Somewhere along the way, fossil fuels have gotten a bad rap. Coal, oil, natural gas — you name it. We use fossil fuels for everything from creating electricity, warming the shelters we live in and scooting around town. Burning fossil fuels has become a necessity for our way of life.

Why does a bike stay balanced when you are moving and fall to the side when you are standing still? Anyone who has ridden a bike knows that if you keep moving you won’t fall but as soon as you come to a stop you will need to put your feet on the ground or risk tipping over.

Motors are found everywhere in buildings, and engineers are responsible for making sure they are sized correctly and have adequate source energy to make them work. The heart of almost every HVAC, plumbing and fire protection system is the source equipment. 

“Ripping off the Band-Aid” is what people do when they want to make discomfort as short-lived as possible. Similar to “putting something to bed” but not quite as drastic as “this is going to hurt me more than it is going to hurt you,” ripping off a Band-Aid does have a hint of compassion as it implies that the person doing the ripping may have placed the bandage or that they will be there to continue the healing process once the hair ripping adhesive has been removed.

“Que Sera Sera” is the title of a catchy tune from way back when that means: “Whatever will be will be.” The lyrics go on to say, “the future’s not ours to see.” For anyone reading this who has absolutely no connection to this cultural reference, a more modern term in common use would be: “It is was it is.”

When people say that the “ends justify the means,” it is usually an excuse for screwing something up and shrugging their shoulders as if to say, “Oh well, I got the result I wanted and that’s all that matters.”  It reminds me of that impulse you have when you are a kid playing a practical joke that you know is probably a bad idea, but do it anyway because you want that thrill you feel after your plot, usually at someone else’s expense, has been executed. It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

Much of our learning in life comes from a consistent curiosity. Sometimes it can take years before we have an epiphany about something that may have puzzled us in the past. Experiencing that feeling of calm satisfaction wash over us after the initial spark of understanding is sometimes known as “Zen.”

Some of us may remember a day when ketchup was placed in thick glass bottles with skinny necks. I’d like to meet the person who came up with that idea and kindly ask, “What were you thinking?” 

One of the things I love about engineering is remembering those moments that inspire us to keep learning. For me, most of the time, it was related to somebody trying to fix something that was broken.