Times Table

[Reloadron]

I think just learning the times table by rote has little value and when I was a nipper I objected to learning the times table and never did learn them. I don't know them now. What worried me was that the teacher's pets who could rattle off any times table in front of the class, some even 13x, could not do maths, and certainly could not solve a simple a real world-problem in maths.

I felt the same way about spelling and in my mind was always troubled by inconsistencies of the spelling system in the UK. Once again the super spellers, were often not good writers. Grammar was another issue- we used to spend hours learning the collective nouns for various groups of objects: pride of lions, gaggle of geese, and on and on. What a waste of time. In principle, there is only need for one collective noun. Then you get all this nonsense about plurals: 1 crow, two crows, but one sheep, two sheep. Why?. One crow, two crow, one sheep, two sheep would be fine.

There is a fascinating book, The Loom of Language, by Frederick Bodmer, which goes into some depth about languages, their characteristics and peculiarities.

To answer your question 'are we done with times tables' yes. The thought the someone could not work out what 12x12 is or 6x7 is in their head without needing to learn tables is a worry.

I strongly agree with that.

Ron

 

[spec]

I strongly agree with that.

Ron

That's very gratifying coming from a teacher

 

[spec]

Adults worry that they wont be able to live with the guilt if a child gets hurt on their watch.

That is true. Because of children's lack of experience they get up to all sorts of dangerous antics- but they often will not listen when you tell them the score. I was just the same and have the scars to prove it. My most dangerous was removing the motor off a table fan and running it bare. I came pretty close to being electrocuted.

On the other hand boys think that they are bullet proof and they also think that taking big risk is lots of fun.

Just so. Once again I was the same.

 

[Reloadron]

That's very gratifying coming from a teacher

I wasn't a teacher, that would be John.

Ron

 

[spec]

Oops- apologies

 

[zahwi]

Oops- apologies

Your apology for calling someone a teacher indicates that you still have low opinion about teachers. I guess you can't help being a proud engineer, me too.

 

[Reloadron]

Oops- apologies

My brother is a teacher at the University level. I like teachers.
Engineering put beanies and weenies on the table for 45 years so it was good to me. Today? I like being retired, retired is something I have adjusted to very well.

Ron

 

[zahwi]

Engineering put beanies and weenies on the table

Better than England, in here engineering puts on the table only 'bread and butter'.

 

[spec]

Your apology for calling someone a teacher indicates that you still have low opinion about teachers. I guess you can't help being a proud engineer, me too.

zahwi- I can see no reason why you should say that. Knowing you, there is a bit of irony or humor somewhere, but I just don't get it.

I have never felt proud of being a design engineer, just very pleased, both because of the type of work and, of course, the £olly.

In the UK, an engineer has zero status- doctor, politician, lawyer, and ... teacher yes.

An engineer in the UK is someone who kicks car tires and tops up the oil.

 

[spec]

My brother is a teacher at the University level. I like teachers.
Engineering put beanies and weenies on the table for 45 years so it was good to me. Today? I like being retired, retired is something I have adjusted to very well.

Ron

I was apologizing for for a careless error- not because I thought mistaking you for a teacher was a slight in anyway. I too like teachers as I have said previously and many friends are teachers/instructors/lecturers. In fact I had lunch with an instructor and his wife a week ago. The ladies discussed whatever ladies discuss and the men put the worlds to right.

One of my ideal career paths would have been to stay in academia doing research, but I did not think that I had the talent to be a lecturer and also the cash was not so good as in defense.

 

[spec]

... Engineering put beanies and weenies on the table...

beanies and weenies

I like being retired, retired is something I have adjusted to very well ...

Some people have a big hole in their lives when they retire- my Dad did after a lifetime in the RAF. I was not sure how retirement would go with me. I sadly miss the cut and thrust of it all and the leading edge technology and the power to get pretty much anything needed for the job. I also missed the company of technical people.

For the first couple of years I did what amounted to work, mainly house refurbishment, but in my spare time read most of the classic books that had been on the back burner for years: Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, the Bible, and so on. I also studied English language.

After that I drifted back into electronics and found that I could acquire most items that I needed one way or another. Quite soon, I had a comprehensive workshop at home- certainly sufficient for my experiments. Then one thing led to another and I met others in the same boat as me. So effectively nothing had changed on the technical side, in fact due to the rise of the internet, I was probably better informed.

So like you, I thoroughly enjoy being retired. The one caveat though is that you need sufficient funds to give you the freedom to do what you want.

One thing I do hate though is the weekends when all the workers flock into our town and jam the roads and fill the shops- most inconsiderate

 

[zahwi]

zahwi- I can see no reason why you should say that. Knowing you, there is a bit of irony or humor somewhere, but I just don't get it.

The most important is that you knew it was a joke. Must have been my English.

I hate teachers since my first day in school, they are guilty in turning our sweet childhood into ruthless prison. Similar to The Wall by Pink Floyd.

I'm proud being an engineer because it makes me a free man. I can repair my car, my boiler, my stereo and everything else. I also know what to throw away when it can't be repaired.
This gives me the power to be independent man, if you put me on a lonely island I will survive (as long as there is a woman there).
I can laugh in the face of repair men and do without them.
Each time that I see people cry about how they were mistreated by a tradesman I bless the day that I chose to be an engineer.

