Kelly Johnson- the man who actually built something

Clarence "Kelly" Johnson brought Skunkworks the fame and reputation it has today. One of the most famous planes ever built under his supervision: the legendary SR-71 blackbird. To get through these remarkable projects, Kelly Johnson devised a set of rules that would be the operating code for each project afterwards. And many a features often credit Kelly and his rules for the successful completion of his projects. Kelly's 14 rules:

• The Skunk Works manager must be delegated practically complete control of his program in all aspects. He should report to a division president or higher.


• Strong but small project offices must be provided both by military and industry.


• The number of people having any connection with the project must be restricted in an almost vicious manner. Use a small number of good people (10% to 25% compared to the so-called normal systems).


• A very simple drawing and drawing release system with great flexibility for making changes must be provided.


• There must be a minimum number of reports required, but important work must be recorded thoroughly.


• There must be a monthly cost review covering not only what has been spent and committed but also projected costs to the conclusion of the program. Don't have the books ninety days late and don't surprise the customer with sudden overruns.


• The contractor must be delegated and must assume more than normal responsibility to get good vendor bids for subcontract on the project. Commercial bid procedures are very often better than military ones.


• The inspection system as currently used by the Skunk Works, which has been approved by both the Air Force and Navy, meets the intent of existing military requirements and should be used on new projects. Push more basic inspection responsibility back to subcontractors and vendors. Don't duplicate so much inspection.


• The contractor must be delegated the authority to test his final product in flight. He can and must test it in the initial stages. If he doesn't, he rapidly loses his competency to design other vehicles.


• The specifications applying to the hardware must be agreed to well in advance of contracting. The Skunk Works practice of having a specification section stating clearly which important military specification items will not knowingly be complied with and reasons therefore is highly recommended.


• Funding a program must be timely so that the contractor doesn't have to keep running to the bank to support government projects.


• There must be mutual trust between the military project organization and the contractor with very close cooperation and liaison on a day-to-day basis. This cuts down misunderstanding and correspondence to an absolute minimum.


• Access by outsiders to the project and its personnel must be strictly controlled by appropriate security measures.


• Because only a few people will be used in engineering and most other areas, ways must be provided to reward good performance by pay not based on the number of personnel supervised

Widlar and the 'Hassler'

Today I will recount an anecdote about Bob Widlar(said Widlaar), a genius in his own right. (I first read it on Robert Pease's page at National Semiconductor. ) Widlaar was the first to design a monolithic amplifier. Its still known for its simplicity and employment of fundamental circuits for its construction. Anyway, Bob once designed a "hassler," which would hassle/irritate people who yelled around him. The device would detect any loud sound and convert it into a high-frequency note in the audio-range. The louder the subject the increasingly lower the pitch would get, creating a sort of ringing noise for the nagger, turning tables on him. The nagger would get nagged and if he stopped so would the 'hassler.' Na rahega baas, na bajegi bansuri(no bamboo, no flute)!

Hedge funds

Andy Kessler's blog at NYT discusses hedge funds. Kessler, who is a former hedge fund manager, a successful one at that, explains thus-

What exactly is a hedge fund? It’s nothing more than an investment vehicle that can buy and sell almost anything. Unlike mutual funds that just charge 1 to 2 percent of assets as a fee no matter how they do, hedge funds get to keep 20 percent (and often more) of their investment gains. It’s an incentive for their managers to lead bizarre lives and suffer from mental anguish. You think they should go crazy for free?

Since that post is copyrighted, I will have to restrict myself from quoting further. You can see the complete entry here: http://kessler.blogs.nytimes.com/, i.e., if you have a subscription. Kessler also lists some guiding principles, few of which are very striking.

• Don't believe in anything.
• Bias leads to disaster.
• Change your mind very often.

Hmm...if only things were so straightforward, life would be bliss, no?

Why this blog?

Recently I attended Elie Wiesel's speech. For those who don't know, Wiesel is a holocaust survivor, nobel laureate and a reknowned speaker. His unequivocal message- Speak up! His exhortation was regarding the deafening silence that most people maintain out of indifference, to awful things happening around them. It was an epiphany. Though political, his message reverberates broadly, as in stressing the importance of voicing opinions rather than succumbing to the in-vogue 'conspiracy of silence'. At this moment, I am quite optimistic that this effort of mine will lead to something purposeful. Yeah, talk about vanity.

I intend to have a civil discourse on whatever makes its way out here. I hope that those who participate will pitch in with their thoughts, without comprising the overall propriety. Being a proponent of free-speech this blog will strive to maintain an inclusive spirit. Violators' posts will be yanked.