Shows
Toasting Design#198 3rd year mech/aero design projects 2023The design projects in undergrad at Wits SoMIAE change every year. We do this to keep things fresh, to make our lives (as the lecturer) entertaining and also gives students something new each year. We introduce these here as they tend to come up in conversations later in the year. Some starting thoughts, things to think about and the like.
Hosted by M.Boer and S.Schekman on 15th Feb 2023.2023-03-1726 minToasting Design#197 The 2nd year design projects 2023The design projects in undergrad at Wits SoMIAE change every year. We do this to keep things fresh, to make our lives (as the lecturer) entertaining and also gives students something new each year. We introduce these here as they tend to come up in conversations. Some starting thoughts, things to think about and the like.
Hosted by M.Boer and S.Schekman on 15th Feb 2023.2023-03-1024 minToasting Design#95 The glue that holds our thoughts togetherTo be clear please do not use a hot glue gun to stick together your thoughts. Pritt is much better.
Otherwise just listen to the podcast.
Hosted in a hotly debated discussion by M.Boer and S.Schekman on the 9th Feb 2021
Keys: Problems from products, different options for problems, glue guns, functional analysis2021-03-2629 minToasting Design#94 Washing up on problemsIs wanting something more convenient reason enough to invest in a new (possibly) expensive system? How do you rationlize or quantify convenience? Okay so you might be saying that it comes down to time committed (if not then please go back, and say it before reading this previous sentence - thanks). But how much time is inconvenient? That's dependent on who ever's time it is. Okay what if you said it's about energy input required (once more, please go back and say it, play along now). Yes, that is a good point (your gold star is in the mail...2021-03-1926 minToasting Design#93 Being ConsiderateThe consideration of design functions, properties and requirements is one of the more important aspects of design. It starts right when the problem is being identified and sometimes earlier in helping identify a problem to start with. It then goes on until the very end ensuring that the designer has accounted for the various functions that the problem solution needs to have. It is easily over looked and pushed to the side and it is similarly easy to see when this is what has happened.
Hosted in consideration by M.Boer and S.Schekman on 2nd Feb 20202021-03-1231 minToasting Design#92 Design SpecificationIt is one of the more over looked or disregarded of report sections and yet one of the most important to examiners. This section details and specifies what the solution to the problem is. It is not about throwing out every number that was ever calculated during the design development. It is not about showing off your creative writing skills in how you imagine the system will be manufactured or how much it will cost when the furthest you got in the design development was choosing the type of engine you would use. It is also not about throwing...2021-03-0528 minToasting Design#91 Details III: This time it's detailedIn this third installment on detailed design, we talk about detailed design. Not very controversial but that's what tends to happen with the end of a trilogy (a trilogy until we decide to make it a 5 parter that is). Detailed design in the context of a student project does not allow for the student to do EVERYTHING, there simply is not enough time. So it is important then to understand and determine what does need to be done (and there is always something).
Hosted on the inside track by M.Boer and S.Schekman on 26th February 20202021-02-2630 minToasting Design#90 Problem Defining and RefiningThe problem and the solution is not a "chicken and the egg" situation. It is quite clear which one comes first. There are times however when a current solution has inspired a problem in the sense that the problem has been identified based on an investigation into a product or system that happens to have been the current solution. This can lead to a whole lot of issues that designers need to be very careful about.
Hosted by S. Schekman and M.Boer on the 26th February 2020
Keys: problem identification, problem refinement2021-02-1930 minToasting Design#89 Details, details, detailsThat there be where the devil is... at least so the saying goes. It also be where no student want to go (at least not correctly). Is it because it gives flashbacks to the other courses? Is it because it has a bad habit of showing that the preliminary design was really bad? Is it because? The response to your answers are the same regardless: shame.
Hosted purposefully in detail by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 19th Jan 2021
Queries, comments, suggestions and general rants can be emailed to toastingdesign@gmail.com
Keys: d...2021-02-1230 minToasting Design#88 Its all in the detailsDetailed design can be a noun or verb. The former implies that a large number of parameters about the design can be specified. The latter deals with how you get to that point (you have to do detailed design in order to have a detailed design). What does this matter? Almost nothing. Why am I then going into it? Because the important thing to understand is that definitions are not important. Detailed design (both kinds) are inevitable and necessary, you cannot get out of it (while being successful) nor find a loophole. So don't make the famous mistake of...2021-02-0531 minToasting Design#87 Packing it inWhen it comes to going on a trip its the before, the destination and the after that is what people want. No one wants the middle stuff, specifically the packing. It takes forever and never seems to work as well on the return way back. While it is great to go minimalist this is not always an option so something needs to be done about it. If your first solution was "magic" then I don't think you understand how this podcast works. Alternatively if you thought "just don't go in the first place," while I like your thinking, it...2021-01-2930 minToasting Design#86 4th year design topics 2021A design topic for 4th year needs to be based on a complex engineering problem. This is itself a challenge to some but the nature and relevance of the topic is focused on in this episode. Given the current state of things (as of Jan 2021) it is easy to get lost in current world events and determine problems that exist. Where care needs to be taken is that an design project will only be running in the second half of the year. In between the now and the then, things change, problems are solved and problems stop needed to...2021-01-2227 minToasting Design#85 Bring the holiday homeCards on the table (a 5 of spades, 2 of clubs and pick up 4 uno card if curious), we had no idea what direction this episode would go in, even after having started it. That is sort of how design sometimes works and you need to roll with it. Note that it doesn't take 1 week of stumbling around though so as far as excuses go, "I took a bit of a tangent to a new idea" buys you about an hour; you still need to explain what you did the rest of the week.
Hosted with holiday memories by...2021-01-0827 minToasting Design#84 Jumping over LeonardoThe combination of entertainment and design can be a difficult one. On one hand you have a scientific method with quantifiable proof's, substantiated arguments and an inherent logic. On the other you have what tickles the fancy of a crowd and this is typically impossible to quantify, argue against or apply any sort of logic to (there is a reason you don't see engineers with psychology degrees and vice versa).
Hosted with high hopes for a new year by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 8th December 20202021-01-0129 minToasting Design#83 Festivities and Design in HindsightComplements of the season! Of course if you only listen to this at a later date then I am left having to just complement you. On what you may ask? Well on listening to this podcast of course (unless you are actually listening to this around december end 2020 - in which I am only complementing you on the season).
In conclusion to the year we look back at what happened with design, the good and the bad. Probably more of the bad given that that is what we remember better.
Hosted jolly-ly b...2020-12-2544 minToasting Design#82 Mowing down the conceptsWith design, there are no clear "right" ways or "wrong" ways and it depends on what works for you. Having said that, there are plenty of "wrong" ways and in part these are contributed to the designer wanting to skip steps or force a design in a particular direction. There are also terrible ways (no inverted commas there, they are just plain and simply terrible!) and those are the ones you should not do, they are not recoverable or fixable. We present a mix of these today with regard to concepts and the need of a lawn mower.
2020-12-1842 minToasting Design#81 We told you soReading through the complete disaster of a design report is depressing and agravating but, as always, there is a silver lining. In this case it is our chance to remind you that we told you so! That all those daft ideas, poor choices (or lack of choices), continued selection of concept 2 or insistence of comparing blue helicopters to aluminium aquariums were highlighted, colour coded, stated, repeated, drawn and acted out as warning. So if you are guilty of these "great" moves then thank you for giving us something to bitch about.
Hosted with extra salt by M...2020-12-1138 minToasting Design#80 Designing between the designsDesign is a skill and skills need to be practiced consistently. So in breaks where you don't have anything to design or projects to leave until the last minute, consider some background tasks or ideas to keep things fresh. Or don't... You could always do you own thing and give us more things to talk about in consideration of the obscure and weird inexplicable ideas that are pursued.
Hosted skillfully (for the most part) by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 20th October 2020
Keys: design skills, what you need to know, the design process2020-12-0426 minToasting Design#79 Drawing out design to make it fasterEngineers tend to deal with images and figures better than text and words. The use of drawings/sketches/rendered views, etc. is all but critical for a design. Stop fighting it, accept it and embrace it. Its not the dark side (unless you the dark side is better, in which case it is the dark side).
Also seriously, if you have found Jeremy, keep him.
Hosted in animation and pictorially by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 6 October 2020
Keys: the executive summary, problem definition, substantiation of ideas, design methods2020-11-2737 minToasting Design#78 A lit bit of different design ideasIn the current conclusion to the application or use of scientific principles to a design methodology, we discuss a series of different principles. There are more (the law of thermodynamics is an interesting one to try this with as is survival of the fittest). Keeping to only one design principle, ideology or approach allows for the potential for you to miss different ideas that may be far better than what may come from your standard approach. At the very list it tests your own thinking to find and fix flaws or gaps. Give it a go.
Hosted...2020-11-2023 minToasting Design#77 Completely inconsistentIt's easy. Are you complete with your work? Yes? Then you have been inconsistent. Does that statement hold true throughout? I really hope not. In design, however, it holds up well and is a good lesson to keep in mind. Also becomes it implies that you are never done in design if you have been consistent, which is a sad truth (there is always more you can do).
