would YOU do it?

Magnum was telling me about some accelerated life testing they have going on at his work.  He referred to it as "the Monster's Inc. setup".

Magnum designs door locks.  That may sound pretty mundane, but just take a moment to think about the abundance of door locks you encounter on a regular basis - residences, schools, museums, hospitals, senior living facilities (right, Joey?), etc...  And they have to work properly.

Actually, they're kind of like shoes.  You don't really take notice of them unless they cause pain... or unless you design them.

So back to Monster's Inc. life testing.  I haven't seen it, but Magnum describes it as a large room with 10 different doors, each with a unique lock.  The locks are put through rigorous testing on fixtures, but this particular life test uses Real. Live. Humans. Oh. My. God.

These humans must walk through each door by actuating the doorlock.  They must do this all day.  They must walk through those ten doors, each with different locks, over and over and over.

They've brought in workers from a temp agency who are paid, I think, $12/hr, and if they last for something like two weeks, they'll get 6-month temp jobs in the factory.  No degree, certification, or experience is required.  They just have to be able to open doors.  All day.

I can't even.

I told Magnum that it sounds like hell as he told me about the number of temps that dropped out after about an hour.

"They can wear earbuds.  They can take breaks as needed...", he went on.  I should note that this test was not his idea.

"It sounds more like a psychological test than a door lock test to me", I observed, and I'm not kidding.

They want around 50,000 actuations per lock.  Magnum doesn't think they're going to make it.  I'm trying to picture this room with people walking around in large circles as they open ten different doors.  They can't even daydream because they have to know what to do at each door - some they turn, some have a lever to push, some have a button to push or twist...

But, he says a couple of the "lock walkers" are still going strong, with smiles on their faces no less.

"Maybe we should have exit interviews when people drop out", he pondered.

"Heck, I'd be more interested in interviewing the people who stay!  Those there are the anomalies!", I said.

Would YOU do it?  What would it take?

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Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:

2. Tell us about the last time you broke a sweat.

the teletubbies did it

fuckyeahearthships.tumblr.com

I'd build an Earthship.  Just a small one.  Big enough for two people and the occasional guests. It could be a vacation home.  Maybe we'd airbnb it when we weren't there.

[From Wikipedia] An Earthship is a type of passive solar house that is made of both natural and upcycled materials such as earth-packed tires.

An Earthship addresses six principles or human needs:

1. Thermal/solar heating and cooling
2. solar and wind electricity
3. self contained sewage treatment
4. building with natural and recycled materials
5. water harvesting and long term storage
6. some internal food production capability

pinterest.com

Designing our Earthship would be fun.  It would provide a lot of sun in the winter.  We could make use of the natural landscape.

pinterest.com

fuckyeahearthships.tumblr.com

It would be cool in the summer and still provide plenty of natural light.

pinterest.com

fuckyeahearthships.tumblr.com

There are plans available online.  We'd just need to get ourselves a plot of land and get hopping.

pinterest.com

Construction might involve gathering and filling old tires with dirt and pounding them over and over with sledge hammers, and/or collecting a bunch of old bottles and/or cans and tediously joining them with concrete.  

SOURCE

It could take many hours.  But could be a fun hobby, right?

Or... maybe I'd do a webcomic...

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Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:

2. Describe a hobby you would pursue if you had an additional hour to spend each day

I need you to need me

I was around 15 years old, going somewhere in the car with my mom.  She asked me,
"What do you think you want to be when you grow up?"

Of course I'd been asked that before.  Seems like from first grade on, we had to write a paper every school year to answer just that question.  I'd never had any clear cut ideas, anything I KNEW I was destined for.  But I always remember that I wanted to do something useful.  Does that count as a thing?

And by that time of her question, I wasn't in elementary school anymore where we'd write about three sentences and then draw a picture of our career of choice.

I remember thinking that I should probably give my mom an answer.  To ease her mind that I wouldn't be a spinster living at home forever.  I told her I thought maybe I'd like to be an architect, maybe...

I detected a sense of relief from her.  Apparently I'd given a favorable response, unlike say, "barmaid", "snake charmer", "pole dancer"...

In fact, it seemed like I was better at knowing what I didn't want to be.  That seemed like a shorter list.  For example, I wouldn't want to work in sales.  Trying to reach quotas every month, trying to always "get to 'yes'", travelling all over to meet with clients.  Not my cup of tea.  The competition, the schmoozing, the somewhat conniving connotations

So I went to engineering school which I actually enjoyed except for the lack of a social life and the first few days of classes and...

But even that business calmed down after a while.  And in case anybody's wondering what it's like to be one of five girls in a classroom with 95 guys, it's not as good as it sounds.  But it does make it more likely to be picked for a photo to accompany a magazine article on your somewhat well-known professor.  And you will be paid a very handsome sum of one black and white photo.

