Simple change helped making the measurements more accurate

[NCL4701]

I had a young engineer come to my lab a work and tell me to "give me that monkey wrench thing!"
I had no idea what he was talking about, so I asked for a clarification. He got angry, and told me to "just give it to me."
I told him if he could not be civil and clear with his request to just leave my lab.
He returned later with an angry manager and the same demand.
The manager told me to give him what he wanted, and I explained that I didn't know what he wanted.
The engineer repeated his demand for "that monkey wrench thing". I told the manager I don't even own a "monkey wrench thing". They went away.
The manager called me later & explained that he wanted my personal $400, 24", Mitutoyo digital electronic calipers with RS232 readout port. (you know, that monkey wrench thing)
I explained that I don't loan my personal tools, and if I did, it would not be to someone who called electronic calipers a "monkey wrench thing".
The manager authorized him to buy a set with company money. He took them home & brought them back destroyed. He actually tried to use them as a wrench.
What kind of education are mechanical engineers getting these days?
View attachment 62237

I’ve used a Crescent wrench in combination with a ruler as a rough caliper, but never thought to use a caliper as wrench. That’s a really special kind of stupid.

Long time ago spent a little time working an internship in the engineering department of a manufacturer. Some of the engineers had at least some experience turning wrenches, welding, machine shop stuff. They would commonly discuss ideas with workers on the floor and the guys in the shop that would be executing their designs before finalizing plans. They were much more successful at actually solving problems and developing practical processes than the ones who’s only experience was theoretical.

There were some really smart people there and some real dummies. Without exception their level of conceit, hubris, and disdain for non-engineers was inversely proportional to their intelligence and competence.

 

[Bmyers]

For those who can’t read a tape: View attachment 62263 View attachment 62264

Never used one to build anything. Personally prefer traditional tape, folding rule, etc. for actually working on/making stuff.

For estimating construction jobs, particularly interior, quite a bit faster than a traditional tape even if you’re really good with a normal tape. Don’t have to physically put it on customer’s floor, can shoot over most obstructions (furniture, junk all over the floor).

I've got one. It seems to work well indoors, but struggles outdoors. Although, it is never where I need it and I have tape measures all over, so usually end up just using the old tape measure.

 

[Lil Foot]

That’s a really special kind of stupid.

That is about the best way I've heard to categorize that kind of behavior.

 

[bird dogger]

All this talk about rulers and measurements brought to mind a funny event that took place many years ago:

I was the “go to/fix it” guy in our shop and always kept an assortment of supplies in my locker. Alone in the shop one day, this lineman came to me with an attitude and was spouting off about our easy working conditions (according to him anyway). After a few more minutes of this he finally asked if I could repair his broken 6 ft folding ruler. They needed it shortly as they were leaving for a jobsite. This after having just been a jerk. I told him, “Give me 20 minutes”. He left.

Ten minutes later I was chuckling to myself when one of our engineers entered the shop and asked what was so funny. I told him the story and to have a look at my perfect repair job. I had carefully uncrimped the broken section from the ruler and put it back together without it! Now missing a 6” section somewhere in the middle. He was laughing as hard as I was, but he said this will lead to a bunch of extra holes in the crossarms that are all 6 inches off.

I offered to fess up when the lineman returned for his ruler but the engineer said don’t. He deserves it and will eventually figure it out…….maybe. You’re bad……but this is genius!

The lineman returned to grab the ruler and said, “Wow, you can’t even tell where you fixed the break!” I said, “Nope, you’re good to go”, and walked away smiling!

 

[bmblank]

My brother's house is 1 foot wider and 1 foot longer than it was supposed to be. We had 2 reel tapes. It wasn't until we had the forms for the footers down that we realized the mistake. Corner to corner measurement was EXACTLY 1 foot off. Then we checked the other way and were EXACTLY 1 foot off, except in the other direction.... What the?

OOOOoooooohhhhh. One reel burns a foot and the other reel doesn't! We got so lucky that house didn't end up looking like a parallelogram or something.

 

[NHSleddog]

Thank the local school/teacher. They don't teach math anymore. Simple fractions should really not be hard to grasp, you just need to be taught them.

