Technology!

For this week's blog, we are asked to discuss the technology we use at work with our mentors to try to find out where technology might be taking our respective industries. So, here's what we concluded:

1. How would you (my mentor) use technology in the day to day operations of your career field?
We use Autodesk AutoCAD every day in our work. We also use programs like MathCAD to calculate weight loads for our structures.

2. What technology do you (my mentor) use to communicate with other professionals?
E-mail, phones, and driving.

3. If/when presenting to other professionals, what do you use to do so?
We simply e-mail completed plans to other professionals.

4. What is your theory about the type of technology that will be used in the future in this profession?
More "automatic" programs with built-in structures and drawings, as well as "plug-and-chug" math programs will help to maximize the speed of the industry in the future.

5. As a student and future professional, how can you imagine technology being incorporated in this profession?
I think that technology in the profession will be the same as what my mentor said, as the current programs, though helpful, can be improved. Currently, to make a drawing of a retaining wall section, I must use paper-drawn plans to do so; however, I can see the importance of having a complete database of standard engineering drawings that can simply be opened and put into each project.

Broken Things

Seth Godin discusses in a 2006 talk at the Gel conference (link at the bottom) the things in the world that are broken. By 'broken,' he means seemingly (or actually) inefficient. Things like the sign below that seems redundant to nearly any functional individual.

In the case of the rock above, the purpose of the humorous sign isn't to actually tell the weather (though it can help), but it is to serve as a sarcastic method that actually prevents people from asking an employee of the lodge what the weather is like.


Broken Things in the Real World
In an effort to meet congressional mandates for safer train control methods, Norfolk Southern Railway is testing an automatic routing system, nicknamed "Otto" by railfans and railroad employees. This system has been frequently seen routing trains on a different track when no other train or obstruction is present. This causes two 45-mile per hour slow-downs for each crossover move, thereby decreasing efficiency.

"Otto" at his finest. See, there is no obstruction on the main track

between Junction City and South Danville.

That is broken because it's not someone's job to re-program the auto-router to work more efficiently.

Broken Things in My Life

At my mentorship, I produce Computer-Aided Drawings for construction projects (better known as blueprints). On these, special notes are written that point out particular situations with an arrow. In many cases, the symbol for "Double Angle" is written before the words "Double Angle." To me, this seems entirely pointless and extremely redundant, but to the construction worker who is specialized to know what "Double Angle" means, he can simply look at the symbol and know what to do.

That is purposely broken to ease the construction worker's job.

Broken Things at School

One of the most important parts of a school day is the announcements, where original notes are read-off over the intercom to inform everyone what's going on. In the mornings, the people who read the announcements read from individual pieces of paper and often stutter, lose track of what they've said, or read notes from already-finished events.

How hard is it to write a script with changeable sections for different announcements, read the script, and get the day going?

That is just plain broken.

View Seth Godin's Talk Here