You know that you're really a nerd when ...   - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: JohnS_AZ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2010, 04:54:55 pm
content: ... you vacuum up a slug tuned coil from the living room carpet and have absolutely no idea where it came from.(just for fun, add you own)

author: TheWelly888
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2010, 05:02:17 pm
content: ...take a look in the scrapped pcb bins at work for anything interesting or potentially useful....strip down scrapped medical equipment or assemblies for the same thing. ( I got a nice looking strain gauge assembly and a small stepper out of a syringe driver pusher assembly last week! )

author: .o:0|O|0:o.
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2010, 05:03:55 pm
content: ...When you draw a schematic in pencil and then wonder what the actual resistances of the drawn resistors are (...because of the graphite).o:0|O|0:o.

author: Time
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2010, 05:49:07 pm
content: ... when any explanation you give to anything in life always ends up relating back to control system theory.

author: DJPhil
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2010, 05:59:12 pm
content: . . . you very nearly wind up in a fight with your significant other because, "You were up all night and you've got glitter on your shirt!" after staying up late to salvage parts and cleaning out your solder sucker.This one might work too, but it's probably not a nerd thing just a dumb me thing (ergonomics count).. . . you throw out your back designing a PCB because you didn't move from your uncomfortable chair for eight straight hours.At least I got my first SMD double sided design done. Must invest in a better chair.

author: Polossatik
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2010, 06:37:40 pm
content: .. you grab your tablet to google a receipt instead of using one of the numerous cookbooks in the kitchen...

author: apex
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2010, 07:27:36 pm
content: ...you draw a schematic on paper with a pencil and stick parts with conductive epoxy to it....you see a gadget and start thinking of how to rebuild it using only the parts you have at home....you collect burned transistors.Apex

author: logictom
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2010, 10:15:27 pm
content: ...you take an internet connected device to the bathroom with you just to continue reading that new datasheet

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2010, 11:45:31 pm
content: My dad told me , that if I can not master an specific work , its best to not do it at all ..Dad , you are a nerd !!

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2010, 01:39:23 pm
content: This is definitely nerdy, but it's not related to electronics:When I was at the University, my friend and I went to an amusement park. We computed the best ride based on the ride time to wait time ratio, as well as the "intensity" of the fun per ride. My wive (then girlfriend) won't let us forget it.

author: Feanor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2010, 01:40:38 pm
content: you use MATLAB to convert images from .bmp to .jpgyour idea of a cool cocktail is anything drunk out of a metal cup with the positive terminal of a 5V cell phone charger soldered to it, the negative terminal is soldered to a piece of copper and held under the tongue(don't try this at home).

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2010, 01:52:17 pm
content: Quote from: Feanor on November 16, 2010, 01:40:38 pmyou are considering trying it at home, anyway.(hmm, maybe with a 3V or 1.5 v button cell.........Ah Ha - A cup with a battery holder built on the side. One terminal connected to the metal cup, the other side pressing against the hand............)

author: PetrosA
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2010, 02:28:05 pm
content: You spend three whole evenings online looking for a crimp tool...You take four multimeters to check the output of newly installed solar panels...You've run out of people to talk to about test equipment and tools in person...A customer asks you what you think about CFL bulbs and you're wondering how to explain CIE La*b*, metamerism and color rendering indexes...

author: Rhythmtech
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2010, 06:32:39 pm
content: When you have 6 VCR's that you picked up at garage sales and repaired sitting in the basement going pointlessly unused...

author: Nermash
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2010, 06:38:23 pm
content: When you're surfing ebay for test gear and googling reviews while all your colegues at work spend time on fb

author: Neilm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2010, 07:21:38 pm
content: You probably are a nerd if you know PI to more places than 3.145.You definatley are a nerd if you spotted the above value is wrong.Neil

author: marianoapp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2010, 01:10:39 am
content: and a bigger nerd if you know how to calculate pi

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2010, 01:38:53 am
content: you continue your project in your dream.

author: aargee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2010, 02:06:38 am
content: Quote from: Neilm on November 16, 2010, 07:21:38 pmNerd hat/pocket protector on, it's actually 3.1415927... ;-)- Rob.

author: .o:0|O|0:o.
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2010, 02:29:25 am
content: Richard Feynman once joked that he wished he could recite Pi upto3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510582097494459230781640628620899862803482534211706798214808651328230664709384460955058223172535940812848111745028410270193852110555964462294895493038196442881097566593344612847564823378678316527120190914564856692346034861045432664821339360726024914127372458700660631558817488152092096282925409171536436789259036001133053054882046652138414695194151160943305727036575959195309218611738193261179310511854807446237996274956735188575272489122793818301194912983367336244065664308602139494639522473719070217986094370277053921717629317675238467481846766940513200056812714526356082778577134275778960917363717872146844090122495343014654958537105079227968925892354201995611212902196086403441815981362977477130996051870721134999999...so that he could then give Pi as being 3.1415...999999 etc.Pi is quite an incredible number considering that it contains, at some point, every conceivable string of numbers and that all numbers are equally statistically likely and distributed in a way that satisfies randomness.It would not be surprising if everything were built upon this constant of periodicity.More Pi anyone?.o:0|O|0:o.

author: Polossatik
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2010, 01:12:03 pm
content: Quote from: .o:0|O|0:o. on November 17, 2010, 02:29:25 amActually I prefer applePi ...

author: Zyvek
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2010, 05:15:20 pm
content: You check the EEVBLOG daily to see if Dave has posted any new equipment reviews....

author: ModemHead
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2010, 12:40:56 am
content: ... you consider buying "for parts or repair" test gear on eBay as part of your entertainment budget.

author: david77
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2010, 11:34:28 am
content: ...study the Wikipedia article about the worlds different power plugs in your lunch hour.

