May 31, 2002

Hello again everyone! It is once again time for me to share my thoughts and experiences that continue to accumulate during my stay in Germany-or as Amy would say, “more catch-up and mustard.”

After much struggling and wallowing in the darkest depths of despair, I have finally completed one of the most difficult and daunting tasks of my life: I finished ready Boris Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago. Thank the screenwriter that the movie focused only on the love story in this book, because aside from this, the book was 519 pages of pure hell. It took me four times longer to finish this book than it did for me to finish the 1168 pages of Atlas Shrugged.

After completing this task, I decided that it was time for some emotional refueling, so I am now re-reading Atlas Shrugged again. I hadn’t realized that it has been almost three years since I last read it. Andrew Bernstein is right, you get more and more out of this book every time you read it. This time I can’t help but notice something similar between Hank Rearden and myself that was present in my last letter.

It is early in the novel shortly after his character is first introduced. He is walking home after pouring the first heat for the first order of Rearden Metal.

The road was dark, edged with trees. Looking up, he could see a few leaves against the stars; the leaves were tested and dry, ready to fall. There were distant lights in the windows of houses scattered through the countryside; but the lights made the road seem lonelier.

He never felt loneliness except when he was happy. He turned, once in a while, to look back at the red glow of the sky over the mills.

And a few pages later:

He felt that he could forgive anything to anyone, because happiness was the greatest agent of purification. He felt certain that every living being wished him well tonight. He wanted to meet someone, to face the first stranger, to stand disarmed and open, and to say, “Look at me.” People, he thought, were as hungry for a sight of joy as he had always been-for a moment’s relief from that gray load of suffering which seemed so inexplicable and unnecessary. He had never been able to understand why men should be unhappy.

The emotions that Rearden was experiencing after the successful completion of his goal were the same as I was experiencing in response to the accomplishments I wrote about in my last letter. It was then that I realized that I too do not truly experience a feeling of loneliness except for when I am happy. It would seem to be a contradiction, but it is the loneliness that comes from wanting to share one’s accomplishments with those who can truly appreciate them for what they are. Being so eager to share them makes one want to tell anyone and everyone that would possibly listen.

Fortunately for me, unlike Rearden in those early pages of the novel, I do have such people in my life. Rearden, at that time, had not yet known there were others like him. The slight tinge of loneliness that I experienced was tempered by the fact that the gulf that separates me from those of similar mind is merely the distance of an ocean-a distance that can be overcome in just a few hours by plane, or the speed of light via e-mail. This is why I felt such happiness and pride as I wrote so passionately about my work during the past few weeks in my last letter-and why I will continue to do so! So long as I have people like you in my life, I know that I will never be truly lonely, even while I am here in Germany, even when I am at my happiest.

What a great segue into my next subject! The past two weeks at work, I have continued to rotate through the various different departments. During one of my visits, I was able to see one of the systems applications that we make for a convertible top of a Mercedes car. I was mildly surprised at the number of components required to make it work. The top is designed to go up and down automatically and stow away behind the rear seat in the trunk underneath a hatch. There are many different switches, motors, cinches, and control modules in the car to make it possible. A couple of days later, I was looking through Automotive Industries (a trade magazine) and saw an advertisement for a vehicle rollover detection sensor. It was then that I got the idea that this sensor might be helpful in detecting the various positions of the convertible top, thereby reducing the number of components necessary. It remains to be seen whether or not this idea has any practical merit, but my coworkers seemed very receptive to investigating the idea.

Regardless of whether that idea bears any fruit, I continue to do my best to contribute some value to the company rather than just passively learn as I rotate through the various departments. Two of the hardest things about being introduced to a new department are: one, trying to get some value out of the experience; and two, trying to show them that I have something of value to contribute as well. When I first get introduced to somebody and they are told to show me what it is that they do, they immediately begin by showing me the company’s product line-which I have been familiar with since my first week on the job. “This is a switch to roll down the windows…this is a switch to turn on the heater…this is a switch for self-destructing the car…” I feel like telling them, “yes, I know we have a product line. I know we make stuff. I have seen most of this during my 5+ years of experience in the auto industry and my 16 years of driving cars. Now please show me what it is that your department is responsible for and how do you go about doing it.” But instead I am more diplomatic.

Eventually, I am able to get an idea of their relationship to the rest of the company and an awareness of the various different tools, methods, and requirements/specifications that they use to do their job. In the last department I visited (another mechanical design department), I learned about a new tool for simulating light intensity through a material before a product is actually manufactured. This powerful tool will allow a designer to test uniformity and intensity of the appearance of illuminated switches in advance saving them the trouble of trial and error, and wasted tooling costs.

In this same group, they use the CATIA program, which I wrote about in my last letter, to do detailed switch design as well. Once again, my knowledge of how to use this program came in handy. They wanted me to learn about the various aspects of designing a switch-housing and the best way for me to learn was to actually do it. They had a particular project that they were working on for a Mercedes mini-van. In this mini-van, the passenger seat can be removed so that a baby stroller can be put in its place. The purpose of this switch is to detect when the seat has been removed and disable the passenger airbag. The switch case is on the floor and has a plunger that gets pressed when the seat is installed. It was my job to design the internal mechanics of the switch given the volume constraints. Because the switch can be installed in both left- and right-hand drive models, I had to design it to be flipped over and not be able to be installed on the wrong side of the vehicle in case the person on the production line makes a mistake.

