Do Engineers have a (Weird) Sense of Humor 15

[MiketheEngineer]

Along the lines of a previous post - Do engineers have a sense a humor (I know some do) or if so - is it quite different than the average Joe??

 

[EngineerErrant]

Here's some typically "weird" humor that I find quite funny.

What's the difference between an orange?
One of them doesn't.
_________________________________________

"Knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"Two."
"Two who?"
*shakes head* "To WHOM."
_________________________________________

What's red and looks like green paint?
Red paint.
_________________________________________

What's an anagram of Banach-Tarski?
Banach-Tarski Banach-Tarski.

"Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems." -Scott Adams

 

[supercub]

This one engineer that I worked with would tell a long joke real slow and when he got to the punch line he would leave out the last half of the last sentance and burst out laughing.

 

[berkshire]

""This one engineer that I worked with would tell a long joke real slow and when he got to the punch line he would leave out the last half of the last sentance and burst out laughing.""
Is that why they call it a punch line, because at that point you feel like punching him?
B.E.

The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor

 

[SnTMan]

He obviously had a sense of humor, but properly telling a joke is a skill not everyone has.

Hey I'm not kidding

 

[jgailla]

I'm horrible at telling jokes. I end up like supercub's acquaintance.
Sarcasm is another matter.

 

[SomptingGuy]

@JohnRBaker

Re: The PI thing in "Contact". I thought that was one of the cleverest sub-plots in the book and was really miffed when it didn't make the film.

- Steve

 

[urgross]

Firesign Theater had very good humor for engineers, especially with their laws of physics, levity and thermodynamics. Thud's First Law is very practical: If you push something hard enough, it will fall over.

 

[JohnRBaker]

I like the 'quote' (I think it was by me) which is related to one of my previously posted Dilbert cartoons:

"No matter how much you add to something, you can't make it simpler."

It's amazing how this concept is often missed by upper-management...

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[TenPenny]

"Firesign Theater had very good humor for engineers, especially with their laws of physics, levity and thermodynamics. Thud's First Law is very practical: If you push something hard enough, it will fall over."

My favorite:

INDIAN: That's not a well. It's the Eye of the Holy Serpent Mound, on which your standing.
WAGON BOSS: It's a butte!
INDIAN: No, it's a mound.

 

[urgross]

Good humor for management, as well, starting from "Everything You Know Is Wrong".

 

[Jboggs]

One of our favorites around here occurs quite often. When someone from production wants something, if their description starts with "All you gotta do is...", you know you're in trouble. Run!

Or the classic - "you done yet?" Our standard answer is "All I lack is finishing."

The one I really like is: "Oh no! You gave me exactly what I asked for!"

 

[EngineerErrant]

The one I really like is: "Oh no! You gave me exactly what I asked for!"

*snip*

Stealing this.

"Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems." -Scott Adams

 

[TheTick]

When I was a machinist, I liked to use a variation of that.

"No, it's not what you wanted. It's what you asked for."

 

[JohnRBaker]

Back when I was still on the board I made a drawing once of a shaft for a small conveyor system which had 4 shallow stepped-down segments which were to be knurled for extra friction to help drive four narrow neoprene belts. However I only drew the knurling on one of the segments adding an annotation stating 'TYPICAL 4-PLACES' (note that this was pre-CAD and it was just extra work to draw the knurling pattern on ALL four segments shown on the drawing).

Sure enough, when they finished assembling the machine I was called out to the shop because only one of the conveyor belts was moving properly. That's when I noticed that only one segment of the shaft had knurling and when we checked with the machine shop the guy who machined it said that he simply "made it like the picture on the drawing". When I asked him if he had seen the annotation his comment was that he didn't know what 'TYPICAL' meant. I was more upset with the inspection department since this is the sort of thing they should have caught or at least questioned engineering (me, in this case) as to what was expected.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[patprimmer]

When I asked him if he had seen the annotation his comment was that he didn't know what 'TYPICAL' meant.

Was your reply to him "Well that's typical of you"

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm

for site rules

 

[JohnRBaker]

At the time, I was a young engineer and he was an old machinist. For all I know, he may have done this on purpose so as to make a point, except that he seems to have missed delivering the 'punch line' as it were

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[crthompson]

An older electrical engineer that I worked with on ocassion told me a story about checking the fuses on a job with the local engineer... The older guy took out his ohm-meter and began to check the fuses... This one is shorted he said and laid it to the side. The next one is shorted as well. ALL THREE FUSES ARE SHORTED!!! The local engineer was shocked and went and got a new box of fuses lol...

 

[JohnRBaker]

It's like the stories my maternal grandfather told me about his first job in America (he was 20 years old when he arrived from Belgium with no cash, not speaking a word of English) working in a paper mill doing whatever dirty job the foreman could dream up (after all, he was just a dumb immigrant kid). He said it took him nearly a week before he realized that monkey wrenches did NOT come in left- and right-hand versions. But he stuck it out and a couple of years later, after his English improved, he managed to get a job at the city waterworks, and 40 years later he retired as the Chief Water Engineer for the City of Monroe, Mich. And this with only a 3rd grade education, but he was the smartest man I ever met when it came to doing math in his head. He loved to play cards (Canasta, Rummy, etc) and he used to give us kids a hard time when we needed to use a pencil to add up the scores, carrying places and such. He always knew everyones score before we could add them up. I suspect that his math skills impressed me so much that I always tried to do well in school and this eventually led to my going to engineering school.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[Boothby171]

I did once attempt to punish my daughter (then 10) for something by making her sit in the corner and counting backwards from "pi".

Being as big as geek as I, she did:

"Three, point one four one five nine two...Hey!!!!

--Boothby

"The biggest cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid people are so sure about things and the intelligent folks are so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

 

[SnTMan]

Now thats' funny!