Engineers Tend to Think

It's always interesting when I party with a group of engineers, as I did recently. They see the world in their own complex way. That old 1950s stereotype of the "nerd" is out of date. The engineers I know are not in the least socially challenged and have long since discarded their thick black-framed glasses, pocket protectors, and plaid slacks. None of them has a calculator hanging from a belt. Instead, they talk of the Next Big Thing in the world of inventions. Iranian engineer Fares (pronounced Farris) is sure that there will soon be software called Intuitive-Buy (IB). This IB software is one step up from the One Click ordering that Amazon has for fast online purchases. It is already hard not to buy from Amazon with the one-click order system. "Hey! I didn't mean to buy that! I have epilepsy of the hand, and I had an index-finger spasm!"

But IB will make buying even faster and easier than that, which will be a great boon to companies in these economic times. When a consumer merely considers making a purchase, IB registers that and five minutes later the UPS truck is outside delivering it.

Fares is off the wall in other ways. In his young days, he shared a house with another new engineer, Chris, who was not at home much. Chris was a good guy but just could not get around to buying living room furniture because he was rarely there. So the living room remained an empty cavern. But Fares was there often, and he had a girlfriend. Finally Fares talked to Chris about this. "Chris," he entreated in his charming, deep-voiced accent. "I would very much like it if you would get some furniture. It is a little awkward when I bring my girlfriend over and all I can say to her is, 'You want to go to bed?'"