I Weep For The Future....

It has been postulated that the human species has already peaked and is on the downhill slide. Documented declines in overall IQs tends to support this. Is lime jello another word for primordial ooze? ;)
I blame a lot of it on our trend (as a society) from creating technology to being dependant on it.

For example: younger kids might know more about using an Iphone/iPad than I do, but have very little awareness of what's in it or how it works. I may not be able to build one in the garage, but I sure as heck understand how it works and can identify a lot of the components when I (gasp) crack one open. Given the equipment, I could build one too...

Easy access to the technology that does so much for us has led to a lack of basic skills (ie: math, spelling etc) and its drawing us down a path of "users" vice creators and thinkers. As a society that is...
 
They can be scary to watch (the younger generation), but somehow each successive one seems to muddle it's way though and we continue to advance. The world does at times seem to be going to hell in a hand basket, but I try to stay optimistic, mostly because it's beneficial to my general state of mind. There are quite a few very bright young people out there, and there has always been a large supply of the other type through out human history. Mike
 
As I've heard many times...

Machines don't take prisoners, they prefer to maim or kill.
 
I used to work at an Ivy League University, I ran a dept. machine shop.

My boss, at the time, was a published professor. He told me he was as better machinist than I was. I told him I was a tool and die maker.

I came in the shop one day and saw him in back by the Lassey hand tapper. He asked," how do you use this"? I told him he was a better machinist than me, figger it out.

I came in from lunch one day, he was in my shop with a potential assistant. My vertical bandsaw blade was broken and as was the cast adjustable arm on my horizontal saw. He looked at me, thrust something into my hands and said he needed it cut, and scurried out of my shop. I delivered it to his office, withpot a word, after I finished welding up my vert saw blade and brazing the cast arm on my horiz. saw.

He used to give his students keys to my shop so they could work in there after hours. I'd come in in the morning and find broken tool bits in my lathes and mill, tools left out and one time, blood. I reported it but never heard anymore about it. These 'kids' had NO machine shop practical experience.

After this I had enough. I went to the Dept. Chair and told him, almost my exact words, Bob is handing out keys to my shop like beads at Mardi Gras. He giggled a bit but saw I was serious. I kid you not.

I left soon after to raise our daughter.


A few years later, I get an email from my old Dept. Business Manager, I had adopted her as my boss and we kept in touch. She included a link saying that a female undergratuate student died when her hair got caught in a lathe chuck while working off hours.. She, the student, had advanced training in machine shop protocols, whatever that is, but still managed to make a fundamtenal mistake. Sad. I never heard what shut the lathe off. Anyhow my Business Manager said they all finally got it why I was so upset that day.

When I was on the bench and going to night skool for 11 years to be an Engineer, we had a saying....those that can, do. Those that can't, teach. I've been in a lot of places, seen a lot of things and have done quite a bit in my time. The stories I got....

I now am trying to prove that old saying wrong, I am currently an Educational Assistant in a Tech Community College. My first real class is Monday night, teaching Lathe Basics to future Engineers. Rolled up sleeves, no dangling jewelry and long hair restrained.o_O
 
soon people will be on disability younger and younger thanks to these stupid toys they sell...in my skateboard days the fear of pain kept us out of trouble...the idiots now just don't care, just watch you tube.
 
and then how many people run in and out before someone thinks to release the work from the chuck and get the poor SOB outta there....

Actually thinking about it that pressure on his back could have fractured his spine. Keeping him in the machine till he could be moved while still kept immobilised would probably be the better option in the long run.


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I used to work at an Ivy League University, I ran a dept. machine shop.

My boss, at the time, was a published professor. He told me he was as better machinist than I was. I told him I was a tool and die maker.

I came in the shop one day and saw him in back by the Lassey hand tapper. He asked," how do you use this"? I told him he was a better machinist than me, figger it out.

I came in from lunch one day, he was in my shop with a potential assistant. My vertical bandsaw blade was broken and as was the cast adjustable arm on my horizontal saw. He looked at me, thrust something into my hands and said he needed it cut, and scurried out of my shop. I delivered it to his office, withpot a word, after I finished welding up my vert saw blade and brazing the cast arm on my horiz. saw.

He used to give his students keys to my shop so they could work in there after hours. I'd come in in the morning and find broken tool bits in my lathes and mill, tools left out and one time, blood. I reported it but never heard anymore about it. These 'kids' had NO machine shop practical experience.

After this I had enough. I went to the Dept. Chair and told him, almost my exact words, Bob is handing out keys to my shop like beads at Mardi Gras. He giggled a bit but saw I was serious. I kid you not.

I left soon after to raise our daughter.


A few years later, I get an email from my old Dept. Business Manager, I had adopted her as my boss and we kept in touch. She included a link saying that a female undergratuate student died when her hair got caught in a lathe chuck while working off hours.. She, the student, had advanced training in machine shop protocols, whatever that is, but still managed to make a fundamtenal mistake. Sad. I never heard what shut the lathe off. Anyhow my Business Manager said they all finally got it why I was so upset that day.

When I was on the bench and going to night skool for 11 years to be an Engineer, we had a saying....those that can, do. Those that can't, teach. I've been in a lot of places, seen a lot of things and have done quite a bit in my time. The stories I got....

I now am trying to prove that old saying wrong, I am currently an Educational Assistant in a Tech Community College. My first real class is Monday night, teaching Lathe Basics to future Engineers. Rolled up sleeves, no dangling jewelry and long hair restrained.o_O

Profkanz writes,
I have taught machine shop at Santa Ana College for thirty-six years. (retiring in 13 weeks but who's counting)The first week of every semester was spent in safety instruction. This was followed by a safety test with 100 questions. It takes 90% correct to pass. Long sleeves are not allowed at all, even rolled up. Jewelry is not allowed (including rings and watches). Safety glasses are required at all times.
The only serious injury was when I was subbing another instructor's class. Student broke a finger by leaving a lathe chuck wrench in the chuck and with his hand holding the wrench, turned the machine on. Apparently the other instructor was less rigorous about safety.
 
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