https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/An engineer's day isn't filled with just working. This is an engineering site dedicated to art, culture, and all aspects of the life we lead. "Engineer at the Movies" give's an engineering voice and opinion on one of the arts witen-USTelligent Community 12https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/f/forum/57319/what-tasks-or-activities-put-you-in-a-flow-state/238504Thu, 01 Oct 2026 19:45:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:54e88f42-d59f-482b-bc76-c5f46c1e53bfkmikemooWow... it's been so long... I get distracted by everything these days. It's quite frustrating. I can't think of anything that gets me "in the zone".https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/f/forum/57319/what-tasks-or-activities-put-you-in-a-flow-state/238493Thu, 01 Oct 2026 11:00:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:94fbc10a-80b6-4d9a-b1fb-9bcca332f753QbitSome times when I am writing the frimware, I think about 1 to half hour daily, that I have a lot of time so I can leave it for now, it had improved my productivity a lot.https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/f/forum/57319/what-tasks-or-activities-put-you-in-a-flow-state/238491Thu, 01 Oct 2026 07:38:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:11a99584-4822-4b64-9d9a-7c2d0ae55023Fred27I find that a complex problem gets me in the "flow state", but a more mundane task doesn't. In fact, if I'm working on something tricky I need music off, but with more mundane task I actually prefer music on and will often chose to context switch between multiple smaller tasks.https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/f/forum/57319/what-tasks-or-activities-put-you-in-a-flow-state/238489Wed, 30 Sep 2026 21:22:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:d7d11536-b52b-460a-a1c0-2b52103a01dbdougwI always thought of it in terms of me having a "one-track-mind" which means I'm very often in a flow state. For example I don't turn on the radio when driving a car because that can switch my attention from driving. I can't focus on both driving and the radio. I can ignore the radio, which means there is no point to having it on. At work there are a lot of interruptions which limit the duration of flow states and meetings are a hopeless tangle of disjointed threads yanking in all directions, but whenever I am alone I slip into a flow state, whether it is designing, building, troubleshooting, reading or just daydreaming. In sports it is called being "in the zone" and it makes an enormous difference to performance.https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/f/forum/57319/what-tasks-or-activities-put-you-in-a-flow-state/238488Wed, 30 Sep 2026 21:13:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:6c90976f-fea5-4f78-ad62-956757524570colporteurreading a good book suspends time for me.https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/f/forum/57319/what-tasks-or-activities-put-you-in-a-flow-state/238486Wed, 30 Sep 2026 20:54:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:600b6e68-f6bd-4cea-b408-c7e5c04ee0a1ralphjyToo much multi-tasking during the day to get into a flow, but if I’m left alone in the evenings I’ll lose track of time debugging hardware or software.https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/f/forum/57319/what-tasks-or-activities-put-you-in-a-flow-state/238484Wed, 30 Sep 2026 20:48:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:16487ffd-1c63-4270-b226-b4dc5e65fe3acolporteurIt is ironic D you ask this question. I don't call it flow state but something more sinister. TF-Target fixation. OO-Objective Obsession. PB-Praxis Brain. It has been noted that fighter pilots can fly their aircraft right into the ground if they become to focus on the target. I face this with problem solving. The Red Pitaya Roadtest is my example. I would like to have more success on this RoadTest than I have had but that expectation might be unrealistic.https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/f/forum/57319/what-tasks-or-activities-put-you-in-a-flow-state/238481Wed, 30 Sep 2026 19:14:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:ca2ff288-fc0a-425d-b686-54a1d90bb5f6rscMy days can be defined as turbulent flow most of the time. Watching a good sci-fi movie can be more immersive.https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/f/forum/57319/what-tasks-or-activities-put-you-in-a-flow-state/238477Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:36:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:20ce1368-85ec-4c1a-b3e9-17c7824777d4BigGWhen I was in my twenties and thirties my flow state clicked in after 11pm. Nowadays it's more event driven than time driven. E.g. give me hardware to tinker with, especially with soldering, and that's me zoned in / zoned out. Then LOL. The big distraction must be the Element14 website. Distracting me right now. As I often say to the wife... I'm a legacy single processor model... not very good at multi-tasking. It's 100% at something or NULL result.https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/f/forum/57319/what-tasks-or-activities-put-you-in-a-flow-state/238476Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:16:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:6edc6bc4-a18d-4047-ba40-01b3483e6dbcJan CumpsSoldering.https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/f/forum/57319/what-tasks-or-activities-put-you-in-a-flow-state/238475Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:06:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:0f1a9940-2c08-42cb-babb-013ff588cfc9wolfgangfriedrichAny task puts me into flow state if I can do it long enough uninterrupted. It happens quickest during soldering. The fumes might play a role here.https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/f/forum/57319/what-tasks-or-activities-put-you-in-a-flow-stateWed, 30 Sep 2026 16:50:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:45ebe09e-c516-432e-92d9-6d6a638c0498dougwA