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Author Topic: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?  (Read 10616 times)

John W E

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Hi there


After reading several topics on the forum - its set my mind a wandering (dangerous) :-)


With today's technology, is it really helping us, or is it slowly, secretly destroying the infrastructure of civilisation.   To give you a couple of examples on one topic - we are on about museums and how the tendency nowadays is not to display well built models or other such artefacts but to put in such gizmos and gadgets to entertain the public.   If the person wishes to do any serious research you turn to the other technology which we are using now - the web.   So that is doing two things really a) we cant be bothered to get out into the world and therefore become a society who live indoors or b) we lose the art of outside communication with one another face-to-face.   The other affect this is also having is, if we look at the shops how many of us dont get out of the house and go to the shops now - and due to that fact the shops are all closing down and therefore people are losing out on employment.   If we look at the other way, when our youngsters are being educated in today's schooling they arent taught correct grammar or English, similar to how we were all taught.   The lesson they are given, is if you can understand it - it is right - just look at text talk and arent we becoming slaves to this technology by using this.   When was the last time anyone sat down to write a proper letter, pen on paper Dear Sir,.......


Anyhooo - just my thoughts for this afternoon :-)


aye
john
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2012, 04:59:09 pm »

Quote
When was the last time anyone sat down to write a proper letter, pen on paper Dear Sir,.......

Me, last week to Thames Water complaining about their overflowing sewer! Sent a copy with a covering letter to our MP too. Sometimes it's the only way....
 
Colin
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Arrow5

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2012, 05:24:01 pm »

Yes the times they are a`changing, ( old fashioned song for those that weren't around when it meant something profound )   I do prefer a written contract to electronic or verbal ones. Parchment or paper I don't care which, no electrons when it comes to " You said, I said , I meant " etc. O0   Having said that, in past could not have the fun, friends and knowledge at my fingertips that the old PC gives me.
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TheLongBuild

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2012, 05:27:52 pm »

Did,nt they say this about the Horse and cart when cars were developed..Change is inevitable.. Embrace it..just before you get a 404 error  :}

Arrow5

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2012, 05:32:01 pm »

Funny you should say that. My grandfather was a farrier and blacksmith in the late 1880/90s. Rejected the crazy rich fools for rejecting the faithful horse. <:(
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Jerry C

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #5 on: November 11, 2012, 06:01:30 pm »

People have been saying stuff like this since the Begining of time. I believe they are just as wrong now as then. I've embraced new technology and my only regret is I had to wait so long for tinterweb. What could I have achieved if I'd had access to it as a child when hungry for knowledge? The mobile phone, satcom and GPS have transformed my life at sea. I can always keep in touch with my family when I'm away. No more trying to get through to portishead on the old H/F sets. No more going on DR for 7 days without star or sun sights in the lap of the gods. Too many rose tinted spectacles I fear. Keep your old ways Ta very much. I like the way it is now.
Jerry.

Arrow5

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #6 on: November 11, 2012, 06:10:20 pm »

Couldn`t agree with you more Jerry :-))
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John W E

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #7 on: November 11, 2012, 06:29:31 pm »

 :-))  totally agree, it is progress, we have to have it and no way will time stand still.


But, in some areas, technology does seem to have had a great devastation - lots of shopping centres have gone down the pan - and how many town centres now have a full range of bustling shops......few and far between.   Where have all our modelling shops gone - miss being able to go for a browse around knowing for a fact that you would meet other modellers in the shop and spend at least some of the time talking ..... that sense of community has gone from our area in the UK anyway - has it gone from your area?   


The other things - what about public libraries - they are disappearing fast.  Electronic books are great, but its still losing staff and employment and reference libraries used to be great for doing research etc.


Aye, I know what everyone is thinking.......


I remember when I used to work for an aero engineering company & the introduction of CNC machining - all the fitter/turners and skilled men thought that that was it - scrap heap for them - cos all they needed was someone to feed the machine and programme it etc.  Little did we know that we would end up putting mistakes right that the programmer/machine had made :-)


Mind you, having said all of this - I dont know where I would be without me PC and Mayhem  %% %% %% %% %%


aye
john
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #8 on: November 11, 2012, 07:02:31 pm »

The decline of the high street is partly due to out of town supermarkets and retail parks offering cheaper mainline products and free parking. The rise of Internet shopping has done the rest. On the high street the councils have driven people away (literally) by swingeing parking fees and many specialist shops have been forced out of business by landlords who feel they can keep ramping up rents despite the recession on the basis that if the local guy can't afford it then Tesco Metro can.
 
