Dilbert - The Knack "The Curse of the Engineer"
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters share it as a shorthand for the engineer's curse, especially when remembering Scott Adams, in family anecdotes, and in threads about whether you have "the knack."
Recommended by 1 people across 1 different months, 2018 to 2026.
What it is
A 1m43s clip from the late-90s Dilbert animated series (S01E09) in which young Dilbert is diagnosed with "The Knack," an innate aptitude that dooms him to become an engineer. It is a short comedic sketch about the engineering mindset and its supposed inescapable nature.
What people said
Recommends mothsonasloth · 2018-10 · Hacker News · on “Ask HN: Do you have the knack?”
Watching the Dilbert TV show from the late 90s. This clip was extremely funny but profound. [this video] So do you have the knack, or not?
Cites kroltan · 2021-12 · Hacker News · on “Ask HN: Life Changing Books?”
Not a book. But a game. Scratch that, it is meditation, a life lesson and an existential crisis packed into a computer program. But I'll call it a game since it's convenient. Outer Wilds. Mechanically, you play as a space archaeologist stuck in a time loop. The whole game is a giant knowledge puzzle, and you explore an entire solar system in search of clues about a long-gone civilization. If this sounds even remotely interesting, stop reading and go play the game, because every bit of information is a spoiler, and below I'll talk about my experiences about it. Seriously, do not watch any gameplay, just make sure your computer meets the (rather tame) requirements, buy [0] and play it, then yo
Cites magicmicah85 · 2026-01 · Hacker News · on “Scott Adams has died”
Always gave a sensible chuckle to his comics. One of my favorite scenes from the show was about "The Knack". My dad originally shared this with me, reminding me that I'm "cursed" for inheriting the knack from him. [this video]
Cites tomaytotomato · 2026-01 · Hacker News · on “Scott Adams has died”
RIP Scott Adams I recently purchased his 2026 calendar for a family member who works in the consultancy world, they really enjoy it. Starting my dev career in a big corporate telecom I used to attach Dilbert strips to the end of my presentations, sometimes people would laugh, others, normally execs didn't get the irony or commentary. Then when I went to more modern and cool startups the same Dilbert comic strips still apply which I found hilarious. A lot of our influences or heroes have faults and I hope we can all put them to rest and just remember Scott's great achievements with Dilbert and his many books on Management or Psychology. I will just leave this scene from the Dilbert TV show, t
Cites ErroneousBosh · 2026-09 · Hacker News · on “Was silent reading unusual during Augustine's time?”
Re the first one, there's also the Dilbert "The Knack" short: [this video] But yes, that's what he's like. Now he knows how dictionaries work, so he's got himself way ahead in reading than nearly everyone at his school, adults included. Epigenetics are a thing. I know exactly where that came from.