“It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” Most of us have heard this in wildly different contexts than PCB design. Still, it’s true more generally: diving beyond the surface is likely to reveal the most critical features, attributes, or characteristics of many things, both esoteric and universal
When I was a kid, I remember leaving on video game consoles overnight when it was “lights out” because my siblings and I were at a point where we couldn’t save and exit the game. Faced with a loss of progress, we decided it was more beneficial to keep the hardware running and pick up where we left off later.
One of my favorite team-building activities from school was constructing a stable tower from marshmallows and dry pasta under a time limit. This brainstorming exercise challenged teams to construct the tallest structure without external support.
Years ago, I was remapping the functionality of an RC car for a school project. My team and I had to design, shop, build, test, and debug an analog circuit that added cruise control functionality and IR sensing.
Surely many people can relate to a phone charger that only works when the wire is placed in a certain position. Being a bit of a packrat, I have several frayed chargers within the same nightstand that I save for extra parts and replacements.
I tend to be overly cautious when planning my routes on new long-distance backpacking trips. I’ll start with detailed route reviews that pour over elevation maps. These reviews, combined with approximate pack weight, indicate how strenuous each hour of the trip will be and when to plan my breaks. With the wealth of geographical information available, it’s easy to determine how long I can expect to spend on a trail each day.