Of course the local school/teacher will tell you it is all your fault that your kid can't count.

Now we have the stupidest and hardest to understand math in the world "everyday math" (that you will never practice a single day in your life).

Teachers that teach garbage are not heros, they are zeros.

Hopefully the new tape measures of the future will talk out the dimension and explain what it means as well. At the rate the kids are declining in math, they won't know how to simply count from one to ten anymore.

 

[BigG]

Thank the local school/teacher. They don't teach math anymore. Simple fractions should really not be hard to grasp, you just need to be taught them.

Of course the local school/teacher will tell you it is all your fault that your kid can't count.

Now we have the stupidest and hardest to understand math in the world "everyday math" (that you will never practice a single day in your life).

Teachers that teach garbage are not heros, they are zeros.

Hopefully the new tape measures of the future will talk out the dimension and explain what it means as well. At the rate the kids are declining in math, they won't know how to simply count from one to ten anymore.

Being a shop teacher in a system that has no value for vocational education was hard enough. The system only values college bound students.

Why don't you get off your high horse and become a teacher? You are always wanting to run your mouth about how to teach. Find out how the system is controlled by the politics of the state. Find out what it is like to work for hours without pay to try to help the students that you can help.

You have no idea what it is like to be a teacher. You and I have had words about this before. So I will use the same BS argument you tried before. You do not like the way the schools are run why don't you run for the governor's office and fix the system instead of degrading the teachers.

What would your father have done to the workers in his factory if they did not do what he wanted? Fire them! So how does a teacher change the system? They can not. The school board will just fire them.

You know the school board you claimed to be on did not change the system. Why didn't you stay and change the system to your liking. Instead you just run down the people that need the support from the community and the school board. The parents need to stand up for the correct things in the school.

My wife gives hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours without pay to help her school and her students. Maybe you want to stand in a classroom with students that may or may not make you sick. We did not know what we now know. A few hours everyday of grading papers. A few hours of wiping down the classroom for the virus you may get yourself. Filling out lesson plans for a subject that the STATE REQUIRES you to teach. Teach the lessons that are approved by the school board that the teacher must answer to.

There are good and bad teachers. And if you ever spent some time in a school you would see that. Often the young ones are full of ideals that are forced to give up those ideals or they will no longer have a job.

How about a classroom full of students that have more "rights" then you do? Will you take the chance of a parent suing you if you try to discipline their child?

Have you been cursed out by a student because you told them to behave? Have you ever been assaulted by a student? Have you ever had to deal with a jr high student who stole 15 cars and his punishment from the judge was "He must attend school." Taken a hunting knife from a student? How about a rifle in your classroom?



So who is a zero?

 

[NHSleddog]

Being a shop teacher in a system that has no value for vocational education was hard enough. The system only values college bound students.

Why don't you get off your high horse and become a teacher? You are always wanting to run your mouth about how to teach. Find out how the system is controlled by the politics of the state. Find out what it is like to work for hours without pay to try to help the students that you can help.

You have no idea what it is like to be a teacher. You and I have had words about this before. So I will use the same BS argument you tried before. You do not like the way the schools are run why don't you run for the governor's office and fix the system instead of degrading the teachers.

What would your father have done to the workers in his factory if they did not do what he wanted? Fire them! So how does a teacher change the system? They can not. The school board will just fire them.

You know the school board you claimed to be on did not change the system. Why didn't you stay and change the system to your liking. Instead you just run down the people that need the support from the community and the school board. The parents need to stand up for the correct things in the school.

My wife gives hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours without pay to help her school and her students. Maybe you want to stand in a classroom with students that may or may not make you sick. We did not know what we now know. A few hours everyday of grading papers. A few hours of wiping down the classroom for the virus you may get yourself. Filling out lesson plans for a subject that the STATE REQUIRES you to teach. Teach the lessons that are approved by the school board that the teacher must answer to.

There are good and bad teachers. And if you ever spent some time in a school you would see that. Often the young ones are full of ideals that are forced to give up those ideals or they will no longer have a job.

