A not so short story related to something that has been bated around in here - a lot

[Jeriatric]

Worth reading....if you have the time.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/04/the-engineers-lamen (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/04/the-engineers-lament)

[Bob Denman]

VERY interesting... Thanks! :thumbup:

"Why can't they play at night?" :roflblack:

[Chupaca]

great read. Very informative, if I didn't have I remember many of those cars mentioned well...:yikes:

[MRH]

I was about 2/3 through the story, and thought that it sounded a lot like the Malcolm Gladwell books I've read. Good guess, apparently, but then again he has a very specific voice.

For those of you who find this kind of thinking interesting (I do), Outliers, Blink and The Tipping Point are some of his better books. He tends to write about subjects that we often have strong intuitive opinions about that turn out to look very different under a true examination. He is always a great read, and is strikingly intelligent. He addresses social issues with the heart of the engineer he writes about in this article.

Thanks for the great share.

[JerryB]

Hi Jerbear

Re: Worth reading....if you have the time.

Definitely. I'm an engineer and think like one. That was a great read. My son-in-law is also an engineer, I'll send it on to him.

I really do not have a lot of specific information about a lot of those problems, but I did read one article about the GM ignition switch problem.

Apparently, the ignition switch was designed ( and worked perfectly as designed ) for merely one key; i.e., the one in the ingnition switch.

The problem was due to people having everything but the kitchen sink being attached to their key chains.

:shocked:

IMO this where the problem comes from; the designers do not consider what the customers are actually doing.

Back in the 60's, when I first started designing parachute equipment, a real old-time parachute rigger told me to always design considering the stupidest person you have ever met.

Jerry Baumchen

[Bob Denman]

:D I KNEW that guy!! :roflblack:
He's the one who told me, that I could serve as an example to others... :thumbup:

The WORST example! :shocked: