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Certain game types basically are puzzles that are similar to the kinds of puzzles one would encounter during engineering things. Factorio is one of them, but o

by jfim 7y ago

Certain game types basically are puzzles that are similar to the kinds of puzzles one would encounter during engineering things. Factorio is one of them, but other puzzle games such as topological ones (Spacechem, Opus Magnum, Infinifactory, Molek-syntez), programming (Shenzhen IO, TIS-500, Human Resource Machine, Silicon Zeroes) or logic ones (Baba is you) kind of scratch similar itches. As for doing engineering for fun, some of us are stuck doing rather boring tasks at the office, and the idea of having a game that one can just put away seems less daunting than having a code/hardware project that could potentially sit uncompleted. Designing robots definitely is fun, although it requires a fair bit of working space and tools.

TaylorAlexander 7y ago
Well I guess the idea behind engineering at home for fun is that it doesn’t have to be boring tasks. And I tend to work on completely unnecessary things such that there’s no time pressure. That makes it a lot more fun and rewarding than working at the office. Like I recently designed a pair of headphones from scratch. They sound better than any of my other headphones which are all a bit cheap. It totally didn’t need to be done so I could put it away whenever. But it was lots of fun to dig in to. That feels more rewarding to me than a task where all of my progress is virtual. I should say I’m not trying to criticize others who play games, I’m just curious about it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
- jfim 7y ago
  That's pretty cool with regards to the headphones. Do you have a link to your project? I agree that it's really enjoyable to build physical things. I have one 3D part that I've been meaning to print for a while, but without a 3D printer at home it's a bit trickier to get it done. I wish I had a home workshop, but Silicon Valley prices make that a rather expensive proposition. There's no more TechShop either. :-(
  - nlfwhulsdhouv 7y ago
    FWIW, I have a fairly small 1 bedroom SV apartment I share with my girlfriend and I still keep up a good number of physical projects. The 3D printer sits in an enclosure in the living room :). Obviously I wish I had access to a proper shop, but I still get a fair bit of enjoyment out of it.
- badpun 7y ago
  (I know nearly nothing about audio equipment). Weren't you afraid that you'll somehow botch the headphones and they'll play an excessively loud sound, which will permanently damage your hearing or give you tinnitus? Or can that risk be ruled out somehow?
  - TaylorAlexander 7y ago
    I wasn’t worried about that. I tend to assume I’ll figure things out. And indeed the wiring for the headphones is “cut a 3.5mm cable, solder the leads to the purchased headphone speakers.” The only thing I brought to the table was design of the enclosure for the headphone driver, which can’t really create bad loud sounds.

by jfim 7y ago

TaylorAlexander 7y ago

Well I guess the idea behind engineering at home for fun is that it doesn’t have to be boring tasks. And I tend to work on completely unnecessary things such that there’s no time pressure. That makes it a lot more fun and rewarding than working at the office. Like I recently designed a pair of headphones from scratch. They sound better than any of my other headphones which are all a bit cheap. It totally didn’t need to be done so I could put it away whenever. But it was lots of fun to dig in to. That feels more rewarding to me than a task where all of my progress is virtual. I should say I’m not trying to criticize others who play games, I’m just curious about it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

jfim 7y ago
That's pretty cool with regards to the headphones. Do you have a link to your project? I agree that it's really enjoyable to build physical things. I have one 3D part that I've been meaning to print for a while, but without a 3D printer at home it's a bit trickier to get it done. I wish I had a home workshop, but Silicon Valley prices make that a rather expensive proposition. There's no more TechShop either. :-(
- nlfwhulsdhouv 7y ago
  FWIW, I have a fairly small 1 bedroom SV apartment I share with my girlfriend and I still keep up a good number of physical projects. The 3D printer sits in an enclosure in the living room :). Obviously I wish I had access to a proper shop, but I still get a fair bit of enjoyment out of it.
badpun 7y ago
(I know nearly nothing about audio equipment). Weren't you afraid that you'll somehow botch the headphones and they'll play an excessively loud sound, which will permanently damage your hearing or give you tinnitus? Or can that risk be ruled out somehow?
- TaylorAlexander 7y ago
  I wasn’t worried about that. I tend to assume I’ll figure things out. And indeed the wiring for the headphones is “cut a 3.5mm cable, solder the leads to the purchased headphone speakers.” The only thing I brought to the table was design of the enclosure for the headphone driver, which can’t really create bad loud sounds.