3 Scenarios When Communicating Online Is Not Right

3 Scenarios When Communicating Online Is Not Right3 Scenarios When Communicating Online Is Not RightThere are so many ways we communicate online. Theres schmelzglas, text messaging or messaging through one of the many apps out there that support it. But using schmelzglas or messaging is not always the most effective way to communicate. In certain circumstances, you should avoid them. Sure, its easy to hide behind your computer and say what you want to say via the keyboard. But sometimes you need to step out into the world and use your voice. Here arethree situations where itd be better if you didnt hit send. Avoid Hitting Send To Resolve Conflict Weve all been part of an schmelzglas or glaubenszeugnis string between two parties trying to resolve an issue. Sometimes, you might be one of the two main participants or perhaps youre simply one of many people someone felt compelled to include you. With every email or message reply, the issue escalates. In the end, what was perhaps a re latively small issue has become a much bigger one. This usually results in a face-to-face meeting between the two parties as well as a supervisor or manager to resolve the conflict. Instead of usingemail or messaging to resolve conflict either call the person or schedule a face-to-face meeting. If you are the recipient of an email or message from someone else trying to resolve an issue, resist the temptation to respond via email. Pick up the phone or walk into the other persons office and say, I received your email and thought it might be better if we discussed this situation one-on-one as opposed to by email. Do you have a few minutes to talk? If email is your only option, do not copy other people on it. Doing so escalates the issue. If youre on the receiving end of such an email dont hit reply all. Simply reply only to the individual who sent the email. If you do reply all, your reply should say, I appreciate you bringing this situation to my attention. Ill call you in just a minu te to discuss. This will alert everyone who has been copied that you are taking care of the situation one-on-one. Avoid Hitting SendWhen Youre Upset After an upsetting situation or interaction, what we need is a cooling down period. Email and messaging do not lend themselves to this its instantaneous by design. Instead, onceyouve calmed down, call or visit the individual todiscuss the situation.If you are on the receiving end of a scathing email, avoid the urge to reply. Give yourself time tocalm down and then call the person and ask to discuss face-to-face. In the future, decide in advance that you will never use email or messaging when you are upset. Make this a non-negotiable pact with yourself. If you feel the need to write something when you are upset, hand write a message. Dont enter it into email even if you dont intend to send the message. You wouldnt be the first person who accidentally hit the send instead of the save button. Avoid Hitting Send to Send badeanstalt N ews No one likes to receive bad news and receiving it via email or a message can add salt to the wound. Have you ever emailed a client to tell them that their order was delayed? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, stop using email or messaging to communicate bad news.Using email or messaging to communicate bad news can send the message that you dont care or that the issue isnt important enough to warrant your personal attention.When you use email or messaging to communicate bad news, you have no way of judging the persons reaction. Most likely, people will be disappointed or upset. If youre not delivering the news in person, their feelings of disappointment may escalate and create an even worse situation. Lastly, when you use email or messaging in this scenario you appear cowardly. Customers, co-workers, bosses, and friends appreciate people who have the courage to communicate bad news in person. If youre unsure if your message qualifies as bad news to ask yourself, Wou ld I want to receive an email or message with this type of news or would I prefer to have it communicated in person?. Then act accordingly. While there is no doubt that email or messaging is a quick and efficient means of communication, its not always an appropriate one. Follow the guidelines above and avoid using email or message when its inappropriate to do so.