Hosted incompletely because of consistency by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 22 Sept 2020
Keys: when is a project done, integration of systems, iteration of systems, alternate perspectives...2020-11-1328 minToasting Design#76 Heisenberg's uncertainty with designThe original approach to this topic was schrodingers cat. The idea being that after you complete a design it is both a failure and a pass until someone looks at it. That got depressing quickly and required much toast to pull us out of that slump. Following on from us wanting to not consider the future submissions that are yet to be we moved onto the principle of not getting distracted with things that don't matter.
Hosted in the now by M. Boer and S. Schekman on the 22 Sept 2020
Keys: considerations in design, planning out...2020-11-0619 minToasting Design#75 The What If's in Design Part 2No more interuptions. Just good ol' design of the ultimate gardening system, now with added pest seek and destroy action and the ability to hover. When we look back at what happened and how the machines took over we have only the weeds to blame.
But what if you used sunlight to burn out the unwanted life in the garden? What if there has been enough ran to turn the ground into mud and the design can no longer move?
Hosted as close to being in the outdoors as the podcast is likely to get b...2020-10-3038 minToasting Design#74 The What If's in Design Part 1To interupt or not interupt. To account for every "what if" during the design or to run on with it and hope it works out later. It has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand it stops you running ahead with the really bad ideas and wasting too much time but on the other hand it means that when all you wanted is a coffee machine you somehow end up figuring out how to both hard boil and fry an egg.
Interrupted repeatedly by M. Boer and S. Schekman on the 8th September 2020
Keys: ac...2020-10-2324 minToasting Design#73 Getting Functional Part 2It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of a person's fears and the summit of their knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Toasting Design.
Completely off topic as usual by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 1 September 2020
Key words: Functional considerations, design considerations, problem defining, concept generation, practicing functional considerations2020-10-1631 minToasting Design#72 Getting Functional Part 1You can define a function as the action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists or any of a group of related actions contributing to a larger action. Does that help you understand it better? It doesn't for me but thats mostly because design doesn't work by dictionary definitions and when dealing with functions on your designs there are different and varied ways in which they are considered and these may be different between design engineers. What we discuss here is just one of those approaches.
Hosted...2020-10-0919 minToasting Design#71 Matching your habits to your thoughtsIt's been said before but Design needs time. Time to review your ideas and critically evaluate your decisions (should you really have used a dog sled as inspiration for your martian rover? - no. No you should not have). Time is also necessary when coming up with ideas and tackling problems and choices with the full spectrum of tools/skills/options at your designs proposal - did you consider using environmental factors as a potential propulsion system? We don't tell you what to do per se here but there are suggestions and take note that certainly what works for...2020-10-0228 minToasting Design#70 Assessing what should be assessedYou are designing a bicycle to compete against a standard off the shelf model. In competing you need to know what information is required to begin your design and ensure that it succeeds (i.e. solves the problem). What do you need? The water bottle size that be accomodated? The pressure required to activate the breaks? The seat density? The material density of the pedals? None, right? (yes that is right - go back and correct yourself as necessary). Getting the correct information is important and while insufficient information is not good, having too much is also not ideal...2020-09-2524 minToasting Design#69 Designing researchDid we design a new form of research? Well no (that should be obvious). Did we design the original research? Again no (that would be impossible without time travel). Did you not ask these questions? Oh. Well that's different then. Did we apply design in our own research. Yes. You can't not do that. You can apply design really badly in your own research but you certainly cant get out of it completely. If this has shattered your dreams of being a researcher and getting as far from design as possible then firstly I think you have picked a...2020-09-1824 minToasting Design#68 Requiring regulation regarding requirementsIn retrospect the issue with the final idea proposed within has a major problem. The parents are likely to want to play just as much as the kids. That may have been an overlooked matter. No Jeremy's were harmed in the recording of this episode (and yes, there are multiple Jeremy's)
Hosted by ignoring the constraints and requirements of M. Boer and S. Schekman on 4th August 2020
Keys: URS, PRS, requirement based problems, breaking down the problem using the URS2020-09-1131 minToasting Design#67 Playing with grounded constraintsHaving developed the playground swing set it was noted that the enclosure was sufficiently airtight that a child would only have 2 minutes of oxygen before he/she would pass out and the next child could get a turn. In hindsight the consdiration of the parents and owner of the grounds should have been taken into account as pit underneath the swing was, based on a survey, found to be unethical in the way it removed the child in peparation for the next rider. Also the suffocation was not well received. On the bright side though, all requirements were met.2020-09-0425 minToasting Design#66 Less waffle, more toastLet's get to the point, no more meandering about, no more senseless discussion on whether Jeremy or Burt is worse human being, stop the unnecessary reminagining of the their backstories. Plain and simply: we talk about design. Also Jeremy is the worse person.
Hosted quickly and concisely by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 30 July 2020
Keys: writing concisely, unnecessary content in a report, how to approach the writing of a report2020-08-2823 minToasting Design#65 On a more serious noteAugust is Women's month and we thought we would tackle the serious topic of gender based violence in the context of engineering design.
Hosted by M. Boer, T. Mangera and S. Schekman
Keys: Importance of problem identification, focusing on the problem, considering worst case scenarios,2020-08-2145 minToasting Design#64 Student Projects Part 2In this stunning conclusion to the long awaited discussion we in no way meet your very limited expectations. What we do instead is talk about design and design projects. It really is (pun intended) our bread and butter. That pun is enough to make me want to change the name of this podcast to breading design but that just sounds like we are dipping design in bread crumbs to deep fry. Admittedly we can play on this further with design being finger licking good (though obviously don't lick your fingers - wear your mask and stay safe!) but I...2020-08-1419 minToasting Design#63 Student Projects Part 1What do you do when first given a design project? After the obligatory whimper, obviously. Are you asking the good questions or are you immediately looking for the loopholes and ways to make your life easier? Finding and exploiting loopholes can help and is a part of design but they have their place. I also assure you that students of design know how to find loopholes. So instead we discuss the projects and see what good questions we can ask.
Hosted by way of an interesting loophole involving toast by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 21 July 2020.2020-08-0723 minToasting Design#62 Con - wait for it - ceptsConcepts are probably the best part about engineering design. The consideration of alternative options are the reason we have tank treads instead of just wheels, aluminium skinned aircraft instead of fabric covered ones and choosing your next cellphone can be time consuming. So its a big topic to discuss and delve into and one we will undoubtably return to in the future.
Hosted instead by Burt Russel under the guise of M. Boer and S. Schekman on 30 June 2020 2020-07-3128 minToasting Design#61 Concepts againFire. Fire good! Fire fun! But sometimes it's not and when it's not then the fun needs to found in ways of stopping/controlling/manipulating it. When doing you will have options. Different ways of stopping/controlling/manipulating the energy. And when it comes to design, your options are your concepts. So let's do come up with some ideas.
Hosted through the imagination of the imaginary Jeremy by M. Boer and S. Schekman on the 30 June 20202020-07-2422 minToasting Design#60 Concepts à la Boer and SchekmanThere is more than one way to fillet a fish, there is more than one way to introduce the podcast and there is more than one way to back flip off a car in a high speed pursuit so that you land on the car behind you and use the impact to propel you up the side of the building. Okay so maybe not that last one but it is important to always consider your options. When it comes to generating options or concepts in design there is more than 1 way to go about this, none of them are...2020-07-1747 minToasting Design#0 IntroductionsWelcome to Toasting design where we talk about engineering design, Burt Russell, Chef Jeremy and hypersonic trains that educate children about the importance of sarcasm.
Timestamps for future reference:
The good stuff: 0:00
Host introductions: 01:38
Purpose of podcasts: 03:48
The Design Process: 08:48
Hosted for the first time, 62 episodes in, by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 14th July 2020
Keys: Introduction to main hosts, purpose of Toasting design, the design process2020-07-141h 04Toasting Design#59 WFH PoliceWorking from home has advantages and disadvantages. It is also not for everyone or every business. Many, if not most, of you would say the police force cannot operate in a work from home type setup but why not? What is the purpose in a police station in this day and age? Pursuing ideas like this are, at the very least, a good way to stretch ideas and perceptions of what you know. We are not saying we know the answers nor that our ideas are correct but if no one questions anything then there can be no progress.2020-07-1022 minToasting Design#58 GuessingTo guess or not to guess and to what level and why to guess and when to guess... that's the quote right? If not then it's mine. Guessing is a big part of design but there are skills that are needed and times for which it is inappropriate. Not to be taken lightly.
Hosted with our left feet in, our right hands out and shaking that nonsense all about by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 17 June 20202020-07-0325 minToasting Design#57 Practical Recaps and IntrosWhat incentive is there to recap the previous years course work when starting a new year of study? Would it be helpful to get introductions to course material before the course started? Would you do it if the cost of getting it wrong might result in you flying off the edge of a cliff?
All retorical questions obviously, you would have to do it.
Hosted using claymation and stop motion photography by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 2nd June 2020.2020-06-2623 minToasting Design#56 The officeNo, we are not reviewing the tv series and we are similarly not deciding if the british or american versions are better. Instead we are considering how one would make an office more social distance friendly. How do you get around Martha who insists on leaning over you, cheek to cheek and prodding your monitor? How do you avoid those awkward passes in the hallway with that employee who you are sure is called Jarred but everyone calls Bill? What is the expected norm when it comes to using the shared microwave?
