аЯрЁБс > ўџ 7 9 ўџџџ 6 џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС G П Ь" bjbjйй -* ьГ ьГ Ь џџ џџ џџ ] М М М М М М М Ж $ : : : : : : : и к к к к к к $ Щ є Н p ў М : : : : : ў ъ М М : : $ ъ ъ ъ : М : М : и а ш М М М М : и ъ ю ъ и М М и : ст,в%Р Ш " и Geeks - Nature vs. Nurture: How Do We Become Engineers? by HYPERLINK "mailto:lgoldberg@chipcenter.com"Lee H. Goldberg, Senior Editor, ChipCenter
As she nears her fourth birthday, my daughter Anwyn is already displaying an alarming level of latent geek tendencies. As we watch her program our VCR and boot up the computer herself, my wife Catherine and I are trying to figure out if she's carrying an expressive "geek gene" or if she's just been hanging around me too much.
Although she loves to wear pink dresses and play with her dolls, she also adores her toy space shuttle and often prefers to mess around with the tools I keep around the house. My little she-wolf is always there to "help" me when I fix the parade of kitchen appliances, radios, lawn mowers, and other household gear that ends up on the injured list. Last week, while the two of us were putting together the swing set we bought for her, I discovered she knew the difference between Philips-head and flat-head screws. It was kind of scary to watch my not-quite-four-year-old as she drove each screw home with the proper tool clutched in her tiny hands.
Even scarier are the questions she asks. A couple of weeks ago Anwyn asked me if "the electricity in lightning is the same as the electricity in the plug in the wall." This led to a discussion (using small words of course) on voltage, current, and ionization. More recently, she asked me why the candle flame on our table had different colors in it. I gave her a quick overview of combustion and the resulting radiant energy, but I'm still trying to figure out how to explain thermal gradients in a way she will be satisfied with. Although it's too early to tell for sure, it looks like we've got the beginnings of a really hot scientist or engineer here.
Watching Anwyn in action has caused me to reflect on what drove me to become an engineer, and how I learned what I know about this arcane and fascinating field. I've spent the last day or so trying to sort through my memories to see what part of my skills came from my formal schooling, how much of my trade I learned from my peers, and what I learned on my own. As with most things in life, the results of my introspection are mixed.
The first time I went to school, I was an uninspired student, and had only learned the basics by the time I got my associate's degree. Of course, there were some real "learning moments" at Alfred Ag and Tech, such as the hybrid circuits we designed and built from scratch under the tutelage of Dr. Staiger. And then there was the "energy conversion lab" (run by the demonic Mr. Wursig), which nearly electrocuted several of us as we played with large voltages and currents for the first time.
Returning to school few years later, I was a much better student and had a bunch of great teachers at the seven colleges I attended while I pieced my BSEE degree together. But in retrospect, most of my most useful lessons seem to have happened out in the "real world".
Early in my career, my peers really taught me the practical stuff I needed to actually be an effective technician. One boss, a fellow named Roy, taught me almost everything I know about analog design, not to mention a fair amount about getting digital circuits to actually behave like the data sheet says they should.
Later, I learned tons about the fine art of trouble-shooting when I spent a year or so working with my buddy Al in a factory that made high-speed printers. One of the most useful tools we developed together was a small diagnostic ROM that we'd pop into an ailing processor board. It would sequentially toggle every memory and I/O line so we could easily catch any problems with a 'scope or logic analyzer. Far and away, however, the most amusing trick we came up with was a way to perform a "search-and-destroy" on hard-to-find hairline shorts in PC boards. If we could not locate the short visually, we'd connect the offending traces to a high-amp power supply set to around 0.5V. At this voltage none of the active devices on the board would be switched on or damaged, but most shorts would disappear with a satisfying little zap!
For all the really smart and helpful folks I've hung out with, it seems that I've had to learn most of the important stuff by simply fiddling around, blowing stuff up, and finally getting something to work.
Early in my career, I took a year off from industry to work with a partner and create what would now be called a high-tech startup. I holed up in a tiny, but rent-free, cabin in the California woods (next to the Unabomber's summer residence I believe), and lived off some meager savings while I struggled to develop one of the first microprocessor-driven data acquisition systems in the world. Funds were short, and I survived on a diet of beans, rice, instant coffee, and popcorn, while I worked long hours to make our hand-wired prototype work.
It was during this year that I really mastered machine-language programming since we had no assembler and my chief programming tools were a reference card with the processor's instruction set, a steno pad, and a #2 pencil. During that time, I wrote so much code in raw hexadecimal, including a real-time operating system and a set of primitive math subroutines, that I started dreaming in base 16.
Another big learning experience presented itself when I had to design and build an auxiliary memory board out of some scrap parts we had lying around. Of course it did not work the first time I fired it up, and our almost non-existent funds could not buy, or even rent, an oscilloscope to figure out what was wrong.
After despairing for a couple of hours, I finally got back to work and took stock of the situation. The only tool I had at hand was a tiny but rather nice digital multimeter, one of the early models made by NLS. As I began to use the meter to re-buzz out all the connections, I somehow stumbled onto an interesting discovery - each logic signal on the computer bus had its own unique RMS value.
Capitalizing on this little factoid, I wrote a small test loop program and took note of the voltage displayed on each address, data, and timing signal on the bus before I plugged the faulty memory module in. Once the module was on the processor bus, it was a relatively easy task to identify the two or three lines that were not toggling with a characteristic RMS voltage signature. A day or two later, the memory was up and running. With the project well on its way to completion, I celebrated by walking three miles to the nearest bar to buy two beers with the dollar I'd hoarded from my grocery budget.
I never forgot the lesson I learned there, that most situations have a solution if you're willing to go back and pay close attention to the problem and the resources you have at hand. No textbook could have taught me that technique, and certainly could not have given me the self-confidence that solving that problem alone did.
Looking back, I guess I've concluded that each of us has a unique learning style that is a mixture of all four kinds of experiences. It seems that some people gain the bulk of their insights from books or classroom exposure, with others finding most of their lessons in working with others, and another group simply going out into the world and learning by doing.
With only a few data points to analyze at this time, it seems that Anwyn has a strong independent streak and is probably one of those people who enjoys figuring stuff out on her own. While I'm real proud of this, part of me is very happy that she also (at least for the moment) still enjoys coming to me for help in finding some of the answers. It's not clear where her adventures will take her, but it's pretty exciting to be watching my daughter play, learn, and grow, imaging where her great moments of insight will come from - and trying desperately to not interfere.
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