Any other out of touch members ?

Looks like I'm joining the pre-historic band, although I have what is supposed to be smart phone (cheapest one I could find at the time ) the only thing I've managed to do with it apart from making calls to keep a catalogue listing of my old books which stops me buying the same book twice in the second hand book shops, I rarely watch the non smart TV and cannot abide any of the social media sites

Lionel

People wonder why youngsters are not joining the model engineering hobby.

They just have to read this thread to find out why!

I like the tech but am frightened by the cost. When I retire I will need buy my own computer, probably every few years, then a phone and that's a potential money sink. Add TV subs, TV tax, Internet, I recon I need £40k during my retirement pay for all this, not counting inflation. People worry about electricity bills but their tech bill is higher. However my Boxford will just go on the same as the last 60 years - no need for updates.

I see Amazon is buying Ring, so they get your address, phone no, mobile phone no, IP address, location any time they want to spy on you,

Interesting side effect of tech. My nephew came over from Oz and was able to track his wife's use of the aircon from the hourly updates to their electric bill on his phone.

Edited By Bazyle on 27/02/2018 21:43:10

My mother used to say what do you want a microwave for? I'll never have one. One day she bought one and finds it very useful. As she often has a cooking session and freezes things for later it is an ideal complement to the freezer. Outside loos were all the rage once but I don't know anyone who would swap their indoor one for a walk down the garden. Let's get the tin bath in for the weekly bath, whose turn is to go first? This double glazing and central heating is for softies, remember the ice on the inside of the windows when you got up? I think it's great how we have so much technology available and how much we buy into it is everybody's personal choice. I enjoyed my heated seats and steering wheel today, would have been better if someone had turned them on before I got in the car but I haven't got an app on my phone to start the car and get it all warmed up and defrosted before I go outside, I think maybe the law isn't ready for that yet as I am fairly sure you shouldn't leave a car running unattended.

Mike

Brighton & Hove Buses advertise an M - ticket, where you buy a bus ticket on the mobile before travelling and just hold screen up to the driver as you march on the bus. Vast numbers of youngsters are doing that - it is a Uni city. However, I don't have a need for that use of my mobile since I have an old codgers card (bus pass).

Best move I ever made in getting a decent sized tablet as its got a much bigger screen than a mob but lacks the bulk and weight of a laptop.

John

Yes Mike, it is an offence to leave a veh. with the engine running. However, the thin blue line is now so badly stretched to near breaking point, it's unlikely you will get caught. Just bear in mind what your Insurers reaction will be when you claim for it having been driven off by some scumbag.

John

Depends if it's on the road or on private property...

Can't believe all these neo-luddites posting 'I can't use modern technology' on their favourite social media site.... I think the lot of you should go back to treadle lathes and carbon steel tooling

Neil

Smart phone? My wife has one. I had a nokla until it died recently, now got another which does a bit more. The original cost me about £45 air time over 12 years - and nearly a tenner of that went on useless NHS help line when my wife suffered from gall stones one evening. I use hers for mobile calls and she rings me back. The new phone has cost me 60p in about the last 3 months, for calls.

Telly? Threw ours away about ten or twelve years ago when we needed a new telly and video recorder. Not missed it. We added up the ‘useful’ time spent watching the telly in the previous year and it came to about four hours, so we skipped both the TV and VCR. One can listen to the radio while doing something else at the same time.

CNC? My kit is all old metal. Raglan lathe and mill and a Centec mill. They work fine.

Twitface? I keep well away from it. Not interested in most of what some get up to.

Smart meters? Not while I can avoid them. They are only there for the benefit of the suppliers.

Too much ‘big brother is watching’. I realise it might be good for catching the criminals and terrorists, but there is no need for anyone to trace my movements, shopping trends - or anything else, for that matter.

I do use a couple of dash cams to record what goes on in front and behind my car. Slows me down to the speed limits which is, perhaps, a good thing!

I will buy an EV, when I find one suitable, I do use PV and do have some solar thermal tubes for water heating, so am environmentally aware.

More than half of youngsters have no real practical skills for life, IMO. If the internet and mobile phone networks went down, they would not know what to do!

I recognise the NHS do a good job, as I have had my monies worth and my wife is currently benefitting in a different way. They have used a lot of high tech equipment and expertise on us both. But I don’t need too much high tech for my regular existence, thanks very much.

