Bureau of Qualification

I propose the creation of a "Bureau of Qualification" to issue "Person of Qualification" certificates.  Let me explain:

During the engineering process, you often need a product you can purchase to accomplish a function.  Now, how the search goes, viewed from an engineer perspective.

I know I need a product that will do "x" in my design.  I know someone is currently producing this product, but I don't know who.  I know it is something we haven't had in a design before so I can't just look at a legacy design.  I will search the internet for information and try to find a supplier that looks legitimate and has a nice website (we all think bad websites indicate a lack of technical competence or a certain stuck-in-their-way-edness).  I find a company I like the looks of, and click on the contact page because I HAVE to talk to a real person.  Here is where it gets sticky.  I call the 800 number most companies list that gets you an operator.  I ask for someone in engineering.  90% of the time, this stuns the operator, and they direct you to someone in sales. I get connected and it is apparent within a few seconds if you have hit a dead end.  If I get lucky, I get someone who can direct me to a product that truly meets my needs.  This is very rare.  The fundamental problem, I feel, is that I don't know exactly what I want, and companies are not set up to help people like me.  What do I know?  I know EXACTLY what function the product needs to perform, in what environment, and I have a general feeling for how robust or light the product needs to be.  It takes the right person on the other end of the line to make the connections, understand the mental sketches used to communicate concepts, and interpret the parameters.

The reason I only pass along parameters and functional descriptions is: if you tell someone exactly what you want, you will get exactly what you ask for.  Dictating exactly what you want takes any expertise or experience the other company could offer out of the equation, and often produces an inferior or flawed solution.  How do we solve this problem?

Create a certification "Person of Qualification".  When I call a company, I would ask for a "Person of Qualification" immediately. I do not need a PoQ if all I need is a price or a quote, but can ask for one if I need some genuine creativity or direction.  PoQ certifications could be field specific, but I think think a general PoQ would cover most of what you need.  Someone who is a PoQ doesn't have to be an expert on everything, but would at least know what they don't know (often as valuable and much less dangerous).

I am kidding of course.  But man is it frustrating dealing with people who just cannot contribute!  All my engineer buddies here are backing my concept :)

So Starts Summer

We are getting closer to Paul's arrival and are on high alert!  To say I am excited to be a dad would be a major undersell.  I think about it constantly - finding myself on the Nokona website looking at a ball glove for the little guy or thinking about what I want to teach him.  I understand I am a bit ahead of myself here.  I realize he won't be sizing beams, fixing the water heater, or picking ground balls for a while; but what can I say?  I am EXCITED!  I hope to inspire in Paul a sense of wonder, curiosity, and a perpetual thirst for knowledge.  I also look forward to playing with Legos again :)

We have been on high alert based on a loose prediction from our doctor that he may arrive early.  A "maybe" from our doctor morphed into certainty in our minds. This, in turn, has caused our hopes to inflate.  We are now anxiously awaiting any sign that he could be on his way.  Unfortunately, we have had NO indication that he will show up early.  What does this amount to?  Me asking Amy every tenth of an hour "Any changes!?".  Thankfully I have a patient wife.

Paul will be a lucky boy.  We are very thankful to have such a great family and great friends.  Amy is going to be such an amazing mom!  This has been a good time for reflection.  Along those lines, we love our new house!  I have spent a lot of time fixing it up to our standards.  Lots of yard work so far and a lot remaining, but we are making progress.  I am learning a lot and enjoying the process of continual home improvement.  I think it will be a great place to raise a family.

Work has been going really well.  As always, I am loving the challenges of my job.  I have been taking on more of a project management role as my project ends the design phase and heads full on into production.  What a great time!  Seeing my designs come together in the shop never gets old.  I am blown away by the talent of the fabricators and machinists I get to work with.  I take every chance I can to learn from them.  I have said it before, but it is always refreshing dealing with truly competent people.  I have also noticed that people who really know what they are doing are VERY willing to share their knowledge and methods.  This project has truly covered all aspects of engineering from controls to structural analysis, and I am pleased to say that I have been intimately involved in every part of it.

Amy is starting a blog to document our lives as parents!  We will be uploading pictures of Paul to that blog and will most likely not be uploading his pictures to Facebook, so add a message in the comments here if you would like access to that blog (will be set to private) and we will get you set up.

Boy, it is hot here!  Slight exaggeration warning: anything aluminum is a few degrees from melting.  

Endings and Beginnings

Amy's Grandfather, Howard Dean Bakker, passed away Tuesday, March 6th.  We had a service for him yesterday (March 9th).  He really was a great man and it was a real loss.  I spent countless hours discussing books we had both read, listening to his Navy stories, and talking politics.  He will be truly missed.  Read his obituary here.

It has been announced on Facebook, but I wanted to post on here that Amy and I are expecting!  We will be welcoming our first child, ultrasound says BOY!, on July 1st.  We are absolutely thrilled!  Amy is showing and the time is approaching.  

We are 92% sure of a name for our boy: Paul Andrew Robinette.  I have always liked the name Paul.  After all, he was essentially the writer of the new testament and the hero of one of my favorite sci-fi novels: Dune.  Andrew is my Great Great Grandpa's name on the Robinette side.  Andrew John Patterson came over from Ireland in about 1883.  We still have his bible from catholic school.  I really like the flow of the name and think it should serve Paul well.  Having said that, we still reserve the right to change it!

So, as Howard's life ends a new life begins.  It is a bittersweet time; a time filled with family, joy, and mourning.  I have much more to say on many topics, but this will do for now.  From Lake Havasu City, where Howard lived with his beloved Nadine, so long everyone.