Beers with Engineers

#60 – Elliot McAllister: Butterfly net for alien microbes Elliot McAllister, founder and CEO of Skyphos Technology in Blacksburg, Virginia, and winner of a Beers with Engineers T-shirt giveaway for being the 1,001st connection. We discuss hands on tinkering and cycling the Iditarod Trail. Engineering wise, we discuss materials science and microfluidics. Sorry, but you’ll have to listen to find out how aliens and butterfly nets fit in. Likes Two-hearted IPA He didn’t choose engineering, it chose him. Elliot and Bert are both cyclists. Elliot wanted to be a bike designer Worked on an all-wheel drive bike. Raced a bike on the Iditarod trail. Story about 1988 Giro d’Italia, “The Day the Strong Men Cried” Materials are always important. Got the idea for his company Skyphos during a class in microfluidics. Similar to electronics but typically much smaller volumes. Why sneakers squeak. Elliot first saw ET while wearing a red sweatshirt. National Outdoor Leadership School in Pacific Northwest Volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and uses the Habitat Restore Worked a few years as a roofer. Hiking and skiing with his 3 kids. Analysis of warmest sleeping positions Elliot’s company - www.skyphos.tech Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#59 – Brogan Miller: Being Uncomfortable is Good Brogan Miller is the founder of Doula Studios where he bills himself, accurately I might add, as a doula for early stage hardware start-ups. We cover many topics, including our favorite beverage while camping and why manufacturing is more difficult than design. Brogan is a Gaelic name A brogue accent is mostly Irish but also in parts of Scotland Brogan’s definition of engineer – they are innately curious and try to actually explore that curiosity by using or creating tools within their local environment. Went to Stanford and coaches students groups there. He is a doula for early stage hardware startups. He is both an engineering and emotional doula. He needs his clients to be coachable. Part of his job is finding out what their genius is. Running a start-up involves balancing responsibilities to your employees and your capital providers. Sometime good enough is good enough. Spent some valuable and productive time in Vietnam researching companies. More than 50% of manufacturing is cultural. “I firmly believe manufacturing is more difficult that design” He makes himself uncomfortable – it helps him grow. Chocolate Bailey’s Irish cream is very good. Brogan’s company - www.doulastudios.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#58 – Wyatt Bonicelli: Birds – Natural and Manmade Wyatt is a structural engineer for Boeing in Oklahoma, helping maintain the KC-135 fleet. Unsurprisingly, he enjoys military aircraft, and we later learn of an affinity for more natural birds. Throw in a couple SEO companies that he operates and we had a lot of interesting things to talk about. Be sure to check out the SR-71 speed check story, which is mentioned but not told. It is worth it. Prefers beers from Prairie Bomb! in Oklahoma. We have learned a lot since the de Haviland comet. Air Force One is whatever plane the president is on. “Air Force One” movie from 1997. Harrison Ford was the president who was kidnapped. Before doing SEO, he did rank and rent to help local contractors. There’s white hat, black hat, and gray hat SEO companies. Google’s motto was “Don’t be evil” Google doesn’t want SEO, they want you to buy ads. The fundamentals of SEO are keywords and link building There is an A-12 airplane, similar to, but not an SR-71, at the Intrepid Air & Space Museum. SR-71 speed check story “A Higher Call” – World War 2 pilot story. Another book - Skunk Works Called skunk works because it smelled bad nearby. Re-fueling the SR-71 is pretty hard and dangerous. Wyatt enjoys leatherwork as a hobby. “Listers” A documentary about competitive bird watching. Wyatt’s Companies – www.EvolveAgencyOK.com and www.churchSEOservices.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#57 – Dave Cooper: Navigating from student to engineer Dave Cooper went from barely graduating high school to teaching university engineering students. In between, he was a navigator for the Marines and worked on refrigeration systems for NASA. We also learn that Dave and Bert share an affection for animated cubic sponges with a palindromic name. He hopes to soon form a father/son engineering team. Also: After leaving Marines, he decided to study aeronautical engineering largely because it was first alphabetically. Switched to mechanical because aeronautical engineering wasn’t available at the university he chose. Loved learning in college; in high school, not so much. Design project was a UAV. As a teacher, Dave struggled with fighting cheating. Students were more interested in the grade than in the learning. He still has a sextant. Started his own firm a few months ago and wants to work with his son. A lot of the world suffers from short-term thinking. Found his technical expertise was secondary to relationships. Linked In is useful for networking. Likes jujitsu and it is good for networking. The more fun you are having, the quicker you pick up a new skill. Dave and Bert both like SpongeBob SquarePants Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#56 – Doug Katz and Gordon Downey: The Tony Stark of Adaptive Products Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Nulu Knives: https://nuluknives.com/ BWENULU2026 to save on a Nulu knife Doug Katz – wouldn’t name children Alley or Tom Gordon Downey considered April Fresh and Summer Breeze for his twins Doug went to West Point Gordon is an industrial designer but started studying advertising Was also a commercial photographer. Industrial designers need to know a bit about engineering BUT Engineers need to know a bit about industrial design. Their Nulu knife is based on the ulu knife used by eskimos. Part of the motivation to make the knife was Doug’s shoulder problems. It also works with people with mobility problems and vision impairment. The Nulu requires macro body movement more than micro body movement. Knife technique is very important to chefs. Grip strength is a good indicator of life expectancy. Looking to get into markets where people use knives all day long to prevent repetitive stress injuries. One challenge is it is tough to sharpen. Gordon plays guitar. Doug is a failed musician. Steve Zhan would play Gordon movie. Robert Downey, Jr would play Doug, who wants to be the Tony Stark of adaptive products and was an extra in “Rampage” Nulu Knives: https://nuluknives.com/ Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#55 – Howard Silverstein: Sometimes it just Clix Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Likes to drink a black and tan Tonight, opening a bottle of 18 year old Macallan Has a mechanical mind but is not handy with tools. Likes to keep it simple. “Yes if…” not “No because…” The business card holder he worked on. They invented “Clix” to fill boats with gas without spilling. It’s more than just a funnel. For some reasons boat openings are different from cars. Also applies to construction vehicles and more. “The day you stop learning is the day you start dying.” Won Innovation Award of the year at the International Boat Builder’s Exposition. All attendees were happy to see them win. Never say no. Compromise? Maybe. Three rules Trust no one. If you think you are perfect, you are not. If when you do your job, you’re not making the next person’s job easier, you’re not doing your job. He is a gamer. Likes Project: Gorgon Would enjoy living in Israel or Ireland. Howard’s product, clix – www.clixfueling.com Promo code: 10OFF Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#54 – Naeem Turner-Bandele: His plan is electrifying Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Likes to drink Ginjinha, a Portuguese cherry liqueur Wanted to be a professional soccer player. Moved to Brazil and discovered power outages were frequent. Then he got a serious concussion and pivoted to wanting to start an energy technology company. From no interest in engineering to getting a PhD. He is known for being a man with a plan Dissertation topic was integrating renewables into the electric grid His company, Latimer Enterprise, is named for Lewis Howard Latimer About lights bulbs not lasting a long time: it was called the Phoebus cartel. The power industry treats customers as load, not as a customer. He works with the customers as customers and people. Naeem ran track in addition to soccer. 200/400 double vs 400/800 double in track Renewables are a challenge to the grid but the big issue is still storage. Get an energy audit! Naeem can help. Naeem is a big movie fan. Recommends the movie “Sinners” – vampires in the Jim Crow south Naeem loves “Citizen Kane”. Bert – not so much. Naeem’s company and email: www.LatimerEnt.com, [email protected] Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#B5 – Josh Weaver: Engineers/Christmas Josh is Bert’s nephew for this Christmas themed podcast Josh is drinking a Bell’s Lighthearted IPA. Bert is enjoying a Bailey’s Irish Cream. One semester as a computer science major. A few years as a commercial painter but did not see it as a long term thing. Started working for his step-father’s manufacturing company. Forgive the dog sneaky toy in the background. Josh “sequestered” the dog and the toy. Works for Oster Manufacturing. They make pipe threading equipment, not toasters. Josh helped out a woman who sent them her can opener. He spent about 15 minutes at Mt. Rushmore. His wife makes an awesome cheesecake. The Poochie story – Uschold family lore. Josh enjoys rock crawler radio control cars. He loves the classical Christmas songs and versions. Bert hates Neal Diamond Christmas songs

#53 – Stan Leong: Engineering Your Finances Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Stan is a Buffalo Bills fan, like Bert. Electrical engineer from Cornell Likes how the simple things of electronics build into complex things. Was laid off the week after he bought his first house. Saw a financial job on Monster.com (remember that?) Got all his clients through cold calling So miserable his wife handing out resumes to engineering companies. 15:00 After a rough start, he now loves his career- and is still using his engineering skills. Engineers are good with numbers, unless there is a dollar sign before them. Don’t own too much of your company stock. It is easy to buy stock, it is hard to sell it. Great book – “Millionaire Next Door” The threshold for an accredited investor hasn’t changed. Is active in ju-jitsu and it’s the hardest thing he has done. Right now he is cautiously optimistic about investing. Stan’s book – www.engineeringyourfinancesbook.com Get a free copy - [email protected] Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#52 – Therese Miclot: The Engineer Whisperer Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Drinking a Spotted Cow, available only in Wisconsin. Observed her mom who struggled with bad bosses. Got intrigued by the psychology of work. First job at a heavy engineering company – Rockwell Found leadership and communication skills lacking in engineers. But both are important even if you don’t want to go into management. “The Trusted Advisor” by Maister, Green, and Galford Engineer should look at changing habits as expanding their range. Dual career path options still exist for engineers. Business cards aren’t dead yet. Openness to receive feedback is a fuel for growth Peter principle is still in existence, commonly in fast growing companies. Therese gives the skill necessary to move into senior management. Steve Jobs was a good leader despite being a jerk, not because of it. Sometimes engineers need to be quiet Milwaukee is a great town and a lot of manufacturing Indianapolis is not bad either. Fun activities at the racetrack Daytona Speedway also has great activities. Work on human interactions to future proof yourself. Engineers are facilitators. Therese’s website – www.ThereseMiclot.com Therese’s book – The Facilitation Advantage Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

Show Notes #51 – James Kell: Seven continents without trying James lives on the beach in Bondi, Australia He could be a wedding crasher without making up occupations Likes to do fasting 36 – 72 hours Studied engineering in Germany but went into construction He eats Vegemite and teaches the secret of eating it. Australians also check to see if water swirls the other direction in the toilet when crossing the equator. Won an Australian Shark Tank contest. His construction company built Apple stores Scratchie app makes safety about reward and punishment McDonald’s stores in Australia are using it. He has been to all seven continents Three tips for Antarctica Go at start of summer Go to Ushuaia, Argentina with no ticket and get an open seat. Go to South Georgia, Island We discuss Ernest Shackleton “South: The Endurance Expedition” by Ernest Shackleton “Adventure is just a lack of planning” Volunteer lifesaver Read Self Determination Theory by Richard Ryan and Edward Deci James’s company - https://www.scratchie.com/ James’s email – [email protected] Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

