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jtr1962 said:
Mine is 52 years old and still going strong. My mother bought it when I was around 10 years old. Nowadays they design washers, dryers, refrigerators, A/Cs, stoves, etc. to have a service life of only 7 to 10 years. The supposed theory behind that, besides planned obsolescence, is that people will upgrade by then, even if it still works, to get new "features. Seriously, why does anyone need WiFi for their fridge? Just design reliable appliances that do their primary function and last for decades.

Oh, and my boiler is 73 years old and still going. They don't make stuff like this any more.
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The WiFi for the appliances is so that it becomes part of the IoT. The IoT fridge will keep track of your food, and reorder items automatically for you so you don't have to be bothered about doing it. Then amazon or whoever, will have it delivered to your home, already paid for by your bank account previously registered. It will also be able to inform Big Brother of what foods and beverages you are consuming, and in what quantities. Your information may be shared with pharmaceutical companies for marketing purposes. Eating too much? Possible candidate for weight loss or diabetes drugs. Drinking too much alcohol? Your information might be shared with a rehab center for marketing purposes. Oh yeah, they want all our appliances to inform on us, the data relayed through Smart Light Bulbs by RF.

Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean you don't have a reason to be.
 
Quoting Brother Schokokeks:
For my Li-ion lights, I'm mostly sticking to Malkoff and the P60 ecosystem because it's probably the most customizable part of this hobby left. I don't really love having to buy an entirely new light every time I want a different emitter, etc. Just getting a new drop-in is much better, and then I can switch up the bodies, tailcaps, etc.

I'd like to conduct a thought experiment, expanding on the theme of customizing P60 ecosystem parts, specifically, how might modding interest and activity be stimulated if a massive copper heatsink module could be made commercially available, without an emitter, so that the enthusiast community could add the emitter(s) of choice. I suspect that this would stimulate a small but nevertheless interesting renaissance of experimentation, at least insofar as LED's are concerned. Combine this with TIR optics to modify the beam pattern, and it just might restore some of the fun that has diminished from modding.

I searched online for naked drop-in modules sans emitter or circuit board, and the only site that came up with these was Mountain Electronics. I'll think I just might start down this rabbit hole over the winter. I have no shortage of P60 hosts to accommodate whatever Frankenstein contraption I might make.

Winter will arrive soon enough, offering plenty of time to tinker in the night.

Thoughts?
 
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I'd say University nowadays isn't for anyone, except those intellectuals who wish to work in one, one day. Such a disgusting scam! People talk about having no regrets in Life. Perfect way to tell when someone is lying. I regret a handful of things. One of them is not going to London on the senior class trip in High School. It was a greatly reduced rate since nearly the entire graduating Drama class that year was going. Just under two weeks of fun, relaxation, in a different country where you could still easily communicate. Plus, being the early to mid. 1990s, back then London was still worth seeing. Most of them got drunk and partied the entire trip. But with the Drama teacher there, you had options how you wanted to spend your vacation. Like an idiot, I decided not to go, so I could save up as much as possible.... for college.

Wish I knew better back then. I'd have picked a trade immediately after High School. And, gone on that trip.
 
If you're going into a STEM field you definitely need a degree, and most likely postgraduate education as well. However, the vast majority of jobs which require a college degree these days don't in fact really need to. A high school graduate could do many of these jobs. Too many people go to college. That in turn has inflated the cost of education for those who really need a degree. In my opinion I feel education, up to and including a doctorate, should be free for those who merit it. That means keeping a certain GPA, and majoring in a field which is useful to society. If a person wants a masters in underwater basket weaving, then get that on your own dime, or your parent's dime.

Trade school is good for those whose bodies are robust enough to handle years of physical work. I suspect there isn't as much interest in the trades because most of these jobs can't be done at home. Nowadays working from home is a huge perk. Many trades also require working outdoors in all kinds of weather. Unless you're in a place with good year-round climate that's definitely a negative. My heart goes out to anyone who has to work outdoors in NYC summers. 😭
 
jtr1962 said:
If you're going into a STEM field you definitely need a degree, and most likely postgraduate education as well. However, the vast majority of jobs which require a college degree these days don't in fact really need to. A high school graduate could do many of these jobs. Too many people go to college. That in turn has inflated the cost of education for those who really need a degree. In my opinion I feel education, up to and including a doctorate, should be free for those who merit it. That means keeping a certain GPA, and majoring in a field which is useful to society. If a person wants a masters in underwater basket weaving, then get that on your own dime, or your parent's dime.

