Harnessing the technology from the latest CGI video game flight simulators this puts the viewers behind the cockpit pitted against enemy aircraft in some of modern history's greatest air battles.

Media outlets report to us regularly on the latest external cyber-attacks and security breaches. From credit card companies to financial institutions to retailers, there have been many enterprises that have fallen victim to cyber criminals and hacktivists. But recently the headlines have also been buzzing about insider-attacks. Initiated by disgruntled employees or malicious business partners, they can be very costly and difficult for the organization...

Examine the nuances of alternating and direct currents, see how transformers use electromagnetic induction to transform voltage levels in AC circuits, and observe the role of diodes and capacitors in regulating current. See how the DC power supplies that charge our cell phones are constructed so that they convert alternating to direct current.

Learn how electronic devices "talk" to each other by using flip-flops to send computer "words" one bit at a time, and observe how recipient devices reassemble incoming bits using serial-to-parallel conversions. See how Universal Serial Bus (USB) connections transmit communications between devices, and how the T flip-flop is utilized as a frequency divider in quartz watches.

Examine the circuits that enable your devices to "remember" everything from contact information to your browsing history to the keystrokes you type on your computer. Compare random-access memory versus sequential memory as well as volatile and non-volatile memory.

Now that the versatility of negative feedback has been demonstrated, adjust the strength of negative feedback in op-amp circuits to build amplifiers with whatever gain you choose. Create an amplifier that sums two or more inputs, see a circuit that converts current to voltage, and explore the design and operation of an op-amp-based light meter.

Understand the math behind two basic rules that allow op-amps to leverage the magic of negative feedback: no current flows into op-amp inputs, and with negative feedback, V+ = V -. See how these rules allow op-amps to tame near-infinite gain in a circuit down to the exact amplification you want.

Explore peak detectors that "remember" the maximum voltage reached, as well as Schmitt triggers whose output retain their value until the input changes sufficiently to "trigger" a change in the output. Use these concepts to design a practical circuit: an alarm to warn if your freezer's temperature has been above freezing.

Put your knowledge to use by building a complete audio amplifier. First, create a two-stage amplifier, then add capacitors to increase the amplification, or gain. Add a power output stage to drive a loudspeaker. Finally, add a volume control. In addition, learn how biasing with diodes can eliminate a subtle form of distortion.

Learn why large gain - infinite gain, in fact - as well as low output resistance and high input resistance are characteristics of the ideal amplifier. See how an integrated-circuit operational amplifier, or "op-amp," puts all these things together and also how the op-amp can be used as a simple comparator.