Bonus Episode #4: Year 2 Jokes Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop In this bonus episode all of the jokes from the second year of the podcast are compiled in one place. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Enjoy! Bert's company - www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#50 – Charles Gillis, P.E.: Engineering and art Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Drinking a Start Line IPA in honor of his hometown, Hopkinton, where the Boston Marathon starts. His mom knew he would be an engineer long before he did. Has an interest in art, but isn’t an artist Artist and engineers both combine existing things in new and interesting ways. Worked controllable pitch propellors First job at Gillette. Everything is fascinating if you look at it close enough Bert gets corrected - Nypro was assembling Gillette, not Bic shavers. The mystery of razor blade profit margin. Has engineered several pieces of kinetic art around Boston. To be a PE or not to be a PE. Teaches GD&T – there is a big need for it – and related courses. Was able to wean off of Gillette before going fully into training Sometimes you should make your own datum. Likes to write in his spare time. Charles' Company www. dynamicdesignconsulting.com Charles blog www.thebasicdimension.com/ Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#49 – Scott Bruneau: A traditional non-traditional engineer Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop an engineer is somebody who makes precise guesswork based on unreliable data provided by people with questionable knowledge. Studied nuclear engineering in high school. Yes, high school. Buuuut, got his engineering degree late in life. An early position was in quality – to get to know the parts – because that group knows them best. Worked on drill rigs – building and using. Buying Delaware metals was a legacy decision, not a financial one. AeroGrowth has helped his business grow. Ownership will give you humility. Quoting production jobs was a big learning curve They are very transparent about prices and costs Also wants to partner with other shops. Demand is high. He’s working a lot of hours: his systems are good but not all the right people yet. Needs good machinists, not just operators. Interdependent, not co-dependent Likes the mental discipline of golf Not a fan of Nicholas Cage Books: “Good to Great” Jim Collins “The Goal” Eli Goldratt “12 Rules for Life” Jordan Peterson “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” Steven Covey Scott’s Company – www.delewaremetals.com AeroGrowth – www.aerogrowthllc.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#48– Bob Bouthillier: Innovation Requires Disobedience Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Like father, like son. His father was an electrical engineer. But started college as a pharmacist Did quality inspection of guns – including a Howizter cannon. He can assemble guns fast – not quite as fast as Forrest Gump. Inspecting ball bearings – stains vs pits. His podcast summarizes books on innovation. Just as generals are well prepared for the last war, CEOs operate in a similar way. You don’t get real innovation without disobedience. Treat AI like an intern. Gell-Mann amnesia Effect – be careful trusting AI. His AI prompts are longer than the output. Pro2Health – inspiratory muscle trainer The Houston Rockets tested it. Plays the piano – had played professionally in bands. Neuro transformation therapy – cures PTSD Recommendations for engineers Learn python Learn agile techniques Learn to use large language model Learn to build agents with LLM. All the books: “Apple in China” by Patrick McGee “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell “The Happiness Hypothesis” and “The Righteous Mind” by Jonathan Haidt “Switch” by Chip and Dan Heath “A Higher Call” by Adam Makos “Loon Shots” by Safi Bahcall AI Human Fusion” by Leanne Shelton Bob’s Podcast - “Innoguide” Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#47 – Jordan Poots: He’s good at maths. Beers with Engineers merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Mechanical engineer from Northern Ireland Who quickly went into software. Maths or math? Well, it is mathematicS. UK still has a mix of English and metric He was into AI before it was cool. Studied vehicle on-ramp merging Can change the car from altruistic to individualistic behavior Still interested in mechanical engineering, such as FEA. One use of AI for engineers is as a chatbot for help with software. AI makes arithmetic mistakes – it is know to struggle with it Evolutionary algorithms are a type of AI. Computers beat humans in chess and go. Poker is next. Jordan loves solving hard problems By his own accord, he is determined (or is it stubborn). He is a coffee nerd and won’t admit how much he paid for his coffee maker. Jordan sleeps like a baby – in the good way. Young engineers need to take risks. Try and find out. Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#46 – Noel LaFlamme: Hammer and Forge Metallurgist Beers with Engineers merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Always interested in how things work and making it better. Which led to blacksmithing - by way of archery Made arrowheads out of rebar. Which (of course) led to a sword. Rules of thumb for temperature of steel. Blacksmithing is a hobby that makes a few bucks. Specialty is chef’s knives Good knives are tapered from spine to edge and from bast to tip. YouTube videos on knife making are a mixed-bag. 1st job out of college was at a venture capital firm. Left to be more involved in the actual creation. Three most important factors for a startup – the team, the team, and the team. Good innovation often comes from startup pivots. “Getting around” patents Really enjoys flyfishing – and makes his equipment Did fly fishing make Ted Williams a great hitter or vice versa. Craft food for the movie filming of Moonrise Kingdom was in his front yard. Apolo Anton Ohno is often confused for … Apolo Anton Ohno. Reach Noel at www.Laflammeforge.