the Scilab material is under way. It will be released as a free e-book with the title "Scilab 6.0 for Real Dummies."
A Brief History of Computing
Technology
(5th Revision, PPT)
A presentation that falls under the heading "Done for Fun." Its 282 slides cover the history of computing (including related sciences & technologies) from the tally stick to graphene and cloud computing. It discusses for instance such less-known details as vigesimal and sexagesimal number systems, the beginning of mobile communication, the Curta "Pepper Grinder," memristors, and magnetic bubble memories — not to speak of hacking and computer security. The file size is roughly 13.5 MB; it may not open properly with LibreOffice (part of the test is unvisible).
A dozen reasons to why Linux won't
Beat Windows:
A worm's-eye view on desktop alternatives (PDF)
A personal view on competition in the desktop market. Bill Gates once said that Linux is not a competitor to Windows and he seems to be right. A lot would have to change for Linux to challenge Windows. The biggest stumbling block is the mindset of the Linux community. It is a pity, because Linux and FOSS alternatives like LibreOffice have real potential. However, despite being a non-geek sceptic I intend to continue using both Linux and LibreOffice.
NOTE: My view on the Linux-Windows competition has changed with introduction of the monstrous Windows 10. An update is needed.
Helicopters on the Asymmetric Battlefield: Challenges for Photonics (PPT)
Short slide presentation of a research paper at the SPIE Security and Defense conference in Florence, Italy, 2007 (SPIE Vol. 6738). The research objective was to identify areas of photonics that need more thorough investigation for improved helicopter self-protection. Due to time limitation the slide presentation could not cover the analysis part of the paper. For those interested, the paper can be found here (.pdf file).
Lectio Precursoria (PPT)
Presentation of the doctoral dissertation "Electronic Warfare Self-Protection of Battlefield Helicopters, A Holistic View" at the public defense ceremony in 2005. Appointed opponents were Prof. Markku Sipi, Finland, and Dr. Filippo Neri, Italy. Prof. Raimo Sepponen, Helsinki University of Technology, oversaw the ceremony in his role of custos. The ceremony lasted for three hours. It was followed by a traditional dinner party (known as "Karonka," from the Russian for "little coronation") in honor of the opponents, and was attended by some 25 persons who had supported the work. The dissertation can be found here (.pdf file).