The home shop machinist, health of the hobby

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NP317
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Re: The home shop machinist, health of the hobby

Post by NP317 »

I like my smart phone for its utility. It helps me solve problems where ever I am.
I only answer calls if I want to. I set up specific ring tones to tell me if Family is calling.
I feel free to turn off the phone when I don't want to be bothered.
I works wonders as my portable memory, because my brain is otherwise full.
And the phone reminds me of important events that might otherwise get lost in my concentration working on projects.

Yes, it's up to the user to decide how to interact with such technology.
I control it, not the other way around.
RussN
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Steggy
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Re: The home shop machinist, health of the hobby

Post by Steggy »

liveaboard wrote: Thu Oct 03, 2019 4:54 amI need to be available in case of emergency at any of my rental properties.
What did your tenants do in the days before you had a cell phone?
So the mobile phone works for me; I do get sales calls which are unfortunate.
Yes, a mobile phone can be useful in certain cases. That said, I long for the days when I could truly work in solitude when needed, which is no longer possible if anyone can reach me at any time from anywhere. There was a day when one could truly escape interruption, but it's no longer possible if a cell phone is in the picture. Although my cell phone is off when I'm home or in my office, there are still calls that come in on the land lines from scammers and such. For them, I have my trusty "robot" (answering machine). :D

While in my car, I focus on driving and I wish others who insist on using their phones while driving would as well. In fact, I do more than a little thinking about what I am working on while driving, which is possible because I am not a slave to a cell phone.
Sometimes I have to go and do actual work, sometimes I can get it all arranged on my mobile from the middle of the forest. My mobile means I don't have an office to go to at all.
If I were in the middle of a forest I would not want to be disturbed by an electronic gadget. In any case, in my line of work, an office is a necessity, and also serves the important purpose of demarcating the line between work and play. We used to have that before phones proliferated. For many people, it has vanished, even while on vacation.
StevenHGraham wrote:If you need a smartphone for business...
Most people don't "need" electronic gadgets to earn a living. The most important element of business has always been and always will be the human brain.
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Music isn’t at all difficult.  All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!  :D
Inspector
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Re: The home shop machinist, health of the hobby

Post by Inspector »

In the olden days "on call" for work it meant sitting near the phone all day. With a cell you can be anywhere within reason doing other things but when called, drop what you were doing and report for work. Not an issue now that I'm retired but for an aircraft mechanic friend it is a freedom when his firebombers are on standby and he has to get to them when fire calls come in. Otherwise he would have to sit by them 24/7 for the entire fire season.

Nobody can force anyone to do what they don't want to do. If you want to carry several cell phones have at it. If you want to sit on a mountain and watch for smoke signals, then enjoy the songbirds. I found a compromise that works for me. I watch for smoke signals from my phone. :)

Pete
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SteveHGraham
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Re: The home shop machinist, health of the hobby

Post by SteveHGraham »

Inspector wrote: Thu Oct 03, 2019 11:35 am In the olden days "on call" for work it meant sitting near the phone all day. With a cell you can be anywhere within reason doing other things but when called, drop what you were doing and report for work. Not an issue now that I'm retired but for an aircraft mechanic friend it is a freedom when his firebombers are on standby and he has to get to them when fire calls come in. Otherwise he would have to sit by them 24/7 for the entire fire season.
This is exactly right. Sure, we used to do business without smartphones. We missed calls. We lost business. We lost money because we couldn't respond in time. We were less efficient because we were tied to land line locations. We were very limited in our ability to do business from remote locations.

People who refuse to do business using smartphones and the web think that because they make a living, they're doing things the smart way. They have no idea how much business they've lost because people don't want to deal with them. These days, when people need help, the first thing they do is look online.

I had an electrical job the other day. The company I used has a website. You can call 24/7 or use the site to schedule an appointment. They show up the next day. Before the electrician arrives, they send you a text with his picture so you know the person who comes to your door isn't a criminal. If you pay by check, they deposit it online before leaving your house. You get an immediate electronic receipt. Doing business with them is a breeze. Why should I fool with someone who is hiding from the world? If you're too sorry to get a website for your business or communicate by text, you're probably too sorry to do a good job if I hire you. If you're bad at doing business, you're probably bad at what you do.

A friend had recommended an old guy who has no online presence and who doesn't make much use of technology. I called him twice and left a message. Never heard from him again. He lost out on a nice fat check. Probably tells people he doesn't need computers.

Like liveaboard, I have rental properties. If it weren't for cell phones and the Internet, I would have to live near them in the cesspool known as Miami. Because of technology, I can live far from Miami, among civilized human beings. My realtor sends me photos and bills by phone. Tenants send notice that they've paid the rent by email. Tradesmen send photos when they do estimates and when they've finished jobs. I would have to be out of my mind to live in that stinking, nasty city instead of relying on technology.
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
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seal killer
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Re: The home shop machinist, health of the hobby

Post by seal killer »

All--

Here's the deal: Do you think it safe to say most of the members of this forum belong to the last two generations? Those generations, especially the last one, are resistant to change. That's natural and the way it should be. It's always been like that since it's Nature's way of making the collected wisdom and experience of the older generation available to the younger.

