Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts |
Adam, Brian, Carmen and Jeff answer questions from Reddit, and discuss a few queries of their own making.
- Jeff is patiently waiting to be asked to consult for an obscenely large hourly rate.
- Brian struggles to remember the exact wording of a quotation from the movie Good Will Hunting: “Nobody in this town works without a retainer, guys.” (YouTube)
- The median consulting fee for engineers in 2004, according to the IEEE (pdf), was about $110/hour. A similar 2014 IEEE survey reported an average hourly rate of $135.
- Brian introduces an unusual request from Reddit, “Can you help me destroy 15,000 US gallons of eggs per week?“
- We are directed to the following question by Carmen: “What’s the best less than 30 minute video you’ve ever seen that explains an engineering technology or concept?
- Brian reminds us of his beloved “The Missile Knows Where It Is…” audio clip that tries to explain navigational guidance.
- An animated version of a talk by Daniel Pink, the author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, is mentioned by Brian.
- Jeff references the TED talk by Simon Sinek that discusses the motivation power of asking “Why?”
- A four-part video series by the Engineering Guy investigates a mechanical Fourier transform device.
- Brian correctly identifies the inventor of the Harmonic Analyzer to be Albert Michelson, an American physicist.
- A NSFW (language) tool review channel, AvE, is mentioned by Carmen.
- Jeff reports wasting time watching a video about manufacturing metal matches.
- Brian asks why many vendors refuse to display list prices on their websites; Jeff attributes it to the profitability of differentiated pricing.
- Carmen again mentions Guerrilla Mail for generating temporary email addresses.
- The concept of reverse auctions is discussed for a bit.
- Brian is often able to use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components in his work.
- Jeff points the group towards this Reddit question: “Do you ever suffer from analysis paralysis?“
- In a follow up question, Jeff asks “what is good enough?
- Carmen notes the publication of “Learning the Art of Electronics: A Hands-on Lab Course.”
- Jeff asks the group how they determine what they should read, given an engineer’s normal time constraints.
Thanks to the Ryan Milani for use of the photo titled “Question Mark.” Opening music by John Trimble, and concluding theme by Paul Stevenson.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts |
With Brian away on vacation, Adam, Carmen, and Jeff address issues and questions found on the “Engineering,” “Ask Engineers,” and “Ask Electronics” sub-Reddits.
- Carmen is off on an immediate rant about finding brown M&Ms in his trailer this week, which is apparently a violation of his appearance rider.
- We discuss needing custom-printed M&Ms for the podcast staff.
- Since are lacking for an opening question, we turn to the Engineering sub-Reddit for source material.
- Adam is predicting that humans are ruled by Robot Overlords in the year 2100.
- A five-minute video about PID control caught Carmen’s attention (Reddit post).
- Adam has been experiencing integral windup with the water heating unit he has constructed for producing home-brewed beer.
- An overview of PID control, authored by Bob Pease, is mentioned by Carmen.
- Carmen also cites a Bob Pease article about fuzzy control.
- An article about licensing engineers in the state of Indiana is mentioned by Jeff (Reddit post).
- Adam addresses a Reddit query about what engineering students should bring to college.
- Jeff prefers the Staedtler Mars-Plastic eraser for correcting his work, while Carmen and Adam are fans of the eraser included in the Twist-Erase III mechanical pencil from Pentel.
- If you’re going to be using a lot of engineering pad for recording your computations, Adam recommends buying a box (or splitting a case with others) as a Freshman.
- A good backpack is an important investment for the college student, says Carmen. He recommends the Dakine Campus or Terminal backpacks.
- Jeff notes that iconic brand McDonald’s is struggling financially, and that Amazon has surpassed Walmart in market capitalization.
- A troubleshooting saga, concerning a simple room door could mysteriously influence a TV’s reception, entertained Carmen.
- Do you hate your engineering job? Jeff addresses a Reddit post in which the author is dissatisfied with his engineering career.
- Carmen mentions that he has recently taken up rock climbing.
- When it comes to reference books, Jeff’s favorite is Machinery’s Handbook, while Adam prefers the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Carmen likes to spread his reading time across a variety of application notes.
- We discuss a Reddit post asking why some engineers seem to take pride in their lack of spelling and grammar skills.
Thanks to Colin Kinner for the photo titled “Question mark sign.” Podcast theme music by Paul Stevenson.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts |
We answer nine questions about the engineering profession, gathered from a quaint little website called Reddit, in this episode of The Engineering Commons. You may notice a common thread in our responses, as there is rarely a clear-cut solution, and the answer often depends on the situation!
- Carmen turns to application (app) notes or textbooks for answers to many of his engineering questions.
- Jeff notes a constant stream of engineering questions in the Engineering and Ask Engineers subreddits that can be found on the Reddit website.
- We decide that answering Reddit questions doesn’t make this a “Jumping the Shark” episode, but it may qualify as a “bottle episode.”
- Q1: Can an engineering job be hands-on? A1: It depends. (7:00 — 18:45)
- Q2: How important is it to work for a Fortune 500 company as a new grad? A2: It depends. (18:46 — 28:14)
- A Google executive claims that GPA and test scores are worthless for predicting job performance.
- A video of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer laughing at the iPhone is mentioned by Brian.
- Q3: How many hours a week do engineers work? A3: It depends. (28:15 — 33:07)
- Q4: Which programming language is most useful to engineers? A4: It depends. (33:08 — 47:25)
- Q5: What are some good websites for mechanical parts? A5: Stock Drive Products, W.M. Berg, McMaster-Carr. (47:26 — 59:06)
- Carmen and Brian recommend Digi-Key and Mouser for electronic parts, as well as eBay and Amazon Supply for other industrial components.
- In a past episode, we interviewed Todd Nelson of the Analog Footsteps website, who has a nice article about the history of electrical databooks.
- Q6: Where should a high-schooler interested in engineering look for information about the profession? A6: It depends, but look for exposure to industrial and hands-on experiences. (59:07 — 1:11:44)
- Q7: How can one quickly construct a voltage regulator? A7: It depends, but not with a simple voltage divider! (1:11:45 — 1:19:57)
- Carmen mentions a well-known reference book about electronics, The Art of Electronics.
- Q8: Do engineers ever use calculus? A8: It depends. (1:19:58 — 1:26:36)
- Q9: How does one overcome difficulties in dealing with middle-aged coworkers? A9: It depends, but be understanding, and look outside your work environment for social connections. (1:26:37 — 1:41:30)
- Our sincere thanks to those Reddit readers who upvoted The Engineering Commons in this thread about engineering podcasts!
Thanks to Colin Kinner for the photo titled “Question mark sign.” Podcast theme music by Paul Stevenson.
Practical insights for the engineering crowd