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by: NewsNation staff, Nexstar Media Wire

(NewsNation Now) Having a package stolen stinks sometimes literally.

Porch pirates who stole from YouTube creator Mark Rober were met with an explosion of glitter and a foul-smelling spray upon opening what appeared to be an Apple HomePod.

For years, videos of bait packages similar to this one have garnered millions of views as thieves hoping to find something valuable instead encounter a burst of powder or packing peanuts.

The bait package featured in Robers latest of video, posted Friday, is the result of careful engineering and four years of work, he said. It shows people in their cars and homes confused and panicked at the cloud of glitter, blaring car horn noise and flashing police lights.

Four cellphones and an onboard microphone capture the porch pirates as they steal the package. They also record the thieves reactions and automatically upload the footage to a storage cloud.

Not everyone takes the bait, however.

Rober placed some of his packages near shared mailboxes and found that people more often left the parcels alone or took them in for their neighbors.

Either people are getting more honest, or perhaps, I dont know, its the devastating power of glitter thats encouraging more civil behavior, Rober said in the video.

Jokes aside, three out of four Americans have fallen victim to package theft in their lifetime, according to a recent SafeWise survey.

Rober said he started the project in 2018 after spotting someone steal a package from his doorstep.

If youve ever been in a situation like this you just sort of feel violated, Rober said. And then I took this to the police and even with the video evidence they said its just not worth their time to look into, so then you also feel powerless.

Thats when Rober began taking matters into his own hands.

Because sometimes revenge is a dish best served fabulously, he said.

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YouTuber engineer unleashes new glitter bombs on package thieves - fox5sandiego.com

'Get a hobby, then develop the interest along technical lines.' (Credit: This is Engineering)

Are you stuck in a career rut or planning your next move? Maybe youre a student struggling to decide on an industry? We're putting your burning questions to our panel of seasoned engineers.

In Issue 6, 2021, Andrew asked: "What would be the best or most fun wayto gain engineering skills in an alternativediscipline (such as electrical or software)without going back to do another degree?"

"Im a mechanical engineer. Never liked that elastictrickery, sorry electricity stuff, but my projects were starting to have a lot more of an electrical element to them. So I booked on an evening class course in house wiring and general electrical installation. It was a very practical course and not much theory and gave me an insight and some new skills. Since then Ive thought about getting a formal qualification in electrical engineering as it gave me a different perspective. I enjoyed the practical element as it was a bit of a change. Go for the most basic course that has a lot of practical content."

Dave Hughes

"Move into development engineering where engineering disciplines come together (often mechanical, electrical, systems, software, etc) then take a specific focus in disciplines that interest you. And/ or ideally find somebody who is interested in the opposite (your disciplines) and wants to learn more. There is some really good material on the internet (and unfortunately some bad) that would help you get going with the basics. And I still buy physical textbooks hard to better!"

Andrew Sharratt

"Get a Raspberry Pi and try controlling or monitoring something different with that. Or obtain data from lots of different sources and feed it into business intelligence software such as Microsoft BI. For example, data from a Hive or Nest home-heating control system with weather data to work out your homes thermal efficiency coefficient."

Philip Runacres

"Look for a job that covers multidisciplinary work project management, a wider maintenance management role or safety management, for instance. Most of these allow you to develop a broader skill base, as I have done throughout my career. A sales role across a broad-based portfolio can do the same you learn from specialists writing bids for you."

Richard Lindop

"First, make sure its something you really, really want to learn. If you arent sufficiently motivated you will not succeed. Second, find a mentor who will want you to succeed. Be imaginative perhaps make a reciprocal arrangement with a software engineer? Third, begin. You will make a lot of mistakes to start with learn from them. Start small."

Ian Jenkins

"Get a hobby, then develop the interest along technical lines. For instance, philately could develop your knowledge of printing methods, chemistry of ink, paper and security markings, production, design, logistics, etc."

Len Stanway

"For serious fun, get your hands dirty in a heritage engineering project, possibly a steam railway or pumping station. All such projects use some electrical plant and, of course, IT. And their workers are usually only too glad to show a committed newcomer the ropes (and they may feed off a bit of your own specialist know-how)."

Bob Rainbow

"Treat it as a hobby in the first instance, and as you get into it and get more experience if possible join a club of like-minded people to get more experience and build up your knowledge. Who knows where you might get to."

J Turner

"Engineers are problem solvers. There are problems and opportunities everywhere. I thoroughly enjoyed reprocessing a HR call centre as a little project once to reduce cost, improve effectiveness, and make it a nicer place to work."

Mike Cameron-Davies

"Consider volunteering as a STEM ambassador and take part in organised activities in other areas/disciplines. Perhaps even engage with others to create and deliver such activities."

Neil Coleman

"Gaining skills in software engineering should be relatively easy. Teach yourself to write code and create software to do some everyday tasks. The code could actually be macros for existing software for such things as spreadsheets and documents."

Richard Bossom

"Take up a hobby that involves a new engineering skill. If you are a mechanical engineer, how about competitive computer overclocking? Often there are great communities of practice in hobby areas that will provide you with an alternative and fun way of learning."

Keith Thomas

"I would suggest joining a project (within your business or outside, as a hobby) and working alongside those on the team who are dealing with those other aspects, taking on some of that other discipline."

Dr Ian Weslake-Hill

Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? TheProfessional Engineeringnewslettergives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, clickhere.

Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Original post:

Ask the Engineers: 'What is the best way to gain skills in an alternative discipline?' - Professional Engineering

KUWAIT: Dr Mohammad Al-Fares honors Waleed Al-Khashti in recognition of Zains support with the presence of Dr Rana Al-Fares.

