Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Can Engineers Speak English? Technology is a blessing, but can we please avoid 'technobabble'?
FrontPage Mag ^ | 01/05/2016 | Thomas Sowell

Posted on 01/05/2016 9:03:27 AM PST by SeekAndFind

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-46 next last

1 posted on 01/05/2016 9:03:27 AM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Try reading the cr*p that comes from any of our so-called lib arts academic types.

At least the engineers make things that work (software engineers excepted).


2 posted on 01/05/2016 9:04:54 AM PST by Da Coyote
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Too many companies ignore the “human engineering” aspect of the products that they sell. This wasn’t the case at all when ‘Boomers were growing up.


3 posted on 01/05/2016 9:08:41 AM PST by Pelham (Muslim immigration...the enemy is inside the wire.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

To turn on my phone, I hit the ‘off’ button. To turn off my computer, I click the ‘on’ button. These things can’t reflect stupidity - they are the manufacturers showing contempt for their customers.

As for the article - they don’t put writing on the buttons because they want to use the same design world wide, and want to pretend that most of the world can’t understand English.


4 posted on 01/05/2016 9:09:47 AM PST by PAR35
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

We have been going downhill ever since they replaced ‘On and Off’ with 1 and 0......................


5 posted on 01/05/2016 9:10:13 AM PST by Red Badger (READ MY LIPS: NO MORE BUSHES!...............)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

6 posted on 01/05/2016 9:10:55 AM PST by Red Badger (READ MY LIPS: NO MORE BUSHES!...............)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Eschew obfuscation!


7 posted on 01/05/2016 9:11:23 AM PST by Bobalu (Even if I could take off, I could never get past the tractor beam!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

I prefer it over Hindi or Mexican.


8 posted on 01/05/2016 9:11:26 AM PST by Resolute Conservative
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

With sufficient synergy this sort of paradigm shift will be available real soon now. Configurations of grammatical constructs and identification of proper vocabulistic choices should be well within tolerances for engineers.
— an engineer


9 posted on 01/05/2016 9:12:46 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (I don't know what Claire Wolfe is thinking but I know what I am thinking.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Luddite.


10 posted on 01/05/2016 9:13:21 AM PST by SPI-Man (All four turning and burning! Herks rule!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

I love Sowell, but perhaps he protesteth too much this time.

Even paper editions of newspapers shuffle stuff around and change names (Editorial sections are often re-named to Opinion and such).

And your car ignition switch isn’t labelled, either. But even if you only drive once a year, you should have an idea what to look for.

He might have a point about the fuel release lever, though.


11 posted on 01/05/2016 9:14:43 AM PST by Larry Lucido
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Da Coyote
At least the engineers make things that work (software engineers excepted).

He says, sending his message through a computer operating system (designed and written by software engineers), where it gets chopped up into packets in multiple layers of network protocols (designed and written by software engineers), transmitted over networks both wired and wireless using firmware (designed and written by software engineers), received by another computer using more layers of network protocols (designed and written by software engineers), delivered to another computer operating system (designed and written by software engineers), transferred to the Free Republic application (designed and written by software engineers), and displayed to the rest of us by more of the same (designed and written by software engineers).

And IT WORKS.

But this is impossible, because software engineers don't make things that work.

12 posted on 01/05/2016 9:15:07 AM PST by NorthMountain ("The time has come", the Walrus said, "to talk of many things")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: PAR35

It’s not the “on” button or the “off” button, it’s the power switch.

Just like the light switch on the wall ....


13 posted on 01/05/2016 9:16:18 AM PST by NorthMountain ("The time has come", the Walrus said, "to talk of many things")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Larry Lucido
And perhaps car makers could agree on ONE place to locate the fuel cap. :-)


14 posted on 01/05/2016 9:17:05 AM PST by Larry Lucido
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Pelham
I once heard a great radio interview with a futurist who began his career as a "new product development assistant" for a major auto manufacturer. His job -- believe it or not -- was to get a job at Hertz or Avis car rental and spend his entire days making mental notes of how people interacted with their rental cars. This is how they would come up with new innovations that would be attractive to car buyers.

One good example he cited was the remote trunk opener. This was originally designed with rental cars in mind ... so a traveler with a lot of luggage could open the trunk without putting all the bags down and fumbling for the trunk key.

15 posted on 01/05/2016 9:17:16 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("It doesn't work for me. I gotta have more cowbell!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

I’m in whole-hearted agreement with Sowell on this.


16 posted on 01/05/2016 9:18:22 AM PST by SharpRightTurn (White, black, and red all over--America's affirmative action, metrosexual president.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Larry Lucido
ONE place to locate the fuel cap.

Half of 'em put it on the right side of the car. The other half put it on the left. Convenient, actually, at the gas station.

17 posted on 01/05/2016 9:18:42 AM PST by NorthMountain ("The time has come", the Walrus said, "to talk of many things")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy

You should have a lawyer re-write that. You’ll need more bandwidth, though.


18 posted on 01/05/2016 9:18:57 AM PST by Larry Lucido
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Bobalu

Haha!


19 posted on 01/05/2016 9:19:38 AM PST by Ray76 (Vote Democrat. Vote Republican. Do the same thing over and over again. Expect change.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

It’s not the engineers that decide how to label buttons.

Besides, what is the problem with ‘power’ to label a button that is dual purpose on/off?


20 posted on 01/05/2016 9:20:40 AM PST by TexasGator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-46 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson