What is better made, or more useable, now than in the years past?

[RicinYakima]

the bad thing about admissions is it's easier [and funded] for a kid that's been in trouble, struggles in school, and has spent a little time in the court system to get in, than it is for one that wants to go there that didn't have those problems.

My experience with this. In 1990 President Bush Sr. started a program between cities and unions for "at risk" kids in poor counties. Ours is one of them. The Firefighters local and the city got 20 positions; 10 boys and 10 girls for a two year program to teach them how to be firefighters. They got a monthly stipend, 15 hours of CC classes paid for and could live in the fire stations and get on the job training and free housing. At the end of the first year one boy was in Walla Walla prison for life for killing two drug dealers to steal their money, two were in county jail and six had "dropped out" (collecting the money but never showed up). Three of the girls were pregnant and could not fight fires so lost their positions and five had dropped out and one dismissed for threatening to kill the FD training instructor. At the end, one young woman thanked us, went to the USFS and became a seasonal FF and paid her way through college and became a teacher. One you man tested joined the department and is now a Captain with 24 years of service, married and has four wonderful children.

Lend a hand to the kid that wants and needs it. Throwing money on the ground for the scavengers to take is a waste.

 

[462]

My son just turned 43, has nothing more than a high school education, the desire to challenge and apply himself, and a very strong work ethic, is into six-figures as an industrial electrician at an oil refinery, and was promoted to a crew foreman position (20 men?) last year.

 

[Pistolero]

I helped raise two godsons who are now in USMC. The father and I were close friends and he
knew I was way ahead of him in auto mechanics, shooting, etc and asked me to help make men out
of the boys. I loved it. Both are excellent shots, easily qualified expert in USMC training, each was 2nd
or third highest shooter in their company - not too shabby because the rifles are pretty worn, and even a
great shot with a cruddy M16 can be outshot by a decent shot with a randomly more accurate rifle.
Both have do a good bit of basic mech work, brake jobs, replace AC compressor, spark plugs, oil
changes, cam drive belt changes (can be a pretty good PITA, excellent learning experience) and such
as that. Early on I got a lawn mower engine and did a teardown with the Boy Scouts, showed them
all the parts and how they worked in a four stroke engine. These boys always called me Uncle Bill,
although they have always known it is an honorary title.

THOSE boys will have a real leg up on life. Both are computer experts in the Corps now, doing
systems work on combat information data and comm systems, in the field and back at the base.

I have some grandnephews that I will be working with, too, taught one to shoot a BB gun this
month, and another one I have had him to the range a number of times, most recently over
Christmas, shooting his .22 rifle and my brother's .22 Ruger semiauto this last cycle. Both did
well. The good news is that everybody knows that Great Uncle Bill is the shooting coach and
the parents want me to teach the kids. That, I really appreciate.

We have to teach them when we can. The don't even know what they need to know, but we do,
and we have a responsibility to pass it on, as much as they will accept.

Bill

 

[Todd M]

I agree that GPS is cool, but accuracy is more like 5 or 10 meters at best. Way plenty good enough
for most uses.
Bill

Depends what GPS you are talking about. Trimble for Ag work is very accurate. When I was fumigating, it was at least accurate to 3" inches or less.

 

[twodot]

I agree that GPS is cool, but accuracy is more like 5 or 10 meters at best. Way plenty good enough
for most uses.

Depends what GPS you are talking about. Trimble for Ag work is very accurate. When I was fumigating, it was at least accurate to 3" inches or less.

Also depends on your wallet and what you want to do. A survey grade $10,000 Trimble is a lot more precise than that $250 Garmin you use to find your way back to the truck.
..

 

[CZ93X62]

Late to the party.

Gotta go with medical technology for "What's better now". I was diagnosed with childhood-onset Type 1 diabetes in 1980 (age 25) and was insulin dependent within 8 months in 1981. The doctor and his staff acted like I was a terminal cancer patient once Life On The Needle was on the menu. The doctor specifically told me--"Plan your life around living no longer than age 40". That was The Verdict at that time.

Sorry to disappoint ya, Doc. MUCH better insulins, MUCH better endocrinology, MUCH better bG monitoring technology (CGMs and insulin pumps) have extended my life to age 63+. Knocking on wood here--I feel pretty darn good currently. Advances in medicine are almost entirely responsible for that outcome.

