Now that we have begun a new year, it's always interesting to look back and evaluate the year just ended. In listing a few highlights, the worst of 2003 includes the ongoing violence in Iraq, disheartening joblessness, pathetic reality TV, the insidious "Blaster" worm and other viruses, and Michael Jackson (enough said). Osama is still at large. And it's kind of a shame that the Yankees and the Marlins beat the Red Sox and the Cubs in the World Series, considering how hard it is for those underdogs to get to the World Series.
However, the best of 2003 includes some highlights worthy of a toast. The economy is recovering strength: the S&P index is up approximately 30%, and the Dow reached the 10,000 mark again.
The price of DVD players is so low, there's little excuse not to have one or even two.
Saddam Hussein was apprehended!
The retro Mini Cooper graced the roads, and author J. Rowling again artfully entertained with her fifth novel, Harry Potter, the Order of the Phoenix.
The 802.11g IEEE wireless standard brought together the 150-ft range of Wi-Fi with a 54-Mbit/s data rate in wireless devices.
And best of all, confidence in business conditions is soaring. According to Bishop & Associates, the world Connector Confidence Index (CCI) set another record in December, climbing to 92.1 from November's CCI of 86.2.
With this issue, we're starting 2004 with some of the best in products, news, and feature articles. The feature on p. 10, "At the Core: how scratches, dust, and fingerprints affect optical connector performance," describes the interesting results of a study of contamination on optical connectors, conducted by the National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative.
In his presentation at the Electrical Wire Processing Technology show in Milwaukee, Rob Boyd of Schleuniger gave an informative account of how crimp-force monitoring can go wrong in manufacturing. In this issue, he carefully expounds on that topic in "The reality of crimp-force monitoring," on p.12.
Fred Rastgar of Computer Access Technology explains an issue of importance to developers and designers in, "Stepping up to USB communication protocol," on p. 14.
This month, our special Focus On product section spotlights coaxial and RF connectors (p. 22). Thanks to the many companies that submitted their products for our consideration.
In 2004, we continue to aim high and pursue the best for our readers. The Connector Specifier E-Newsletter has gone glamorous with an HTML version. And coming soon to your email inbox: optional electronic delivery of the magazine with full search capabilities and live links.
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Valerie Coffey, Editor-in-Chief
valeriec@pennwell.com