As far as model shops are concerned, there are simply no longer enough modellers to support local shops and that won't change. Those that survive must rely upon mail order and Internet sales. There is nothing to be done which will change that situation.
 
Colin
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Jerry C

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #9 on: November 11, 2012, 07:12:44 pm »

I'm not in the business of keeping other people in work. Nobody helped us out when the merchant navy collapsed. The industry offered me £900 to take voluntary redundancy from the pool. I told them to shove it and started building british motorbikes for the japanese. Did it successfully for 10 years. Then went back to sea cos thats what I am. Ended up as skipper on an old Tito Neri 8500 hp tug in Kuwait just after the first gulf war. Tough, poorly paid, 4months on 1 month off but it was a start. Now self employed delivering tugs around the world, (wasn't really very good at actually operating a tug but nobody died!) I can however get em across any ocean cos thats what I am good at.I too loved the old model shops and have fond memories of the one in Queens Arcade in Wolverhampton. But they were in prime town center locations and this was reflected in the prices. Now The Component Shop is just up the road in a shed behind a house. It's mail order but they like you to visit and couldn't be more helpful and knowledgeable. (also got a cracking piece of stuff behind the counter.) Everything I've learned about modelling boats, R/C (hasn't that come on since I were a lad then, eh) and steam I got through tinterweb and Mayhem. Lathe work from youtube (mrpete222 tubalcain) No, won't hear a word against techno.
Jerry.

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #10 on: November 11, 2012, 07:13:37 pm »

But, in some areas, technology does seem to have had a great devastation - lots of shopping centres have gone down the pan - and how many town centres now have a full range of bustling shops......few and far between.   Where have all our modelling shops gone - miss being able to go for a browse around knowing for a fact that you would meet other modellers in the shop and spend at least some of the time talking ..... that sense of community has gone from our area in the UK anyway - has it gone from your area?   
The other things - what about public libraries - they are disappearing fast.  Electronic books are great, but its still losing staff and employment and reference libraries used to be great for doing research etc.

The trouble with town centre shops is that, by their very nature, they have a very limited choice of goods and the the customer too has a limited choice of suppliers and price.

Customers now, thanks to on-line shopping have a vast choice of suppliers and keener prices as a result and these on-line companies also have to employ real people to carry out their businesses, so arguably even more jobs have been created to cope with the increased demand. ......   I would also say that exactly the same argument also applies to libraries, in fact I believe that statistics seem to say that reading, as a result of facilities like Kindle and Audible, has lead to a resurgence of interest it the written word. Real book sales continue to break records almost daily....

I say this as somewhat of a Luddite myself, but times do change and as to the English language, it is and always has been dynamic and if it weren't we would still be talking in the language of Chaucer or Shakespeare, which very few would indeed understand.

I suspect everyone throughout the centuries has thought that they lived at the nadir of human development, they didn't and neither are we....... shopping has changed from the days of  bartering and mediaeval town markets and will continue to do so. I'm just looking forward to what the next improvement is..  :-)
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dodes

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #11 on: November 11, 2012, 08:16:04 pm »

I am 62 now and only wished this new tech was around when I first set foot afloat, modeling boats though was always a small minority hobby compared to say model railways, and what is available now to wannabee modelers is beyond belief to what was about when I was a youngster. The problems in the high street is nothing new, but high business rates and most people will not walk further than they can help it with out the use of a car, plus the present recession with everyone short on money does not help any business interested in a high street spot.
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chingdevil

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #12 on: November 11, 2012, 08:23:06 pm »

What has this got to do with model boating, I thought that was what this forum was about  >>:-( >>:-( >>:-( >>:-( >>:-( >>:-( >>:-( >>:-( >>:-(
 
 
Brian
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Artistmike

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #13 on: November 11, 2012, 09:04:17 pm »

What has this got to do with model boating, I thought that was what this forum was about  >>:-( >>:-( >>:-( >>:-( >>:-( >>:-( >>:-( >>:-( >>:-(   
 
Brian

erm... Chit Chat  .. "Almost anything you like in here... "   ....   :-)   
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Artistmike

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Colin Bishop

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #15 on: November 11, 2012, 09:17:46 pm »

Brian,
 
Calm down dear, and embrace the benefits of the new technology.
 
