Downtown Khazan: Ice Cold Utopia

[Postmania]

It’s good, isn’t it?

Nice to see a sci-fi series that takes the science seriously.

Yeah, and its just well-made as heck so far (just did season 1 so I hope the series maintains quality somewhat)

[Yun Lao]

90% of Engineers I’ve met with and worked with are......’looks good on paper people’, not so much in practicality.

As a mechanic, engineers have become my mortal enemy.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

As a mechanic, engineers have become my mortal enemy.

My sister is a Drafter and worked in a room full of them. The stories she told are....not always encouraging towards their practical awareness, shall we say.

Again, lots of ‘looks good on paper’ moments.

Dealing with them where I currently work has also been....interesting. They got use a brand new machine to spool wire once, this big blue monster of a thing, and went on and on about how awesome it would be.

It was literally not useable or useful in anyway once we actually tried to use it and they ended up taking it back within a week or so.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

[Sharpandpointies]

XD

But did they remember to fit the neon lighting, stiletto-heel shoe rack and magitech soil-test centrifuge system?

I already have a centrifuge. I haven't seen the lighting, but I'm not looking forward to it. As for the stiletto-heel shoe rack, I'm sure if they put that in I can find some use for it. Buuuut...

...also, only one exit from each lab. I mean, this is basic health and safety, here.

90% of Engineers I’ve met with and worked with are......’looks good on paper people’, not so much in practicality.

Nailed it.

Also, their 'looks good on paper' is often 'in my expert, awesome, highly educated-with-no-practical-experience, massive-ego engineering opinion'. I mean, I gripe about scientists from time to time, but it's about 1000x more easy to work with an annoying scientist than an engineer in a science setting.

Oh those are just for fun. Fun showers.

There are no fun showers.

In unrelated news I'm finally watching the Expanse and it is intense.

Truth. I mostly enjoyed it, despite despising the central character.

I follow it because it has an aesthetic that intermingled Battle Angel Alita with Neo-Noir elements that appealed to me, and seems to get stronger the further you go into the story.

I can totally see that comparison.

As a mechanic, engineers have become my mortal enemy.

As a Technologist, I would agree.

My sister is a Drafter and worked in a room full of them. The stories she told are....not always encouraging towards their practical awareness, shall we say.

Again, lots of ‘looks good on paper’ moments.

Dealing with them where I currently work has also been....interesting. They got use a brand new machine to spool wire once, this big blue monster of a thing, and went on and on about how awesome it would be.

It was literally not useable or useful in anyway once we actually tried to use it and they ended up taking it back within a week or so.

Sounds about correct. People talk about ivory-tower scientists, but very often engineers are worse, while also getting a massive ego-build-up during their education for 'being an engineer'.

I mean, not all engineers I'm sure, but certainly the ones I've worked with. In this building, they're the most likely to look down on technologists as 'lowly peons who are just a pair of hands in the laboratory'.

[Beadle]

I already have a centrifuge. I haven't seen the lighting, but I'm not looking forward to it. As for the stiletto-heel shoe rack, I'm sure if they put that in I can find some use for it. Buuuut...

...also, only one exit from each lab. I mean, this is basic health and safety, here.

Seriously? So if there’s a fire, dangerous spillage or something giving off fumes, some people may have to go THROUGH it to get out?

Are these people even licensed?!

[Sharpandpointies]

Seriously? So if there’s a fire, dangerous spillage or something giving off fumes, some people may have to go THROUGH it to get out?

Are these people even licensed?!

They're 'highly experienced professional engineers who have designed many labs'.

...we recently found out those labs were for Universities.

[Sharpandpointies]

Seriously? So if there’s a fire, dangerous spillage or something giving off fumes, some people may have to go THROUGH it to get out?

Are these people even licensed?!

Also, hilarious that you see the problem instantly (like everyone else who has actually done work in this setting), while we've already gotten push-back.

[Sharpandpointies]

...we recently found out those labs were for Universities.

Just to note, this isn't me slagging universities. Necessarily. ^_^ But university labs in Canada are very different animals than the labs in which we work. They're big, open affairs, with room for many people to work, automatically multiple entry/egress points as a factor of being so large, storage far from the working areas, chemicals kept in different areas, etc.

Designing one is NOT the same as designing the other.

[Beadle]

Also, hilarious that you see the problem instantly (like everyone else who has actually done work in this setting), while we've already gotten push-back.

It’s not the most challenging observation to make.

Just to note, this isn't me slagging universities. Necessarily. ^_^ But university labs in Canada are very different animals than the labs in which we work. They're big, open affairs, with room for many people to work, automatically multiple entry/egress points as a factor of being so large, storage far from the working areas, chemicals kept in different areas, etc.

Designing one is NOT the same as designing the other.

Not just Canada. UK university labs are just the same.

Which is why it was quite so impressive that I managed to stink out a huge lab (there were 50+ in my class all working in the same lab) twice, when I set fire to my own hair with a Bunsen burner twice in half-an-hour.

Impressive and impressively dumb.

[Sharpandpointies]

It’s not the most challenging observation to make.

Precisely. And that's the answer with which I'm 100% thus far in my canvassing of actual technical/scientific lab-people on this, yourself included.

So...how did it pass by these 'experienced, highly-skilled professionals'? And I kid you not, every time someone brings up a problem we get a speech with 'well, these are [some variation of] experienced, highly-skilled professional engineers who are giving their professional opinions of what you require in your labs.' Ie, it actually comes across as kind of a vague intimidation, like 'how dare you question their super-educated opinions, you lowly peon/lab-rat?' couched in semi-pleasant terms.

Not just Canada. UK university labs are just the same.

Figured, but I didn't want to assume.

Which is why it was quite so impressive that I managed to stink out a huge lab (there were 50+ in my class all working in the same lab) twice, when I set fire to my own hair with a Bunsen burner twice in half-an-hour.

Impressive and impressively dumb.

Well, being fair, EVERYONE manages to have an accident. Twice in such a short time, I'll admit, is getting into the 'What madness is this?' area. Well-done, sir. Well-done.

...your hair, that is. ^_^

But I imagine we all could tell some stories...

<_<

>_>

.....

O_o

*coughs*

As for the utter stink up, yeah, burning keratin is really bad. :P

[master of read]

as a board game collector, i want this.

[Noldere]

What would happen if, instead of Super Soldier Serum, Captain America somehow received Senator Armstrong's nanomachines? He keeps whatever mental faculties / skills gained from the serum, but gets the physical abilities that Armstrong displayed instead of what the serum gave him.

Bonus: What if everyone who ever received Super Soldier Serum (or anything listed as a variant or attempt to recreate the original) gain Senator Armstrong's nanomachines instead? Assume the effect of the nanomachines given to the others are proportional.

[Yun Lao]

My sister is a Drafter and worked in a room full of them. The stories she told are....not always encouraging towards their practical awareness, shall we say.

Again, lots of ‘looks good on paper’ moments.

Dealing with them where I currently work has also been....interesting. They got use a brand new machine to spool wire once, this big blue monster of a thing, and went on and on about how awesome it would be.

It was literally not useable or useful in anyway once we actually tried to use it and they ended up taking it back within a week or so.

When it comes to aircraft, a good chunk of specialty "tools" we have in our controlled inventory are altered and modified wrenches/etc just because of some of the barely accessible places on the plane engineers have placed various hardware at.

[Guy1]

Hi Sharp!