Words to be afraid of...

[Radian]

You know how a redneck's last words are, "Hey, watch this!" right? The appropriate response is to run in the opposite direction, call 911 , cover yer nutz etc. etc.

Well I've discovered a new one. It's when an engineer says, "It's simple..." Especially coming from EE's or Aeronautical Engineers ( ie rocket scientists).

Electronics aren't simple...E-ver. Fluid dynamics aren't simple...period.

You know what's simple? Toilet paper, and that's second only to chalk, which even most newborns can figure out.

If you ever hear or see those words when trying to understand something, it's time to walk.

[Tom Smit]

Oh oh, what happened?

[Chris_Allen]

I don't like the way that Mechanical Engineers think they are the only type of engineer.

[Harley]

Some people don't like the truth

[Harley]

"Honey, I have just this one little job for you to do over the weekend, it won't take you long"

If you hear these words, be very, very afraid!

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

I don't like the way that Mechanical Engineers think they are the only type of engineer.

Q: How many software engineers does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: None. That's a hardware issue.

[cheapbasslovin]

"Honey, I have just this one little job for you to do over the weekend, it won't take you long"

If you hear these words, be very, very afraid!

My amendment to this is, "all you have to do is..." while she paints a rosy utopian version of the hell that is the crawlspace of my house.

[Harley]

What about her saying "The car won't start"

[Lastcat]

Words I hate to hear....

"I'll get that...."

[J_Dunavin]

For some background info i am the avionics manager at our shop. So I am in the middle of all the projects and aircraft that come in and out of the shop.
Case number 1, we are stripping this jet, so we can put US radios in there.
Boss: Hey Tony I need you to clean up the nose bay and get rid of all these ugly wires. So that should take you, what three hours?
Tony: I'll see what I can do boss, But we need to document X,Y,and Z right, so Joe and his crew can use some of the existing connectors?
Boss: ya sure

four hours latter..

Boss: Aren't you done yet?
Tony: Thought you said you want it to look nice.
Boss: well of course, but can't you do it faster?



I try and help where i can, but i'm in the middle of project planning, and installs. We got though it though. I suppose it's a never ending battle between middle man and boss man to get the job done right, or to get it done fast. Seems like you can't have both.

[Radian]

Oh oh, what happened?

I've just had rash of people in the last couple of years muttering that right before attempting to describe something profoundly complex. I've even seen it written in textbooks. Seriously, if things were really so simple, I wouldn't be back in school listening to autistic jack wagons, the kind that solve 4th order differential equations in their heads over breakfast, telling me how easy linear algebra is (for example) when I clearly don't "get it" yet.

I can't help but to take offense to it deep down, it instantly establishes me (the student) as the dumb ass, when in fact it's an inability of the enlightened one to teach....to see how I understand and rationalize things. Like baking a cheesecake or caring for an African Violet...if it's so simple, why does everyone mess it up on the first try? Because somethings may appear to be simple, but that doesn't mean they're intuitive.

Apparently, at some point, it just becomes a reflex response for most people that are "too specialized" to start saying that, and I've learned to associate the response as a warning flag that the person probably isn't going to take the flexible approach to the learning process.

Even the highly received Sal Khan comes close within the first minute of this video, but quickly redeems himself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cWB52I-SF0

[CoronaOperator]

Some how I feel like our race is being bullied and I need to say something
Umm, 4th order differential equations over breakfast IS simple, your only trying to express the rate that the rate of change of the rate of change of the slope of the graph is doing at any particular moment in time. Not sure what you normal people don't understand about that? And NOBODY and I mean NOBODY understands linear algeabra! You don't have to! Just plug in the numbers into your pennant squares and out pops an answer. Nobody knows why it works, just follow the directions and the answer magically appears. So so simple! Mechanical (areonautical) engineering IS the only type of engineering there is, those EE's are just full of themselves. We know eveything but unfortunatly we're cursed with the worst comminucation skills in the world. This is where I see where your having difficulties. We couldn't explain toilet paper or chalk to a genius if we tried. We can only talk to each other. The language we use to do so is called "multi-variable calculus". Don't worry, we don't understand it either, we just know that it works.

That said, I walked away from engineering 11 years ago and somehow found myself at a club. Never left the club and never regretted leaving engineering. Run clubs now, made the right choice and i'm glad I'm no longer a geek. Those engineers are sure different!

Radian: Tell your boss that like the rules of subwoofers, you can only pick 2:

- Done fast
- Done right
- Done cheap



ERTW (look it up if you have to!)

[Radian]

As far attacking anyone...engineers may appear to be the target of my example, but it applies to anyone trying to learn something new....from cross-stitch, telemark skiing, or partial fractions.

What's with having to say something is "simple"? Simple to the instructor, but not me or anyone else perhaps. I just don't like hearing it anymore because it doesn't help. To me, it means the person has become unaware of themselves.

BTY- 4th order Differential Equations are not simple. You have to have a spatial mind to just to conceptualize them, and not everyone has that. Just like some people don't have good hearing, or a keen sense of taste. A mind can be taught spatiality, so much so, as a blind person be taught to sense color.

[cheapbasslovin]

What's with having to say something is "simple"? Simple to the instructor, but not me or anyone else perhaps. I just don't like hearing it anymore because it doesn't help. To me, it means the person has become unaware of themselves.

I totally get what you're saying. If it were simple, you wouldn't need any damn instruction. I've been in a position where I am the JA saying 'it's simple' and the DA receiving it. It really sucks either way. You feel helpless in both positions.

Good luck getting the pieces to fit.

[WB]

ERTW (look it up if you have to!)

I did, it said "Engineers Rarely Touch Women". Is that what you were trying to communicate?