seems like SO MANY things are just built nowadays that are NOT common sense.

http://beta.news.yahoo.com/comics/dilbert-slideshow/

parking lots drive me crazy, they are all designed for Honda Civics.

i could never get my mega thru 90% of the drive thru's around here without curbing a tire.

we finally quit driving the mega when fuel went up, and got a Tahoe (that's the shortest full size GM SUV for those who don't know) which is basically a full sized truck.

its still TOO BIG for most driveways into businesses.
they just built a bank, and did a huge "you can't get there from here" frontage road system, and you have to make a 90 degree turn into an entrance which is barely big enough for a pair of goats.

usually, traffic is backed up, trying to get in or out, because you have to alternate to leave enough room for cars to swing in.

is common sense not authorized?

 

It's the way of the world. We've been down sizing vehicles since the fuel crisis of the 70's. As far as the bank, sounds like someone needs to learn how to build an apron.

 

Proud to be a engineer, also most of what your complaining about is not from my area. But I will say I haven't found to many places I can go with my truck. I do drive a smaller car for daily drivng due to fuel. There is alot that goes in to the way frontage roads and what not are design, it is to reduce accidents, and they have stats to prove that it does. An issue I see alot is people that don't really know how big or small their vehilces are, and thing they need more space they they actually do.

 

Yeah, the cars are lined up waiting to turn thru the goat path so they are less likely to have an accident.

Train engineer, maybe. Design engineer, not until they start including a degree on common sense.

Reminds me of an incident years ago at the farm equipment dealership where I used to work. The company sent out a prototype round hay baler for us to test and after a week or so, an engineer came to check on it. This particular design had mounted the crowder wheels (wheels that move the hay into the pickup head of the baler) on the pickup head making it extra heavy and so my boss took the engineer out on a demonstration ride without mentioning the problem and then when they finished, he asked the engineer to raise the pickup head for him so they could head back to the farmyard. The engineer had to use both hands to have enough leverage to lift the pickup head so he asked my boss to insert the locking pin for him. My boss simply replied, "No, you're a farmer out in the field by yourself. You do it." They ended up redesigning the pickup head lift system but it was obvious that the engineers hadn't thought about how many people would be available to do that specific task. Farmers don't often come in teams.

 

In the DOD relm......
Mechanical Engineers build weapons systems.
Civil Engineers build targets.

 

yeah, common sense is more what i was thinking, like the plastic HVAC doors on our trucks that "should stop" when they feel Resistance

and the bad part is, every brand of vehicle seems to have a glaring fault that drives away customers, like the Ford 6.0 motor.
of the GM "stepper motors" in the dash gauges.
or the TOyota "Go, Go faster" pedal.

another common sense one: i had a "hand held tuner" once that re-programs the ECM in the vehicle.
this particular one erased the program in the ECM, and then re-wrote it.
seems simple enough?

the only problem was, it did not CHECK to see if it was the proper unit, with the proper code, for the proper ECM. it just erased the ECM and....nothing.

i ended up talk to the software guy, and he said he brought it up at the morning meeting that they needed to build in a failsafe to verify the right tuner was hooked to the correct ECM...and the head honcho said it was too expensive .

common sense & windows 7: we won't go there: they even messed up the way SOLITAIRE works...

 

Engineers know half as much as they think they do, and talk twice as much as they should. IMHO

 

Remember lots of these dumb ideas come from marketing and the overall cost point the average consumer is willing to pay. I have worked in in design, manufacturing, and currently work as a test engineer.


For all you that feel the need to bad mouth engineers, why don't you get a degree in engineering, and change the world instead of sitting behind your computer and complaining.

 

it's more likely to be an economic/liability decision than poor engineering

the standard width of parking lot spaces in my town is 9' but the owner of the office building I work in wanted to advertise the highest possible number of spaces within his lot so he shrunk them down to 7 1/2' wide

the first week I brought my W250 in I did $700 damage to the boss' car (trying to back it into a corner in the space next to his)

in the case of that bank, they may be trying to limit liability by channeling everybody into narrow approach lanes

sometimes I park my rig far enough away from the merchant's place of business and WALK so I don't need to stress about maneuvering it in tight corners

ARGGGHHH

 

Personally, as a mechanic, I feel the way engineering degrees are done, NEEDS to change. You must first complete the course, and then graduate. However, before getting a degree, and being allowed to be hired as an engineer, you should be mandated to spend 5 years in a shop, as a mechanic. This way, the engineer will see it from the 'other side', and avoid designing a car that requires pulling the engine out, to do spark plugs. Or having to completely disassemble the dash, to change the evaporator. Where I work, they call them 'Imagineers', and that's because they imagine it will work as planned. It's not until the mechanics point out there flaws, before it actually works the way it should.

I am not attacking anybody personally, I'm just speaking from experience.

 

I would agree with this, most software programs do not have an kind a restraints that show how real world works as far as assembly goes. You can install stuff that would not be possible in the real world. I have worked as a mechanic and seen some of the things you talk about. When I worked for Bobcat I tried to design stuff with these thing in mind. Also alot of times it comes down to they don't see it needing to be serviced so they don't design it with serviceablitiy in mind. There are alot of engineers that don't have hands on experience that are very book smart. I would be the opposite, I have lots of hands on experince, but stuggle with the school work some.

 

could not agree more! just like the ford, why should a tech have to remove the cab to do any engine repairs. the 6.4, the only way to get the downpipe out is to 1. remove cab, 2. remove trans OR spend an hour with a sawzall. many times working on helicopters, we would cuss the engineers but I guess it all works in their heads and on paper. reality is much different than a paper idea.

 

Engineers design products which they are asked to design.......they just make sure the design criteria are met. Here in TX, you do have to have 5 years worth of practical experience before you may receive your PE stamp. My B-I-L was a design engineer for Lufkin trailer and Peterbuilt.......he only met the criteria he was asked to meet.

 

Too much social engineering? Steering society to drive and do what only they want us to drive? (hah "steering" and "drive", get it?)

Gotta go. I hear helicopters.

 

hind sight is 20 20. Those who knock a design after the fact, should try to design something upfront with no physical parts & utilize software & books only.

I am a design engineer-manufacturing oilfield equipment. I have both hands on & book knowledge. I know too well how difficult it is to squeeze all of the salesmens requirements into a package & still make a functional product.

I'm not saying that there is no obvious errors that should have been seen-but next time you say how dumb a design was-think to yourself- What else has this company / person done that is good. People tend to dwell on a mistake/error rather than the whole picture.

I have made my share of mistakes & believe me-I hear about it. But I have never heard someone say-wow, you got that to work, on time, in budget ect. Miss a bracket-and all hell comes down. Peoples nature to complain I guess.