Hosted un-ironically by M. Boer...2020-06-1930 minToasting Design#55 The never leave home - home Part 2Knowing that the never leave home will need to consider work, family life, recreation and health where do you then start? Do you rush into it or plan it out? Do you get rid of the family so that your design development becomes similar? Why not quit your job at the same time? Ok, that might affect mental health (not having an income and all), so maybe don't do that. Also family is important so probably best to release them from the basement. What else can be done?
Hosted through hyperbeli and abstract thought by M. Boer...2020-06-1231 minToasting Design#54 From problem to functionKnowing the problem is one thing. Knowing what to do about the problem is the second thing. But two unconnected things (get your head out the gutter) drift apart. The link between the "why" and the "therefore" is almost just as important. Imagine you were told that students cheating in exams is the problem and therefore the problem will be solved but chemically altering the brains of students to stop them contemplating cheating. Would you accept those two statement from the start (if so then please consider some courses on ethics) but if not then understand that while a...2020-06-0528 minToasting Design#53 The never leave home - home Part 1It is likely that you don't want to be kept in lockdown and required to remain within your home for extended periods of time. If you were required to, however, is there a type of home or design of a home that would allow you do so comfortably and without the negative effects such as cabin fever, isolation and unproductive. While we won't strictly look at solutions, we tackle how to begin this sort of design.
Hosted telepathically using the internet by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 20 May 2020.2020-05-2921 minToasting Design#52 Grinding through beans to find problemsWhile it is unlikely you are going to be sent back in time to implement or carry out designs, as an exercise the implementation of systems in different environments. On the other hand if you are being sent back in time, please do something more than just get rich making home coffee machines. There are waffle irons too!
Hosted by way of worse code digitally altered to sound like voices by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 20 May 2020 2020-05-2227 minToasting Design#51 Medical Transport Part 2Right back into the coffin-rotisserie. A series of surveys were conducted and people were quite fond of the name. Things changed for the worst when informed of the intended purpose of the revolver beds so those responses were deleted from the survey in order to preserve the good form first drawn up. Also those persons that were still in favour of the name after finding out the function have now been reported to authorities just to be on the safe side.
Hosted by way of virtual toast (the crunch is real, the taste is...2020-05-1834 minToasting Design#50 Medical Transport Part 1When you put it as a coffin-rotisserie-for-patients this idea may not seem like the best one. So don't word it like that. Instead see it a medical-ferris-wheel-on-wheels. That almost sounds fun if it werent for the pandemic, emergency or fact that you are technically in a coffin on a rotisserie (minus the open flame and knife sharpening chef).
Hosted by way of carrier pidgeon and wire joined tins by M. Boer and S.Schekman on 12 May 2020. 2020-05-1532 minToasting Design#49 Cleaning Clothes by DesignSo the washing machine is broken. You whip out your trusty swiss army knife adamant that this is your time to prove to the world that you are capable and able to support yourself. Long story short is that good news, the machine wasn't broken, you just needed to plug it in. Bad news is that it is now most definitely broken (its a set of wires, not a vine covered door Indiana! next time lose the blade). Never to let life get you down you decide you will fix the situation and no, buying a new machine doesn't w...2020-05-1124 minToasting Design#48 Design Tools Part 2In this second part of a pentalogy that will only have two parts released, the use of tools (again the inanimate sort) are discussed. On a side note would the use of an artificial intelligence as a design tool count as (a) cheating, (b) just begging for Terminator to become a reality, (c) manipulation, (d) rude, they are people too or (e) I like cheese.
Hosted remotely by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 5 May 20202020-05-0827 minToasting Design#47 Sport is boringSport is an interesting topic from the perspective of design. The problems that call for solutions tend to be more difficult to nail down or substantiate. The solutions involve a lot of the fluffy side of design such as aesthetics and public opinion. In this way they force budding engineers to consider factors that are likely to be outside of their design experiences or teachings. Also they are a fun topic to come up with the bat-sh#t crazy ideas.
Hosted from the cupboards under the staircases by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 28...2020-05-0427 minToasting Design#46 Design Tools Part 1There are many types of tools and tools can themselves use tools. To undertake design with your bare hands (though they are themselves tools - i.e. to undertake design without tools) is arguably very inefficient. So don't be a tool and instead use tools (the inanimate sort - manipulation is not part of design).
