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Monday, May 4, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Life without the Internet
It was a state of panic! I live by an aircard for my laptop when I travel.
I spent the last 10 days without my aircard and no access to the internet as I was rushing out the door for the airport early in the morning. Twelve hours later, stuck in the middle of nowhere on the very edge of civilisation witht the weakest of signal from an antennae for a wireless. I realise dI had left it at home. What a tough time it was! Couldn't access my emails, could read some of the news but not always; everything was lost to a timeout. I could almost feel a panic attack! Kept telling myself I could survive 10 days without the internet but all I could think was what I'd do once I got onto the net. Sad life some would say!
It was interesting in that it reminded me how dependent I 've become in using the internet to find my answers and solutions to my problems, or research and generate ideas. More than ten years ago I would have been stuck behind a book almost every night but and finished itnow I couldn't tell you the last time I did read a book! I used to be patient and methodical but now I impatient but still methodical...ish.
I think I will try it more often, just to break the dependence.
I spent the last 10 days without my aircard and no access to the internet as I was rushing out the door for the airport early in the morning. Twelve hours later, stuck in the middle of nowhere on the very edge of civilisation witht the weakest of signal from an antennae for a wireless. I realise dI had left it at home. What a tough time it was! Couldn't access my emails, could read some of the news but not always; everything was lost to a timeout. I could almost feel a panic attack! Kept telling myself I could survive 10 days without the internet but all I could think was what I'd do once I got onto the net. Sad life some would say!
It was interesting in that it reminded me how dependent I 've become in using the internet to find my answers and solutions to my problems, or research and generate ideas. More than ten years ago I would have been stuck behind a book almost every night but and finished itnow I couldn't tell you the last time I did read a book! I used to be patient and methodical but now I impatient but still methodical...ish.
I think I will try it more often, just to break the dependence.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
e-Learning Modules coming
I finally opened up Adobe Captivate and settled down to see how I could use it to best effect. It was fantastic to see that I could finally do what I always wanted to do. A small film showing what I do on the computer, step by step. It captures the screenshots of my moves and lets me add voice overs. It is a wonderful complement to the book, so I will be busy for the next few months trying to build all the modules. It takes a lot of patience, effort and discipline but it is worth it. I am very excited by the opportunity it will give engineers, to follow my ideas effortlessly.
I still use the the books as a refresher to remember how to do what I have to do but seeing the e-learning module is very much a stronger learning tool.
I will release the first one next week.
I still use the the books as a refresher to remember how to do what I have to do but seeing the e-learning module is very much a stronger learning tool.
I will release the first one next week.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Closed Minds
I found myself in the position that the company hiring me decided they would lay me off in order to keep a staff member in place on site rather than a contractor like myself with the experience of shutdown situations. It was bizarre, the client wanted to keep me, but I understood the rationale. Even the client didn't stand up, it was a time of confusion.
A few days later after thinking about it and getting an eureka moment, I phoned my boss from home. I said to him, give me an hour of your time I will give you three great ideas to keep your department busy. He said no thanks...... You're still laid off.
I was surprised, he didn't even ask for more information, he simply didn't want to know. After three and a half years of a reputation for creating new and putting into place great ideas, he had given up? Now he is down to a core team, who have no ideas and they are waiting week by week for salvation that may never come.
How many bosses can say they have people walking into their office with ideas. I was taught a long time ago the value of new ideas and shown great courtesy and respect for it but not this time. My old boss said he has never had any engineer come into his office before with any idea. He was thrilled when I did such a thing and he couldn't refuse. I know my ideas are great, simple and will help the team-building process. How strange.
At least the client showed me the courtesy, I gave them an excuse to keep me.
I believe these tough times are where the best ideas are born and have a lot of hidden opportunities. Fight for your ideas and listen to others, we need them.
A few days later after thinking about it and getting an eureka moment, I phoned my boss from home. I said to him, give me an hour of your time I will give you three great ideas to keep your department busy. He said no thanks...... You're still laid off.
I was surprised, he didn't even ask for more information, he simply didn't want to know. After three and a half years of a reputation for creating new and putting into place great ideas, he had given up? Now he is down to a core team, who have no ideas and they are waiting week by week for salvation that may never come.
How many bosses can say they have people walking into their office with ideas. I was taught a long time ago the value of new ideas and shown great courtesy and respect for it but not this time. My old boss said he has never had any engineer come into his office before with any idea. He was thrilled when I did such a thing and he couldn't refuse. I know my ideas are great, simple and will help the team-building process. How strange.
At least the client showed me the courtesy, I gave them an excuse to keep me.
I believe these tough times are where the best ideas are born and have a lot of hidden opportunities. Fight for your ideas and listen to others, we need them.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Live to fight another day
I live to fight another day. I am still working on site, through a total shutdown blanket order. With 24 hours to go before I was leaving for good, I managed to get a little meeting with the project director and explained my idea. They liked it and gave me a months' grace. It buys me time and in all likelihood I have to continue beyond to train the people how to use it and generate the reports.
My idea involved using excel, avoid the word database and build the shutdown log as a centralised plot-plan focus. They could see the merits of collating all useful information and having the tasks identified and assigned from this. At least they had something to show their bosses, now they have a plan! It is ironic that this idea is the nucleus of the core ideas for book 4, The Engineer's Database. I know I can make it work well for them.
I grew through the computer age having a lot of familiarity with databases. Seeing Access in action was an incredible but lonely experience. I could see it was a career split. I made a conscious decision to avoid Access and databases at all cost as I was becoming a specialist in something I did not want to be. I consciously chose to figure out how to make Excel work so that I could expect engineers to follow it as well.
Once again, the Mote Method rides....
My idea involved using excel, avoid the word database and build the shutdown log as a centralised plot-plan focus. They could see the merits of collating all useful information and having the tasks identified and assigned from this. At least they had something to show their bosses, now they have a plan! It is ironic that this idea is the nucleus of the core ideas for book 4, The Engineer's Database. I know I can make it work well for them.
I grew through the computer age having a lot of familiarity with databases. Seeing Access in action was an incredible but lonely experience. I could see it was a career split. I made a conscious decision to avoid Access and databases at all cost as I was becoming a specialist in something I did not want to be. I consciously chose to figure out how to make Excel work so that I could expect engineers to follow it as well.
Once again, the Mote Method rides....
Thursday, February 5, 2009
it is not about 2003
It is not about 2003, it is about engineers and their calculations. Ultimately, what I am doing is teaching engineers one way of becoming better engineers amongst others. Another famous way for engineers to become better engineers is to do site work and I can testify to that! And that is not what I am promoting either.
I will rewrite the books the in 2007 versions, but it is not about the version. The version does not give you better calculations, if anything it will compound your problems. It is fortunate what I know is built on Word 95. If I never managed Word 95, I doubt I would have managed Word 2003 as my starting point, I think would have given up. But I did manage it in Word 95 and the extra time it took to crack Word 2003 was worthwhile only because I knew it could be done in Word 95.
Word 2007 is confusion multiplied. I am disgusted by the arrogance of MS Office to presume this upon us; this mindless competition with Apple. Don't wait for Word 2007. I would not choose to my calculations in Word 2007.
To those who think, "2003 is old stuff, I am waiting for 2007," think again.
Learn what you are doing in Word 2003 first then you will understand your strategy for Word 2007. I read that over 70% of businesses still use Windows XP and over 90% use Word 2003 or older. During these harsh economic times many companies will not upgrade soon, why should they?
Likewise, I understand many engineers use OpenOffice beacause it is free. I will write the books one day for this as well. And for Linux systems using Windows 7 upside down and Word 2009, or maybe not!
The book isn't about Word 2003, it is about the calculations and the techniques;
Design the job,
Control defaults,
build templates,
drawing with the toolbars,
copy/pasting objectives,
importing data, and
annotations.
One engineer today said, "I know 2003, I want 2007" I asked, "Do you even know how to draw a perfect square," no, "a straight line," no.....apart from that what have the Romans ever done for us?
