What would you do if you were a recent engineering graduate? (What companies would you be looking into across Canada?) [more inside]
posted by MechEng on Aug 31, 2009 - 10 answers

Is there a simple way to integrate Salesforce and Mechanical Turk? Any tips on using Mechanical Turk and Salesforce at work?
posted by brokekid on May 11, 2009 - 4 answers

Help me spend my $100 Mechanical Turk credit !?! I have about $100 credit with Amazon's MT system and I haven't used the service for about a year. I just don't need it for anything. If you know what Mechanical Turk is (see here or here if not) please tell me how you would blow through $100 just for fun (or good use or charity or save-the-planet, etc.)
posted by Xhris on May 6, 2009 - 6 answers

Advice on seeking undergraduate engineering research [more inside]
posted by nel on Apr 22, 2009 - 9 answers

Was that a helicopter in my kitchen? No. It was the washing machine. Um. Help? [more inside]
posted by greekphilosophy on Apr 1, 2009 - 11 answers

What are those blocky, meta-encased things on top of buildings? [more inside]
posted by Sully on Jan 23, 2009 - 10 answers

Northern Chicago Suburbs filter: I'm trying to find info about a group of mechanical sculptures which were once installed at Mount Prospect Plaza. They were there around the mid 80's to early 90's. [more inside]
posted by Reverend John on Jan 21, 2009 - 5 answers

I'm trying to choose between bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. Other than jobs where you are actually "engineering" things, what jobs would each one be able to get? Also, I hear that engineering disciplines overlap in some ways. What are the similarities and differences between electrical and mechanical? Thank you.
posted by atm on Jan 4, 2009 - 14 answers

Mechanical Engineers: calculations for sealing an underwater enclosure ? [more inside]
posted by pickingoutathermos on Dec 11, 2008 - 2 answers

I am stuck on a "design of machine components" project. Anyone care to take a crack? Its actually a pretty simple spring problem. [more inside]
posted by Black_Umbrella on Nov 24, 2008 - 5 answers

Can you help guide me in finding a mechanical engineering job after graduation? [more inside]
posted by rybreadmed on Nov 19, 2008 - 3 answers

Would a wind-up light that doesn't rely on charging a battery, but uses a clockwork mechanism to directly power a small generator which lights up an LED, be possible? [more inside]
posted by yesno on Oct 11, 2008 - 17 answers

Please help me figure out what's wrong with my truck. It's driving me nuts! [more inside]
posted by lysistrata on Aug 25, 2008 - 6 answers

Engineers: What skills do you use most often that you learned in college or anywhere else? [more inside]
posted by gzimmer on Aug 16, 2008 - 17 answers

The A/C on my car ('92 Honda Prelude) works great from 0-40 mph. Above 40 mph, the ratio of cool to hot air moves decidedly in favor of hot. Any ideas (besides the obvious: take it to the shop).
posted by wheat on Jun 13, 2008 - 6 answers

Which is "greener"? Her metal & plastic mechanical pencils manufactured in Japan, or my Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencils made in North America? [more inside]
posted by penciltopper on Aug 31, 2007 - 34 answers

How do I find a paid internship or part-time job in mechanical engineering that will work around my school schedule (in Los Angeles)? [more inside]
posted by rybreadmed on Aug 15, 2007 - 4 answers

Anybody know how to change the license plates on a '95 Honda Accord? [more inside]
posted by Heminator on Apr 21, 2007 - 15 answers

Can anyone with classic car restoration experience help me with a strange electrical problem that I'm having with a 1961 Lincoln Continental? [more inside]
posted by Jon-o on Mar 19, 2007 - 7 answers

I recently purchased this used vehicle on eBay which is located around Bangor, Maine, and I'm planning on driving it back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I'm looking for advice to maximize my chances of actually making it back... [more inside]
posted by nTeleKy on Feb 14, 2007 - 30 answers

Car makes an Odd Sound [more inside]
posted by slowtree on Jan 18, 2007 - 12 answers

Placement of spark plug wires.. [more inside]
posted by jazzkat11 on Oct 13, 2006 - 14 answers

What do you call this type of switch? [more inside]
posted by Symeon on Jun 26, 2006 - 6 answers

What part time engineering jobs are there for a mechanical engineer just out of school? [more inside]
posted by sirion on Jun 12, 2006 - 3 answers

3D Mechanical Design software for Mac OS? [more inside]
posted by retro88 on Nov 29, 2005 - 3 answers

Why does my car vibrate at low RPM and idle? It occasionally gets very close to stalling out at low RPM and idle as well. I'm starting to worry because the Cleveland winter is approaching. [more inside]
posted by vkxmai on Nov 13, 2005 - 13 answers

What happens when you use concentrated screen wash as car coolant? [more inside]
posted by gi_wrighty on Jul 17, 2005 - 10 answers

WasherHackerFilter: When we moved into this place, we found that the previous tenant had installed an AEG Oko_Lavamat 74620 washer in the apartment. While we really love having a washer, it is a prime example of a vicious species of washer: one that washes a full load with about a tablespoon of water, over the course of 2 hours of wash-time. I'm in favor of the idea in theory, but after living for 4+ years with British washers that destroyed most of my clothing and didn't ever really clean them properly, I've done some tweaking with this one.

It turns out that it will wash a normal load in 38 minutes very well if an extra 7.5 gallons of water are added to it. This works fine, but I'm tired of running back and forth to the bathroom to fill the jug 3 times. Hoses also don't really like our faucets-- go figure.

So what I want to do is see if I can reprogram the machine to add the extra water in. I have no idea if AEG machines are hackable through the front panel, but I'm hoping that someone here has tried something similar and can share the results. Any thoughts?
posted by yellowcandy on Jan 3, 2005 - 13 answers

Driving home from my Christmas Eve dinner at my Mom's house tonight my 1997 VW Golf 'threw a rod', caught fire slightly, and died. Merry Christmas! We put the fire out with no damage to the car (outside of the already ruined engine) ... right now the best option seems to be getting a new engine rather than replacing the whole car. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? Please share!
posted by anastasiav on Dec 25, 2004 - 13 answers

Who's That Monk?!?!?! Any or all of these details might be wrong, but it's all I've got: oddball 17th century monk (maybe Jesuit) who developed the water system for Bernini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers, in Rome's Piazza Navona) and made strange mechanical devices like a mechanical Jesus that walked on water. I know I heard a story about him on an evening NPR show, I think there was a meme floating around the web around the same time. I want to say his name was Chirac, but I only remember hearing that, so I may be spelling it wrong, or even confusing it with a certain foreign president. Any takers?
posted by cosmonaught on Nov 30, 2004 - 7 answers

Art/drawing experts: does non-photo blue lead come for a mechanical pencil in any size other than 2mm? [details inside] [more inside]
posted by XQUZYPHYR on Feb 6, 2004 - 5 answers