One of the things we love about our job is that we get to learn about all kinds of topics we’d never come across in everyday life. And we’re not just scratching the surface—we dive deep. We know stuff about everything from Norwegian hydropower projects to Mexican banking. Here are just a few of the random (yet fascinating) things we learned last year, which, as writers, we really have no business knowing.
- The neck of a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar has to withstand 250lbs of torque exerted by the strings. And plain old corrugated cardboard, the very same stuff Amazon delivers your coffee pods and yoga straps in, when layered together with just the right amount of glue, can be made strong enough to replace the standard maple core Fender usually uses to make the neck. It’s true.
- We learned all about Formula One drafting and slipstreams—you know, like Ricky Bobby’s “shake ‘n bake” maneuver in Talladega Nights… Except these guys do it in Ferraris, not Fords. (Bonus points if you can figure out how this was related to IT infrastructure analytics, the project we researched it for.)
- Did you know that open workspaces reduce productivity? (Think: Office Space.) Better yet—did you know that adding “brown” or “pink” background noise (like the sounds of falling rain or rushing water) helps block out the regular background noise (ringing phones, chatty co-workers, annoying bosses, etc.) so you can focus? Yep, it’s called “noise-masking.” It’s a thing.
You wanna talk architecture, infrastructure, energy efficiency, energy bars, generative design, impact design, corporate IT, IoT, social engineering, structural engineering, medical platform management, janitorial supplies, or even beaming fuel to rockets in space? Let’s go. We will talk you under the table on any number of subjects that have nothing whatsoever to do with our English lit degrees. (Ok, one of us majored in Sociology—equally useful.)
So what’s our point? If we’re ever at a trivia party together (what? it happens), you totally want us on your team. And whatever product, business, or idea you need to tell people about, we’ll be happy to learn about. It’s what we do. And we love doing it.
