28 Sep
2010
28 Sep
'10
6:30 a.m.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jules Richardson" <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 8:54 AM
Subject: Re: Screwing around (Was: Multimeter recomendations
Tony Duell wrote:
You know what I mean! ;-) "Trained" as in understanding the equipment -
self-training by reading, dismantling etc. is perfectly acceptable. I
never think of training as always meaning having someone looking over your
shoulder and telling you what to do.
The propane grill's an interesting case (although I'm sure it relates to
air compressors) - even then I wouldn't expect someone to be messing with
valves unless they knew which way they were supposed to be turning (or
hooking up lines), but I suppose it's hard to guarantee that it won't
happen at some kind of social event...
cheers
J.
There are different levels of training. Lets take the propane grill for
example, anyone can pretty much turn on the gas and hit the igniter and then
cool a steak. Some people who tinker can adjust the air fuel mixture by
moving objects or making different sized holes to make the grill a little
hotter or cooler running even by trial and error. And then there are those
who know the theory behind combustion and can calculate the perfect orifice
valve without blindly changing things that could lead to explosions (because
of air/fuel mixtures) and can even convert the grill from propane to natural
gas. So you have operating knowledge (user), maintenance and proper setup
knowledge (technician), and in depth design of combustion material and flow
metering (engineer), and even possibly advanced theorists who know all about
combustion period (scientist) if we needed to cook using alternatives to a
common grill (also needing the engineer to then design it, the tech to set
it up and adjust it for proper burning, and a user to cook the steaks after
everyone else fought over who was more important).
Screwing around is how many things were discovered over the centuries, but
doing it blindly is also how many people end up dead.
I suppose
I like to think that nobody who isn't trained in the equipment
would be allowed to mess with it - but if they've got a cigarette
dangling from their mouth at the time then they probably deserve
everything they get :-)
You might want to rephrase the first part of that. I have never been
trained in computer repair. Or in soldering, Or in using machine tools.