Attitude

[Cory Smith]

 

[Deleted member 16349]

This is wrong! Not an engineer's attitude at all. If it would be a glass of beer ..... it would be empty. Or full for only a short time.

 

[LoneGoose]

The first thing I though when reading this comic is "this is Gordon's spoof on Erik Nikkanen." But Erik beat me to the comments!

 

[gordo]

The first thing I though when reading this comic is "this is Gordon's spoof on Erik Nikkanen." But Erik beat me to the comments!

To be quite honest, Erik is certainly a great inspiration for RErint ideas. He brings up so many memories of my dealings with the engineers at Creo (and another company Devron-Hercules) and those memories help trigger ideas.

As a general observation, there seems to be a distinctive culture among engineers that probably arises from their elevated sense of self. For example, after an equal number of years of post secondary education, I am trusted and able to do still life paintings while an engineer is trusted and empowered to sign passport photos.In British Columbia, engineers, after graduation, wear an iron ring on their finger in remembrance of the collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge (renamed the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing) in Vancouver in 1958 which was due to a miscalculation by bridge engineers - a reminder to be vigilant about the tendency to arrogance that can cloud the engineer's thinking.

Engineers are also often artists at heart. Art (and the undisciplined thinking that goes with it) and engineering (and the disciplined thinking that goes with it) seem to be opposite sides of the same coin. This characteristic is embodied in the great Leonardo da Vinci. So that also appeals to me as my thinking.

best, gordo

 

[Deleted member 16349]

T

I am trusted and able to do still life paintings while an engineer is trusted and empowered to sign passport photos.In British Columbia, engineers, after graduation, wear an iron ring on their finger in remembrance of the collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge (renamed the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing) in Vancouver in 1958 which was due to a miscalculation by bridge engineers - a reminder to be vigilant about the tendency to arrogance that can cloud the engineer's thinking.

Engineers are also often artists at heart. Art (and the undisciplined thinking that goes with it) and engineering (and the disciplined thinking that goes with it) seem to be opposite sides of the same coin. This characteristic is embodied in the great Leonardo da Vinci. So that also appeals to me as my thinking.

best, gordo

Nice comments regarding Canadian Engineers but not quite accurate.

The Iron Ring ritual was initiated in 1925 at the University of Toronto and a part of that ritual is the reciting of an oath, the allegory based on the poem "Sons of Martha" (about engineers) which was written in 1907 by Rudyard Kipling, who was a friend of a Canadian engineer at the time. Rudyard Kipling provided the format for the ritual.

There is no official legal significance of the iron ring. It is just a tradition and is presented to engineers who have graduated from Canadian engineering schools. (Skule UofT)

The iron ring is not related to the Vancouver bridge but to a bridge in Quebec that collapsed in 1907. It certainly is a reminder that care is required by an engineer due to the potential dangers to the public of poorly designed work.

The signing of Passports was not for any engineer but for Professional Engineers who have a licensee to practice. I think the practice of requiring a professional engineer to sign a passport is no longer required.

I think Leonardo was in my class at Skule. Maybe not but he was an engineer for sure. I would also add that the iron ring does provide a sense of common tradition. If one is half way around the world, it is easy to spot another canadian engineer by the ring.

 

[Ultimate]

You can read on "Quebec City's Bridge tragedies" (1907 and 1916) on this site (sorry, in French, so use google translate): Tragédie au pont de Québec: les effondrements de 1907 et de 1916 | Patrimoine, Histoire et multimédia

Ray

 

[gordo]

Nice comments regarding Canadian Engineers but not quite accurate.

The Iron Ring ritual was initiated in 1925 at the University of Toronto and a part of that ritual is the reciting of an oath, the allegory based on the poem "Sons of Martha" (about engineers) which was written in 1907 by Rudyard Kipling, who was a friend of a Canadian engineer at the time. Rudyard Kipling provided the format for the ritual.
[SNIP]
The iron ring is not related to the Vancouver bridge but to a bridge in Quebec that collapsed in 1907. It certainly is a reminder that care is required by an engineer due to the potential dangers to the public of poorly designed work.[SNIP]

Typical east of the Rockies arrogance. You think everything begins there. ;-)

The story about the iron ring and the Vancouver bridge was told to me by several engineers at different companies. Maybe the tradition didn't begin on the west coast until the local bridge went down and they adopted the eastern way to remind them?

best gordo

 

[Deleted member 16349]

Typical east of the Rockies arrogance.

You think everything begins there. ;-)

Tried to think of a clever reply but couldn't because you are right about this. :-$ A Toronto smile.

 

[prwhite]

WOW, what wonderfully entertaining banter!

 

[gordo]

Tried to think of a clever reply but couldn't because you are right about this. :-$ A Toronto smile.

Well I must admit I had to Google "Quebec" because I wasn't sure that it was part of Canaduh ;-)

best, gordo

 

[Deleted member 16349]

Well I must admit I had to Google "Quebec" because I wasn't sure that it was part of Canaduh ;-)

best, gordo

Careful. That's getting a bit too close to a sensitive nerve. :-o

If you spent more time in school and not so much time skiing, boating, beach combing and enjoying the outdoors of beautiful BC, you would have known that eh.