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#45 – Dan Schreiber: Beer Flavored Ice Cream Beers with Engineers merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Dan is an architect in Green Bay but had always wanted to be a farmer. Stroh’s was the local macro-brewery when Dan and Bert went to college. They made ice cream, then and still do today. Do corn farmers put feed corn around the perimeter of their field? Bert and Dan rode a mechanical bull in Kentucky Felt like an architect on his second job. Dan thinks architects adopted CAD at about the same rate as engineers If he was born ten years later, he probably would have gone into IT. Early CAD was tough to use. To call yourself an architect, you need to be licensed. Not so for engineers. Licensing exam – 9 sections. The last one was 12 hours long. Are “no scale” and “not to scale” different? Antoine Davis (who?) and Pete Maravich. Throwing Hershey bars onto the basketball court. It is awesome going through a building you designed. Go to Marquette, MI to see his work. The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge, by David McCullough Using a tree as the center column of your building. Not a farmer today, but enjoys gardening. You can tap butternut trees. Makes a smooth, buttery syrup. In high school, Dan went into the engine compartment to work on the engine. T-shirts at www.beerswithengineers.shop. Use “podcast” for 15% off. Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#44 – Caitlin Vaillincourt: How to avoid braking chip. The edible ones. Beers with Engineers merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Pros and cons of longer or shorter college terms Played basketball in college and traveled abroad Part of global leadership development program at Avery Dennison and loved the experience. Interned at Frito-Lay reducing potato chip breakage. For now, she is happy with project management but misses working with customers. The 8D quality approach is eight disciplines, not eight things that start with D. https://asq.org/quality-resources/eight-disciplines-8d It seems easy to make a cable tie but many things can go wrong. Bert dares sci-fi writers to write a chapter on how a self-replicating probe replicates itself. She has her PMP – project management professional – certification. Project managers have to influence without authority. Started a new job just as Covid hit. Not easy In the early Covid days, our company sent masks to our colleagues in China. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt is well worth reading about phones and kids. Duo Lingo – some good and some bad. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Bert’s email - [email protected] Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#43 – Josh Tarbutton: Accidentally Awesome Beers with Engineers merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Likes Sugar Creek Brewery in Charlotte, NC. They have a master cicerone (you’ll have to listen to find out) Started working at age 12. Got GED and went to Georgia Tech. PhD dissertation was on CNC machining software In the Army reserve in Iraq, he was a fuel specialist who actually knew about fuel. Bravo team name is partially from the SEAL team and partially from Italian Bravo! You do and learn a lot at product development firms. B-players in an A-system yields success. Engineers are driven to do their best. It is easy to mess up simple. Professors need to bring in money and publish Engineers paint the laws of the universe on the canvas of the world. Learning engineering is like learning cooking. College professors need some education classes. There’s no sympathy for professors and billionaires Being a professor is like running a startup. Inc 500 two years in a row (maybe 3?) Reach Josh: [email protected] www.bravoteam.tech Bravo Walk Dog Collar - https://bravowalk.com/ Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#42 – Gretchen Gagel: Leaving the world a better place. Beers with Engineers merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Likes beer from Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City In Australia, the living room is the lounge room. Went to SMU and saw Eric Dickerson play. Dad sold construction equipment and she played with Tonka trucks. Built Baltimore Ravens Stadium and many other things. Very little manufacturing in Australia, therefore most construction is infrastructure. Most construction job in Australia are 6 days a week. No wonder it is tough to hire. Some evidence shows same output in 4 days as in 5. Get the right people in the right seats on the bus. Culture and performance are key to team success. The Savannah Bananas have a great culture. Leaders need to be agile. Don’t be like Blockbuster or Kodak. Leadership training needs to start early Edgar Shine: Leadership is “Seeing things that need to be done differently and convincing people to do it.” Personal Mission Statement “Leave the world a better place than I found it.” Gretchen’s book: “Building Women Leaders: A Blueprint for Women Thriving in Construction.” The other books we mentioned “Apple in China” by Patrick McGee “Good to Great” and “Built to Last” by Jim Collins “Leadership” by James McGregor Burns “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. Gretchen’s website - https://greatnessconsulting.com/about-gretchen/ Bert’s Sister’s quilts - www.ArtQuiltsBySuzanne.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#41 – Wes Schwie: Porsches, patents, problems, and pigs. Beers with Engineers merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Became an engineer to be like his brother. Became a patent attorney because his friend’s uncle drove a nice Porsche. He learned writing patents and claims as mostly on the job training. First job as an inside sales engineer – wasn’t that good at it. Firm’s name of Gallium Law was proposed by a friend. Gallium (the element, not the law firm) has anti-bacterial properties. Favorite accomplishment is starting Gallium Law. Worked for Innovelis that makes mounts for various electronics gadgets. Patents aren’t as expensive as you might think (although they can be) Telling your friend about your product idea is not generally public disclosure. Also working with a company called Drivent, who is working on technology for self-driving cars. Home much credit does the person who identified the problem have vs. the person who invented the solution? There is no cross examination in a deposition. Different rummy card games. Monopoly Deal is a card game version of Monopoly. Wes can empty his mind – with the help of Yoga. Breath by James Nestor. Wes Schwie's Company - Gallium Law www.GalliumLaw.