On Good Questions

stions over the years. It happened to be someone whose name always makes m e perk up, because even though he nearly always asks questions and rarely a nswers, he nearly always asks really GOOD questions.

not have occurred to you, but there are certain people who mostly or entire ly ask questions, yet are still welcome names to me when they pop up.

for satisfaction -- even coming back on and saying "thanks for your effort, guys, I found the answer somewhere else" will give us more satisfaction th an not saying anything.

You aren't any kind of leech. Without a regular supply of questions, this f orum would be entirely devoted to the regulars being rude about one another , which isn't an edifying spectacle.

answered questions from someone.

So far.

You'll learn. Eventually you will find the niche where you are the only exp ert in the world. There won't be many questions that you can answer, but yo u will be the only person who can answer those questions properly. That won 't stop some of our less inspired members from trying, but Sturgeons Law sa ys the 90% of everything is rubbish, as are many of the "answers" posted he re. One of the skills developed around here is that of learning to detect r ubbish.

to all those of you who make forums like these a superb resource for any e ngineer. And that too for free!

Those of us who feel (perhaps unjustly) that we deserve some occasional tha nks are suitably grateful.

Good job Anand!

Ah, but if they're GOOD questions then they have value in themselves.

I think he shoots into the ceiling, not the other patrons. Pandas are cuddlier than that. ;)

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

That's the G-rated version.

Now that we are on the topic, I would like to voice a perpetual question that I have had in my mind (for some years now).

I see most of the people who respond to questions are practicing experts. Their job/consultancy/business is in the domain of the forum where we post questions.

(Without being rude and with no other intention) How do you people have the time?

Sometimes I post a question and I have to make a (strong) mental note of going back and checking-in on the replies. (Besides the fact that I take time to digest all the replies that come in. I am still digesting the responses that came in on my Class D Commutation of SCRs post!) While I don't seem to find the time to check back on replies that are actually helping me, I always wonder how you experts have the time to keep on serving these forums.

My guesses are as follows:

a. The experts are so damn expert that what takes me an hour could take a minute for the expert. Thus, they are able to "serve" and they can do so in about fraction of the time.

b. The experts are in between two consultancy contracts and they don't mind tickling their fancy with newbie questions.

c. Some of them are in semi-retirement. (No, no, no, I don't want to be rude.)

Once again, thank you so much for being the lifeline of these forums, Anand

I think that happens a fair amount. I generally don't spend much time on an answer, although sometimes that shows. ;)

That's me, too, although that has actually led to me spending less time here.

Well, that and Facebook. ;)

Even when I was working full time comp.dsp has always been a nice distraction for me, as well as informative and educational.

Eric Jacobsen Anchor Hill Communications

I am one who has been in the Systems Engineering game (from humble Electronics Tech through to becoming a Consultant) for over 40 years (started in 1969). So I have amassed a great deal of knowledge. I like helping out and it is good to help the less experienced.

I am operating three different contract threads at present so there is no in-between for me. Checking Usenet is easy for me as my newsreader is within the same organisational package as my email. I use Kontact which gives me the scheduling, task-lists, email, Usenet, RSS feeds and journaling facilities under one banner. I can scan all over breakfast but I will be using Kontact at several ponts during the day and so it is always running for me. It just becomes part of my breakfast routine to read Usenet.

I am also in semi-retirement but so far running my own consultancy is occupying slightly more hours than my previous full-time position. The only difference is that what I am doing now is more fun and more rewarding. I think those who remain passionate about engineering in general will probably never fully retire.

Glad to help where we can.

I'm guessing skipping the n'th rerun of some old movie or keeping up with the kardashian, will give most people time for usenet etc.

-Lasse

You forgot (d): they do it instead of watching television.

I try to spend no more than a few minutes on each response. Sometimes someone will be doing something that is interesting, or that will need some research that pertains to a current project, and then I'll dig a bit deeper.

My only problem is that I think that I can give decent answers before I've had breakfast (which implies that I'm also not yet caffeinated for the day). This means that I tend to be grumpier and less accurate.

But hey -- all my responses are worth at least what the OP paid, and very often more!

Hi, It was with the guys on comp.dsp in mind that I wrote the following Dedication in my second DSP book:

This book is dedicated to all the signal processing engineers who struggle to learn their craft, and willingly share that knowledge with their engineering brethren--people of whom the English poet Chaucer would say, "Gladly would he learn and gladly teach."

Well, it's the version that's in the book (which I have).

