Building things (was: [Elecraft] K3 S/N plate,)

[Brian Lloyd]

On May 20, 2007, at 8:57 AM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

> You've just discovered there's a side of existence you've yet to  
> experience.
> It's the same as those who have, for centuries, hewn wood, rolled  
> iron into
> huge plates, woven hemp into stout ropes and enlisted hundreds of  
> other
> inanimate objects in a huge construction effort. Then they  
> thoughtfully give
> it a name, christen it like a new-born baby, and set it afloat on  
> the waters
> of the world.
>
> Why would anyone do that to an inanimate object like a ship?  
> Because it's
> the sane, human thing for them to do!

Well, I'm not much for anthropomorphizing objects. My radios are just  
radios and they behave as they do because of the laws of physics.  
Likewise my boat or my airplanes. They are machines, nothing more and  
nothing less. The better care I take of them the more reliable they  
will be. The more attention I give to dealing with possible failure  
modes, the more reliable they are.

Still, the scary thing is that nowadays people don't really think  
about building anything. They think they have to buy it, that the few  
people who build things are somehow endowed with special skill or  
knowledge. This is why I am teaching hands-on science mixed with  
various shop skills to my students. I want them to know that they can  
get some wood, some sheet metal, a handful of parts, and build just  
about anything they want. No mystery and no magic.

Does anyone know if Elecraft has some sort of educational discount?


73 de Brian, WB6RQN
Brian Lloyd - brian HYPHEN wb6rqn AT lloyd DOT com