Problem Solvers?

The last few weeks have been a little frustrating.  Not because they have been any different than usual, but because they haven't been.  I've said before that I think engineers should rule the world, and I actually mean it (well, mostly).  But we just don't live up to our potential.  I'm watching it play out live in front of me at work.  There is such great need for people to step up and make a difference.  But the people that have the most potential are disinterested, or focused on making their narrow little empires neat and tidy.  There are so many organizations that need the logical, rigorous thinking that engineers are good at.  But rather than help, we watch them struggle, and make excuses that it's not our job, or we don't have enough budget.   I continue to struggle with the question of whether I should stick with engineering, to try to change the culture, or move to program management, where I might or might not have more influence.  Or, perhaps start my own business....

Along those lines, I've got 5 more Java lectures left from Stanford, and 5 more of the other Java exercises.  When I'm done with these, it will be time to focus on practicing.  Aside from the projects from the lectures, I also have the program to develop to improve my son's multiplication skills. 

The hovercraft is still alive and moving slowly forward.  We've made a few significant design changes, so there was definitely a few steps back.  But I think this time we are going to have a pretty radical machine.  If not, I think I'll make it into a coffee table...
 

Engineering Pads

An engineer's pad.  Not a lonely apartment filled with Star Trek posters, computer parts and mismatched dirty laundry.  The beautiful, pale green quad-lined paper that we used in college.  I loved that stuff.  I still remember with fondness the strict rules we were to follow when working problems on this magical media.  All of my Statics and Dynamics instructors were from the Middle East, and initially came across as very stern.  Only after a few weeks into the semester did they loosen up and crack a few smiles.  By that time, they had scared off the faint of heart (also known as "business majors".)

The discipline of how to solve a problem all started with how to write it down on the page.  Presenting the problem, listing the equations that might apply, stating assumptions, drawing a diagram, developing the Free Body Diagram, showing every step as you used the known to isolate and eliminate the unknown.  Every time I see an engineering pad I want to start solving a problem....

Quick update on the hovercraft: Board corners rounded and sanded, edge of board covered with duct tape, hole and duct work in place and the construction adhesive is curing (can't wait to see how well that works.)  Next step is to install the "skirt" and grommet and then strap down the blower.  Shouldn't be long now.

Java classes going well.  Down to single digits on the lectures and the separate "hands on" videos.  And I've decided on my first project.  I'm going to develop a program to let my 10-year old practice his multiplication and division.  I've got some fun ideas on how to keep him engaged and learning.  And since the program will have a "test" module, we can tie a healthy incentive to the results.  Clear goals and a controlled environment should go a long way.  Maybe I'll even give him his own engineering pad once he aces the test!

I Have a Dream

Well, actually I have a lot of dreams. There was a forgettable movie that came out in 1989 called, Dad. I say it was forgettable, because for most people it was, but part of it struck a chord with me. It was about an old man, played by Jack Lemmon, that was coming to the end of his life. Through a traumatic event, his son comes to learn that his father has spent most of his life subconsciously developing a fantasy world within his imagination. He evolved this fantasy day after day, growing an incredibly detailed alternate reality for himself to escape the harsh realities of his real life.


I really don’t have too many harsh realities in my file, but I do spend a lot of time in my own head. And I do have a tendency to develop a “thread” pretty thoroughly. My favorite is my version of the “what superpower would you like to have” question. My answer to that question is that I would like the ability to travel back in time and study with the master of any particular skill, art or science and then return to my time. So, if I’m about to get jumped by four guys that want my iPhone, I would travel back to the late 60’s and study Jeet Kune Do at the hands of Bruce Lee. After a few months or years of this, I would pop back in and take care of business, none the older for the journey. Similarly, if I get annoyed at the profusion of computer technology that is leaving me behind, I might skip to a garage in the Santa Clara Valley and insinuate myself into the process of putting together the first PC’s.

I’ve had these fantasies for a long time (well before Heroes came out), and as I said, they tend to get pretty detailed. I’ve always thought this tied into my ability to plan in the real world as well. It’s like using the power in reverse. When I plan a project or event, I imagine it in great detail. I review the environment and facilities. I see the people and how they act and interact. I envision all the little steps. I usually go through many permutations in my mind. And it’s different than just thinking about it; it’s more like simulating the event.

I listened to a Podcast recently by one of the founders of Palm and MindSpring. He researches the human brain when he’s not making millions of dollars on startup companies. As best I could understand him, he believes that the brain works by storing memories, and then making predictions based on the available data. I think if you boil it down to its simplest form, that’s what learning is. It gives you a template of past experiences to compare to current or future situations.

How does any of this relate to engineers? Well, I don’t know. But in my experience, the best engineers can visualize a problem. Sometimes their perspective is too narrow, and they only visualize the technical aspects of a situation. Maybe we all need to spend more time fantasizing, looking either backward or forward.

Saturday for Engineers

Okay, I realize a lot of engineers have a real life.  Some of your probably spent today at the lake, or playing softball or going to a movie.  Here's what I did.

First, I went to work to try to catch up on all the things that didn't get done during the week.  My Inbox is sacred.  I'm not one of those people that can delete emails without reading them.  And if it is in my Inbox after I've read it, then I've got something that must be done....Yeah, I'm a little sick, but I'm working on it.
Luckily the normal "to do's" were interrupted by a request to come look at some parts in the shop.  So I looked at a couple of large composite parts.  One was up for a part in "Cutter's Gone Wild" (trim problem) and the other had "resin starvation" issues.  I'm not a Liaison Engineer, but I manage a few (does that sound like a Holiday Inn commercial?)  And I'm not a composite expert yet either, although I did start my career on the B-2 Stealth Bomber, so I do have some experience.  I should blog about the B-2 some time; secret programs are always good for a lot of laughs.

So after work (and a bit of River Running for exercise) I had the afternoon in front of me.  My options were to watch "Paul Blart, Mall Cop" on NetFlix with the family, or do something that would not cause my brain to melt out through my ears.  So, I threw on my best weekend T-shirt (the Avengers leaping right out of my chest), grabbed my laptop and headed for the library.  Not to check out books of course; I just needed a quite place to work.

I've reached the point in my Java class that I really had to find a way to get some programs running.  The Stanford iTunes class is great for learning the principles, but doesn't get into the nuts and bolts of using the development environment that they recommend for the class.  Luckily, I found another set of videos that focus on the nuts and bolts.  So I made some progress this afternoon.  I'm going to master this Java thing; it's just a matter of time.

After I got tired of Java I moved on to a Strength of Materials class I've started, also on iTunes.  This one is through Michigan Tech.  So far it looks like it is going to cover my interests and be pretty challenging.

Now it's about time to pack up the computer and head back home.  If Paul Blart is done entertaining my family, it's time to make some progress on the hovercraft.  Ten year-olds don't forget things like that...

Bird Strike Tests

I was recently introduced to a subject of which I had previously been blissfully ignorant. Sure, I knew in general about bird strike tests. What engineer hasn't chuckled at the tale of a chicken passing effortlessly through an aircraft windshield because the testers forgot to thaw it out?

Lucky me, I recently had the good fortune of watching several shots using freshly "euthanized" chickens. No fear of these birds being frozen. It was so hot there was an evaporative fan keeping them cool. No such luck for the test observers. The reason for the fans was not only to keep the chickens alive, but also to make sure they didn't lose too much weight in the hot southwest sun. That's because they had to be within a certain weight in order for the test to be valid, and you can only make minor adjustments by injecting fluid or clipping off toes. These tests can also be performed using gel packs, but not all certifying agencies will accept them (the argument is that the consistency is not enough like a bird).

There is also a velocity requirement for the bird hitting the target. What is the target speed? Well, it depends. A lot. On what does it depend, you might ask? Good question. Depends on the certifying agency and the intended use. If that sounds vague, then you are doing a good job keeping up with me. So through some less-than-exact science, a target weight and velocity are determined. It is not clear exactly how the OEM is supposed to insure that no over-weight, or fast flying birds stray into the flight path of the craft once it has been certified to a lesser threat.

And since we have requirements, we have to have tolerances. The birds are weighed to the gram and adjusted appropriately. The velocity tolerance is normally around 2-percent of the target speed. So, now we are ready to perform a test. We have a recently deceased chicken that weighs maybe anywhere from 3 - 7 lbs (depending on your requirements), but is weighed to the gram. We then attempt to push this chicken through a 30' tube using compressed nitrogen (think "punkin chunkin") and hit a target within a few inches at a speed within a few MPH (or knots). If your strike is too slow, it doesn't count. If it is too fast, and you break something, your test is worthless. If you happen to be outside, your shots will be affected by the temperature AND you will have to maintain your test article at a specific temperature. Even if you are inside, chicken chunkin is not a highly repeatable process.

Which brings me to my point (Ha, I bet you thought I didn't have one!) As a person new to this process, I'd just like to say, "Are you people crazy!" What bunch of eggheads dreamed up this process, and have you not stepped back in the last 3 or 4 decades to see what a ridiculous house of cards you have built? One of the first things we learn as engineers is the concept of significant digits. If you are using data with only one decimal of accuracy, your answer can never be any better than one decimal. But the aerospace industry is spending millions of dollars every year shooting chickens out of a cannon trying to meet requirements that all started with someone's best guess about what size bird will hit a plane at a predetermined velocity. With that kind of fidelity as the input, we are wasting a lot of resources trying to introduce chickens to windshields. Develop a standard impact test that can be performed in a lab. Use energy calculations. Come on people! And to the guys that think a gel pack can't be made to adequately represent a bird, I say let's talk about Neal Armstrong walking on the moon. Or let's talk about the fact that I have a 99-cent App on my iPhone that emulates my HP 41CV. Seriously, we aren't smart enough to do better than chicken chuckin? I don't believe it.

FBD

Just in case I was too vague earlier, an FBD is a "Free Body Diagram". This is one of the fundamental tools of an engineer, but seemingly it is becoming a "lost art." Most of the younger engineers I work with don't seem to appreciate or be able to use them effectively, which is a real problem. With the advent of so much graphics and analysis software, they don't seem to grasp the fundamentals, or even why they are important. (Wow it really makes me feel old to talk about "the younger generation.")

My favorite t-shirt of all time: a picture of Clint Eastwood in one of his tough spaghetti western outfits, like in Hang 'em High, or High Plains Drifter.... and the caption reads, "Free Body Diagram, or Die!" I've only seen the t-shirt once, and I'm jealous.

I'm Baaaack (read in a Jack Nicholson crazy voice)

Ok, I have a confession (aside from the fact that I hate the Times Roman font.) I stopped blogging for a couple of weeks for two reasons. One, I was in the southwest, trying to shoot chickens at a helicopter cockpit. More about that later. But the second reason is that the only feedback I've had was from my family, who told me it is too hard to post comments on my blog. Going completely open-loop just wasn't working for me. But I was told today that at least other person that knows what a FBD is might have seen this blog and enjoyed it. So that gives me a little encouragement. It was also brought to my attention that since I don't have a counter set up, I really have no idea how many people may have seen it. (duh!)

So, I'll bring my blog up to date, and then try to keep it reasonably current. What's new? I'm half way through the 28 lectures in the Java class I'm "taking" through the Stanford iTunes University. I still think it's great, but I could use some help on a few PC-specific issues if anyone wants to chime in. (And did I mention I'll never buy a 64-bit PC again? Well, it bears repeating.)

Grapes

Are Engineers the Rodney Dangerfields of the corporate world? The CEO of a sizable aerospace company was once quoted as saying, "Engineers are like grapes. If you need some, you go buy a bunch".

Father's Dad

Update on the hovercraft: Took measurements of our gas-powered leaf blower and the eventual pilot, my 10-year old son. The pilot takes up about 22" x 22" in a cross-legged position. Then we weighed the pilot with and without the leaf blower, and calculated the weight of the blower. Next we need to do a layout to determine the size of the craft. And then we will calculate the static stresses we expect to see (not because we need to, but just for fun).

On a random note, I don't know if I will ever buy a 64-bit operating system again. I can't believe how many things won't work properly, and how much annoyance my laptop has caused me over the last year. I knew there were issues, but really thought they would be worked out over time.

Spatial IQ: Ability to mentally manipulate 3D objects. I think this may be my greatest engineering contribution to my family. In other words, I can pack a lot of stuff into small spaces, be they cars, boxes, or whatever.

Entrepreneurship

Can an engineer be an entrepreneur? An engineer applies science in practical ways to solve problems. An entrepreneur manages risk for economic gain.

Do engineers manage risk, or do they avoid it? The success rate of start-up companies or new innovations is extremely low. But the reliability of a bridge or an airplane needs to be extremely high.

I find engineering and entrepreneurship interesting. Stanford has a really nice series of Podcasts available on iTune U that blends both subjects together well. I recommend them as an easy "continuous learning" tool.

I Feel Like I'm Being Followed

I wasn't going to post today, because I'm a bit tuckered out. But in honor of my daughter following my blog, I've got to aim for the stars.

Well, let's see. At work I've got a challenging issue going involving the machining of hand forged parts. Maybe I should have stayed awake during my materials class. But really, can anyone tell the difference between martensite and austenite by looking at the grain structure? Well, of course someone can, but it all looked like a Rorschach test to me. I just saw little sheep jumping over a fence.

Finished another video in the Intro to Java class I'm taking through iTune U. Still enjoying it.

Watched several videos with my son on how to build your own hovercraft. I feel a Tool Time grunt coming on.

21st Century Man

It's Sunday, and my thoughts are a bit scattered, so I think I will just ramble.

Yesterday my 10-year old displayed his genetically prone skepticism regarding the practicality of hovercraft. Well, actually he questioned their existence, and the idea that (according to the Internet) you can build one using a leaf blower. I think we have picked his science project for next year. Time to get started now....

When I was younger I was pretty hard headed. Only knowing me then would allow you to believe I was ever worse than I am now. But I have had a few of my beliefs challenged over the years. I once thought paying 3 times more for an iPod versus any other mp3 player was ridiculous, until I finally tried one. Then I thought the idea of having a phone that surfed the Internet was a little insane (and who wants to put a video screen up to their face?) Now I think my iPhone is the second greatest product of the last several decades. (Excel is my #1 choice for that honor.) So now I'm thinking about buying a Mac to go with the four PC's in my house. After all, it only costs twice as much as other laptops....

And I was very skeptical of NetFlix when I first heard about it. Stream movies through an Xbox? I'm not a gamer, but even it I was I don't think I'd have thought this was a good idea. Until I tried it, of course. Now I'm selling a lot of my DVD's on eBay because I can watch my favorite TV shows any time I want, on any PC in the house or on a laptop while traveling.

Maybe I need to soften up even more. Who knows what else I am missing because of my preconceived notions? Three months ago I no idea that I could learn to program Java, C and iPhone Apps for free direct from Stanford no less!

I use to think I would rather have been born a 100 years ago, so that I could have participated in so many great scientific and engineering developments. Now days, I'm glad to be alive in this age.

Balancing Life

Hmmm, maybe this one will have to be filed under domestic engineering... I'm trying to balance my life. Aside from the Stanford University classes I'm wading through (and really enjoying), I'm also working my way through a Statics and Strength of Materials text. I had the classes 20+ years ago, but most of my experience has been in design. And in the aerospace industry, we tend to be so specialized that the "Stress guys" do the analysis and the designers worry about fit, form and function.

I'm not a fan of this division of responsibility, and it causes a lot of problems. But over the last couple of years, I've actually been in the position of managing a sizable Stress group, and it has been a learning experience. Someday I will expound upon this unique niche of engineers, but not now. For now let's just say I've decided to brush up on my Statics, because given the opportunity, I'd like to shake up the status quo in some small way.

But aside from iTunes U and reading a text book, I've also got to be a father. And just lately I've had some excitement in that arena. I've got four really smart kids, but not one of them has ever shown the slightest interest in anything remotely close to engineering....or math.....or science.... Well, that's not entirely true, my younger daughter is interested in becoming a doctor, so that kind of a science, right?

But the great thing is that about a week ago my 10 year old son told me that he wanted to learn about engineering. And he's smart enough to know that this is not something to say to me on a whim.