flow state is a state of mind where you are totally focussed on something and nothing else enters your consciousness. How much of your day is spent in a flow state? What distractions prevent you from achieving a flow state? How important to your performance is achieving a flow state?dougwflow statehttps://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/b/blog/posts/project-hyperion-recently-announced-the-winners-of-the-generational-ship-competitionThu, 21 Aug 2025 19:35:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:848fe6e1-9b6a-4a60-a86c-51f5e1aa2bb3CatwellThe Project Hyperion competition had hundreds of entrants, with three chosen recently. (Image Credit: i4is ) Project Hyperion and the UK-based Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is) launched a $10,000 competition to design Generational ships using modern and near-future technology. The contest had hundreds of global entrants, and the top three winners were announced on July 23rd, 2025. All three winners are recognized for detailed, interdisciplinary concepts that demonstrate how human societies could survive and grow while traveling to cosmic worlds. The spacecraft stretches 36 miles and uses a Direct Fusion Drive for propulsion. (Image Credit: The Chrysalis) The Chrysalis received first place. This spaceship features a cylindrical structure to prevent micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMOD) from slamming into the frontal section. It also keeps structural stresses down while it accelerates and decelerates. Spanning approximately 36 miles in length with a 4-mile diameter, the craft has a mass of 2.4 billion metric tons. It relies on a Direct Fusion Drive for propulsion, which burns deuterium and Helium-3, producing a steady acceleration at 0.1g. The team predicts it will accelerate during the first year of interstellar travel, spend four hundred years coasting through space, and decelerate for one year while approaching Proxima b. The forward section features the habitat with layers of concentric rotating rings. Moving inward, these layers are for food production and ecosystems, communal spaces, dwellings and gardens, operational facilities, storage decks, and the axial core. With continuous rotation, the shells generate artificial gravity similar to Earth's, making the structure stable for housing, utilities, and resources required to sustain a population of 600. The ship has a Cosmo Dome, a panoramic chamber for passengers to enjoy cosmic views as they engage in low-gravity recreational activities. It's also designed with a secondary rotation system that offsets unwanted motion by using adjacent rings that rotate in opposite directions. In this case, odd layers rotate clockwise while uneven layers rotate counterclockwise to balance rotational forces. The WFP Extreme spaceship simulates the Earth's gravity by using two large rings spanning 500 meters across. (Image Credit: WFP Extreme) WFP Extreme won second place. This craft has a central core flanked by two enormous rings rotating in opposite directions to simulate gravity and reduce Coriolis effects. Both rings span 500 meters across, featuring workspaces, living quarters, and social areas divided into three districts per ring, split into six neighborhoods. All the hydroponic farms, energy systems, and control stations are set within the ship's core. These connect to the rings through reinforced arms with elevators. A running track and a pedestrian walkway connect all six of the neighborhoods. Elevators enable access to the core, ensuring social and cultural interaction between various communities on the ship. The team behind the Systema Stellare Proximum found inspiration in Jellyfish to design the spaceship's structure. (Image Credit: Systema Stellare Proximum) Systema Stellare Proximum placed in third. The team called their ship Systema Stellare Proximum, a starship built inside a hollow asteroid encasing two counterrotating Stanford Torii habitats. A quantum AI system navigates the ship, while propulsion starts with a nuclear pulse before switching to ion engines in the secondary stage. The starship's design is influenced by biomimicry, modeled after a jellyfish. Its asteroid shell has a bell-like shape that blocks radiation and impacts. Meanwhile, the leading edge is made of layered materials that disperse energy from impacts. Additionally, the shield features self-repairing robots and technologies that fix damaged areas. The spacecraft's pulsed plasma ion propulsion system also uses biomimicry, modeled after the jellyfish's rhythmic motion. A swarm of tethered drones uses electrostatic propulsion for maneuverability or stabilization. The ship has a sensor network across the hull to monitor resources, environmental hazards, and radiation levels. Adaptive navigation systems then use this data to adjust the spacecraft's path. The internal modular habitat can be reconfigured and expanded, similar to jellyfish structures. Waste is transformed into oxygen and food using algae and other microorganisms via closed-loop bioregenerative life support. Hydroponic and aquaponic systems provide clean water, fish, and crops. Finally, the ship has a laser array that targets and vaporizes micrometeoroids too small for the asteroid shell to block. Have a story tip? Message me at: http://twitter.com/Cabe_Atwellcontestgenerational shipcabeatwellengineering_lifeProject Hyperionconcepthttps://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/b/blog/posts/heat-exposure-can-affect-students-ability-to-learn-and-the-rest-of-usWed, 06 Aug 2025 11:00:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:8f91696c-4bea-4a33-a43b-8218ce0b5543Catwell(Image credit: Pixabay ) It all makes sense now! Engineering, designing on hot summer days never working out as planned. The summer slowdowns. That feeling of wading through molasses. A new study published by Konstantina Vasilakopoulou (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) and