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How Everyday Things Are Made

Posted by michael on from the no-slide-rules dept.

OckNock writes "The Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing at Stanford University in conjunction with Design4x has released online courses on design and manufacturing that include over 4 hours of streaming video (Flashplayer required). Some of the topics include airplanes, crayons, and waterjet cutting. If only they had this when I had studied mechanical engineering - maybe I would have stayed awake in class more."

8 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. Ah, the memories by Megane · · Score: 4, Funny

    When I was a kid, all you had to do was tune in Mr. Rogers to see crayons being made.

    --
    #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
  2. Just on time! by sinserve · · Score: 4, Funny

    Some of the topics include airplanes, crayons, and waterjet cutting.

    I was depressed after reading the story about tech jobs being
    outsourced. But this new story suggests me a new career and I can already
    see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am gonna become a World-Class
    Crayon maker.

    /me "borrows" candles blackout and emergency box ...

  3. Mr. Wizard by Jason1729 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I learned about this sort of thing watching Mr. Wizard's World when I was a kid. I gained my interest in science watching this show.

    Jason
    ProfQuotes

    1. Re:Mr. Wizard by josh+crawley · · Score: 4, Funny

      Hmmm.

      Mr. Wizard: So this old man invites little boys and girls over to his house to do "experiments". We never meet Mrs. Wizard.

      No, there's nothing suspicious here.

  4. Really usefull if you learn by example by strider3700 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I love it when places do this. I've always found it easiest to learn by watching someone else doing it, then copying, and then experimenting. I've learned basic cooking and baking, simple home repair and basic automotive repair this way all from tv. From there I usually realize I enjoy it, pick up a book or find a web site and get better at it. I'm currently in the middle of rebuilding a car using a manual a web forum and what I learned watching those hotrodding shows on TV saturday mornings. Now if only someone would release free videos of how to play with fiberglass and carbon fiber.

  5. Take a look at by AchmedHabib · · Score: 5, Informative

    Take a look at http://www.howstuffworks.com/. There's a lot of explanations for just about anything.

  6. Re:great stuff! by PurpleFloyd · · Score: 4, Informative
    Sorry, but process engineering is a dead field right now. Many companies are cutting "improvement" departments like process engineering and IT to the bone because they don't directly produce end products; middle and upper management often look down on divisions that don't do "real work." While companies doing this are essentially shooting themselves in the foot, most of manufacturing is cutting back or eliminating entirely divisions that serve to improve productivity. Since they're not directly related to product output, they get cut first and the company doesn't suffer immediately.

    Also, what makes you think that an out-of-work sysadmin or programmer would be qualified? All the process engineers I know have spent many years working on the shop floor in their industries, and know the processes involved like the back of their hand. If they can't find work, what hope is there for someone who walks in from what is essentially a completely different industry?

    --

    That's it. I'm no longer part of Team Sanity.
  7. Re:great stuff! by Jardine · · Score: 4, Funny

    middle and upper management often look down on divisions that don't do "real work."

    I wonder if that might be considered irony.