Engineered Notes

A Wonderful Sunday in Rotterdam

2012-04-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes 23 seconds. Read Later This almost sounds like it will be a travel blog, but not so fast. I just got back from a two week business trip in Europe and would like to share some of my experiences. First thing that I must admit is I hate to travel on business. That said I need to disclosed I just went over 1 million miles on United Airlines (that’s actual “

Explaining Engineers to Other Professions

2012-04-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes 56 seconds. Read Later This is an excerpt from a talk I gave to non-engineers in my local Rotary organization about what engineers do and how we think. The audience consisted of accountants, attorneys and sales people. I tried to relate specifically to their professions in order to help them understand. Here is the tongue-in-cheek explanation I gave to them.

Watching Star Trek and Giving Birth to a Green Book

2012-03-16T13:23:00.006-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes 14 seconds. Read LaterThis month’s Guest Blogger, Jeff Sines is the Training Lead for Engineered Software, and co-authored the second edition of the Piping System Fundamentals book. Sines brings over 20 years of experience in plant operations, process engineering and over 500 hours training instruction experience.Ok, I’m not a woman and I don’t really know how it

James Watt

2012-02-22T13:32:00.010-08:00

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes 14 seconds. Read LaterThis month's blog is about James Watt (1736 to 1819) the Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose work on the early steam engine ushered in the industrial revolution and laid the foundation for the study of thermodynamics.James Watt started out his professional career as maker of mathematical instruments including parallel rulers,

From ESCAPE to Premium

2012-01-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes 42 seconds. Read Later In my last post, I discussed the creation of PUMP-FLO and its transition from a DOS application to a Windows application, developed and first released as E.S.C.A.P.E. by the Aurora Pump Company. With the completion of E.S.C.A.P.E., it was time for us to release PUMP-FLO as our MS Windows pump selection program. The major difference

PUMP-FLO Beginnings: ESCAPE

2011-12-14T11:36:00.001-08:00

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes 25 seconds. Read LaterSince we started the countdown to the Engineered Software 30th Anniversary, I have gotten many requests to describe the development of some of our programs. The subject of this blog is a short review of the creation of PUMP-FLO.It was after an upgrade of our PIPE-FLO / NET-FLO programs (footnote 1) (in DOS) that we started calling our

Testing 1, 2, 3...

2011-11-15T15:09:00.000-08:00

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes 26 seconds. Read LaterThe Importance of Product TestingAs mentioned in my September blog, Engineered Software will be celebrating 30 years in business in 2012. In that post I listed the core value we have followed to better meet our customer’s needs and expectations, specifically:Create a sustainable companyCreate product that can be used by a wide variety of

Thirty Years of Providing a Clear Picture

2011-09-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes 43 seconds. Read LaterI always like to break a process, list, or ideas down into the fewest number of items, three is ideal. I can easily remember three items, but anything more and I need to write it down.Creating a list is much more difficult that remembering a short list: First you must find paper and pencil to create the list.Second you must remember where

Professional Engineer Designation

2011-08-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

GUEST POST by Greg Hora, PEEstimated Reading Time: 4 minutes 7 seconds. Read Later"I never knew you wanted to be a gym teacher!" was the response I received from one of my friends after I told them I passed the PE exam. "Well, not exactly…" was my response.My name is Greg Hora and I’m a Professional Engineer (PE). Many of you reading this blog are yourselves engineers and PE’s. Today, I'd like to

It’s the System Not the Pump: DOE’s Proposal for New Pump Efficiency Standards

2011-08-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes 40 seconds. Read Later This post covers the US Department of Energy (DOE) notice of proposed rule-making for pump efficiency. On June 13, 2011, the US DOE issued a Request For Information (RFI) regarding the establishment of energy conservation standards for pumps. (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-06-13/html/2011-14553.htm). After viewing the information

Instrument Flying and Collaboration

2011-07-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes 40 seconds. Read LaterLong time readers know that I enjoy flying my own plane. This blog is about a flight I made in my aircraft from Boise, Idaho to Olympia, Washington. For trips I always file an IFR flight plan. IFR stands for Instrument Flight Rules. IFR are the rules established by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and used by both general aviation

The Taco Bell Drive-Thru and Pumping System Assessments

2011-05-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes 45 seconds. Read Later Admiral H.G. Rickover 1900 - 1986 When I was a Lieutenant (jg) in the US Navy nuclear power program in the 1970’s there was only one admiral that mattered, that was Admiral H.G. Rickover. Some call him the father of the nuclear navy, but I thought of him as more of an all-seeing, all-knowing god, than a father. At that time, he had

