How Do You Engineer?

This week we chat with friend of the podcast and returning guest, Dom Aibi. After being shown the door at his last job, Dom circumnavigated the globe to travel and practice yoga. Now his path has lead him to a career teaching PLCs, affording him the work-life balance that he once sought. We chat about his new career, his thoughts on the industry and consulting, and the benefits of routine and positive peer pressure on the path to health.

After his original interview way back in episode 3, we fully intended to have Dom come back an tell us more about the mysterious world of PLCs. But then he ran off to the other side of the world and couldn't talk to us... until now! Dom is back and we are finally going to learn what a PLC is and why industry loves them so much. Turns out they are very special computers which are integral to making many of the products you use and consume every day. In a world where microprocessing has become hobbyist and widely available, PLCs are a technology which has remained strictly industrial. So you're probably not going to learn about these things on instructables. You're just going to have to learn about it here!

In a world where computers can teach themselves, will we still require programmers? This week a Wired article prompted us to we revisit the topic of a past episode to discuss the necessity of coding in the future. We touch on past failed attempts at artificial intelligence, and highlight some of the successes. We also listened to user feedback and tried to wrap up our ramblings with a few conclusions. Are you happy now Calvin?

This week we post Episode 41, our 40th anniversary episode! We set out to talk about pet peeves and premium pet perks that drive engineers crazy, and then lead us to fall in love all over again. I don’t really have any other words to describe the misguided hilarity that ensues. Warm fuzzies abound!

This week we continue our journey through the past. We may have gotten ahead of ourselves when we tried to reinvent the light bulb, so this time we are going to start at the beginning and try to make electricity. Come with us as we discuss lodestones, the right-hand rule, and geared-down hamster wheels. We will rewrite history and create a modern utopia in the heart of he Roman Empire.

When we needed a glossary episode this week, Jason from episode 35 was ready to step in...so clutch! Have you ever wondered what happens when you drop the clutch in a beast of a blown six-banger with four on the floor (I know manly car things...really). Let Jason help prepare you for car conversations with a guide to how engines make your car vroom vroom and zoom zoom.

Some people have a very clear idea of what they will be doing when they graduate with an engineering degree... but they're mostly wrong. With technological advances and exciting opportunities dictating career changes in ways we couldn't predict, few people stick to the path that they laid out for themselves in first year. This week we are joined by Adriano Basso, the Director of IT for travel company Butterfield & Robinson. Adriano has had several careers across a wide range of industries from aerospace to banking, horse racing to travel. How does one find oneself with such an array of interesting careers? Don't say no to opportunities.

This week Pete and Simon come back from a conference with renewed excitement for the trendy topics in engineering. With that in mind we set out to justify our categorization as a "tech news" podcast and talk about what is popular in engineering, and what that means for the future of consumer goods. We revisit our old friend the Internet of Things, talk about Elon Musk, and imagine a rosy future where no one has to own anything but we can still have all the best tech toys. We digress into a discussion of sports and logistics, then narrowly avoid a serious conversation about Star Trek. Finally, we make a concerted effort to wrap up in a meaningful way. Do we succeed? You'll just have to listen to find out!

Come with us on a journey, a journey into the distant past. Imagine if you will that through the miracle of flux capacitance you have been transported to the year zero and the heart of the Roman Empire. Using only your current understanding of science and engineering, can you recreate a utopian society complete with all the conveniences of modern life? That is our challenge.

This week we're joined by Mechanical Engineer Jason Desouza-Coelho to talk about the ins and outs of auto manufacturing. We discuss the surprising honesty of at-the-limit design, and the rigorous testing and validation that goes into each part. Join us as we discuss the practicality of vended paste extrusion, and the indestructibility of Toyota's pickups. Pete actually wasn't too far off; PPAP stands for Production Part Approval Process.