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Heard something profoundly disturbing today (Vanity)
Self | Today | Self

Posted on 05/03/2016 4:23:41 PM PDT by DuncanWaring

Was talking to a recently-retired computer-science professor today; he said in the last few years he's been seeing students showing up in college who have literally

Never.

Used.

A.

Screwdriver.

He has been teaching a higher-level class in automating control of a train setup.

Part of the project is to assemble a train car from a kit.

These kids have no idea how to do it.


TOPICS: Education; Miscellaneous; Society
KEYWORDS: fees; government; millennials; nimbys; regulators
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To: DuncanWaring

When I was growing up most of my friends were gearheads. You had to be to keep those cheap 50s and 60s cars running. Now among my kid’s friends not but a few know where to check the oil. Sad. That’s how you get raped by dealers and mechanics.


41 posted on 05/03/2016 4:54:19 PM PDT by Seruzawa (If you agree with the French raise your hand. If you are French raise both hands)
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To: CGASMIA68

My dad was an electrical engineer but mainly a big radio geek. In the 1950’s my three-year old little brother would spend all afternoon removing screws from surplus electronic equipment.


42 posted on 05/03/2016 4:54:22 PM PDT by Sicvee (Sicvee)
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

Pressure gauge between a propane tank and a 500,000 BTU torch...


43 posted on 05/03/2016 4:55:41 PM PDT by Paladin2 (Live Free or Die.)
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To: DuncanWaring

I find it hard to believe these kids never put together a single piece of IKEA pressboard “furniture.”

Oh, that usually involves an Allen key.


44 posted on 05/03/2016 4:55:41 PM PDT by Read Write Repeat
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To: vetvetdoug

“[...] It just depends on where one is in the world.”

My sister-in-law’s boyfriend had been trying to help her mow the lawn with her lawn tractor from Sears, several years ago.

Eventually, they had to call me, as the mower wasn’t running right, and the blades wouldn’t engage.

Well, to make a long story short, the mower had never had the plugs changed, nor the oil, nor had the air filter cleaned or replaced. And I eventually had to replace the battery, clean the mower desk of old, rotted grass, and replace the blades, as none of that had ever been done (for around 2-3 years).

It wasn’t so surprising that my sister-in-law didn’t get this done (I was actually surprised that she hadn’t called me before): it was more surprising that the boyfriend couldn’t troubleshoot what was wrong, nor knew anything about how it ran.

I have to give him credit though: he watched me and learned the whole time I worked on it, and I gave him some troubleshooting tips on mowers.

But, it was amazing that he knew nothing about this sort of thing. He had never used a lawnmower, had never worked on anything resembling an engine, and had absolutely no clue on how to troubleshoot (i.e. eliminate electrical issues one at a time, eliminate fuel issues one at a time, etc.). It literally floored me.

I had been working with mowers since I was around 7-8 years old, and had rebuilt/replaced numerous engines on mowers, motor bikes and go-carts for years. And had worked on and rebuilt car engines since I was 12-15 years old. It never occurred to me that not all men knew their way around engines and such...


45 posted on 05/03/2016 4:56:13 PM PDT by LaRueLaDue
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To: discostu

Try running a business and you’ll see that checks are still pretty common.


46 posted on 05/03/2016 4:56:21 PM PDT by thoughtomator
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To: Chickensoup; Lazamataz
Laz?

A little help here please....

47 posted on 05/03/2016 4:56:39 PM PDT by Paladin2 (Live Free or Die.)
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To: AlmaKing

And when I was in school, engineers were whining about the lost art of the slide rule.

Now all those guys are dead. And who cares about a slide rule?


48 posted on 05/03/2016 4:56:49 PM PDT by AlmaKing
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To: paintriot
Is there a screw driver app? Righty tighty,lefty loosey.
49 posted on 05/03/2016 4:56:53 PM PDT by 4yearlurker (We have leaped off the cliff toward madness and we are still falling...)
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To: thoughtomator

I ran a retail business and took no checks. And I had no bounced checks.


50 posted on 05/03/2016 4:57:31 PM PDT by AlmaKing
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To: discostu

My property tax would have incurred an $80 service charge if I had paid it any way but by check.

I run into 3 or 4 other reasons to pay by check each year still.

Where I can with no penalty bills are paid electronically.


51 posted on 05/03/2016 4:58:21 PM PDT by steve86 (Prophecies of Maelmhaedhoc OMorgair (Latin form: Malachy))
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To: thoughtomator

Some people don’t want to join the 21st century. Doesn’t mean not being able to write a check is a bad thing. Time marches on, different skill sets are needed. Knowing how to setup an EFT on your bank’s website is a much more useful skill now than writing a check.


52 posted on 05/03/2016 4:58:40 PM PDT by discostu (Joan Crawford has risen from the grave)
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To: AlmaKing
I have been selling on Ebay for a while. Slide rules ALWAYS sell. Priced right and in good working condition.
53 posted on 05/03/2016 5:00:16 PM PDT by 4yearlurker (We have leaped off the cliff toward madness and we are still falling...)
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To: discostu

A person with an MBA should know how to write a check. It’s really not that hard and it’s still a very common business practice. Especially when it was HER JOB to write checks to vendors!


54 posted on 05/03/2016 5:00:34 PM PDT by thoughtomator
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To: DuncanWaring
And the meek shall inherent the earth.
55 posted on 05/03/2016 5:01:18 PM PDT by johnny reb
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To: steve86

The government isn’t exactly known to be modern or intelligent. It’s funny really, since of all the ways for them to take in money checks are the ones that require the most work for them and have the highest chance of fraud, and is therefore the most expensive for them. Another example of government efficiency.


56 posted on 05/03/2016 5:02:07 PM PDT by discostu (Joan Crawford has risen from the grave)
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To: wally_bert
I finally bought a soldering iron. I’m trying some small electrical projects.

If it smells like chicken, you're holding it wrong.

57 posted on 05/03/2016 5:02:36 PM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants
I decided we were doomed when I got to class early and watched a maintenance crew replacing the giant slip-stick behind instructor's desk with a pocket calculator simulator.
58 posted on 05/03/2016 5:03:26 PM PDT by norton
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To: thoughtomator

Why? They don’t need to, it has NOTHING to do with business administration, and is, frankly a post dated skill. It wasn’t her job to write checks, it was her job to PAY BILLS, which in this modern age SHOULDN’T involve writing checks.


59 posted on 05/03/2016 5:03:26 PM PDT by discostu (Joan Crawford has risen from the grave)
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To: LaRueLaDue
I grew up in a Boston Projects. We had no grass, no mowers, no cars, no fathers, not much of anything.

You are fortunate indeed to have had a childhood with so much obvious opportunity to learn such essential skills.

I have a Friend who is an absolute wizard with all things that make work easier. He fixes engines, computers, musical instruments, and he does wiring, and everything imaginable. I am regularly awed by him. I am totally inept.

I do not ask my friend for help anymore. He will not accept money from me, and that somehow makes me feel smaller. I would rather just hang out with him, and pay someone to fix my broke stuff.

I do envy both of you though.

60 posted on 05/03/2016 5:04:59 PM PDT by Radix (Natural Born Citizens have Citizen parents.)
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