The Casual Engineer

Your project and everything you don't know about it

2013-05-22T09:29:00.000-04:00

Leading a new project can lead one to believe that everything that can be known and understood about the project is all known and understood by the team. That can't be true. Right?...

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One year ago today

2013-05-21T07:41:00.000-04:00

May 21st is a celebration day for me, as I joined a company I'd wanted to be part of many years. It has been quite the experience so far as I continue to learn and adjust. It's been fun...

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My son - the Entrepreneur

2013-05-14T09:37:00.000-04:00

He is the consummate entrepreneur. He is constantly creating and recreating ideas - both his own and those of others. He is asking "what if" and exploring and experimenting. He's...

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A new Product or is it a Feature?

2013-05-13T08:43:00.001-04:00

Everyday it seems a new phone or tablet application is touted as the next big thing. But are they really such a leap forward in the ecosystem, or is it a rehash of an existing idea but with a...

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If you are late for a meeting

2013-05-07T22:38:00.003-04:00

If you are 10 minutes late for a 30 minute meeting: Don't try to take command of a meeting that is clearly underway. Don't announce you've arrived. Don't ask to repeat what has been...

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What drives my Work Life happiness

2013-05-03T09:20:00.000-04:00

As a person dealing with anxiety issues, my work life happiness is a constant struggle. In most daily, mundane situations I have to evaluate whether something is truly a problem or has my...

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I think I can do that...

2013-05-01T09:10:00.001-04:00

The phrase "I think I can do that" is only comprised of six words, but it is very powerful. How many times have we watched an athlete perform in a game that leaves us astounded, to...

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The Tech Industry has an Automobile Mentality

2013-04-29T16:44:00.000-04:00

Chevy versus Ford versus Dodge versus Toyota and on and on and on... No manufacturer's part will work without modification on another manufactures automobile. Most definitely...

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Have my Children made me the perfect manager?

2013-04-25T08:47:00.000-04:00

I have a confession to make. I have four children, ages 6, 11, 13, and 19. It is debatable if I still have my sanity. In my house I'm still looked upon pitifully by my older...

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How close are we to Orwell's 1984?

2013-04-13T11:52:00.000-04:00

Despite what the Library of Congress and the U.S. Copyright office have stated, when one purchases a device it becomes their device; this is the recently passed bogus law that does not...

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The DMCA, the abuses and what is removed because of it.

2013-04-09T18:42:00.000-04:00

We know corporations can't seem to contain themselves when it comes to abusing the public, nay their shareholders, oh wait...their customers. But the DMCA has been especially fascinating to...

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Facebook and your car's GPS

2013-04-07T12:03:00.001-04:00

What if your car's navigation system was linked to your Facebook account? That's not such a big deal since your phone is already on and you've opted to allow Facebook to know your...

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The Value of having a standard product interface

2013-03-02T17:39:00.001-05:00

Your customers rely on their own experience interacting with your products. So, users will make decisions they understand first, and they will only stop to consider their decision if they don’t...

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My Phone, My Pet

2013-02-27T10:11:00.001-05:00

I wonder if my dogs look at my phone with its electronic leash and wonder why I never take it for a walk? That power cord leash is ever present. The phone is the new digital pet...

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At the next commercial...

2013-02-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

"At the next commercial..." For generations that direction has been given to kids to get something done quickly before their favorite show was resumed. I caught myself making that...

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That's not my job

2013-02-22T12:55:00.001-05:00

You've heard it before. "That's not my responsibility", or "That's not my job" or worse yet, "I don't know". Is that it? You're done? Really? Well, good luck with...

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Office personalities

2013-02-20T08:16:00.002-05:00

Working in an office finds us thrown into the mix with folks we may or may not generally be around, are sometimes polar opposite of your personality, and sometime annoying. Always...

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Your Product SUCKS, or whatever else they don't like

2013-02-16T15:20:00.002-05:00

You've heard them. "Yes, it sucks!" "I'd never used <fill in blank here of hated product, political party, sports team, blah blah blah>!". But what if said hated entity does...

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Thoughtful Reduction

2013-02-13T22:07:00.000-05:00

Thoughtful reduction is the act of reducing anything to its simplest form. In other words, the simplest way to achieve simplicity is through the method of thoughtful reduction. It's...

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Are you listening?

2013-02-12T22:55:00.001-05:00

I see your eyes glancing down. I see you so slyly checking your gadget; no, you weren't that slick. The point of the meeting you're in is to do what? Maybe to check out how many of your other...

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My bucket is full

2013-02-09T22:23:00.003-05:00

Balancing one's personal life and work life can be viewed like a seesaw. Sometimes one side is heavier than the other, but they generally balance each other out. But what happens...

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Your team as a puzzle

2013-02-04T08:11:00.001-05:00

Every puzzle piece brings completeness to a puzzle, no matter how small, insignificant, or weak every piece appears to be. Similarly, every team member contributes to a team's completeness....

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Fitting in

2013-01-16T11:35:00.004-05:00

Are you a square peg for the company that was looking for a round peg, but still somehow landed in that company? How did you overcome the challenges of being that guy that doesn't seem to...

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The Meaning of Veteran's Day

2012-11-11T21:17:00.002-05:00

Growing up, Veteran's Day usually meant a long weekend away from school. As I grew older, that sentiment didn't really change. It didn't change until I became a veteran. Now, as I...

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Thank Goodness for Software Standardization

2012-10-23T17:56:00.001-04:00

Isn't software standardization a great thing? Imagine a world without enforced standards on your favorite operating system. It would be chaos, as there would be apps with exit buttons all...

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