Have you seen our “help wanted” ad? Gear Technology is looking for people who have information to share with our readers. We will continue to publish the peer reviewed, “cutting edge” technical papers we are world famous for, of course, but not every topic needs that level of certification to be worth reading. Not to mention, some of you are terrified of the public speaking involved in presenting a technical paper to a room full of strangers. So, what could you write about? As I approach the sixth anniversary of this blog, I have lots of experience answering that particular question. Here are a few things I would really enjoy learning more about: 1. Case studies on use of 3-D-printed parts. What did you make? How did you make it? From what material? Did it need thermal processing? Or secondary machining? Did it work? For how long? 2. Interesting application reports. There is nothing wrong with sharing news of a successful resolution of a tough project. Tell us what you did and what you might do differently next time. 3. Back in the day stories. Were you on the team that did something interesting? Others might learn from your experience of developing a new machine, moving into a new facility, or modifying a piece of equipment to do a particular part. 4. A thousand words about a picture. Some of our industry’s history is being lost because we do not appreciate what we see in a photo. Group photos from important meetings, landmark machines, unique gears or gearboxes deserve some words of explanation from people in the know. 5. Clever ways to solve problems. Do you have a unique “cheat sheet” that might help people work through a tough problem? No one will become a millionaire selling “gear aps,” so why not settle for becoming beloved by your peers? Maybe it is a step by step procedure for figuring optimum tip relief. Or a way to convert roll angles to diameters that doesn’t give me a headache. 6. Origin stories. What made you decide on a career in gears? We’d love to hear about it. Still not convinced? The next blog will talk about the help we can give you and the outstanding benefits package!