Thomas realised that the only way for the Island of Sodor to guarantee it's security was to demonstrate the effectiveness of its nuclear weapons program.

He was about to be a very naughty engine.

Sounds like it could do with a bit of affirmative action to adjust the representation of the armed community.

Nurse, doctor, I'd say come to the UK because there's a shortage in the NHS but the pay and conditions are better in Australia.

You already have enough "help"; in fact you have on average three per person in the US.

Does anyone else want a not-serious oceans 11 meets League of Extraordinary Gentlemen style film about EA-NĀṢIR pulling off some sort of copper heist with 10 other famous people from ancient history? Is it just me?

The post-grad assistant helping me with that assignment night before it's due:

"Oh that's easy, just apply Kirchoff's Gambit. Here's the solution because the lecturer hasn't changed the assignment questions since they started here 20 years ago."

Me, wide eyed: "You are an angel amongst demons!"

How the university lectures go:

"Here's a design theory, here's another, and another, and another. Be sure to master these techniques for the exam, because they'll be with you for the rest of your career."

How the industry design practice goes talking with the senior electronics design engineer:

"Whilst I was high/drunk/sleep deprived from insomnia/all three at the same time, I drew up this circuit schematic last night and finished at 6am then got into the office for 8.

The calculations for these resistor and capacitance values? Idk, they just feel like the right values based on what I read in the data sheet. If they're wrong who cares, we'll stack SMDs on top or just respin the boards because PCBs and passives are cheap and we'll (read: you'll) desolder and reuse the more expensive ICs.

My design justifications notes? Haha that's your job, silly junior engineer. Oh by the way, I'll make value changes to 80% of these components fixing my mistakes, also known as 'tuning the sensor circuits', before I update the schematic. Even after it goes into production I'll just pinch boards off the line and change some things in the BoM without writing an ECO because I don't have time for that.

Yes I do still prefer to use leaded solder without an extractor fan, why do you ask?"

That engineer will either be the most liked person in the company or the most hated person in the company, yet either way are clearly un-fireable.

Why? Have I managed to miss the triggering of Article 5, the emergency NATO meetings, the declaration of war, and the conscription order?

Blimey, I really overslept.

Fighting for Ukraine against the head oligarch of Russia? Yes.

Fighting for oil interests of oligarchs in Londongrad? No.

Sure, with my skillset I'll be designing and building drones by the 1000s. If that is what is required to stop a tyrant from threatening Europe hand me a long brown overcoat, hat, cigarette, and FRSKY radio transmitter!

Edit: I should emphasize, I'd rather not fight if not necessary. I'd rather be in my current job creating equipment for infrastructure that will power the green energy transition.

However, I have studied history and there are times where conflict is unavoidable especially when dealing with power mad dictators. The countries of Europe deserve to live in peace to find their own paths without the threat to their borders and sovereignty. Russia itself deserves a government that works for everyone not just the dozen oligarchs in Moscow.

Oh and for the record, fuck US imperialism (though they are a NATO ally) and fuck the CCP, yes you tankies can fuck off as well.

My circuit design lecturer: "If you dig down deep enough into the theory, every component from resistors to microprocessors are analogue and complex."

Me: (internal screaming intensifies)

My plug: "Here, smoke this doob."

Me: (inhales deeply) It all makes sense now.

Please do it Putin. WE want the excuse, NATO wants the excuse, Poland's chomping champing at the bit for the excuse and we really want to see how long it takes them to rush Moscow.

Edit: damn it Lemmy, I'm an engineer not a dictionary.

Well probably just kept an eye on it from the boat.

The real killer was when you approached a canal tunnel a few miles long with no side path. You'd send the horse on ahead to the exit of the tunnel with a rider, and then you and two of your besties would lay back against the top and sides of the boat with your feet against the tunnel arch and walk the boat through in pitch black darkness.

Petition to rename this epic journey as "The Walk For The Ages".

I want a book, movie, and an epic ballad with at least a dozen dozen stanzas!

How much is your health insurance & car repayments cutting into your pay? What are your legal minimum days off? How many maternity/paternity days off is your employer legally required to give you? What are your employee rights? How walkable is your current city or do you require a car to literally go anywhere? It's a trade-off.

If you're a fundamental researcher, engineer, etc. come to the UK. We've got SO many job openings for those roles and would love to bring in talent to fill those roles because the local gammon isn't up to the job.

Hot take: If you're immature enough to be embarrassed buying condoms, you shouldn't be having sex.

Seriously, the checkout assistant couldn't give two shits about you, you're just another face they'll forget the second you walk out the door and that's if they have their brain switched on while working what is a very repetitive and mind numbing job.

Exactly!

We have SO much potential for wind, wave, and (given our expertise) small scale nuclear. Particularly windy and wave with the North Sea, Irish Sea, and the Atlantic.

Nationalise North Sea oil and gas production in collaboration with Norway. Jointly use the profits from the sale to exclusively invest in new offshore wind farms and wave farms, build energy islands to house the substation equipment and triple the number of grid interconnects to the EU to create a robust super-grid.

This then creates an international energy market where the UK national producer can sell excess energy to the EU countries.

Invest into clean hydrogen research for storage, transportation, and usage. Particularly in aviation and automotive. Use some of the profits from nationalised oil and gas to offer incentives to companies that make inverters, generators, switchgear, and all the other components for power generation to build production facilities in deprived areas in the North of England, Wales, and Scotland to replace the jobs lost in oil and gas, with retraining expenses covered. Offer x-prises for rare-earth-free motors / generators and innovations in battery technology.

If the UK did that we'd have a HUGE trade portfolio in a market that is ONLY going to increase year on year for the foreseeable future that can be exported across the world and sold to rapidly expanding countries looking to move away from fossil fuels or countries that are looking to leapfrog fossil fuels like they did with leapfrogging landlines and going straight to cellular technology.

Britannia rules the waves? No! Britannia HARVESTS the waves!

With what authority Musk? Oh yeah that's right, you have none. You hold no elected position in government.

Just to piss him off, the UK should open the second spaceport in Wales and give launch access to Ariane, ULA, Rocket Lab, and Firefly.

Piss on these chuckle fucks to assert dominance.