In the last few days we have learned about right triangles, Sin, Cos and Tan. We measured a point on our wall within a 1/2" by sighting along a plastic protractor and doing the trig. We defined electricity and experimented with his electric motor to make it a generator. And we learned the principle of an airfoil. The most amazing part of all this is that, with the exception of interrupting with a million questions, he actually paid attention through long, detailed explanations and examples, and he followed the concepts well. Of course I am prejudice, and tomorrow he may revert to one of his previous career choices (fire fighter, donut maker, nursery owner, etc.) But for now, it's great to have another engineer in the house, and I think he will make a fine one.

Continuous Learning

So, work has been pretty hectic the last few years. I've been on a helicopter development program that has had its' share of challenges, and that has translated into very long days and lost weekends. I tend to be pretty committed, so I haven't had a lot of time for hobby's or family, much less learning new things. Which is unfortunate, because learning new things and solving problems is pretty much all I like to do.

But thankfully things have slowed down just a tiny bit, so I've got some spare time. This blog is one testament to that fact. But what I'm most excited about is that I'm spending time on something I have been wanting to do for a long time, which is learn to program.

Of course, with an engineering degree, I've already had programming classes. In fact, I was a computer science major my first year in college. But the school I attended was really focused on business applications, not computer science. I quickly decided that I didn't want to solve some business manager's mailing list problem. (Now I have a much greater appreciation and even interest in data management and manipulation, but as a 19-year old, I just wasn't inspired.) The good news is that drove me to explore other career options, and when I looked into engineering I decided I had been born for it.

Over the years, however, I have often wished I had stronger programming skills, so that I could solve problems more effectively. Sometimes they were engineering problems, but often they were business related. And recently I have even thought that it would be a lot of fun to write an iPhone app. Granted it's unlikely that I will develop the next killer app, but it would be a real kick just to develop something that would work on an iPhone.

Visual Basic would be the most practical language for me to learn, since I could use it at work on a daily basis. But it doesn't get me any closer to an iPhone app, and it doesn't have the power and flexibility of C. Besides, I have toyed with VB over the years, and I can use it a bit when the need arises.

I decided on C, and then found out that I couldn't get into a class during the summer. As it turns out, that was probably a good thing, because I ended up looking into iTunes U, and I was amazed at the classes that are available through podcasts! I have download several complete computer classes from Stanford: an intro class in Java, an intro in C, an iPhone App Development class, plus a couple of others. And these are great classes! They are the complete lectures, with slides. I started the iPhone course, and really liked it. But I decided that I needed to back up and build a foundation before completing that class. So now I am taking the intro to JAVA, and I think the instructor may be one of the best I have ever seen. He really makes me want to take a sabbatical and go get a CS degree at Stanford (as if I could afford it!)

So I'm really excited about the volume and quantity of education that is available for free on iTune U. Maybe it's a good thing I didn't' see this while I was still working 70-hour weeks, because I would have resented not having the time to dive into this. It's great to learn!

A Marvel of Engineering

As I drove home from work today I was listening to one of my favorite Podcasts, Stuff You Should Know. They made a reference to the Hoover Dam being a "marvel of engineering." I find that term a little ironic whenever I hear it, because engineering doesn't get a lot of good press. Engineers are a little bit like offensive linemen; when their name it called, it's almost never a good thing.

I gave a presentation a few years back at my company's internal technical exchange conference. One of my main points was that engineers should rule the world, but they don't. My presentation was on the stereotypical limitations of engineers, and what we need to do to overcome them. The challenge, at least in my view, is that most engineers have self-imposed limitations that they aren't interested in addressing. For example, many engineers feel that they are above working to schedules or worrying about business issues. And most engineers are afraid of conflict, unless it involves a technical discussion, in which case they are likely to seek out conflict. But ask them to confront a peer or subordinate about a work-related behavior, and watch them scurry out of sight.

Engineers should rule the world. But we don't. We let less qualified people make critical decisions, because we are afraid to step up and lead. As a profession, we need to stop acting like disinterested consultants and start living up to our potential.

Alpha

My plan for this blog is to wax poetic about the life of an engineer. From the challenges of a career to the idiosyncrasies of daily life, engineers have a unique perspective that the rest of the world just can't understand. I hope to share my perspective in a way that brings just a bit of understanding and humor to the "human condition" of the oft maligned engineer.