Software matters for power consumption
by Nathan Tennies
Whether you are creating an operating system or firmware, or even device drivers, the way you write the software could affect the power consumption of the resulting product. Here are four approaches to minimizing power consumption through software.

Executable and translatable UML
by Stephen J. Mellor
Executable and translatable UML separates models from design. It enables you to test the model before you have a target, then generate an optimal target-specific design. Hereís how to put it into practice.

Approximating nonlinear functions with genetic algorithms
by James Hauser and Carla Purdy
Lookup tables and Taylor series are two common methods for interpolating between experimentally gathered data or for generating a known function such as a sine wave. This article proposes a third approach.

Special Report: Choosing a DSP
by Don Morgan
Once upon a time, digital signal processors were used only as coprocessors in signal processing applications and programmed mostly in assembly. Today, DSPs are used in almost every application domain. From the nitty to the gritty, here's what to look for in a DSP.

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The Long Winter
by Michael Barr
Like Bill Murray's character in the 1993 film “Groundhog Day,” I'm wondering if this year's predictions of renewed economic growth are any more likely to come true than those made last Groundhog Day.

Programmer's Toolbox
Getting it, part deux
by Jack Crenshaw
From theory to practice in one easy lesson. Jack connects the digital and analog worlds with one simple equation.

Beginner's Corner
Introduction to UML class diagrams
by Bruce Powel Douglass
The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a standard for systems modeling. It describes both the structure and the behavior of a system. This article explains how to model the structural aspects of a system using class diagrams.The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a semi-formal standard for systems modeling. It is rigorous enough to be executable and flexible enough to capture a system's various aspects.

Break Points
Li'l Bow Wow
by Jack G. Ganssle
Although a watchdog timer is essential to reliability, a vulnerable dog does not a reliable system make. Here's how you can breed a champion.