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

Partly. Once you've fallen into a pothole, you remember it next time. There's a lot of breadth to electronics, but not so much depth--each individual bit is usually pretty simple when you've seen it before. It isn't like doing philosophy, say, or even nontrivial computer programming, where you have to keep 50 things in your head at once.

Nope. Doesn't happen too often round my shop.

Nope again. Although you're correct that there are a lot of retired folks on SED, as there will be on Facebook in 30 years for the same reason. I expect to be fully employed for the next 15 years or so, and maybe a bit longer than that.

I mostly work by myself, so SED is sort of a virtual watercooler and white board. The two things I miss about Corporate America, as I said a day or two ago, are (1) colleagues, and (2) vacations. I need a bit of goofing-off time in the average day, and most other folks do, too.

I generally manage to stay out of the flame wars, except when one goes on too long and I start teasing the parties involved. That sometimes helps people redirect the energy. I'm actually pretty fond of some of the folks who post here, and have met a few of them in person, and collaborated with one or two.

It also turns out that posting on SED is a decent search engine optimization strategy for consultants. Stuff that gets posted here winds up high in the search engine results, along of course with the name of the person who posted it. (I discovered this after having been a regular for some years.) Thus even my goofing-off time is productive, you see. Devilish clever, these consultants. ;)

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

----------------------------------------------------^^^ or, "were". Don't discount retirees, etc.

For folks in their own business, you have control over your own time. No PHB to "force" a 9-5 on you. E.g., I can work as little or as much as I want on any given day, EVERY day. I'm answerable to myself only.

In the US, I've seen figures claiming as much as 2 hrs per day is "wasted" at the typical job -- answering email, surfing the web, chatting on the phone, chatting by the water cooler, etc. (all "personal" tasks unrelated to work)

For that hypothetical worker, this represents "distraction time"; their desire to escape what they SHOULD be doing. How does that differ from an engineer wanting to distract himself with something engineering-related... yet NOT (necessarily) germane to his "current workload"?

Or, they may have already *done* what you are asking -- or, something close enough that they can easily offer guidance/opinion.

Even on "down" time, you're not sitting around twiddling your thumbs! Preparing proposals, maintaining/purchasing equipment/software, "cleaning up" after previous project(s), investigating other fields of interest/technologies, etc.

But, again, your time is your own. Perhaps reading/posting something here helps you prepare that proposal. Or, gives you an idea as to a new tool/equipment investment. Or, allows you to peek into other folks' past experiences to glean a bit of info about a new technology that you want to explore, etc.

Or *real* retirement! :> But, that doesn't mean they can't still be spending as many weekly hours applying their skills to other projects -- for pay, investment or otherwise!

One thing I've been surprised to learn (though find it "obvious" in hindsight!) is how long it takes to disengage yourself from your "formal" career as you retire from a consultancy. For a 9-to-5, you just *retire* -- on a particular day and at a particular time. The "business" persists without you. The *business* has obligations to its customers, shareholders, etc. -- those obligations don't translate to being *your* obligations!

Not so in a consultancy, etc. Its a lot harder to "disentangle" yourself from clients and customers that have been *your* clients and customers -- without feeling like you are leaving them with a "problem" (finding a replacement for your services). The 9-to-5 scenario skips over that! "It's not my problem..."

----------------------------------------------------^^^ or, "were". Don' t discount retirees, etc. experts. Their job/consultancy/business is in the domain of the forum where we post questions.

the time?

PHB to "force" a 9-5 on you. E.g., I can work as little or as much as I wa nt on any given day, EVERY day. I'm answerable to myself only.

at the typical job -- answering email, surfing the web, chatting on the ph one, chatting by the water cooler, etc. (all "personal" tasks unrelated to work).

My take on that is that having a job is as much being a colleague of your c o-workers as being an employee of your boss. It took me a while to get used to "wasting" time at work being sociable with the people I worked with, bu t it didn't take me all that long to realise that if you didn't like and tr ust the people you worked with, you weren't going to collaborate effectivel y with them to get the stuff done that the boss (and the shareholders) want ed done.

Once you get embedded in an industry, you start having to be a colleague of people working at ostensibly competitive organisations as well.

the figure remains uncontested! :< ]

their desire to escape what they SHOULD be doing. How does that differ fro m an engineer wanting to distract himself with something engineering-relat ed... yet NOT (necessarily) germane to his "current workload"?

It's not "distraction time" but rather "realtionship maintenance time".

a minute for the expert. Thus, they are able to "serve" and they can do so in about fraction of the time.

close enough that they can easily offer guidance/opinion.

mind tickling their fancy with newbie questions.

paring proposals, maintaining/purchasing equipment/software, "cleaning up" after previous project(s), investigating other fields of interest/technologies, etc.

