You Know You Are Old When

[Runner]

I still have one of my father's slide rules, and a bunch of rulers and mechanical pencils and other things he used as an architect over his life.

I also have my grandfather's barbering equipment.

Kinda neat to see the stuff they used to make a living.

I spent 6 years in architectural school learning how to make construction drawings, presentation drawings, models, etc., all hand-drawn. This was all pre-CAD design. Now, almost all drawings for buildings other than single family dwellings are digital. In fact, most municipalities probably require construction drawings to be submitted digitally now. No more rolls of "blueprints", everything is stored and processed in the computer. I wouldn't have the slightest idea how to function in that world.

It seems like it would be very awkward and time consuming, pick a point on a grid, pick another point on the grid, tell the computer to connect the points, pick another point, etc. I'm sure it's actually easier and more streamlined than that, but I wouldn't have a clue how to do it.

 

[bigtiller]

I've never had a slide rule in my hand....nor a golf club for that mater.

Hmm, "Things I've never had in my hand" might make an interesting thread title.

 

[WinterDeere]

I ask my grandson if he knows his multiplication tables, and he says "Siri can answer that quicker than you can."

I design equipment used for testing things like aircraft, tanks, and missiles for radio hardening, EM susceptibility, to threats like EM pulse weapons, nuclear blasts, etc. My customers, who specify and execute these tests, are all working under the assumption that the first strike in any first-world military conflict will be the immediate destruction of their opponents communications and/or power grid.

So, I sure hope that our young men and women who will lead us through any such conflict can at least handle doing some basic math without the aid of Siri, as she and all consumer-level cloud-dependent technology will most defintely become quickly inaccessible. Even most militarized systems will be vulnerable to reduced capability and dependability, if not downright inoperable.

 

[WinterDeere]

"Things I've never had in my hand" might make an interesting thread title.

A breast aged 50 years or higher.

 

[drssg]

One of my favorite jokes from Family Guy at his wife's birthday party:

Peter: You are now officially the oldest woman I have ever slept with.

Lois: Yes Peter, you said that last year.

Peter: But unlike you, that joke never gets old.

 

[deserteagle71]

I was in HS 1975 - 77, which was at the very tail end of when slide rules were actually used, so we had to learn how to use them. Then, 5 minutes later switched to calculators. Still have a couple of them too.

Kind of like learning how to shoe a horse instead of change a tire.

A slide rule was mandatory student equipment when I was at university back in the 60s.

 

[MossRoad]

My parents were trying to clean the property up, and gave the family still to the local historical society.

I didn't even know we HAD a family still!!!!

When I was helping clean out my mother in-law's parents' house I found her dad's still in a little room under the basement steps. It's maybe 2 gallons.

She said every so often, he'd put newspaper up on the kitchen windows so no one could see into the house from outside and make liquor on the kitchen stove.

The only thing missing was the coil.

So I made one and tested it out.

I know it distills water very well.

 

[MossRoad]

I spent 6 years in architectural school learning how to make construction drawings, presentation drawings, models, etc., all hand-drawn. This was all pre-CAD design. Now, almost all drawings for buildings other than single family dwellings are digital. In fact, most municipalities probably require construction drawings to be submitted digitally now. No more rolls of "blueprints", everything is stored and processed in the computer. I wouldn't have the slightest idea how to function in that world.

It seems like it would be very awkward and time consuming, pick a point on a grid, pick another point on the grid, tell the computer to connect the points, pick another point, etc. I'm sure it's actually easier and more streamlined than that, but I wouldn't have a clue how to do it.

It's surprisingly easy to pick up if you already have a background in it. I know many people that transitioned to digital and they'd never go back.

 

[masseyrider]

A breast aged 50 years or higher.

50?
Best by date is usually under 30.
I think mine is 40... and even then.

 

[Alan46]

50?
Best by date is usually under 30.
I think mine is 40... and even then.

A fake one!

 

[orezok]

Breast??? Ive never seen a chicken that old

 

[Jstpssng]

Breast??? Ive never seen a chicken that old

I may when I clean out my freezer...

 

[WinterDeere]

It's surprisingly easy to pick up if you already have a background in it. I know many people that transitioned to digital and they'd never go back.

I'm just the right age to have learned with pencil on vellum in high school, then worked with ink on mylar in my early career, and then graduated to 2D and then 3D CAD as I worked my way through college. I spend most of my week in CAD now, either modeling for simulation, or modeling and drawing for fabricating machined parts.

Overall, CAD is infinitely faster, anywhere from 4x to 20x faster, depending on part or assembly type. Moreover, 3D CAD vastly reduces assembly errors, as you get to see the whole thing go together. It's also much more flexible in the creation phase of a design.

I liked drawing, maybe because I only got to do it for about 10 years before all of that went away completely. But I honestly couldn't imagine trying to actually make a living that way, it's just way too slow and tedious to keep up in today's faster-paced world.

The funny thing is that product design doesn't happen more quickly today, than it did back then. But that's because we're demanding things out of our product design than we ever did in decades past. The days of revising a design after cutting metal are gone, it's honestly rare that our first prototype isn't a shippable unit, anymore. Our project costing is built around that, shipping the first unit built.

 

[WinterDeere]

I may when I clean out my freezer...

I will, next year. My wife is 49.

And yes, every birthday is followed by, "hey, I've never fooled around with a __-year old, before."

 

[sixdogs]

So I’m in a big box store yesterday and saw a little old lady trying to wrestle a heavy box towards her cart. I could only see the back of her but I politely asked if she needed help and said I could do that for her.

As I started to lift the box she turned and looked at me and said “wow, you’re no spring chicken yourself”.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

So I’m in a big box store yesterday and saw a little old lady trying to wrestle a heavy box towards her cart. I could only see the back of her but a politely asked if she needed help and said I could do that for her.

As I started to lift the box she turned and looked at me and said “wow, you’re no spring chicken yourself”.

Me...I'd say "Henrietta, I say Henrietta ah may be old but ahm not weak!"

 

[Alan46]

So I’m in a big box store yesterday and saw a little old lady trying to wrestle a heavy box towards her cart. I could only see the back of her but a politely asked if she needed help and said I could do that for her.

As I started to lift the box she turned and looked at me and said “wow, you’re no spring chicken yourself”.

Thanks for the !

 

[John0829]

What gets me is I see some old person, realize I know them and think when did he/she get old and then remember I am older than they are...

 

[sixdogs]

What gets me is I see some old person, realize I know them and think when did he/she get old and then remember I am older than they are...

I may have written this earlier but I was in line waiting to check in with my eye MD for an annual appt and I had a busy day ahead. I scheduled a 7:00 AM appt so I can get in and get out pronto.

I'm waiting in line and several old geezers are holding up progress with redundant questions, poor hearing and general stumbling and bumbling around looking for insurance cards and whatever. I had stuff to do so was thinking just move it or step aside. I'm on the clock, Jack.

Imagine my shock when I overheard the birthdate of the several old timers that were in front of me. I was older than each one and by at least five years. It's OK to be old but it's not OK to give in to it.

Clint Eastwood has the right idea with "Just don't let the old man in".

 

[ultrarunner]

When I started at the hospital 35 years ago my take was the patients in general were old in their 60’s and 70’s

Now everyday many patients around my age and younger…