Our generation (at this point in our lives) resists change. I spent my life in technology. I could not wait for the next change and I was instrumental in ensuring that some of them were developed and implemented. When cell phones first came on the scene I bought one of those big, clunky Motorola things for my wife.

Eventually, I had a flip phone. However, that is as far as I wanted to go. My wife forced me to get a smartphone and has kept me updated ever since. I've found a few of the features very useful; reading the news, setting events with reminders and alerts on my calendar, time (the clock has been very helpful since every wristwatch I've ever had decides to quit on me within the year), and I kinda like text messaging with my wife and children.

In the new house, almost all the lights and all the fans are smart and need a smart phone to control them. They have switches, of course, but the rooms are very large. Adjusting the house for the night is very convenient from bed!

I don't know what is next, but the smartphone is going to be replaced. Resist it if you will, but count on it. It always happens.

--Bill
You are what you write.
RONALD
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Re: The home shop machinist, health of the hobby

Post by RONALD »

It's all about attracting the youth, and here is an AFS attempt.

On this site, they have a magazine designed to show those looking for a career, how metal casting can be that one!

Will it work, only time will tell: http://meltingpoint.squarespace.com/digitalmagazine

Ye olde folks who have been commenting here may find the magazine full of stuff they never knew!
Screen Shot 2019-10-04 at 4.17.00 PM.png
TimTheGrim
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Re: The home shop machinist, health of the hobby

Post by TimTheGrim »

Thanks for that link RONALD.

So, I get to retire on 11/5.
No more climbing columns, blinding burner flanges on 135 degree furnace decks or turning big valves.

With my “ electronic leash “, my wife and friends will be able to reach me out in the shop, where I hope to be as much as possible.
Or, up in the spare room where I’m gonna try to get back into 3D CAD after 15 years away from that and play with my still to be assembled Anet 8 Plus.
A couple old vehicle projects already waiting and lots of new stuff to hopefully keep me sharp. I have to finish a rocking horse for my granddaughter that I started before the heart stuff last year. I haven’t played my guitars since they tore open my chest.
I need to get back into that as well. Maybe I can use the crunchy cartilage in my chest as a rhythm section.

My 7 year old nephew likes to spend time with me in my shop. He was fascinated when I rebuilt the bent up 16” wheels on his bicycle last month. My 19 year old niece has chosen Welding as a career and is in a Tech school for that.
Maybe they will want me to show them some metalworker skills. I hope so.
Illigitimi non Carborundum
'96 Birmingham mill, Enco 13x40 GH and Craftsman 6x18 lathes, Reid 2C surface grinder. Duro Bandsaw and lots of tooling from 30+ years in the machining trades and 15+ years in refinery units. Now retired
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seal killer
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Re: The home shop machinist, health of the hobby

Post by seal killer »

Tim--

Congratulations on that retirement!!!

--Bill
You are what you write.
TimTheGrim
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Re: The home shop machinist, health of the hobby

Post by TimTheGrim »

Thanks Bill,

BTW, for those who bring kids into their shop...My nephew and granddaughter love these kid size goggles.

https://www.sciplus.com/childrens-sized ... es-46879-p
Illigitimi non Carborundum
'96 Birmingham mill, Enco 13x40 GH and Craftsman 6x18 lathes, Reid 2C surface grinder. Duro Bandsaw and lots of tooling from 30+ years in the machining trades and 15+ years in refinery units. Now retired
Mr Ron
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Re: The home shop machinist, health of the hobby

Post by Mr Ron »

I have a love/hate relationship with my smart phone. As a phone, camera, calendar, weather station, music center, calculator and internet access, it is indispensable. There are some other features that are quite useful at times. The thing I hate the most is the unsolicited phone calls. Now after thinking about it, I have to say there is just about nothing I can fault the smart phone for. I have really become very dependent on my smart phone. For a while, I never thought to use the camera to instantly record something. I used to say, "I wish I had my camera" when I saw something I wanted to record, not thinking I always had a camera on my smart phone. Sorry if this thread is going OT.
Mr.Ron from South Mississippi
Torch
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Re: The home shop machinist, health of the hobby

Post by Torch »

Mr Ron wrote: Sat Oct 05, 2019 12:44 pmThe thing I hate the most is the unsolicited phone calls.
That's the one thing that tempts me to trade in my flip phone -- I understand there are apps available for smart phones to filter out the spam calls.
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NP317
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Re: The home shop machinist, health of the hobby

Post by NP317 »

Here are 3 pics of my Daughter-in-Law Jessica Noe working in my former -and very small- shop.
She is now finishing her Masters in Mechanical Engineering at the Univ. of Washington, Seattle.
She designs, machines, builds and tests marine data-collecting buoys for the Oceanographic Dept, and goes out to sea to test them.
And she's an absolute natural in the machine shop.
Now teaching undergraduates machining skills as part of her research team.

I'm very proud of her!!! She will inherit my new shop, and loves the idea!
RussN
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JessShop9 sml.jpg
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