Trade school is good for those whose bodies are robust enough to handle years of physical work. I suspect there isn't as much interest in the trades because most of these jobs can't be done at home. Nowadays working from home is a huge perk. Many trades also require working outdoors in all kinds of weather. Unless you're in a place with good year-round climate that's definitely a negative. My heart goes out to anyone who has to work outdoors in NYC summers. 😭
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It’s not just the physical part. Most of the trade jobs aren’t valued, they don’t pay well enough. There is also the problem of insurance and retirement. Many of the jobs related to trades are without either, especially if one wants to hang out his own shingle.
 
jabe1 said:
It's not just the physical part. Most of the trade jobs aren't valued, they don't pay well enough. There is also the problem of insurance and retirement. Many of the jobs related to trades are without either, especially if one wants to hang out his own shingle.
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That also. It's hard to sell people on a career where they'll make less or the same as a non-physical job they might even able to work from home.
 
I'm going to swim against the current here. My wife has operated a residential interior design business for 30 years. She hires multiple trades for painting, custom carpentry, electrical installation and custom wiring work, masonry (fireplace builds, mostly), custom furniture pieces (the Amish do exceptionally fine work in this area), and wood flooring, among other less common trades. The best workmen and women (the women are decorative painters for the most part) are smart, skilled, in demand, and very well compensated: master electricians in the Metro Columbus Ohio area command $300 per hour, with a four hour minimum. It's common for those not quite at the "master" level but nevertheless possessing significant experience and ability to command $200 per hour, as they work toward Master certification.

I'm also acquainted with a 50 year old retired Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer with 25 years in uniform, who has only a high school diploma, but who earns six figures as a part time master machinist. He largely consults with machinists in his area who get stuck trying to figure out something tricky, something that is easy for him but hard to learn on your own.

Bottom line: these days a good tradesman can live well. Not all labor is back-breaking, and education need not be acquired exclusively on a college campus.
 
Monocrom I just dug these out of my stash just to prove you were correct....they did exist and back then were a blast to tinker with. Nothing ground breaking as far as performance however the nostalgia factor can not be beaten here. 5MM with a tiny reflector and very reliable. I think they sold for something like 7 dollars back then.
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jtr1962 said:
That also. It's hard to sell people on a career where they'll make less or the same as a non-physical job they might even able to work from home.
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Trade jobs actually pay quite well. But yes, there is a lot of physical work involved. Thing is, if you know a Trade; you're going to be in-demand. Work at home? Genius when it comes to IT. But short of that, the danger of lay-offs are huge! Have a trade, yeah; those guys get laid off too. But usually bounce back and find work soon due to knowing a skilled trade. Can't outsource that to China. Sadly, most work at home jobs; very different story.
 
Robocop said:
Monocrom I just dug these out of my stash just to prove you were correct....they did exist and back then were a blast to tinker with. Nothing ground breaking as far as performance however the nostalgia factor can not be beaten here. 5MM with a tiny reflector and very reliable. I think they sold for something like 7 dollars back then.
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Those are absolute beauties! Mine is mint too, and in storage. Never got around to trying to mod it. Those early days of CPF sure were something.... I do miss them.
 
jabe1 said:
It's not just the physical part. Most of the trade jobs aren't valued, they don't pay well enough. There is also the problem of insurance and retirement. Many of the jobs related to trades are without either, especially if one wants to hang out his own shingle.
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I don't know where you're getting salary data from, but it doesn't jive with reality for most tradespeople. Outside of those who are still in their apprentice years or otherwise early in their careers, most skilled trades earn quite well. That's been the case for at least the past few decades, and now that there aren't enough people coming into the trades to keep pace with demand and attrition, employers are putting some serious effort into being more competitive via even better overall benefits packages.

Insurance and retirement, as they relate to business owners, are challenges regardless of the industry. The trades don't have a lock on paying out the nose for insurance (business, liability, health, you name it) or self-funded retirement options. That's a thorn for just about every small business.

