classic articles by Jim Williams
I believe I have linked to Shop Class as Soulcraft in The New Atlantis web-zine before, but I keep running across in various venues, and it is too good to miss.
Anyhow, what I really wanted to mention was a couple of very readable articles written by Jim WIlliams, a famous analog (electronics) designer at Linear Technologies, the first of which you don't need to be an electrical engineer or a geek to understand. Try fixing it yourself is as much philosophy as electronics, and I think anyone can appreciate the lesson Jim is trying to share. The second is "Tripping the light fantastic: a case study in circuit design" which although more technical is still an insightful essay on process (the good kind) and is a wonderful description of what engineering really is. You can browse more of Jim's writings at EDN, including Somthing from nothing.
While at EDN's website, and have some time to kill, or you want to see engineers in their own personal glory, peruse Tales From The Cube column which is second to reading Bob Pease's column, Pease Porridge in EDN.
Enjoy.