OT:Shooting Ourselves in the Foot

Well, this is not specific to Europe. Seen on the cbsnews web site

-- Michel BILLAUD snipped-for-privacy@labri.fr LABRI-Université Bordeaux I tel 05 4000 6922 / 05 5684 5792

351, cours de la Libération 33405 Talence (FRANCE)

schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...

It is indeed a long way to go, if the goal is three Michelin star food for everyone, everyday.

Sheesh!

;)

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Thanks, Frank.
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The Mayans in South America also had the concept of zero, even earlier than in India IIRC. But I don't think it spread much - certainly not to Europe or Asia.

Actually, it's a good thing that there is a bit of panic this time, although I don't think anything particularly dangerous to humans will come of the current bird flu. If it mutates (either by simple mutation, or by cross-mutating with a human flu virus in a host such as a pig) to be able to spread from human to human, then the chances are pretty good that the mutation will also weaken it to being about as dangerous as more common flu's. We might be unlucky and see a dangerous result, but I doubt it.

However, the current reaction is a good thing, as there are a number of things happening that will give us longer-term benefits. There should be a gradual change in the lifestyles of east Asian farmers, separating them somewhat from their animals, which will greatly improve their health in general. New methods of mass-producing vaccines and anti-viral drugs are being developed, and states are investing more in production facilities for such drugs. The WHO and various authorities are doing a lot of thinking and planning about how to treat massive outbreaks. All this is, of course, virtually useless if the current bird flu becomes a dangerous pandemic - the processes will take about five or ten years to become effective. But for future diseases, as well as treating current diseases more effectively (through mass vaccination and cheaper treatments), it will help.

the company I worked for in MA had everything in a big relational database (stock control, RMAs etc). the guy who controlled it was dyslexic. For the first year or so, If I wanted a part it was quicker for me to walk to the production building and browse thru the stockroom, looking in boxes, than to try and find things using the database. Eventually I learned how he routinely mis-spelled things, and could then use the database. My CEO didnt seem to think it was a problem.

I also did a time-and-motion study of the RMA area, where my buddy Bob fixed stuff. He is an amazing tech, far quicker than I'll ever be. time to fix - typ. 10-15 mins. writing up the form - 5 mins. typing in the resultant data - 1~2 hours, hunt-and-peck. My suggestion - hire a (pretty) school leaver who can type, and pay her minimum wage to type up his written docs. The implemented solution? 2 more techs....

Cheers Terry

I'd be happy if you autochtones could reliably tell the difference between one-star and two-star food. Since three-star food has to surprise you, providing it every day would be asking a lot of the supplier, and consuming it would be very wearing for the consumer.

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Bill Sloman, Nijmegen

Jim Thompson hasn't a clue about the subject under discussion, but we get his two cents worth anyway. I had hoped that he was still busy trying to get my security cleaances revoked, but it seems now he wants to be futile someplace else.

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Bill Sloman, Nijmegen

Doesn't sound like a bad goal. Instead of food insecurity you'd have to worry about the prevalence of gout.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

--
"it's the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com

In article , Joerg writes

Not in the UK They "recognise" a lot of over seas universities.

Only if you don't recognise foreign universities. Or forigen qualifications.

I wonder what world you do live in... :-)

the FDA ones don't seem to bad.

You can get it in the UK It will get better as more people are required to be a PE/C.Eng etc

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"Spehro Pefhany" schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

I'm getting more worried about my wallet, and what's in it. Bill is a snob of course, as most Michelin star restaurants customers are. Last friday I had the pleasure of a dinner at Ron Blaauw's Palazzo, in Amsterdam.

Ron Blaauw is good for 1 star, so the food was excellent. But at this level, the amount of joy has not much to do with the food. It's a sum of everything that surrounds it, and probably the most important ingredient of any good dinner is how you and your guests are feeling themselves.

Most of the better restaurants here charge 20-25 euro for a main dish, and you can expect excellent food for that. Entrees and desserts for

10-12 euro. A bottle of good wine, 30-35 euro. Paying double or triple get's you into the Michelin star places, but gives diminishing returns. Of course you can spend all evening there trying to find something you can complain about, such as a tiny spot on the table ware, the wine being 2 degrees too cold, the haricots verts too long or too short and what have you, and you will not be able to find anything wrong. But that is not my definition of a perfect dinner ;)

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Thanks, Frank.
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The PE 's giving you refeence/verification do NOT have to be EEs. I just was approved to take the exam this April and 2 of my references were licensed mechanical PEs, not EE. Don't let this deter you....you can find PEs of any field and use for reference.

Paul

Sure looks that way.

John

and

Sure - for as long as the rest of the world insist on their right to choose a looser culture!

Of Course - That is one of the advantages of having a civilisation.

No, the world economy is very far from a zero sum game - the cake can grow larger if it is allowed to - but most of the time people that are fearful of change will setup systems to keep things the same as they always was and you get the living standard that was and not what could be.

i.e: Why subsidise european sugar farmers when sugar can be had in Brazil cheaper - it is maybe 30000 people in the whole of the EU!!

or: Why block the internet because it is "un-islamic" - if Islam is so allmighty it should be able to stand alone!!

The cake grows when trade and information is allowed to flow freely and it shrinks when the flow is restricted by taxes, political- or cultural barriers. The poorest and indeed the worst performing countries are the most closed ones!

So, if some chinese or indian snags my idea and build a business from it, Fine. Then maybe I can sell him some other things - since he is now monied and can afford them. That is how it works.

Children, children - play nice.

