Awkward Engineer - Blog

Collegiate Level Popsicle Sticks with the AwkEng

Hi all, Today's post is about designing a collegiate level course in popsicle stick bridge building. The idea has been in my head for years, but th...

The AwkEng is an Art Sleuth

Hi all, Today's post is about art and a proud dad moment. I do have a short list of posts I want to write, including one on Voltmeter Clock BOM scr...

The AwkEng Thinks About Vickrey Auctions

Hey all! Today's post is about Vickrey Auctions, and figuring out how to make it feasible to run ultra-small batches of Clocks.  The Voltmeter C...

The AwkEng Thinks About Pay Scale Systems

Hi all, Since reading Radical Candor, I've been thinking about performance reviews and pay scale systems. The punchline is that I don't think that ...

The AwkEng Sets Up a High Efficiency Work Cell

The AwkEng Sets Up a High Efficiency Work Cell

Hi all, Today's post continues the previous Yak Shaving theme from reorganizing the basement, but this time it's with the intention of revisiting t...

AwkEng Kicks off the Year with a Mini Book Report

Hi all, I'm kicking the year off with a not so mini book report of stuff that I've read in the last several months, listed in order of recommend...

The AwkEng Sees the Forest and the Trees

The AwkEng Sees the Forest and the Trees

Hi all, I'm still forming some ideas in this post, but wanted to share some hacks for Trello and thoughts on leveraging user story maps. The punchl...

The AwkEng Keeps in Touch

Hi all, Today's post is about the system I use to keep in touch with former coworkers, colleagues, clients, and others. The punchline is that this ...

The AwkEng Builds a Basement Inventory System, Part 2

Hi all, Yak Shaving continues this week with development of a basement inventory system. Admittedly, I could probably look for an off the shelf sol...

The AwkEng Shaves a Yak and Builds a Basement Inventory System

Hi all, Today's post is what I'll call part one in a series documenting my efforts to build a basement pantry inventory system. The end goal is to ...

The AwkEng's Guide to the Best Toys for Kids

Hi all, Today's post is about the best toys for kids, based on my 6+ years experience as a dad. The motivation for sharing is a reflection on ...

The AwkEng's Favorite Reverse Interview Question

The AwkEng's Favorite Reverse Interview Question

Hi all,Today's post is about my favorite reverse interview question. By "reverse interview", I mean that time period at the end of an interview whe...