 

[jpanhalt]

zahwi Such so-called "jokes" here and in the thread on voltage regulators can also be called trolling. If you are joking, say so at the start.

Re: retirement

My typical workday was 7:05 AM (so I could get a good parking spot after the 11 to 7 shift left) to whenever (usually after 6:30 or 7:00 PM, plus on-call the weekends). I would have gone in earlier, but the parking lots were "open" parking until 7AM. In addition, I had a lot of at-home work.

Retirement was neat for about one month. I flew model airplanes almost every day, then got sick of myself. After two months, I called a local college and asked if I could do something (i.e., volunteer). Then I bought a farm. It only looks decent, if I spend at least 20 hours a week on it. I love it. Missed the last year following an accident in April, but this year is looking much better. One project: I need to cut down invasive wild grapes for >20 acres of forest. Some of the vines are at least 6" in diameter.

John

 

[jpanhalt]

News Flash: Only 10% of American college graduates believe Judge Judy is on the US Supreme Court!

A recent survey showed that nearly ten percent of recent college graduates say that television star Judith Sheindlin is on the Supreme Court.

Here's the original article: https://www.goacta.org/images/download/A_Crisis_in_Civic_Education.pdf

I am a little surprised the percentage is that low. Judge Judy is a "reality" TV star!

John

 

[spec]

The most important is that you knew it was a joke. Must have been my English.

Or my limited brain

I hate teachers since my first day in school, they are guilty in turning our sweet childhood into ruthless prison.

They made my life a misery from age 5 to 7. One teacher, Mrs Bowel, especially. She was also subject to violent outbursts of temper, was scruffy and smelled. The rest were mediocre in the extreme.

One teacher used to say that she had a needle in her hand. She put her hand behind her back and said that the class should be quiet and see if they could hear the needle drop. Well. even at age five I knew she didn't have a needle in her hand and, further more, no one could hear a needle drop. But sure enough, all the kids put their hands up to say they heard the needle fall- except me. Another teachers only contribution to English was to award stars according to how neat your exercise book was. At regular intervals she announced how wonderful her son was because none of his exercise books had a single corner turned over. I thought teachers were very odd beings until at age eight I had a good teacher. From that time onwards, instead of being an outcast, I was in the top 5 pupils each term.

I'm proud being an engineer because it makes me a free man.

Those are really two separate aspects, but I am splitting hairs. I know what you mean. Most people are proud of their chosen profession, normally with good reason.

... because it makes me a free man. I can repair my car, my boiler, my stereo and everything else. I also know what to throw away when it can't be repaired.
This gives me the power to be independent man ...Each time that I see people cry about how they were mistreated by a tradesman I bless the day that I chose to be an engineer.

I could not have put what you say any better. Yes knowledge is very empowering and none more than with regard to servicing. I have heard some horrific stories about servicing- some of the worst is by car main dealers as has been said already.

Afraid some more stories:
When my Pug was a year old the radio power button fell off. I went to the main dealer and they quoted £250 for a new radio and £90 for fitting. I couldn't fit an aftermarket radio because the radio was integrated into the car security system. For that price I could do without a radio so that was the plan. But out of interest, I examined the button with a 20x loupe. The button was a lousy design and was bound to fail sooner or later and that proved the case for other owners of the same model. One spot of super glue fixed the button back in place and there it has stayed for the past 16 years.

It was an accepted fact that on 1980 era Ford Granadas the rear in-board CV joints started clicking at 30K miles. If left they would seize and cause extensive collateral damage, besides which clicking CV joints was an instant MOT failure. It was then necessary to change both drive shaft assemblies at an equivalent modern day cost of £2K. There was all sorts of theories doing the rounds as to why the CV joints failed. The main one being that independent rear suspension simply could not handle the torque from a 2.8L V6 engine, especially an automatic.

Sure enough at 30K miles the clicking started on my Granada. There was no way that I was prepared to pay the sort of money required for new drive shafts, so a fiend and I toured the local scrap yards, but no luck. On all of the Granadas the rear drive shafts had been sold, besides which they were going for big money, around £1.3K. I was somewhat despondent and was about to bite the bullet and buy new replacement drive shafts.

But then I thought I would at least inspect the CV joints to see what was going on. I unclipped the rubber boot on one side and pulled it back. The CV joint was completely dry but the boot was splattered with grease inside. Although the joint was clicking when turned there was absolutely no play anywhere. In the workshop manual for the car it said that each CV joint should be filled with a single sachet of special molidinum grease after servicing. I was expecting this grease either to be unavailable or colossally expensive, but when I went to the local Ford spares department the sachets were not only available but only cost the equivalent of £2.50. I cleaned out the entire stock of 10 sachets. The storeman thought I was servicing 5 cars.

I squeezed five satchels of grease into each boot, buttoned the whole thing up and took the car for a spin. Not only had the clicking stopped but the transmission felt smoother than it had ever done before. 130K miles later, when I sold the car, the rear transmission was still as smooth as silk and not a single click. At the time I told a few people with clicking Granads about my findings. Most said that they preferred new parts.

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

Beyond the times tables:

 

[atferrari]

Oops- apologies

Sorry Kid Spec, that proves once again, you are not paying attention enough. Stop kidding with those amps.

 

[misterT]