Eventually, though, after a few group projects and such, the engineering guys learn that the engineering girls are just people.  Plus, they learn that the typical engineering girl doesn't really have time to spend on hair and makeup, nor does she want to.  The business school was the next one over.  Those girls spent more time on their appearance and would probably be good at sales.

At that point, it's safe for an engineering girl to agree to marry one of the engineering guys.  *ahem*.  We understand each other.

So I went to work and was useful, and it was good.  I liked my job.  I liked my coworkers. I liked my paycheck.  Mom was happy.

But then babies started to arrive...

mommyish.com

and I realized I'd be more useful taking care of them.  So I did...

Now, they're all big and independent.  So it's time to grow up and be useful again.

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Linking up with MamaKat this week for the prompt:

2. Something you wanted to be when you grew up

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turning down the volume

I sit here among the ruins.  I think... "Hey, it's not so bad".

The Modern Trashed Dorm theme was not going over well here at the abode.  Plus, a couple of days after trashing the place, Chaco went off with some friends for one of their rip-roaring 2-day LAN parties, leaving us here among the filth.

I was tempted to scoop it all into big trash bags, but lucky for Chaco, I was enjoying a virus that Magnum brought home for me from his recent travels.  So I sat around among the rubble while fighting the snot wars.  Although when Chaco returned yesterday, I think he was somewhat wishing that I would've just trashed it all.

But he tackled it, motivated by the fact that he wanted to hook up his computer, and doing so was pretty much out of the question in the state the room was in.  I came down this morning to find this:

Trust me, this is actually much better than before, with more improvement to come.  The hideous lamp is still here, but it and most of the stuff is going to a storage unit today.

So I was over looking at Mama Kat's writing prompts for this week, and all of them kind of applied in a way, but I thought of

2.) You HAVE to go back in time and choose a different career path for yourself. What do you choose?

Today I'm thinking Garbage Lady.  Like a Garbage Man with different parts.  I just love me some trash takin' out!  And today is our Garbage Day to boot!  YAY!

I've never actually seen a Garbage Lady - not on a truck anyways.  They probably exist though, right?  Either way, I think I can still rock the fluorescent vest.  Been there done that!

Back during my actual non-traditional profession days, several other enginerds and I went on a tour of the dump.  We were in the process of designing a family of products back when "environmental friendliness" was kind of a new thing, so we naturally headed for the dump to inspire our creativity.

I remember that our tour guide was a Garbage Lady who knew a surprising amount about trash and what happens to it when it leaves the dumpsters.  She spoke in terms of "tons" a lot.  It was a good field trip, and ever since, I've had trouble throwing things away... except when it's rained down on me in the form of a dorm purge.

In the meantime, anyone have any good Ramen recipes?  We've got like a TON of Ramen...

Ride, Sally!

I was in my final year of college and was schlepping through the Engineering Center when I walked passed one of my professor's offices.  I noticed some people and an unusual bustle of activity going on in there as I traveled down the hallway.  Then I overheard my professor say, "Hey, you wanna girl in the picture?"

Next, he poked his head into the hallway, "Hey Abby, will you c'mere for a minute?"

Turns out there was some trade magazine there to do an article about my professor and some new equipment he'd successfully acquired for the university through a grant.  Of course, they wanted to include photos of him - a bit of a "celebrity" in the world of manufacturing - and were setting up when I walked passed.

The photo shoot came to include the professor, the equipment, and a girl.  Check out the state-of-the-art technology!  Ignore the 80's hair...

Obscurely famous professor and a girl

Magnum and I still laugh about that episode.  How my prof didn't say,"Hey, you wanna engineering student in the picture?"   Nope, I knew why I'd been chosen. It was a way to say, "Look how trendy we are - robotic stuff and girl students!"  My ethnic look probably didn't hurt either.

Shortly after that, I was out in the working girl world and once again was asked to be a girl in a picture. This time, for a company recruiting brochure.  I went to the designated area that was set up to look like one of our typical cubicles.  I sat at the table with Marvin, pretending to analyze a drawing, while the photographer took pretty pictures.

Marvin was a black guy.

We both knew why we'd been chosen.  It was a way to say, "Look how trendy we are - black and female engineers!"  We were also both relatively young at the time.  I still remember how we were actually joking about that "assignment" while the cameras clicked.

I've never been one to "soapbox" about more girls joining the STEM professions.  While I'm certainly happy for anyone who wants to join in, I don't see it as a gender issue.  Like any other field, it should be chosen because of an inherent interest.  I ended up "retiring" to the mommy track.  Do I regret that decision?  Not one bit.  Do I miss being an employed engineer?  Absolutely.

Yesterday, when I learned of Sally Ride's death, I was a bit sad.  She became the first US woman astronaut at about the same time I graduated high school.  I was also surprised to learn that she'd had pancreatic cancer.  I guess I wasn't the only one.  Despite here noted achievements, she was not in the limelight much.  Her choice apparently.  I'm sure she got tired of being asked so often about her femaleness.

