Develop & Share Open-Source Hardware Projects

It's important for editors to get out of the office and into the real world once in a while. Doing so gives us a chance to connect with what engineers do, as opposed to the everyday tasks of editing and posting content. One great thing about being based in Boston is having a wealth of technology companies and universities within an hour's drive.

On July 15, I visited The MathWorks, publisher of Matlab and Simulink computing software. The MathWorks is based in Natick, Mass. What should have been a 20-minute drive took 45 minutes on this day. Having not commuted to work for two years made me forget how hard it is to get around in the morning -- and I was doing a reverse commute.

At The MathWorks, I met with Eric Wetjen, product marketing manager for test and measurement. Our conversation covered current issues surrounding test and measurement, which led to a discussion of sensors. That, in turn, led to a discussion of the Internet of Things...