PowerLines by Linnea Brush

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PowerLines by Linnea Brush

Linnea Brush July 20, 2009

The Secret Life of Engineers

Power Channels: Energy Efficiency, Power Components, Renewable Energy, Switch-Mode Power

I just returned from a vacation to Las Vegas. Most of my trips to Vegas are company-related, so it was nice to go there for fun rather than business. But sometimes it’s hard to separate the two, and oftentimes things just get thrown at you. My husband and I stayed at Caesars Palace, which is not really my idea of a “conference hotel,” but there was a conference taking place this week, and the attendees were remarkably similar to attendees at the power electronics (and related) shows I’ve attended. But different – I found out later that this was a “United Franchise Group” convention.

Since we were mingling with many franchisees, it was hard to completely separate myself from the conference experience. The routines and patterns are the same, from the time people come down for breakfast, to the small networking groups, to the clothing. I found myself wanting to know if there was anything about being in Las Vegas that would “stretch” this conventional conference behavior. All those slot machines have to exert some sort of siren call.

Do power supply engineers ever break loose? Years ago, at an APEC conference at Disneyland, I heard about a few guys going nuts with karaoke – aided by copious amounts of alcohol. But I don’t think this is what the phrase, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” is referring to. Las Vegas has had many (now defunct) trade shows that draw more technical types. The Star Trek bar at the Las Vegas Hilton was popular among the Comdex attendees, for instance. Adultdex has always been held next to these types of shows, as well, but (oddly) I never saw many engineers hanging around these shows, either.

So, what secret pleasure do engineers indulge in? I think I accidentally found out. One of the things I wanted to do while I was in Las Vegas was get a high-end manicure and pedicure. Caesars has a well-known “color” salon that fit the bill. I noticed that there were quite a few men in the salon, which is not the case at the small nail salon I go to at home. Were these the franchisees?

I asked my “manicure stylist” if they got a lot of men, and he said, “Yes, about 35% of our customers are men.” That surprised me. He then said, “You know, Las Vegas hosts a lot of electronics conferences. That’s when our business really goes up. When the electronics conferences are in town, about 65% of our customers are men.” Is this for manicures or pedicures? “Both,” he said.

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We would like to hear your comments on the topics discussed in this column. We welcome the opportunity to publish opposing opinions. Please email Jeff Shepard at jshepard@darnell.com.

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