Posted on 12/28/2014 12:12:37 PM PST by familyop
Danielle George, Professor of Radio Frequency Engineering, at the University of Manchester, claims that the under 40s expect everything to ‘just work’ and have no idea what to do when things go wrong...This year’s Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are entitled ‘Sparks will fly: How to hack your home’ she is hoping it will inspire people to think what else they can do with common household objects...Ideas include using a magnifying glass and shoe box to turn a mobile phone into a rudimentary projector; how to use tin foil to make too small batteries fit correctly and how to turn a bottle of water into a lamp.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I field stripped a few 9 mils and M16s in NG on a couple of drill weekends but that was in the early 90s. I’d need a little time. Never did a 50 by myself but saw it done some.
I was an Engineman in the Navy and on my ship no engineering below a Chief handled weapons. Most of the E6 and below on board I wouldn’t issue a weapon to anyway. They were nuts but mostly good guys.
Gaffers tape is my black tape of choice.
>>Isn’t that what black tape is for?<<
Or White-out...
I taught my kids about cooking, electronics, and basic electrical & mechanical home repair as they were growing up.
They turned out pretty good.
"Ceterum censeo 0bama esse delendam."
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
I’m no ET but have picked up some over the years and can do a little repair. It would help more no doubt if I weren’t color blind.
The ironic thing is that on my ASVAB, electrical/electronics aptitude was my highest area. Too bad.
That might be what you think as a female New Yorker, but out here in flyover country, boomers do lots of trades and repairs and hobbies involving such.
Tools are immensely popular among those age 50 through 68.
Actually, I have a leftie baby boomer friend who is much more able to do this stuff than we are.
Sorry if I offended! Truly.
40 and 3 years, squire.
There must be somewhere on the web where “Hints from Heloise” can be found. The means to fixing lots of things are SO easily available today. A copuple of summers ago I fixed a bent arm on an umbrella clotheline with rebar, pvc and cable ties. Better than new! Ugly as sin.
Time to bring back “MacGyver.”
I once worked with a PhD EE who plugged a power strip into itself and then got all snippy with the IT guy because his computer wouldn’t work.
I CAN build a PC from scratch, but why would I want to? Too much work, no real reward. I’ll do it at work, where I’m paid to keep my test machines running. But if I’m not getting paid to, I’m paying somebody else to. My wife’s computer went wonky last month, I had the choice between sacrificing the day Googling on my machine to try stuff on hers, or unplug it and take it to my favorite shop. 3 days and $60 it was fixed and I got to enjoy my weekend. One of the nice parts about adulthood is running out of things to prove.
Get an AK with a stamped receiver, SS.
The milled receivers cost more, make for a heavier piece and take longer to cool down.
The Rooskies went from stamped to milled, then went back to stamped.
The only reason the Chinese (Norinco) still turn out milled receivers is that the process is labor-intensive and Norinco has an entire city of about a gazillion factory workers who need the work.
(Beetling brows ominously)
When I die this place is gonna gradually slump back to ground level, no one wants dirt under their nails, it’s now considered to indicate mental retardation. The Teletubbies run things now.
I’m 65 and can fix anything except people although I have set my own bones. Everything I need to know I learned from “Wordless Workshop” scouting and 50’s - 60’s magazines like Popular Mechanics, Science and Mechanics, Hot Rod, Field and Stream and the like.
My husband died in 06 so I have learned to do things around the house he did. Our power went out so I thought I was being very careful by putting a 3 wick candle in the bathroom sink. That thing melted and ran in the drain. I got down on the floor and looked at the drain. I knew I could take that thing apart to get the harden wax. I took it apart, got that wax out and put t back together. It did not leak! I saved a plumbers bill.
If you check your own oil someone might think you’re a redneck!
I actually blew my brother’s VW bug engine that way. In fairness it was low on oil when he loaned it to me, and the oil light was a plain 1/8 inch red dot. I thought it meant the battery was low.
This is stupid. Most everything that is made cannot be worked on by anyone. Cars, refrigerators all of them have computers that cannot be fixed. There are no more items for the putterer.
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