I read a lot of books, mostly non-fiction and technical in both hardcopy and digital formats. Although I get through most of them, there are some I don’t even try to finish, and a few become favorites that I keep for future reading and reference. I recently read a book entitled Re-Use Your CAD: The ModelCHECK Handbook by Rosemary Astheimer. When I saw Handbook in the title, I thought it would be another dry reference book, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was much more than that — it’s a good learning and reference resource.

The book’s author, Rosemary L. Astheimer, is an application engineer for Action Engineering, as well as a Continuing Lecturer for the Polytechnic Institute at Purdue University. She received her BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and her Masters of Software Engineering from Brandeis University. Before joining the faculty in 2014, Ms. Astheimer spent over 15 years working in the CAD software industry. She began her career in software support, transitioned into a pre-sales application engineer focusing on business development of new products and was most recently a product manager.

I first met and interviewed Ms. Astheimer at PTC’s LiveWorx 2016 in Boston. She knows her stuff.

What Is ModelCHECK?

It’s hard to shop for a gadget-y, tech-savvy person, but here’s a good gift guide for the nerd you love. In my family, I’m the nerd I love.

If you feel the urge to send me any of these items below, the address is 2033 Chennault Dr., Carrollton, TX 75006.

1.     Anoto’s Livescribe Smartpen, $119.99

I write lists. On paper. With a pen.  Writing helps me remember, while typing with my thumbs on an itty bitty screen does not.  Then I struggle to coexist between a paper and paperless world. But Livescribe solves that. It’s a Smartpen that houses an infrared camera, ARM processor, Bluetooth Smart chipset, flash memory and lithium ion battery all work together to bring your notes to life on your tablet or smartphone. Android and iOS friendly.