Unprofessional Engineering

What do the flying car, the Stanley Steamer, and the Titanic all have in common? These inventions were all ultimately responsible for the death of their inventors! We have gathered up some of the most interesting, and often times extremely sad, instances of an inventor being killed by their inventions. Whether it was the result of an unknown side-effect from groundbreaking research, as in the case of Marie Curie, or an oversight in calculation when dropping from a barrel off of the top of the Houston Astrodome, these are all interesting stories in their own right.

It is time for more crazy units of measure! A dash, a pinch, a shake... they are phrases that we use, but they all have actual measurable amounts to quantify them. Join us for the second part of our Wacky Units of Measure series (is two a series?) to learn about some of the craziest units of measure that have ever been invented, most of which are actually in use today.

Depending on where you live, you might feel that the Metric system or Imperial units of measure are rather strange, but those don't even scratch the surface by a BB, or even a Gillette! In the first of two episodes on wacky units of measure, we explore some of the craziest measurements around and how they originated. From the beard-second to the micromort, there is a standard unit for just about anything that you can think of!

Hewlett-Packard, perhaps better known as simply HP, has taken an interesting journey to get to where they are today. We might know them for their laptops and printers that never seem to work when we need them to, but this wasn't always the way for Hewlett-Packard. William Hewlett and David Packard (picking which name came first on a coin flip) started the company with a drill press and a few dollars in a rented garage. Years later, their first customer, Disney, got them well on their way to success. The two men had a storied existence from building this iconic company, to serving in World War 2, and even helping to serve in the United States government. All this while building out one of the leading tech giants in the world. Sit back and enjoy the history of Hewlett-Packard and learn what a significant impact HP has had on the world.

On April 15, 2019, one of the world's most recognizable structures, the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, caught on fire, suffering significant damage. A restoration project has been underway ever since, with hopes of the cathedral reopening in some capacity by 2024. We dove in to try and understand what caused the fire to start in the first place, the hurdles that have to be overcome in the Notre Dame restoration project, and better understand the technology and engineering used to restore this amazing cathedral to its formal glory.

Wheat is a common ingredient in many of our favorite foods, and although it is easy to head to the store and pick up a loaf of bread or a doughnut, the grain production process isn't as simple. The wheat production process, when boiled down, hasn't changed a lot over the centuries. Threshing, winnowing, and grinding all still occur, but to do so on a large scale is really where technology and engineering have made their mark. Learn the basic process from the time wheat is planted to hitting the supermarket shelves and everything in-between.

When it comes to engineering, the material that you choose goes a long way in how your design is going to function. The same holds true for the materials used in our favorite movies, video games, and books! Even if they don't exist in real life... We've decided to explore some of the amazing materials that exist in some of these fictional universes that we could only wish exist here on Earth, and of course, ranked our top 10! See where your favorites like adamantium, vibranium, mythril, and more rank on the official top 10 fake materials list.

When you think about Apple, obviously you think of Steve, right? No, not that one. Steve Wozniak, lovingly known as Woz. You have probably heard of Woz, but do you know how important his role with Apple was? Some might argue that he was more important than his more well known counterpart, Steve Jobs. Sit back and enjoy this brief walkthrough of Steve Wozniak's life (thus far), how he got started with Apple, or how Apple really started with him, his other inventions like the universal remote, and so much more!

There is a lot of debate about GMOs being healthy, as well as if GMOs are actually a sustainable method of food production. We're not here to debate if they are good for you or not (science has no conclusive evidence to say they are not), but we are here to discuss what they are, how they work, the method to make it happen, and the impact that GMOs are having on the agriculture industry!

What do the names Andrew Carnegie, Elbert H. Gary, Charles Schwab, and J.P. Morgan have in common? They are the key players in the creation of US Steel! With the acquisition of the Carnegie Steel Company in 1900, together with a number of other smaller steel operations, US Steel was formed, becoming the first billion dollar corporation in United States history. Join us to learn about the history of US Steel, what caused the various ups and downs over time, how the different wars impacted the industry, and how US Steel is doing today.