– you have kept your New Year’s resolution by proving that you have made your relationship with your wife more efficient.
You Might Be an Engineer If…
January 16, 2013
Wednesday - You Might Be an Engineer If... engineer, New Year's resolution, wife Leave a comment
12
January 15, 2013
Tuesday - Numbers electricity, engineer, number 2 Comments
12 represents a fascinating number for engineers, particularly ones whose efforts provide electricity to our homes.
The average price of one kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity is 12 cents. Think about that. One can turn on a 100-watt light bulb and leave it on all day, for 10 hours, and it costs 12 cents. And with CFLs and LEDs, this cost will go way down. The engineer’s wife could dry her hair with a a 1000-watt hair dryer for an hour – if her hair is really wet – and it would cost 12 cents.
I realize that there are many factors that go into the cost of electricity and I certainly do not want to get involved in debates over subsidies, energy sources, environmental impacts, etc. (at least not now). What I wish to do is marvel at a system of creating and distributing electricity that engineers designed and built that contribute greatly to the ability for us to buy one kWh of electricity for 12 cents.
I am sure I don’t have to repeat it here, but engineers are amazing.
Equilibrium
January 14, 2013
Monday - Equations, Charts, Graphs... engineer, equlibrium, heat 2 Comments
For an engineer, equilibrium is something to be attained – at home, at work, on travel. Equilibrium means things are equal. At peace. Not changing or frenzied. One equilibrium issue which is always running through my mind in winter is thermal equilibrium of our home.
ΔHeat = 0
Or, put another way,
Heat In = Heat Out
It seems simple enough. The more heat is transferred out of the house, the more the heating unit will need to transfer heat in to the house if equilibrium of the home temperature is to be maintained. I sit there and see the heat transfers take place and plot how I can affect this equation. How can I prevent heat from transferring out of the house, therefore reducing the need for more money being spent to add heat to the other side of the equation.
This is why we insulate our homes, seal the cracks around our windows, and yell at the kids to “Shut the door!”
Equilibrium.
Quotes – What’s with them?
January 4, 2013
Friday - Random Data Packets (Pot Luck) engineer, quote Leave a comment
Where are all the inspirational quotes from engineers? I was reading an email newsletter from an engineering organization recently. They have a new quote in each day’s email. This particular day finally broke the camel’s back, adding that last non-engineering quote in an attempt to inspire the engineer readers. This was it:
People who lean on logic and philosophy and rational exposition end by starving the best part of the mind.”
–William Butler Yeats,
Irish poet and playwright
Another quote a few days before this one was as follows:
Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn’t people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them.”
–Rose Kennedy,
American philanthropist
Who do these people think are reading this? It is a newsletter for ENGINEERS! We don’t want read about not leaning on logic and birds singing after storms. And we particularly don’t want hear from poets!
The publisher must give this part of the newsletter over to a non-engineer who has some dirt and is blackmailing the engineering organization that produces this newsletter. That is the only (logical and rational) explanation that would explain this behavior.
I may have to start producing some great inspirational engineering quotes for use in these newsletters. Look for them in future engineeringdaze posts.
You Might Be an Engineer If…
January 2, 2013
Wednesday - You Might Be an Engineer If... engineer, you might be an engineer if Leave a comment
– your New Year’s resolution involves improving the romantic relationship with your significant other by revisiting the romantic-relationship algorithm and improving it’s efficiency from feedback mechanisms.