# What a perfect name for an engineer **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 12, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057 "2013-02-12T03:37:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/1 "2013-02-12T03:37:19Z")
I have been reading about Boeing’s ongoing issues with the 787 battery. In the process, I read an interview with the (90-year-old and still teaching) inventor of the lithium-ion battery, currently a Professor of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at UT-Austin. For a while, I was mentally pronouncing his name as “god-den-ow”, and then I realized exactly what I was looking at. I give you - [John Goodenough](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Goodenough) [A picture](http://www.utexas.edu/news/graphics/engineering_goodenough.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/2 "2013-02-12T03:49:13Z")
He looks kinda like Alan Alda. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/3 "2013-02-12T05:11:52Z")
Ah, “good enough!” A concept so alien to engineers that someone put up a sign at one place I worked that said, “There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineers and start production.” I nodded in recognition of God’s Own Truth, but another engineer, who had a degree in it and everything, objected to it strongly. We eventually had to put him down so production could start. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/4 "2013-02-12T05:54:36Z")
I always figured the name Goodenough must be an Anglicized form from the Russian Godenov. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/5 "2013-02-12T07:05:13Z")
90 and still teaching! I want to do that. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/6 "2013-02-12T07:16:03Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I always figured the name Goodenough must be an Anglicized form from the Russian Godenov. It’s written _Godunov_, actually. And not to be confused with _Badenov_. 😃 > **[Boris Godunov (opera)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Godunov_(opera))** > > Boris Godunov (.mw-parser-output .tfd-dated{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .tfd-default{border-bottom:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);clear:both;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .tfd-tiny{font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .tfd-inline{border:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1)}.mw-parser-output .tfd-sidebar{border-bottom:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);text-align:center;position:relative}@media(min-width:640px){.mw-parser-output .tfd-sidebar{clear:right;float:ri... > **[Boris Badenov](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Badenov)** > > Boris Badenov is an antagonist character in the 1959–1964 animated series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, so often appearing with his devious accomplice, Natasha Fatale, that the two are usually grouped together, as Boris and Natasha, a reference to Boris Drubetskoy and Natasha Rostova in Tolstoy’s War and Peace. He was originally voiced by Paul Frees. The character was created by Bill Scott, who based his appearance on that of Gomez Addams. > Badenov's name is a pun on that of 16th... ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/7 "2013-02-12T20:59:55Z")
IANA engineer, but isn’t “good enough [to meet specs]” all you need? I thought anything more would be considered overengineered. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/8 "2013-02-12T22:03:44Z")
Hahahaha. I was married to an engineer once. There is no such thing as “over engineered” to an engineer. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/9 "2013-02-12T22:16:24Z")
Some engineers fail to accept that engineering is often the science of compromise, and sometimes that compromise is not as perfect as you’d like. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad design - it just means that, as Mick says, You can’t always get what you want! So, yeah, it’d be great to tweek your design so your car gets 50MPG, but if you’re getting 48MPG right now, get that puppy to market!! I’m an engineer and a realist. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Conqueror\_Worm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@The\_Conqueror\_Worm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Conqueror_Worm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/10 "2013-02-12T23:19:56Z")
“Funny, it’s not supposed to do that,” is the line I always associate with engineers. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/11 "2013-02-13T21:15:14Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Some engineers fail to accept that engineering is often the science of compromise, and sometimes that compromise is not as perfect as you’d like. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad design - it just means that, as Mick says, You can’t always get what you want! How does the old saying go? You can have your pick of two out of better, faster, and cheaper, but you can’t have all three. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/12 "2013-02-13T21:46:52Z")
I’ve seen it as a sign: [INDENT][INDENT] [ul] [li]Good[/li][li]Fast[/li][li]Cheap[/li][/ul] Pick two.[/INDENT][/INDENT] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Lurker\_Above](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Lurker\_Above](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lurker_Above)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/13 "2013-02-13T21:53:27Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > IANA engineer, but isn’t “good enough [to meet specs]” all you need? I thought anything more would be considered overengineered. Pfft, if it meets all the current specs that just means that it’s time to add in all the amazing features the bean-counters made you take out. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Lurker\_Above](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Lurker\_Above](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lurker_Above)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/14 "2013-02-13T21:56:23Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I’ve seen it as a sign: > [INDENT][INDENT] > [ul] > [li]Good[/li][li]Fast[/li][li]Cheap[/li][/ul] > Pick two.[/INDENT][/INDENT] **At most** two. Some days you’re lucky to get even one; or at least I am. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/15 "2013-02-15T21:48:07Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I’ve seen it as a sign: > [INDENT][INDENT] > [ul] > [li]Good[/li][li]Fast[/li][li]Cheap[/li][/ul] > Pick two.[/INDENT][/INDENT] I was going to mention this; it’s pretty much axiomatic in the software world too, albeit with the proviso that there is an amazing amount of freely and legally available apps and other downloadable software out there. But even allowing that an app may be a free download, and that it may perform well generally speaking, some of the qualities that go into making a product good–e.g. performance, security, or modifiability are often at odds with each other. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/16 "2013-02-16T19:22:50Z")
His economics equivalent is [Efe A. Ok.](https://files.nyu.edu/eo1/public/) ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-perfect-name-for-an-engineer/650057/17 "2013-02-18T07:50:27Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Ah, “good enough!” A concept so alien to engineers that someone put up a sign at one place I worked that said, “There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineers and start production.” I nodded in recognition of God’s Own Truth, but another engineer, who had a degree in it and everything, objected to it strongly. > > We eventually had to put him down so production could start. Seriously, I dunno what industry you’re in, but in mine it’s the opposite. I’m frequently the engineer saying “Looks good, customer wants a trial batch in a few weeks, let’s try it once in a production batch”. It’s the damn managers and PhD chemists saying, “Oh, no, no, no! We must do a 36 month DOE study on it before we even consider it!” :mad: