Hi Folks, I know you of all people would understand, loving old airplanes as you do. At work, Friday, my boss decided to get rid of a piece of equiment who function has been replaced by the computer. I learned on a similar piece of equipment. Seeing it being ripped out of the wall where it was installed was more painful for me that I would have suspected. Don't get me wrong. I like computers. I am a bit of a nerd. Most of my grad school work involves computer technology. So I am not anti new technology. However, I don't believe we have to dump all the old technology every time something new appears on the market. I believe in integrating what's good from the past with what's good today. Buy your digital cameras but always leave a place for silver based photography. GPS units are great. (We use them a lot to help us with mapping in natural resources.) But remember how to use E-6Bs, plotters, and charts. I was so pleased to see that the USCG trains navigating in all the old ways as well as with radar and GPS. Microwave ovens are fine for some things but it's also nice to occassionally have a for real baked cake from the oven. I'm sure you get the idea. When I was whining to my boss about losing the piece of equipment, she started calling it and me dinosaurs. And she's older than me! I couldn't convince here that I wasn't against progress, I just didn't want to get rid of something ONLY because it was old. Then we got into a long debate about craftsmanship, quality, etc. (I was off the clock. Discussion was on my own time.) I told her about flying in a 54 year old airplane that was as close to perfect as I can imagine. I told her about the owner, who is a real craftsman and his plane reflects that. She feels that most people these days don't know how and don't want to take the time to do quality work - on anything! I have to agree with her on that point, to a large extent. In these days of McDonalds and WalMart, it does seem like speed and low cost are more important considerations than anything else. There are still a few of us around, however, who do care about craftsmanship, superb skill, quality, a job well done, etc. That's one of the reasons that I appreciate this list and you folks so much. Thanks for putting up with the rant! Spook __________________________________________________________________________ ______ To unsubscribe from this list please send mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
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