I find it odd that grown men, and no doubt entirely mature and sensible grown men, revert to kindergarten tactics when arguing via this protective barrier we call the Internet. To say "it's the nature of usenet" doesn't cut it - we're still people, no matter what the medium. Is dignity disposable?

And no doubt I'll get flambéed now for pointing this out...

Steve

Now that looks like a good spot for nice meal. Is the presentation really like in the photos? Unagi (err... smoked eel) and split pea is intriguing, as is the fish.

You'd probably enjoy either of these if you ever get out this way:

(sound and swf)

As you can see, the prices are not very different. (1.4 C$ = 1 EUR), but you have to expect the final price will be about 1/3 higher with taxes and tip.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

--
"it's the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com

Joerg,

The first step to getting a PE is to take the FE exam which, if passed will get you your EIT. You don't need any PE signatures to take that exam. Without that exam, there is no point even pondering the PE as it is the first requirement you need to meet. The FE exam probably easiest to take when you are fresh out of school, because it requires fairly detailed knowledge across a broad spectrum of disciplines, and presumably most of that material is covered in your undergrad studies. If you delay taking the FE exam, you have that much more studying to do to brush up on it. It isn't a big deal to take, but does require preparation just like any other knowledge test.

My take on your strong objections to licensure is that you are afraid of the process, either the tests or the application process. If you are competant, you should have little trouble navigating the application process. The tests do require you to study up on areas that are outside of your immediate expertise, but there are enough different subject areas (and generally you only need to complete questions in a few areas) that you should be able to find some combination of subject areas for which a little bit of study combined with your experience in your niche will get you through the PE test with flying colors.

You can get a PE with a foreign school degree. If you have 20 years experience, you can get it with no degree. The obstacles may be a little higher, but it is possible. The point here is that they want you to meet a certain level of demonstrated proficiency, which is why they want an accredited degree. There is no reason, for example that a foriegn student couldn't either finish up his degree at an accredited school and transfer credits in, or get an advanced degree at an accredited school. One of a student's responsibilities in selecting a school is to make sure the school has the credentials to make his intended degree worth something. I don't expect anyone, much less a licensing board to accept a paper degree from an off shore school with no credentials to back up the quality of education any more than I expect them to accept one of the diplomas offered in those email scams.

The PEs who provide your references do not have to be in the same discipline, nor do they need to have any expertise in your area of work. They are basically vouching for you by stating that your work is worthy of a professional and that you are moral and ethical in your work. It doesn't mean they have to be a co-worker or know the intimate details of your work. Yes, it can be a little bit of a hassle finding the PE references if you are not in construction, but it is not impossible. Every state publishes a list of the registered engineers in the state, and many are willing to help you along in your certification. I tried to point out to you that there are likely people you've come in contact with that have a PE license, but you dismissed that out of hand. As I stated, if you are motivated to do so, you can certainly find PEs that will do what they can to help out. I'm sure your NSPE chapter would be glad to have you as a guest at their meetings even if you aren't a member, that is unless you are a rude arrogant SOB (in which case you would still probably be invited the first time, just not invited back).

California, as with other states, does have an exemption for the license for industrial/manufacturing. However, I think if you check the chapter and verse of the law, you'll find that it does not include independent consultants offering engineering services to manufacturing concerns or other firms. That is certainly the case in a number of the states I have done business in. It also does not allow you to call yourself an engineering consultant, and is in fact pretty specific about that. Some states will take that as far as if the find both the words "engineer" and "consult" anywhere in your advertising (websites, brochures, business cards) even though they are not together, they will serve you with a cease and desist order, and possibly a fine.

As far as liability insurance goes, no, having a PE does not require nor obligate you to carry liability insurance under any stretch of the definition. I do carry it, but it is not required. Some of the firms I do business with wanted to see it, and I have assets I wish to protect should something arise. You can get coverage, even for involvement with medical devices. It isn't cheap, but you can buy coverage, and having a PE makes it easier to find it. One insurer that provides it is Evanston.

Ahh, but you do offer your services to the public. Offering services to a company that you are not on the direct payroll for is offering services to the public. Merely having a website or other advertising for your services is considered bona-fide proof of you offering your services to the public. Your website says "Consulting Services to Industry", which is both offering services to the public, and also violates the provision in the law that reserves the term consulting engineer to those who hold a PE license. As for those engineers working for the utilities, you can bet that their work has to be signed off by a PE before it can be fielded. That PE may not be sitting in the office with those engineers, but I am dead certain a PE stamp has to show up on the drawings before it is fielded.

To me, it sounds like you are mostly com> Hello Ray,

"Spehro Pefhany" schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

level,

everything

Yes, more or less. Except for some of the stuff in the backgrounds and the fish, which is served on a plate rather than an entire raw cod fish.

Smoke free, what a shame ;)

Taxes are included here, and tip is to decide yourself. Dutch travel guides advise to give 15% but nobody does - 5 to 10% is more like it.

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Thanks, Frank.
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"Steve at fivetrees" schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@pipex.net...

cut

Yes, that's all very true, except that JT is not a grown man but just a piece of filthy shit.

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Thanks, Frank.
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The PE license for electrical engineering is the same for all facets of electrical engineering. The code of ethics is what limits you to your specific field, not the license itself. My EE PE is the same as someone who designs power plants even though I don't know squat about power engineering a power engineer likely doesn't know squat about digital design.

The test has different subject areas, of which you only have to answer questions from a limited number of areas of your choice.

Those areas include one on digital logic, and another on computers.

So while there is not a PE in digital design or software engineering, those disciplines are covered under the broader PE license for electrical engineering.

Bryan Hackney wrote: