[TCML] musing on lists ( Wireless Transmission Theory)

[William Beaty <billb@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 8 Feb 2008, bartb wrote:

> Don't stereotype engineers.

I'm an engineer myself, BSEE 1980.

But working at a university I have many opportunities to see both
philosophies in action.  And as an amateur in physics, I've both "done
science" as well as having an engineering career as a day job.  There are
major differences.  Scientists are paid to seek out yet-to-be explained
topics, while engineers are paid to minimize such things.  The sort of
unusual measurements or inexplicable systems behavior which sometimes lead
to new discoveries... are just the sort of problems that could bring a
design project to its knees.  Or at the very least, for an engineer, any
interesting phenomena popping up are only a distraction to be ignored or
perhaps saved for after work.  JA Wheeler says "In any field, find the
strangest thing and then explore it."  That's hardly the recipe for any of
my past jobs in electrical engineering!  But it's exactly what I try to do
in amateur science.

So, "The Unexplained" is where scientists mine for gold, but for engineers
that same Unknown can be more like quicksand; an enemy to be minimized or
eliminated.

> There are both engineers and physicist set in their ways and there are
> both engineers and physicist with a brain to look further.

Besides "set in their ways" issues, I see that science and engineering
have opposite responses to error.  Science is largely based on trial and
error, so if a person is highly intolerant of error, they probably should
avoid a science career.  Others have said that scientists should
perhaps intentionally pursue error.  Not so in engineering, where "error"
is negative and must be minimized, since it's expensive in time, money,
and reputation. Good engineers have skills and intuition for avoiding
error.

Where am I going with this?  Earlier I was trying to get up my ambition
to start a "Joe's Tavern" alternate coilers' list.  (Or is that "Nikki T's
billiard and vodka emporium?")  But perhaps that's not a good option.

If I meet a coiler who absolutely *hates* the unknown and unexplained,
treats physics books as their bible, and furthermore would do almost
anything to avoid making mistakes... I figure that this person would make
a great engineer, if they aren't one already.

I think I'm having trouble because the TCML list is an engineers group.

If only a few here love brainstorming regarding Tesla's odd inventions and
claimed phenomena, who wish to view well-known concepts from odd
viewpoints, and who have an intuitive attraction to high voltage topics
which are not (yet) in any textbook anywhere... they should go to the
SCI.COILERS.RESEARCH newsgroup where that sort of weird behavior is
encouraged.

Only there isn't one.


(((((((((((((((((( ( (  (   (    (O)    )   )  ) ) )))))))))))))))))))
William J. Beaty                http://staff.washington.edu/wbeaty/
beaty chem washington edu       Research Engineer
billbamascicom                  UW Chem Dept,  Bagley Hall RM74
206-543-6195                    Box 351700, Seattle, WA 98195-1700
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