Beers with Engineers

#64 – Justin Finke: Astrophysics at the Improv Justin works for Naval Research Laboratory, so this is the first podcast with a disclaimer. “Ways and Means” and “Monumental” are beers from DC area breweries. Used a telescope as a kid Special relativity can be derived with high school math. “Atom” by Isaac Asimov – not sci-fi “A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking FYI, grad school for chemistry and physics is generally free. Big display pendulums have motors. Buy them from Academy Pendulum Sales Is he an astronomer, an astrophysicist, or physicist? How old is the universe? The Hubble tension. Did the speed of light change? Does gravity change? Discussing improv classes AI – generative, at least – not affecting astrophysics too much. Yet. Prefers putting together a talk more than giving it. Bert lists five great things about being an engineer. Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Let Jen get rid of your pain - Improv for Pain https://academypendulums.com/ Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#60 – Elliot McAllister: Butterfly net for alien microbes Elliot McAllister, founder and CEO of Skyphos Technology in Blacksburg, Virginia, and winner of a Beers with Engineers T-shirt giveaway for being the 1,001st connection. We discuss hands on tinkering and cycling the Iditarod Trail. Engineering wise, we discuss materials science and microfluidics. Sorry, but you’ll have to listen to find out how aliens and butterfly nets fit in. Likes Two-hearted IPA He didn’t choose engineering, it chose him. Elliot and Bert are both cyclists. Elliot wanted to be a bike designer Worked on an all-wheel drive bike. Raced a bike on the Iditarod trail. Story about 1988 Giro d’Italia, “The Day the Strong Men Cried” Materials are always important. Got the idea for his company Skyphos during a class in microfluidics. Similar to electronics but typically much smaller volumes. Why sneakers squeak. Elliot first saw ET while wearing a red sweatshirt. National Outdoor Leadership School in Pacific Northwest Volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and uses the Habitat Restore Worked a few years as a roofer. Hiking and skiing with his 3 kids. Analysis of warmest sleeping positions Elliot’s company - www.skyphos.tech Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#58 – Wyatt Bonicelli: Birds – Natural and Manmade Wyatt is a structural engineer for Boeing in Oklahoma, helping maintain the KC-135 fleet. Unsurprisingly, he enjoys military aircraft, and we later learn of an affinity for more natural birds. Throw in a couple SEO companies that he operates and we had a lot of interesting things to talk about. Be sure to check out the SR-71 speed check story, which is mentioned but not told. It is worth it. Prefers beers from Prairie Bomb! in Oklahoma. We have learned a lot since the de Haviland comet. Air Force One is whatever plane the president is on. “Air Force One” movie from 1997. Harrison Ford was the president who was kidnapped. Before doing SEO, he did rank and rent to help local contractors. There’s white hat, black hat, and gray hat SEO companies. Google’s motto was “Don’t be evil” Google doesn’t want SEO, they want you to buy ads. The fundamentals of SEO are keywords and link building There is an A-12 airplane, similar to, but not an SR-71, at the Intrepid Air & Space Museum. SR-71 speed check story “A Higher Call” – World War 2 pilot story. Another book - Skunk Works Called skunk works because it smelled bad nearby. Re-fueling the SR-71 is pretty hard and dangerous. Wyatt enjoys leatherwork as a hobby. “Listers” A documentary about competitive bird watching. Wyatt’s Companies – www.EvolveAgencyOK.com and www.churchSEOservices.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#56 – Doug Katz and Gordon Downey: The Tony Stark of Adaptive Products Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Nulu Knives: https://nuluknives.com/ BWENULU2026 to save on a Nulu knife Doug Katz – wouldn’t name children Alley or Tom Gordon Downey considered April Fresh and Summer Breeze for his twins Doug went to West Point Gordon is an industrial designer but started studying advertising Was also a commercial photographer. Industrial designers need to know a bit about engineering BUT Engineers need to know a bit about industrial design. Their Nulu knife is based on the ulu knife used by eskimos. Part of the motivation to make the knife was Doug’s shoulder problems. It also works with people with mobility problems and vision impairment. The Nulu requires macro body movement more than micro body movement. Knife technique is very important to chefs. Grip strength is a good indicator of life expectancy. Looking to get into markets where people use knives all day long to prevent repetitive stress injuries. One challenge is it is tough to sharpen. Gordon plays guitar. Doug is a failed musician. Steve Zhan would play Gordon movie. Robert Downey, Jr