 

[Pistolero]

Al, from the little bit I know about it, you need to take some personal credit for your good
outcome, too. Being careful about controlling blood glucose levels and eating correctly and
doing the monitoring and injections carefully and correctly has a lot to do with the outcome.
Some folks don't take it seriously, don't work at it, and have worse results.

I have a friend that uses a pump system, we have never talked about it in detail, but apparently
it provides very good insulin supply. He will fiddle with it a meals, but most have no clue that this
young, vigorus (well 40s) guy is insulin dependent. We have hunted pheasants all day together and
he can beat me down covering ground. And a trick shot with a shotgun, too.

As to GPS, yes, with multiple units, spaced antennas and a the units working together for doing
differential GPS, with a lot of money, you can get higher accuracy.
But an ordinary, single antenna, single receiver that is affordable is about 5 or 10 meter error.

Bill

 

[Rick]

No doubt medicine has come a very long way in not a whole of years. Had an uncle that died from diabetes in the 1940's. From the time they diagnosed him it was less than 10 years and he had gone blind, lost both legs and died before he was 40 years old. From what I was told at the time little was known and little could be done. I'm now 30+ years since I was diagnosed with type 2, most likely had it 10 years before that. Wouldn't be here now but for the medical and insulin advances.

Huge advances in other areas also. I was legally blind with cataracts and that's now a common every day procedure.

 

[Brad]

Blood glucose monitors made a huge impact in diabetes care. The old urine strips work but most people don’t spill glucose into their urine until blood glucose hits 180+, way over acceptable levels.
By seeing the immediate impact of diet on blood glucose people became more educated and physicians could have data to support their patient education.
The advances in rDNA made the days of beef/pork insulin numbered. No chances of allergic reaction.

This is just one area where tech has impacted medical care.

 

[twodot]

As to GPS, yes, with multiple units, spaced antennas and a the units working together for doing
differential GPS, with a lot of money, you can get higher accuracy.
But an ordinary, single antenna, single receiver that is affordable is about 5 or 10 meter error.

Bill

10 meters or 33 feet is close enough when you consider the original purpose of GPS was to target atom bombs

And without the terrific advances in medicine I wouldn't be here writing this today. I'm all for it.

 

[CZ93X62]

I look at Weather Underground for most of my weather updates for travel and recreation. I see on its location plots that Lat and Lon are calculated out to 8 decimal places. Give me a minute here.......one degree of latitude is about 69 miles, or 364,320 feet. So, with 8 decimal places to the right, GPS purports to be accurate to .0034320-foot increments. Or, .0408". .041", IOW. Feeler-gauge country, right there. AKA overkill.

 

[Pistolero]

0.041----that right there is a millimeter, just a couple thousandths over, actually. Doesn't sound like
a coincidence.

Bill

 

[462]

I had a half-smart phone that I used for only one reason -- to make the very occasional phone call. My wife said I needed to enter the 21st century, and got me a fully-smart phone. Her and our daughter were showing me some of its features, one of which was tracking another phone. They set my phone up, my wife picked up her phone and started walking throughout the house, and the my phone tracked her every step.

 

[Pistolero]

INS linked to GPS.

Bill

 

[462]

What's INS?

 

[Pistolero]

Inertial navigation system. Phones have accelerometers, can measure their movement by
acceleration and deceleration. Accelerate for x seconds in a certain direciton, now you are
going Y velocity in a certain direction. Then decelerate and now you have a new velocity.
Integrate the accelerations to get velocities, integrate the velocities to get distances.

Inertial navigation. Some drift, of course, but with occasional GPS updates, it works over
shorter distance than GPS accy.

Bill

 

[462]

Thanks, Bill.

A system designed to keep spouses faithful?

 

[Pistolero]

Actually, I think it is intended for tracking children and lost phones.

Bill

 

[RicinYakima]

Also very good for tracking terrorist with drones, but you never heard me say that.

 

[Missionary]

Hunting "corn crunchers" and turkeys is a huge improvement in east ILLinois.
I shoot recurve and long bows but the new ones are (compound) are easily mastered and get more hunters involved.
Safe and easily installed tree stands of all types.
Gun parts to customize our firearms to our hearts desire.
Old gun companies waking up and listening to us. Henry Rifles for example... The 41 mag is easily purchased today.
Availability of an inexpensive but safe kayak.
Very simple to use and light weight fishing equipment. No more back lashes which as a young feller 60 years ago frustrated my dad to no end.
And the fantastic advances in affordable and plentiful handloading equipment. I will include Dillon here.