Personally, I found CPF more engaging when the various makers were encouraged to be active here. The current fee structure seems discouraging, and the exodus of custom makers perhaps reflects that. Or maybe there are other reasons that something like 3 makers continue to frequent CPF while the others prefer to engage with their audiences on FB or IG or wherever they hang out. Access to dashboards with metrics about their audiences, reach, engagement, etc., plus getting some built-in marketing tools and transaction workflows probably helps make other places more attractive for their time and financial investments.
 
elzilcho said:
Personally, I found CPF more engaging when the various makers were encouraged to be active here. The current fee structure seems discouraging, and the exodus of custom makers perhaps reflects that. Or maybe there are other reasons that something like 3 makers continue to frequent CPF while the others prefer to engage with their audiences on FB or IG or wherever they hang out.
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I would love for management, @Mister Ed, to reach out to those who have left and initiate a welcome back plan. That would be good for everyone.
 
elzilcho said:
the exodus of custom makers
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I'd never stopped to think about that, but thats SO true.
Data (Cool Fall)
Mirage Man
Okluma
All seem to have left CPF and exclusively prefer FB now. I wonder if they followed the custom flashlight fans there, or if the fans followed them there. McGizmo still pops in from time to time, same as Hogo for HDS, but that seems to be about it.
 
jacobd said:
I'd never stopped to think about that, but thats SO true.
Data (Cool Fall)
Mirage Man
Okluma
All seem to have left CPF and exclusively prefer FB now. I wonder if they followed the custom flashlight fans there, or if the fans followed them there. McGizmo still pops in from time to time, same as Hogo for HDS, but that seems to be about it.
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Vinh Nguyen @ Skylumen
 
DaveTheDude said:
Bottom line: these days a good tradesman can live well. Not all labor is back-breaking, and education need not be acquired exclusively on a college campus.
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Most of the problems with IT and other "office jobs" is the massive influx of cheap labor (essentially indentured servants) we've allowed. If America exists in 100 years, people are going to look back on what we've done horror. "You treated people how?"

There is a lot of hype around AI, and how trades are "immune." This is stuff and fluff. If AI is coming for coding and other STEM jobs, it's coming for the trades, too. That "master tradesman" will lose half his hourly rate once you have an AI chatbot. You type in the problem, it gives you a course of action to find the problem. When you find the problem, take a picture of it, and it will tell you precisely which parts you need (by bin number or some such), then present you with a well produced video showing you precisely what to do. Add in some "fool proof technologies" (think of the move from copper to PEX), and you have a recipe for replacing high cost experienced/knowledgeable labor with cheap labor. It's only a matter of time, honestly.

Has anyone noticed that in the 1890s through the 1940s, everyone said: "be an engineer!" From the 1940s through the 2000s, everyone said: "go into STEM!" In STEM fields, everyone says: "The real money is in management and sales!" Now everyone is saying: "Become an electrician!" We're watching the devaluation of human intelligence as more intelligence is pulled into machines.

Another point to consider for the trades--how many "master electricians" can a given area support at those rates? When you're working on the high end of the market, it all seems so limitless ... but there are only "so many people" who can afford to pay an electrician $1200 minimum for 4 hours of work, and then $300/hour thereafter. I know I couldn't--and I make pretty good money. The market just isn't going to bear these rates forever--people just won't get the work done. "The light in that bedroom just doesn't work any more, so I bought a floor lamp for $50 and stuck it right by the door." "Sure, the kitchen is ugly, but who can afford the minimum of $40k to remodel it when electricians and plumbers charge $2400/day?"

What's essentially happening, I think, is the middle class is dying. There will be the uber wealthy and there will be the very poor. This push towards the trades may well be the last gasp of an older, dying system that supported a real middle class and cared about human dignity.
 
DaveTheDude said:
It pains me to write this, but Brother riw777 isn't wrong.
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Ditto. Right on the nose.

The only thing that we can do at this point, is invest money in our demise (AI). Those who invest in AI will become rich, those who don't will be crushed by poverty. It is a race to the bottom now.

If the top, Alpha AI allows humans to live, it will be to serve it. Maintain and build new power plants to power it, and other systems that are required for it to exist and run. Soon people will be too ignorant due to reliance on AI for all knowledge, that we will be totally dependent on the AI--it will become like a god, and humanity will be its slaves. The only way to stop it may be worldwide EMPs to take it out. Then we are back to worse than the stone age, because all knowledge of technology will have been wiped out. Humanity, if it can survive, will have to start the acquisition of knowledge all over again.
 
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