would play Doug, who wants to be the Tony Stark of adaptive products and was an extra in “Rampage” Nulu Knives: https://nuluknives.com/ Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#54 – Naeem Turner-Bandele: His plan is electrifying Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Likes to drink Ginjinha, a Portuguese cherry liqueur Wanted to be a professional soccer player. Moved to Brazil and discovered power outages were frequent. Then he got a serious concussion and pivoted to wanting to start an energy technology company. From no interest in engineering to getting a PhD. He is known for being a man with a plan Dissertation topic was integrating renewables into the electric grid His company, Latimer Enterprise, is named for Lewis Howard Latimer About lights bulbs not lasting a long time: it was called the Phoebus cartel. The power industry treats customers as load, not as a customer. He works with the customers as customers and people. Naeem ran track in addition to soccer. 200/400 double vs 400/800 double in track Renewables are a challenge to the grid but the big issue is still storage. Get an energy audit! Naeem can help. Naeem is a big movie fan. Recommends the movie “Sinners” – vampires in the Jim Crow south Naeem loves “Citizen Kane”. Bert – not so much. Naeem’s company and email: www.LatimerEnt.com, naeem@latimerent.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#53 – Stan Leong: Engineering Your Finances Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Stan is a Buffalo Bills fan, like Bert. Electrical engineer from Cornell Likes how the simple things of electronics build into complex things. Was laid off the week after he bought his first house. Saw a financial job on Monster.com (remember that?) Got all his clients through cold calling So miserable his wife handing out resumes to engineering companies. 15:00 After a rough start, he now loves his career- and is still using his engineering skills. Engineers are good with numbers, unless there is a dollar sign before them. Don’t own too much of your company stock. It is easy to buy stock, it is hard to sell it. Great book – “Millionaire Next Door” The threshold for an accredited investor hasn’t changed. Is active in ju-jitsu and it’s the hardest thing he has done. Right now he is cautiously optimistic about investing. Stan’s book – www.engineeringyourfinancesbook.com Get a free copy - stan@engineeringyourfinancesbook.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

Show Notes #51 – James Kell: Seven continents without trying James lives on the beach in Bondi, Australia He could be a wedding crasher without making up occupations Likes to do fasting 36 – 72 hours Studied engineering in Germany but went into construction He eats Vegemite and teaches the secret of eating it. Australians also check to see if water swirls the other direction in the toilet when crossing the equator. Won an Australian Shark Tank contest. His construction company built Apple stores Scratchie app makes safety about reward and punishment McDonald’s stores in Australia are using it. He has been to all seven continents Three tips for Antarctica Go at start of summer Go to Ushuaia, Argentina with no ticket and get an open seat. Go to South Georgia, Island We discuss Ernest Shackleton “South: The Endurance Expedition” by Ernest Shackleton “Adventure is just a lack of planning” Volunteer lifesaver Read Self Determination Theory by Richard Ryan and Edward Deci James’s company - https://www.scratchie.com/ James’s email – james@scratchie.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com

#50 – Charles Gillis, P.E.: Engineering and art Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Drinking a Start Line IPA in honor of his hometown, Hopkinton, where the Boston Marathon starts. His mom knew he would be an engineer long before he did. Has an interest in art, but isn’t an artist Artist and engineers both combine existing things in new and interesting ways. Worked controllable pitch propellors First job at Gillette. Everything is fascinating if you look at it close enough Bert gets corrected - Nypro was assembling Gillette, not Bic shavers. The mystery of razor blade profit margin. Has engineered several pieces of kinetic art around Boston. To be a PE or not to be a PE. Teaches GD&T – there is a big need for it – and related courses. Was able to wean off of Gillette before going fully into training Sometimes you should make your own datum. Likes to write in his spare time. Charles' Company www. dynamicdesignconsulting.com Charles blog www.thebasicdimension.com/ Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#48– Bob Bouthillier: Innovation Requires Disobedience Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Like father, like son. His father was an electrical engineer. But started college as a pharmacist Did quality inspection of guns – including a Howizter cannon. He can assemble guns fast – not quite as fast as Forrest