In the immediate future you will be seeing much more of me. I'm Caleb Kraft, and I'm joining the EE Times team. I'm still figuring out everything I'll be doing both here at EE Times as well as at Design West, but I know I'll be diving right into EE Life as soon as I can.

If you aren't already familiar with me, you can get a pretty good feel by checking out some of the stuff I have been doing. I create custom gaming controllers for people with physical disabilities, I blow up laptops, I make ridiculous and possibly dangerous props, and I've been known to get into a little trouble from time to time.

What I would like to bring to EE Life is more coverage of what engineers are doing at home.

Engineers are engineers all the time, not only at work. I typically think of engineering as a lifestyle or mindset more than an educational achievement. I have a son who was obviously born an engineer, and I'm sure several of you can identify with that sentiment. There's a tendency to obsess over a problem and to follow an analytical path to a solution, often even when another solution is presented midway.

I'd like to jump in and find out what you are doing when you're “relaxing” (obsessing over something other than your day job). I'd like to share the problems you encounter in your garage, basement, or workshop. You know that quick modification you made to that appliance when you were annoyed with the original design? I want to know about that.

These ideas are more about you than anything else, so I'll be relying on you to help shape what we cover. Your comments and emails will be as important as the stories themselves, so please don't hesitate to jump in and let me know what you think.