The Breakroom > The Water Cooler
What will happen?
raynerd:
John, one of the issues is surely that practical skills in metal work and similar skills are not taught anymore. I can`t name a college in the local area that teaches it, I know because I have looked.
You mentioned Jan Ridders as an example of a modern innovative designer, do you not think this is because his work is primely in Stirling engines which in some ways is still quite a undiscovered or relatively unexplored area. I appreciate that Stirling has been discovered in the 1880`s but still much less time than the 2000+ years that people have been using steam, consequently a lot of work and improvements have been made in this area. It is a lot harder to design something "new" in steam when so much work has already been done, builders are tending just to re-arrange previous workings or copy past designs?
It is only a suggestion, am I way off the mark?
sbwhart:
Its the way engineering is perceived by society, I got on my high horse this morning after reading an article in the paper:-
Some politicians are calling for more technical schools to make good the sort fall of builders, technicians and engineers, but the established education systems says this would be second best to traditional study and children would be "pigeonholed at too early an age and be denied a chance to excel academically. This to me is implying that any one who follows a technical or focasional education is a failure.
I followed a focasional education and I don't consider myself a failure far from it, and many of my contempories also went to have very successful productive lives many of them going on to own and run their own busneses.
These people will wake up one day when they have no one to build and mend the roads, build their houses repair their cars, fix their plumbing, generate their electricity, etc etc etc.
That my rant over for the day
Stew
No1_sonuk:
--- Quote from: craynerd on August 31, 2009, 02:54:58 PM ---It is a lot harder to design something "new" in steam when so much work has already been done, builders are tending just to re-arrange previous workings or copy past designs?
It is only a suggestion, am I way off the mark?
--- End quote ---
I'm with you there.
Sbwhart, I think " focasional " should be "vocational".
sbwhart:
--- Quote from: No1_sonuk on August 31, 2009, 03:06:32 PM ---
--- Quote from: craynerd on August 31, 2009, 02:54:58 PM ---It is a lot harder to design something "new" in steam when so much work has already been done, builders are tending just to re-arrange previous workings or copy past designs?
It is only a suggestion, am I way off the mark?
--- End quote ---
I'm with you there.
Sbwhart, I think " focasional " should be "vocational".
--- End quote ---
Thanks:- spelling one of those things thats held me back all my life, I'm little bit word blind, but I don't let it stop me communicating.
Stew
Bearcar1:
In my modest and worthless opinion, several of the causes for the decline in 'stand out' engineers has been touched upon here. In this country (USA), businesses have moved their production plants off-shore (to reduce costs(?)) and even the unions themselves have become too complacent about expanding and nurturing the labor forces that they were meant to represent. The fact is that the labor force has been reduced to a mere handful of mindless "I push this button if I want this and I push that button if I want that" types of workers, no real skill involved just knowing the correct button to press and in what order. After that, "HUH????" or "Say Wha'???" The true knowledge base has been allowed to shrink and is now in danger of extinction, due to (a reduction of cost(?)) The second thing that has been touched upon is the allowance of the younger generations to be coddled and not forced to complete anything that may be difficult or challenging. Instead the educational institutions have eliminated (cost reductions again(?)) the very fundamental industrial arts programs. If you have read this so far you have no doubt picked up on a repeating factor here.......wait for it...... Cost Reduction. Bottom line. Moolah baby. Cash-ola!!! Our entire society has been reduced to "what is the bottom line?" and "what's it gonna cost me?" mentalities. Enough already. So the greedy Bast**ds won't make their 100 million this year. So what. If they make $1 they should get down and kiss the ground and be happy in knowing that they successfully turned a profit. Instead these same people (individuals) cannot be satisfied with that and put the skilled labor, the ones that actually do know how the machines are made and work out to pasture. So, my feelings about why there are no more talented and willing engineers in the wings is simple ... The Cost Reductions.
Here endeth the lesson
BC1
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