[R-390] Yard sale find

[dsmaples at comcast.net]

All: We are moving on into a new technological age, where delivery via the Internet is becoming the preferred method.  That really is the way it is, unfortunately.  All this is a manifestation of technology moving from being something valued for its own sake to just another tool, or utility. 



I will say, however, that as we continue down that path, we are becoming more and more critically dependent on a few enabling technologies, and if those technologies are compromised or destroyed, we as a society may well be destroyed as well.  Does anyone here want to imagine what happens if we lose electrical power for weeks or even months (as is certainly possible; see the EMP Commission's report on the electrical grid, and imagine all the OTHER ways it could be compromised)?  What about clean water?  What about significant loss of access to petroleum?  What about loss of access to rare earths (used in all the fancy magnets in all the fancy motors in hybrid cars and other places)?  



Perhaps our enjoying these old platforms needs to be coupled to something else: the ability to use new technology opportunistically and enjoy it while still retaining the resilience to get along without it if necessary.  That's MUCH harder, but necessary, in my pea-brain. 



Dave WB4FUR 


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "2002tii" <bmw2002tii at nerdshack.com> 
To: R-390 at mailman.qth.net 
Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 2:52:27 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern 
Subject: Re: [R-390] Yard sale find 

Ross wrote: 

>The sad reality about all this is that in the next 15-20 years all 
>of this stuff will become worthless, the next generation has no 
>interest in it, it means nothing to them. 

Yeah, so?  Why is that sad? 

>collectors like me will be overwhelmed with the stuff. Let's hope 
>that the museums can deal with it all 

They can't.  I know of at least two that are overwhelmed and are 
getting rid of all but the nicest examples because they don't have 
space to store them or interested volunteers to help care for them. 

>and that someone will attend/support them!! (sorry to pee on the 
>parade, but I'm worried) 

Why is that worrisome?  I never have understood why people are so 
interested in others sharing their interests.  It's not as if the 
next generations won't have ANY interests, they just won't have the 
same interests we have.  When nobody is interested in big, heavy, 
steaming hot radios, the radios will have outlived their time, will 
be unnecessary, and SHOULD be recycled.  There will still be a few 
diehards who keep the faith (there always are), but why must there be 
enough interested people to support and attend museums?  If they're 
not interested, they're not interested, and it's sanctimonious of us 
(as well as pointless) to care what interests them. 

As far as individuals collecting radios, there is already almost 
nothing worth listening to on the air, so what's the point?  I still 
go through the motions once or twice a week, but I don't think I've 
heard one interesting or useful piece of news, or good music, or live 
grand prix broadcast, or interview, or anything else of interest in 
the last decade of listening.  (I think Joe Donovan's wonderful 
all-night oldies show on WHAS was the last radio broadcast I really 
enjoyed listening to, and that's been gone more than ten years.)  I 
can now be preached to in 27 denominations and at least as many 
languages, and shouted at by talk hosts with brains and world-views 
the size of a pea (and their callers, who are so badly off they think 
the hosts are sages), but I can't find anything that interests me on 
the air anywhere.  And logging utility stations or trying to catch 
military transmissions gets old after a short while.  And band noise 
has increased dramatically over the last 40 years.  If there's 
nothing to DO with the radios, why should anyone be interested 
(except for we old farts who still have personal memories we can 
trigger by twisting the dials)? 

So, enjoy your hobby, but (IMO) don't worry about whether anybody 
else shares it.  They'll have their own intrerests, and they don't 
really care what interests you.  And that's as it should be. 

Best regards, 

Don 





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