I want to thank “Professor” T for a wonderful breakfast. He was the person I hired for career guidance after I left the San Diego Padres in 1999. It turns out that he and his wife have lived in the Phoenix area for almost 20 years. “Professor” T is most insightful.
For example, after just one or two meetings in 1999 he said that I would not be happy as “a cog in a machine” and urged me to find an independent or semi-independent way to earn a living. Of course, he was right, as I have always chafed at working for somebody else and it was only doing something in which I had a very high level of intrinsic interest (baseball, but that was then and this is now) that enabled to me to work in an office setting for somebody else.
During our conversation this morning, he “disagreed” with those who created mountains to climb. Left unsaid was the truth that life will throw enough mountains at you on its own.
Related to this notion is today’s post title: K.I.S.S., Keep It Simple, Stupid. (I always call myself “Simple.”) Einstein said, “Every problem should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”
It seems as if some people believe that if they solve their self-created problems, that makes them smarter than others or better than others or special. That’s a pile of sh*t, in my opinion. Life will give you enough problems on its own.
People who are obsessed with outdoing or outsmarting the world almost always just outsmart themselves. Very few can actually play the game by their own rules. The vast majority must play the game as given or not play.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
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So, what kind of car does “Professor” T drive? Would you believe a Hyundai Veloster Turbo?! I did not get a picture of his car, but here is a picture of a Veloster I recently showed:
Of course, I asked him if he likes his car and the answer was a resounding “Yes.” While we still do not have a final disposition from the at-fault driver’s insurance company about what they want to do regarding our ATS, we have to prepare for the possibility that they will total the car and we will have to buy a replacement. (Yes, this is well-worn territory, but I cannot assume that everyone knows the plot.)
Knowing someone who owns one of the cars under consideration is an important data point. It certainly makes it more likely we will take a test drive in this car; that is, of course, if we can find one to drive. The car shortage is very real.
Have a great weekend…
#K.I.S.S.
#AlbertEinstein
#HyundaiVelosterTurbo
#somanycarsjustonelife
#disaffectedmusings
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Disaffected Musings 
The K. I. S. S. acronym has always been one of my favorites. I refer to it as the Engineer’s Design Principle, where the engineer looks into the mirror and tells himself “Keep It Simple, Stupid!” Of course there are some engineers who do not understand the need to keep it simple. Their interpretation is to Keep it Simple and Safe. By keeping the design simple, it will be inherently safe, as the user idiots will not be able to hurt themselves……maybe. Of course some idiots will always find a way to misuse something and thus find a way to injure themselves and/or others.
Returning today from running an errand, as I passed by a higher end used car lot, I saw a blue C8 Corvette parked for sale. That is all that I know about the car.
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Thanks, Philip. I always chuckle to myself when someone describes a process or product as “idiot proof.” It has been my experience that nothing is idiot proof.
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It’s been my opinion for many years that once you make something “idiot proof”, along come stupider idiots.
I was having that very discussion with a customer Wednesday, as he was relating a story about an incident at one of their other facilities where an employee got his hand under a guard on a shear and trimmed some fingernails down almost to the first knuckle. I told about a facility I had worked at years ago where we had to put double hand switches on punch presses so employees wouldn’t be able to get their hands inside the dies. They then started taping one switch down. I then changed the palm buttons to where there was a circuit inside that wouldn’t let the machines cycle unless both switches were almost simultaneously pressed (.5 seconds). I had to come by the facility one evening and saw where 1 employee had made a contraption he could clamp to the machine and use his knee to activate both buttons. I started looking into light curtains for the machines, but ended up leaving the company before that project went very far. Even those are not fool proof, as I have seen where employees have moved them to where they are 12″ apart so they can get in without shutting the machine down. Currently we are putting in scanners where even a piece of cardboard on the floor will trip them. So far I haven’t heard about them being “fooled”, but I’m sure someone will figure out a way.
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Thanks, DDM. More proof that nothing is idiot proof.
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