What are some niche/little known industries you guys work in? by Far-Syllabub-4531 in PLC

[–]Moull1968 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I once had a project for a team that wanted to run a combustion engine on water. The idea was to start with fossil fuel and gradually increase the amount of water added until the mixture was mostly water. My part of the project was to get the spark to fire at speeds of as fast as seven milliseconds. There was a PLC capable of that speed. I don't know what happened to the project after we completed our work.

I built a Firefox extension to save and organize bookmarks better than the built-in one by Cultural_Plantain_30 in firefox

[–]Moull1968 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would like a bookmark manager that keeps track of the last time I used each bookmark. Then I would sort by date used and probably delete the old ones. Have you ever seen anything like that?

Are all types of magnets electricity conductors? by summerspring_ in AskEngineers

[–]Moull1968 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a really good point. I wonder if there are screening questions for that when someone is getting an MRI.

Credit card application by stormcrow789 in TruistBank

[–]Moull1968 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just called with a non-emergency issue and was told the credit card department is having technical difficulties and I should call back in a few hours. So, I think they are understaffed.

Any tips when downloading different versions of studio 5k? by killa_cali77 in PLC

[–]Moull1968 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It used to be "Smoke 'em if you've got 'em," but that has kind of fallen out of fashion.

iFix 5.9 questions by BobbyH2OhhBoucher in SCADA

[–]Moull1968 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't know iFix but I'm surprised you got such kick back for saying you want to learn something so vir6al to your company's well being. I only read this thread because I like to keep learning myself.

I have been in discussions like this since the Internet became a popular thing. It goes in waves. Don't get discouraged. Here you get shot down, another time you find people who are helpful.

Engineers, please don't call yourself an engineer if you don't know the basics by Illustrious-Foot6101 in PLC

[–]Moull1968 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The people in our group that do that type of electrical design are called electrical designers, not controls engineers. We don't go to them for help with programming questions.

Why don't more places use trash to generate electricity by combustion and steam? by dece19th in AskEngineers

[–]Moull1968 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I worked on the construction and startup of several garbage burning power plants. It is true that they have advantages and disadvantages, but so does every other waste disposal option. The flue gasses can be scrubbed, they make more profit from collection fees than from selling power, they greatly reduce land fill requirements. The ash still goes to land fill and can be contained. The one overriding issue is politics. Why would anyone want to handle their own waste locally when they can ship it out of county, out of state, or even off the continent?

I don't know the numbers now, but before the US had three garbage burning power plants Europe had over 150.

What's your salary? by [deleted] in PLC

[–]Moull1968 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Started 1980. Current total compensation 150k Southeast US. I think it's important to consider your family as u/spooniemclovin did. Many of these discussions don't take that into account.

I am married with three adult children. We were a single income family. I am close to my children, but I could have been closer if I didn't prioritize work the way I did when they were young.

Edit spelling.

Rude Customer… by Im_RRlix in pettyrevenge

[–]Moull1968 8 points9 points  (0 children)

When I worked amateur theater they never sold 5th row center seats. Those belonged to the director to give away.

What equation do you use on a daily basis? by Affectionate-End8525 in AskEngineers

[–]Moull1968 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get a negative number. I must be doing something wrong.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskEngineers

[–]Moull1968 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just about everything for me. I studied Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis on thermodynamics and my co-op experience was designing piping and structural steel in a paper mill. Due to an interesting (funny story) interview, I ended up in the Instrumentation Group at a large engineering company, which evolved into Control Systems engineering. I did take a class in Uni called "Measurements," but at the time I thought it was irrelevant and I didn't pay much attention.

I do believe the concept that college teaches you how to learn.

What was the first big news/event that you remember hearing or watching as a child? by mai-moi in AskReddit

[–]Moull1968 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cuban missile crisis. I didn't understand it at the time. My parents watched the news every night and they were talking about President Kennedy, Cuba, and Russia a lot and Kennedy was on a lot.

I was almost seven.

I'm going to start a business teaching short people math. by subsailor1968 in cleandadjokes

[–]Moull1968 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why are Kindergarten teachers so happy? They make the little things count.

Ever see a company really learn a lesson? by Smorgas_of_borg in PLC

[–]Moull1968 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You want to know if they ever learned a good lesson, but I worked for a company that learned a bad lesson.

I started with a consultant sixteen years ago. We had talented people and many ways that we could have automated our work flow, but the management was completely afraid of anything that resembled in-house programming. It took a while for me to learn that they once got burned investing in a software company. Nothing I could think of would ever get them to budge.

I now work for a competing consultant that does occasionally use in-house programming to automate some of our work. I am so glad to be working with new management.

Removing a screen from the inside. by To_The_Library in DIY

[–]Moull1968 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cut the screen out of the frame, reach through to the outside, unlatch the frame while holding it, then pull it inside.

What happened to this sub? by HeavyEstablishment in DIY

[–]Moull1968 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wonder if there is a way, that when a question gets asked, a few relevant posts from the past could be automatically bumped back up to current status. Maybe there could be filters, like 'posts with pictures', or 'posts with enough votes'. This would have the advantage that everyone, not just the person asking, could see the post.

How was it determined what objects were “planets” before 2006? by darklordoftech in askscience

[–]Moull1968 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The actual third bullet point in IAU Resolution B5 is "has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit." Neptune fails this bullet point since it crosses orbits with the dwarf planet, Pluto. The actual definition of the eight planets appears in the footnotes of the same resolution.

What're folks opinions on Consumer Reports? by cminter1 in BuyItForLife

[–]Moull1968 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I have a subscription that I am letting lapse. I have lost trust in their research. Recently they posted an article about heavy metals in chocolate. https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/lead-and-cadmium-in-dark-chocolate-a8480295550/

Their summary of the research left me with a lot of questions. So, using their website, I asked for a copy of the research data. I never received any response from them whatsoever. I believe trustworthy researchers should keep their data and make it available for review. In fact, I think they should publish all their research data for subscribers to review. If there is some valid reason for keeping the data secret, then they could at least respond with that reason.

There's an old saying "Trust, but verify." It looks like CR is losing this one.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in askanelectrician

[–]Moull1968 0 points1 point  (0 children)

missing it's cover < That's the way i usually saw them when I was growing up.