In this episode, we consider how engineers deal with ambiguity, uncertainty, and risk. Carmen would be willing to take a 50/50 shot at $1001 tomorrow over a certain $500 today. Most people are risk-averse when dealing with gains, and would take the sure money. According to the article “The Five Neglects: Risks Gone Amiss,” (Berger, … Continue reading Episode 44 — Ambiguity →

Episode 44 — Ambiguity

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Adam, Brian, Carmen, and Jeff discuss the importance of accurately estimating time and budget as a practicing engineer. Brian frequently makes estimates as part of his professional duties. Detrimental effects of our anchoring bias are noted by Jeff. We reference lecture notes from Francine Warner of Kennesaw State University in this episode. In making estimates, … Continue reading Episode 139 — Estimation →

Episode 139 — Estimation

We catch up with Sam Feller (who previously joined us in Episode 70), discussing his interests, projects, and latest entrepreneurial ventures. Having left industry to pursue an academic career, Jeff isn’t chomping at the bit to move back into the entrepreneurial world. Our guest for this episode is Sam Feller, a mechanical engineer who may … Continue reading Episode 138 — Still Awkward →

Episode 138 — Still Awkward

In an episode that was recorded in early October, Adam, Carmen, and Jeff reflect on their summer activities, and on plans for the remaining months of 2017. Carmen spent a lot of his summer traveling, both domestically and internationally. Although he spends a good deal of time dealing with marketing people, Carmen claims that he’s … Continue reading Episode 137 — Late Summer →

Episode 137 — Late Summer

Adam, Brian, Carmen, and Jeff consider the boundaries of one’s own competence in this episode of The Engineering Commons. Competencies seem to be driven by past failures, notes Brian. For learning about “magical potions” developed with “unicorn science” (chemical engineering), Brian recommends the NurdRage channel on YouTube. Brian takes a cruel pleasure in seeing Mehdi … Continue reading Episode 136 — Circle of Competence →

Episode 136 — Circle of Competence

In this episode of The Engineering Commons, the gang discusses tailoring a presentation to meet the needs and interests of your intended audience. Adam’s favorite form of communication is an old-fashioned face-to-face conversation. The data throughput of smoke signals is a bit too slow for Carmen’s needs. Jeff suggests flag semaphore as an alternative means … Continue reading Episode 135 — Target Audience →

Episode 44 — Ambiguity

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