7 Questions with Bill Nye the Science Guy

7 Questions with Bill Nye the Science Guy 7 Questions with Bill Nye the Science Guy 7 Questions with Bill Nye, the Science GuyTwenty years ago, mechanical engineer Bill Nye began encouraging a generation of pre-teens to become scientists and engineers with his fast-paced (and often very funny) educational show, Bill Nye the Science Guy. Recently, he won rave reviews on Dancing with the Stars as a robot after a knee injury immobilized his leg. He is CEO of The Planetary Society and the 2012 recipient of ASMEs Ralph Coats Roe Medal for communicating about engineering.How did a Boeing engineer wind up doing standup?B.N I was working on 747 hydraulic systems, and my friends pressured me to enter a Steve Martin look-alike contest. I did notlage look like him, but I thought I understood what Martin was driving at. After I won, I started doing standup. I would work at the drawing board during the day, take a nap, and then do standup at night.Why did you leave your secure, well-paying day jo b?B.N I had switched jobs and got disenchanted. I was working for guys who were obsessed with making money every quarter. You can do that with paper towels, but not when you are trying to design a 30 percent smaller laser gyroscope. I had enough money in the bank to live for six months, and I was earning some money writing jokes for a local comedy show. I decided that if I didnt do it now, I never would.Bill Nye the Science Guy is an educational television program that originally aired from 1993 to 1998.How did you get your big break?B.N The show had a last-minute cancellation, and we had to fill several minutes. I was always talking about my work as a volunteer demonstrator at the Pacific Science Center, and the shows host suggested I do something with that. So I did Household Uses of Liquid Nitrogen, where I roasted marshmallows in nitrogen and breathed smoke out my nose after I ate them, and froze an onion so it sounded like breaking glass when I cut it with a knife. The studio a udience thought it was funny.That was the birth of Bill Nye, the Science Guy.What have you learned about popularizing science and engineering for more than 25 years?B.N It has to be entertaining first. Ive gotten into arguments with people who consider themselves experts on education about this. But I believe that if you want to teach something, you have to entertain people, and the best way is to make them laugh. Second, you have to show the phenomenon, then tell about it. This sounds obvious, but its not. Don HerbertMr. Wizard encouraged a generation of scientists and engineers by doing this.What does the public want to know? What dont they get?B.N They want to understand everything. Im working on a book about energy for grownups. Most people I meet dont really grasp the concept of how much energy we need. Try to push a car 25 miles to get an idea of how much energy is in a gallon of gasoline.Yet many engineers feel they cannot get through to the public. Why?B.N The trouble with e ngineers is that many of us are know-it-alls. We dont get the passion. Take Faradays discovery that moving magnetic fields make electrical current, or Darwins discovery of evolution without knowing about DNA. These are astonishing things. We shouldnt take them for granted. We need to connect with the passion, beauty, and joy.Would you have been satisfied remaining at Boeing?B.N I would probably have become a manager, married a nurse, and had a couple of kids that went to the neighborhood school. I may have been satisfied, but I was restless and young, and tried something else.View the current and past issues of Mechanical Engineering. For Further DiscussionI did Household Uses of Liquid Nitrogen, where I roasted marshmallows in nitrogen and breathed smoke out my nose after I ate them The studio audience thought it was funny.Bill Nye

What Its Like to be Bike Courier

What Its Like to be Bike CourierWhat Its Like to be Bike CourierSure, riding bicycle for a living sounds like a dream job. Dont be mistaken. Bike courier takes serious risks and sometimes ends up without payment. If you want to know what its like to be a bike courier, continue readingYou need an unbreakable machineBike is one of the most important things in this job obviously. Get ready to spend a big amount of money (between $500 and $1000) to make your bike resistant to the city jungle. Even with the best parts, you will be forced to repair your bike every once in a while. You may be able to do it yourself in order to save your hardly earned money. You have the idea, just good looking fixie bike will not serve for too long.Be able to deliver in every situationFew years ago, there was a big boom for bike delivery business. Big cities need fast and reliable delivery guys, and there is nothing better in this field than bike delivery. Some documents or things just can not be send by an email or regular mail. Clients feel (and they may be right) that their package is the most important and require delivery on time by any means.For example in Bratislava, one of the best bike delivery companies served their clients 363 days last year. They were off for 2 days because of a huge snow storm. The last day remaining was Christmas Eve.Is this the most dangerous job?Bike couriers need to realise, that city is a very risky place to be on a bike. You can have serious crash and it doesnt even have to be your fault. There is a lot of drivers and walkers, who are in hurry and forget about looking around.In the USA it is even harder for bike couriers. A lot of them are uninsured, since it is a very expensive luxury for them. If any accident happens, there are hundreds of lawyers ready to take a accident case of the second party. Thats why accidents are unpleasant only for the possible injury, but it can put them into serious debts.Why would anyone do job like this?It is obvious, that this job is not for everyone. From distance it seems like there is much more disadvantages than benefits. What makes unterstellung people love their job? It is their community held together by love for cycling.Do you like this story? Share it with your friends.Share Your Feedback or Ideas in the Comments

What to Expect From Army Specialty MOS 25W

What to Expect From Army Specialty MOS 25WWhat to Expect From Army Specialty MOS 25WA telecommunications operations chief in the Army overseas information systems betreuungs functions for command, control, communications, and computers used at all echelons of the Army. It is not an entry-level position the four military occupational specialties (MOS) that feed into this one, which is 25W, are Radio Operator-Maintainer (MOS 25C) Cable Systems Installer-Maintainer (MOS 25L), Nodal Network Systems Operator-Maintainer (MOS 25N) and Multichannel Transmission Systems Operator (MOS 25Q). Duties of MOS 25W It is a crucial role in the Armys telecom sector. These soldiers do everything from planning, coordinating, configuring and supervising Army telecommunications to maintain, operate and install telecom networks. They work with all manner of Army telecom equipment, including radio, switching, cable, and automation equipment. These soldiers supervise the installation, operation, strapping , re-strapping, preventive maintenance checks, and services and unit level maintenance on communication security devices. They provide technical assistance and advice both to commanders and subordinates and disseminate operations information to ensure that all telecommunications are working as intended. That also means ensuring that logistical support is available at all times and that personnel is trained and ready. This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the duties MOS 25W performs but is a glimpse into the complex and technical nature of this Army job. Training Requirements for MOS 25W Since this isnt an entry-level position, there are no corresponding test scores on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test. To qualify for this job, soldiers need to graduate from an advanced NCO (non-commissioned officer) course that is under the auspices of the USA Signal School. It can be waived with the appropriate experience. The ASVAB requirements for the entry-l evel Army jobs that feed into MOS 25W are as follows Radio Operator-Maintainer (MOS 25C) score of 98 on surveillance and communications (SC) segment and an 89 in electronics (EL)Cable Systems Installer-Maintainer (MOS 25L) 89 in EL and 89 in SCNodal Network Systems Operator-Maintainer (MOS 25N)102 in EL and 102 in SCMultichannel Transmission Systems Operator (MOS 25Q)98 inEL and 98 inSC A secret security clearance is required for soldiers in MOS 25W. since they are privy to highly sensitive Army communications. A history of drug conviction or activity and personal financial problems could disqualify applicants from receiving this clearance from the Department of Defense. But by the time a soldier is in this job, he or she has likely already received such clearance. Secret DoD clearances are valid for 10 years. Soldiers in MOS 25W must be U.S. citizens. Civilian Occupations Similar to MOS 25W There isnt an exact equivalent in the civilianworkforce, but the mechanical skills youll learn will prepare you for jobs involving the installation and repair of communications equipment.