This is the most complicated CATIA work I have ever attempted. I was a little nervous at first, but I managed to finish the design in just one and a half days. Now, they are going to have prototypes ordered based on my CAD model and I will actually be able to see something that I created exist in reality! I am so excited that I can hardly wait to see the prototype. Just think, something I designed, that did not before exist, may one day be produced on a car. I know its just a switch, not like a new motor that runs on static electricity or anything, but to be able to say “I made that” makes it the most wonderful part of the car for me.

In this same department, there is a young girl working as one of the mechanical designers. Another coworker and I were talking about the redesign of a hood latch switch so that it would be invulnerable to thieves. I am of the opinion that they are wasting their time because I do not believe the thieves in question are defeating the switch the way Daimler believes they are. I offered another, more likely, scenario for how the thief goes about it. The man I was talking with replies, “I don’t know, I am not a thief.” Taking mild offense to this, I told him “no, but you are an engineer and you can figure out for yourself how to defeat this switch if you wanted to.” I then turned to the girl and asked her, “Hey! You want to help me steal a car?” She had no idea what we were talking about previously and spoke very little English. One of the other guys in the department translated for her. She gave me a look of shock and replied “No!” I smiled and said “Bonnie and Clyde?” Everybody laughed, apparently understanding the reference. Even she giggled, but rather reluctantly. Then, she shook her head and went back to her work (probably wondering what crazy cowboys these Americans are). Later, I dropped by her desk again and said, “so no Bonnie and Clyde huh?” She looked up from what she was doing and said “Noooo.” I then asked her, “how about Thelma and Louise?” as I pointed back and forth to both her and me. As she laughed out load, I gave her a wink and walked away. I figured it was best to make my exit on a high note (a Zeinfeld reference for those of you who don’t know).

Before leaving the subject of cars entirely, I think I should tell you all now that I have a new all-time favorite. I read about it in that same trade magazine I mentioned earlier. It is the Bugatti EB 16.4. This remarkable car will boast an unbelievable 987-hp (not a typo), a top speed of 252mph (not a typo), and go from 0-186mph in just 14 seconds (again, not a typo). One of the guys that I work with has heard about this car and tells me that the price for the car will be about 1 million Euros or between $850,000 and $900,000. I will have to work harder if I am going to by one in the next five years.

Perhaps I can go into the tourist business and make some money. I recently found out that there are many castles in Germany that are for sale. Talk about your real-estate investments! I was surprised that they were so relatively cheap. You can buy one for between one and two million dollars. Not bad since I will probably need a summer home to park my Bugatti.

In other news, there has been a recent scare concerning free-range chickens here in Germany. Apparently there is something fowl with these all naturally raised and fed birds. I’m not certain of all the details, but they have some sort of disease or poisoning that has caused them to be taken off the shelves of the supermarkets. Not to worry, these “all natural” chickens are an expensive delicacy that I have no fear of being exposed to. But isn’t it interesting that once again, on a continent that is so opposed to genetically altered foods and other manmade interventions, that they should experience problems with their food supply? How ironic that they criticize our food production methods, when nowhere in the USA have we been exposed to mad-cow disease, poisonous natural chickens, or any significant food shortages. We feed the world and do it without any unhealthy side effects. Europe on the other hand continues to believe “all natural” is synonymous with healthy. Thee cheers to Manmade, genetically altered, seedless oranges and the like!

Another event I witnessed on television (and for no other reason than because it was in English) was a tribute to the career of Aerosmith. Not that I am a huge fan of theirs, but the latest Pop sensation, Shikira, did a wonderful rendition of “Dude Looks Like a Lady.” I can’t remember it ever sounding so good. It was a great song for her to do and sounded cute in that unique Latin accent of hers (why is it that she is the only person I know who retains their native accent when she sings?). Shanaya Twain had better watch out. She now has some stiff competition concerning who will eventually win my affections and be able to spend the rest of her life with me. I have already written Mrs. Twain a letter explaining that she will have to leave her husband if she wants to stay in the running. I’m still waiting to hear back from her. Meanwhile, the girl from No Doubt keeps knocking on my door asking me why she is only third in the running. I had to tell her such acts of desperation where not becoming and would only hurt her standings.

I have resigned myself to the idea that I am going to have to experience everything in Germany twice. It seems that every time I stumble across something new and interesting I either forget to bring my camera, or I don’t have enough film on hand. One of my most recent explorations resulted in the discovery of an outdoor museum similar to Greenfield Village in a way. While it was not a tribute to the advancements and discoveries of Mankind during the previous century (actually the century before last), it was similar in the fact that it was on open-air museum that one could explore the past. This past however is the past that existed prior to the industrial revolution. (A bird from outside just hit my window) Rather than glorify the present by showing the advancements that led up to it, this museum attempts to glorify the simple way of life of the peasants who labored from daybreak to day’s end. It was interesting and fun however. I was able to maintain the proper perspective and appreciate how fortunate we are nowadays and to look at it as an educational event-a history lesson. The best part of it was the fact that there were very few restrictions on where you could explore in the houses. Unlike Greenfield Village, you could go up and down all of the stairs and into most of the rooms without Plexiglas barricades blocking your way. It was really fun watching a man sheer a sheep-the white fluffy kind that I usually think about when I think of a sheep (and without the ‘s’ for the plural).

I will have to start keeping a log of all the many sites while I am here. That way, when those of you who are still interested in coming to visit for vacation eventually make it out here, I can show you all of the fun and exciting places. So when can I expect each of you??? Well, I have to run now. Goodbye!

Best Premises,

Eric