You know it will get you in the end.
 
Colin
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chingdevil

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #16 on: November 11, 2012, 09:36:26 pm »

I do not need to calm down dear, I use new technology more than you will ever do Colin. But this is a model boat forum not the Gadget Show.
 
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #17 on: November 11, 2012, 09:40:33 pm »

Brian,
 
You have no idea how newtechnological I am so don't make assumptions.  :}
 
Colin
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TheLongBuild

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #18 on: November 11, 2012, 09:41:12 pm »

If we had not embraced modern technology we would all still be using Bob's Boards in our Model Boats and they still have there uses

Colin Bishop

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #19 on: November 11, 2012, 09:46:29 pm »

Quote
If we had not embraced modern technology we would all still be using Bob's Boards in our Model Boats and they still have there uses

Quite, and the rush to embrace brushless motors doesn't mean that brushed motors are not appropriate in the right installation.
 
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HawkEye

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #20 on: November 11, 2012, 10:02:48 pm »


There's an interesting article on wikibooks regarding the misuse of technology - http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/The_Computer_Revolution/Security/Technology_Misuse

I work with I.T, covert CCTV, sound and lighting systems amongst a whole host of other stuff, I get to see "the dark side" of some systems and I don't like what I see. Oddly enough many country's are now concentrating their weapons towards EMP devices so perhaps it's only a matter of time, just think of the ensuing chaos should anyone throw their toys out of the pram.



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Subculture

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #21 on: November 11, 2012, 10:44:45 pm »

Bob's Boards still have there uses

Like wedging the door open when you're missing a door stop.
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Neil

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #22 on: November 11, 2012, 10:51:36 pm »

   When was the last time anyone sat down to write a proper letter, pen on paper Dear Sir,.......
john
actually John...........today, this afternoon in fact............I did type it on the pooter " microsoft word 2010", but I did hand sign it if relevent.........and I used spell check as well,  {-) {-) {-) If I didn't type it, no one would ever read my hand writing..............but it was a letter duly stamped ( 64p) and posted this arvo.
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NFMike

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #23 on: November 12, 2012, 12:39:38 am »

But this is a model boat forum not the Gadget Show.

This thread (originally) did relate to model boats I think. It (I believe) partly sprang from another thread discussing problems with e-mail which makes using that to communicate with traders something of a curates egg, which in turn means that many of our model boat suppliers may be missing out on orders that could make a difference to their future and thus the hobby as a whole.
Technology is changing the world and if you stand still you get run over.


The majority of scale model boats may be historical (in that they are models of past glories) but we make them with the benefit of a lot of technology which is of the gadgety type - even the pocket calculator was a gadget not so many years ago.

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Re: Do we think communications technology has made a rod for our own backs?
« Reply #24 on: November 12, 2012, 03:56:41 am »

Modern technology is not the same as going from a horse to a motor car. It has become all consuming & for some occupies most of their waking hours. I feel if I can't drive 12 KM to work without answering a phone something is seriously wrong with the way I live. How many letters did you write me before Email came along,none, I thought so. I do not need Twitter or Facebook, I do not need to know you got stoned last night or see a picture of you undressed, it adds nothing to my enjoyment of life thank you very much, it is in fact sensless & stupid. We can't, no matter how hard we try out work a computer, it never gets tired, I do. Technology has its place, always has & always will, but modern technology has gone beyond stupid to the realm of ridiculous & is abused to a degree never seen in human history. Trying to do everything at the speed of light is not always the best way, we still need sober second thought. A lot of what is going on now  will go the way of the pet rock fad among many others, why you will ask & my reply is because we are not machines & we need to slow down & smell the roses, among other things. I don't need a million facebook friends, what I need are 5 or 6 really good friends & I have already got those thank you very much. I do need that little shop on the side street or hole in the wall because that is where I can meet you face to face & have a good chat & if we both have time go for a coffee & discuss our latest sailing exploits. We have almost lost the art of conservation & it is sad, at least it is for me. Mick B.
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