Political views within the forums

One thing often overlooked in these discussions is that Model Engineer magazine effectively defined the hobby and its scope.

The irony is that for the first fifty years the scope was incredibly broad, with more focus on full size engineering, and the proportion of 'new technology' was far greater.

If Percival Marshall was still editor I suspect he would be encouraging articles about making medical prostheses, robots in the workshop and rechipping car engines as well as organising a 'Design a Cube Sat' competition

Neil

The statistics suggest the people want a midden. Of the current 40 threads, this one is the 8th most read, and is 4th in terms of active contributions.

In my own defence, I did have a go at defining 'Model Engineering'.

Dave

Quite a bit of what is posted on the forum falls into that category, not just what is in this thread.

Andrew

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... but we live in hope

Abandon hope, all ye what enter here.

The answer to that is in the title of this topic.

Martin..

Nothing wrong with a bit of general conversation. If you go into a pub do you only talk about beer? It would be an incredibly boring pub.

The trick i find with threads like this is add just the right comment at the right time that hits a nerve or two and wait for the pot to start boiling - then stir occasionally!

This is almost as good as parliment question time ! Almost that is !

Neil, looking back at my back issues of radio and hobbies and model engineer i see what you mean ! I wonder what caused the subject matter to be narroewd down ? Some may have been legal reasons with the inrush of OHS like matters , some may have been reader preferences ? I know of a local electronics mag i read that is trying to broaden its subject matter with articles about cutting edge technology - not just electronics tech either ! and it seems to be working .

When ME mag was started what other magazines were around even though the only option for communication was printed paper? Not much call for car mags, TV listings, soap opera reviews, and a host of other things that now have their own titles. Perhaps there was Which Music Cylinder and Practical Hot Air Ballooning. I think sport and fashion magazines were around.
I think they tried everything in a very fast moving era until a rival or specialist magazine took the lead. Just look recently how the publishers decided a workshop tooling only mag would be a runner. Over the years many other start ups have come and gone too

Edited By Bazyle on 16/07/2018 13:10:22

You mean like why it isn't necessary to part off with a rear mounted toolpost if you've got a decent parting tool, or why a lathe needs to be 'level' to turn parallel? That sort of thing?

Martin.

Yep ! Or just hang 💩 On myfords ! That usually gets a reaction of biblical proportions !

The electronics mag i mentioned above ran an article a long time ago about this then new 3d printing technology and i sent an email to the editor at the time with a few thoughts on how these could one day be household items and with the correct development of polymers print a lot of diffrent things . He returned my email more or less calling me a loony and a heretic as these things will NEVER be affordable to the household hobbyists and the technology will remain as industrial use only ! guess who is laughing now !

Almost exactly what the head of IBM said about personal computers in the 1970s.

Thomas J. Watson Jr. of I.B.M. is said to have opined in 1943 that, “I think there is a world market for about five computers.”

The Yale Book of Quotations quotes an I.B.M. source that this “… is a misunderstanding of remarks made at I.B.M.’s annual stockholders meeting on April 28, 1953. In referring specifically and only to the I.B.M. 701 Electronic Data Processing Machine … Thomas Watson, Jr., told stockholders that ‘I.B.M. had developed a paper plan for such a machine and took this paper plan across the country to some 20 concerns that we thought could use such a machine. … As a result of our trip, on which we expected to get orders for five machines, we came home with orders for 18.'”

Ah! - I see it now. Like Westminster you mean?

QUESTION:

Quite rightly, since this is British, Neil says "No sex, religion or politics", but then goes on to say that this Forum is international.

Discuss.

I am sure that you all will, at length!

Howard

Nup we have now found a nice new meaty thing to discuss in another thread - Medical issues !!! 😍😍😍

BLIIIIISSSS !!!!!

Rather than re-opening one of the many 3D printing threads ... This news item might be better placed here.

**LINK**

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/19/us/3d-printed-gun-settlement-trnd/index.html

MichaelG.

The Land of the Free

The US Constitution is an amazing document

Inspired by the British government system, after the revolution they wanted a system that placed a foot firmly on any future US governments ability to limit individual freedoms and responsibility

I wonder what Trump will do when he realises that Britain's restrictions on gun ownership are, like our food safety laws, a non-tariff barrier stopping US exports?

Brian