The End of an Era.

The thing I'm going to miss is personal responsibility and freedom to make my own choices.


TA

I have watched the degradation of America for so long now that it breaks my heart anymore. I can't even build a rocket via the instructions! :y: "No! I can't do this yet because I need to do this first. Oh....they gotta be kidding! Who the hell wrote these stupid instructions anyway?"

Regarding cars? Yes, I learned a great lot of "shade tree" and it saved me a lotta bucks. You will be the better to know about your car(s). I can't begin how to explain how important this is. Kudos to anyone that can work on more than one. I hate doing auto repairs. But I'll do what I know. Change that distributor cap because that micro fracture wont let it start because of moister. Change those spark plugs & wires, keep it oiled, change those burned out lights, keep tires inflated...that really does save on gas. Don't be in a hurry, That, "hurry up and wait", will cost you plenty of gas money. Breaking suddenly (mostly because of the hurry up and wait) creates excess ware on the brakes.

The bottom line is this, We get sucked into thinking just because there's a "Jiffy Lube" down the street, that it's where we are supposed to go for that need. I call it, "THE DUMBING SYNDROME". Making us lazier than we already were. An avenue to spark business. Sucking our pockets dry.

Don't get me wrong, not everybody is mechanical savvy, but it would do you no harm to learn....a little.

Honestly , I think we all suffer from the "good old days sydrome" But when you really think about it ---overall--things are not so bad--could they be better --SURE- We're going through an evolution in technology and we -as a people are not keeping up- that's a choice! Is there anything I did as a kid back then that I can't do now---no--But I do have more choices now --sure could use my parents to be more involved with what I do ! The cars are a headache to work on these days--they were then too --we just got good at it. Now there is so much info out there--there's no reason to not try and fix it yourself--we got lazy. Remember all that open spaces when we were kids----move out to the country--when you were a kid you were in the country for cryin out loud--Daddy had to drive to work for quite a way! Is our basic society going down hill? I don't think so. I do beiieve that the bad ellements are more visible these days. Welcome to the information age !! And sadly the good stuff we long to hear about does'nt get put out there for us to see --we do seem to have to dig for that ! But look at our U.S. armed forces--they are the smartest -strongest and most diverse in history---and they are volunteers ! While it seems our Govt is out of control--It is cyclic--and the pendulum will swing the other way--I think sooner than later--and lets call it like it is--when we were younger--we did'nt even think about big bro--well not unless we were doing something we were not supposed to do anyway--Are we more restricted these days? YEA, can't argue with that. There's a hell of a lot more of us around these days so ya gotta have some rules for the masses--sadly most of those rules impact the innocent as well as the ne'er do wells. And finally where this all started--The space program-- I'm saddened, that as a Govt we can't do better, but I ask you what does the govt do better than private industry? I can image the space INDUSTRY the future . It may be a long time coming but it is a victory for the private sector--basically the govt has thrown it's arms up and flown the white flag! More of these little victorys will be in our future as the current system folds under it's own weight. We may or may not be here to see them. ---Like I said before--we're in the middle of evolution--looking out---give it time

Hornet to some extent I agree but.. We have so many laws on the books that if an officer really wanted to he could right you a citation of some sort or find some reason to arrest you. Hell if you carry pepper spray, a taser, or a knife that's just to large you can be arrested for carrying a concealed weapon!

I can't legally own or buy a gun because I am OCD and go to therapy about once a month to keep it in check. I'm not mentally unstable. Most people wouldn't even notice that I'm oCD. Basically I'm a germaphobe. That or I'll get bad anxiety example I forget to pay a bill I will obsess on it until I get it paid. I'm far from violent I'm the last person to get into a fight and I try to avoid it at all costs if I can walk away I do. Yet because about 7% of mentally I'll commit violent crimes the other 93% has to pay the price. I could point out ethnicities that have higher violent crime rates. I could point out that those with addictions whether it be gambling, drugs oh what ever are more likely to commit a violet crimes. So I'm being punished for a crime I did not commit...

It's really sad what our Country is coming too.

This thread is funny as all get out. :rofl:

I spent thirty years pulling wrenches and operating machine tools in the transportation industry. For 65 years, we shifted gears using flyweights and springs. Today, we have a $10000 computer controlling a transmission thru a $1200 cable, so that it won't work.
We used to turn the brake lights on and off with a $5 micro-switch and a $12 relay. Now, my Ford has a $380 computer board in it, just to control the brake lights.

Progress. :lol:

cherokeej said:

This thread is funny as all get out. :rofl:

I spent thirty years pulling wrenches and operating machine tools in the transportation industry. For 65 years, we shifted gears using flyweights and springs. Today, we have a $10000 computer controlling a transmission thru a $1200 cable, so that it won't work.
We used to turn the brake lights on and off with a $5 micro-switch and a $12 relay. Now, my Ford has a $380 computer board in it, just to control the brake lights.

Progress. :lol:

Click to expand...

EXACTLY!!!

It's not just "transportation" either... I've had a lot of experience with a lot of different walks of life, and I can tell you, that this same thinking has pervaded EVERYTHING... Heck, I went to the police academy because I was sick and tired of EVERY job, no matter what field or area, deliberately doing things the STUPIDEST way possible... It's like there's a conscious effort to figure out the most screwed up way of doing something, and then FORCE everybody to do it that way. I figured if there was ONE thing in this world that wouldn't put up with that kind of BS, it'd be police work-- after all, it's your @ss on the line, and that sort of BS will get you killed. Guess what-- stupidity is as pervasive in police work as anything else, maybe more so, because there's so much POLITICS involved...

That's why I've given up on the system... the system is the ENEMY, not the answer... There is SO much stupidity in agricultural policy and the system is rotten to the core... and it's a microcosm of the larger system and society... which is rotten to the core as well. It's now to the point of eating itself... and when something starts eating itself, it's just a matter of time before it collapses.

I can tell you for a FACT things were better in the old days than they are now. I've lived it. Yeah, we have a lot of technological benefits and toys now we didn't have then, like the internet and electronics and stuff... but those same things are being used against us to enslave us... and we have "leadership" in every area of human endeavour that will stop at nothing to increase their power base, to increase their control, and to make a buck off everybody, by hook or by crook, because people are too stupid to say "NO!"

It all makes me sick... Later! OL JR

I found out today that Loctite 60-minute epoxy is being discontinued:



Greg

luke strawwalker said:

I can tell you for a FACT things were better in the old days than they are now. I've lived it. Yeah, we have a lot of technological benefits and toys now we didn't have then, like the internet and electronics and stuff... but those same things are being used against us to enslave us...

Click to expand...

This is one perspective, but in "the good old days" certain races had to sit in the back of the bus. In the good old days for the people in power then, women couldn't vote. The good old days two generations before that had slavery still in force. We've come a long way forward in a lot of ways, beyond the technological.

Sure, gas costs more now, and it is harder to do shade tree work on our cars, but our cars are more efficient so we're not dumping as much pollution per mile. And they have better safety protection so injuries are less severe.

I agree that in some respects (personal responsibility for example) we as a society have taken a step back. But this is also a natural progression from a frontier society like we were 100+ years ago, to a more urban, "Europe-like" (dirty words, I know...) place where we don't have the same kind of safety valve. Go west, young man isn't the zeitgeist anymore.

We're part of a cycle. JR, I know you're not a fan of the new Battlestar Galactica, but it holds true: "All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again."

Marc

To me, it's hard to take seriously folks saying 'the old days were better' on an internet forum.

Think about that a minute.

FC

My look on the "good ole days" can go either way depending on what you focus on. In the "good ole days", I used to have to work for the man. That being said, I didn't make 1/2 my worth. These days I work for myself and it is much better than it ever was. The good ole days were more simple for sure. We didn't have to succumb to computer upgrades & tech that out dates itself in a year. I'm still using XP and Autocad 2004 to make a living because I despise upgrades. Would I wanna go back to the "good ole days" with the same job status? Hell no. Would I like my car to be user repair friendly? Absolutely. Think about that.

Gary Byrum said:

Would I like my car to be user repair friendly? Absolutely. Think about that.

Click to expand...

I don't miss those days.

Not even a little.

See, here's the thing...I could do my own repair work on a car. I bent wrenches with the best of them back in the day...about the only thing I didn't do was body work.

Being retired military, I took my car down to the local auto hobby shop at the nearby base. All the tools I needed (even more exotic ones), plus workspace, bench work, darn near everything needed to just about build a car from nothing.

I noticed a trend over time though. My cars were requiring far less work to keep running. Regular maintenance like oil changes was getting cheaper and cheaper to not do myself. I finally did a cost/benefit analysis...using 3 situations: 1) Tools and space at home...full DIY and BYOT 2) Auto Hobby Shop...full DIY but their tools 3) Taking the car to a professional. I weighed the investment costs of tools and space, time it would take for maintenance and repair of most common items, frequency of needed repair work, against how much I earn at where I work on an hourly basis.

Result: In almost every case, it was either a wash, or I actually saved money taking the car to someone to repair (or even do minor maintenance).

Now, I still have the knowledge in my head on how to repair cars, so when I do bring the car in, I can immediately assess if they're a competent car repair place or not. But quite frankly, like a lot of the other parts of my life...I'm finding my time is simply more valuable. I spend time with my wife and kids, instead of spending it knuckle-busting in the garage.

You can pay someone to fix your car.

You can't pay any sort of money to get the time back with your family that you missed working on a car.

Maybe I'll change my mind once my son gets old enough to want to drive and we spend time together working on his first car.

But he isn't there yet.

FC

Ya know, both Fast and Gary make good points ! I guess it's all in your perspective--are you looking back, looking forward, or standing still in the moment? I suppose many of us do all of them at the same time. OK this is getting too cerebral for me. I guess to bottom line it ---it's your point of view that counts , I have not heard a wrong thing in this thread yet---just depends on how you look at it. My head hurts now --I'm going back to my build----H

FastCargo said:

To me, it's hard to take seriously folks saying 'the old days were better' on an internet forum.

Think about that a minute.

FC

Click to expand...

Whatever... but its true...

Not EVERYTHING gets better with time and technology... its a double-edged sword...

Technology has created at least as many problems as its solved...

Later! OL JR

Time keeps on ticking.... into the future.

So Boeing’s new 787 “Dreamliner” has been grounded by multiple countries because of problems. This is the plane that is; how many years behind schedule so as to sort out the problems before it hit the runways?

It is one thing to assemble an automobile with parts and sub-assemblies procured from seven or more different countries scattered across the globe but perhaps it doesn’t work so well with something as complex as an airliner.

The way I look at it, as time marches foward, it gets different. Whether it gets better or worse depends on your individual situation. For David Duke, life was presumably better in the 1950s. For Jesse Jackson, life is presumably better today. For Theoneste Bagosora, life was probably better in 1994. For Paul Kagame, life is better today. I could go on and on...

dlazarus6660 said:

what else has been lost to technology or whatever.
I'll start, The space program.

Click to expand...

Might as well end the list there, everything else will just fall into place behind it. Including our evolution.

boomtube said:

So Boeing’s new 787 “Dreamliner” has been grounded by multiple countries because of problems. This is the plane that is; how many years behind schedule so as to sort out the problems before it hit the runways?

It is one thing to assemble an automobile with parts and sub-assemblies procured from seven or more different countries scattered across the globe but perhaps it doesn’t work so well with something as complex as an airliner.

Click to expand...

In the end, Boeing reworked almost all the sub assembly's. That will be the last plane Boeing will build like that again.

Boeing isn't the only manufacturer using dispersed manufacture for their products. The teething problems with the 787 are more to do with the manufacturing processes and technologies (composites rather than aluminum, LiPo vs standard battery tech) than anything. It's an entirely new way to make an airliner and as such there will always be problems. Like any other new technology some will show up after it is released to market and begun normal operational cycles.

The 787 is a huge advance over more traditional manufacturing techniques. If anything I'm surprised it's taken this long for some ofte problems to show up. You can rest assured that there will be others, some minor and others not.

Gary Byrum said:

Sad to witness the fall to technology. I still have my 450+ vinyl LP's boxed up. And a record player stored just so I can use them......someday.

Click to expand...

If you happen to want to unload any of those, I collect Vinyl!




Braden

"Cats that needed a tune-up every 10,000 miles along with brakes about the same interval. Plus needing to lube it frequently as well!...

I have three kids driving plus a truck for pulling my boat, so I'm up to 6 cats at my house that I service. I can't be an expert on every cat, but I can learn a few fairly well. To make things a bit easier, I got my kids all GM W bodies that have lots in common - IOW, learn one, learn 'em all...

