Computer Sorting

I created some files in autoCAD and was surprised to see how my computer decided to sort them. I don't always agree with sortings (like the yellow pages) but this one was strange. Does the dash not count as a character?

National Engineer's Week

What a great idea. We have so many other "weeks," why not have one for engineers?

What are some ways you can get involved? I would start by making a sketch of your front room. By completing the sketch into CAD it will be easy to plan out future remodeling for the furniture in the space. If that sounds too complicated, try making a bottle rocket or maybe even a toothpick bridge.

On the website for Nation Engineer's Week, there is also a page for Engineer You Life. It is a page targeted to get young women interested in engineering. Maybe what you can do is find someone who is on their way to college and encourage them to look into engineering.

Warming Up with Work

A while ago, I noticed that the bathroom at work was really cold in the mornings. There is a heater in the women's room to keep it warm because it is along the exterior wall. Turns out the heater had quit. It was old enough that they had to order in parts to fix it. Now that I knew what the problem was, finding a solution was easy.

I did a quick calculation and found the bathroom required about a 1/2 KW of heat. This value is negligible when compared to the building. I suggested propping the door open at night so the HVAC system would warm it up in the morning. It was a success!

Free Fall

During my last flight, my wife pondered how long it would take to fall to the ground. I thought for a minute and responded "about 3 minutes." I happened to know that planes fly around 33,000 feet and that a sky-diver, with their belly down, falls about 120 miles per hour. After a few sloppy conversions, I was about to round out my number and have a decent guess.

If you are like my wife, you are likely wondering why I would know the terminal velocity of a skydiver off the top of my head. Engineering would be an obvious answer but it was actually thanks to a TV show I had seen recently. I was watching people ski down a crazy steep mountain for the speed-skiing record. After watching, I confirmed my suspicion that it was faster than belly, free fall and conveniently had the number in my head to impress my wife.

In The Beginning

int main ()
{
    cout << "Hello World!";     
    return 0;
}