The automotive world is moving away from the internal combustion in favor of electrified powertrains. We’re still a long way away from widespread adoption, but the development trend is very clear. Because of this shift, the demand for engineers with electric motor or hybrid controls expertise is skyrocketing, and the exact opposite can be said …
Author: Brandon
More Legs than Average
I have more legs than the average human. It’s ridiculous, but if you define “average” as the mean of a given population, then it’s true. There are certainly more humans missing leg(s) than there are with three or four legs. So I can confidently say that I have more legs than average. It’s statistics. But …
The Reading/Doing Cycle
I love reading. I find that certain books allow me to learn from others’ experiences rather than requiring myself to experience all things firsthand. It’s naive to think that I could possibly come to the groundbreaking conclusions that the best minds in history have (and especially not by 25) so I look towards books to help …
Picking a Line
On a busy Sunday at the grocery store, there are almost always long lines to check-out. And invariably, I find myself trying to find the “best” one that will get me through the fastest. I (and also probably most other people) take my attention straight to the lengths of the different lines. I find the …
Uber Tips
When Uber and other ride-sharing apps were initially gaining traction, drivers made obvious efforts to earn a 5-star rating. It wasn’t uncommon to enter an Uber and be bombarded with offers of beverages, mints, gums, chargers, music preferences, etc. It felt like the drivers were trying to impress their passengers rather than serve them. But …
Casual Run-ins
When we happen to run into someone who “owes” us something (information, services, money, etc.), the natural inclination is to jump straight to that point. But this isn’t necessarily the most effective route in the long-run. I’ve spent enough time around people who always want things immediately to know that it isn’t an effective approach. …
The Recovery
Exercise wears us down. In the process of lifting weights, we literally tear our muscle fibers. During an endurance event like the Tour de France, competitors break down their bodies and often fall victim to injuries and illness as the body doesn’t have the ability to fight back. When our fight-or-flight mechanisms are engaged for …
The Curse of “Making It”
Through the years, my tastes in music have shifted. I find myself appreciating genres like Country, EDM, Contemporary, and Jazz more than I had expected, and to some extent my listening habits have changed accordingly. But no matter how far I branch out, I still find myself drawn to the seemingly low-brow world of hip …
When to Shut Up
One of my closest customers once gave me some interesting feedback: she liked working with me because I knew when to shut up. I’m not naturally a great speaker. I’m introverted, and I sometimes struggle to find the right words in a given situation. In a sales role, that can be seen as a weakness. …
Survivorship Bias
During World War II, the US was losing lives as planes were being shot down in enemy territory, so they took on an initiative to improve the armor on the planes. They started with a survey of planes that had been damaged in combat. They charted all of the bullet holes, and a clear pattern …