But now, I routinely am working on my kids' old cats. We're gonna hit 200,000 miles on one pretty soon

Doug"


I replaced the "r" in car with a "t".

shrox said:

I replaced the "r" in car with a "t".

Click to expand...

...to make "cars" into "cats". Glad you're having fun with it

FWIW, besides cars, we have cats, too. And dogs. 6 cars. 5 dogs. 4 kids. 3 cats. 2 parents. And 1 boat.

Doug

.

plano-doug said:

...to make "cars" into "cats". Glad you're having fun with it

FWIW, besides cars, we have cats, too. And dogs. 6 cars. 5 dogs. 4 kids. 3 cats. 2 parents. And 1 boat.

Doug

.

Click to expand...

I have three cats driving plus a dog for pulling my kids, so I'm up to 6 parents at my house that I service. I can't be an expert on every random word, but I can learn a few fairly well.

UPscaler said:

If you happen to want to unload any of those, I collect Vinyl!Braden

Click to expand...

AH Braden, hate to break it to you but the reason I held on to mine was because collectors like yourself helped me understand the value of what I have.

https://www.reuters.com/article/201...eedType=RSS&feedName=industrialsSector&rpc=43

And the hits just keep on a coming. Anybody else starting to think that perhaps they jumped the gun using this new battery technology?
Like perhaps it doesn’t actually WORK.

dlazarus6660 said:

The End of an Era, many eras, is upon us. This must be the end of the world that the Myan's foresaw.
As someone posted about Kodachrome film being gone four years now, what else has been lost to technology or whatever.
I'll start, The space program.

Click to expand...

Space program is not done.

The USA has no national airline, yet the USA has the most airlines of any country. This will happen with space companies too.

A lot of good points from both side (good old days vs hi-tech today) on this thread. IMO it is mostly a trade off, ie: working on your own cars (but maintainence more often) vs harder to work on (but more mile between maintainence). The problem I see are us the humans. I think the hi tech has made us impatient/ADD. I noticed this 30 years ago w/MW ovens. After a year of use, I noticed myself going from "great", cooking something in 5 minutes that took 30 minutes, to 5 min. is too long.
But what gets me is that with call waiting, cordless & cell phones it seems I connect w/the person I am calling less now than 30 years ago. Another change from the old days I hate is sporting events. Old days, during play stoppage the organ played & you could TALK to friends & people around you. Now you have to yell above the music and advertising over the PA sys. so that the person next to you can hear you.
Technology is a double edged sword, it cuts both ways.
Someone posted that it is capitalism and ourselves to blame. IMO it is ourselves way more than capitalism. After all capitalism is consumer driven so we can blame ourselves.
From plastic grocery bags in the late 70s (I argued & warned the green people that it was a bad idea, that paper is a renewable source and biodegradable) to texting today, that humans are losing communication skills & worse, like inter reacting with others.
Yes I blame myself and others like me for not making a more convincing argument against the bad we are seeing today.

No one makes things of quality, by hand anymore. Cheap junk is used a couple of times in place of high quality objects which cost more but serve for a lifetime. If the things we owned were all hand made and far more expensive, we'd all have jobs which pay what it actually costs to live, and enjoy nicer things. Not complaining mind you, as I make most of what I own.

The Papacy

TALON said:

A lot of good points from both side (good old days vs hi-tech today) on this thread. IMO it is mostly a trade off, ie: working on your own cars (but maintainence more often) vs harder to work on (but more mile between maintainence). The problem I see are us the humans. I think the hi tech has made us impatient/ADD. I noticed this 30 years ago w/MW ovens. After a year of use, I noticed myself going from "great", cooking something in 5 minutes that took 30 minutes, to 5 min. is too long.
But what gets me is that with call waiting, cordless & cell phones it seems I connect w/the person I am calling less now than 30 years ago. to texting today, that humans are losing communication skills & worse, like inter reacting with others.

Click to expand...

I typed about this very subject until I was blue in the fingers. In an effort to draw people out and expose their techno addictions, I failed. Just like anyone with an addiction, you have to admit to yourself that you have one before you can fix it. Most of the replies did not want to address that. It's a long read. About 123 postings, but you'll get a clue that you and I are somewhat on the same page about this whereas very many aren't. READ