Preconceptions - John Dunn, Consultant, Ambertec, P.E., P.C.

Preconception 1:  Harmless

The movie "Beauty and the Beast" was released in 1946 in French as "La Belle et la Bête" and was shown on local television some years ago. As I watched, I found myself thinking "How can an animal like that have learned to speak French? How silly."

Now if the Beast had been speaking English, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. After all, so many beasts can do that. Think of Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny for example. Clearly, I have long had and apparently still do have the preconception that the English language would have given the Beast no problem at all.

Of course not.

 

Preconception 2:  Costly

During the eighties, I first became acquainted with a concept called "goal oriented research" in which a project would be embarked upon with carefully planned breakthroughs that were scheduled to take place at precisely defined points in time.

One such preconception was that held by Dr. Edward Teller who unfortunately managed to convince a technically unknowledgeable President Reagan that the x-ray laser would very soon become a working invention with which directed energy weaponry could be developed for the "Star Wars" system. However, a needed breakthrough failed to materialize because nobody could figure out a way to make x-ray mirrors. Every mirror material that was tried either passed x-rays on through with little or no attenuation or absorbed them. The x-rays simply wouldn't reflect, therefore, no lasing.

Today however, at https://www.llnl.gov/str/Dunn.html, we do find mention of an x-ray laser called Nova which is a laboratory device that can indeed be fired, but only up to a maximum of six times per day in order to allow for proper cooling between firings. This is hardly the weaponry capable device that Dr. Teller envisioned.

 

Preconception 3:  Destructive

It is taken by some persons that any engineer who has spent a multi-decades long career in some particular discipline is obviously competent to work in some other discipline. A microwave research engineer is obviously competent to work in semiconductor fabrication, a power-supply engineer can design sensor circuitry for data acquisition and so on, The preconception is that all engineers are interchangeable.

This idea of engineering interchangeability was the underpinning of this speech I once heard on line of a corporate executive addressing the technical staff of a particular company. His words, herein paraphrased, were:

"Just remember that any of you can be replaced any time that I say so. You don't generate any revenue for this company. You are an expense! You can always be replaced and it would suit me just fine to cut down this company's expenses; to cut this company's expenses way down."

I wish I could remember at which company this speech took place, but I can't. Still, wherever it was, I'm really glad I never worked there.

Comments

[Dr. Walter H. Delashmit]

Good article John. It reminds me of a cartoon with many detailed mathematical equations, followed by a block or comment that "Then a Miracle Occurs," followed by more detailed amthematical equations with the observer commenting about the "Miracle" that he thought "It needed More Work There."

[Account Deleted]

i like your views and i respect too.
bcoz me too have such naughty thoughts, it all will possible at some instants.

[Ray J]

There's a 'warm body' theory among some management that not only are engineers interchangeable, but pretty much any worker is interchangeable (except managers of course). Unfortunately, I've had to work under a few of those managers.........

[GeorgeGrimes]

Ray J, I think that anyone who has been around has worked for a manager like that. I've begun to think that they must teach that theory in management courses!