Pretty Good Problem Solver

A Delicate Balance

Feb 5, 2019

First impressions of a design can be wrong as I found out when fixing the LED backlight of a low-cost television set.
Are You Paid for Time or Results?

Dec 17, 2018

A recent article sparked a lot of discussion about the virtues or evils of automating some of your work.
Don't Get Caught in the Web

Oct 25, 2018

There is a lot of great information and entertainment available on the web. Unfortunately, far too much of it is wrong.
Show Your Work

Sep 27, 2018

Other folks can duplicate or check your work when you document that effort by showing every step.
Patience

Sep 7, 2018

Sometimes slowing down can help speed up overall project success. A little patience will definitely improve your project and product quality.
Talking about the Problem

Aug 12, 2018

Bob’s frustration with some so-called leaders boils over.
Fortune Cookies

Jul 24, 2018

Can a slip of paper inside of a cookie truly predict your future?
Getting Lost in the Tasks

Jul 4, 2018

Human nature makes it far too easy to get lost in the little tasks and forget a larger goal.
The Most Important Person

May 20, 2018

When you are setting Priorities, sometimes you ask yourself, "Who is the Most Important Person?"
Repeating an Error

Apr 10, 2018

Despite our best efforts, we sometimes make the same error more than once.
Problems Occur at the Interfaces

Mar 15, 2018

In human and technical systems, difficult problems often occur at the interfaces.
Abstraction

Feb 16, 2018

Abstraction is the process of pulling a general lesson from specific details of any problem and solution. Abstraction is a critical skill for career success.
Stuff

Jan 22, 2018

A short discussion of the difficulty of figuring out what we should keep and what we should discard.
Do What You Wrote instead of Writing What You Did

Nov 15, 2017

I recently learned a fantastic new method to produce error-free documentation of lab experiments.
Teamwork

Sep 24, 2017

There is a special joy in being part of a winning team.
Projects Fail at the Beginning

Aug 14, 2017

A surprising bit of knowledge I learned from an experienced Project Manager.
Tools

Jul 8, 2017

Using the right tool turned a difficult task into a quick and easy project.
Grading

Jun 6, 2017

We need to be careful about how we grade work. Sometimes the results are against our best interests.
Laughter

Apr 29, 2017

If you don’t occasionally share a laugh with your coworkers, then you are missing something important.
Getting Hired and Staying Hired

Mar 19, 2017

Engineers want to get hired and stay hired. Here is one view of how you should approach the process.