Historical stuff

[riogrande491]

Yes, Chuck!

In slide rule days, we were taught to initially find the magnitude (power of 10) and then roughly estimate the first digit of the calculation. If we made a gross mistake, then we would have a clue to go back and find our error.

As calculators appeared, I had a mechanical engineering statics professor (think truss bridges) who salted his exams with certain beams that received zero force. If someone using a calculator wrote down a nonzero answer, he marked it WRONG! In all fairness he warned us, and also taught us, about significant digits, and proper rounding.

[webenda]

In elementary school we were taught how to use a ruler and calculate the fractions. Today?

In Tucson, kids learn multiplication and division in Kindergarten. That is so they will be ready for 1st grade Math and Science that includes fractions. Instruction in the Tucson Unified School District incorporates the mathematical and scientific contributions of people from multiple cultural backgrounds, such as Arabic and Mayan contributions to numbers. Did you get that in elementary school? Beginning in 10th grade, Tucson students are into calculus.

I have had mothers come to me for help with the new vocabulary, like, "Common Core Math."
Common Core Explained: https://youtu.be/tBkQAxt1JXA
I explain, "The math is still the same, let the teacher explain number theory, all you have to do is show your kids how to work the problems the same way you were taught."

[chuck]

The answer is 42!

[riogrande491]

Life, the universe, and everything.

Time to hitchhike!

[webenda]

My mom was still using one of the galvanized tin washboards in 1948, at which time my dad bought her an electric wringer washer. So... circa 1833 to 1948 in my family'

We had one of these, I was helping mom feed some clothes into the wringer and it caught my fingers and pulled me in half way up my arm before mom got it shut off. Dang that hurt.

Me too, my right hand. I managed to stall the motor by pulling really hard but then had to reach over my right arm to move the reverse lever for the rollers, during which time it pulled my whole hand through the rollers. One of my fingers was bloody where it had been in the rollers when I stalled the motor. I can still see the scar today. OSHA did not come along until December 29, 1970, when Richard M. Nixon signed it into law. Now washers are almost idiot proof. The Maytag I mentioned previously cannot be operated with the lid open just by sticking half a clothespin into the lid latch slot. The lid latch depends on a magnet in the strike for the control board to sense when the lid is closed. It requires a magnet glued to the half clothespin before it will run with the lid open. (You cannot stop a true idiot from endangering himself.)

[Rufus T. Firefly]

You cannot stop a true idiot from endangering himself.

Or, even a false one for that matter - seems to be something of epidemic proportions these days.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

OK, I don't miss those crappy speakers. We have a "drive in" in the Plymouth Whaler's parking lot but they broadcast the sound over the air (in stereo) using the cars sound system.....

I never heard of nor experienced that system. Of course, it's been 50+ years since I went to a Drive-in movie.

[chuck]

I never heard of nor experienced that system. Of course, it's been 50+ years since I went to a Drive-in movie.
Top

They broadcast the sound on a low power FM band, similar in operation to the highway construction alerts (those are on AM).

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Interesting. Thanks, Chuck. I think it's wonderful the way the world has changed.
I don't miss the past - I took with me what was relevant to my life and have it as part of me.

[chuck]

Agreed, the good old days are more old than good. Take the best form the past, learn from your experiences (good and bad) and work, pray, and hope for the best as things move on.

[HONDO74]

How about the record player. Had one when I was young. My first one only played 78s. I can remember the 1st three records I bought. 1, Blue Swede Shoes by Carl Perkens. 2 Long Tall Sally by Little Richard. and Why Do Fools Fall in Love by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers.

This could be coming back around again. My youngest grand daughter got interested in them and they are making new ones so I bought her one and then gave her all the 45s and LPs that the wife and I had when we were teens.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Heard tonight on the program , Bull:
The rise of the coffee shoppe and the demise of the neighborhood diner.
I hadn't noticed. But it seems true. Have diners been disappearing, along with these?

[Roy]

How about the record player. Had one when I was young. My first one only played 78s. I can remember the 1st three records I bought. 1, Blue Swede Shoes by Carl Perkens. 2 Long Tall Sally by Little Richard. and Why Do Fools Fall in Love by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers.

This could be coming back around again. My youngest grand daughter got interested in them and they are making new ones so I bought her one and then gave her all the 45s and LPs that the wife and I had when we were teens.

I don't have a picture of mine, but it was a Lionel Porter. One of the 45s I got was Lonnie Donegan's version of The Rock Island Line. I understood the connection to my great grandfather, but I didn't find out about the skiffle connection to The Beatles until The Compleat Beatles came out, many years later.

[HONDO74]

I don't have a picture of mine, but it was a Lionel Porter. One of the 45s I got was Lonnie Donegan's version of The Rock Island Line. I understood the connection to my great grandfather, but I didn't find out about the skiffle connection to The Beatles until The Compleat Beatles came out, many years later.

Lonnie Donegan - Rock Island Line (high quality)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jNiGOb-b8A

Lonnie Donegan - Rock Island Line (Live) 15/6/1961
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI4nRD-DRpk

[HONDO74]

Heard tonight on the program , Bull:
The rise of the coffee shoppe and the demise of the neighborhood diner.
I hadn't noticed. But it seems true. Have diners been disappearing, along with these?

Murph
Are these the style of diner's you are referring to ?? I haven't seen any around in a long time....

https://www.google.com/search?q=picture ... 24&bih=614