Tell Me

[tinkerer]

Tell an old man who refuses to "feel" old, who rejected "growing old" while in middle age, who has good health, vigor, a few expected aches and pains, how to "give up" the lifestyle formerly involving heavy vehicular work, design and machining of project metal parts, in short, avoidance of the proverbial "rocking chair"...........

[mistermack]

I went to a funeral a few weeks ago of a guy who sounds just like that. He looked about 20 years younger than his nearly 80 years. Still working and running his own company. Lovely guy, sorely missed. 

[dimreepr]

4 hours ago, tinkerer said:

Tell an old man who refuses to "feel" old, who rejected "growing old" while in middle age, who has good health, vigor, a few expected aches and pains, how to "give up" the lifestyle formerly involving heavy vehicular work, design and machining of project metal parts, in short, avoidance of the proverbial "rocking chair"...........

 

get a dog... 

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-10-health-benefits-of-dogs-and-one-health-risk_us_57dad1b8e4b04a1497b2f5a0?guccounter=1

[Phi for All]

Have you watched any of the upmarketing and restoration shows? I particularly like Find It, Fix It, Flog It. They go around to junk yards and storage sheds/barns to find old items that can either be upmarketed (repurposed to make something completely new, like turning an old plow into a chaise lounge) or restored (clean up something old that has new value as a relic or memorabilia, such as an old automotive oil can or antique signage). 

This way you use your skills on projects where you set your own pace. You create a new lifestyle that matches your abilities. I also think these shows miss the mark by not looking for customers beforehand. If you know any retail business owners, many are looking for restored pieces or anything interesting that will catch the eyes of their clients (not necessarily for resale - I think you'd get more money from something they would display). One creative piece was a bunch of old suitcases secured on top of each other. They cut the fronts (tops? the side with the handle) off the bottom four and glued drawers onto them, leaving the top suitcase to lift open as normal. Easy sale to a retail shop for display, especially a luggage or leather store.

[Sensei]

14 hours ago, tinkerer said:

Tell an old man who refuses to "feel" old, who rejected "growing old" while in middle age, who has good health, vigor, a few expected aches and pains, how to "give up" the lifestyle formerly involving heavy vehicular work, design and machining of project metal parts, in short, avoidance of the proverbial "rocking chair"...........

Buy C/C++ book, read it, learn programming. Get Arduino Kits, shields, DC motors, step-motors, servos etc. You can connect them together with your metal work knowledge to build electric and electronic devices, programmed and controlled from computer. I can straight away give you couple ideas for devices like e.g. remote controlled chair for disabled people. I am building such at the moment.

https://www.ebay.com/bhp/arduino

Find a reason to wake up every day.

 

 

Edited November 18, 2018 by Sensei

[tinkerer]

1 hour ago, Sensei said:

Buy C/C++ book, read it, learn programming. Get Arduino Kits, shields, DC motors, step-motors, servos etc. You can connect them together with your metal work knowledge to build electric and electronic devices, programmed and controlled from computer. I can straight away give you couple ideas for devices like e.g. remote controlled chair for disabled people. I am building such at the moment.

https://www.ebay.com/bhp/arduino

Find a reason to wake up every day.

 

 

This would entail a brand-new series of experiences! While still employed, my primary job was to conceive automated equipment aimed at reducing the labor costs of our product: tennis balls. Programmable Machine Controllers were a fairly new concept on the open market then, and we employed them in our machines. Thus, I developed the feeling that computers actually DID have a place in the world, back in 1979, doing highly useful work beyond the casual emptiness of cell phones, etc. However, I have been away from such endeavor many years now, and only got internet service in our very rural area of the Missouri Ozarks in about 2005, and only dial-up at that. HughesNet was probably available, but prohibitively expensive. 

I shall look into your suggestion.   

[Sensei]

57 minutes ago, tinkerer said:

This would entail a brand-new series of experiences! (...)

I shall look into your suggestion.   

I approve this message..

If you will have C/C++/programming questions in the future, don't hesitate and write on Computer Science section on this forum, and we will be happy to answer your questions.

Arduino related questions I will reply by myself.

57 minutes ago, tinkerer said:

This would entail a brand-new series of experiences!

Start from buying (cheap/from leasing/used.. but i5/i7 core+) computer or laptop which you won't miss if it'll be burned (and get active USB port splitter!).. It's easy to make mistake with electronics which is connected directly to the computer. Connect servo, stepper motor, DC motor directly to computer's USB? No way! It can give only 0.5 A per port. You need to have your own 5V/9V/12V/15V etc. DC stabilizer *) with 330 nF capacitor on DC input (from battery or other power source), and 100 nF on DC output (5V or 12V etc.).

*) get LM7805, LM7809, LM7812, LM7815.. LM7905, LM7909, LM7912, LM7915 and 330 nF and 100 nF capacitors for them, for a start..

ps. You should start entire new thread about Arduino, after you will get one, if you're interested, to not derail this thread too much..

 

 

Edited November 18, 2018 by Sensei

[mistermack]

On 11/18/2018 at 5:58 AM, tinkerer said:

in short, avoidance of the proverbial "rocking chair"...........

I've always envied the tradition of the rocking chair on a wooden porch. 

But now I know you're American, in rural Missouri, I envy it even more. Why not get a yellow dog and a bunch of guns and go about killing wild life? I don't approve, but I bet it's a great way to pass the time. I love fishing, I no longer fish, and don't approve, but I bet I'd love it, if I went back to it. 

Or you could go in for something totally un-American, like learning about the rest of the world. It's easy these days, if you're online. I taught myself the names and positions of all the US states the other day. Maybe pointless, but you feel you've done something when you can do the lot. New England is the worst. How the hell did Rhode Island get to be a state?

[tinkerer]

On 11/19/2018 at 3:12 PM, mistermack said:

I've always envied the tradition of the rocking chair on a wooden porch. 

But now I know you're American, in rural Missouri, I envy it even more. Why not get a yellow dog and a bunch of guns and go about killing wild life? I don't approve, but I bet it's a great way to pass the time. I love fishing, I no longer fish, and don't approve, but I bet I'd love it, if I went back to it. 

Or you could go in for something totally un-American, like learning about the rest of the world. It's easy these days, if you're online. I taught myself the names and positions of all the US states the other day. Maybe pointless, but you feel you've done something when you can do the lot. New England is the worst. How the hell did Rhode Island get to be a state?

Now here is information having substance well-worth delving head-long into! I was in rural Missouri for 13 years,  but don't think I implied I  remain there. I DID have numerous guns, as I've always been an avid target-shooter, sharpens the motor-skills, you know, but have never been interested in "Sport Hunting" of animals, as I do not consider shooting dead any living thing which is essentially defenseless. The "true" sport hunter would exercise his gun ownership rights by shooting at someone similarly armed, a duel, perhaps, or test for the armed Police. The latter would prove the madness in "Sport Shooting". Using a firearm in self-defense is IMO the morally justified use of a tool, as much so as defending one's person or those close to him through use of a knife, shovel, bludgeon, or any other tool not yet regulated by the folks guaranteed to always be allowed to possess them.

The scholastically-imposed study of the rest of the world scored me lowest of all subjects, after Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and true to your definition, it was un-American, IMO.

By the way, why pick Rhode Island? Explain please. I would have preferably shot down New York, or Massachusetts, perhaps even Connecticut.

[Phi for All]

14 hours ago, tinkerer said:

By the way, why pick Rhode Island? 

Size. Smallest US state in area. My state has counties bigger than RI.

[mistermack]

Yeh, I included the Canadian provinces in my memorising, and they have Prince Edward Island as their Rhode Island. You can hardly see them on the map. But amazingly, Prince Edward Island grows about a third of Canada's potatoes !!

Massachusetts I find quite easy, there is a Gloucester there and I live in the original Gloucester.  Maryland is a pig of a state, it's all over the place. Delaware was difficult to memorise, till I noticed it's just below New Jersey, so I used the old song, " what did Della wear boys?" to aid the memory. Nebraska was hard too, it's a state you never hear anything about.  

[tinkerer]

11 hours ago, mistermack said:

Yeh, I included the Canadian provinces in my memorising, and they have Prince Edward Island as their Rhode Island. You can hardly see them on the map. But amazingly, Prince Edward Island grows about a third of Canada's potatoes !!

Massachusetts I find quite easy, there is a Gloucester there and I live in the original Gloucester.  Maryland is a pig of a state, it's all over the place. Delaware was difficult to memorise, till I noticed it's just below New Jersey, so I used the old song, " what did Della wear boys?" to aid the memory. Nebraska was hard too, it's a state you never hear anything about.  

The States of the Southwest are particularly large, and one can still drive a highway for 100 miles and not see another human being, especially in Nevada, which is 86% held by the Federal Government.