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PODCAST

Toasting Design

Engineering design has a lot of nuances and caveats. This podcast discusses those and a few side tracks from time to time. Brought to you by the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand

education

All Episodes

00:25:37

#58 Guessing

Toasting Design ·

2020/07/03

To guess or not to guess and to what level and why to guess and when to guess... that's the quote right? If not then it's mine. Guessing is a big part of design but there are skills that are needed and times for which it is inappropriate. Not to be taken lightly. Hosted with our left feet in, our right hands out and shaking that nonsense all about by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 17 June 2020

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00:23:22

#57 Practical Recaps and Intros

Toasting Design ·

2020/06/26

What incentive is there to recap the previous years course work when starting a new year of study? Would it be helpful to get introductions to course material before the course started? Would you do it if the cost of getting it wrong might result in you flying off the edge of a cliff? All retorical questions obviously, you would have to do it. Hosted using claymation and stop motion photography by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 2nd June 2020.

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00:30:32

#56 The office

Toasting Design ·

2020/06/19

No, we are not reviewing the tv series and we are similarly not deciding if the british or american versions are better. Instead we are considering how one would make an office more social distance friendly. How do you get around Martha who insists on leaning over you, cheek to cheek and prodding your monitor? How do you avoid those awkward passes in the hallway with that employee who you are sure is called Jarred but everyone calls Bill? What is the expected norm when it comes to using the shared

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00:31:56

#55 The never leave home - home Part 2

Toasting Design ·

2020/06/12

Knowing that the never leave home will need to consider work, family life, recreation and health where do you then start? Do you rush into it or plan it out? Do you get rid of the family so that your design development becomes similar? Why not quit your job at the same time? Ok, that might affect mental health (not having an income and all), so maybe don't do that. Also family is important so probably best to release them from the basement. What else can be done? Hosted through hyperbeli and

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00:28:54

#54 From problem to function

Toasting Design ·

2020/06/05

Knowing the problem is one thing. Knowing what to do about the problem is the second thing. But two unconnected things (get your head out the gutter) drift apart. The link between the "why" and the "therefore" is almost just as important. Imagine you were told that students cheating in exams is the problem and therefore the problem will be solved but chemically altering the brains of students to stop them contemplating cheating. Would you accept those two statement from the start (if so then please

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00:21:24

#53 The never leave home - home Part 1

Toasting Design ·

2020/05/29

It is likely that you don't want to be kept in lockdown and required to remain within your home for extended periods of time. If you were required to, however, is there a type of home or design of a home that would allow you do so comfortably and without the negative effects such as cabin fever, isolation and unproductive. While we won't strictly look at solutions, we tackle how to begin this sort of design. Hosted telepathically using the internet by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 20 May 2020.

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00:27:48

#52 Grinding through beans to find problems

Toasting Design ·

2020/05/22

While it is unlikely you are going to be sent back in time to implement or carry out designs, as an exercise the implementation of systems in different environments. On the other hand if you are being sent back in time, please do something more than just get rich making home coffee machines. There are waffle irons too! Hosted by way of worse code digitally altered to sound like voices by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 20 May 2020

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00:34:55

#51 Medical Transport Part 2

Toasting Design ·

2020/05/18

Right back into the coffin-rotisserie. A series of surveys were conducted and people were quite fond of the name. Things changed for the worst when informed of the intended purpose of the revolver beds so those responses were deleted from the survey in order to preserve the good form first drawn up. Also those persons that were still in favour of the name after finding out the function have now been reported to authorities just to be on the safe side. Hosted by way of virtual toast (the crunch is

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00:32:40

#50 Medical Transport Part 1

Toasting Design ·

2020/05/15

When you put it as a coffin-rotisserie-for-patients this idea may not seem like the best one. So don't word it like that. Instead see it a medical-ferris-wheel-on-wheels. That almost sounds fun if it werent for the pandemic, emergency or fact that you are technically in a coffin on a rotisserie (minus the open flame and knife sharpening chef). Hosted by way of carrier pidgeon and wire joined tins by M. Boer and S.Schekman on 12 May 2020.