Big Data in Mechanical Engineering

Big Data in Mechanical Engineering Big Data in Mechanical Engineering Big Data in Mechanical Engineeringby Andrew Kusiak,Professor and Chair of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at The University of IowaBig data will make its mark on technological developments in this century. It will play a key role in shaping the konzept of materials, products, systems, and innovations from heavy equipment and energy industry to avionics and healthcare industry. Data may well become as powerful an economic engine as the steam engine once was. Data may reconfigure industry and businesses. Additive manufacturing factories may be built next to hospitals to manufacture various supplies, and new industries may be created in the spirit of digital manufacturing.The interest in data is not new. It has accompanied developments in science and engineering practices for centuries. The novelty is in the volume and speed with which the data is generated, its growth, and the emergence of data scien ce.What is Big Data?The concept of big data can be illustrated using an Excel-like file (see Figure 1) containing process data on four parameters, temperature, flow, frequency, and status collected at one second intervals. Such a file could include many columns (e.g., from hundreds to thousands) and rows of data (e.g., from thousands to millions). The data can be numerical (e.g., the temperature parameter in Figure 1) and qualitative (e.g., the status parameter in Figure 1) the rows of the Excel file could be generated (streamed) at high frequency (e.g., 1 second in Figure 1). It is important to recognize that a big data engineer does not expect data to reside in the Excel format, as big data sets seldom exist in a ready-to-use form. Rather, data must be identified and integrated for diverse uses.TimeTemperatureFlowFrequencyStatus13220113025.22790Green13220215225.12791Green13220316533.22795Green13220417827.72870Orange13220513035.92999Orange13220612319.23004Orange13220711125.83099Ora nge13220813625.23123Green13220915733.23222Blue13221015534.83222BlueFigure 1. Sample data set.Sources of Big DataDespite the proliferation of research about big data, a handful of applications may surface in which big data is readily available. Corporations store large volumes of data. However, the share size does not make data big. For example, industrial process data at a particular location may be collected for years, although the number of parameters for which the data has been collected could be limited. However, data collected at one location can be integrated with data gathered elsewhere, including public domain data.Big data is not likely to be found in one area of mechanical engineering rather, it can be harvested across different areas. The most powerful applications will likely emerge when data from multiple sources is integrated, e.g., material, process, manufacturing, and business data. The best quality data is usually generated by sensors, which are often arranged in ne tworks.Sensors and Sensor Networks Sensors resonate in a two-fold manner within the areas of research and practice in the field of mechanical engineering. First, mechanical engineers are involved in the konzept of sensors for applications ranging from the measurement of flow and temperature to the measurement of wind speed and vibration. Second, many products and systems designed by mechanical engineers utilize sensors. Markets call for products and solutions that are more reliable, safer, and more dependable. This in turn creates demand for new and more accurate sensors, which measure parameters that only a few years ago were merely dreamed about. Progress in computing and data science is another factor fueling progress in sensor technology, as the data generated by sensors adds value to products.While sensors and sensor networks are usually sources of data, certain products for example, wind turbines actually benefit from such data. The data generated from these sensors leads t o smart products.Smart Products and systems are able to make decisions ranging from improved performance and condition monitoring to greater autonomy. Robotics, autonomous vehicles, home appliances, energy systems, and avionics will naturally benefit from sensor technology.Smart products and devices will create The web of Things.The web of Things involves the interconnection of devices, systems, and services and goes beyond machine-to-machine communications. It covers a variety of protocols, domains, and applications. The Internet of Things extends Internet connectivity beyond traditional computers, smart phones, and tablets to a diverse range of devices and everyday things that utilize embedded technology to communicate and interact with the external environment, e.g., cars, electronic appliances, lights in households and industry, and electric car batteries.The individual components of The Internet of Things will need their own sensory data for performance improvement. Data genera ted across all components will share the characteristics of big data. When collectively processed and analyzed, this consolidation of data may unleash previously unseen power through global rather than local optimization.The operation and control of a large number of interconnected devices will require new computing paradigms. It is rather common to encounter computation platforms in industry that do not meet the big data challenge. Relational databases that have been designed for optimized usage of data storage space prevail in industry. Using a relational database to store sensor-generated transactional data, e.g., truck engine performance data, is not a good idea. Yet, this practice is widely employed in the industry. Telematics data from a fleet of trucks may lead to big data applications. However, retrieving it from a relational database is highly inefficient. Even the simplest efficient, cost-effective scheme resembling data warehouse technology, e.g., the SCADA (supervisory c ontrol and data acquisition) system, would offer tremendous benefits. Cloud computing could be the platform of choice.Cloud Computing involves deploying remote servers and software, thus allowing for centralized data storage and online access to computer services. Cloud computing considers users preferences in providing real-time access to data. It may change the way we all communicate and store data.Big Data at the Core of Mechanical EngineeringSensors versed in fluids, thermal, or mechanical principles offer a promising avenue for data science applications. A large segment of mechanical engineering focuses on domains such as product design and development, manufacturing, and energy, which are likely to benefit from big data. Product Design and Development is a highly multidisciplinary process awaiting innovation. It is widely recognized that the design of an innovative product must consider data streams originating with customers, experts, the trail of data left by generations of products throughout their lifetime, and cyberspace. Markets concur through products that consider the most essential design requirements, extending beyond mere product functions. The success of Apple products is attributable to the companys expanded set of requirements.Manufacturing is continuously evolving due to the progress in process and computer technology. These changes have been reflected in a reach terminology used to describe it, beginning with flexible manufacturing of three decades ago to digital manufacturing of today. The fact is that the continuous manufacturing transformation has led to more sensors generating large volumes of data. Such data can serve various purposes. For example, mechanical engineers may improve reliability of the existing manufacturing processes, predict emerging equipment failures, design next generation of manufacturing equipment, and invent new technologies based on the historical data.Energy Conversion and Economy (The energy industry) is unde rgoing changes triggered largely by environmental concerns and the limited supply of fossil fuels. Energy generation is becoming distributed rather than centralized as the shift to clean energy takes place. Combustion plants and nuclear power facilities are being replaced by dozens to hundreds of wind turbines and solar panels. The existing designs of wind turbines await improvements in cost and reliability to be more competitive with fossil fuel combustors. The world awaits designs of new energy devices converting natural energy, e.g., wind energy, tidal energy, geothermal energy, solar energy, and waste energy into mechanical and electrical energy. In addition to developments in energy conversion, solutions in energy consumption are needed as well.Energy conversion and economy systems call for greater autonomy and enhanced intelligence. A combination of design ingenuity, smart materials, and smart systems will lead to winning market solutions. These new devices will join the world of The Internet of Things.Making a DifferenceData science offers a new paradigm of bottom-up versus top-down modeling and solving supported by the traditional physics-based approach. An engineer involved in traditional modeling (e.g., developing a finite analysis or a reliability model) looks at the problem of interest and in essence fits in the model s/he was trained to use. An engineer equipped in data science knowledge gathers historical data and uses data-mining tools to build the model of interest. If needed, s/he optimizes this data-derived model with tools such as evolutionary computation algorithms.What Next?Mechanical engineering is faced with a multitude of exciting opportunities. Some of these may require moving out of the usual comfort zone and embracing new materials, such as biomaterials and stem cells. The concepts embedded in fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and mechanical systems have much to offer in understanding and benefitting from natural systems and biology. E xperience in the design of energy systems may also be useful in the design of biomaterials and bio-factories that produce substances which aid in healing the human body. Additionally, data will play a significant role in understanding the underlying biology phenomena and the design of devices and systems supporting them. -Andrew Kusiak has writes about the applications of big data in design, manufacturing, wind energy, wastewater processing, healthcare, and sustainability. You can find a number of his work online categorized by Recent Journal Papers and Research in Progress.

