How Do You Engineer?: Recent Episodes
How Do You Engineer?
A podcast about how engineering is done. Each week we explore and explain a part of the engineering multiverse.
We're back, the podcast that offers you such an amazing engineering education that you just can't leave. If you've ever wanted to leave a software platform, hardware experience, or podcast but just don't feel like you want to risk it...we're here to help.
The holidays are a time for family, friends, food... and stuff. A lot of stuff. Prompted by a study that revealed that the average child receives over 70 presents a year, we set out to design one gift for each popular gift-giving demographic.
This week we discuss our relationship with technology as consumers. Each of us has a different reaction to the idea of investing in a new technology, ranging from anxious obsession to zen acceptance. We talk about today's exciting cutting edge technologies in personal electronics and home automation, and whether we would pay for them or wait to see how the industry matures.
This week we talk a little about the last couple years of podcasting, but more about how our careers changed over the years. Hopefully you'll get some insight into how engineering roles morph over time to lead you in new and exciting directions.
Many people have expressed disappointment in The Giant Robot Duel that took place earlier this week; the robots moved too slowly, there were too many safety precautions in place... basically it was kind of boring. In this week's podcast we take inspiration from the robot battle to answer the question, how do we make a tech sport that people actually want to watch?
Pete wants robot obstacle courses, Abbey wants a sport to play with friends, and Simon wants to defend his title as the "best robot fighter in this hood." From drone racing to drifting power wheels, we breakdown what tech sports people actually care about.
We're back! Well, Pete and Simon are back to talk about current events. If you are an engineer, you probably find yourself idly trying to imagine how you would use your engineering skills to help make life better in the wake of natural disasters. In this episode, we indulge this impulse and discuss how we could design living spaces to survive hurricanes and other natural disasters. We discuss arcologies, shipping containers, and for some reason, doughnuts.
This week we premiere a "new" episode format: Good Question! Simon read a thing on the internet that raised a question about whether AI should be required to speak human language. Our conversation spirals down a winding road, and doesn't really end in any life altering revelations, but it's an interesting journey.
In Canada we have a legal responsibility as engineers for the people that use our designs, but do we have an ethical responsibility as well? This week we ask a lot of questions, but arrive at very few answers. Prompted by an episode of Radiolab, we discuss the moral and ethical implications of R&D. If any platform can be misused, at what point do you shut it down? And whose job is it to make that decision?
If there is one thing we can all agree on, it is that engineers need to think more.
This week everyone is in attendance again as we go back to basics and take a look at the fundamental concept of design. What does it mean to design? How do we learn to be designers? Does an engineering education prepare one to design well? Answers to almost none of these questions and much much more await you. Honestly this is really just scratching the surface, but we hope it will start some really interesting conversations in the future. Hope you enjoy!
From our summer vacation (except for Simon), we return to podcasting with an update on the Tesla Model 3, and ventures in general. Abbey and Pete chat about the potential for electric cars, trains, and other dreams of an 8 year old Elon Musk.
Prosthesis are designed to replace lost or missing body parts, but what if they could do more? Inspired by The Third Thumb prosthetic, this week we discuss the possibility of enhancing human ability with various prostheses. Pete wants a prehensile tail, while Abbey just wants to flip through a book without using her arms. We describe (possibly dangerous) experiments with pure oxygen, and Simon discusses why gills are his top choice.
Welcome back to the past. Now that we have secured a good standard of living with light, heat, shelter and books, we have to spread the word. That requires a way to communicate information over long distances. We didn't want to rely on the actual historical method of guys on horses, so instead we tried to make semaphore, telegraph, and even a tiny underground message service.
What is your favorite programming language, and what would you change to make it better? Those are the questions that we ask this week. Abbey talks a bit about creating graphical UI designs using XML, and Pete and Simon share their experiences with graphical programming. We compile our experiences, and parse their meaning before we assemble it all together.
This episode we got together to talk about nothing... but we ended up talking about too much. Too much work, that is. When opportunity comes knocking, how do you say no?
This week we discuss managing our time, and every one else's expectations. Pete explains how to be a manager using a (perfectly accurate) sports analogy, and we talk about when to burn a project to the ground and rebuild. Remember engineers: in the end it's about saying no to yourself.
We've been talking about doing this episode for a while, but wanted to prepare our thoughts a little beforehand. Engineering has been understood for years to have a serious problem with diversity. We don't necessarily have the same ideas, and we almost certainly don't share all of your ideas, but we thought that it is important to discuss the issues and possible solutions to try to see where we come to.
Our trips to the year zero are back. This week we return to the past and create the worlds first 'zine. We start by trying to encode data for longevity. In an attempt to keep to a reasonable episode length we decided to limit the problem to reproducing text data for distribution. Soon we have a solution for spreading our propaganda across the ancient world. As usual we run around in circles and come up with a half-reasonable solution.
This week we travelled to big, scary Manhattan to talk to long-time guest and friend of the show, Safwan. Safwan joined us from his fancy office to discuss deep learning, AI, and the steamballing effects of big data. But before we can get there, we have to find the best way to navigate through the building.
How much private information are you willing to give away in exchange for services or discounts? We start off this week discussing how insurance companies trade information on you and your habits in exchange for discounts, but soon branch off in all directions related to privacy and security.
This week, we follow our love of words and look at one of Simon's favourite words: "Skeuomorphism." It's a five dollar word for a concept that you might know more about than you think. We jump off of the idea of skeuomorphs into a conversation on the general future of software interfaces (as we often do) so if you're into that, we have a podcast for you.
This week we talk about some of the smaller scale consequences of robotics, from how they will affect the design of our homes to our need for furry companionship. We discuss Simon's interest in large adirondack chairs, and weigh the pros and cons of meat vs. silicone friends. Pete is still recovering from a flu, so please excuse the coughing for the time being. Rest assured that the show hosts will be replaced with robots soon.
This week we're transported both in space and time to find a way to bring modern transportation to ancient times. With mixed success, we consider human, steam, heat, and electrical power.
This week we step back from reality and discuss our engineering dream jobs. From joining the technological illuminati to being in charge of the fun index, we leave practicality behind in favor of jobs that get us excited.
This week, we use sports words to talk about things that have nothing to do with sports. After trying to find someone who knows about scrum and agile for a while, we finally decided that Pete was good enough. So settle in for a sprint and we will make sure that you are really doing scrum, or at least ScrumBut.
This week we return to the past and try to ensure we can eat food all year round...and not die in the process.
This week we recap the events at CES by discussing why anyone would get into the drone/wearables/sinking ship business. Pete and Simon have a lot to say about failed startups, hopping on the bandwagon and rushing to deliver products. We theorize that the traditional business model is better than the current crowdsourcing model, and that doing your homework is essential when entering a flooded market. Not one of us has a business background.
So you've used your engineering skills and acumen to create an incredible way to separate portions of bread. Primed to disrupt the world, your next step is to market your innovation...somehow?
This week we cover some of our favorite software tools! From graphics to remote control we highlight our favorites...you can even play bingo!
Tech and toys: the top of every engineer's Christmas wish list. In our second annual holiday episode, we discuss the gifts that we're hoping appear under our trees this year. From extravagant drones to cheap lego sets, we lay out the best gifts for the engineer in your life.
This week we bask in the consumerism of the holiday season. We discuss how great the internet is for buying stuff, and how brick and mortar stores are usually not so great. And of course, we talk about how Amazon plans to change that. The whole discussion was inspired by the really cool video Amazon put out a while back about their new store Amazon Go. We try to answer the question "Sure, it's cool, but would you use it?"
This week we have a conversation using the Internet...and having conversations over the Internet!
This week we're back to the past with an episode on indoor plumbing, from supply to disposal. We discuss potable water (po-table? pot-able?), old west water towers and methane dirigibles. Pete explains why sinks in Europe have separate hot and cold water taps, and we design a poorly-thought out and awkward communal toilet. At least we're not in an outhouse.
Looking back on the last 40-odd weeks there have been some moments of hilarity which, for obvious reasons, didn't make it into the final episodes. So come with us on a journey into the podcasting studio and see what happens before the final cut.
A year ago we were here. Or at least some of us were. For our fiftieth episode we reflect on the past year of podcasting. We discuss our podcast formats, how our audio has improved, and our new release schedule. We also look to the future and tell you about some of our new episode ideas, from a series on the exciting world of protocols to a What Were They Thinking style of product discussion. And as we stated in our first podcast, we're always open to your feedback.
After all of the years of late nights and longs days that it takes to spin up an education and career in engineering, how do you leave it all behind and completely change your path? Now imagine that everyone around you is telling you that it's a mistake. That was the question that Manjula Selvarajah was asking herself years ago when she decided to leave behind a successful career in engineering and marketing to become a journalist.
“How do tech companies continue to innovate” seems like a pretty ambitious topic to cover in a half-hour without Abbey, and looking back it probably was. Simon and Pete tried their best to discuss the current state of tech innovation, and how companies choose strategies to stay relevant and innovative.
This week we're calling in sick. We'll be back next week and in the meantime, here's a little "When HDYE Goes Wrong" preview.
With the hot new Samsung Note 7 all over the news, we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge all of the incredible technology that is all around us...not on fire.
This week we return to the past. The cold dark past. And try to warm things up with our engineering know-how. We discuss the downside of living with a garbage fire, try to avoid lead poisoning, and get distracted by centrifugal governors. Pete tells us all about the little-known properties of oregano and we succeed in making the past better than the present, at least when it comes to in-floor heating.
Trying to find a balance between work and life is often less like adding or removing weights from a scale, but more akin to trying to slackline between two masts of a ship in the open ocean. Circumstances change, pivot points shift, and the only way to know if you've reached a tipping point is to think critically about how you work and what you want out of life.
This week we chat with friend of the podcast and returning guest, Dom Aibi. After being shown the door at his last job, Dom circumnavigated the globe to travel and practice yoga. Now his path has lead him to a career teaching PLCs, affording him the work-life balance that he once sought. We chat about his new career, his thoughts on the industry and consulting, and the benefits of routine and positive peer pressure on the path to health.
After his original interview way back in episode 3, we fully intended to have Dom come back an tell us more about the mysterious world of PLCs. But then he ran off to the other side of the world and couldn't talk to us... until now! Dom is back and we are finally going to learn what a PLC is and why industry loves them so much. Turns out they are very special computers which are integral to making many of the products you use and consume every day. In a world where microprocessing has become hobbyist and widely available, PLCs are a technology which has remained strictly industrial. So you're probably not going to learn about these things on instructables. You're just going to have to learn about it here!
In a world where computers can teach themselves, will we still require programmers? This week a Wired article prompted us to we revisit the topic of a past episode to discuss the necessity of coding in the future. We touch on past failed attempts at artificial intelligence, and highlight some of the successes. We also listened to user feedback and tried to wrap up our ramblings with a few conclusions. Are you happy now Calvin?
This week we post Episode 41, our 40th anniversary episode! We set out to talk about pet peeves and premium pet perks that drive engineers crazy, and then lead us to fall in love all over again. I don’t really have any other words to describe the misguided hilarity that ensues. Warm fuzzies abound!
This week we continue our journey through the past. We may have gotten ahead of ourselves when we tried to reinvent the light bulb, so this time we are going to start at the beginning and try to make electricity. Come with us as we discuss lodestones, the right-hand rule, and geared-down hamster wheels. We will rewrite history and create a modern utopia in the heart of he Roman Empire.
When we needed a glossary episode this week, Jason from episode 35 was ready to step in...so clutch! Have you ever wondered what happens when you drop the clutch in a beast of a blown six-banger with four on the floor (I know manly car things...really). Let Jason help prepare you for car conversations with a guide to how engines make your car vroom vroom and zoom zoom.
Some people have a very clear idea of what they will be doing when they graduate with an engineering degree... but they're mostly wrong. With technological advances and exciting opportunities dictating career changes in ways we couldn't predict, few people stick to the path that they laid out for themselves in first year. This week we are joined by Adriano Basso, the Director of IT for travel company Butterfield & Robinson. Adriano has had several careers across a wide range of industries from aerospace to banking, horse racing to travel. How does one find oneself with such an array of interesting careers? Don't say no to opportunities.
This week Pete and Simon come back from a conference with renewed excitement for the trendy topics in engineering. With that in mind we set out to justify our categorization as a "tech news" podcast and talk about what is popular in engineering, and what that means for the future of consumer goods. We revisit our old friend the Internet of Things, talk about Elon Musk, and imagine a rosy future where no one has to own anything but we can still have all the best tech toys. We digress into a discussion of sports and logistics, then narrowly avoid a serious conversation about Star Trek. Finally, we make a concerted effort to wrap up in a meaningful way. Do we succeed? You'll just have to listen to find out!
