• Lymbic_System [none/use name]
    ·
    2 years ago

    This reminds me of my roommate who was an engineer for bank atm enclosures, he braged to me about how only an engineer could make a bridge or building that just is on the edge of collapsing but dosent because its 'efficient use of resources' after that day im becoming confident that engineering is almost most certainly a waste of time, I get the point of this in the context of say space shit yeah weight is limited but replacing doing planed obsolescence is a crime against nature.

    • Frank [he/him, he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      As is often the case capitalism is a problem. A lot of engineers I've met love old consumer appliances and tools and various bits of technology that showcase ingenuity, durability, user-serviceable parts, and elegant function. They're not happy about some dickhead in finance pressuring them to remove screws or create thinner casings to shave off another penny per unit, or marketing telling them that they have to make the casing look good and to hell with the internal components. I've met a lot of software engineers who drink the silicon valley koolaid, but engineers who primarily build tangible stuff seem to have far less tolerance for it. Probably because it's a pain in the ass to get new tools anymore and they spend so much time fighting with software licensing.