In Defense Of My Junk Box: Married to An Engineer

Just about every electrical or mechanical engineer I know has some kind of junk box—a treasure trove of parts accumulated over the years, all saved with the hope they might come in handy someday. My own junk box started at a very early age. Too young to work a...

Justifying My AI Hobby By Finding Blaze A Forever Home

From my early teenage years, technology has always played a significant part in my life. Though I was late to the party, I joined the technology revolution as the world transitioned from vacuum tubes to transistors in 1963. By 1975, I found myself in the midst of the...

Maximizing Profit: Reliable Designs Or Frequent Repairs?

When I retired, my wife strongly suggested I put some of that newfound free time into cleaning rather than gaining another level in my current game. My trusty old vacuum cleaner, however, decided it wasn’t up to the increased workload and promptly broke a belt. Of...

From the Doghouse

A look at dogs having fun

Poser Gallery

My gallery of pictures I’ve created in Poser

Nature by Carol

A look at the less technical side of life

Dear Engineer Who Ignores  My Words 

Dear Engineer Who Ignores  My Words 

Apparently I made a number of people unhappy with my post on why engineers are ignoring you. As an occasional contributor to this blog, Zee demanded equal time on this subject. Since one of my goals for this blog is to get people to think, allowing a view from...

read more

Random Posts

  • An Opinion On Opinions. Why The Other Guy Isn’t Always WrongAn Opinion On Opinions. Why The Other Guy Isn’t Always Wrong
    With all the freedom and enlightenment our society is supposed to have, I find it amazing how little tolerance we have for someone with an opinion that differs from ours. Maybe the anonymity provided by the Internet reinforces this behavior, Twitter certainly seems to thrive on a crowd mentality. Still, I’ve seen a lot of […]
  • Creeping Elegance, the Design of a RemoteCreeping Elegance, the Design of a Remote
    I’m going to introduce a term that might be new to you, creeping elegance. It’s probably been the cause of more project failures than poor engineering. If you’re an engineer or a programmer you already know it way too well but just in case you’re not, let me give you an example. It has a […]
  • Married To An Engineer – Part 1Married To An Engineer – Part 1
    I’ve written several posts about the risks of getting involved with an engineer but some of you have already decided to entwine your life with an engineer. My wife suggested I write this post, not as a warning, but as a guide to communicating with that engineer in your life. Nothing I’ve ever written would […]

Random Posts

  • Why Do I Need To Change My Passwords So Frequently?Why Do I Need To Change My Passwords So Frequently?
    I was in a discussion about passwords a few days ago when somebody mentioned that it was a good idea to change your passwords frequently. That sounds good on the face of it but if you have a strong password should you change it frequently? It’s that frequent changing that causes us write them down […]
  • Customer Service, Why The L8 Is My Last Sainsmart ProductCustomer Service, Why The L8 Is My Last Sainsmart Product
    When it comes to technology, I tend to have a pretty staunch brand loyalty. It’s not just about the tech meeting my needs; if two products are similar in technology and capability, the price isn’t as big a deal to me as the brand itself. However, there’s another critical aspect to my continued loyalty: customer […]
  • Requirements, A Tale With Two SocksRequirements, A Tale With Two Socks
    Chance was and still is a very energetic Australian shepherd that spent last spring with us as a foster. His major vice, in my opinion, was that he loved to chew on my socks.  Worse he managed to convince another dog, Cajun, that this was entertainment. By the time Chance found his permanent home, my […]

Random Posts

  • The Importance Of Good Grammar, A Mathematic LookThe Importance Of Good Grammar, A Mathematic Look
    Every once in a while I have to let my inner engineer interact with the real world. I apologize to you now but this post is the result of one of those times. About a year ago I wrote a post bemoaning the confusing rules of writing. It’s my nature to look at a system […]
  • Death By PowerPoint, Together We Can Prevent This Dreadful DiseaseDeath By PowerPoint, Together We Can Prevent This Dreadful Disease
    We’ve all heard the term, Death by PowerPoint. If you work in an office environment, odds are you’ve come to hate PowerPoint presentations. Surprisingly, I’m not going to attribute this to Microsoft. No, the blame for this hatred lies solely with us, the creators of the slide deck. I’m going to let you in on a […]
  • Windows 10 Versus Chromebook, What Does Intregity Have To Do With It?Windows 10 Versus Chromebook, What Does Intregity Have To Do With It?
    I’m writing this on a Chromebook. Think of it more as an experiment rather than a review of Chromebook capabilities. Why? When my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I saw it as an opportunity to upgrade my computer. A little research and I realized that in order to upgrade, I would have […]

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

From the Doghouse -It’s all about them

A look at dogs having fun!

Short Stories

With posts like these, ever wonder what kind of fiction I would write?

Random Posts

  • The Puppy With No NameThe Puppy With No Name
    In almost every culture there is a belief that one’s name has magical properties. There’s no question that I respond much quicker when I hear my name. I can hear my name being used in situations where it’s impossible to understand the other words being said. When my wife says …
  • Sundae Thanks YouSundae Thanks You
    In Udacity’s Psychology course, the second lesson discusses the ethics of psychological experiments and how important it is to make sure everyone involved understands they are taking part in a test. I’m sure my readers understood my previous post was an experiment but I’m not as sure about Sundae. Prior …
  • Duolingo, How To Enjoy Learning A LanguageDuolingo, How To Enjoy Learning A Language
    Today I completed my 76th consecutive Spanish lesson with Duolingo. Why Spanish? Why Duolingo and why is the number of days important? This isn’t my first attempt to learn a new language. My work brings me in contact with a number of different languages and while I try, the project …
  • Sundae Explains Why Fashion ChangesSundae Explains Why Fashion Changes
    While engineers are far more challenged by fashion than most of our species, I don’t believe a lack of fashion sense is limited to engineers. I have the basic rules down, well as long as I’m wearing nothing more than business casual. Throw a tie into the mix and I …
  • Chopped, A Guide To Inspiring Engineering Creativity?Chopped, A Guide To Inspiring Engineering Creativity?
    Let’s get this out of the way first, despite it being a reality based cooking show, I enjoy watching Chopped. Not because of the cooking, although I have learned why my wife insists she needs both a stove and a microwave. No, I enjoy Chopped because it demonstrates a basic …
Gravityscan Badge