S.e.d. is a place where you can keep track of what other people are doing.

here helps you prepare that proposal. Or, gives you an idea as to a new to ol/equipment investment. Or, allows you to peek into other folks' past exp eriences to glean a bit of info about a new technology that you want to exp lore, etc.

rude.)

nding as many weekly hours applying their skills to other projects -- for p ay, investment or otherwise!

ight!) is how long it takes to disengage yourself from your "formal" career as you retire from a consultancy. For a 9-to-5, you just

its customers, shareholders, etc. -- those obligations don't translate to b eing *your* obligations!

from clients and customers that have been *your* clients and customers -- without feeling like you are leaving them with a "problem" (finding a repla cement for your services). The 9-to-5 scenario skips over that! "It's not my problem..."

The 9-to-5 scenario didn't work like that for me. Once you've got involved with your colleagues, you tend to remain involved. You aren't in a position to do much to help them after you've changed jobs, but there is always som ething that you can do, from time to time.

draws a

Quite disconcerting that the version describing a multiple violent homicide can be considered 'G-rated'...

have

IME it is growing to an even higher percentage.

take

do

That is part of why i am here.

be

In my current job i am an internal consultant (a subject matter expert) for a lot of the electronic things done at my current employer. This gives me an obvious path to exploit when i retire and go consulting instead.

?-)

Updating your facebook page, watching YouTube videos, sending and receiving personal email, playing with your phone, bathroom breaks, etc. probably doesn't count as "being sociable with the people you work with".

Note the 2 hr figure is an average -- it says nothing about particular industries or job types. E.g., engineers *tend* to be in far more meetings than "factory workers", administrative staff, etc. And, those meetings tend to be less formal -- more "brainstorming" and interactive.

When I worked the 9-5 routine, lunch and coffee breaks were the typical times for "socializing". Figure the lunch hour is NOT "on the boss's dime" so you're really only dinging the company for time on coffee breaks. (and, that doesn't count activities outside of the workplace)

Since first seeing that figure, I have become far more sensitive to observing "regular employees" at clients' facilities, etc. I can see how easy it would be to "lose" two hours a day! (which is amazing as it translates to ~12 weeks of "vacation" over the course of a year!)

No. See above. Relationships are handled in project meetings, collaborations in each other's offices, standing over a colleague's shoulder to sort out a problem he/she's having, etc.

Yes. It can be a good barometer to see where "industry" is headed especially if your expertise lies in a more narrowly defined domain.

Ties to friends/colleagues are different than *business* relationships that the organization has with its customers. There are many people that I've met and spent considerable time with *through* employers. But, if they have a problem with something *supplied* by a (past) employer, their problem lies *with* that employer, not me.

OTOH, if *I* developed a product for them and they want to take it in a new direction (or, want to develop an entirely different product), their relationship is with *me*, not "Don Y, Inc." It is often harder for them (and me) to recognize/respect when the *business* aspect of that relationship draws to a close (regardless of the

I.e., their "current problem" can shift from being a "new/continuing contract" (with Don Y, Inc) to a "personal favor", of sorts (with Don Y). This has proven to be the most expeditious means of bringing that business relationship to a close -- dealing with that last, lingering request *as* a "favor" instead of yet another billable task. This seems to leave an unspoken message in both minds: there is a limit to the number and sorts of "favors" you can request from a particular *personal* (*outside* the business) relationship.

I often ask for favors from past colleagues (but, rarely from past

Three weeks ago, I had to "disinfect" a laptop for a colleague. Last week, upgrade another's XP laptop to Windows 7 (driver issues). Today, I replaced a defective power jack in yet another colleague's laptop ("never again!" ). Tomorrow, I have to assemble a prototype for another colleague (iff parts arrive from Digikey). Saturday, help another assemble a small (300 sq ft) greenhouse on his property.

Each effort strengthens those already existing relationships. Folks tend not to waffle when *I*, in turn, need a little help on something.

I think for folks with narrow application domains or "niche" skillsets, there isn't as much appeal, here. Chances are, they may already know a good deal of what needs to be known in that narrow field.

OTOH, if you (like me) are "all over the place" withthe variety of problems you are called on to (or interested in!) address, then the variety, here, is an asset. Particularly if you are good at abstract thought -- being able to *imagine* how a particular technology can be exploited in a different manner to address a problem in which you have an interest. (sadly, many people seem incapable of this level of abstract thought: "Why do you want to do that?" being their response to your queries)

For me, retirement is choosing my *own* projects/problems to solve; not waiting for someone to be willing to pay me to solve one of