OK,
I LOVE Doctor Who, as many of you are probably aware.  And I recognize that suspension of disbelief is a key factor to enjoying any fictional story.  However, there are some questions that I just HAVE to ask.

SPOILER ALERT!
If you have not seen any of series 4 and do not wish to have anything spoiled, STOP NOW, go back!  Or else risk seeing plot ( Read more... )

1. You will receive a body.
   You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.
   
   
2. You will learn lessons.
   You are enrolled in a full-time school called life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.
   
   
3. There are no mistakes, only ( Read more... )

Greetings All ( Read more... )

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One of my tasks at work is to keep our engine model caught up with the latest and greatest modeling techniques as managed by our Senior Engineer. As we have recently moved to a newer C++ based modeling tool from our legacy FORTRAN system - there were, and are, many opportunities for improvement. As the old system was about 30 years old, and steeped ( Read more... )

Many of us are familiar with the term PhD. Most would interpret this as "Doctor of Philosophy". Some would interpret it as "Piled Higher and Deeper". Well, as my experience has shown - the two are just about the same in terms of the generic expectation of the ability of the given individual with said credential to interface with reality.

My most ( Read more... )

What the heck happened to McDonald's French Fries!??! I admit it's been a little while since I've been - but I went today for a little treat - get my son a Happy MealTM (with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toy! Very Cool!), and the fries are ye-old-bland-soggy mush a-la the old Burger King / Wendy's style. I thought McD's was smart enough NOT to ( Read more... )

My primary task at WORK is building this magic computer model of how the engine works. We call it a cycle deck.

Cycle, as in Brayton Cycle (for those who are P.I. the physical process of putting energy into the air and getting a different type of energy out, leaving the air mostly as it was when it started. In the case of a jet engine, the air is ( Read more... )

For our friends in P.I. land (Physics Impaired) - I bring yet another distinction between Science and Engineering. Engineering is the practical application of science.

But what does that mean? What does it mean to be practical? One definition: concerned with actual use or application. Actual use. Ahh hah! So - someone needs to make actual use of ( Read more... )

I knew I was doomed for life to be an engineer when I found myself amongst a group of friends, at college (where else), laughing at the following jokes ( Read more... )