Synapses Relapses

Upgrading SolidWorks

2011-06-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, so its that time of year again, where my fingers are crossed and my sphincter is taught, otherwise know as SolidWorks (SW) upgrade time! For those that might not be "in the know" SW is the software program that I use for all my "real job" mechanical design work. It is also a stressful time as sometimes the process doesn't go as smoothly as one would hope. I've taken all the precautions

Thoughts on Mistakes

2011-06-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

I was lead to a blog post from 2009 that struck a cord in me. You can click above to read the entire thing, but I am going to paraphrase it here. Mark Love, the author, wrote about Risk and how there are two types of risk or mistakes one must endure: physical and mental. He wrote in the context of being an artist and craftsman, and I can't agree more. Some may use different words, perhaps

Thoughts of Seneca

2011-06-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

Because we are hurt most by what we do not expect, and because we must expect everything, we must hold the possibility of the most obscene events in mind at all times. No one should take a risk without an awareness of the darkest possibilities. ~Philosopher Seneca, paraphrased by me.I have always held the belief that if I imagine the worst possible scenario, and it never comes to fruition, then

Life is Amazing

2011-05-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

I apologize now for the nature of this blog post. It is not like my other posts, but I feel like yelling from the top of a mountain! The only problem is I live in FL where there are no mountains, so all who follow me will have to put up with this.I was minding my own business at the neighborhood bar last Friday, and my life made a dramatic change for the better. I was supposed to go watch a

Return of the SolidWorks Haiku!

2010-01-18T07:53:00.001-08:00

I have written some haikus related to SolidWorks in the past, you can read them at: http://mysticmango.blogspot.com/2007/03/solidworks-haikus.htmlNow it is 2010, and time for some new ones. I have a co-worker that is having emense trouble with his upgrade of SW2010, and this inspired the following:Warm days of WinterMy new CAD burns me dailyDamn computer crashThe excitement buildsInstall

WaG! 2

2009-12-23T07:49:00.001-08:00

Well, will you look at that? It's already time for another WaG! (What a Gem!) installment. I'll keep this vague and generic, and again place it in the context of the food industry. Suppose your chef is looking through the fridge and he sees a container full of Morel mushrooms, and then proclaims "I'm going to make a new entree using these Morels and add it to the menu!" Some would think that

What a Gem!

2009-12-21T09:05:00.001-08:00

I'm starting a new blog feature called What a Gem! What a Gem! (WaG! ?) will document all the great quotes and quips I hear throughout the day. These may be by people I work with or people that I hear out on the town. I'm sure if you keep your ears open, you'll hear a few gems of your own. So here's the first one:I was speaking with a manufacturing engineer about a purchased part that needs

2009-12-21T07:43:00.001-08:00

Testing mobile blog.

A Working Stiff Again

2009-11-01T07:02:00.000-08:00

I finally made my return to the ranks of the employed. I started a job on the 26th of October, working for an LED company called Lighting Science Group. I landed this 3-6 month contract through Aerotek, a temp agency. I have never used them before as a client, but have used them to acquire new talent in previous positions. I never had a problem with the candidates they sent us. Now I only

In Florida

2009-06-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

Well, it have been about 3 months since I arrived, or close enough. I am still unemployed, and still actively searching. This down time has been good in some respects, as it have allowed me to do some art that I have been wanting to do for a long, long time. I have carved 5 tikis out of palm logs, and have carved about 10 pendants from bone. I attempted a painting, but my soul just wasn't

Out of Texas!

2009-03-18T16:53:00.001-07:00

Whew! I finally made it out of Texas. Day 3 finds me stopping near Baton Rouge, LA in a place called Hammond. I probably could have continued to drive into Mississippi, but decided to try to get a room early tonight. It seems that the last two nights I have been stuck with expensive rooms at Best Western. I guess it is only normal that the cheap rooms would fill-up first.I just finished eating at

Texas, Texas, and more Texas

2009-03-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

Day two finds me leaving New Mexico early in the morning, only to enter the largest State in the Union (not counting Alaska), Texas. Who's idea was it to make Texas so dang wide? Can't we cut it in half, or maybe even quater it? After a couple of hours it all looks the same. After 8 hours? It still looks the same.I will say that my trusty Garmin GPS is doing a fine job. It decided to take

On the Road Again...

2009-03-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm heading to FL once again, but this time I think it is going to for an extended duration. I'm going home to look after my dad, and in the process I hope I find a decent job. I managed only 10hrs of driving today, had a slow start. I'm hoping I can fit 12hrs of driving tomorrow. I pulled over once it started getting dark, which put me in Lordsburg, NM. I was afraid that having my

Corporate Branding

2009-02-25T16:46:00.000-08:00

There is something to be said for easily recognizable product branding. Consumers love their brands. It doesn't matter if it is junk food, real food, automobiles, or electronics gadgets. Corporate Branding makes your products stand out on the shelf and help your customers find your products. Sadly, many companies, small and large, and have to learn how important branding is. Some companies need a

Sarcasm at its Finest!

2009-02-24T12:58:00.000-08:00

There's nothing more I love about online forums, except for online technical forums. And there's nothing more I love about online technical forums than sarcastic replies to ambiguous posts from people that are too clueless to help themselves. The way I figure it, if someone can't form an informative and well structured post asking for help, they deserve whatever the intertubes throw at

What is this "Design Intent" I keep hearing about?

2009-02-16T16:24:00.000-08:00

Design Intent is not a buzz phrase like "ideation funnel" or "value streaming." It is a real term, with a real purpose. Ok, so those other buzz phrases are real too, but I'm just not talking about them at the moment.Design intent could be better understood simply by reversing the order of the words. Does "intended design" make any more sense to you? Design intent comes into play when using

Pizza Shapes

2008-12-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

I was sitting around and I started to think of pizza shapes. You really only have two choices, round and four-sided. The four-sided variety can be either square or rectangular. If you are to believe Pizza Hut marketing, everyone enjoys the crust, that's why they invented the square pizza. This way you can get more pieces with the crust. The down side is that you also get a couple pieces that

For All Our Technology...

2008-10-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

It seems that for all of our techonology we are becoming less able to do things on our own. I'm talking the most basic of things as related to the typical office environment. For example, what is happening right now in my office. We have two rather expensive color copiers. These scan, fax, print, make capuchino, etc. I am witness to the downfall of man as I type this.Person A (Bob) is

Outsourcing

2008-10-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

You hear a lot of static about "outsourcing". The first thoughts that comes to your mind are probably shipping a product design to China for manufacturing. While this is usually what happens, it is only one small aspect of outsourcing, and China is not the only place that gets our business. There is plenty of domestic (inter and intra-state) outsourcing going on as well. Toy companies for

How do I DO what I do?

2008-10-06T13:53:00.000-07:00