A member of the creative class
I just wanted to compliment you on your Leonardo series. These editorials are real keepers. I never cease to be amazed by the editorials of Larry Berardinis — if ever there was a modern-day Leonardo, it's him. So many editors do little more than read the table of contents to their audience, inserting a few “sage” remarks. I really can't get too enthused about flat washers or motor mounts! It is such a delight when Larry “socks it to us” because you know the next issue will be full of reader comments. And is that not the role of an editor — to challenge, to bring forth thought and emotion? Leonardo, now in his celestial workshop, looks down with a smile. Keep up the good work!
David J. Gerrick
Director R&D
Dayton Lab
Lorain, Ohio
Your land is not my land
Regarding your July editorial, I am disgusted that you would publish such ignorant (and I would argue, racist) comments in your magazine. Isn't the magazine supposed to be about engineering, anyway?
Carolyn Turk
Mechanical Engineer
Baltimore Md.
Just around the bend
I just read your insightful editorial in the May 2006 issue. Your comment with respect to the ‘uneven split’ is more telling than perhaps you recognize. I was an industrial instructor in the late 1970s and (with other instructors) surveyed several hundred adult student engineers with respect to their perception of wealth. It was very interesting to learn that, given a choice between present income, a 10% raise, a 50% raise, or a million-dollar casino winning, the great majority felt a salary increase (or windfall income) of only 10% would provide them with a far more comfortable lifestyle. In fact, I encountered one individual who inherited a fair sum of money and felt so guilty he gave it all to charity.
Jim Adams
Lenexa, Kansas
Good vs. evil?
Your May editorial was a nice article. So is technology good or harmful? You can't stop technology; you can either watch it pass by or educate yourself and help push it along. By the way, I don't understand Ford's comment about the public owning the machines one purchases — he must have been thinking of the sales tax.
I can see a computer or machine doing my job, but it will take years to perfect. In any case, it would be nice to take a peek 20 years down the road.
Don Wilson
Manager Electrical CAD
Videotek Test and Measurement
Harris Broadcast Communications Div.
Gilbertsville, Pa.
Lending a hand
Your editorial (“This land is your land”) is a fantastic idea! Ideas like these would get more people interested in solving the problem of illegal immigration so that the Minutemen (and others) would get some much needed help.
Ken Kalies
Project Engineer
Hoffco Comet Industries
Richmond, Ind.