Gool 'Ole "Ingenuity". Gone or Changed?

[Turk]

With the onset of people being more & more sedentary and addicted to staring at video screens, it got me wondering.

Is good 'old "Ingenuity" gone, or has it changed to making devices that'll keep people addicted?

Have people lost that industrious "edge", or is it on the decline?

This question may be more apt to the generation that has seen "both".

Think it through. Be nice. Go!

 

[edwardh1]

well the chinese business model, furthered by greedy american ceos of not selling parts, makes it hard to fix stuff. you can jury rig a small electric heater cause the thermostats broken but maybe that will burn down your house, and having to have a router and a modem all boxes that break every year o so makes it all worse

 

[eljefino]

I work with a series of PCs that are all networked together and have software from different vendors trying to cooperate.

My cohorts & I have come up with ingenious batch files, automated scripts, and other hacks that have impressed our vendors... probably so much that they've been annoyed they didn't lock their stuff down better so they could charge for "upgrades."

They aren't open source, per se, but they do a lot of stuff in plain text and are pretty easily reverse engineer-able.

Version 2.0 will cut out all our ingenuity.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: edwardh1
well the chinese business model, furthered by greedy american ceos of not selling parts, makes it hard to fix stuff. you can jury rig a small electric heater cause the thermostats broken but maybe that will burn down your house, and having to have a router and a modem all boxes that break every year o so makes it all worse


Exactly.

But to go one further, the extensive use of integrated circuits means that controls and schemes to repair or adjust them is difficult. One really needs to be able to understand electronics and have some skills related to that to fix stuff. Since math and science aren't cool, very few have the ability, and those who do understand it may not have the skill.

The other part of it is that necessity is the mother of invention. When even welfare cases have smartphones, does the necessity element really exist?

But look at those who, say, restore old cars with unobtainable parts. They do find a way.

 

[Turk]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2


But to go one further, the extensive use of integrated circuits means that controls and schemes to repair or adjust them is difficult. One really needs to be able to understand electronics and have some skills related to that to fix stuff. Since math and science aren't cool, very few have the ability, and those who do understand it may not have the skill.



Taking the Lead out of Solder in critical electronic circuits (which I have extensive, multi-decade knowledge of & testing performed...) has created compromised reliability on lots of items. Oh. the real life stories I have...

 

[JHZR2]

Sure, that's a root cause. But how many would know a diode from a capacitor on a board, and be able to desolder/resolder, or even reflow joints?

Even the old high lead,,silver plated electronics on my old mercedes cars have issues after a while.

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: Turk
With the onset of people being more & more sedentary and addicted to staring at video screens, it got me wondering. Is good 'old "Ingenuity" gone, or has it changed to making devices that'll keep people addicted? Have people lost that industrious "edge", or is it on the decline?


Let's look at basic human needs from 150 years ago. Because ingenuity is closely associated with need.

1) Food was a bit more problematic until industrial agriculture came along. Humans were subject to weather disruptions and the related crop/livestock failures.

2) Food could not be stored for long periods of time, nor could it be easily shipped from distant farms.

3) Work meant living near a place of employment. Transportation included the horse, your two feet and possibly the railroad, if your destination was on the route.

4) Household running water was unheard of, except in the most elaborate homes. Same goes for flush toilets.

5) Items such as soap, bleach, fabrics, spices and so on were very valuable.

Today, all of our food, shelter, transportation, heat/cooling/energy communication, and yes, medical needs are easily met. Often without regard to the effort it took to achieve this level of technology.

The innovation that happens today is still fostering competitive business and medical advancements. There is not much push to make a better lawn mower, or even a better car. Yet, each improvement is a form of innovation.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Turk
Originally Posted By: JHZR2


But to go one further, the extensive use of integrated circuits means that controls and schemes to repair or adjust them is difficult. One really needs to be able to understand electronics and have some skills related to that to fix stuff. Since math and science aren't cool, very few have the ability, and those who do understand it may not have the skill.



Taking the Lead out of Solder in critical electronic circuits (which I have extensive, multi-decade knowledge of & testing performed...) has created compromised reliability on lots of items. Oh. the real life stories I have...

I'm glad I stocked up on 63/37 a while back.

 

[Turk]

I've used that, but mostly 62/36/2 SnPbAg.

Screen printed the solder paste on, lazered for height, then automated optical inspection before & after reflow.

I can do it in my sleep.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Sure, that's a root cause. But how many would know a diode from a capacitor on a board, and be able to desolder/resolder, or even reflow joints?

Even the old high lead,,silver plated electronics on my old mercedes cars have issues after a while.


Good point. I know very few people that know anything about soldering or solid state or even basic PCB components.

 

[artificialist]

I remember attending an automotive class with some very old teachers. When some students ran into trouble, he would sometimes say "You kids get fast reflexes from playing video games, but nothing else."

 

[sciphi]

It takes a mindset. One has it or one doesn't. And it takes a willingness to get one's hands dirty and make a mess if needed. Being ingenious isn't always the cleanest or neatest process.

 

[tom slick]

If you look at the right schools you'll see lots of young people with ingenuity.

I work in agricultural engineering and ingenuity is alive and well in the ag industry. Our company constantly innovates, solving all types of problems.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

If you think that "ingenuity" is either gone or changed, you've never spent any time around a modern farmer.

 

[CourierDriver]

In today's world, we got to many sissys....imho, but Dada and Mommy will fix it...are you 25 and still living at home,,hmmm....