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#40 – John Clarke: Don’t be a cow on ice Beers with Engineers merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Found morel mushrooms in his yard and ate them. And ventured into others. Hunting wild berries Drinking Little Willow beer – tired it because his daughter is Willow. Tried numerous manual labor jobs in high school – which convinced him to go to college. Manager to engineer to manager. Worked at a high tech textile company A great project that was awful. A crazy way to remove tatoos. Maybe. Nitinol tubing in a medical device Lack of documentation really annoys him. Feeling like a cow on ice. Who is your chief jailable officer? Design validation vs design validation. DHF vs DMR John bakes, his wife cooks. John plays guitar, bass, and other similar instruments Likes the freedom of music. John and his wife listen to music totally differently. Bert turned John onto early Fleetwood Mac. John’s business - Fern Hill House Gardens On Facebook. Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#39 – Kyle Smith: Engineering knowledge and wisdom Beers with Engineers merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Kyle saved Bert’s butt by modifying parts overnight You tend to repeat small mistakes, but not big ones. Another engineer who started with Legos Self-taught on an early computer animation program – Maya. Which led into SolidWorks Got a mill for cheap and converted to CNC Kyle and Bert both use Send Cut Send – not sure how they make money. Company name is Sparrow Hawk Design – small and agile. Industrial designers need to interact with engineers. Two excellent books Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals Handbook of Product Design for Manufacturing Can AI advise you on capabilities of manufacturing processes? Prediction: AI will be in SolidWorks in the not to distant future. Difference between junior and senior engineers Executives don’t need to know all of the problems Flies radio control airplanes and built drones Rides motorcycles Wants to ride from Patagonia to Alaska Kyle’s company – www.sparrowhawkdesign.com. Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#38 – Seth Greenwald: Engineers are storytellers, too. A teller of “good” stories Active in toastmasters Soul Brewing Company Attended Cooper Union to be an architect, but…. First job was as a furniture designer. “Serious Creativity” by Edward DeBono – lateral thinking You need to know when to be logical and when to be lateral Divergent thinking before convergent thinking Toastmasters help you to speak and to lead Gives workshops on storytelling MOTH – a storytelling organization Six words stories The Power of Storytelling for Project Professionals or mycpe.com Plans to hike the Appalachian Trail Speaking in Louisville on May 13 about generative AI. Books on Amazon Secrets of a Creative Warrior Answering the Call of Your Creative Warrior. Engineers need to learn to tell stories Seth’s website – www.creativewarriorsecrets.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#37 – Larry Bridge: Sustainability is good business Built the pedestrian bridge over Sycamore St in Cincinnati. Bert wants to use nitinol someday. It is super-elastic and has shape memory. Larry’s dad was called Mr. Steel and his uncle worked on submarine propellors. Thought about being an actuary Quickly moved into project management – lots of capital products HVAC in an R&D building is huge expense Kosher surfactants are a thing A big problem with waste is transporting it. Cincinnati is building an anaerobic digester, P&G is a big “supplier” Kentucky’s water is key to horses and bourbon. Does burning plastic count as recycling it? Bio-char is becoming a thing. Larry collects guitars instead of cars. His favorites hacks are in Excel. Engineers need to take a finance class or two. Decided he was an engineer, not a mechanical engineer. Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#36 – Pete Rezac: The Ritual Engineer First job out of college was at a startup working on hydrogen energy. Pete was unschooled (not homeschooled) through 7th Didn’t believe his Mom when she tried to teach him the rules of English. For math he was mostly self-taught and discovered the distributive property Often school erodes children’s natural inquisitiveness. Many smart kids were troublemakers because they were bored. Decision on whether to homeschool his kids was not what you would expect. Our brains have learning windows that close. Science is discovering ways to open them back up. The Anxious Generation, The Coddling of the American Mind, and The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt – Great books. It’s not social media, it’s anti-social media. “Mixed with Meaning” is his catering bartending company with custom cocktails. He found people are able to be more present and connecting. The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker Bert forgot the joke. Thanks to Pete for remembering. Why there is so much methane in Siberia. Favorite spice (herb) is thyme. Clove is underutilized. Pete would love to influence people to incorporate ritual into their lives. Pete’s bartending company - https://mixedwithmeaning.squarespace.com/ Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#35 – David Elentukh: Not An EIT, A DIT – Doctor in Training Drinking kombucha but is a sour beer fan. 12 cylinder rotary engines? Why do we make the decisions we do? “Paycheck” with Ben Affleck and other movies inspired him to engineering. (but not “Falling Down”) Isaac Asimov did not believe in character development, especially in the “Foundation” series. Knows why he loves engineering, but less why he became one. Every day is a new challenge. Really good designs are often not wildly creative but well implemented. Challenging the idea of a biomedical engineering degree. Which is better for college, quarters or semesters? Shark Ninja really cares about customer feedback. Intentionally making mistakes so the customer is happy when you fix it. Make sure you enjoy the process. EMT is the least stressful job he has ever had. Perfect quality work is exceeding what people think is possible. Prototyping multiple options sometimes just confirms your original decision and demonstrates why it is better. Checklist are great thing. Another plug for “Checklist Manifesto” by Atul Gawande. Just writing something is important. Has done a bit of smithing. Ira Glass paraphrase: It takes a lot of work to make your skills catch up to your tastes. The full quote https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/309485-nobody-tells-this-to-people-who-are-beginners-i-wish Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#34 – Tim Johnson: Axe throwing, Ninja engineer Owns a Parkour/ninja gym and Axe-Throwing Bar The town council raised an eyebrow at the second one. Tinker toys and old broken toys can be used for prototypes In college, president of the Demiurgical Engineering club. Worked on the Segway and Rockband drumkit. Tried to quit but his boss wouldn’t let him. Has been doing martial arts since he was a child so he started his own gym. but thinks it has been a bit wimpified a bit. Once an engineer, always an engineer When starting a company, better to do it slowly than jumping in 100%. Tim wrote several dual language books. Opened The Axe Pit in 2016, serving local wine, beer, and liquor. The gym is an opportunity to learn problem solving and expanding comfort zone. Don’t say “No”, say “yes, if.” For fun he does a bit of drone racing. Around the house. He has a swinging bookshelf that goes into his “secret” lab. Tim’s Companies – https://www.theaxepit.com/ https://mainewarriorgym.com/ Tim’s Books - link Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#33 – Chris Costa: He always has enough time for people. Chris is enjoying his favorite beer, Sam Adams Octoberfest Chris placed engineers and now sells SolidWorks Crashed three planes when in high school Some recruiters suggest jobs that are a terrible fit. It seems like an easy job, but it isn’t. It requires lots of contacts. Learn from his father: “You always have enough time for people” How many things could you do with this brick? Drafter and mechanical designer jobs have all but disappeared. Mechanical engineers wear a lot of hats. Engineers get too much blame and not enough credit. Without engineers, he wouldn’t have a job. Engineers typically struggle to market themselves. Two things not to say: “After he left, I had to fix his mess” “But we’ve always done it this way” Many years coaching baseball and now an umpire. Youth baseball has changed in 50 years. He has good friends with mutual trust. Per Chris, demand for injection molded plastic parts is not going away. Used to love “The Gong Show” The original “Star Trek” only lasted three seasons. He has advised people to try a different profession. Chris’s Company, SolidXperts - https://www.solidxperts.com/en/ Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#32 – Steve Drake: Speakers in your suspension? Beers with engineers or wine-ing and designing? Steve worked at Bose – the Soundlink and the Wave CD radio. As a kid, he jumped off a roof with a trash bag as a parachute. Elsewhere, worked in electro-optics system group. Always been interested in acoustics and Bose was very close to home. Bose was a great place to work; high caliber people. Bose worked on car suspension. They also worked on suspension seats for trucks. Bose – big rich sound in a really small package Steve likes Klipsch speakers Helped unify different groups at Olympus Did some nice analysis on silicone for passive radiators in Bose speakers Sometimes test results that don’t make sense at first actually do when examined closely. He took an engineering approach to getting his daughter to nap better. Steve likes cooking. It’s more like jazz than engineering. "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee "Chemistry in the Kitchen" by Matthew Hartings Steve wants to go to Portugal, see the coast, and try the food. Croatia is also high on the list. Bert's website - www.dexterityeng.com

#31 – Todd Mansfield: Culture is what you do. Lots of microbreweries in Boise, Idaho. Todd grew up on a farm north of Boise. He became an aircraft mechanic and is also a pilot He did fly the planes he worked on. Later involved in building materials and electromechanical devices. Worked on kit airplanes 9V batteries contain 6 AAAA batteries His company, OneIPM, co-founded by Bill Dahl, who co-founded Solidworks PDM Works. Their tool is fully integrated into Onshape Bert used and liked Trello years ago. One IPM and Trello both use kanban boards OneIPM is good for project management and assembly structure visualization On the importance of culture and remote work. Working in different time zones Don’t keep score when golfing Todd's company - www.oneipm.com/ Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#30 – Josh Hoy: Robots and a dollar store trebuchet Josh wanted to work on robots since 4th You learn the fastest by making mistakes and teaching other people about them. Robotics program is like three minors You work both below and above your pay grade. Bamboo bicycles are a thing; bamboo lacrosse sticks, too. Wooden shoes complicated forming the EU. Things look done way before they are done. A few SolidWorks tips. Josh is a big OnShape fan Did you know dollar stores sell pallets? A specific career plan is not required, but a guiding thought is. Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#29 – Annie Green: Artificial Intelligence, consider both value and values. Among other things, Annie is an instructor at George Washington University. She originally wanted to be a pediatrician but decided against it. Working with blood analyzers was part of her shift to engineering. Artificial intelligence is the emulation of man. Our brains use the past and the present to predict the future. Structured vs unstructured artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence vs augmented intelligence ChatGPT, et al are augmented intelligence. Necessity is the mother of invention. Laziness is the father. She feels we need to stop or pause and think about AI for some time. Gell-Mann amnesia effect – applies to AI. Is there a correlation between jobs that can be done remotely and jobs that can be replaced by AI? Go back to the office to share your knowledge and help others. Similarly, go to the office to learn. There is a lot more to AI than ChatGPT. AI was kicked off in 1956, but computers weren’t strong enough. “Hidden Figures” movie about human computers. Data is the blood of an organization. Intelligence is actionable information. She doesn’t want to be an influencer, she wants to be an illuminator. She wants AI to bring true value, without compromising values. Working on a Knowledge management education forum. Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

This trailer gives you a quick overview of the podcast. Your host, Bert Uschold, talks to other engineers about their careers, engineering, and whatever else that interests us. It is a pint of fun and a shot of geek. If you want to find out more about Bert, below is a link to a short bio and a bit of work history. https://dexterityeng.com/about