Still, I hope she knows that she inspired many.  Rest In Peace, Sally Ride.
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in the sea

Anita is a blog friend who, in my preference, doesn't blog nearly enough.  But when she does, it's always something interesting and thought provoking.  She's done it again in writing about being the LBW (Lone Black Woman).

She ends by asking her readers:
How often are you the lone (fill in the blank)?


Before I was a mom, I was an engineer.  More specifically, a mechanical engineer.  More specifically, a manufacturing engineer.  I truly enjoyed my job, and did it for about 10 years.  But once the babies came along, the whole thing sort of lost its luster, and I hung up my factory toys when Chaco was 3 and Wolfgang was 18 months. 


<-- Amy from "Big Bang Theory".  She's awesome!

But during those years, and certainly during my time in college, I was often the lone female at meetings, on design teams, etc.  I honestly didn't think about it that much.  I suppose that growing up in a neighborhood full of boys had amply prepared me for my academic and professional lives. 

And, I think it's safe to say, that the majority of the men I worked with had no problem with me either.  I know it was awkward for a few at first, but once they got to know me, all was fine. 

At the last place I worked, when I was a new-hire, I was assigned a "mentor" to work beside while he showed me the various ropes.  He was older - in his early 60's - and close to retirement.  We became very good friends.  Later, he confessed to me, that when our boss told him that he would be training me, he "wanted nothing to do with it!".   He confessed this to me at a company picnic, after he'd had a few beers.  He went on to say what a blessing our working relationship had turned out to be, and I wholeheartedly agree.

For the younger guys, those closer to my own age, I never felt like it was an issue at all.  We all worked side-by-side, not "genderless" by any means, but simply comfortable with each other.  The whole "lone girl" thing would sometimes come up as just a fun aside. 

I do remember one guy, though.  I think he was just uncomfortable around women in general.  He was  mid-40's at the time.  We were at a design meeting discussing certain components.  Parts that fit together are often referred to as "male" and "female" for obvious reasons.  This man stopped, mid-discussion, looked at me, the lone female,  and asked, "Does it offend you that we refer to these as 'male' and 'female'?"

I almost wanted to laugh.  I almost wanted to make some sarcastic p*nis/v*gina remark.  In the end, I just assured him that no, I was not offended.

We're all just people.  I included the pic of Amy (not a mech. engineer, she's a neurobiologist, but fits the stereotype just fine) from "Big Bang Theory" since, despite my disinterest in most of TV, I do enjoy that show.  Probably because I can relate to all of the characters, and it makes me reminiscent of my working girl days.  I'll end with an Amy quote:

"Sheldon, sometimes you forget, I'm a lady. And, with that comes an estrogen-fueled need to page through thick glossy magazines that make me hate my body."

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the boys' room

I have fond memories of college. Kind of like other dead relationships, I mainly remember the good parts.

Sure, I have vague memories of the stress and the homework and the exams and the lack of social life because of the above and the lack of money... But for the most part, I had a good time in college and made some good friends.

And none of those things was the real intimidating part for me. The intimidating part was probably when I walked into that first classroom and didn't see hardly any other girls.

Now, I realize that that may sound quite enticing, but I ask you girls out there to think about it for a moment. A room full of guys. A room FULL of guys, and you ask yourself, "okay, where are the girls?" And maybe you spot one. Or two. A room of 100 students and approximately 5 of them are girls, and one of those 5 is you.

In the end, it wasn't that bad. It was just that initial shock. I'm recalling those memories because I was perusing our local newspaper over the weekend and saw that Sally Ride was in town encouraging girls to enter science and engineering fields. I come across articles like this now and again and I've heard that the male to female ratio in engineering programs hasn't changed much since I was there. I'd bet that some girls may start out there, but the outnumberedness (Shush! This is just a blog, so I can use made up words if I want!) drives them to other more gender balanced majors.

And I say to those girls, "Stick it out!" with the engineering. It's really not that bad. Like I said, I made lots of good friends, many of them male types. Heck! It's where I met Magnum. And I loved my engineering jobs... until I had babies that I loved more.

I came across the photo above recently. It was taken while I was in college. That would be me with the 80's big hair and fashion. The older guy was a professor of mine recognized in the field of manufacturing. It was mainly through him that the department had received all that spanking new equipment featured in that photo. Check out that "state-of-the-art" PC. What is it? A 286??

Anyway, I remember that I just happened to be walking by, minding my own business when some trade magazine photographers and writers were there doing a story. They asked me, yes ME, to be in the photo. They wanted a TRUE aspiring engineer! They wanted one of Mr. Famous Professor's protege's in the story! I remember! I heard him suggest it as I walked by:

"Hey! Ya wanna GIRL in the picture?"
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