Tom_H
Veteran Member
When they first put them in here, there were problems. I don't know whether they worked out some bugs, or whether I just got better at it, but it seems to go quickly and smoothly now.
On one hand, it's hard to fight progress. When cars first came out, most people were skeptical. Even after they'd been around for decades, some older people still refused to ride in/on anything except a horse or something pulled by a horse. When power tools were invented, many handcraftsmen scoffed about the sacrifice of craftsmanship for speed. The older navy admirals laughed at the idea of carriers replacing battleships-until they learned the lesson of Pearl Harbor. My dentist's old receptionist refused to learn how to use a computer; he didn't get one until she retired two years ago. One local plumbing and electrical supplier still keeps every last record in handwriting, even makes his guys use arithmetic to add totals and calculate tax instead of using calculators. He has to pay several of the old fashioned "bookkeepers." I just don't see how he's going to be able to stay competitive and in business.
Who among us would prefer going back to mixing all our concrete by hand instead of calling for a truck of premix, or making nails by hand and giving up pneumatic guns to drive them, hand sawing or even using an adz to hand carve boards?
I've heard some say that in the future, a computer on every car will modem interface with highway traffic controller servers. Everybody will just be a passenger, the computers will steer the cars to where you want to go, without collisions. (I'm sure they'll have an interesting time "working the bugs out" of this one
On the other hand, when I reflect on the humility and forgiveness the Amish have demonstrated in recent days, another part of me believes there is something to be said for going back to a simpler lifestyle.
On one hand, it's hard to fight progress. When cars first came out, most people were skeptical. Even after they'd been around for decades, some older people still refused to ride in/on anything except a horse or something pulled by a horse. When power tools were invented, many handcraftsmen scoffed about the sacrifice of craftsmanship for speed. The older navy admirals laughed at the idea of carriers replacing battleships-until they learned the lesson of Pearl Harbor. My dentist's old receptionist refused to learn how to use a computer; he didn't get one until she retired two years ago. One local plumbing and electrical supplier still keeps every last record in handwriting, even makes his guys use arithmetic to add totals and calculate tax instead of using calculators. He has to pay several of the old fashioned "bookkeepers." I just don't see how he's going to be able to stay competitive and in business.
Who among us would prefer going back to mixing all our concrete by hand instead of calling for a truck of premix, or making nails by hand and giving up pneumatic guns to drive them, hand sawing or even using an adz to hand carve boards?
I've heard some say that in the future, a computer on every car will modem interface with highway traffic controller servers. Everybody will just be a passenger, the computers will steer the cars to where you want to go, without collisions. (I'm sure they'll have an interesting time "working the bugs out" of this one
On the other hand, when I reflect on the humility and forgiveness the Amish have demonstrated in recent days, another part of me believes there is something to be said for going back to a simpler lifestyle.
