May 1, 2010

Build - Then Design

Sort of like the "ready, fire! aim" approach to construction...

Many of the public projects these days are design-build, a good project delivery method if the construction and design teams partner well together. By having the design team and the construction team collaborate from the start, the final design can perform better, be easier to build, and cost less.
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No matter how heated the rush to "git 'er dun", I've never seen a build-then-design approach that didn't end in disappointment.

Apr 1, 2010

Rush The Rush Job


















































I love the post office scene in the Jim Carrey movie The Grinch where the postmaster is frantically receiving packages at the counter, stamping them as "RUSH" or "HECKUVA RUSH", and then tossing them back over his shoulder.

With the instant responses that seem to be expected these days via phone, text, or email, almost everything is a "heckuva rush".

Mar 1, 2010

Calling In Life


I visited my daughter Anjuli's 2nd grade class recently (she's the teacher, not a student) to explain what an engineer does and help the students build towers with paper cups, Popsicle sticks and tin foil. All of the students were bright and very cute...
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...and more like the kid on the right.

Feb 1, 2010

The Right Brain

You'd think, based on my cartoons, that I believe the stereotype of the nerdy, left-brained engineer with thick glasses and no social skills. I do not, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy poking fun at them and everyone else in the construction industry. 

I have met engineers who resemble the stereotype, but the best engineers I know have a healthy balance of both left-brained technical smarts and right-brained creativity.  My own brain scan is included above (Figure 4) for your reference.

I created the first Right Brain cartoon for the inaugural edition of Wright Engineers' monthly news in February 1999.  Each issue since featured an industry-related cartoon . 






Jan 1, 2010

Hanging Ducks

Despite protests from some activists, the building code still says it's perfectly legal to hang your duck.
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(It is, however, a code violation to pinch it.)

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No ducks were harmed in the making of this cartoon