Gump. Inspecting ball bearings – stains vs pits. His podcast summarizes books on innovation. Just as generals are well prepared for the last war, CEOs operate in a similar way. You don’t get real innovation without disobedience. Treat AI like an intern. Gell-Mann amnesia Effect – be careful trusting AI. His AI prompts are longer than the output. Pro2Health – inspiratory muscle trainer The Houston Rockets tested it. Plays the piano – had played professionally in bands. Neuro transformation therapy – cures PTSD Recommendations for engineers Learn python Learn agile techniques Learn to use large language model Learn to build agents with LLM. All the books: “Apple in China” by Patrick McGee “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell “The Happiness Hypothesis” and “The Righteous Mind” by Jonathan Haidt “Switch” by Chip and Dan Heath “A Higher Call” by Adam Makos “Loon Shots” by Safi Bahcall AI Human Fusion” by Leanne Shelton Bob’s Podcast - “Innoguide” Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#46 – Noel LaFlamme: Hammer and Forge Metallurgist Beers with Engineers merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Always interested in how things work and making it better. Which led to blacksmithing - by way of archery Made arrowheads out of rebar. Which (of course) led to a sword. Rules of thumb for temperature of steel. Blacksmithing is a hobby that makes a few bucks. Specialty is chef’s knives Good knives are tapered from spine to edge and from bast to tip. YouTube videos on knife making are a mixed-bag. 1st job out of college was at a venture capital firm. Left to be more involved in the actual creation. Three most important factors for a startup – the team, the team, and the team. Good innovation often comes from startup pivots. “Getting around” patents Really enjoys flyfishing – and makes his equipment Did fly fishing make Ted Williams a great hitter or vice versa. Craft food for the movie filming of Moonrise Kingdom was in his front yard. Apolo Anton Ohno is often confused for … Apolo Anton Ohno. Reach Noel at www.Laflammeforge.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#44 – Caitlin Vaillincourt: How to avoid braking chip. The edible ones. Beers with Engineers merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Pros and cons of longer or shorter college terms Played basketball in college and traveled abroad Part of global leadership development program at Avery Dennison and loved the experience. Interned at Frito-Lay reducing potato chip breakage. For now, she is happy with project management but misses working with customers. The 8D quality approach is eight disciplines, not eight things that start with D. https://asq.org/quality-resources/eight-disciplines-8d It seems easy to make a cable tie but many things can go wrong. Bert dares sci-fi writers to write a chapter on how a self-replicating probe replicates itself. She has her PMP – project management professional – certification. Project managers have to influence without authority. Started a new job just as Covid hit. Not easy In the early Covid days, our company sent masks to our colleagues in China. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt is well worth reading about phones and kids. Duo Lingo – some good and some bad. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Bert’s email - bert.uschold@outlook.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

#42 – Gretchen Gagel: Leaving the world a better place. Beers with Engineers merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Likes beer from Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City In Australia, the living room is the lounge room. Went to SMU and saw Eric Dickerson play. Dad sold construction equipment and she played with Tonka trucks. Built Baltimore Ravens Stadium and many other things. Very little manufacturing in Australia, therefore most construction is infrastructure. Most construction job in Australia are 6 days a week. No wonder it is tough to hire. Some evidence shows same output in 4 days as in 5. Get the right people in the right seats on the bus. Culture and performance are key to team success. The Savannah Bananas have a great culture. Leaders need to be agile. Don’t be like Blockbuster or Kodak. Leadership training needs to start early Edgar Shine: Leadership is “Seeing things that need to be done differently and convincing people to do it.” Personal Mission Statement “Leave the world a better place than I found it.” Gretchen’s book: “Building Women Leaders: A Blueprint for Women Thriving in Construction.” The other books we mentioned “Apple in China” by Patrick McGee “Good to Great” and “Built to Last” by Jim Collins “Leadership” by James McGregor Burns “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. Gretchen’s website - https://greatnessconsulting.com/about-gretchen/ Bert’s Sister’s quilts - www.ArtQuiltsBySuzanne.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".