Tag: YouTube

Engineers and Squirrels

I didn’t know what an Engineer was or precisely what they studied when I left High School. Nobody was an Engineer or spoke like they knew what an Engineer was.

In college I heard the folklore statement that “an engineer can do for a dime what any fool can do for a dollar” or something similar. And that really didn’t really encapsulate a workable definition or promote an understanding of the analytical approach, ethical care, and problem solving hubris that defines the Engineers across disciplines that I have known and cared about throughout my career.

And so we have the squirrels and Mark Rober and while Mark is undoubtedly one of the Engineers in this video…well, there may be some analytical skills in Phat Gus as well.

Time well spent designing and building the backyard maze, or any project.

MakerFaire 2016

No, this isn’t going to be at MakerFaire, but it reminds me that it is the act of Making something and putting together divergent skills that provide a confluence from which a product emerges.

 

A Working Paper Engine Model

In a series of videos posted to YouTube, engineer Aliaksei Zholner demonstrates a miniscule V8 engine he designed that is built completely from paper (with minor bits of scotch tape to prevent friction). The engine is so tiny it fits inside the plastic container found inside a Kinder egg. In the the videos Zholner demonstrates the progress of the engine coming together over several months, and the latest clip posted this weekend incorporates a paper throttle that effectively controls the speed of the little whirring device using compressed air. You can also see his wildly popular model v6 engine from last year.

[via] Colossal