Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips If a system fails at one boundary, it will probably fail at another boundary. Hence, if you find a boundary failure, start looking for other boundary failures while you still have a chance at prevention instead of correction. A few years back I had a problem with my van. I couldn’t reliably […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Some thoughts on Seth Godin’s idea of “pre digital” and how some places can become “formerly pre digital.” Seth Godin recently posted thoughts on what he calls “pre digital.” I liked his thoughts. I can punch a few security holes in the example he uses of a hospital emergency room, but that […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Self-driving cars are almost here. They are safer than human drivers. They aren’t perfect, but they are better. Nevertheless, we might repeat our past and not employ less-than-perfect computer systems. Maybe, however, our younger generations may accept it this time. Google has been working on self-driving cars. Others have as well. Those […]

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by Dwayne Phillips There is a solution to IEDs. We have known it for centuries, but instead we look to technology. I saw this post recently about a research project that will have lasers find IEDs. Neat technology. I like technology; I guess that is why I have three engineering degrees and view the web […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I have given many demonstrations of systems. I have watched even more demonstrations of systems. One thing I have learned to do during a demonstration is to pull a wire to see if the demonstration still works. Many years ago, I was involved in a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day test of a system. This […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Small projects are great for new engineers. The new engineers learn so many different aspects of building a system on a small project. I used to think that; I no longer do. Instead, I think that small or smaller projects carry with them a curse that can ruin an engineer or programmer […]

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by Dwayne Phillips How specific should a system specification be? How many resources should the spec consume? I propose a measure to help answer these questions – the Return on Specification Investment. A few years ago, I was reviewing a specification for a system that someone in the office had written. I came to one […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I often see claims that software systems will be secure, i.e., only authorized people will be able to see the information. Just as often I see cases where “secure” software systems are broken and the data are spilled onto the floor for all to see. Why? I believe it is a simple […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Tradeoffs involve decisions. You choose that one thing is more important than another. This is not popular, especially in public projects. Last week I saw a post about people wanting to build high-speed train lines between cities. This would reduce automobile traffic between the cities, provide construction jobs, provide operations and maintenance […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I have learned how to email bad emotions and their accompanying physical ailments away. It is a good technique to master. Several years ago, I opened some shipping cases to inspect some systems that a contractor had built for us. I was disappointed, then I was upset, then furious. There were a […]

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