What I find particularly impressive is how they translate the Pitman Shorthand from their business/working days; I mean, an electric keyboard! What?? Or, maybe the UK has some interesting "Internet" hardware that is not seen on this side of the atlantic.

Neiĺ,

Not sure about private property, since that doesn't give you carte blanche to do anything you like, but it's definitely an offence on the public road. Insurers wouldn't be happy where the car was when stolen with the ign. key in it.

John

I think you have to ask what's in it for me? Take cnc, e.g., is it really worth wasting months to learn how, just to make a few identical items? I reckon that I am better off fitting DRO s to my mill, financially and time wise. By all means, make use of all new tech. that comes along, to improve life, IF it will but not just for the sake of having it.

I have used a ring of less above my milling chuck to give all round shadow less illumination. Still retain the lethal arrangement of a naked 100W incanescent bulb hanging near each end of mill table. I have also gone over to 3ph motor and vfd controller on the Myford. Cannot praise this highly enough, should have done it long ago instead of waiting for the 1ph motor to peg it. I should add that the Newton-tessa version that I bought, is literally plug and play and no messing about programming the controller, etc. and I only recommend it as a satisfied customer.

I am typing this on my handy 10in. tablet, which I often use to order items from advertisers like e.g., Arceuro, Amazon and so on.

John

Woops, can' t edit previous post errors."ring of less" Should be leds.incanescent should be incandescent. Newton - tessa should be Tesla.

I can spell properly, just careless fumble fingers.

Humm, have always thought that a proper engineer can't spell to save his life.........

We managed to do without a television set or a television license for 15 years until, last year. SWMBO said that we needed one so she could look at the BBC on the Interweb. I hadn't realised that there was any need for contact with the outside world on a day-to-day basis...

As for 'smart' electricity meters, the only smart thing about them is that they are nobbled so that they won't read exports. Odd really, since that requires a specific change in the design...

Edited By Mark Rand on 28/02/2018 01:01:22

It pays to keep an eye on technology and grab a bargain when possible

Out of date stuff can be pretty good gear and prices drop fast in techno world

I got a nice $400 windows tablet for $120 and recently grabbed that 40gig for 18quid a month virgin deal and just got a 128GB memory card for less than 30 quid

So now I can download from youtubes vast library and watch loads of interesting "boy stuff" anywhere anytime

Could do without it, but its nice to have it.

EDIT And learning new stuff keeps those little grey cells busy

Edited By Ady1 on 28/02/2018 01:05:45

I still use a years-old dumb phone, and it's still smarter than I am.

But then again, my lathe was made in 1937 and I use it to make parts for my 1942 motorbike. Hi-tech to me would be v-belt drive in the first instance and overhead valves in the second.

I waste enough time on the laptop so have resisted a Smart phone because at least I have to log off when I leave the house at the moment.

Hopper,

Can’t comment on first statement, but overhead valves (and even overhead cams) predate your side valve motorcycle engine by about thirty years ( 20, at least).

Youngsters do join the hobby, they just wait untill they get old to do it.

regards Martin

Alas and alack, whither are the manly vigour and athletic appearance of our forefathers flown?

Believing old ways are best and young people know nothing has always been the refuge of yesterday's men. Horace wrote: Our sires' age was worse than our grandsires'. We, their sons, are more worthless than they; so in our turn we shall give the world a progeny yet more corrupt.

Losing interest in new things is a sign of old-age. I find it pays to have an honest sense of humour about my own decline; I am slowly but surely becoming irrelevant. As such it's very much in order for me to retreat to the retro pleasures of my workshop. But no way should I make the mistake of thinking my life experiences somehow make me superior to the kids in their world. Their role is to improve, ours is to retire, preferably enjoyably. Alternatively, you can live in a world full of grey disapproval, a world that's falling apart, with nothing to offer but dissolution. Obviously someone is to blame, and they should be shamed and disciplined.

I know what I'm talking about. Nothing ever went wrong when I was in charge...

Dave

Why does everyone think that kids know how to use computers?

Yes, they can use (or misuse) Facebook, Twitter, and Whatsapp. Perhaps they did an IT course at school and learned how to use MS Office but ask them to install an operating system, clean up a hard drive, or find why their computer is going slow and they are lost.

That's when they ask Grandad for help

Russell