Mar 21, 2023 | ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA, ENGINEERING ODD BITS, Uncategorized
SLIDE RULE – THE LEGEND LIVES ON
Slide Rule was a real character
Hi, Slide is the name, Slide Rule that is. For years I was the biggest thing in the world of Engineering, Science and Commerce,
Hey, there was hardly a calculation done which didn’t involve me, the Slide Rule. I was the King. I’d been around for hundreds of years and I RULED (excuse the pun). My powers are based on a clever logarithmic scale and it was all me, Multiplication, Division, Involution, Evolution, Trig Functions, Logs, I did it all and I was loved by all.
Then one day a few years ago, it all started to change. Along came a cute little number called Cal – Cal Culator to be precise. Sure she was a bit bulky, not as good looking as me and her batteries were prone to failure, but she had a big advantages over me. She was deadly accurate, fast and so easy to use, time after time after time and anyone could use her. No special skill was needed.
I’m sure that people really loved me, but I could never compete with that accuracy, speed and simplicity. I could get close, but my users still had to use mental arithmetic and a degree of approximation.
Cal however, she was just spot on every time and oh so quick and easy.
Then….As time went by….. she got lighter and shapelier and more colorful with more and more features and functions. She was cheaper to buy and her batteries began to just last and last a long, long time.
Man…. I was gone, I tried to fight back but I had nothing and I’ve been out to pasture for quite a few years now, slowly sinking into the sunset.
But those clever guys on the internet have come up with a way to keep the legend alive and have immortalized me with my own web page on numerous web sites which feature an interactive display, where you can go and use me, the way I was designed to be used.
So the legend lives on. If you’re an old timer and can still remember how to do it, a young timer who is keen to learn or just have an interest, click onto the links below and go have a look and a play. The instructions are simple, so give it a try.
Have a nice day ya all.
https://www.sliderules.org/
http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/n909es/virtual-n909-es.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slide_rule
https://www.britannica.com/science/slide-rule
Not Only – But Also……
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
- Looking for “A Better Way” – Go to – Engineering the 3R Way for an overview of the 3R Philosophy Review – Refresh – Reset and link to the full list of topics
- Then Take A Break – With the List Of Pages – Engineering Nostalgia for pages of Old Engineer Memories from Engineering practice in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s – with a bit of armed forces and medieval trivia thrown in
- Or check out Engineering Odd Bits for more odd subject matter – including humor and comment
- Challenge yourself and your colleagues with an Engineering Quiz
Engineer & Communicate – Engineering Trivia Quiz – Engineering Nostalgia – Engineering Odd Bits
Dec 14, 2018 | ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA, Uncategorized
Did You Know – Boeing
Eddie Hubbard and William Boeing with a Model C – on the shores of Seattle’s Lake Union – circa 19
The Boeing Company was founded in 1916 by William E.Boeing in Seattle. Boeing was originally called Pacific Aero Products Co. Boeing originally worked in the timber industry where he learned about wooden structures and this knowledge was used in the early days of design and assembly of aircraft. The company stayed in Seattle to be close to a ready supply of timber.
Not Only – But Also….
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
May 24, 2017 | ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA, ENGINEERING ODD BITS, Uncategorized
Kiwi Dave
Overview
Kiwi Dave wanted to be an apprentice at Rolls Royce. But the Engineering world was very different in those days
A few years ago I worked with an English guy who had migrated to New Zealand many, many years ago. Let’s call him Kiwi Dave.
One day over morning tea, we got talking about “The Good Old Days” of Engineering and he told me a bit about his early days.
In his words …….
- It was 1957 when I entered the Shipyard as a young Engineer. Fresh from school, enthusiastic and full of dreams. I would have been working at Rolls Royce, but in those days, the apprentice paid the company for the privilege of being taught and that sum of money was way beyond my fathers means. So there I was – In the shipyard – and a few memories immediately come to mind
- I can remember that the Workshop foremen wore a bowler hat, and 3 piece suit to work , complete with fob watch – such was his esteem and authority in the workplace
In the Good Old Days of Engineering – The Foreman ruled the roost and dressed accordingly
- I can remember fitters and machinists wearing starched collars and ties to work and their laborers cleaning and preparing the jobs for them to work on
- I can remember being taught the art of drawing with ink on linen
- I can remember spending hours practicing hand printing skills on a drawing board and my printing is still pretty good
- I can remember the Chief Draughtsman would come around and measure the thickness of our lines using a feeler gauge. Such was the attention to detail. At the time, I hated him with a vengeance because if it was the wrong thickness – it was erase and start again.
