My first year (1976) at an engineering university I was not ready to attend and didn't enjoy, I did meet some interesting and unusual characters.
A woman named Sydney, first time I ever encountered a female assignee of that name (biased by people's grandfathers with the same name). I don't remember anything else about her.
A guy who had been a mechanic on European race cars and talked about a Porsche (2 litre, IIRC, maybe turbocharged, IDNR) engine with a piston stroke length of about 3 mm, that achieved about 900 hp at some surprising (to me) rpm close to 10 000 (+/-).
He said it was only expected to last one race, which was also not unusual.
Trying to get back on topic, but not quite accomplishing same, I had a job interview in the early 80's and was prepared a little with some curiosity questions...they were using QPSK (quadrature phase-shift keying) modulation for some digital data sent over satellite (but the technology apparently was provided by contractors).
I asked how the phase shift worked with different sites using the network needing synchronization, but being different distances from the satellite. I had formulated a question but wasn't anticipating the answer.
The manager above the guy who would be my boss replied that it was just FM. My implied next question was essentially 'why the FM?'.
I said, but it's a phase modulation not frequency modulation, right?
He replied again: No, it's just F.M.
I didn't want to challenge that statement & let it go.
I got hired, and eventually learned I had missed his inference...they had no F-ing idea, it was just F-ing Magic. They were the end users & their engineers had just determined the performance requirements. Contractors achieved them & got paid.