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00:24:47

#49 Cleaning Clothes by Design

Toasting Design ·

2020/05/11

So the washing machine is broken. You whip out your trusty swiss army knife adamant that this is your time to prove to the world that you are capable and able to support yourself. Long story short is that good news, the machine wasn't broken, you just needed to plug it in. Bad news is that it is now most definitely broken (its a set of wires, not a vine covered door Indiana! next time lose the blade). Never to let life get you down you decide you will fix the situation and no, buying a new machine

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00:27:22

#48 Design Tools Part 2

Toasting Design ·

2020/05/08

In this second part of a pentalogy that will only have two parts released, the use of tools (again the inanimate sort) are discussed. On a side note would the use of an artificial intelligence as a design tool count as (a) cheating, (b) just begging for Terminator to become a reality, (c) manipulation, (d) rude, they are people too or (e) I like cheese. Hosted remotely by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 5 May 2020

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00:27:54

#47 Sport is boring

Toasting Design ·

2020/05/04

Sport is an interesting topic from the perspective of design. The problems that call for solutions tend to be more difficult to nail down or substantiate. The solutions involve a lot of the fluffy side of design such as aesthetics and public opinion. In this way they force budding engineers to consider factors that are likely to be outside of their design experiences or teachings. Also they are a fun topic to come up with the bat-sh#t crazy ideas. Hosted from the cupboards under the staircases by

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00:24:30

#46 Design Tools Part 1

Toasting Design ·

2020/05/01

There are many types of tools and tools can themselves use tools. To undertake design with your bare hands (though they are themselves tools - i.e. to undertake design without tools) is arguably very inefficient. So don't be a tool and instead use tools (the inanimate sort - manipulation is not part of design). Hosted remotely by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 28 April 2020.

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00:25:07

#45 Emergency: Ostrich

Toasting Design ·

2020/04/27

Is your Ostrich always getting sick? What do you mean you don't have an ostrich? Without an ostrich how are you reliably making south african toast? Enough questions. Enjoy the episode Hosted online by M. Boer and S. Schekman on 21 April 2020

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00:24:52

#44 Filming sci-fi golf

Toasting Design ·

2020/04/24

Do you need more than that title? Well other than the disclaimer that by hoverboard we mean a board that hovers not some annoying gadget that mimics a segway. Hosted online by M.Boer and S.Schekman on 21 April 2020

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00:24:37

#43 social distancing by design

Toasting Design ·

2020/04/20

Lockdowns are "great" but it is also nice to be able to get out. But what is out? What does out mean? What would one want to do while out? Why do cars have cup holders but not toast holders? Would you buy groceries from a person in a bubble suit? Is it worth going to a hardware store when you cannot walk around and try find the tool you haven't yet bought? If going out meant having to exercise would you go? My answers would be: not in, not in, because, crumbs, maybe, maybe, I guess. What are your

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00:20:45

#42 formula lockdown

Toasting Design ·

2020/04/17

Picture the scene, the TV flashes a solid red background followed by a yellow then green. A mad scramble, the hollow sound of a loose plastic wheel, slipping and scuffing broom handles on the floor. Frantic screams as Mom's favourite takes an early lead but then Dad's team turns on their "secret weapon" and the dull whirring of the leaf blower takes over. Around corner 4 the Dachshund puts an end to a young champion in a misinterpretation of the honour system. Dad levels the playing field as the

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00:17:37

#41 The ultimate triathlon

Toasting Design ·

2020/04/14

When studying design it is easy to envisage or want to create those designs that work towards the betterment of mankind, the type of thing that ends world hunger, prevents deaths in traffic accidents or saves us from a oncoming asteroid impact. But there are also those designs that are less "impactful" but are nevertheless applicable and worth pursuing. Sports and designs related around sports are one such example. Would the world be any worse off if Bobsleigh racing hadn't been invented? Likely not

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00:19:37

#40 Multipurpose vs Single Purpose

Toasting Design ·

2020/04/10

A screw driver can be used for a number of different applications and very few of them were envisaged. While it may be overkill I think it adds a little something extra (grease?) when you use one to butter your toast. So why are we not designing our screw drivers to butter your toast, slap that annoying mosquito or act as a powerbank for your cellphone? Alternatively why is your cellphone not just for phone calls, why not use a proper dedicated mirrorless digital camera, ultrabook and kindle reader

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00:20:28

#39 searching and rescuing

Toasting Design ·

2020/04/06

If a person crashes their bike in the middle of the desert and no one sees it, should you (a) post your thoughts on youtube, (b) discuss it in a podcast, (c) eat toast, (d) ignore the person, eventually they will just go away or (e) make sure they have metal in their gear and pass a giant magnet over the desert until the rider is collected. The answer is of course (f) because design is not one of those topics that always fits nicely into 5 basic options and you sometimes need to think out of the

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