#28 – Tim Coonahan: Not team building, building a team Tim is Director, Design and Development at Medica Corporation Drinking engineering appropriately named beer – “Ripping Through Dimensions” and “Memory Bias”. An anti-phonetic (not semaphore) alphabet “A” as in are, “y” as in you, “E” as in eye. Went to RPI – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, oldest non-military technical school in the US. Started as biomedical, ended as mechanical Learn as much as you possibly can From a family of engineers – steel and railroads Organic chemistry as an elective? Is vertical integration coming back? A Machine Design cover story got him into product development consulting. Got him back into biomedical engineering Happy to be middle-management, closer to engineering. You’re either learning or earning Be open to new ideas. “Your work is done not when there is nothing more to add, it’s done when there’s nothing more to take away.” Electric cars have many fewer parts. First used sla in 1988. We were with each other on 9/11. Our memories are a little different. Tim collects old Porsches and has 44-year-old boots. Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

Bonus Episode #3 In this bonus episode all of the jokes from the first year of the podcast are compiled in one place. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. One duplicate was removed and another you could argue is a duplicate but got left in. Unlike many compilations, there is no extra narration between clips stretching it out. A bit of the original conversations before and after is included to make it flow a little better. Enjoy! Bert's company - www.dexterityeng.com

#27 – Bert Uschold: On the other side of the mike. Bert owns his own engineering consulting firm, Dexterity Engineering, LLC and regular host of this podcast. Doug wants to be like Bert Doug has bought over half the beers Bert has ever consumed. He could have been a lumberjack or an architect A night light was his first invention. A quart of random loose change is about $100. Bert is more design engineer than mechanical engineer Or even better, full stack product development engineer. Bert figured out how to determine process capability for true position dimensions. And Doug’s company has used it. Bert knew what the surgeons needed six months before they knew it. Inside the box is harder than outside the box. The Apollo 13 CO2 scrubber problem is an excellent example of inside the box thinking. Bert’s superpower is seeing when people are not talking about the same thing or solving the wrong problem. About eating cake and gaining weight. About the podcast Favorite part is getting to know new people and old friends Bert would still do it if he had no listeners 20-25% are outside the US Favorite comment is “that’s a great question” Has ridden bicycles built for one, two, and four. He’s has been to many baseball stadiums. Bert and Doug both enjoy interviewing better than being interviewed. Doug’s Company – Integral Manufacturing, https://integralmfg.com/ Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#26 – Doug Tyger – When is an engineer not an engineer? Doug is the owner of Integral Manufacturing, between Cincinnati and Dayton. Chose engineering because it paid well Chose material science because materials are important to all other engineering disciplines. We were coops at Procter and Gamble. Helped fix a broken Pringles line He saw more options at a steel company, whose president was a metallurgical engineer. Supported auto industry. They crashed a lot of cars during development back then Material Science Engineering degree – isn’t something either science or engineering? He worked with guys who could design alloys in their head. When considering working on complex systems, a lot of people could be considered an engineer. Is the dual path still available for engineers? Is that guy sleeping or thinking hard? Is there a lightbulb, question mark, or exclamation point above your head? What type of question mark? Do you want a consultant to answer your questions or give you new questions? Doug sees himself as a job provider and loves to see people “get it”. Enjoys serving on boards for non-profits. Spends time with family and church men’s group. Doug’s Company – Integral Manufacturing, https://integralmfg.com/ Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#25 – Murat Islam: He’s a Turk, Definitely not a Turkey. Murat is a Lead Engineer at John Crane Couplings Fellow of the IMechE, like the ASME We call it A-S-M-E, they call it as-me. Growing up in Turkey, he and brothers made their own toys. Turkey’s college entrance exam is different from the US and UK. It helps direct you into your best subject SAT and other tests are not the best, but they are what we have Some of his engineering classes were in English. Earned a master’s degree in UK. Received patent for installing undersea cables and pipelines, therefore, he helps data circle the world. Engineering failures aren’t the end of the world, but we still don’t like them Learn from your failures and the failures of others Failures also drive new requirements Is a chartered engineer. Similar to professional engineer in US. CE – more experience based. PE – more test based Fellowship is similar but much higher level. Also requires mentorship. How turkeys got their name. US and England – divided by a common language Buses and small Scottish and Welsh roads Likes RVing or caravaning and makes small customizations for it. He is a big fan of AI. ChatGPT is like the Model T. A good start with an amazing future. Murat’s undersea cable patent GB2554434 Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#24 – Luis Figarella: The Fourth F is for Figarella Luis is patent agent in Massachusetts, originally from Puerto Rico and enjoying a Puerto Rican beer. Wanted to be a fighter pilot but stopped by bad eyes. Became an electrical engineer instead. Remember when resumes were actually mailed? In late 80s, worked for UPS on automated truck loading. Early in his career, he didn’t even know what a patent was. Learned his first patent had issued because he received an offer to make a plaque of it. Patent descriptions are like painting by numbers. It is an important decision on what to patent. Learned that Florida is hotter than Puerto Rico. A little on patent agent vs. attorney. Claim writing is an art form. And a very important one. Strategic patent – what you want to make. Tactical patent – similar to what you want to make. Luis is a big Dilbert fan. Loves teaching people what patents are. Most clients are in the FFF round – friends, family, and fools. Luis is a bit of a history buff. To reach Luis – 603-557-8420, www.mxpatent.com, [email protected]. Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#23 - Clay Williams: Supply chains are like fractals Clay is an account executive for Jiga. Clay is from Tennessee and has actually been to my town, Leominster, MA. Degree in Supply Chain Management Video of Roman Army on the march Jiga – cross between digital manufacturing and local machine shop Full automation is really tough? Hadrian Automation – Manufacturing the future. Seem to be following The Goal or Theory of Constraints, both by Eli Goldratt Supply chain strategy often base on manufacturing concepts. Supply chains are internal and external Not “The Origin of Stuff”, but “The Story of Stuff” Annie Leonard Supply chains are like fractals Ford doesn’t make cars, they assemble them. Do automaker and their suppliers have recall insurance? “Anybody can hold a tenth.” Clay is a people person – thrives on customer satisfaction. Sometimes outstanding customer service doesn’t take much effort. Are cicadas electronic transformers? Peanut Butter and Jelly beer is popular. Clay says “Go Vols!” Where Clay works Jiga Bert's company Dexterity Engineering, LLC

#22 - Matt De Remer: Every Product is Important Matt has his own engineering consulting firm, engineered. (Updated since released) In high school, bought an RC car instead of a real car. He chose engineering over art. UMass Amherst had a program to help choose which branch of engineering. Mechanical engineering degrees can go into a wide variety of fields. In college, engineers need to problem solve and then keep learning. Small development firms – some formal training but lots of on-the-job training. Specialization vs generalization. Entrepreneurism is in our families. Matt learned from his father’s example. Virtual networking has it pros and cons. Matt is a Solidworks Certified Professional – speed is a key aspect of the test. Take the EIT sooner rather than later. PE exam did not have something that fit his field. Looks back fondly on his entire career. Saw a firefighting tool he worked on and saw it at Smokey the Bear’s birthday party. Worked on lung transport tool that keeps them “breathing.” 95% of the use cases are easy. The edge cases are what challenge you. Likes gravel biking. Solving wedding problems. Reach Matt – [email protected] Reach Bert - www.dexterityeng.com

BONUS #2 - Kevin Kildea: Cooking with Geeks Kevin teaches high school math in the Detroit area. Math major, teaching certificate, minor in radio and production Likes a beer called “Final Absolution” Joke about mathematicians and sheep Bert blew up Michael Jackson in college. Editing vs. splicing. Tape vs film. Audio vs. video. Math homework is easier to grade than history or English. “Don’t teach your students what they can look up on Google.” Teach students how to think, how to find answers, and how to problem solve. Fighting AI doing homework. The student body has changed – they already know so much. Be a teacher, not a teller. Don’t solve the problem for them. MIT sent him a letter thanking him for being an influence on a student’s life. The greatest roofing story. Bribing Kevin with chicken wings. Kevin and Bert make desserts for the potluck, we don’t buy them. Kevin makes awesome French onion soup. Bert makes great wings – and shares a secret. Working together for a common goal applies throughout life www.dexterityeng.com

#21 – Chris King: Engineering Songs (verb, not adjective) Chris is Program Engineer at Church & Dwight Chris was drinking a Sedlec 12° from Human robot brewery in Philadelphia. His house had a slate roof. You could see light through it but it didn’t leak. On drinking 151 rum – after burning off the alcohol. Loves the creative problem solving of engineering. 3D printers are great to have but it is tough to make money on them. Re-built an MG Midget. Restoration vs re-build. Enjoyed creating a product lifecycle management system and the training part of the rollout. Microphones and guitars as security blankets. Writing and releasing his own music. Go to http://www.Anybodysking.com Engineers and musicians are remarkably a like – both have areas of creativity and areas of constraint. His music writing process. Both of us have remodeled our kitchens. Senior engineers should do more mentoring. Carl Sagan and Cosmos made Chris want to be an astronomer. Mechanical Engineering has a bright future. Bert’s Stuff Critical Dimensions article Plastic Design Tips dexterityeng.com

#19 - Dave Guertin: The Nuts of Software Dave is a Senior Programmer Director at Meditech. Not a Beer drinker – Sangria or Bailey’s Software engineers have a sense of humor, too. His high school had AutoCAD in 1985(ish). He learned it and sort of taught the class. Software engineering hasn’t changed, yet it is completely different. Programming has been commoditized – But it depends how you define it. Does everyone need to know how to code? No but, they all need to learn to use a computer. Both mechanical engineers and software engineers use many off the shelf items when designing news things. Dave creates those of the shelf things Dates are surprisingly complicated Software engineers get a lot of instant gratification. Mechanical engineers don’t Software quality control is testing the software in a plethora of situations. It’s similar to environmental changes for physical products

#20 - Danielle YoungSmith: From Outer Space to Inner Space Danielle is an astrobiologist turned software engineer turned Purpose Clarity Coach. Homebrewing is safe and delicious, but occasionally messy. She wanted to be an astronaut She is a full stack engineer – she can do the back and front end of your software product. Astrobiology – more than studying aliens More people would take organic chemistry if they talked about aliens. She went to Mars (OK, it was really Utah) Mars Desert Research Station How do plants grow in space? In circles. AI – a little overhyped, but depends on the field Be careful about ethics and using it for weapons AI won’t take your job, but someone who can use it might. Use your wetware Protein folding and knot theory The Insane Math Of Knot Theory (youtube.com) Now she helps people deal with grief. Part of that is restoring death to a sacred place Her podcast – Is Inner Space. The movie is also good. Camping is fun – start kids young, >1 year is OK. Outdoor cooking ideas Backcountry snow boarding/ splitboarding Making a cake on your head. Find Danielle at www.DanielleYS.com Live Bold Playlist Rusted Root - Drum Trip www.dexterityeng.com