原创 How to spot an engineer

In the US, comdian Jeff Foxworthy is known for his "You might be a redneck if …" jokes.

Typical examples might be along the lines of: You might be a redneck if …

… you ever cut your grass and found a car.

… you own a home that's mobile and five cars that aren't.

… you think "loading the dishwasher" means getting your wife drunk.

Well, my chum and fellow EE Times blogger Glen Chenier just sent me an email suggesting we ask the EE Times community for equivalent "You may be an engineer if …" jokes. It seems this was prompted by Glen's stepdaughter posting a picture on Facebook showing something Glen has been doing for years without giving it a second thought -- using a pair of pliers as nutcrackers.

 

The funny thing is that, almost immediately after I'd read Glen's email, I ran across a somewhat-related column titled "You know you’re an engineer if...". There are some really good offerings in that article. Personally, I really like the one that goes, "You know you’re an engineer if you carry on a one-hour debate over the expected results of a test that actually takes only five minutes to run."

Now, I know that this "You may be an engineer if …" concept isn’t new (what is?), but I still think it's both funny and thought-provoking, so I'd like to invite you to contribute some suggestions -- either ones you've seen elsewhere, or ones that have come to you over the years.

Actually, since I'm extremely interested in the various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) initiatives, let's widen our search to include any of these domains. So, over to you -- hit me with your best efforts!