I will rewrite the books the in 2007 versions, but it is not about the version. The version does not give you better calculations, if anything it will compound your problems. It is fortunate what I know is built on Word 95. If I never managed Word 95, I doubt I would have managed Word 2003 as my starting point, I think would have given up. But I did manage it in Word 95 and the extra time it took to crack Word 2003 was worthwhile only because I knew it could be done in Word 95.
Word 2007 is confusion multiplied. I am disgusted by the arrogance of MS Office to presume this upon us; this mindless competition with Apple. Don't wait for Word 2007. I would not choose to my calculations in Word 2007.
To those who think, "2003 is old stuff, I am waiting for 2007," think again.
Learn what you are doing in Word 2003 first then you will understand your strategy for Word 2007. I read that over 70% of businesses still use Windows XP and over 90% use Word 2003 or older. During these harsh economic times many companies will not upgrade soon, why should they?
Likewise, I understand many engineers use OpenOffice beacause it is free. I will write the books one day for this as well. And for Linux systems using Windows 7 upside down and Word 2009, or maybe not!
The book isn't about Word 2003, it is about the calculations and the techniques;
Design the job,
Control defaults,
build templates,
drawing with the toolbars,
copy/pasting objectives,
importing data, and
annotations.
One engineer today said, "I know 2003, I want 2007" I asked, "Do you even know how to draw a perfect square," no, "a straight line," no.....apart from that what have the Romans ever done for us?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Women in engineering do well
One of the things I have noticed is how much more confidence a female engineer gets from using my ideas. Our work is commonly male-dominant and is enough for most females to feel shy or lack the extra confidence.
I have been fortunate to have trained many women and I found they have done better than their male counterparts.
Let me relate a tue story of the mouse that roared, Sammy was in her thirties when she decided to go back to work , now that her children at school all day. Very pleasant and happy but very nervous in the design office, hoping only to get simple instructions and happy to get tea and coffee for everybody. She was assigned to me, I gave her a task to complete and she was profusive and apologetic about her lack of experience and so on.
I arranged a couple of graduate lunch and learns and invited her to join them. After six weeks we had covered many subjects all to do with the design office, their roles, the big picture and tips for the practical side of the design. She then learned how to construct calculations and I taught her most of what I know about the computer. She became the office guru to a team of engineers as she mastered the details of Word and Excel. After eight months I took her into the shadowy world of dynamic designs and showed was involved and how I would prepare the calculations.
By the end of her year, working hard and learning, she was focused. I knew she would never find her confidence staying because people knew her and had pegged her.She relocated to another city because of her husband's job. She applied for a job, with her portfolio of calculations and got a job straight away with more money in a senior role. That gave her confidence!
She just wrote to tell me how happy she was and that she loves doing calculations. good for her. She did the hard work, she listened.
I have been fortunate to have trained many women and I found they have done better than their male counterparts.
Let me relate a tue story of the mouse that roared, Sammy was in her thirties when she decided to go back to work , now that her children at school all day. Very pleasant and happy but very nervous in the design office, hoping only to get simple instructions and happy to get tea and coffee for everybody. She was assigned to me, I gave her a task to complete and she was profusive and apologetic about her lack of experience and so on.
I arranged a couple of graduate lunch and learns and invited her to join them. After six weeks we had covered many subjects all to do with the design office, their roles, the big picture and tips for the practical side of the design. She then learned how to construct calculations and I taught her most of what I know about the computer. She became the office guru to a team of engineers as she mastered the details of Word and Excel. After eight months I took her into the shadowy world of dynamic designs and showed was involved and how I would prepare the calculations.
By the end of her year, working hard and learning, she was focused. I knew she would never find her confidence staying because people knew her and had pegged her.She relocated to another city because of her husband's job. She applied for a job, with her portfolio of calculations and got a job straight away with more money in a senior role. That gave her confidence!
She just wrote to tell me how happy she was and that she loves doing calculations. good for her. She did the hard work, she listened.
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