- I can remember an enormous machine shop with every machine being driven by belts from a central shaft arrangement. Quite an imposing sight
A typical workshop with Belt Driven Machinery
- I can remember that as indentured apprentices, we could never addressed our journeyman by first name – it was always Mr. or it was the wroth of his tongue followed by a swift clip across the back of the head
Try telling that to the young Engineers today and they would never believe you !!!
The Good Old Days – Happy days indeed – Very character forming
Not Only – But Also…..
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
May 10, 2017 | ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA, ENGINEERING ODD BITS, Uncategorized
Old Engineer Memories – Number 8
Can you remember being a young Engineer many years ago and listening to the old Engineers talk about how things have changed over the years? Old Engineer Memories – Number 8 takes you on a journey back to Engineering in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s
And now it’s your turn to look back on your Memories.
If you are a younger Engineer wondering what things were like – all those years ago – Ask one of the older guys to explain.
You Know That You Are An Old Engineer …..
- When you can remember that gloves were for wimps – guys on the shop floor had gnarly battered hands.
- When you can remember that hearing protection was for wimps – which is why all of your buddies now have hearing problems – errrrrr – what did you say ?
- When you can remember that all of the guys in the workshop who operated the big guillotine which cut the steel plate, all had fingers or thumbs missing from their hands – it was part of the job – this was before guarding and safety came into vogue
- When you can remember that bumper bars/fenders on automobiles were practical bump bars, designed to protect the vehicle when it hit a solid object – not like today’s excuses – were a slight bump can be a major rebuild of the vehicle.
Engineering Memories – Printer With Tractor Feed
- When you can remember tractor feed printers were attached to the computer system and they would churn through mountains of paper for even the most minor data to be printed – if the tractor mechanism didn’t foul up.
- When you can remember getting lectured on Japanese manufacturing methodology and why they were taking over the world and local industry was closing down – yeah, yeah, yeah – Kan Ban – 5S – JIT – SMED – what is this gobbledygook?
- When you can remember that companies ran on mainframe computers with slave modules at each desk.
- When you can remember the 286 computer was state of the art and the experts said they would never replace the mainframe computers. And you still have irreplaceable data on 5 1/4 ” floppy discs – Tho’ you will never be able to read them. And you can’t remember exactly what it is – but you know that it is very important.
- When you can remember all welding was stick welding – whats with this tig and mig stuff.
Cutting Metal The Old Way
- When you can remember that steel was cut by hand, with a hacksaw and cleaned up with a file– not an angle grinder.
Not Only – But Also….
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
Apr 26, 2017 | ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA, ENGINEERING ODD BITS, Uncategorized
Old Engineer Memories – Number 7
Can you remember being a young Engineer many years ago and listening to the old Engineers talk about how things have changed over the years? Old Engineer Memories – Number 7 takes you on a journey back to Engineering in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s
And now it’s your turn to look back on your Memories.
If you are a younger Engineer wondering what things were like – all those years ago – Ask one of the older guys to explain.
You Know That You Are An Old Engineer …..
- When you can vividly remember your love affair with “Beam Analysis by Moment Integration”.
Old Engineers will remember this machine
- When you can remember the room of clerks with flying fingers tapping away on the “adding machines with handles”.
- When you can remember your first encounter with the Union rep. You were keen, eager and enthusiastic on your first project. The Union rep was the sour faced old guy who had been around forever and seen it all – including plenty of young engineers just like you and he saw it as his job to “put you in your place” – so that you knew who really ran the job. It was a test of wills, which got the heart pumping. But when you stood your ground – you knew that you had passed your first real test.
- When you can remember that a Gay guy was a happy person and that Dykes were barriers built by the Dutch to keep the ocean at bay.
- When you can remember that your first thought train for the design of control and feedback of machinery was by levers and cables.
- When you can remember Pneumatic Logic being the height of machine control and intelligence – way before plc’s took over.
- When you can remember your first Transistor Radio.
Old Engineers will remember that Slide Charts covered a whole range of technical areas and would give quick accurate data
- When you can remember the only Robots you ever saw were in the science fiction comic books.
- When you can remember automobiles without synchromesh gear boxes and needing to master the art of double de clutching.
- When you can remember all of your key engineering data being on Slide Charts and you always kept your favorite one in your top pocket.
Not Only Old Engineers:
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
Mar 23, 2017 | ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA, Uncategorized
Old Engineer Memories – Number 6
Can you remember being a young Engineer many years ago and listening to the old Engineers talk about how things have changed over the years? Old Engineer Memories – Number 6 takes you on a journey back to Engineering in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s
And now it’s your turn to look back on your Memories.
If you are a younger Engineer wondering what things were like – all those years ago – Ask one of the older guys to explain.
You Know That You Are An Old Engineer …..
Old Engineer Memories – Your set of Drawing Instruments was one of your most prized possession.
- When you can remember tuning the carburetor on your car
- You still have your first (and only) set of drawing instruments and they are in pristine condition
- You still use these drawing instruments
- You can remember when there was more waste product on the factory floor than good product in the machine and the company (you worked for) was happy to throw labor at cleaning up the mess, but not to assign an Engineering resource to design out the problems
- You can remember reading about some guy called Demming who had some radical ideas on quality and production techniques and you knew that they would never take off
- You can remember when your best Engineering Designs were formulated on the back of a drink coaster/cigarette packet/napkin – in the bar after work – the designs always got better as the evening went on
- You can remember when all trains where big and shiny, gave off lots of smoke and were driven by steam
- You can remember the old style earth moving excavators which had jibs and buckets activated by wire rope. (I know that because I worked on them)
- You can remember when SNAFU was the favorite saying
- You can remember when there was an office full of (predominantly) females sitting in front of loud, manual, mechanical typewriters and they had to manually hit the return at the end of each line
Not Only – But Also….
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
Mar 15, 2017 | ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA, Uncategorized
Old Engineer Memories – Number 5
Can you remember being a young Engineer many years ago and listening to the old Engineers talk about how things have changed over the years? Old Engineer Memories – Number 5 takes you on a journey back to Engineering in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s
And now it’s your turn to look back on your Memories.
If you are a younger Engineer wondering what things were like – all those years ago – Ask one of the older guys to explain.
You Know That You Are An Old Engineer ….
Old Engineers will fondly remember these implements
1. When you can remember using a hole template for drafting work
2. When you can remember using a sanding board to produce chisel points which were “works of art” As was the Calligraphy you produced on each drawing !!!
3. When you can remember asbestos being widely used in all sorts of engineering applications
4. When you CAN NOT remember any hazardous stuff (at all) being used in the workplace !!!!
5. When you can remember when a Steam Roller was actually driven by steam
6. When you can remember British motor cycles dominating on the roads
7. When you can remember either owning a British motor cycle or wanting to own one
8. When you can remember always carrying a full tool kit in your car – just in case it would break down
9. When you can remember always carrying a Swiss army knife type tool kit with you – just in case something else would break down and need to be repaired
10. When you can remember when almost everyone rode bicycles to work and the bicycle racks far outnumbered car parking spaces
Not Only – But Also …….
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
Mar 8, 2017 | ENGINEERING NOSTALGIA, ENGINEERING ODD BITS, Uncategorized
Old Engineer Memories – Number 4
Can you remember being a young Engineer many years ago and listening to the old Engineers talk about how things have changed over the years? Old Engineer Memories – Number 4 takes you on a journey back to Engineering in the 1960’s/70’s/80’s
And now it’s your turn to look back on your Memories.
If you are a younger Engineer wondering what things were like – all those years ago – Ask one of the older guys to explain.
You Know That You’re An Old Engineer …..
An Old Engineer will remember the early Cell Phone – It was big and bulky but it was mobile
- When you can remember marveling at the very first fax machine you ever saw and now the young guys tell you that the fax is dead – nobody uses that old technology these days
- When you can remember seeing your first mobile phone. It was the size of a large toolbox and weighed as much. Plus it had a very limited battery life and range
- When you can remember taking grainy Polaroid pictures which could barely be understood and boasting of the technology. Whilst paying exorbitant prices for the film
- When you can remember the teletext machines being “state of the art” for instant communication & you were under strict instruction to use the minimum words in your messages
- When you can remember a hacksaw being the common method used to cut steel (and not an angle grinder) – and as a junior Engineer you practiced and practiced (until your arm felt as though it would drop off ) attempting to get that straight cut. Without breaking the blade
- When you can remember using a cold chisel to cut a chamfer on steel and the pain of a misdirected hammer blow, – How many bruises and broken bones did this task produce ?
- When you can remember (as a young Engineer) being sent for a “Long Wait”
- When you can remember (as a young Engineer) being sent to get a “Glass Hammer”
- When you can remember watching a skilled tradesman bed a bearing with a scraper
- When you can remember that your clutch pencil was your most prized possession – together with a full range of leads and colors
Not Only Old Engineers:
When there is a need to take a deep breath and take a break
