Newer more user friendly things...
It came to me while working on Deadly Dudley...
That the older optics...require much more deliberate concentration..
Than the newer more modern optics..
Do we loose things dew to convince..n..great simple ease..to do things..
Or is it really just ..progress..?
User friendly?? ... Like having to look at and use a touchscreen while driving instead of simply turning a knob or sliding a lever?
It's probably off onto a tangent, but an hour ago I kinda listened to a CBC radio episode of The Current ... in essence an infomercial for a book "Against The Grain / Defiant Giants Who changed The World" by Terry O'Reilly. I probably won't read the book, but I found the infomercial mostly interesting. One of the core ideas is that the world needs new ideas but mankind seems to have an "instinct" to reject [maybe even ridicule?] change/new/different.
I can't find today's program online just yet [maybe 24 hour delay??], but it appears the book is widely available. https://www.amazon.ca/Against-Grain-Defiant-Giants-Changed/dp/1443471437
A very good friend of mine is an excellent cook who refuses to use a food processor or a microwave oven for anything.
She says every skill we replace with a gadget or gizmo is a skill lost.
On the other hand... I'm typing this on a relatively modern computer. The irony is not lost on me.
On the other, other hand...
Recent interaction with the modern health care industry leads me to belive the more different ways in which we have to communicate, the less we manage to communicate with accuracy and promptness.
Just a personal observation. Obviously, your mileage will vary.
Those slip- on Sketchers are the ultimate in laziness. Why, back in my day… blah, blah, blather, blather…
HEY YOU KIDS,, GET OFFA MY LAWN !!
p.s., all kidding aside, I detest the idea of AI music production,,, the arrival of the electric guitar was bad enough
Edited by - chuckv97 on 10/14/2025 09:11:07
quote:
Originally posted by chuckv97Those slip- on Sketchers are the ultimate in laziness. Why, back in my day… blah, blah, blather, blather…
HEY YOU KIDS,, GET OFFA MY LAWN !!p.s., all kidding aside, I detest the idea of AI music production,,, the arrival of the electric guitar was bad enough
I dunno about Sketchers, but if you're a guy, wearing Crocs, you should talk to your doc about getting a testosterone supplement.
.. sometimes wonky knees/ankles/feet make this type of thing, and maybe even Sketcher slip-ons, look kinda appealing. Before I knew what it actually was, I picked up one of these bad boys at a thrift store, because I wanted the U-shaped trough (?) for some "project" or other. Now, I'm thinking I should have kept it for it's intended purpose. 
To me there's a lot of leeway as to where one draws his/her line on the "spectrum." Eg. food "processing" ..... obsidian (?) cutting edge >> metal knife >> composites >> hand crank food grinder >> electric grinder >> etc. >> etc. But, I do acknowledge that there's plenty of room for "because you can doesn't mean you should."
Edit: Jon, for y-e-a-r-s I've been putting my orthotics in some relatively $$$ sandals for knocking around the house. Lately I'm wondering if a switch to [no name] Crocs would be better. Where did I go wrong?? 
Edited by - Owen on 10/14/2025 09:40:37
Problems that benefit from solutions vs solutions in need of a problem.
I'm all for most modern conveniences. I'll take any appliance that makes it easier for me to complete my task. I don't care for bread machines, but most people do. I'm not into the AI stuff, although it's becoming more and more used and usable and misused.
I remember getting my first dryer. No more hanging clothes and unmentionables outside for all the neighbors to see. An electric range was better for me than a gas range. A stand mixer made it easier for me to knead bread and make cookies. Lately, a battery operated vacuum cleaner made keeping the floors clean easier. No more lugging a heavy vac and fighting with the chord.
As far as yard work goes, battery operated weedeater and leaf blower make yard work easier. I'm thinking about a battery operated mower.
I'm not ready to go back to the washboard and wringer washer. Give me modern any time.
Definitely as we age the modern gadgets & gizmos make life easier,, but I can’t help but wonder if the health care system isn’t groaning under the weight of out of shape folks having ailments due to a sedentary lifestyle. We don’t haul water or chop wood anymore.
quote:
Originally posted by Owen
Edit: Jon, for y-e-a-r-s I've been putting my orthotics in some relatively $$$ sandals for knocking around the house. Lately I'm wondering if a switch to [no name] Crocs would be better. Where did I go wrong??
BEWARE! Plantar Fascitis is lurking just around the corner from where you slide into that first pair of overpriced plastic chinese shoes. a.k.a. Crocs.
Huh?!?! I was told that our health care system is doing just fine..... as problems arise they're identified and remedied by those in charge. 
I split wood when we're camping .... does that count? [Actually I "steal" most of the wood from the municipal dump. Typically dimensional lumber .... mucho easier to split than the knotty, dirty stuff that some campgrounds refer to as, ".... firewood supplied."]
Edit: Jon, I think my p.f. diagnosis preceded the invention/development/?? of Crocs. [For sure 'twas before news (?) of them reached beautiful west-central Man-ee-toe-bah.]
Edited by - Owen on 10/14/2025 12:05:03
Not all of us older folk are obese. Many of us exercise daily, watch what we eat and get a good night's sleep (as good as possible at our age).
I do see a lot of people that are grossly overweight but never understood why they would want to live that way. Not my business, but I do wonder. Couldn't stand to carry all that weight around. Bound to be tough on legs, feet and innards.
quote:
Originally posted by Jon Borcherdingquote:
Originally posted by Owen
Edit: Jon, for y-e-a-r-s I've been putting my orthotics in some relatively $$$ sandals for knocking around the house. Lately I'm wondering if a switch to [no name] Crocs would be better. Where did I go wrong??
BEWARE! Plantar Fascitis is lurking just around the corner from where you slide into that first pair of overpriced plastic chinese shoes. a.k.a. Crocs.
Actually, Crocs have one of the best footbeds in non orthopedic shoes with a great arch support that is extremely important for plantar fasciitis and a wide toe box. I'm surprised they bought out Hey Dude shoes, as those have no footbed to speak of. Ask me how I know...........I grew up in a shoe store. Dad was a cobbler, shoe store owner and eventually a Podorthist and orthopedic consultant.
Slammer!!!
