Watercooler Talk

[AlexLachance]

We had the opportunity to head a few hours south this weekend and enjoy the Texas Hill Country. It always surprises me how much a few hours drive can make in what season you are in. Our bluebonnets are just starting here in the Dallas area, but the ones down near Fredericksburg, TX are well are their way. So, for all y'all up north, a bit of hope. Spring is coming.

The picture shows bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush (orange). Texas is proud of our bluebonnets. They are a lupine, but these particular species are only found in Texas or the edges of the neighboring states.

Eagerly awaiting spring. We had another 10 inches of snow this weekend to remind us that it's not quite over. Thanks for the share Carrie, have a great week Bluebonnets remind me of lavender in terms of flower

[MattW]

We had the opportunity to head a few hours south this weekend and enjoy the Texas Hill Country. It always surprises me how much a few hours drive can make in what season you are in. Our bluebonnets are just starting here in the Dallas area, but the ones down near Fredericksburg, TX are well are their way. So, for all y'all up north, a bit of hope. Spring is coming.

The picture shows bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush (orange). Texas is proud of our bluebonnets. They are a lupine, but these particular species are only found in Texas or the edges of the neighboring states.

We are going to be in that area in a couple of weeks, thanks for the preview.

[AlexLachance]

Some sad news this morning in the US with the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Thoughts and prayers with those affected by this.

[SPerman]

This is our equipment being used to test the Kawasaki dampers.

[ctsturdiv]

Have an interview over MS Teams for a local architect firm with the vice president of the firm.

She had gotten a resume from my instructor.

Though I am not holding my breath. In previous industries, I have been ghosted and things not work out. Not sure how they do drafters. Or if they see a 50 year old fat man student and nope out. But still, it is an honor my instructor believes me competent enough. Especially after turning down an internship at a plant that was too far out and a bit too oppressive for my tastes. My skills have REALLY, REALLY improved in the last several months. Things that took me hours I can now do in an hour or so. But there's still so much out there I am ignorant of...

Really looking forward to Spring Break which starts today. I have been really, really burnt out lately on the volume of school work and it's been a roller coaster over here.

I am still on a good path to join you guys in the workforce as I graduate in Fall this year.

[Glenn Schroeder]

Have an interview over MS Teams for a local architect firm with the vice president of the firm.

She had gotten a resume from my instructor.

Though I am not holding my breath. In previous industries, I have been ghosted and things not work out. Not sure how they do drafters. Or if they see a 50 year old fat man student and nope out. But still, it is an honor my instructor believes me competent enough. Especially after turning down an internship at a plant that was too far out and a bit too oppressive for my tastes. My skills have REALLY, REALLY improved in the last several months. Things that took me hours I can now do in an hour or so. But there's still so much out there I am ignorant of...

Really looking forward to Spring Break which starts today. I have been really, really burnt out lately on the volume of school work and it's been a roller coaster over here.

I am still on a good path to join you guys in the workforce as I graduate in Fall this year.

Good luck from a 62-year old fat man.

[AlexLachance]

Have an interview over MS Teams for a local architect firm with the vice president of the firm.

She had gotten a resume from my instructor.

Though I am not holding my breath. In previous industries, I have been ghosted and things not work out. Not sure how they do drafters. Or if they see a 50 year old fat man student and nope out. But still, it is an honor my instructor believes me competent enough. Especially after turning down an internship at a plant that was too far out and a bit too oppressive for my tastes. My skills have REALLY, REALLY improved in the last several months. Things that took me hours I can now do in an hour or so. But there's still so much out there I am ignorant of...

Really looking forward to Spring Break which starts today. I have been really, really burnt out lately on the volume of school work and it's been a roller coaster over here.

I am still on a good path to join you guys in the workforce as I graduate in Fall this year.

Don't worry, everyone has their own skill set. Someone will eventually see your skill set and think to himself "I can't miss this opportunity that's being given to me" and jump on it. Figure out the best way to sell your salad without rambling on too long. I think the best way to "sell your salad" is to show that you have interests in not only the job, but also other things such as the domain you'll be working in or things that could attach to it.

[AlexLachance]

Some new stuff being worked on

[zwei]

https://www.theguardian.com/global/2024 ... ber-attack

A malicious linux backdoor (CVE-2024-3094), with a CVSS score of 10/10 was detected recently...
What more amazing is that it was detected because of a 0.5s lag (and also the fact that it is detected by a Microsoft developer )

[AlexLachance]

https://www.theguardian.com/global/2024 ... ber-attack

A malicious linux backdoor (CVE-2024-3094), with a CVSS score of 10/10 was detected recently...
What more amazing is that it was detected because of a 0.5s lag (and also the fact that it is detected by a Microsoft developer )

That is some crazy stuff, straight out of Hollywood. This is partly why I pay attention to anormal delays

[AlexLachance]

Welp, just learned a guy I went to school with was part of the humanitarian crew that got hit by an airstrike from Israel... War is such a horrible and tragic event for everyone involved and even those not involved or indirectly involved.

[Frederick_Law]

This is our equipment being used to test the Kawasaki dampers.

Cool.
I'm using Tein EDFC on my Lancer.
Will do the same on next car.

[Glenn Schroeder]

A familiar name from the good old days just popped up on the Swamp: https://r1132100503382-eu1-3dswym.3dexp ... GVjsedatCQ.

[ctsturdiv]

Well, interview was on the 4th.

Seems I was mistaken in my initial research and they do a lot of Civil. They also wanted me in person, not on MS Teams.

Got in there early, and they were taken aback by my age for a minute. They expected someone in their 20s because I put no call center stuff on my resume. Asked why I did not put the call centers on there, mentioned that there is a school of thought to resumes to where you don't put down what you don't want to do anymore for career changes. Seemed to go okay, and they continued with questions.

Interview was with a vice president (who is a civil engineer) and the lead draftsperson. Both middle aged ladies and very upper middle class mannerisms. A far cry from the restaurant industry or call centers. Not that there was anything wrong with that.

Kept me in there probably about an hour, showed me the elevation plot plans they do. It' 10x more complex than anything in college (which concentrates on PIDs and piping). If I DO get the job, I think I would need a ton of direction (though I did not tell them that).

Only thing that concerns me is they sometimes talked about another person in my program who was a former teacher in her late 20s/early 30s. Also, when I asked when I was to be called back, were kinda avoidant. Who knows?

Sent a thank you email. Ball's in their court and will probably check back in a week or two.

Not holding breath and I am sure there will be more opportunities.

I will start working on portfolio Summer and if nothing moves by final semester, start applying outside what the college suggests. Maybe even use head hunters.

Thanks for the good will!

Even if I don't get it, this is the first industry interview I have ever done and I know a bit more what to expect going forward.

[AlexLachance]

Interview was with a vice president (who is a civil engineer) and the lead draftsperson. Both middle aged ladies and very upper middle class mannerisms. A far cry from the restaurant industry or call centers. Not that there was anything wrong with that.

Kept me in there probably about an hour, showed me the elevation plot plans they do. It' 10x more complex than anything in college (which concentrates on PIDs and piping). If I DO get the job, I think I would need a ton of direction (though I did not tell them that).

Only thing that concerns me is they sometimes talked about another person in my program who was a former teacher in her late 20s/early 30s. Also, when I asked when I was to be called back, were kinda avoidant. Who knows?

Everyone needs direction when joining a company no matter what, even if they have 30 years experience. Some people prefer a clean sheet like yours because it's easier to shape it the way you want then one with 30 years experience that refuses to adapt to the situation and has certain paradigms.

It's a good idea to follow up like you did. They were most likely evasive about being specific because the economic situation is not as stable as it seems and they most likely have other candidates to interview in no specific time line.

[SPerman]

I can't believe schools closed around here because it was the equivalent of being a little bit cloudy. I'm sure it is impressive if you are in the zone of a total eclipse, but where we are it was barely noticeable.

[AlexLachance]

I can't believe schools closed around here because it was the equivalent of being a little bit cloudy. I'm sure it is impressive if you are in the zone of a total eclipse, but where we are it was barely noticeable.

This is what it looked like, kinda. It was total over here. Birds were going crazy for a few minutes but besides that, nothing too crazy besides a "once in a lifetime" event. I agree schools shouldn't have closed for this. In 1994, there was a partial one and my school at the time made us build our own shoe box for the eclipse so we could watch it. It was a fun thing as a child and shouldn't be seen as a "Be afraid, be very afraid!" thing lol

[bnemec]

This is what it looked like, kinda. It was total over here. Birds were going crazy for a few minutes but besides that, nothing too crazy besides a "once in a lifetime" event. I agree schools shouldn't have closed for this. In 1994, there was a partial one and my school at the time made us build our own shoe box for the eclipse so we could watch it. It was a fun thing as a child and shouldn't be seen as a "Be afraid, be very afraid!" thing lol

I recall '94 was pretty close to full eclipse, middle school science class made boxes too and then all went outside for it. Was cool for a middle-schooler. Canceling school seams odd and missed opportunity.

[ctsturdiv]

This is what it looked like, kinda. It was total over here. Birds were going crazy for a few minutes but besides that, nothing too crazy besides a "once in a lifetime" event. I agree schools shouldn't have closed for this. In 1994, there was a partial one and my school at the time made us build our own shoe box for the eclipse so we could watch it. It was a fun thing as a child and shouldn't be seen as a "Be afraid, be very afraid!" thing lol

At least y'all saw something.

It was overcast and rainy in my neck of the woods in Louisiana. 88 percent occulation.

Got a little dark like what it would be in early AM. Dogs were a bit on edge. But other than that, lackluster.

[AlexLachance]

At least y'all saw something.

It was overcast and rainy in my neck of the woods in Louisiana. 88 percent occulation.

Got a little dark like what it would be in early AM. Dogs were a bit on edge. But other than that, lackluster.

Clear sky on a hot spring day for us. It was in the 60's and dropped in the 40's during the eclipse.

[CarrieIves]

We were lucky the clouds cleared enough for us to actually see the totality. We walked over to the large park near our house. The schools near us took the kids outside. I heard from a neighbor that was about two blocks from the elementary that she could hear all the kids yelling in excitement. I think my favorite picture was the one where I turned to look at my family all staring at the sky during the totality. I snapped a picture of them with the "sunset" colors in the background.

In 2017, we were in the 90% area. Some of the schools kept the kids inside because they were worried they might look at the sky. I was very glad on that day that we were homeschooling so my kids got to make pinhole viewers and try different things. Turns out the best one is the old aluminum colander we have. It has fairly small round holes. Our family has used it in 3 eclipses now.

[AlexLachance]

Still designing new stuff!
image.png

40' long trailer with a stabilizer and a high lift dump tailgate.

Few months later, we pretty much finished and tested the first trailer

Loaded tests coming next week

[AlexLachance]

SolidWorks being SolidWorks.

[bnemec]

SolidWorks being SolidWorks.

image.png

It's a very complicated system...

[Frederick_Law]

It's a very complicated system...

No, a very simple one.
As long as support doesn't respond to request, they can close it.

[AlexLachance]

Yeah, sent a nice mail to my VAR reminding that he;

should not be closing requests without giving valid reasons
and
should be following up on requests faster then a 10 month span and without having me to force him to do so.

[Glenn Schroeder]

Yeah, sent a nice mail to my VAR reminding that he;

should not be closing requests without giving valid reasons
and
should be following up on requests faster then a 10 month span and without having me to force him to do so.

There are better VAR's out there, but I don't know if switching is possible for you.

[AlexLachance]

There are better VAR's out there, but I don't know if switching is possible for you.

My VAR generally does a good job, but they've been going back to their old habits of before the original one and two, which is kind of the reason why I'm a bit grumpy lately

[AlexLachance]

Looks like we'll be ending our SolidWorks subscription this year after 10 years of subscription. Hoping it puts some pressure on them and that others will have the same reflex. The prices are ridiculous and so are the justifications for the increases.

Here's the nice mail they sent me this afternoon that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Hello Alex
I hope you're well ! I wanted to share with you some interesting offers from Dassault for the end of May.
• If you purchase SolidWorks Professional or Premium, you will receive one year of technical support and free updates.
• By opting for SolidWorks Premium, you will receive Simulation Professional as a free bonus.
• If you plan to migrate your licenses to rental licenses or 3DXperience, you will pay the same amount as your current subscription and you will get 25% off for life on your rental license purchases
By the way, Dassault will increase the price of new network licenses from July 1. If you're considering adding licenses to your network, now is the perfect time to act. I will send you all the details in the coming days. Note that the network license will cost 1.5 times more than the fixed license. But don't worry, we have several solutions to avoid this additional cost.

There's simply no justification for the increase or the absurd cost.

[ctsturdiv]

Looks like we'll be ending our SolidWorks subscription this year after 10 years of subscription. Hoping it puts some pressure on them and that others will have the same reflex. The prices are ridiculous and so are the justifications for the increases.

Here's the nice mail they sent me this afternoon that was the straw that broke the camel's back.




There's simply no justification for the increase or the absurd cost.

I am personally dismayed with these huge subscriptions for basic tools.

Used to be, you bought a piece of software you owned it. Nowadays even stuff like Quickbooks is a subscription.

Looked into what it would cost to keep AutoCAD past college if I needed to freelance drawings. Jesus H Christ! Stuff is like several thousand. It's ridiculous!

I wish I could just own the program outright. Maybe upgrade every 5 years or so if I need some additional power or features.

Also, what happens if the company shuts down servers? All your files and stuff go kaput?

"You will own nothing and be happy", indeed. But I think this is a horrible way to go.

What's next? A carpenter can't own their nail gun and Home Depot locks out the firmware after a certain amount of nails driven if you don't give them a credit card?

[SPerman]

We were looking to add a 2nd seat to be shared by a few interns / jr engineers. Including $4k for the network license manager, the cost was $15k. For a single seat of SW Standard.