How about a classroom full of students that have more "rights" then you do? Will you take the chance of a parent suing you if you try to discipline their child?

Have you been cursed out by a student because you told them to behave? Have you ever been assaulted by a student? Have you ever had to deal with a jr high student who stole 15 cars and his punishment from the judge was "He must attend school." Taken a hunting knife from a student? How about a rifle in your classroom?



So who is a zero?

I am causing the decline in math skills in the country? Pointing it out isn't a high horse, it may make some people uncomfortable but I had nothing to do with it, sorry.

If all of the teachers tomorrow walked out of the building and simply said "we will no longer teach this crap to the kids" - They would be applauded and the crap would stop TOMORROW.

So now it is my fault that the kids can't count? I didn't teach them, so it is my fault? Actually, I made sure my kids could count DESPITE the school system.

"critical race theory" - where did that come from? And unfortunately, there are a lot of ZERO teachers that will lock step with it. I don't hear any of them complaining. Again THEY could CONTROL it within a day if they wanted. So it is them, the teachers THAT are teaching it, not me. It is not MY fault that they are teaching this crap. It isn't your fault either, the only difference is I don't "give them a pass" for teaching the crap to the kids.

I guess if a kid comes to class with a bad attitude or a knife he should be taught crap? Why not just teach them math and reading if they are going to have a bad attitude anyway? Everyone else in class should be taught crap because some of them have a knife? I don't really understand that.

If the teachers have such LITTLE control and are FORCED to do things they don't want to, they need to ORGANIZE. Maybe they should form a UNION - Oh wait, they are already part of one of the most powerful unions there is. Hmmmmmmmm.

But I get your message loud and clear, you do not think it is the teachers fault that they teach crap to the kids. I disagree.

 

[BigG]

Ignor

 

[dlsmith]

I give up, are all the moderators on vacation?

 

[lugbolt]

i work with younger guys. I'm 45 if it matters. Most of my coworkers are half my age but that's not the problem. THey know things I don't and I know things they dont so we all understand each other.

Other day one of them asked me about a length and dia of a bolt. THe machine he was working with had assembly instructions and said to use specific lengths and diameters, the big deal here is that if the long one is put into a blind hole, it will bust the back out. So I handed him a scale (metric) and he said how on earth does this work. I rolled my eyes. It is marked in whole numbers and the 0.5 is a longer line in the middle with the ticks either side of it in tenths. I mean it's easy. But apparently not easy enough, like they need the ticks to be marked for every tenth (0.1mm, 0.2mm, etc) instead of just a little short line. So yeah I can play this game. I walked over there and handed him an old school vernier caliper that I've had and used for over 30 years now. It's marked in SAE and Metric, told him use the metric scale. Talk about confuzzed. I let him try to figure it out and he did better'n I thought he would. Had to go over there to get my other tools that I laid down and asked him how's it going. I thought he was gonna throw the caliper at me!

But he learned a new lesson today, how to read, and use an old vernier caliper. I bet come payday after he buys his beer, he'll go buy a digital caliper. I have one in my toolbox but I wasn't about to let him use it. You gotta learn the old way first.

 

[motionclone]

I give up, are all the moderators on vacation?

I got mod controls now and banned Wolfman and Mr k so you better be nice.

 

[Lil Foot]

I got mod controls now and banned Wolfman and Mr k so you better be nice.

Don't forget coach!

 

[motionclone]

Don't forget coach!

Coach is the one who sold me the mod controls

 

[Lil Foot]

 

[WFM]

The teachers I'm sure don't have it easy. But if we look to the colleges and the influences the professors have on the students and the liberal politicians that persue the younger crowd its ridiculous.
I have alot of respect for teachers but I also know they teach influence. Not just facts. Sometimes good sometimes badly. My daughter came home from school and I mentioned Columbus Day. She said our teacher has been telling us that Columbus was a mean prick. I said WHAT ?? Yes Chris Columbus wasn't a good guy dad. I shook my head and dropped it.
I'm not a teacher but I teach my kids right from wrong and whats right in life.
I guess I try to influence also.

