Engineering in the Media (I)- Codename: Kids Next Door

All this stuff with the Zen prototyping, and this talk about engineering in the media reminded me of this kids show called "Codename: Kids Next Door". Basically, the cartoon is about 5 children who are part of this huge secret organization run completely by children, and they complete various missions James Bond style. Of course, every spy needs their arsenal of gadgets, and these kids are no exception. Below are examples of the weaponry used in the series:



Hmm...kinda looks like what was going on in studio recently - grabbing whatever is at hand and making something to solve a problem of some sort, in this case, "high-tech" gadgets. Of course, these objects actually work in the series as it's fiction, but who says that these items couldn't be (albeit strange) prototype for a children toy?

Of course, only a select few of these items are created on the fly in the middle of a fight or in a workshop at headquarters, so the design process is neglected onscreen. There's no doubt that there is an element of engineering in these items, but it appears that the media has once again neglected the engineer (remember, these kids are part of a much larger organization, so any designs could be transferred to other divisions in the association).

Maybe engineers aren't deemed cool enough for television? Perhaps the perception of an engineer is that of a glorified technician, or just builds bridges (*Cough*Civil*cough*)? Maybe I'll find more answers after looking more closely at other examples of how engineers are portrayed - I have a few ideas right now, but I'll save judgment until I get a better idea of what things are like (not to mention I need to start preparing for that biology test later this week).

My best guess right now is that they don't want to encourage the children to take things apart and cause more chaos around the house.