[bnemec]

Where's the Dilbert comic that covers this?
Marketing character: Sir, our existing customers are reluctant to abandon our legacy product to buy our new revolutionary system.
Dilbert:Probably because the revolutionary system is unstable and regardless of the smoke and mirrors they see the new licensing model increases costs.
Boss: Excellent suggestion, discontinue old licensing model on our legacy products!

[Frederick_Law]

Home Depot locks out the firmware after a certain amount of nails driven if you don't give them a credit card?

Printer already do that.

[AlexLachance]

Where's the Dilbert comic that covers this?
Marketing character: Sir, our existing customers are reluctant to abandon our legacy product to buy our new revolutionary system.
Dilbert:Probably because the revolutionary system is unstable and regardless of the smoke and mirrors they see the new licensing model increases costs.
Boss: Excellent suggestion, discontinue old licensing model on our legacy products!

Man, I miss Dilbert, such satirical cartoons are rare these days.

[Frederick_Law]

Dilbert got canceled

[bnemec]

Dilbert got canceled

I hope Dilbert's last satirical comic was about himself being canceled for calling it like it is.

[DennisD]

Dilbert got canceled

This is the first year in about 20 that I haven't had a DIlbert daily calendar on my desk. He had some real gems.
As much as I like Larson's Far Side, it just doesn't make me smile like Dilbert did.

[DanPihlaja]

This is the first year in about 20 that I haven't had a DIlbert daily calendar on my desk. He had some real gems.
As much as I like Larson's Far Side, it just doesn't make me smile like Dilbert did.

https://dilbert.com/faq

[Frederick_Law]

What kind of NSFW?

[DanPihlaja]

NSFW-Dilbert-01.jpg

What kind of NSFW?

He drops a lot of F-bombs now. And has pulled the plug on attempting to be "middle of the road" nice.

[AlexLachance]

He drops a lot of F-bombs now. And has pulled the plug on attempting to be "middle of the road" nice.

Looked up a few, this one felt personal

[Frederick_Law]

My Psychologist said I'm too sensitive for Sensitivity Training.

[ctsturdiv]

Printer already do that.

That's the reason I only use Brother printers. It just works and toner lasts forever.

Last one I had lasted 6 years. This one is on it's second.

Had to buy it because DRFT 1001 needed a lot of stuff printed out where he would simulate sketches coming from an engineer I had to put in CAD.

But yeah, there needs to be a class action lawsuit versus HP.

[ctsturdiv]

We were looking to add a 2nd seat to be shared by a few interns / jr engineers. Including $4k for the network license manager, the cost was $15k. For a single seat of SW Standard.

image.png

That's insane.

There are people in lower level jobs in low cost of living areas that don't make that much in a year. Even in the US.

I can understand 500 USD, maybe even 1.5K USD because of what the program does and the money it allows you to make if you are competent. But you should OWN that.

So I got to pay more money per year than many MAKE in a year just to have a machine I paid for do useful career work? Be it Photoshop, Solidworks, AutoCAD, Maya, Microsoft 365, Adobe Premier, Quickbooks, etc?

I know there are free alternatives, but damn. Some of those free alternatives are not all that.

[DanPihlaja]

Happy birthday @Roasted By John !!

[AlexLachance]

Happy Bday to John! Doubt he'll see it, haven't seen him around in a little while.

[AlexLachance]

New intern started yesteday, I've been supervising and training him, gotta say it seems as if every year they learn a little less then the previous year. He's got good spirit and is motivated but there is a lot of basic things that I need to teach him that I didn't need to teach previously.

[bnemec]

New intern started yesteday, I've been supervising and training him, gotta say it seems as if every year they learn a little less then the previous year. He's got good spirit and is motivated but there is a lot of basic things that I need to teach him that I didn't need to teach previously.

He handy at pitching a tent?

[AlexLachance]

He handy at pitching a tent?

Naw haha he's got the will, just that it seems they haven't taught much of anything relating to software usage. Spoke of weldments to him and he looked at me like I was a wizard.

[bnemec]

Naw haha he's got the will, just that it seems they haven't taught much of anything relating to software usage. Spoke of weldments to him and he looked at me like I was a wizard.

I think I've used "weldments" three times. Once in Solid Edge training, cir. 2006, again in Inventor training, cir. 2015, most recently SW training cir. 2019. But I think I get your point. IIRC there's a credit limit for required courses for a degree. Looking back there are already enough "non-engineering/math" classes consuming that budget that I would agree with not spending much time in classes going over things like CAD. If they can get an engineering degree they should be able to learn how to use CAD, nearly self guided. The other thing I've learned is there's few universal best practices from CAD, that seems to vary quite a lot from place to place. Whereas applying the basic laws of physics to everyday problems is quite universal.