 

[ccoon520]

The teachers I'm sure don't have it easy. But if we look to the colleges and the influences the professors have on the students and the liberal politicians that persue the younger crowd its ridiculous.
I have alot of respect for teachers but I also know they teach influence. Not just facts. Sometimes good sometimes badly. My daughter came home from school and I mentioned Columbus Day. She said our teacher has been telling us that Columbus was a mean prick. I said WHAT ?? Yes Chris Columbus wasn't a good guy dad. I shook my head and dropped it.
I'm not a teacher but I teach my kids right from wrong and whats right in life.
I guess I try to influence also.

Well I mean her teacher isn't wrong the Columbus was not a good dude. Without him the US would not exist for sure but that doesn't make him a good person. There are objectively terrible things he purposefully did. If your daughter came back from school and said that they are learning about the Holocaust and that her teacher said Hitler was a prick I don't think you would be upset but instead agreeing. That is also not comparing apples to oranges because Columbus did commit genocide and enslaved the populations of the places he landed.

Just like we can say that Stalin was a terrible person or on a smaller scale King Henry the VII and Jeffrey Dahmer were terrible people.

It is a rather objective thing not subjective at that point...

It isn't like saying that all Republicans are racist or all Democrats are communists. That is subjective and based on feeling rather than being founded in truth.

I understand what you are getting at with you wanting to steer your kids down a path that you believe will lead to the most success and wanting to instill a moral compass, however, that doesn't mean that they are getting brainwashed just because they are learning something different than you did. I mean humanity used to believe that the earth was the center of the solar system and someone got put under house arrest and excommunicated for saying otherwise. In our own Constitution African Americans were 3/5ths of a person until 1866.

We learn, we try to correct, and we move forward. This ability to learn from and correct our mistakes is what puts us at the top of the food chain.

 

[jimh406]

Well I mean her teacher isn't wrong the Columbus was not a good dude.

You are trying hard to justify the wrong lesson. I’m not buying it. You only have google to find out what the point of the holiday is. It isn’t about Columbus being a nice guy or a bad guy.

Columbus Day is a U.S. holiday that commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492.

The teachers lesson is about trying to tear down the fabric of the nation to convince children the people like that teacher have a better idea. At the same time, all of those same people like the teacher celebrate people who did a lot of bad things recently. Seriously, how many of their favorite politicians are simply horrible people?

 

[ccoon520]

You are trying hard to justify the wrong lesson. I’m not buying it. You only have google to find out what the point of the holiday is. It isn’t about Columbus being a nice guy or a bad guy.

Columbus Day is a U.S. holiday that commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492.

The teachers lesson is about trying to tear down the fabric of the nation to convince children the people like that teacher have a better idea. At the same time, all of those same people like the teacher celebrate people who did a lot of bad things recently. Seriously, how many of their favorite politicians are simply horrible people?

Columbus' landing has nothing to do with the fabric of any nation. The fabric of our nation is from the 13 colonies, revolution, constitution, and what happened afterwards. Columbus landing in the America's only started a race across the ocean for natural resources and territory. They have to be able to teach the good and the bad of what happened that's what history is.

It would be like if they taught that WWII and the lead up to it brought Germany out of a depression and completely omitting the Holocaust or about how Stalin's 5 year plans Modernized the USSR making it a superpower but completely ignore the gulags, starvation, and death.

We can't just pick and choose which parts to cover because some facts paint unsavory images of famous people. Same goes for today I don't care about what politicians, movie stars, or influencers are people's favorite. For example Bill Cosby was "America's Dad" for years (decades even) until we found out about the unspeakable stuff he did and I would expect when people talk about him to bring up that terrible stuff regardless of how the show he was in effected them in a positive manner.

What I am getting at is include all the information that we know when teaching a subject. Teach the good and the bad. Don't put blinders on just for a better image. You want a happy story go read a fantasy novel. History is messy and full of atrocities that need taught so hopefully they can be prevented in the future.

 

[sheepfarmer]

There is one point to think about before deciding what should or shouldn't be in a lesson is the age of the student and what has been presented before. Columbus Day for a first grader could reasonably be just about 3 ships sailing from Spain and discovering a new land. The other details could wait until there is a context of world history.