by Dwayne Phillips We have yet more examples showing how remote sensing is difficult. One day, we learn this well enough to anticipate it? There have been several unmanned craft land on the moon recently. That is a great accomplishment to send something to the moon and have it land soft enough to still function. […]
Entries Tagged as 'Engineering'
Remote Sensing Is Still Difficult
April 8th, 2024 · No Comments
Tags: Adapting · Competence · Computing · Engineering · Learning · Remote Work · Risk · Technology
The Fireman Arsonist
April 1st, 2024 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips We reward the fireman, the person who extinguishes a fire. Did the fireman, however, start the fire? I used to see this often. I worked in a place where engineers would plan projects and deliver systems per their plans. The trouble was: the engineers were terrible planners. They were good system designers […]
Tags: Design · Engineering · Planning · Record · Systems · Work
Lab Projects and Real Products
February 19th, 2024 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Take care when confusing lab projects with real products. Both are good, but they are not the same. In all fields of endeavor, we have lab projects and real products. Both can be good. They, however, are not the same. Sometimes product managers and marketers confuse these at their peril. Students in […]
Tags: Accountability · Engineering · Experiment · Management · Process
Large Language Models and Adults
February 1st, 2024 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Large Language Models appear to have all sorts of problems. I wonder why companies that build such don’t hire adults to help build them. I recently learned that large language models (LLMs) have “sleeper agents” in them. Given some inputs, the LLM starts doing crazy things that it shouldn’t do. Gosh. LLMs […]
Tags: Adults · Artificial Intelligence · Computing · Concepts · Engineering · General Systems Thinking · Testing
Engineers and Philosophers
October 5th, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips It is often best to leave the conversations of another profession to those other professionals. I am an engineer. There, got that out of the way. And I have a Doctor of Philosophy or PhD in engineering. I have not idea why they call the degree by that name. Oh well, got […]
Tags: Communication · Engineering · Expertise · Humility · Language
No More and No Less
July 20th, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips When we build systems, build them to do and have no more and no less than we intend. A few pseudo definitions: The users says, “I want a system that does this and that is and like this and that.” The builders say among themselves, “We can do those things and a […]
Tags: Accountability · Design · Engineering · Requirements · Systems
Worthwhile Problems?
January 26th, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips I see amazing solutions and advances in technology everyday. Are all these, however, solving worthwhile problems? I recently read about how persons at Nvidia created a system that modifies a live video so that the eyeballs of the person on camera point to the camera. This happens while the real eyeballs are […]
Tags: Choose · Engineering · Problems · Solutions · Technology · Wishes
Deciding
December 29th, 2022 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips One of the fundamentals in the engineering of systems and architecture is a “D” word that many loathe in our 21st century. “Let’s hold off on this until we have to decide,” said a hopeful inhabitant of a post-modern universe. Yes, there are things that we don’t have to decide until we […]
Tags: Choose · Decide · Engineering · General Systems Thinking · Systems
What Question are We Answering?
December 26th, 2022 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Find the right question. The answer will direct efforts. That is pretty basic, but it seems to work. The purpose of this blog post is… Well, let me struggle with the rest of that sentence. In my struggles, let me find the right question. How about, “Why would anyone read this?” or […]
Tags: Analysis · Design · Engineering · Questions · Requirements
The CONOPS
December 12th, 2022 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips This is a reminder of one of the fundamental documents or documentations in creating systems that delight users. It is the Concept of Operations. First things first. We want to provide a system that delights users. Where do we start? Let’s talk with the users; watch the users; learn from the users, […]
Tags: Communication · Concepts · Conversation · Engineering · General Systems Thinking · Listening · Systems