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I've been thinking about IEEE and the ethics of engineering we were taught in college. One thing I've noticed is that engineers who were a part of large government spending/killing projects are praised. See http://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/profiles/where-are-todays-engineering-heroes It made me think that maybe us UPB engineers need to come up with a REAL structure of ethics for engineers; one that would NOT praise those who create weapons of war that could be used for indiscriminate war (as opposed to 'just war'). If there are any engineers on the forum who are interested please contribute to this discussion. I want any relative feedback from anyone but I think engineers will have a better understanding of what ethical standards they are faced with in today's engineering environment. Perhaps a question to begin the discussion: What is the ethical relationship between an engineer and that which he designs/creates? For instance, a gun can be used violently and ethically (self-defense) but a nuclear bomb cannot be used ethically in war. However, in the distant future, what if we used nuclear explosive devices for asteroid mining or something of that nature? Is the engineering of a dangerous thing (that can be used unethically) a violation of UPB? Was the act of designing the first atomic bomb unethical in and of itself or was the (known) intended use of the bomb what makes it a (possible) violation of UPB? I also want to say that I don't want this discussion to keep only to such grand topics as nuclear weapons but to also applied (probably more effectively) to more common engineering ethical dilemmas that an engineer is likely to face day to day in his career! It's easier to be ethical when it is obvious.

Hey folks. My name is Dan. Aside from being an ardent AnCap and avid supporter of Freedomain Radio, I am also an entrepreneur in the engineering field. I wanted to share my services with the Freedomain Radio community, as I know that many of you are enterpeneurs (and I know that Stef is all about entrepreneurship). I am a mechanical engineer and will have a degree in mechatronic systems in 6 months. In about 18 months I will have my professional engineering license. I am in the process of gearing up for my start-up engineering business! The concept is quite simple: Prototype engineering services I want to help individuals, inventors, companies, etc. take their ideas from conception all the way to a physical, working prototype in their hands. That includes refining the idea, engineering/optimizing the design, and manufacturing the physical prototype. I come to you to offer my services! I guarantee that you won't find better prices than mine. Why is that? I am relatively young (25 years old) and inexperienced (2 years as a full-time mechanical engineer), so I am trying to gain some experience on smaller, low-key jobs before fully opening my doors and quitting my day job. In other words, I am gaining speed down the runway before I "take off". We've all had awesome ideas, but most of the time they never move beyond that stage. If you have an idea for a product or gadget but don't know how to take the next step, let me know! I'll engineer it and produce a working prototype for you! Every transaction is agorist, of course. Any idea is welcome. I also work with microcontrollers, so if your idea requires a "brain", that's no problem! Some sample ideas to get your creative juices flowing: - Automatic plant watering system - Any hand tools - Sun-tracking solar panel - "Balancing act" vehicle - Saltwater conversion system - Tempersture regulated hydraulic system Here are some pictures of a product I designed with my brother. We are about to 3D print the models and test the design! '