Come with us on a journey, a journey into the distant past. Imagine if you will that through the miracle of flux capacitance you have been transported to the year zero and the heart of the Roman Empire. Using only your current understanding of science and engineering, can you recreate a utopian society complete with all the conveniences of modern life? That is our challenge.
This week we're joined by Mechanical Engineer Jason Desouza-Coelho to talk about the ins and outs of auto manufacturing. We discuss the surprising honesty of at-the-limit design, and the rigorous testing and validation that goes into each part. Join us as we discuss the practicality of vended paste extrusion, and the indestructibility of Toyota's pickups. Pete actually wasn't too far off; PPAP stands for Production Part Approval Process.
This week, Simon runs headlong into an explanation of Markov processes and Bayesian networks before anyone else realizes the episode has started. We learn why your phone never wants to swear, and why the subtitles on YouTube videos are sometimes hilariously wrong.
This week we question the need for educational engineering toys for kids, and more specifically toys that teach kids to code. Pete acts as an advocate for the devil, in this case questioning the ethics and necessity for kids to learn about coding. We ramble a bit, but in the end come to a consensus that great toys are great, and crap toys aren’t the best. Despite being able to clearly see the destination, we hope you enjoy the journey.
Space: hopefully not the final frontier. These are the voyages of the podcast How Do You Engineer? back from summer break with Kamran of the Canadian Space Agency to discuss robots in space. Join us as we explore the day-to-day life of an International Space Station Robotics Flight Controller, and learn what it takes to be part of the team behind the Canadarm2. From remotes that drop down from the ceiling to being a student at the coolest sounding university, Kam walks us down the winding path that led him out of this world.
This week we follow up on our discussion about the relationship between art and technology. We explore the difficulties of evaluating artistic endeavours in an engineering context, as well as the dangers of seeing art as simply something to be "added on" to engineering. We talk about the philosophy of both art and engineering, inventing, and finding satisfaction in our own esoteric kinds of art. If you've ever found beauty in a particularly artful subroutine, or a beautifully balanced equation, then this episode is for you. Perhaps we don't have to add art to anything, it may have been there all along.
Some of the most creative applications of technology have always come from the art world. This week Nick joins us to share his projects, and his philosophical views on how art can inform and be informed by technology. Join us as we learn about the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of DIY technological art from android snakes, to blankets, and file cabinets.
This week Victor from Aerovelo is back to talk about the ins and outs of drag. We cover wind, water, trains, planes, automobiles, and bicycles. If you want to go faster and fly higher, let Victor be your guide.
This week we prove that we are a “tech news” podcast by talking about something often discussed in the media: bots. No, not butts. From ordering thin-crust pizza to adjusting the thermostat, bots have the ability to make our lives easier. The question then is, are we ready for them? I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to buy pants any other way.
This week we talk to our friends Leo and Kitty from the Afterburn 739 podcast about Leo's serendipitous journey through engineering. Leo tells us about his time in the US Navy, and the many positions he held on his way to being a reliability engineer. We learn the difference between a stationary engineer and a rotating equipment engineer and find out how you make the leap between those positions. After a storied history we reach Leo's current role as a reliability engineer and learn how preventative maintenance programs work and how they make manufacturing processes better. Of course it's not all serious, in keeping with the tone of Afterburn 739 we also engineer the latest invention that will make us millionaires: the robo-keggerator.
This week Pete does his best to try to explain what neuro-fuzzy systems are all about. They’re a little difficult to explain without visuals, but hopefully this episode will make the mathematical concepts and structures around this important approach to control a little “crisp”. This is an introduction to some of the concepts that are emerging in technology that are making computers and systems smarter and better able to interpret what humans want. We’re going to try to do some episodes in the future to talk about some others.
This week we throwback to Episode 22 on engineering education to discuss our ideas for improving tomorrow’s engineers. From med schools to plant waterbeds, we’ll walk you through the best way to educate engineering undergrads... or the best way in our opinion at least. Pete also outlines his top tips for getting a job after graduating; hint: spellcheck is your friend.
