Doodle Engineering [Competition]

• Are you interested in architecture, engineering and structures?

• Are you an engineering or architectural finger artist? Or fancy yourself as one.

• Do you have a smart phone? Or do you know someone with one who will let you borrow it for 5 minutes?

If you answered yes to all the above, then we have a FREE competition which we would love you to enter. In line with the re-launch of this blog in 4 weeks time [August 1st], we also are running a small 'engineering doodle competition'.

All we ask of you is to download a sketch/doodle app onto your smart phone [we use this one - it's free] or borrow a friends smart phone.

Then sketch for everybody, your favourite building, skyscraper, bridge, iconic structure [name it if you feel it is necessary to help us to recognise it] and send it into Starting up an Engine[er] as a jpeg file. Please include your name, and the general field of employment that you are in [for example Structural Engineer/Bridge Engineer] so we can give you the recognition that you deserve!

You can also send in your doodles out to @AvatarEngineers by attaching the Twitter hash-tag #doodleengineer to your works of art. Or even submit them onto our Facebook site.

My favourite. Stunning lines.

We will publish and retweet the photos as they come in, and the most loved 3 sketches, as determined by us and by reading your comments and RT's, will be asked to write a small bit of text about the structure depicted by you. Then we will showcase the sketches and any information which you are happy to divulge about yourself [bit of free PR and marketing]. There will also be a small gift as a reward - more about this later. 

The deadline for getting in your sketches is Tuesday 31st July. Good luck and please spread the word!


A reminder can be found here

Engine[er]

7 things that Good Engineers DON'T do

1. Stop asking questions or looking for help. We can't possibly know it all, nor can we have solutions to every single problem a contractor may throw at us. Therefore the opinions of other experienced engineers [and graduates] will be a constant source of new ideas and confidence for us all.
2. Cannot admit when they are wrong. Much like the previous point, as we mature and gain experienced, some of us will find it very difficult to accept another persons point of view, or design opinions. Even if it is more suitable than our own. Admitting we are wrong can be very humbling, and it helps us build a more trusting relationship with those who seek to help us.

England Vs Italy [engineeering]

England's journey in the euro's has once again come to an abrupt end. Well we atleast can get back to our lives and not get caught up with false hopes.
As a pre-match analysis we decided to pit the English against the Italians in an engineering competition [with a civil/structural bias].

Here's what we come up with:

The England Squad [4-4-2]
1. Charles Babbage [Goal Keeper]
2. James Brindley [Right Back]
3. Sir James Dyson [Central Defender]
4. Sir Thomas Bouch [Central Defender]
5. Chris Wise [Left Back]
6. Robert Stephenson [Right Midfield]
7. Sir Henry Royce [Central Midfield]
8. Isambard Kingdon Brunel [Central Midfield] Captain
9. Paul Westbury [Left Midfielder]
10. Sir Sydney Camm [Striker]
11. Sir Benjamin Baker [Striker]
Manager - Sir Isaac Newton

The Italian Squad [4-3-1-2]
1. Luigi Bezzara [Goal Keeper]
2. Giovanni Battista Caproni [Right Back]
3. Juanelo Turriano [Central Defender]
4. Antonio Meucci [Central Defender]
5. Enrico Forlanini [Left Back]
6. Piero Puricelli [Right Midfield]
7. Guilio Ceretti [Central Midfield]
8. Leonardo da Vinci [Attacking Midfielder] Captain
9. Secondo Campini [Left Midfielder]
10. Giovanni da Fontana [Striker]
11. Aldo Costa [Striker]
Player Manager - Leonardo da Vinci


Match Predictions
Both teams have a great strength and depth to them. The English team includes the highly talented mechanical engineer Babbage in goal. Babbage was considered one of the fathers of modern day computer. His unwavering concentration and steadfast principles are what make him the perfect choice to be England's final defender.

England's back 4 are made up from the civil and canal engineering power house Brindley [responsible for designing and building the Bridgewater Canal], and Bouch [a civil engineer who's reputation brought to him a great many innovative bridging contracts - who also unfortunately was made infamous for being the engineer who designed the Tay Bridge which collapsed in 1879. Every English team needs an unpredictable defender ;)]. The final central defender Dyson has been selected to hoover up all the loose balls [sorry for the pun] and a natural leader for the back 4. Finally the left back position is a new addition to the squad - Wise, a co-founder of Expedition Engineering. Wise was selected for his experience combined with a spirited attacking tenacity. He also partners very well with our first midfielder - and gold medal winning new boy on the block, Westbury. Westbury is another recent addition and worked his way through the youth squad to be here in this vital game. The left side could be left open and exposed by a heavy Italian attack. Together though, both Westbury and Wise are a potent and youthful attacking force.

In central midfield we find 2 giants of engineering. Royce the 'midfield engine' needs no further introduction, and combined with our tenacious and formidable captain, Brunel - they pair up as one of the most feared and hard working midfield's in the Euro2012 Tournament.

On the wide right and responsible for maintaining an active supply to the strikers we have Stephenson. His ability to 'rocket' up and down the line distributing the ball is powerful.

Finally the sharp shooting duo of Camm and Baker. Camm an aeronautical engineer has a history of delivering just when England needs it. During the Second World War, Camm designed and built the RAF's Hawker Typhoon  [goal!] , Hawker Tempest [goal!] and the Hawker Hurricane [GOOOOAAAAL!]. The well respected Baker also has goals in him. He was responsible for the creative bridge engineering solution - the Forth Bridge. Probably one of the most important civil engineering goals in history.

Managing the team is the 'Father of Modern Physics' - Newton. He is not a proper engineer [he is a scientist and mathematician - which makes him a brilliant tactician], but without Newtons inspired contributions to the worldwide discipline of engineering, then our lives could have been a lot more complicated. So we have him on our side.

All in all the English have a solid squad of engineers which are all capable of being creative, working as an effective team and have incredibly important skill sets in engineering.

The Italian squad are a different proposition all together. Many of them are mechanical engineers who have track records in building war machines and transporters. Creativity is rife within this squad, and they probably represent one of the most innovative and lateral thinking groups of engineers in the Euros.

In their midst the Italians have the 'Father of Modern Motorways' and designer of the German Autobahn - Puricelli, the inventor of the helicopter - Forlanini, and one of the pioneers of the worlds first jet engine - Campini.

Heading up the Italian squad are 3 of the fastest, deadliest and most creative attacking engineers in history. Firstly the English defence have to deal with Costa, a mechanical engineer and famously the head of the Ferrari Formula One racing team. If they can survive Costa, then what comes next is the designer and inventor of the first mechanical torpedo - built and ustilised in the 15th century. Fontana's torpedo's would skim the surface of the water and set fire to his enemies ships.

Last and by no means least, we find the Player Manager Vinci. Vinci represents probably the most prolifically talented of all the players mentioned here so far.

Strangely though, the Italian squads mightiest weapon may very well prove to be their biggest weakness too. Along the same lines that Christiano Ronaldo of the Portuguese football team is one of the top 3 players in the world right now - his efforts seem to engulf the whole pitch, spreading himself to thinnly at times. We believe that Leonardo da Vinci would also suffer from this insatiable desire to do every bodies jobs for them.

Therefore if Vinci has a poor game or takes on too much, we predict an England win with 2 goals to 1. Camm and Brunel to score for England.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of the football, safe in the knowledge that you will be spared the uncertainty and no longer stress filled.


Engine[er]

It's a Catastrophe

With the re-launch date of our blog looming, we are feeling confident enough to forewarn you of the up and coming opportunity to win a free gift.

The first 50 visitors to subscribe to our blog 'Starting Up an Engine[er]' will receive a 'trumps' style card game.

The game pits historic construction and engineering disasters against one another. You may well recognise the examples as some of the ones we featured on our highly successful #EpicFAILS blog posts several months ago.

Have a great weekend and watch out for our weekly blog post this weekend.

We are still trying to decide whether to first wait for the result of the England game or not.... #Euros2012


Engine[er]

Engineering 60 Second Pitch II - Pile Relief

Another racy little 60 second elevator pitch for those Engineers out there, who are still looking for ways to connect with non-engineering businesses.

Note: This post was inspired by Richard Salmon. Please follow him on Twitter :-)

I hope you have success with it, and please let me know how it went!!

Good morning my name is  [insert name] , I'm a structural engineer and we are  [insert company name] . 

As a follow on from last week’s request for chimney breast removal referrals, this week we are doing a special run on pile relief for our clients.

It sounds amazing, but some of you may not be aware, that the majority of soil upon which foundations are built in the area of St Albans [and in general Hertfordshire], are clays. Surprising is it not?

The combination of naturally formed clays and nearby trees means that sometimes, traditional mass concrete foundations are so deep that they become impractical to construct. Therefore, painfully expensive piled foundations may have been specified as the next best thing.

Not necessarily. One of the weapons in our arsenal to help relieve our clients of their piles, is a concrete raft foundation. This effectively spreads heavy loads across the whole footprint of the building.

If you hear of anyone having trouble with piles, then please prescribe them a meeting with [insert company name] .

My name is [insert name], and we make the pain of piles disappear, for good :-)

Engine[er]

Engineering 60 Second Pitch I - Boobies!!

Finding ways to educate ordinary business folk of the many ways to refer our structural engineering businesses to their contacts can feel rather dry and boring . But from time to time - I like to titillate my audience with something a little racy. Enjoy, and please let us hear about your 60 second pitches.

"Good morning my name is [insert name here], I’m a structural engineer and we are [insert company name here]. 

For the last few weeks I have been labouring under a slightly different career pass time, and it’s turned into a bit of an obsession of mine.

I HAVE BEEN OPERATING ON 'BREAST REDUCTIONS'  :-)

You see, structural engineers are also employed to help facilitate the removal of home owners redundant CHIMNEY BREASTS.

Over the last 2 weeks I have worked on [??] separate breast     reductions or removals. Approximately [??] of them since the beginning of this year. 

More often than not my clients incorporate a chimney breast reduction or two within their plans to extend and update their homes.

Some can be very straight forward, but if the breast is particularly large or nestled on a party wall - quite often a structural engineer is called in to design the support.

So if you hear of anyone complaining about an unsightly or a space hogging breast in their lounge or dining room, then ask them to give us a call.  

My name is [insert name] and we are

[company name], breast reduction specialists."

Engine[er]

NEWS!! We are closing this site down...

Blogging about my engineering experiences, and what I have learnt as I kick started my own business is coming to an end...

Yes you heard me right. I am going to shut down this blogger site in around 6-8 weeks time.

Then launch a new site!!

Many apologies, I didn't mean to scare you :)

Since I started this blog I have managed to publish 86 blog posts, received 186 comments along with many emails wishing me luck, and we have been visited by over 25,000 of you fantastic people.

That. Is. Awesome.

I have also grown my business large enough to support my modest needs, and employ 3 part time sub-consultants. It has been a BLAST!

Aside from my other side projects, my thoughts and energies are now zooming in on my new blog site which I am having built. We will continue to challenge our industry, and deliver useful hints and tips for those of you who have dreamt of running your own consultancy some day.

I will be using the relaunch as an opportunity to give away some free gifts to those who subscribe to 'Starting Up an Engine[er]'.

AND I am inviting you all to contribute to its success too. So if you have an idea for a post, or you wish to try your hand at inspiring over 3,000 engineering and architectural visitors every month with your thoughts and insights... then please email me. I have a place for you - [right here].

The biggest change to the blog format will be the frequency and time of postings. It is our intention to increase the amount of posts per week and make sure that you have something to read by Wednesday of each week.


The Engine[er]

Why Blog? [please forgive my language]

Not so long ago we were all being told that we can all blog! Yeah you can blog! Do it, even if you are the guy or gal who can't be bothered to write your own shopping list. "Get online and join in on the OUTRAGEOUS fun!"

We are now being told that if we are businesses and professionals looking for a personal branding make over, that we should be blogging too. "You have a voice, use it for business sake!" Start a blog dammit!

The benefits which being sold to us are;

1. Being able to reach out to your customers / future employers.
2. Build a following.
3. Get more hits?
4. MORE HITS PEOPLE!

Sound good don't they? [sarcasm level set to kill]

But it begs the question. Why are so many blogs *%$& then? 

I mean, why have I got to read through a tonne of detritus, and self promotional material before I reach that useful and important message? Can't I just have the message? Please?

Apparently not. You are made to suffer the whole post right up and until you are ready to give up, and then we tease you with a glimpse of what you are here to learn. 

The morsel of knowledge, if cleverly delivered, will give you a boost towards the end of your week. It might even make you smile [your smiling now, and not because I spelt you're wrong either]. 

You may even be considering sharing the message you learned with some colleagues. But you don't want to look stupid or uncool - so you probably won't do that. You are still waiting for the message.

So what's my message this week?

Just recently I read a blog post which asked the question: Is blogging the new career boost? [click here] It's a good post actually. 

In true blogging style, the original question was answered in the first few paragraphs, and then glossed over in lieu of a more self promotional line of inquiry.

"What can I tell you about what I know, without sounding too preachy". I'm doing it right now. 

The blog post writer believed there to be three distinct reasons, or 'blog styles' which you may need to consider before embarking upon your litery career. They are:

1. Knowledge Advancement. The blogger suggests that by researching subjects in which you intend to present to your readership, that you the blogger, go on a journey. This journey increases your knowledge of the chosen subject. I tend to agree. It's called learning. It happens all the time in university, and in consultancies the world over. You don't need to blog to do this though. So you probably will want to do something else, won't you?
2. Relationship Building. If you are able to flash a glimpse of your real character to a highly fickle and time stricken audience through your writing style, then great job - you will make loads of friends. If your writing skills are not yet developed enough to demonstrate to your readership that you are genuinely trying to help them - or have a real opinion which has got to be shared; then be prepared for a few years of trial and error. Relationships are two-way connections. Therefore you will be looking for some feedback. If you're writing self promotional posts which do not generate a reaction or a comment - then stop and think. Can you really afford to write for hours a week, every week for a year or two? My point is that if you do not quite yet possess the necessary writing skills to share, and to build relationships, then you might want to think again. 
3. Demonstration of Skill. Look here, I know something that you don't, and I'm about to ram it down your throat for 10 minutes. Afterwards, you may not agree with me and probably never read another one of my posts again... or... you are about to learn something cool. My thoughts are this. If I need to understand anything new or refresh my memory on a particular area of engineering, I will automatically reach for official documents, design standards, and best practice guides which have been tested and pier reviewed. I'm not going to be designing structures on the basis that the technical content of a blog post I read somewhere seemed genuine enough. Nor do I think that you should. This is neither a good reason or a sustainable reason to begin writing a blog. 

So I don't agree with the above reasons for writing blogs. What do you think?

The MESSAGE:

[Here it comes. This is the big pay-off. So far you have been in a zombie like trance, just waiting for the punch line. Your dedication is admirable] 

Why do we Blog? Because some of us love to write, some of us fancy reading it.

Blogging was going on long before monetizing was an option. Simply posting messages into a big black void, was akin to writing a secret diary in the early days. Blogging communities were not enticed by notoriety [but it did happen]. It was [and still is] a simple way to express ourselves.

So when did blogging ever become an effective form of marketing for companies? I believe that it never has... 

Blogging still is what it always meant to be. A channel for creative writers, and experts who enjoy sharing cool stuff in their lives and industry factoids.

Use blogging solely as a marketing strategy [personal or otherwise] at your peril. Readers will see right through it. 


It would be fun to see you on our new LinkedIn Group called - Blogging for Engineers. 

Engine[er]

Are you being served?

Structural Engineering. It's becoming way more competitive out there in the market place.

Graduates think that they have it bad. Recently I was out bid for some work which [assuming they were spending the same amount of hours as I would] the engineer would have been working for £15 per hour.

I read recently that graduates can expect between £11-£18 per hour straight from university now a days... you do the maths.

Anyway, that's enough about my woes. Lets hear all about you. What have you been doing lately? How can I help you?

When was the last time you asked one or your clients or potential clients those questions? Can you recall recently, when you took an interest in the lives of your business collaborators and partners?

This is what makes the difference in business. That gooey feeling that you get when someone has just taken time out of their busy day to either help or cheer you on into the weekend, it's great isn't it? It feels awesome when someone does that for you. So why shouldn't you do the same for others?

Just recently I picked up 3 engineering projects from new clients during a phone call - straight after being told that I was not the cheapest quote which they had received that day. Why?

I spoke to them. I took the time to understand the problems which they were facing, and discussed their possible alternatives. I described to them in English - not Engineerish, what I would be doing next if they appointed me. I illustrated how I would be delivering value to them by being their professional engineer. I did not do this by undermining the competition though, I helped them understand what it is that a engineer could do to assist in the successful delivery of their project.

If you are responsible for finding more business for your consultancy, or speaking directly with potential clients, then I urge you to absorb this next statement:

The more we allow the magnitude of our fee's to dictate whether or not that we land a project or gain favour - the longer it will take for us as an industry to demonstrate the value that we as professional engineers bring to their projects.

Please find better ways to be competitive.

Have a great bank holiday weekend. Long live the Queen!



Engine[er]