6 ms·

Winds of Change at Dyson

56 points by petewailes 11y ago

chestnut-tree 11y ago
Not mentioned in this article is the James Dyson Award. An annual international competition for students with a wide brief: "Design something that solves a problem...Products that have a significant and practical purpose, are commercially viable, and are designed with sustainability in mind." The projects submitted are often very impressive and show great skill and ingenuity. The 2014 award went to a 23 year old student called James Roberts who designed a inflatable incubator for prematurely-born babies: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29900968 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29900968 If you want to be inspired, the archive of entries is well worth browsing: http://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-GB/projects/ http://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-GB/projects/
- noir_lord 11y ago
  This years winner was a very well engineered 3D printed design for a prosphetic hand iirc. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34044453 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34044453
Lewisham 11y ago
I used to work for Dyson as an intern some 15 years ago now. Obviously, the company will have to be different than I was there, but one thing that did strike me is that Malmesbury is really out there. [1] No main train line, at least a 40 minute drive from the nearest interesting city (Bristol). I can't imagine them attracting the best talent, particularly if they want to duke it out with sexier companies in sexier places in the IoT segment. They couldn't pay me enough to go back there, and I think anyone worth their time won't either. It's a mistake to build their technology building there and not near London or at least a major city like Bristol/Manchester/Edinburgh. I don't think they realize that really good programmers are worth 10 bad ones (and at least when I was there, they really didn't have the best ones to put it mildly). [1] https://goo.gl/maps/A7A1v https://goo.gl/maps/A7A1v
- mikekchar 11y ago
  I invite people to have a look at the street view at the map location you've given. It seems like a perfectly wonderful place! If I were to move back to the UK I would pick a place like that over London any day. I don't think programming ability is actually related to love of large city centres :-P Certainly it is much easier to hire in large cities, but I'm sure you can lure the ones who prefer small towns out of London if you offer them a competitive salary. Whether Dyson is interested in doing that or not, I have no idea.
  - wooster 11y ago
    Yeah, that actually looks nice. Some of the best programmers I know work from places like that. There's a lot to be said for getting away from big cities.
- lordnacho 11y ago
  For young people, this is probably the case. I remember being offered an internship out quite far out of town on a couple of occasions, and it was really hard to imagine taking the job. I had no car, and buses out in the boonies are few and far between. My 22 year old self needed something resembling a large city, and naturally you have the pull of London when you're in the UK. There's the fact that you want to meet people and go out drinking, and you also don't want to cook every night. Professionally, you also need to consider that your first job might not be what you thought, and so having options nearby is essential. For someone older, maybe with kids, it could work. Anywhere that's large enough to provide a sensible daily routine would work, though you'd need to consider how the spouse will find a job. It's the kind of consideration that seems to cause London to get bigger and bigger.
ksec 11y ago
I love the tech of Dyson. But I really dislike the Design Languages of many of their products. It feels like some sort of futuristic design, Mechanical, and sometimes "Alien". For me I would like something that is Simple, Elegant, and Coherent.
- olivermarks 11y ago
  For me Dyson and sons are verging on the pretentious with all their personality marketing. We have a Dyson vacuum cleaner - my wife bought it but it seems overly complex and over engineered to me without any particularly special attributes for the price. The cult of personality and 'we are so clever' sales schtick can get really annoying, including this article
  - nextos 11y ago
    I have a Dyson and I can only second your opinion. I bought a Miele and its lightyears ahead in terms of quality and effectiveness. Old Nilfisks are also incredibly well designed.
    - wooster 11y ago
      Second the Miele. Compared to a Dyson vacuum the Miele is unquestionably superior, IME.

56 points by petewailes 11y ago

Not mentioned in this article is the James Dyson Award. An annual international competition for students with a wide brief: "Design something that solves a problem...Products that have a significant and practical purpose, are commercially viable, and are designed with sustainability in mind." The projects submitted are often very impressive and show great skill and ingenuity. The 2014 award went to a 23 year old student called James Roberts who designed a inflatable incubator for prematurely-born babies: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29900968 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29900968 If you want to be inspired, the archive of entries is well worth browsing: http://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-GB/projects/ http://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-GB/projects/

noir_lord 11y ago
This years winner was a very well engineered 3D printed design for a prosphetic hand iirc. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34044453 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34044453

Lewisham 11y ago

I used to work for Dyson as an intern some 15 years ago now. Obviously, the company will have to be different than I was there, but one thing that did strike me is that Malmesbury is really out there. [1] No main train line, at least a 40 minute drive from the nearest interesting city (Bristol). I can't imagine them attracting the best talent, particularly if they want to duke it out with sexier companies in sexier places in the IoT segment. They couldn't pay me enough to go back there, and I think anyone worth their time won't either. It's a mistake to build their technology building there and not near London or at least a major city like Bristol/Manchester/Edinburgh. I don't think they realize that really good programmers are worth 10 bad ones (and at least when I was there, they really didn't have the best ones to put it mildly). [1] https://goo.gl/maps/A7A1v https://goo.gl/maps/A7A1v

mikekchar 11y ago
I invite people to have a look at the street view at the map location you've given. It seems like a perfectly wonderful place! If I were to move back to the UK I would pick a place like that over London any day. I don't think programming ability is actually related to love of large city centres :-P Certainly it is much easier to hire in large cities, but I'm sure you can lure the ones who prefer small towns out of London if you offer them a competitive salary. Whether Dyson is interested in doing that or not, I have no idea.
- wooster 11y ago
  Yeah, that actually looks nice. Some of the best programmers I know work from places like that. There's a lot to be said for getting away from big cities.
lordnacho 11y ago
For young people, this is probably the case. I remember being offered an internship out quite far out of town on a couple of occasions, and it was really hard to imagine taking the job. I had no car, and buses out in the boonies are few and far between. My 22 year old self needed something resembling a large city, and naturally you have the pull of London when you're in the UK. There's the fact that you want to meet people and go out drinking, and you also don't want to cook every night. Professionally, you also need to consider that your first job might not be what you thought, and so having options nearby is essential. For someone older, maybe with kids, it could work. Anywhere that's large enough to provide a sensible daily routine would work, though you'd need to consider how the spouse will find a job. It's the kind of consideration that seems to cause London to get bigger and bigger.

ksec 11y ago

I love the tech of Dyson. But I really dislike the Design Languages of many of their products. It feels like some sort of futuristic design, Mechanical, and sometimes "Alien". For me I would like something that is Simple, Elegant, and Coherent.

olivermarks 11y ago
For me Dyson and sons are verging on the pretentious with all their personality marketing. We have a Dyson vacuum cleaner - my wife bought it but it seems overly complex and over engineered to me without any particularly special attributes for the price. The cult of personality and 'we are so clever' sales schtick can get really annoying, including this article
- nextos 11y ago
  I have a Dyson and I can only second your opinion. I bought a Miele and its lightyears ahead in terms of quality and effectiveness. Old Nilfisks are also incredibly well designed.
  - wooster 11y ago
    Second the Miele. Compared to a Dyson vacuum the Miele is unquestionably superior, IME.