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading digital service provider in Kuwait, announced its strategic partnership with the 40th Engineering Design Exhibition and the annual Zain Award for Engineering Excellence. The event, organized by Kuwait Universitys College of Engineering and Petroleum (CEP), was held under official support from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) at Sabah Al Salem University City in Shadadiya under the patronage of HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

Zain took part in the events opening ceremony, which witnessed the attendance of HH the Prime Ministers representative, Minister of Oil and Minister of Higher Education Dr Mohammad Al-Fares, Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Dr Rana Al-Fares, Acting Vice President of Kuwait University for Planning Dr Mohammad Zainal, Zain Kuwaits Chief Corporate Communications and Relations Officer Waleed Al-Khashti, the Director of the Engineering Training Center and Graduates Dr Duaij Al-Rukaibi, as well as many CEP officials and faculty, parents, and exhibition participants.

Zain continues to support this exhibition and sponsor the annual award as part of its commitment towards supporting and encouraging various student activities, which falls under the companys corporate sustainability and social responsibility strategy. Zains strategy closely focuses on contributing to the development of the education sector by partnering with many academic organizations to invest in education, which the company considers an essential element of the further progress of national economy.

The 40th Engineering Design Exhibition is considered the biggest yet since the College of Engineering and Petroleums inception in 1975. The event witnessed the participation of hundreds of projects from across the colleges departments, as well as the presence of hundreds of students, who showcased their final projects to visitors and sponsors. Furthermore, the Zain-sponsored annual Engineering Excellence Award highlights the most creative and innovative projects as per the standards outlined by the College of Engineering and Petroleum.

Zains support to the event springs from the companys core corporate sustainability and social responsibility strategy. The company believes that supporting the various educational programs and initiatives provides young people with skills and tools necessary to help them highlight and develop their potential, ultimately contributing to Kuwaits progress.

As a leading national company, Zain firmly believes in the importance of contributing to the progress of the education sector and looks to empower and prepare the nations youth for the important roles they will play in the further progress of the country.

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Zain strategic partner of 40th Engineering Design Exhibition - Kuwait Times

In disbelief that another 12 months has almost passed once again, I found myself this week recalling a former colleague from my engineering career. Each time I would ask a polite pleasantry such as how are you doing today?, the same answer would come back every time: Too soon to say.. At first, I wasnt sure how to take this evasive answer, but as I got to know them, I saw that in fact as well as being their own wee trademark, it was generally honest, as not all the facts were yet known to answer one way or another.

It feels like the right approach for some of the questions I can think of for our manufacturing sector as we approach the end of another turbulent year.

Covid is the perfect example of the right question for that answer, as the rollercoaster just keeps going, and instead of coasting to slower speeds, Omicron has given it a boost for who knows how many more loops of the circuit. Our sector has managed the Covid impact exceptionally well, achieving a condition of well-managed risk, but not without its cost. The extra measures needed to keep workplaces safe consume management time, lower productivity, and rising cases now threaten availability of resource as requirement to isolate is feared to grow again, stripping out much-needed people for 10 days at a time. Thats an especially unwelcome challenge coming as it does when our sector is extremely busy across the board following three quarters of increased order intake, something thats usually cause for celebration. One manufacturing leader remarked that they simply couldnt enjoy their record levels of orders because of the multiple barriers that stood in the way of delivery.

That faster-than-expected pick-up in business has brought more rapid reductions in unemployment than we could have reasonably expected, reducing the much-feared impact on young people in particular. But the pace of this has overshot the balance point quickly, landing us in a deficit that underlines the challenges we have in Scotland: we are an ageing population, with a low proportion of young people and falling numbers of net in-migration. The answer to this barrier lies in really seeing the value of people and then underlining the need to replace them with automation and efficiency everywhere thats possible, because they are just too valuable to waste on tasks that we can easily automate or eliminate. Id argue that this is the case whether they are leaving school or well into their career we will need them all and its an area where the manufacturing sector needs to lead by example, helped and encouraged by us, the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service, the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland, further education colleges and other training providers.

Was the term supply chain used in society outside of business circles before the pandemic? Its in common usage now, an explanation for the lack of availability of new cars to shortages on shop shelves, and for manufacturing, its the restricted availability and costs of raw materials, components and the trucks and containers to move them around that provides the headache. Its a challenge that has hit everything from steel to semiconductors, with the greatest frustration being that there is no clarity or agreement as to when this deficit and its impact is going to end. Whilst there is some evidence of stabilisation of prices, its not consistent, and prices and lead times remain high with too much variation for any kind of meaningful planning.

A strange year then in many ways recovery at a rate that we wouldnt have dared to forecast, alongside challenges and barriers that have soured the relief that such an upturn would normally bring. It might be too soon to say then what 2022 will bring, but what I can reflect is a feeling of enormous pride within the sector in the way that they have managed their businesses through the impact of Covid and are using that resilience to ensure that Scottish manufacturing is poised to step up and on. Our largest engineering companies can remind us visibly of that pride in progress with HMS Glasgow on the quayside at BAE Systems Govan, or the Venturer building that can manufacture two Type 31 Frigates side by side at Babcock Rosyth. These are great examples of our capability, but only the ones we can see, with many more inspiring examples in companies of all sizes and sectors across the country. For me, these wider examples that I have the privilege to see underline that, despite the difficulties of the last two years, our manufacturing and engineering sector has weathered this storm well and remains well placed to continue to do so.

Paul Sheerin is chief executive of Scottish Engineering

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Paul Sheerin: Engineers remain well placed to weather the storm - HeraldScotland