Re: OT -- Because...

Tom from Texas wrote:
"Misifus" <rafseibert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:5s527hF17hqi0U1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ken Cashion wrote:
On Sun, 09 Dec 2007 23:05:15 -0600, Misifus
<rafseibert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Ken Cashion wrote:
On Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:25:16 -0600, Misifus
<rafseibert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

MBarnett wrote:
Wilbur Slice wrote:

[SNIP]

The fact is, books are as doomed as photo film. People laughed at me
back in the 80's when I started saying that photo film was going to
die. They laughed when I said vinyl records and cassette tapes were
history. And people laugh now when I say that books are doomed.

But check this out:

http://tinyurl.com/2oh8yy

[SNIP & jump to a subsequent post]

The devices I'm talking about aren't here yet. But they are
inevitable, and not too far away. And when they come, the only people
still reading paper books will be old folks who just can't accept
change.
I'm not laughing at you, Wilbur, nor implying that what you're saying is impossible or improbable. I've worked in electronics since 1972, and I *like* technology. The Kindle is a great-looking piece of technology, and devices like it will most certainly become a part of modern life. That being said, this type of device is not without notable limitations and requirements that printed material is not encumbered with.

Digital technology is wonderful stuff, but much of it has many more variables for failure than similar analog technology, power requirements and durability being the ones that come immediately to mind. Our propensity to embrace the "gee-whiz" aspects of new technology often causes us to overlook the practical aspects of sticking with older technology. All technology has limitations, but modern technology (and here I'm speaking primarily of electronics), has a far greater tendency to fail catastrophically with little or no warning .... whereas older "analog" electronic devices seem to wear out gradually, and provide more symptoms and warnings prior to failure. Not only that, they're usually easier to repair, rather than just throwing them away and buying a new one. :-|

Would I ever buy an electronic "reading device"? Probably ..... I've had my eye on the FreeHand "MusicPad Pro" for a couple of years, but can't justify the expense .... yet. :-)

"Analog" devices I don't want to do without:

Alarm clock.
Books.
Acoustic guitar.
Toothbrush.
Tube guitar amp (Okay, it *does* need power, but it sounds better than transistor or digital amps, lasts far longer, is easier to repair, and it's not as susceptible to EMP. Besides: They're fun to build!)

:-)

Monte


Monte, I second your notion of indispensable analog devices. Let me add, knife, fork and spoon, knives as tools, hammers, saws, compasses (yeah, I've got a GPS that shows me where I am, which direction is North, which way to go home etc. I still want a compass), screwdrivers (not electric), and, uh..., oh yeah, books - books and pens and pencils and paper - matches, and shovels, rakes, ropes, ladders, saws (not power). All these and many more will always be with us. They're quick, cheap, easy to use and often much handier than the power versions.

Oh, and the battery in my watch died today. De mortuus, nil nisi bonum, and all that jazz.

-Raf
We were all young in the early days of NASA but we got some fresh-outs
who wanted to modernize everything...even things that were working
reliably for years.

One of the things they did was remove all the center/zero analog
meters from the lunar lander simulator. This would then justify
changing them in the lunar lander.

We all were going to see how much better the digital meters worked.

After the astronauts started crashing on the lunar surface, a lot were
changed back to analog. Analog works better in quite a few
applications.

Ken
Oh, wow, is that right. How long did digital display speedometers last? Not long. It's a lot more work to translate 69.0 -> 69.5 -> as approaching the speed limit than just to notice the needle getting closer to 70.

-Raf
Digital readouts require reading. Analog readouts require just
pattern recognition. And that information can be attained in a
glance.

Numberless watches are pretty good examples of pattern recognition.

They work good enough...the tool does the job satisfactorily -- I just
looked. I didn't know if the wrist watch on my arm had numbers or
not. I just looked. It has 12, 3, 9 only.

Ken

I had another student, brilliant kid, but absent minded. I took him with a group of students to an academic competition. He missed his test because he didn't know what time it was. I told him to get a watch, and he did. The next time, he missed the competition because he didn't know what time it was. I asked him about his watch and he showed me - one of those Movado jobs. You know, only one dot at the twelve? Sheesh!

Of course, he was valedictorian of his class.

--
Misifus-

Did he make it to graduation on time?



Don't know. At that point, it was no longer my week to watch him.

Funny, his sister was a year behind him. Also smart as a tack, but really in touch with the world, never late or out of touch with anything. She was also, pretty as a picture and also valedictorian of her class.

-Raf

--
Misifus-
Rafael Seibert
mailto:rafseibert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
blog: http://rafsrincon.blogspot.com/
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rafiii
home: http://www.rafandsioux.com
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: OT -- Because...
    ... 1972, and I *like* technology. ... variables for failure than similar analog technology, ... Tube guitar amp (Okay, it *does* need power, but it sounds better ... and the battery in my watch died today. ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic)
  • Re: OT -- Because...
    ... I've worked in electronics since 1972, ... The Kindle is a great-looking piece of technology, and devices like it will most certainly become a part of modern life. ... Digital technology is wonderful stuff, but much of it has many more variables for failure than similar analog technology, power requirements and durability being the ones that come immediately to mind. ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic)
  • Re: OT -- Because...
    ... The Kindle is a great-looking piece of technology, ... variables for failure than similar analog technology, ... here I'm speaking primarily of electronics), ... Tube guitar amp (Okay, it *does* need power, but it sounds better than ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic)
  • Re: OT -- Because...
    ... I've worked in electronics since 1972, ... The Kindle is a great-looking piece of technology, and devices like it will most certainly become a part of modern life. ... Digital technology is wonderful stuff, but much of it has many more variables for failure than similar analog technology, power requirements and durability being the ones that come immediately to mind. ... and the battery in my watch died today. ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic)
  • Re: OT -- Because...
    ... The Kindle is a great-looking piece of technology, ... variables for failure than similar analog technology, ... here I'm speaking primarily of electronics), ... Tube guitar amp (Okay, it *does* need power, but it sounds better than ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic)