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life lessons ruined by technology

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    • hikerboy wrote:

      I'm trying to figure out how Donald Trump is leading the GOP
      Trump is in public politics now?

      I have really got to turn on that damn TV at some point. I keep telling the wife I'm gonna do it, but I just can't seem to find the time.
      *

      For once I'd just like to hear myself say, "Great job, self! Why don't you just take the day off."

    • hikerboy wrote:

      chief wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      chief wrote:

      Friday night I brought home a brand new 2016 GMC Canyon pickup (to replace my funky xterra). It does not have a radio, it has an "Infotainment System" complete with an 8" touch screen and a users manual that will take me months to get through. Back in the day, when someone swiped your radio, it was gone. Apparently now it's just a screen gesture. Huh?

      I guess I could have saved a bunch of money (did pay cash) with a base truck with just a radio, but then I wouldn't have the coolest truck in the neighborhood. Isn't that what it's all about?
      and built in wifi!!
      Yeah, I just read about that. Cool! So now I got three ways to hook up my "devices" to my truck (usb, bluetooth and wifi. Am I missing any?). I'll do that soon as I learn how to use my devices. Or maybe I should learn the radio first! Choices, choices - maybe that's the big draw of electronics.Confession - last few months I've made a major leap into technology (I've been a computer guy all along, with a cheap flip-phone). First I bought a big flat screen TV, then I learned if I want real HD I'd need an HD cable box - got it (football season here I come), then I figured out my new TV was wifi ready - so I got a wifi router for my inet connection (NetFlix is great on that big screen). Then to my dismay, I let my best friend talk me into a "smart" phone (kicking and screaming, I tell ya), not so bad after I learned it could hook up to my wifi and now yer telling me I can wifi in my truck. Farcking A!

      If you ever see me on Twitter or Facebook, you'll know I've completely lost my mind.

      PS - OnStar just sent me an email with a diagnostic report of my truck. This is getting out of hand!
      its even better! on your smartphone, download the OnStar Remote Link app. this will enable you to remote start your car from your phone, get diagnostic reports right to your phone,check your wifi data package, and order additional packages, check onstar minutes, etc.onstar.com/us/en/services/remo…on%20star%20remote%20link
      The more I learn about OnStar the less I want it. I'll give it a chance during my 6 month free trial, then I'll probably deactivate it if possible. I have enough data and minutes with my phone plan.

    • Yeah, I was taught to think, inside and outside the box, by school and my parents. My youngest sibling told me one day it wasn't being taught in school anymore. Critical thinking isn't being taught.

      I went to three junior highs and 3 high schools because my dad kept getting transferred, he was in the US Army. I was exposed to many different cultures across the US. I called it a restroom and got laughed at, its ajohn I was told. I said to myself, 'John is a guy who looks up hookers, whats that got to do with going to the restroom ?'... this was 7th grade in another part of the U.S. Turns out they meant restroom.

      I prefer a calculator becuse I have problems dealing with math. But all my classes stil lrequired work to be shown, so I used them to check my work.

      I encountered people at my last two jobs, executives making a $100,000 per year, who are illiterate. They were in their 50s and 60s. So it isn't just the young who are screwing up.

      I have a hard time understanding people who wont learn how to read. One of my siblings is dyslexic, and ADHD. That sibling has a Master's Degree in Counseling. Tought time of it, but they got it done. And made As.

      I took classes not in my degree plan. Like Archaeology and CAD. I've read thousands of books in my life time not including homework books.

      When I learned how to read, I was fascinated. Due to medical problems, I've had retina surgery on both eyes not many yrears ago. I continue to read. I love to read !

      Encountering people where I worked who never read anything unless required to, very strange.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.

    • the harry potter series was great for teens to get into reading. for us growing up , id say it was the hardy boys.i think i read every one of them.
      i read to my kids every night(for years it was the lord of the rings). it inspired their imaginations, and they still both read

      when i first met my exwife, she told me she didnt like to read because she was a slow reader. i told her she missed the point, which was to immerse yourself in the book, not caring about how much time it took to finish, and before she knew it, she'd be done and wanting more. she became an avid reader after that.
      its all good

    • chief wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      chief wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      chief wrote:

      Friday night I brought home a brand new 2016 GMC Canyon pickup (to replace my funky xterra). It does not have a radio, it has an "Infotainment System" complete with an 8" touch screen and a users manual that will take me months to get through. Back in the day, when someone swiped your radio, it was gone. Apparently now it's just a screen gesture. Huh?

      I guess I could have saved a bunch of money (did pay cash) with a base truck with just a radio, but then I wouldn't have the coolest truck in the neighborhood. Isn't that what it's all about?
      and built in wifi!!
      Yeah, I just read about that. Cool! So now I got three ways to hook up my "devices" to my truck (usb, bluetooth and wifi. Am I missing any?). I'll do that soon as I learn how to use my devices. Or maybe I should learn the radio first! Choices, choices - maybe that's the big draw of electronics.Confession - last few months I've made a major leap into technology (I've been a computer guy all along, with a cheap flip-phone). First I bought a big flat screen TV, then I learned if I want real HD I'd need an HD cable box - got it (football season here I come), then I figured out my new TV was wifi ready - so I got a wifi router for my inet connection (NetFlix is great on that big screen). Then to my dismay, I let my best friend talk me into a "smart" phone (kicking and screaming, I tell ya), not so bad after I learned it could hook up to my wifi and now yer telling me I can wifi in my truck. Farcking A!
      If you ever see me on Twitter or Facebook, you'll know I've completely lost my mind.

      PS - OnStar just sent me an email with a diagnostic report of my truck. This is getting out of hand!
      its even better! on your smartphone, download the OnStar Remote Link app. this will enable you to remote start your car from your phone, get diagnostic reports right to your phone,check your wifi data package, and order additional packages, check onstar minutes, etc.onstar.com/us/en/services/remo…on%20star%20remote%20link
      The more I learn about OnStar the less I want it. I'll give it a chance during my 6 month free trial, then I'll probably deactivate it if possible. I have enough data and minutes with my phone plan.
      the remote link app is free for 5 years, whether you continue it or not.
      onstar is nothing more than an extension of your insurance policy. if your truck is stolen , they can locate it and shut the engine down until its recovered. it has automatic crash response which actually saved one of my customers lives. if an engine light comes on and your out of town, you can have them do a remote diagnostic check and they can let you know if its safe to drive or whether you need to get it towed in.its something you really dont need at all, until you need it. but the remote app is free for 5 years
      its all good

    • hikerboy wrote:

      chief wrote:

      OzJacko wrote:

      Those of us that grew up in the 60's and 70's are obviously too prehistoric to even think about....
      Yeah and those of us who grew up in the 50's and 60's should be dead by now, so who cares...
      in case of a medical emergency just press the red onstar button
      OnStar - "We're sorry sir, your trial subscription has elapsed, with a credit card number we'd be happy to set you up with a monthly plan. *your card will be automatically charged every month - you may stop auto pay by calling our super busy, long wait toll-free number."

    • chief wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      chief wrote:

      OzJacko wrote:

      Those of us that grew up in the 60's and 70's are obviously too prehistoric to even think about....
      Yeah and those of us who grew up in the 50's and 60's should be dead by now, so who cares...
      in case of a medical emergency just press the red onstar button
      OnStar - "We're sorry sir, your trial subscription has elapsed, with a credit card number we'd be happy to set you up with a monthly plan. *your card will be automatically charged every month - you may stop auto pay by calling our super busy, long wait toll-free number."
      i can get you a 20% discount on a 3 yr plan. :)
      its all good

    • hikerboy wrote:

      chief wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      chief wrote:

      OzJacko wrote:

      Those of us that grew up in the 60's and 70's are obviously too prehistoric to even think about....
      Yeah and those of us who grew up in the 50's and 60's should be dead by now, so who cares...
      in case of a medical emergency just press the red onstar button
      OnStar - "We're sorry sir, your trial subscription has elapsed, with a credit card number we'd be happy to set you up with a monthly plan. *your card will be automatically charged every month - you may stop auto pay by calling our super busy, long wait toll-free number."
      i can get you a 20% discount on a 3 yr plan. :)
      What I like about OnStar is using it on the fly. You don't have to look away and touch the screen.
      Changes Daily→ ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫ ♪♫♪♫♪♫ ← Don't blame me. It's That Lonesome Guitar.

    • hikerboy wrote:

      i remember when scientific calculators came out, yo werent allowed to use them in school at first, but eventually, you were allowed to use them on tests(high school).
      ...
      Back in 2008 we hosted a high school exchange student from Turkmenistan, which has a very poor education system. Students have little money or resources. Our student was tremendously disadvantaged, except for the fact that she was very smart, incredibly hard working, and motivated to learn. Also in Turkmenistan, they learn do do math without calculators (after all, this is where arithmetic was invented!).

      Our student was in AP Chemistry one day and the teacher told the students to copy some practice problems as she wrote them on the board. Our student solved the problems (which included taking base-10 logarithms!) while writing them down. The teacher then turned around and told the class to get out their calculators and start working. Our student just sat there quietly. The teach scolded her "Why aren't you doing her work?" She said "I'm already done" and showed the teacher her paper.

      BTW, today, this young woman arrived on campus to start grad school (Ivy League PhD program in Chemistry).

    • hikerboy wrote:


      so my daughter is awaay at college, about 7 hrs away.
      One day my wife calls me and tells me my daughters car wont start, and shes stranded somewhere.
      So i call her, get the scoop. She went to eat, drove back to campus, parked, ate in car while listening to radio. Then she went to move her car to another location, and it wouldnt start.
      She spent a while trying to start it before calling mom.

      Turns out, im guessing, it probably wasnt in park or something. She finaally got it started and never heard another peep about it.

      Shes blond.

      How blonde? Well she plays college softball now. Spent a bunch of years playing elite travel ball. Once...after crossing home plate in 14u ball...she went into the wrong dugout. Her coach had been coaching 35 yrs, thought he had seen everything.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Muddywaters ().

    • hikerboy wrote:

      I learned much more outside of school than in school I did have some teachers that at least pointed me in the right direction I've always had a curious mind and still to this day I'm trying to figure out how Donald Trump is leading the GOP
      Yeah, well when you figure it out let the rest of us know...crazy.

      [scratches nuts in disbelief]

    • hikerboy wrote:

      JimBlue wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      Encyclopedia Britannica
      Couldn't afford one. We had the Compton Encyclopedias. Junk. The photos and most of the info was out of date.
      most of my friends had "world book" instead of eb.
      I had a library card and was within walking distance of the place.
      If there was day that the weather was too bad to be outdoors, I would be in the library, the world at my finger tips.

    • Winters in the library is where we first learned about the Appalachian Trail in the mid-sixties in an article in Boys Life Magazine while we were in scouting. None of us could afford subscriptions so we would spend hours reading through them. We would fight over that one about the AT. We all dreamed of doing it one day. Whenever we were hiking or playing in the woods we were on the AT.
      Changes Daily→ ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫ ♪♫♪♫♪♫ ← Don't blame me. It's That Lonesome Guitar.

    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      I learned much more outside of school than in school I did have some teachers that at least pointed me in the right direction I've always had a curious mind and still to this day I'm trying to figure out how Donald Trump is leading the GOP
      Other than, 'astray,' you mean?
      He is clearly older than me.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • chief wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      chief wrote:

      Friday night I brought home a brand new 2016 GMC Canyon pickup (to replace my funky xterra). It does not have a radio, it has an "Infotainment System" complete with an 8" touch screen and a users manual that will take me months to get through. Back in the day, when someone swiped your radio, it was gone. Apparently now it's just a screen gesture. Huh?

      I guess I could have saved a bunch of money (did pay cash) with a base truck with just a radio, but then I wouldn't have the coolest truck in the neighborhood. Isn't that what it's all about?
      and built in wifi!!
      Yeah, I just read about that. Cool! So now I got three ways to hook up my "devices" to my truck (usb, bluetooth and wifi. Am I missing any?). I'll do that soon as I learn how to use my devices. Or maybe I should learn the radio first! Choices, choices - maybe that's the big draw of electronics.
      Confession - last few months I've made a major leap into technology (I've been a computer guy all along, with a cheap flip-phone). First I bought a big flat screen TV, then I learned if I want real HD I'd need an HD cable box - got it (football season here I come), then I figured out my new TV was wifi ready - so I got a wifi router for my inet connection (NetFlix is great on that big screen). Then to my dismay, I let my best friend talk me into a "smart" phone (kicking and screaming, I tell ya), not so bad after I learned it could hook up to my wifi and now yer telling me I can wifi in my truck. Farcking A!

      If you ever see me on Twitter or Facebook, you'll know I've completely lost my mind.

      PS - OnStar just sent me an email with a diagnostic report of my truck. This is getting out of hand!
      Just don't fall victim to the temptation of screen watching while driving. Last week while on the bike, I took a dive into shrubbery due to a driver tapping on a screen while making a turn. She had no idea I was in the lane she was drifting into.

      hikerboy wrote:

      I learned much more outside of school than in school I did have some teachers that at least pointed me in the right direction I've always had a curious mind and still to this day I'm trying to figure out how Donald Trump is leading the GOP
      I fortunately had several teachers in grade-jr high whom opened my eyes to subjects not covered in the required reading.

      hikerboy wrote:

      chief wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      chief wrote:

      OzJacko wrote:

      Those of us that grew up in the 60's and 70's are obviously too prehistoric to even think about....
      Yeah and those of us who grew up in the 50's and 60's should be dead by now, so who cares...
      in case of a medical emergency just press the red onstar button
      OnStar - "We're sorry sir, your trial subscription has elapsed, with a credit card number we'd be happy to set you up with a monthly plan. *your card will be automatically charged every month - you may stop auto pay by calling our super busy, long wait toll-free number."
      i can get you a 20% discount on a 3 yr plan. :)
      I may take you up on this offer if the new truck bug doesn't stop biting me.

      LIhikers wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      JimBlue wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      Encyclopedia Britannica
      Couldn't afford one. We had the Compton Encyclopedias. Junk. The photos and most of the info was out of date.
      most of my friends had "world book" instead of eb.
      I had a library card and was within walking distance of the place.If there was day that the weather was too bad to be outdoors, I would be in the library, the world at my finger tips.
      same here. While in grade school, a couple of librarians would let me check out books from the adult section as I had read most of the 'age-appropriate' volumes.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • hikerboy wrote:

      I learned much more outside of school than in school I did have some teachers that at least pointed me in the right direction I've always had a curious mind and still to this day I'm trying to figure out how Donald Trump is leading the GOP
      I think he has about maxed out. Once the other candidates start dropping out, you will start to see one or two pass him up.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • hikerboy wrote:

      the harry potter series was great for teens to get into reading. for us growing up , id say it was the hardy boys.i think i read every one of them.
      i read to my kids every night(for years it was the lord of the rings). it inspired their imaginations, and they still both read

      when i first met my exwife, she told me she didnt like to read because she was a slow reader. i told her she missed the point, which was to immerse yourself in the book, not caring about how much time it took to finish, and before she knew it, she'd be done and wanting more. she became an avid reader after that.
      One of my sons read all of the Hardy Boy books in elementary school. Later on he had one of the Chinese high school exchange students living with us reading them to improve his English.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Astro ().

    • JimBlue wrote:

      The same retired police officer wrote both of them. I read Hardy Boys, one of my sisters read Nancy Drew.

      Newer printings have been 'updated'. I read some of the updated ones back in the 1980s, they were awful.
      i think originally there were around 32 titles. i also had a hardy boys primer on detective work, with stuff about fingerprinting, searching a crime scene,etc.

      [IMG:https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=JN.Ccv3ITyggxEPEriz%2fPPKyQ&pid=15.1]


      [IMG:https://img0.etsystatic.com/047/0/6482973/il_570xN.675202884_f190.jpg]
      its all good

    • My middle son read the original Hardy Boys. He just found out today he is a National Merit Semifinalist like his mother. We were concerned because he was sick (not feeling well) the day they had to take the PSAT, and he felt he did not do near as well as he could on it. So he should do even better on the SAT. Yes reading and math do pay off. He is also the one who is learning Mandarin Chinese.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • Astro wrote:

      My middle son read the original Hardy Boys. He just found out today he is a National Merit Semifinalist like his mother. We were concerned because he was sick (not feeling well) the day they had to take the PSAT, and he felt he did not do near as well as he could on it. So he should do even better on the SAT. Yes reading and math do pay off. He is also the one who is learning Mandarin Chinese.
      its all good