Additive nature of technology
- Thread starter Optimist
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It seems that our Fathers endevours to give his children a better life than the one he had have produced the opposite results.
As our lives became easier through the advancement of technology, we have devolved past the level of self preservation to some extent.
We rely on conditioned air to make us comfortable, resulting in many of us not being able to withstand the extremes of heat or cold in our environment. High tech farming processes give us genetically modified food products that are not all that good for us.
For the sake of saving time in our precious day, we eat fast food that will surely result in fewer of those precious days to enjoy.
We have someone else protect us, put out our fires and fight on our behalf all while we sit snug in our high tech (relatively speaking) homes and watch the world fall apart on the TV.
I personally long for the more simpler time that I grew up in.
But, alas...that time has gone.
As our lives became easier through the advancement of technology, we have devolved past the level of self preservation to some extent.
We rely on conditioned air to make us comfortable, resulting in many of us not being able to withstand the extremes of heat or cold in our environment. High tech farming processes give us genetically modified food products that are not all that good for us.
For the sake of saving time in our precious day, we eat fast food that will surely result in fewer of those precious days to enjoy.
We have someone else protect us, put out our fires and fight on our behalf all while we sit snug in our high tech (relatively speaking) homes and watch the world fall apart on the TV.
I personally long for the more simpler time that I grew up in.
But, alas...that time has gone.
It didn't use to be that way, steadfast. For my bunch, out in the oil patch, there were certain levels of tech that were just part of the environment. We came up around welding, pipe fitting and cars, and most of us were mechanics to one level or another. Quite a few of us learned to drive on vehicles rescued from the local scrap yard.
the further tecno goes seems the further back i go, went all the way up to 4 axis CNC, then back to single point, as i decided that i would rather do one off than mass produce. welding the same. ive set and programmed robots, prefer to do it manually. found my niche so to speak LOL and i been a gear head since forever i think but i would rather work a nailhead, than any dohc around.......
Yeah, the old ways do have their advantages. I'm kinda partial to drop forged parts, myself. If I last long enough after this next brouhaha I want to build myself a simple four ton drop hammer and make up a few items that have been on my bucket list for decades now. One is a Garand receiver for the M.14 bolt, shortened and made up for the 8 round en bloc clip.
Having something to keep the mind and hands active seems to be the recipe for a decent old age...
Having something to keep the mind and hands active seems to be the recipe for a decent old age...
Ive tried to explain to kids before, how to spark test steel, spark pretty much giving you the carbon content, thus the grade, and been told more than once, "well the msds sheet tells me that"
There will always be a handful of kids who are curious and think the stuff you show them is Wizard level
magic. I was that way as a kid.. it made me want to learn more. My Dad made sure that my nieces and
nephews got into stuff, too. One nephew is a damn fine diesel mechanic.. my niece works on her car
and has rebuilt the house she owns. Nothing kills interest like someone behaving like everything is
secret knowledge, and the whole you haven't paid your dues, grasshopper BS..
magic. I was that way as a kid.. it made me want to learn more. My Dad made sure that my nieces and
nephews got into stuff, too. One nephew is a damn fine diesel mechanic.. my niece works on her car
and has rebuilt the house she owns. Nothing kills interest like someone behaving like everything is
secret knowledge, and the whole you haven't paid your dues, grasshopper BS..
Ive tried to explain to kids before, how to spark test steel, spark pretty much giving you the carbon content, thus the grade, and been told more than once, "well the msds sheet tells me that"
One thing that was given to me as a kid that is now in the hands of great nieces and nephews
is a #6 Meccano set, which still has most of the pieces. That was great fun. The other cheaper
version is piles of paper and pencils. Every kid loves to draw, until some asshole tells them
they suck at it, and they give up. You kill a kid's imagination, and you get another compliant
little drone. Now folks are happy to pay for someone else's imagination.
is a #6 Meccano set, which still has most of the pieces. That was great fun. The other cheaper
version is piles of paper and pencils. Every kid loves to draw, until some asshole tells them
they suck at it, and they give up. You kill a kid's imagination, and you get another compliant
little drone. Now folks are happy to pay for someone else's imagination.
My wife and I already decided that we will never answer a question that we don't know the answer to with some flippant answer like "because I said so" or tell our kids they are unable to do something. I'd much rather say "I don't know" and teach them how to learn. And if they are unable to do a task, they can figure it out on their own, but they'll learn A WHOLE LOT in the process of trying.
My Mom and Dad were always supportive and positive.. my Dad always said that you can learn to do
anything if you put your mind to it.. I think you are a rarity these days, Bacash.. most parents helicopter
and " manage " everything in their kid's lives now. True freedom comes from independant thinking and
being capable of doing your own thing without supervision. I learn way more from my mistakes than
I do when things go okay.
anything if you put your mind to it.. I think you are a rarity these days, Bacash.. most parents helicopter
and " manage " everything in their kid's lives now. True freedom comes from independant thinking and
being capable of doing your own thing without supervision. I learn way more from my mistakes than
I do when things go okay.