Unprofessional Engineering

It's here! Our first female great inventor (sorry it took so long). And how can it get any better?! Not only did Marie Curie (if that really is her name) win the Nobel Prize in Physics, but she also won it for Chemistry!! AND, her daughter bagged a Nobel Prize as well! Wow! In this episode, we walk you through her tough childhood, what got her to France in the first place, her award winning discoveries, the role she (and her daughter) played in saving lives in the World War and how her legacy lives on today.

Do you ever wonder how the weather person can get their predictions wrong half the time and still keep a job? Well, when you actually take a at all of the different science and technology that goes into those predictions, you might be a little more forgiving. Just a little. Meteorology is actually a complex field of study that requires more than just standing in front of a green screen and guessing if it will rain. I mean, some people just do that, but actual meteorologists are hardcore scientists. Satellites, radar, barometers, and even chaos theory come into play in their field of work. We take a look at everything that goes into predicting the weather, the way it was done in the past, and if we will ever get past the accuracy of Groundhog Phil.

Did you know that over 1.5 billion cell phones were purchased last year? Or that we're making over 45 tons of e-waste each year?! What is even worse, only 20% of this waste was disposed of properly. In this episode, we take a look at the options you have to recycle your electronic products, companies that will help, the current recycling process, the adverse effects that the hazardous chemicals in electronics have on your health, and how you can turn your pile of electronic junk into a fortune of gold, right at home!

We have all heard about the Challenger disaster, about something as small as a gasket failing and resulting in the explosion. But do we really know what went on in the backrooms before the disaster happened? Thanks to movie writer and director Nathan VonMinden, we get a chance to see how things shook out. Even better, TV's superman (Dean Cain) and national championship winning coach Les Miles join you for the journey! We got the chance to sit down with Nathan to learn more about The Challenger Disaster, what he learned from creating the movie, and how an engineer can turn into a director. Go check out The Challenger Disaster on demand now to get a better understanding of this piece of history.

Perhaps the most significant engineering feat in the past decade, the Mars Insight Lander has successfully landed on Mars. But what's next? We take a look at what the lander has been up to in the weeks since it made it to Mars, and the plans that NASA has for it while it hangs out on the red planet.

Why do some cities seem to have a vibrant downtown while others seem to close up after the work day is over? It is become some cities are more livable than others. What does this mean? It is a combination of being pedestrian friendly, walkable, safe, great public transportation, city housing and more. In this episode, we take a look at how euclidean planning destroyed the concept of a neighborhood and what we need to do to make cities livable once more.

As Unprofessional Engineering is liking going to win a Nobel Prize at some point, we thought it would be a good idea to investigate what goes into the process, as well as look back on the man who created the prize. From physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economics, there are countless amazing winners of the Nobel Prize. Well, not countless...more like 900 some. But still, way more brain power than one can appreciate. Learn how Alfred Nobel earned all his money to fund the prizes, how the winners are selected, and some of the biggest winners and snubs in history.

George Westinghouse is an underappreciated inventor, making major strides in the railway and electricity industries. His creation of the railway air brake was probably his greatest invention, but electricity really set him apart as an amazing industrialist. Plus, he got to take advantage of Tesla, which is pretty cool! Learn everything you've ever wanted to know about the life of George Westinghouse, right here!

We take a look back at the month of December, 2018, to investigate some of the coolest happenings of the past 30 or so days. Some of these include finding water on an asteroid, creating the substance that filled the universe seconds after the big bang, and a mechanical device that farts glitter on unsuspecting present thieves. What more could you be looking for?!

Are you excited for Aquaman?! Us too! In preparation for the DC release, we have decided to take a look at the history and efforts to find his home; the lost city of Atlantis! From the original stories from Plato, all the way up to Google Ocean trying to find the city, we investigate the top theories, and James even provides his own theory on what happened to Atlantis.

We all love the sounds of jingle bells around the holidays, and hanging candy canes on the Christmas tree, but do you ever take the time to think about the manufacturing process that goes into making these things? Of course not! You're too busy enjoying your eggnog and fruit cake. In this episode of Unprofessional Engineering, we take a look at how some of our holiday favorites are created, including the candy cane, nut crackers, jingle bells, eggnog and fruit cake!

Are you looking to put a little technology under the tree this Christmas? Or maybe you want to get your kids into STEM for Hanukkah? We've picked out some of our favorite tech gifts of the year for people of all ages! From Nest thermostats to LEGO robots, all the way to dog tree launching cameras, there is a little something for everyone!

We're kicking off a new series here at Unprofessional Engineering where we look at the most amazing technology of the past month. In November of 2018 we lucked out with a ton of great engineering and technology topics to discuss such as the Mars Insight Lander successfully traveling over 300 million miles to land on Mars, prosthetics that not only allow someone to use their hand but feel what they are grabbing, record setting Black Friday sales, electricity producing mushrooms with the thanks of 3D printing, and much more!

One of the greatest inventors of all time, as well as being one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin had a pretty good run at it. But come on, who goes by Benjamin and not Ben?? That's like going by James and not Jim... wait a minute... He helped to draft the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, and even ended the Revolutionary War with the 1783 Treaty of Paris, but what we really care about are the things he invented, and those he gets credit for that he didn't really have create. Some of his more famous inventions include the Franklin Stove, the lightning rod, and bifocals, where as he gets credit for the first street lights, the odometer and daylight savings time. Take a listen to learn more about his amazing life.

We got the chance to sit down with Mr. Neil Cross of TFI CAD Tips, live at Autodesk University, to discuss everything CAD. Stretching back to the early versions of AutoCAD up through CAD in the cloud and future looking predictions, we have it all! No matter the CAD package you use, this will be for you.