Time To Upgrade

Now that the Great Recession seems to be ending, we've recently started upgrading our computers and office equipment after several years of cobbling old tired machines together.  Sometimes it feels like we're this guy - typewriter, Rolodex, rotary phone.

It reminds me of the quip about the guy who reached the automated phone answering service:  "For customer service, press 1.  For accounting, press 2.  If you have a rotary phone, hang up, put on your leisure suit, sit in your bean bag chair, and listen to your 8-track tapes of the Bee Gees".

Speaking of outdated equipment, I'll never forget the day a few years ago I was standing in line at a Utah ski resort with my 1980's ski outfit and equipment.  I suddenly became aware that my once state-of-the-art setup looked nothing like the fat skis and baggy clothes all the hip young people around me were sporting.  I used to sneer at old guys who hit the slopes with their old-fashioned equipment and outdated clothes.  At that moment I realized I had become the old guy!

...Since Global Warming

Despite what many may think about global warming, I have a feeling Santa and his elves wouldn't be too upset.

Take Your Child to Work...

Wright Engineers' company culture is very family-friendly, and with lots of young families with a lot of kids, our office can feel like a daycare center on "take your child to work day".  I thought it would be funny to show a dad who brought his unemployed, middle-aged, still-lives-in-the-basement-and-plays-video-games son to work with him.

...I also knew Helen would not be pleased.

It's Not How Hard You Work

One of my engineering professors in college had this saying and a similar picture framed on the wall of his office.  It must have made a big impression on me because I've never forgotten it.

This reminds me of the famous quote by John Wooden: "Never mistake activity for achievement", or the words seen on the wall of many a CEO's office: "Bring me results, not excuses".

Exactly Twice as Big

Engineers just can't help it - it's in our DNA.  This reminds me of one of my favorite engineer stories...

A priest, a lawyer, and an engineer were all sentenced to death by guillotine.  The priest felt he'd lived a good life and offered to go first.  "But," he said, "I'd like to lie on my back so I can look up into heaven when I go".  The priest was laid on his back under the guillotine, the executioner gave the signal, and the blade was dropped.  It stopped just inches from the priest's neck.  "It must be a sign from God", they decided, so they let him go free.  The lawyer couldn't stand it any longer and jumped in line next.  Since it worked for the priest, he thought it might work for him, so he asked to be laid on his back.  The signal was given, the blade was dropped, and again it stopped just inches from the lawyer's neck.  It was hard for everyone to believe, but they couldn't argue with a sign from God, so they let the lawyer go free.  The humble engineer, not wanting to make waves, also laid on his back and looked up into heaven.  Just as the executioner was about to give the signal, the engineer shouted, "Wait!  I think I see the problem."

Went With Plan B

Another in a line of cartoons about the folly of choosing "cheap" design services and assuming you're actually saving money.  As long as some people continue to do it, I'll continue to find ways to mock it.

For more "cheap" cartoons, click here.

It's Just a Simple...

Anyone who prepares estimates or fee proposals knows this scenario: You get an RFP for a potential project with a vague description (and, if you're lucky, a rough sketch) and you're asked to provide a fixed all-inclusive precise unwavering fee for all necessary services to see this nebulous project through to completion.

In early 1998, we were asked to quote a structural fee for "just a simple 4,500 square foot restaurant". Little did we know the eventual complexity of the project or that the architect was "going for an award on this one" - a fact we discovered during repeated changes during design. In the end, the project turned out very well, the architect won his award...

...and our final job cost was about 10 times our fee.

The Smell of Success

We all know someone who has this "smell of success". (If you don't, that person is probably YOU.)
This makes me chuckle, but I think there's a lot of truth in this common saying about the ratio between inspiration and perspiration.

It's sentiments go well with a quote I like by Thomas Edison: "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

In a Spirit of Partnering and Trust

The joke is that everyone leaves a "partnering" meeting at the kick-off of a project all smiles as "partners", but as soon as something goes wrong, all that goes out the window.

A Revised Version of the Revisions

Every so often we get a project where the seemingly constant design changes don't end until the building is occupied and the builder has packed up and left the site.

I Did It Just Like You Showed

This one was inspired by my partner Scott Jones who sent me a photo of a project where the contractor thought the delta cloud on the drawings meant to cut a cloud-shaped hole through the floor slab.

And We'll Need it Yesterday

We can complete a project that's due yesterday without a lot of trouble. Getting it done much sooner than that can be a problem.

That's How It's Shown

A good set of construction documents can help make a project go smoothly. A confusing set (or a confused contractor) can cause some real trouble.

For more cartoons related to drawings and specs, click here.

You'll Have to Go Through Me

Sometimes the only way to get what you need is to go through Helen Back.

(...not to be confused with her equally helpful co-worker Helen Waite.)

It's An Engineer!

Inspiration came when our oldest son and his wife came over to play the ultrasound video of what would be our fifth grandchild. It's a boy! ...and maybe he'll follow in the footsteps of his grandpa.

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.

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".

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.

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 has featured an industry-related cartoon. 

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