ESI Announces Solution

2011-04-01T10:12:00.001-07:00

I rarely post product release information or press releases on my blog but this announcement is just too exciting not to share: ESI Announces Solution to End the Energy CrisisLACEY, Washington - April 1, 2011 - Engineered Software, Inc. makers of the PIPE-FLO® and PUMP-FLO™ software, today announced the release CEPO™, a revolutionary new software program capable of converting unused computing

I Can Explain

2011-04-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes 57 seconds. Read Later I always run my blog ideas past Natalie in our marketing department. She is the one that makes my blog writing sound intelligent and well written as opposed to the various random ideas I send her. This special April Fool’s post was no different. I suggested to her that I write a post announcing a new software discovery that would solve

Placing a Wager on the Future

2011-03-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes 8 seconds. Read Later In my youth I had the privilege of attending the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY. The Academy trains young men and women for careers in the maritime industry. To graduate you needed one year of sea going experience prior to sitting for and obtaining a US Coast Guard license. The academy sends two cadets out on a US

Spruce Goose

2011-02-16T14:20:00.000-08:00

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes 7 seconds. Read Later This past weekend my youngest daughter and I flew to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville Oregon. McMinnville is a small town in the Willamette Valley approximately 30 miles south west of Portland. The Evergreen Museum (they Tweet!) is a world class aviation museum and is the home of the Hughes H-4 better known as the

My New Year’s Pumping Resolutions

2010-12-21T10:10:00.000-08:00

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes 22 seconds. Read Later This year my New Year’s Resolutions are going to be a little different. Instead of making resolutions for myself I would like to make resolutions for all of my readers. These resolutions are appropriate for design engineers as well as owners and operators of pumped systems. Using this approach I don’t have to break any of my own

Valve World Expo, Dusseldorf Germany

2010-12-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes 4 seconds. Read Later I just got back from the 2010 Valve World Conference and Exhibition in Dusseldorf Germany. It was a long trip through 10 time zones. Engineered Software had a booth at the exhibition and I had the privilege of giving two presentations at the conference. The conference was three days in length and then it was back on the plane for a long

Why Some Engineers Prefer Old Slippers

2010-11-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes 25 seconds. Read Later I have a habit of waking up between 4:30 to 5:00 each morning to read when the house is quiet. Today I was enjoying an article about Flowmeter Selection in Richard W. Miller's, "Flow Measurement Engineering Handbook." He said “… orifices flowmeters continue to account for 80+ percent of installed process plant meters.” He continued on

Corporate Culture In Tough Economic Times

2010-10-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes 12 seconds. Read Later This month, Engineered Notes has invited a guest Blogger to join the conversation. Michael Blondin is the Chief Operating Officer at Engineering at Engineered Software, Inc. and has nearly 15 years experience in business joining Engineered Software in 2005. Feel free to comment on this post or send your thoughts and suggestions to the

A Glimpse into ESI’s... Product Development

2010-09-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes 15 seconds. Read Later This month, Engineered Notes has invited a guest Blogger to join the conversation. Christy Bermensolo is the Vice President of Engineering at Engineered Software, Inc. and has nearly 12 years experience as a Mechanical Engineer joining Engineered Software in 2006. Feel free to comment on this post or send your thoughts and suggestions to

Cultivating Innovative Game Changers

2010-08-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes. Read Later Sometimes, in our professional lives, we are lucky enough to be a part of something really great and amazing. An event or discovery so big that it could be considered a “Game Changer.” At Engineered Software, I have had the opportunity to share three game changing moments, and take great pride in being involved with a team that made these events

Be a Better Pump Buyer: 5 Things You Should Know for Pump Purchases

2010-07-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Read Later Working with our PUMP-FLO program I get the opportunity to talk to many people involved in the pump selection process. These discussions occur with pump buyers, pump manufacturers, and pump sellers. When I get into discussions about finding the right pump, I notice that these discussions tend to start sounding like Goldilocks and the

Working Together Up in the Clouds

2010-06-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes and 33 seconds. Read LaterI got my engineering degree from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point NY. One of the best parts of the program was the sea year in which every midshipman spent a year on a US merchant ship. I learned a lot during that year but one thing that impressed me was when we went under the Golden Gate bridge it was just us on

The Most Important Subject in an Engineering Education

2010-04-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things is to speak to students at engineering school. Typically, it is conjunction with a presentation I am making on fluid piping systems, but most presentation end with a Q&A session. It seems many of these young engineers are wondering what their professional life will be like after graduation.I typically get the question, “What’s the most important subject in an engineering