Job Seekers Market Job Searching with Low Unemployment Rates

Job Seekers Market Job Searching with Low Unemployment RatesJob Seekers Market Job Searching with Low Unemployment Rates1With the current national unemployment rate hovering around 3.7%, its definitely a job seekers market. This means that since there are mora people employed (and therefore fewer fellow job seekers looking to get hired), now is the time to really pull out all the stops to find the job that you really want.But if you think that low unemployment rates mean that youll have a much easier time getting hired, think again. While there might be less competition, employers are getting more serious about hiring qualified candidates, according to the article, How a Low Unemployment Rate May Affect Your Job Search, from U.S. News World Report. Heres what you can expect when job searching with low unemployment rates.Youll probably have extra interviews.Forget about interviewing only with your potential boss- todays employers will most likely put their leading candidates through several rounds of interviews. This isnt even for senior-level jobs, where multiple interviews are par for the course. Additional rounds of job interviews are also common for entry-level and mid-level positions, too. So expect to likely meet with your potential boss, other managers, and the entire team before hearing if youve been hired for the position. With employers valuing the input from their own employees, theyll want to make aya that youre absolutely the right person for the job before hiring you.You should make sure company culture is a fit.Company culture isnt just a passing workplace trend, but a real way for you (as well as employers) to determine whether or notlage youd be a good fit at the company. But since unemployment rates are low, that means that employers are doing more to not only attract top-tier talent, but also retain the workers they already have.If youre researching a potential company to interview with (or if youre already in the interviewing process), keep company culture at the top of your mind. Make sure that the company offers the type of workplace flexibility that you need, a competitive salary and benefits (if thats already being discussed), and that you can see yourself working there for a longer period of time- and not just for a paycheck. After all, employers want to make investment in their workers not only as a way to strengthen their company, but to reduce the costs of having to start the hiring process all over again.Make getting a referral a priority.It always helps to have an in at a company youd like to work for, whether unemployment rates are up or down. Thats where having a referral comes in handy. Having someone who can attest to your work ethic and state that youd be a great asset to the team can put you leagues ahead of other top-level job candidates. If you dont have a contact at the company, then make sure to have some references at the ready. Employers are going to want to know more about you than whats written on your resume and cover letter- they are going to want to have an in-depth understanding of how well you got along with former coworkers and managers to make sure that youll mesh well with their team.Whether its a job seekers market or not, you can expect to find ansicht scenarios no matter when youre applying for a job. But since it is a job seekers market, take advantage of its benefits, and start applying for those positions that you want- right nowBROWSE OPEN JOBS