Top 10 Twitter Posts — Week 15: Creative Manufacturing, STEM and Why It's Called 'Rocket Science'

It's Friday the 13th — did you check your superstitions at the door and clock in to work today anyway? Apparently, a lot of people call in sick on days like this out of fear for an unlucky work day. We braved it, though, and had a productive, conversation-filled day. Just like the rest of the week. You can jump in on the chitchat at @BWCnews.com. Enjoy your weekend!

Credit: NY Times

1. The Promise of Today's Factory Jobs in the New York Times: There's an uptick in manufacturing work, according to this article, which spotlights a Milwaukee manufacturer that recently added 100 jobs, a bellwether of the economy as a whole. Good news, good read!

2. Creative Manufacturing Network on creativemanufacturing.net: Here's a novel site we stumbled upon on Twitter this week. It's a network that aims to promote creativity in manufacturing, "to rekindle a sense of pride in American manufacturing" with digital technology like animations, videos, modeling, cloud computer, motion graphics and simulation. Cool concept — and a nicely designed website, we might add!

3. The STEM Blog at blog.stemconnector.org: We've followed @STEMconnector on Twitter for a while now, but it wasn't until just recently that we stopped by their blog. It's a good place to catch up on who's up to what in the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Check it out!

4. Which Logo Would You Choose for the 'Made in America' Movement? on themadeinamericamovement.com: The polls close at midnight, but until then you can cast your vote on what graphic best works for the "Made in America" movement. Neat that they're letting everyone weigh in!

5. Robots Use Self-Sculpting Sand to Duplicate Objects on ThomasNet.com: It sounds crazy, but some MIT researchers have found out how to use what they call "self-sculpting sand" to duplicate objects, or turn them into something else. Like a hammer into a wrench. It's a whole new way to recycle things. Click the link to read more about how it works.

Credit: KQED

6. There's a Reason it's Called 'Rocket Science' on KQED: Another failed North Korean rocket launch inspired this article on why the science and technology of missile and rocket launches are so hard to get right.

7. Browsing the Internet Makes You More Productive in the Wall Street Journal: Well, well, well ... so this explains how one can post a flurry of comments, links and what-have-you on a litany of social media channels and still get some work done.

8. Super Tall Guy's Amusing Costume on LaughingSquid.com: Nothing particularly relevant to manufacturing, but we got a chuckle out of this 7-foo-tall dude's short-guy-on-stilts get-up.

9. Some Changes to Our Website on www.bwc.com: We try to keep our site up to date as much as possible. Sometimes, it's the little things that make all the difference. Can you spot some recent additions to the home page? Lookin' good, isn't it?

10. Fun Reading for Friday the 13 via Industrial Extension Service: Did you know that an estimated billions of dollars are lost every year because people fear Friday the 13th? Crazy, right? There's more interesting tidbits if you click through there. We, for certain, didn't feel unlucky today!