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2010, 12:45:55 pm
content: You read this thread saying "yes, yep, done that, uh-huh...etc." Also, if you are surprised someone else does something.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2010, 07:28:36 pm
content: ...You buy all sorts of cheap gadgets to modify......While helping your friend with a physics problem involving swimming up a river, you turn the problem into a phasor analysis problem involving the series connection of two AC voltage sources......You're convinced you can build a radar out of a defibrillator, a microwave oven, and a satellite dish......You think that by adding an Arduino to the above setup, you can talk to E.T. If you believed in E.T., that is......At every Eta Kappa Nu meeting, all you seem to talk about are engineering projects and ideas......Your best friend is a model, and the part you like most about her is her engineering skills...

author: 74HC04
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2010, 08:14:15 pm
content: Quote from: david77 on November 18, 2010, 11:34:28 am...And get a great feeling of satisfaction when you correctly recall the UK plug is a BS1363 or that cloverleaf is actually an IEC type C5!

author: slburris
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2010, 05:33:26 am
content: Quote from: NiHaoMike on November 18, 2010, 07:28:36 pmNone of the models I ever met had any engineering skills. And none of the engineers weremodels. But this was back in the early 1980s, maybe things have improved since then :-)Scott

author: .o:0|O|0:o.
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2010, 10:06:55 pm
content: Any minor skill becomes a talent when she's a model.Then again, sometimes the pretty ones do look at books as much as mirrors (see Rachel Riley ;-).o:0|O|0:o.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 19, 2010, 10:25:09 pm
content: To any true nerd a model is a creation by air-fix which comes with glue and decals.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2010, 12:14:41 am
content: Quote from: Uncle Vernon on November 19, 2010, 10:25:09 pmOr Estes.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2010, 01:08:01 am
content: ...You see side cutters as a perfectly reasonable way to trim your hair and wonder why people look at you funny.

author: djsb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2010, 06:56:36 pm
content: Quote from: slburris on November 19, 2010, 05:33:26 amThey're all training to be designers.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2010, 10:03:10 pm
content: Quote from: slburris on November 19, 2010, 05:33:26 am20-30 years completely changes engineering... For the record, I also know some engineers (Susmitha Gouni, Amanda Patterson, Sarah Thibodeaux, et al.) who are not models (as far as I know), but look like they could be.And note that modern engineering focuses a lot more on looks than it has in the past. For example, the circuit board in a USB Flash drive is designed with traditional engineering, but the casing is something the models and fashion designers work on. (Although mechanical engineering also plays a part in making it tough enough to withstand mishandling.)QuoteTo circuit simulation engineers, models are just files. (Actually, it is said that UNIX represents just about everything as files. In theory, I could create a virtual character device file ("/dev/ptyTiffanyYep", perhaps?) that lets me talk to Tiffany Yep using the cat command.)

author: CryptLordGR
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2010, 09:30:24 am
content: ...you go to a place and the first thing you check is if there is WiFi

author: quantumfall
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2010, 11:35:40 am
content: You wake up and there is a work bench with a hot soldering iron 24'' from the end of your bed. I shared a flat (apartment) and only had a room for myself twenty five years ago

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2010, 03:47:44 pm
content: Quote from: quantumfall on November 25, 2010, 11:35:40 amSounds like my dorm room at the university.

author: arcom
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2010, 04:13:54 pm
content: ...you dream SPICE simulations and change component values to improve your dreamy design

author: JohnS_AZ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2010, 04:23:41 pm
content: ... over dinner you try to explain that you could cook the turkey more accurately if the oven had a PID controller, and the thermal feedback loop was tightened significantly.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 25, 2010, 09:54:40 pm
content: Really a nerd when you feel bitter and twisted, and you begin creating conspiracy theories after not winning a multimeter giveaway.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 26, 2010, 02:53:58 am
content: Quote from: JohnS_AZ on November 25, 2010, 04:23:41 pmThe new ovens with digital controls probably do have some form of very basic PID control. All it takes is some software in the microcontroller.

author: apex
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2010, 07:32:30 pm
content: ... if you buy parts for "historical reasons"... if you collect multimeters (who could that be)... if you wake up a few hours too late because there was a error in your self-built alarm clock... if you wake up a few hours too late and the only reason you woke up was the self-built power supply of your self-buit alarm clock exploding... (I had this one. Seriously.)

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 28, 2010, 08:15:02 pm
content: well what about buying house deliberately with one more bedroom that you would need for the forseable future just to turn the whole bedroom into a lab ?.investigating the electronics that your company buys and telling them whats wrong with it.doing pcb design during your lunch hour and making sure that your "electronics files" are alwayswith you and that the nearest pc has your PCB software installed. of course carrying you laptop EVERYWHERE no solves that once and for all so you could even work on a pcb whilst on "holiday"

author: williefleete
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2010, 11:25:19 pm
content: you can use every last byte in a PICAXE for something (eg some of my projects)you can optimise said code in your sleep and wake up at 2 am to update said code and try the firmwareyou can drive 64 LEDs using no more than four output pins and less than 256 bytes of picaxe codeyou can fit a 32 character "rom" on above for a 7 segment display character set and bell character

author: marianoapp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2010, 03:50:35 am
content: Quote from: Simon on November 28, 2010, 08:15:02 pmhaha I'm looking for a house with two bedrooms for that exact same reason

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 01, 2010, 05:28:05 am
content: Quote from: marianoapp on December 01, 2010, 03:50:35 amI'm about to vacate my 2 bedroom house and one of the jobs I have to do before leaving is to restore the second bedroom from a computer/electronics workshop back to a bedroom. There's a full length bench along one wall that has to come out. Fill all the holes in the wall, repaint.And then do it all in reverse in my new home!