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techdirt.com has this to say about Jenzabar & Google metatags:

Jenzabar Finds ‘Expert Witness’ Who Will Claim Google Relies On Metatags, Despite Google Saying It Does Not

CEO of software company Jenzabar, Ling Chai, has sued the makers of a documentary about the Tiananmen Square uprising. Now, the company has gone even further. It’s found an “expert witness” who will claim that metatags do, in fact, influence Google results, even as the company itself insists they don’t. The guy in question, Frank Farance, claims in his affidavit that “metatags are used by every Web search engine to determine search results and rankings.” It’s not clear how he has expertise in this particular realm or how he knows that Google uses metatags when pretty much everyone in the space has known for years it does not and Google itself has publicly denied using metatags to rank results.

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In What Fire Scene Responders Need to Know in Tough Economic Times (Part 2), fire expert witness and Principal of Pyrocop Inc., Robert Rowe writes:

For example, Maine State Fire Marshall John Dean told the Maine Public Broadcasting Network last month that he expects that the recession will continue to fuel the arson rate as more and more people face a loss of their property or find it difficult to pay their bills. These trends become more evident with the recent increase in gas prices and the realization by desperate owners of “gas guzzling” vehicles that arson may be the only way to relieve their financial burden.

Additionally, there is the failing business. During adverse economic conditions, arson involving businesses becomes a hopeless but viable option for those business owners who are experiencing a profit loss to “shore up” an otherwise dismal month-end balance sheet.

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Trucking and transportation rules and regulations expert witness John Johnson, a Michigan Technological University professor of mechanical engineering, testified last spring before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment as part of a review of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Vehicle Technologies research and development programs.

The expert witness stated that increasing truck efficiency has a major impact because trucks make up a significant portion of America’s fuel use and will likely surpass passenger car fuel use within the next few decades. Research spending should reflect the significant role the trucking industry plays in the US economy. Manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks had sales of $16 billon in 2002, and overall, the trucking industry employs 1.4 million workers with an annual payroll of $47 billion. “Trucks account for about one-fourth of the transportation industry’s total revenues,” said Johnson.

For more, see mtu.edu.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) revised its guidelines for medical negligence expert witness testimony in cases involving pediatric expert witnesses. In its policy statement, the AAP provides a definition of expert witness testimony, and provides recommendations on how pediatricians should approach their role as experts. The full release can be found here: http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;109/5/974

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Trucking industry expert witness John Johnson, a Michigan Technological University professor of mechanical engineering testified last spring before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment as part of a review of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Vehicle Technologies research and development programs. The expert said more research is needed to improve the safety and fuel economy of the nation’s truck fleet.

Johnson expressed concern over the decline in federal funding for the 21st Century Truck Partnership. In 2000, DOE launched the Partnership to explore technological improvements in commercial and military trucks and buses. Funded through the DOE, the Department of Defense, the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Partnership also involves several national research laboratories and many industrial partners.

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In Is it Fabricated?, document examination expert witness Ronald N. Morris writes on what material can be on a copy in addition to the material on the original. “Copies may include toner reproduction of scratches, trash, dirt, etc., found on the glass or drum.”

…b. Even if a number of these qualities and features are present in the copy, it cannot be concluded that the copied document contained an originally written signature. Document fabrication, complete with the addition of signatures extracted from other documents, is relative easy to accomplish.

c. Writing features found in the original document paper stock, such as indentations or indented outlines of letters and words, the disturbance of paper fibers due to mechanical abrasive erasure or the use of liquid solvents or eradicators, insertion of a number or letter using a different ink, etc., are not exactly reproduced during the copying process.

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In MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, NOT JUST ABOUT GEARS, structural failure expert witness Philip J. O’Keefe, PE, MLE, writes:

Mechanical engineering is one of the oldest and broadest of engineering disciplines. It encompasses a broad number of disciplines, from physics to materials science, including:

Fluid Mechanics: The study of the force, pressure, and energy of stationary and moving fluids. Fluid mechanics also includes the study of aerodynamics.

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In MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, NOT JUST ABOUT GEARS, structural fatigue expert witness Philip J. O’Keefe, PE, MLE, writes:

Mechanical engineering is one of the oldest and broadest of engineering disciplines. It encompasses a broad number of disciplines, from physics to materials science, and includes:

Strength of Materials: The study of the properties of materials along with the geometry and sizing of structural components, structures, and machine parts to prevent failure.

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In MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, NOT JUST ABOUT GEARS, structural safety expert witness Philip J. O’Keefe, PE, MLE, writes:

Mechanical engineering is one of the oldest and broadest of engineering disciplines. It encompasses a broad number of disciplines, from physics to materials science, but it can be summarized as being derived from ten core areas:

1. Statics: The study of how forces are transmitted to and through stationary objects.

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The Society of Professional Engineers writes on Forensic Engineers:

How and when does a Civil Engineer become a Forensic Engineer, or require the services of a Forensic Engineer? What does a Forensic Engineer do, and, what makes the Civil Engineer different to a Forensic Engineer engaged to investigate a civil engineering matter? The term Forensic Engineer is a relatively new one and too one not frequently used by those very people who are practicing Forensic Engineers! A more familiar description is Expert Witness. How do you distinguish between a Forensic Engineer and an Expert Witness? What is a Forensic Engineer? This paper attempts to differentiate between these roles, while at the same time defining what a Forensic Engineer is, and the manner, processes and techniques that he/she has to use. The paper is not intended to describe in detail the specific processes, (typically accident reconstruction, 3D modelling etc) but it does identify the legal processes and implications that the Forensic Engineer should take on when accepting instructions on a particular matter. The paper also provides examples of these processes and the implications they hold for the engineering community as a whole in a litigious society. The paper does not attempt to discuss any differences between the numerous engineering disciplines (civil, structural, mechanical et.al.); the same principles apply to all.

For more, see http://www.professionalengineers-uk.org/index.htm