Hosted remotely by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 28 April 2020.2020-05-0124 minToasting Design#45 Emergency: OstrichIs your Ostrich always getting sick? What do you mean you don't have an ostrich? Without an ostrich how are you reliably making south african toast? Enough questions. Enjoy the episode
Hosted online by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 21 April 20202020-04-2725 minToasting Design#44 Filming sci-fi golfDo you need more than that title? Well other than the disclaimer that by hoverboard we mean a board that hovers not some annoying gadget that mimics a segway.
Hosted online by M.Boer and S.Schekman on 21 April 20202020-04-2424 minToasting Design#43 social distancing by designLockdowns are "great" but it is also nice to be able to get out. But what is out? What does out mean? What would one want to do while out? Why do cars have cup holders but not toast holders? Would you buy groceries from a person in a bubble suit? Is it worth going to a hardware store when you cannot walk around and try find the tool you haven't yet bought? If going out meant having to exercise would you go?
My answers would be: not in, not in, because, crumbs, maybe, maybe, I guess...2020-04-2024 minToasting Design#42 formula lockdownPicture the scene, the TV flashes a solid red background followed by a yellow then green. A mad scramble, the hollow sound of a loose plastic wheel, slipping and scuffing broom handles on the floor. Frantic screams as Mom's favourite takes an early lead but then Dad's team turns on their "secret weapon" and the dull whirring of the leaf blower takes over. Around corner 4 the Dachshund puts an end to a young champion in a misinterpretation of the honour system. Dad levels the playing field as the carpet unfolds and the ensuing pileup flings the driver across the f...2020-04-1720 minToasting Design#41 The ultimate triathlonWhen studying design it is easy to envisage or want to create those designs that work towards the betterment of mankind, the type of thing that ends world hunger, prevents deaths in traffic accidents or saves us from a oncoming asteroid impact. But there are also those designs that are less "impactful" but are nevertheless applicable and worth pursuing. Sports and designs related around sports are one such example. Would the world be any worse off if Bobsleigh racing hadn't been invented? Likely not (besides the obvious lack of a Cool Runnings movie which would be a shame) but...2020-04-1417 minToasting Design#40 Multipurpose vs Single PurposeA screw driver can be used for a number of different applications and very few of them were envisaged. While it may be overkill I think it adds a little something extra (grease?) when you use one to butter your toast. So why are we not designing our screw drivers to butter your toast, slap that annoying mosquito or act as a powerbank for your cellphone? Alternatively why is your cellphone not just for phone calls, why not use a proper dedicated mirrorless digital camera, ultrabook and kindle reader instead and keep the cellphone as just a phone?
2020-04-1019 minToasting Design#39 searching and rescuingIf a person crashes their bike in the middle of the desert and no one sees it, should you (a) post your thoughts on youtube, (b) discuss it in a podcast, (c) eat toast, (d) ignore the person, eventually they will just go away or (e) make sure they have metal in their gear and pass a giant magnet over the desert until the rider is collected. The answer is of course (f) because design is not one of those topics that always fits nicely into 5 basic options and you sometimes need to think out of the box.
2020-04-0620 minToasting Design#38 keep it simple steveWhen considering the design of a power generator for your island holiday home you would not immediately start moving into the design of the start button's shape. Well rather, you should not immediately do that. There are far bigger concerns and factors that should be considered first. Not whether global warming will result in your holiday home needing to be submersible or what colour the harnesses on the dolphins will look like.
None of this is actually discussed in this episode but the general idea is instead (though I do now want to discuss an underwater holiday...2020-04-0320 minToasting Design#37 not so naked on MarsApparently clothing is required on Mars. The design of a washing machine for Mars is not a problem worth solving. This tumble drier discussion (20 minutes on cool) covers the problem of clothing for the lucky folks going to live on Mars. The Zebra car-wash provides no solution! The overall clothing concept that was designed; cleans, protects and introduces physical exercise simultaneously. End of the day, peel it off, count sheep and dream of Earth......
Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 11 March 20202020-03-2721 minToasting Design#36 Failing to fail is not failureNot everything is meant to work, you are though. So work! Some things work by failing in a planned way. This makes no sense, but it is true, particularly for advanced complex systems. Modern cars are actually a post-accident safety cell that looks cool when the accident is reversed. So how do you start with a safe protective ball of suspension bits that encases the fuel tank and get great cornering performance before the bits become a ball? What design considerations go into this madness? Why was the destruction of Benson II (the coffee plunger) even discussed?
H...2020-03-2320 minToasting Design#35 Antarctic brainstormIgnoring the menu of hot-frozen toast with goosebump jam and icicle sauce. What design considerations go into food production on Antarctica. Where will the power come from? Mars is both like and unlike the southern polar region. Would blizzard kite-propelled mobile generators work? Would they stop for Penguins? Why did the Penguin cross the road?
Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 6 March 20202020-03-2026 minToasting Design#34 Dominant ideasIn a game of dominoes are the dots real? They are definitely more real than dragons. It is important to realise that dominant ideas and dominating personalities might negatively influence design work. Be wary of specialists, respect them but be careful of letting specialists make important design decisions. The design can fail if domination dominates. This occurs in daily life and in group work too. It happens right under your nose, no, not that! That is a moustache called Larry, he knows no excel, yet he is excellent at hairodynamics.
Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman...2020-03-1617 minToasting Design#33 Why are some things just so?Is perception a stapled caveat? Why is the design of the staple a staple of the stationary world of stationery? Arguments for and against the design of 2, 3 and 6 wheel multi-passenger vehicles are made. These design considerations are circularly discussed. The answer is 4. Always 4. Not 3. No.
Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 4 March 20202020-03-1219 minToasting Design#32 Design criteriaWhen choosing your bread for toasting you don't (shouldn't anyway) make the decision purely based on the piece that is at arms reach. There is the bread type, brand, slice thickness, price, state of freshness, availability at the store/bakery. Design is the same (minus the bakery).
Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 4th March 20202020-03-0922 minToasting Design#31 fixing a bad designYou've burnt your toast and now need to decide what to do with it. Do you start over, get a new piece of bread and crack on or do you dust off the burnt pieces and spread that butter? Alternatively if you keep burning the toast maybe just get a new toaster.
Hosted by M. Boer, S. Schekman and C. Schulte-Brader on 28th Feb 20202020-03-0619 minToasting Design#30 Designing outside your comfort zoneDesigning something outside your comfort zone is inevitable. It comes down to a confidence in your skills and breaking things down to what you know. Also you can remember that if ever uncomfortable when undertaking a design just imagine all the information as being naked. Apparently that will help.
Hosted by M. Boer, S. Schekman and C Schulte-Brader on 28th Feb 20202020-03-0217 minToasting Design#29 Bad Habits: "Laziness"It's not that you are lazy, it's not you. It's me. I'm not Lazy.
Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman2020-02-2825 minToasting Design#28 Functional AnalysisInfinite staplers and stealth coffee mugs. These are the solutions that design provides, it is the duty of the design engineer to know when to say "no."
Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 21st Feb 2020.2020-02-2428 minToasting Design#27 What we don't lecture in the design courses Part 1I would think you can imagine the list of what we don't lecture is quite extensive but specifically we are focusing on those topics that are relevant to the design process and design methodologies. So if you are here for bear hibernation habits or an indepth discussion on your nasal cavaties then you may be a little disapointed and likely also listening to the wrong podcast.
Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 14th Feb 20202020-02-2119 minToasting Design#26 Painting Cheese on ToastWhether painting a cargo ship, "square" lecture theatre or a piece of toast, you need to run the numbers. Having said that, we in no way condone the literal painting and subsequent consumption of toast.... unless you have edible paint. Although what is the difference between edible paint and standard sandwich spread? Define edible. Define spread. Define toast and then eat it.2020-02-1725 minToasting Design#25 Open ended problem examplesWe may need a new toaster but the crumbs are still there...
Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on the 7th Feb 20202020-02-1225 minToasting Design#24 Keep your eye on the problemGetting distracted in design can have large ramifications in terms of did you know that human eye has an angular resolution 0.01667 degrees? And that can make things confusing.
Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 7th Feb 20202020-02-0722 minToasting Design#23 Mission Planning (Mech edition)Are mech's better than aero's? Would the average ground temperature near a volcano cause the coefficient of friction to increase with increasing hill gradient or would the ratio of air in the atmosphere be noticeably lower such that aerodynamic drag can be ignored? Preposterous questions you might think but would a mech or an aero give you a better answer?
On a side note, we discuss mission planning in a mech project context. Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on the 31st January 2020.2020-02-0517 minToasting Design#22 Mission Planning (Aero Edition)Yeah. Yeah. Cool. Hmmm. Yeah. Anything. Ya. Ya. Exactly Ja! Hmmhmmm. Ja. Yeah. Hmmm. Okay. Okay. Kay....... I need a better script.
Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 31st January 2020
2020-01-3121 minToasting Design#21 How we learn and whyIf your car breaks down do you:
(a) dismantle it in order to work out why it broke down
(b) set fire to it and make it all just go away
(c) try sell the car off as "slightly used"
(d) argue with the car and insist that it's choice in breaking down was wrong and that you should be given a second chance
(e) all of the above
None of the above are recommended but if you do any of these please do write in and...2020-01-2920 minToasting Design#20 Intro to Design PlanningTo plan or not to plan? That is the question. Easy answer though... plan, always plan... sometimes... if you have time...
Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 24 January 2020
2020-01-2422 minToasting Design#19 UG Projects 2020 Part 33rd year design projects for Mech's and Aero's 2020
There is a loophole to the 3rd year design projects. It is really quite simple. If you pay attention, put in the time and solve a problem that actually exists you will pass the project... who would have thought?
Hosted by M. Boer, T. Mangera and S. Schekman on the 17th January 2020.2020-01-2225 minToasting Design#18 UG Projects 2020 Part 22nd year design projects 2020
Will a toaster work on Mars with the different atmosphere or will there need to be a specific model just for use on the red planet? Also what about the deck chairs? Where will we get the wood?
Hosted by M. Boer, T. Mangera and S Schekman on 17th Jan 20202020-01-1819 minToasting Design#17 Biker ProblemsDefining a problem has never been so easy. Not that we necessarily tell you how, but in a more general sort of way it is easy. In other news we discuss a self defined problem and how what information and details were necessary to define it. Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on the 9th January 20202020-01-1536 minToasting Design#16 UG Projects 2020 Part 1Do all 4th year projects need to focus on swimming pools? Do we know anything about Kreepy Krauly's? Is this the decade/year/month/week where we remain on topic? Is Toast still relevant in 2020?
Some of these questions discussed in this weeks episode. Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 10 Jan 2020.2020-01-1016 minToasting Design#15 Skateboard designIs a skateboard determined by a design, product or report? Yes! Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on December 6th 2019.2019-12-1529 minToasting Design#14 The Design Trinity: the process, the product and the reportThe design process, the product, the report. Whats the difference? What makes a good one and what makes a bad one? What habits are associated with each? Are skateboards still relevant? Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on December 6th 2019.2019-12-1119 minToasting Design#13 We approach design differentlyPodcast hosted by M. Boer, M. Atkins and S. Schekman on 29th November 2019.2019-12-0920 minToasting Design#12 Deduction and InductionToday we discuss design by deduction and induction. Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on the 22nd November 20192019-12-0226 minToasting Design#11 Optimization and IterationToday we discuss iteration and optimization in design. Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on the 22nd November 2019.2019-11-2921 minToasting Design#10 Moons and UAV'sToday we discuss design. Very novel I know! Hosted by M. Boer, D. Van Aswegen and S. Schekman on the 15th November 2019.2019-11-2940 minToasting Design#9 TRIZ Part 2Today we continue to tackle how we apply TRIZ in our designs. Hosted by M. Boer, and S. Schekman on the 9th November 2019.2019-11-2929 minToasting Design#8 TRIZ Part 1Today we tackle how we apply TRIZ in our designs.
Hosted by M. Boer, and S. Schekman on the 9th November 2019.2019-11-2920 minToasting Design#7 Role Playing DesignToday we tackle a design task given a predetermined world.
Hosted by M. Boer, C Schulte-Brader, R. Reid and S. Schekman on the 1st November 2019.2019-11-2928 minToasting Design#6 4th year projectsToday we discuss the 4th year capstone projects for 2020. Hosted by M. Boer, C. Schulte-Brader and S. Schekman on the 25th October 2019.2019-11-2925 minToasting Design#5.5 How not to ask questions part deuxToday we continue the discussion of asking and answering questions in design. Hosted by M. Boer, R. Paton and S. Schekman on the 25th October 2019.2019-11-2928 minToasting Design#5 How not to ask questionsToday we discuss how questions are asked in design both in terms of a student asking questions to a supervisor but also in terms of the sort of questions you should be asking yourself during the design process.
Hosted by M. Boer, R. Paton and S. Schekman on the 25th October 2019.2019-11-2921 minToasting Design#4.5 First years...Today we discuss the first year mech design project for the course FEBE1004. Hosted by M. Boer, T. Mangera and S. Schekman on the 18th October 2019.2019-11-2929 minToasting Design#4 Levels of DesignToday we discuss the levels of design. Hosted by M. Boer, T. Mangera and S. Schekman on the 18th October 2019.
2019-11-2923 minToasting Design#3 Hypersonic TrainsThe third design podcast discussing assumptions and how miscommunication between designers and supervisors can lead to issues. Hosted by M. Boer, D. Van Aswegen and S. Schekman on the 11th October 2019.2019-11-2940 minToasting Design#2 The Boy/Girl ProblemThe second design podcast discussing the design approach to repopulating the earth and how design is different across years of study and industry. Hosted by M. Boer, T. Mangera and S. Schekman on the 4th October 2019.2019-11-2943 minToasting Design#1 DJ Dogs and Hands Free KitchensThe first podcast discussing two suggested design topics. Hosted by M. Boer and S. Schekman on the 27th September 2019.2019-11-2935 min