Matthaios Santamouris (University of New South Wales) explains how prolonged exposure to high urban temperatures, driven by climate change, negatively impacts students' cognitive performance, especially in tasks requiring complex processing like mathematics. While the short-term effects of heat on learning are well known, the study focuses on the long-term impact, which is less well understood. The pair analyzed data from seven studies covering 14.5 million students across 61 countries. Six of the seven studies found a clear link between extended heat exposure and diminished academic performance. Socioeconomically disadvantaged students were hit hardest, due to several factors, including limited access to air conditioning, hotter urban environments, and fewer academic support resources. The findings throw a spotlight on how climate change worsens educational learning abilities, which the authors found threatening to future human achievements and national academic progress. While most of us have experienced how excessive heat can affect our ability to concentrate and focus on the tasks at hand, prolonged exposure can be detrimental when it comes to learning and retaining new information. To help mitigate the prolonged urban heat problem, the authors recommend instituting adaptive strategies, such as better classroom ventilation, cooling systems, and equitable access to learning resources, which can help reduce these effects. They also stress the urgent need for targeted policy changes and technology interventions to protect vulnerable students and lessen the social and economic consequences of global warming. Have a story tip? Message me at: http://twitter.com/Cabe_Atwellworkercareerhumanon_campuscabeatwellengineering_lifelearninguniversityhttps://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/f/forum/55613/why-do-engineers-like-coffee-crisps/227438Fri, 14 Mar 2025 16:19:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:e99e719b-daf2-48ca-a6ec-387e3c6e990dcstantonThey're dangerous (joking). They're definitely in the region of sweets around "honeycomb" type. 'Crunchies' are similar, but a bit tougher to chew, almost like a toffee after a few bites. The type of centre was very popular in the victorian era where you used to be able to buy literal slabs of it as "cinder toffee" and you still can in some places.https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/m/managed-videos/150166Fri, 14 Mar 2025 14:23:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:f6d0fd4e-4ea3-497e-b54e-9b2c5aa083d1CatwellThe Video Game History Foundation Library is open in early access. For everybody. For free. Wherever you are. Right now. Access thousands of video game history materials, from development documents to magazines to press kits and more. The future o...https://community.element14.com/members-area/engineering-life/b/blog/posts/the-history-of-video-games-is-now-available-through-a-digital-libraryFri, 14 Mar 2025 14:21:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:965202c6-ee0d-42ff-9c03-013c8256ca6fCatwellThe Video Game History Foundation built a video game digital library for the public to access and study. (Image Credit: Video Game History Foundation ) There are tens of thousands of video game industry ephemera files that video game enthusiasts can’t wait to look at for free! Now, the Video Game History Foundation (VGHF) has made them available in a digital library ---made from VGHF’s physical collection. The early access library launch features never-before-seen game development assets, over 1,500 full-text searchable out-of-print video game magazines, promotional materials, artwork, and gaming relics. VGHF mentioned documents from Mark Flitman , a retired video game producer, production materials from Myst developers Cyan , press assets in digitized CDs from GamePro, and a collection of FromSoftware promotional materials. Members of the gaming community helped with this project by scanning video game magazines over the years and donating or digitizing the items for the digital library. Groups like Retromags and Out-of-Print Archive provided hundreds of magazine scans. Meanwhile, private collectors loaned an early electronic game commercial and a rare educational game catalog to the VGHF. With the digital video game library, the gaming community can study the video game production process with access to its raw materials. The nonprofit organization collects and preserves historical source code and assets, like development tools, raw art, and documentation. They have even used those collections to restore lost games. VGHF also invested in new infrastructure to perform high-quality magazine scans in-house if they receive an extra copy. They unbind and feed each page through an extremely powerful scanner that scans close to 50 pages per minute at archival quality. Additionally, VGHF wanted to make this a good resource for researchers by making the magazines fully tech-searchable. This is more difficult than it sounds. The software that searches through a magazine scan works on plain documents. That means high-contrast text and dark fonts on light backgrounds. In some cases, scans may look like the mess we see on backgrounds from ’90s magazines. So the director of technology developed a next-gen text recognition tool that can handle the toughest pages---a big leap in quality. The organization also developed a digital archive portal with powerful search and navigation features. According to Phil Salvador, the library director, this is the “first wave of open access content” being made available to the public. VGHF expects to build and add more material to the library “over the next coming years.” They have a storage room full of material they plan to keep processing. “We've been building those for a long time and think this will change how people study video game history.” youtu.be/6Tysm_Wf60Q Have a story tip? Message me at: http://twitter.com/Cabe_Atwellcabeatwellhistorygamesvideo gamesinnovation