Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1267313
82 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2020 Fjelstad: They were based on where I saw nat- ural breaks in terms of knowledge. The first couple of sections are not deep science or deep learning. But for someone who steps into the industry for the first time, these things are new. If they don't have this knowledge, it gives them a sense of how we got to where we are. The opening statement that flexible circuits are well over a century old is something that might catch people by surprise. We're trying to put out the information explaining how we got to where we are. There's an old saying—"Those who do not learn history are bound to repeat it"—and unfortunately, we often find a lot of repetition in history. I liked the idea of giving people that opportunity to understand where we got it. We're all natively and fundamentally creative individuals, and then our schooling tends to drive it out of us. People can attend webinars to look at things differently and appreciate them in a new way. Maybe it gives them an opportunity to think of a missing link, and that becomes a springboard for them to be able to think about where the next stop might be. What's the next lily pad? Matties: You start with a historical view, and then you move into some of the applications, as well as design and materials. Fjelstad: Yes, and the steps to implementing flex. What do you need to do? What kinds of things have to be in order? When you're making the decision to use flexible circuits, what goes into that decision? That was another aspect of this—a sort of a checklist for being able to step into it. Then, it goes into the issues of design. As I get older and older, I have a greater appreciation for the importance of design. The designers are leading the parade of electronics manufacturing, and the decisions they make have a significant impact on everybody that follows. And if they don't make the right deci- sions because there was a lack of understand- ing or knowledge, then trouble can ensue. It certainly isn't their intent; nobody goes to work in the morning and says, "I'm going to design something that can't be built." Flex online video training does exactly that. I trust you recall that it was actually you who sug- gested the idea to me. I greatly enjoyed work- ing with you on that first run to put this infor- mation out there for flex circuit technologists. We have friends in the industry who are still doing live seminars, and I can appreciate the importance of that—especially because it offers a potential for asking questions and interacting in real-time with the instructor. But your vision made sense to me, and I wanted to make this content available to the attendees on their own time, on their own schedule. One of the good things that has happened with this COVID-19 pandemic is that it has taught us to think differently about how we put information out there. I have been delighted that I've been able to attend a lot of webinars over the past couple of months that I wouldn't have been able to get to ordinarily. What we did almost 10 years ago was a presage of the way things will likely increasingly need to be done into the future; let's put the content out there, and then people can absorb it in their own time. Webinars, in general, are in real-time, and people get to ask questions during webinars. This flex webinar won't have that same real- time aspect, but questions can be asked after the fact about anything within a session that was found of interest or if somebody had something to add. I would be delighted to be able to include that. Matties: In the structure of the course, you have it sectioned into nine areas. How did you come up with those sections? One of the good things that has happened with this COVID-19 pandemic is that it has taught us to think differently about how we put information out there.