Unprofessional Engineering

You might be surprised to find out that there is a lot of engineering that goes into the dairy farming process. Yeah, I didn't believe it either! But dairy farming has come a long way from milking cows in the barn by hand. Today's farmers use a lot of advanced technology to make sure that they are producing the most milk possible while ensuring the health of their herd. Automated milking systems, RFI tags, and even robots that can milk cows, determine their health and reject contaminated milk are all part of the modern day farmers tool set.

We've made it to our 100th episode!! I know, I can hardly believe anyone still listens to this podcast either, but we're still going strong! Today, we take a look back on the journey that got us to episode 100, discussing our favorite episodes, which ones we could have done without, and even correcting some of the mistakes that Luke...er...we made throughout the two years of Unprofessional Engineering. Sit back and enjoy! Who knows, you may even hear yourself getting a shout out for being one of our amazing listeners.

People have been using 2D drawings for thousands and thousands of years to depict everything from creatures they have seen (on cave walls) to detailed design plans. In this episode, we bring in our friend and 2D drawing expert, Paul Munford, to help us unwrap the history of the 2D drawing and why it is still so critical in the design and manufacturing process today.

Have you ever thought about how much the invention of steel has changed the way the world works? From construction to every day appliances, steel is all around us. But how is it created? In this episode, we'll look into the engineering, or black magic, behind transforming iron into steel. We'll also take a look at some of the history of steel, including the Bessemer process, Andrew Carnegie's fortune from steel, and even the historic Carrie blast furnace of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Perhaps the greatest inventor of all time, Leonardo da Vinci created a number of amazing works, and theorized even more that technology needed to catch up to. Oh, he was a pretty OK artist too... In addition to engineering and art, he also liked to diagram the human body to pass the time. Who doesn't dig up the dead and sketch what their bits look like? From defiling graves and painting the Mona Lisa, to aerial screws and giant crossbows of war(way cooler sounding than helicopters), Leonardo da Vinci may have the most all around impressive life of work ever, or that will ever happen.

We all like to think that we know our way around the grill, but do you really know how to cook the perfect steak? Continuing our series on engineering the perfect food (did you already check out how to engineer the perfect turkey?), we will walk you through a number of methods to achieve perfection the next time you're making steak. Not only will you learn to be a better cook, we're going to teach you the science behind the Maillard reaction (browning the steak), the laws of thermodynamics, the difference between conduction, convection and radiation, as so much more! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it...

Let's face it, folks. The end of the world is coming, and we're likely going to be the cause. Robots might destroy us, we may end up polluting the world out of existence, or perhaps a breed of super cyborg pigs that have been breed not to fart as much will take over. That is exactly what we're exploring today. OK, maybe not EXACTLY that, but humanity has made some creepily impressive ventures into cyborg animals. Bees that can detect bombs, viewing the world through the eyes of a cat, and even super computers that are powered with the brains of a leech. And that is just the tip of the iceberg (speaking of which, have you seen the spinach that has been turned into heart tissue?!?).

Dams are a critical part of modern civilization, providing water to those in need, irrigating farms, preventing floods and generating 17% of the world's electricity. But there is another side of dams that we should consider. What are they doing to the environment, and what can engineers do to fix this problem? In order for us to keep benefiting from all of the great things dams bring to us, we'll need to learn to protect the environment as well.

We all know about 3D printing in the workplace by now, (at least you should since we've already talked about it) but did you know that there are companies out there ready to 3D print houses?! That's right! And it is fast, too! In just 24 hours you could have a 650 sq foot structure ready to finish up. Just add a roof, electric, plumbing, windows...OK, so there is still a lot of work to do, but this is a huge step in the right direction. These structures are significantly less expensive, extremely customizable, and perfect for helping out nations hit by natural disasters, which is exactly what ICON and New Story are teaming up to do. If you're interested in learning more about having a 3D printed house, printing a lunar space base and more, we have it all ready for you.

The Eiffel Tower is more than an ugly metal tower in the heart of Paris. It has ugly elevators and viewing platforms as well! What is truly impressive about Gustave Eiffel's (stolen) dream is the timeline for constructing the tallest structure in the world, at that time. How does something like that stay on track?! Even more interesting is the hate that it received from civilians, and that engineering and science is the only thing that saved it from being torn down many decades ago.

What were you doing as a kid? Walking to Detroit to get a job in a machine shop? Yeah, I didn't think so. Did you ever run a company for Thomas Edison and bounce your ideas off him to make sure they were ready for the real world? Yup, didn't do that either. I'm sure you made the first affordable automobile (not the inventor of it) though, right? OK, let's agree that Henry Ford was probably better than all of us when it came to things like this, but it wasn't easy and he wasn't an all-around good person! Want to learn more? You're going to have to listen!

Do you have a great idea in your head but aren't sure how to turn it into a reality? Or fear that you don't have the right background to make it a success? We've teamed up with Scot MacTaggart, creator and host of The Pitchwerks Podcast, to break down the common misconceptions about starting a business. In just 30 short minutes you'll be more confident in your ability for success, but also have a list of key actions you'll need to take before and during your product launch. Even better, you'll learn all about how Luke is going to be a successful taco truck mogul. What are you waiting for?! Press play!

Volcanoes sure do look cool...and cause all sorts of destruction. But believe it or not, there is more to how they work than sacrificing people to keep them from erupting! In this episode we'll walk you through the various types of volcanoes, what causes them to erupts, lava vs magma, the most famous volcanoes throughout history and even some safety tips in case you find yourself stumbling into an active volcano region.

We all know about Elon Musk and his companies like Tesla and Spacex (we even did another episode all about him...check it out!), but have you heard about his Boring Company? It is just that...boring! Seemingly closely tied to his talks about the Hyperloop, the Boring Company is going to be creating tunnels under the ground of a city near you! These will be used for a high speed public transportation system, reducing traffic and our dependence on cars. Don't think it will become a reality? It is already underway in LA! Why not click on the podcast and find out more?

So, let's put this out there... the same guy that designed the Eiffel Tower also created the supporting structure for the Statue of Liberty. Is your mind already blown!?!? Don't lie and say you knew that already. If that wasn't enough for you, this episode walks you through the painstaking process that the French used to create the Statue of Liberty, why it took so long to build, and even why it is green OK, you probably do know that answer already...

The history of the submarine dates back as far as Alexander the Great and continues to be one of the most fascinating pieces of military technology there is. When you add in the fact that many of the worlds subs are now nuclear, things get even more interesting. We'll walk you through the history of submarines, advantages and disadvantages of diesel and nuclear, some amazing facts about the worlds most powerful subs, and a story of how a single Swedish sub took our an entire aircraft carrier and supporting fleet.

Yeah, yeah... he wasn't exactly an inventor, but he sure had an amazing mind! And "the machine" that he used was nearly as impressive as him. We'll walk you through the life of Stephen Hawking, his work with black holes, 15 published books, thinking in 11 dimensions (whatever that means) and his roles on Big Bang Theory and The Simpsons.

Are you graduating from an engineering program soon and worried about landing that first job? Who better to listen to about tricking someone into hiring you than two guys that have done it a number of times?! We'll break down when you should use a cover letter, what sections of a resume you should include, how much detail to go into, if that less than perfect GPA is going to come back to haunt you and everything in between. Oh, and we have some tips for those of you who have been in the game for some time and are looking to brush the cobwebs off the old resume or want to update your LinkedIn profile. Happy job hunting!

Encryption has been around long before we needed to keep our intellectual property safe on computers. The Spartans used basic encryption technology as far back as 2,700 years ago, and the Germans are well known for the invention of the enigma machine, used for passing military information during the World Wars. We will walk you through the most compelling encryption uses, especially the Ovaltine secret decoder ring, from the past, as well as teach you how to know if you are on a secure site while browsing the web.

One of the biggest mysteries on Earth is how ancient civilizations managed to move 25-ton stones to build Stonehenge. Was it from the introduction of ball bearings, moving them by water, or something more likely such as magic or aliens? Another question is what was Stonehenge created for? A burial ground? Celestial temple? Alien landing pad? All these theories and more are looked at in this episode.