Colleagues:

Ok, ok.  I left you hanging.  But, in spite of that, a number of you offered your opinions ranging from the Hawthorne Method to Witchcraft!  It turns out that some of you studied Industrial Engineering while others studied Theology!  What a group.

Well, the engineering lesson I thought I learned (or actually re-learned) was,

“Just because it’s in the drawings doesn’t mean its in the hardware.” 

I cut my teeth as a Liaison Engineer in a factory fixing the butches that factory workers create when assembling airplanes at Boeing’s plant in Seattle.  That’s a whole different industry but whether it’s optomechanical or aeromechanical, the principle is the same:  Someone has to assure that the engineer’s intentions are implemented.  In our culture that task usually falls to the Quality Assurance organization.  Gene took up that challenge.  And, it felt just like Boeing’s factory, except for the photons.

Thank you for hanging-in-there with me.

Enjoy early Autumn.

Al H.
9-20-16