Have you ever wanted to get together with a group of interesting and intelligent people, excited about engineering, to drink beer and learn how to build robots for a weekend? If your answer is yes...or yes now...then a hackathon is the ticket! Adriana Ieraci joined us this week to talk about hackathons ,maker culture, and the bridges that bring diverse people from all backgrounds into the engineering space.
This week we hit the mail sack and answer a question from a listener. Turns out we have been talking a lot about Systems Engineering without sussing out just what that means. It's a common question, especially among systems engineers. As it turns out it's a pretty loose definition. In fact, you might be a systems engineer and not even know it! If you're interested in systems level problem solving and pushing the limits of what engineering actually is, you're in for a treat.
This week we talk about improving engineering education for the next generation. Listen as we rant about what is wrong with the current system, while discussing our pie-in-the-sky ideas for making university better with project-based learning paradigms. Simon exercises his dad joke muscle, and we agree that alarms where people call you from Russia are a little creepy. From robot dog kisses to eigenvalues, join us as we highlight our education shortfalls.
This week we try to keep things civil with Andrew Messer. Andrew is our first civil engineer, and the engineer that has come from the furthest afield. We get our feet wet learning about water resources and land development, and try to find a better way to dispose of the truly unreasonable amount of diapers that Simon and Pete are now consuming.
We work for a company that specializes in mechatronics, so we're the experts on what mechantronics actually is... right? Probably. This week we delve into the definition of mechatronics engineering by playing a game inspired by John Siracusa: Mechatronics or Not? From cars to laptops, we'll let you know if the systems around you are truly mechatronic.
This week Tyler Campaigne joins us from the fancy boardroom at Vidyard to chat about video hosting, web development and startups. We learn what a full stack developer actually is, and explore the best way to drink in a boat… er, we mean fish. Pete suggests ramming the fish with spike-equipped submarines; Abbey is saddened by the idea. From Y Combinator to the day-to-day of a software architect, Tyler gives us a glimpse into the life of a VP at a successful startup.
Sometimes engineers and technical types use acronyms and initialisms to save time, or to just sound smarter. A classic example from the world of mechatronics and control systems is PID control. This week Pete walks the winding path of what a PID controller is, and how you might use one. Despite his best efforts things get a little complicated, but our hope is that in the end you gain a little insight into one of the most important algorithms in the modern world.
In the rarest of cases, the challenge of engineering is taken on by enterprising individuals with hopes, dreams, curiosity, cases of beer, and little to no formal training. One such courageous soul joined us this week to talk about the trials and tribulations of a self-made engineer. From turf management and biomechanics, to power management and electromechanics, Gord Fogg has broken into the weird and twisted world of engineering and lived to tell the tale.
In the past we featured the technology of today’s tomorrow, today we feature the technology of future tomorrows. Nanobots, atomic printers, and the matrix may be science fiction, but even the humble hoverboard bested us on this one.
This week we chat about the technology of the future that has become the technology of today. What technological innovations have come about over the last few years that have the potential to change the world, and how? From virtual reality to auto-autos, we technobabble about all the things.
This week we’re heading back again to Episode 2 to ask Safwan Choudhury about Application Programming Interfaces... or are they Application Program Interfaces? From russian dolls to shady back-alley API dealings, we dissect what tools and instructions your programs need to talk to each other. Bonus We also learn about SDKs! You’re welcome!
This week we called up our friend Kyle Smith from the Everyday Superhumans podcast down south in Louisiana. After designing the future of automotive transmissions, and a detour into the nuances and annoyances of units of measurement, we finally got down to business. Kyle told us about working as a mechanical engineer in a shipyard building “small” ships. If you want to know about aluminum frames, forklifts, and fugu fish, then boy are you in for a treat with this week’s episode!
This week we jump in the way back machine and go all the way to Episode 1 to talk a bit more about PCBs in the first of what we’re going to be calling “glossary” episodes. What are PCBs you ask? What do they do? Aren’t they some kind of chemical? You’re just going to have to listen to find out. This episode was inspired by a message from a listener! If there are concepts we mention that you would like to hear more about, we would love to hear from you.
Are we going to accidentally create an AI that commits us all to a fiery doom...or will it just want to make muffins? These are some of the questions that we tackle this week as we discuss the singularly fascinating field of artificial intelligence. More specifically, we delve into the ethical and philosophical questions of what is intelligence, what are the ethical ramifications of general artificial intelligence, is it possible, and how would we know for sure?
This week Victor Ragusila talked to us about the amazing work that the engineers at Aerovelo have been doing to push the boundaries of what is humanly possible. In their pursuit of extreme efficiency, the team has created the first successful human powered helicopter, the fastest human powered vehicle, and the world’s first human powered ornithopter. This episode has it all, space lasers, helicopters the size of a football field, barbarians, and bicycles that are faster than Simon is comfortable driving.
This week Phil McClelland comes to us via the internet to talk about the human side of software development: user experience design. From holograms and tubes, to wireframes and how to talk to engineers this episode offers the experience we know you want.
Each week we record a "pre-show" to get some levels and settle in. To celebrate the start of a new year of recording, here's a little taste of what goes on behind the scenes. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoy recording.
In our very first holiday celebration episode, we are visited by the ghost of podcasts future: Cameron Fulford to deck the halls, eat some cookies, and help us explain just how Santa makes his “magic” happen. While Arthur C. Clarke might say that our solutions would be indistinguishable from magic, we stay firmly grounded in applied science. We theorize about nano-robots, space elevators, puppy catapults and n-dimensional space. So pour yourself some eggnog, add a splash of something to warm your heart, and join us on our quest to engineer a Merry Christmas!
This week we delve into the heavily watered, remotely operated world of engineering mechatronics to work in nuclear power plants. Calvin Pettinger joins us to talk about designing tools for reactor maintenance. Calvin gives us a glimpse into the difficulties of working in an environment where the air itself is trying to kill you, and the joys of union politics. We learn about CANDU reactors, different types of radiation, and sludge, both soft and hard. We even take some time to debate whether remote manipulators are robots, and take a journey back in time to design better siege machines.
This week Safwan is back by popular demand (among the HDYE hosts) for an episode we originally planned to call "Who are the Engineers of the Future?", but which quickly morphed into a whole different discussion. We talk a lot about FIRST, and probably too little about all of the other great programs that are out there like national science fairs. Pete explains how omni wheels are not as cool as mecanum wheels, and talks about a grasshopper robot, that is in fact a flea robot. It's a topic we are passionate about, as evidenced by the number of times we interrupt each other just to adamantly agree.
This week Paul Grouchy tells us how we can use lessons learned from nature to make smarter computers, and better robots. We talk about pirates, chairs, and sticky-ish rice, learn about immortal virtual life-forms and stair climbing robots, and discuss robot-butts. Paul talks about research that takes a lot of computing power, but not, you know, a lot a lot. Well, sometimes a lot a lot, let’s just say it’s complicated, but definitely super cool. There are false starts, and Simon’s jokes fall flat. But it’s okay, because evolution is a messy process.
This week we're trying something new. We delve into the deep dark depths of the existential question of "what is an engineer anyway?". This has other related topics that we try desperately not to get too distracted by like "who are engineers?", but get sucked into talking about at length anyway. The episode was prompted by articles in The Atlantic and Wired that made the claim that until software engineers figure out a way to uphold the standards and ethical code of the other more traditional fields of engineering, they (we) don't deserve to be called engineers. If you want a well crafted, thoughtful treatise on the topic, you should read the articles. If you want a more rambling and somewhat comedic attempt to pull at threads that end up in more of a tangle than a knot...this is the podcast for you. There's also a brilliant design for a key-less entry system, and some insights into the dangers of eating too many bananas.
This week we learn about the ins and outs of how food is made on an industrial level with Dom Aibi. There's a little flavour, a lot of facts, and a touch of frivolity. We investigate the fascinating process of making everything from ketchup to ice cream, hot sauce to chocolate sauce.
In this episode we sit down with Safwan Choudhury to talk about the state of affairs in the mobile app space, how professional developers create mobile apps, and how you can get started creating the next killer app. We also talk a little about murdering people, but thanks to time travel we bring them back to life again. At one point Pete accidentally says Star Wars instead of Star Trek, and will be forever embarrassed, his nerd cred tarnished.
For our first episode we interview...each other. We talk about our plan for the podcast, and how you can help make it better. We'll also answer the questions we want to ask our guests: Why are you an engineer, how did you become an expert in what you do, and how can others follow in your footsteps?