It felt like a knife to the hip, being twisted when I moved. What a start to the year! My hip was so painful that I couldn’t walk. When I got to the hospital, I found myself in a wheelchair. Nothing I could think of set it off. I didn’t fall on the ice or … Continue reading Reality Models and The New Science of Fixing Things
If it were not for the electronic gadgets we have available today, we couldn’t do what we do for a living. Only a few people would live on sailboats, what I do when not making a living helping people around the world with quality, product performance and reliability problems. We need to communicate with people … Continue reading IF A PICTURE IS WORTH 1000 WORDS…WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU NEED 100?
I live on my sailboat in the Caribbean. Now I am in Panama. I asked the local maintenance guy to change the zincs (sacrificial anodes) on my boat, a task for a diver. There are zincs on the end of the prop, the rudder support, the prop shaft and the bow thruster. The diver was … Continue reading English or Metric?
Clues to great mysteries often lie in history. At The New Science of Fixing Things, we enjoy the study of history and science, learning lessons from those who have gone before us. We try to emulate their behavior to do science, fix things, learn, teach, and help clients improve product performance, reliability and quality. History … Continue reading Felix, Qui Potuit Rerum Cognoscere Causas
Not long ago, I heard from a potential new client, asking how The New Science of Fixing Things www.tnsft.com might help with an important product performance problem. It was summertime in the beautiful mountains of the western United States where they were located. I was hoping to get the job and spend a few extra days exploring. Sadly, I heard … Continue reading The Essence of Strategy
“The truth is, the Science of Nature has been already too long made only a work of the Brain and the Fancy. It is now time that it should return to the plainness and soundness of Observations on material and obvious things.” Robert Hooke, Micrographia “Truth has to conform to what exists and what is … Continue reading Truth
When a consultant walks into a company to help solve a technical problem, it is safe to assume, at the start, that he or she knows less about the product and problem than anyone else on the team. And everyone knows it. Someone is sure to be thinking, “What does he have to offer?” Usually … Continue reading Three Good Questions (and one not so good)
