Has Everyone Become Helpless? (Rant)

I have posted about something that happened and I heard
it on the news, giving some detail, not much, but the headline
intrigued me, this is in the past, but among the answers, I have
had, "Can you put up a link for that story".

So that request came from somebody who didn't want to find
the article online, I am not sure where or when this happened,
it was many years ago.

Mike.
 

For these technical instructions, maybe AI will be able to condense them to something understandable.
 
CathyHorn said:
Personally, I love learning new skills, and YouTube makes it so easy. There are dozens of helpful videos online nowadays. I have always had difficulty reaching out and asking for help, and YouTube makes it easy.
Click to expand...
Is that Hunny the house chicken in your page photo ? Grin. Jim.
 

OldFeller said:
My father would go to the public library and take out Chilton's manuals to fix his used cars. He was able to troubleshoot some hard to diagnose problems like gas line vapor lock which was causing the car to stall out and he then insulated the gas line where it was close to a hot part of the engine. That solved it.
Click to expand...
The old quick fix for gas line vapor lock was to remove the gas cap for a couple of minutes. JimB.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Rant away but I’m not helpless.
We never hire anyone. We do everything ourselves including installing REAL hardwood floors.

View attachment 319953
Click to expand...
Same as Oldgoat Navy pay wasn't great so DIY became the only way to go. Difference now is with technology taking over how things work using the internet to look up "How To" is pretty much the only way to get a DIY project done & keeping the cost low.
Like Peppermint Patty some DIY projects are something of joy to look at once completed. My wife wanted hardwood in the living room, & the project wound up in every room except the two bath rooms.
 

Attachments

  • 20231217_144733.jpg
    20231217_144733.jpg
    40.9 KB · Views: 8
my Dad had his own requirements for driving HIS car(s)... beyond standard driving test... written and road.

you had to know how to change a tire. that meant either putting on or taking off "snow tires"... now tires are pretty much 12 months a year unless you're in an area with extreme conditions. i'm pretty damn sure i couldn't physically do it today, but could tell someone exactly how to complete that job.

first time he ever had 2 cars was when he bought a VW Beetle. a co-worker recommended it and said... just change the oil every 3000 miles or so and it'll run forever. this was in the pre-Jiffy-Lube days when doing it yourself would save you significant $$.

I learned a LOT of car stuff from Click & Clack, the Tappet brothers on Car Talk. got pretty good at Stump the Chumps!
 
Last edited:
wcwbf said:
my Dad had his own requirements for driving HIS car(s)... beyond standard driving test... written and road.

you had to know how to change a tire. that meant either putting on or taking off "snow tires"... now tires are pretty much 12 months a year unless you're in an area with extreme conditions. i'm pretty damn sure i couldn't physically do it today, but could tell someone exactly how to complete that job.

first time he ever had 2 cars was when he bought a VW Beetle. a co-worker recommended it and said... just change the oil every 3000 miles or so and it'll run forever. this was in the pre-Jiffy-Lube days when doing it yourself would save you significant $$.

I learned a LOT of car stuff from Click & Clack, the Tappet brothers on Car Talk. got pretty good at Stump the Chumps!
Click to expand...
Here in most parts of Canada swapping tires in the fall and in the spring is a normal thing to do. We have two complete sets on rims, so the swap at the G.M. dealer takes less than an hour, and that includes a 20 point safety inspection while the wheels are off of the brakes steering exhaust system, lights, and electrical charging system. We don't have a garage at our house so the dealer stores the tires not being used in their warehouse. The cost for 2 swaps and tire storage is $299. per year.

For those that don't know......proper winter tires will stop your car 40 percent sooner than "all season tires " when the temperature is below the freezing point. WHY ? The rubber compound in all season tires becomes rock hard at the freezing point, while the true winter tire ( with the mountain and snow flake logo on the sidewalls ) stays flexible down to minus 40 in either the Celsius or the Farenhite scale. JimB.
 
OldFeller said:
Today, there's a YouTube video for every kind of repair you want to make. This at least shows you the complexity of the job and you can decide whether you want tackle it yourself or hire someone.
Click to expand...
So true
Sometimes you go 'Whoa, I don't have the tools for that!'
But
Sometimes there's better ways than the manual shows.

Had an old wash machine on the fritz
It appeared I'd have to practically gut the machine according to the manual
This guy on YouTube showed the quicker, better way
Open the back and reach in
Kinda like a poor man's laser surgery
The ol' tub was back on line in 30 minutes
 
Last edited:
DebraMae said:
I have learned to do a lot while on my own. Physical strength is where I usually get stymied. The older I get the less of that I have.

Neighbor woman used to call me every time she had a dead battery. She just didn't want to learn. I jumped her car and sent her on her way for a new battery one day. She turned around and came back and called a man to come take care of it. He arrived with a battery and changed it out for her. I think maybe her priorities were different from mine. :unsure:
Click to expand...
I can't do anything with a car. But I wouldn't own a car or drive without AAA. That's who I call.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
We never hire anyone. We do everything ourselves including installing REAL hardwood floors.
Click to expand...
Nicely done. kid

Learned a bit about what kinda floors worked best when building our cabins
The ground was very unstable up there (pumice from Mt Mazama)
Laid treated 4x4s 2 feet OC
Crossed 'em with 2x6 SPF
Did all the other stuff Tyvek, screen, etc

You could run a D9 crawler over those floors, without any movement
 
Last edited:
OldEngineer said:
And then there are the 'far east' companies that cut every corner and penny. The qualification for writing the instructions or user manual is minimal and speaking fluent English isn't high on the list which makes for poor documentation. But that's not the only source of confusion. The other issue is culture. Simply put, logical thought vs tradition is vastly different between our cultures and shows up from design to use to description for products.
Click to expand...
Very well said!
 
Remy said:
I can't do anything with a car. But I wouldn't own a car or drive without AAA. That's who I call.
Click to expand...
hollydolly said:
yes me too...
Click to expand...
I used to know enough to tweak this or jigger that and keep my car's engine running, or provide a little improvement. More modern vehicles are completely dependent on their digital systems. There was a saying 30 years ago, in the office worlds of business & services: "Human error causes troubles; to really foul things up requires a computer."

Other than checking fluids and a few other things, I'm pretty well at a loss if something isn't working right with my generally satisfactory 2005-model Toyota pickup.
 
That’s nice. Is that engineered wood laminate or solid 3/4 inch?

You’re right. Doing some projects yourself are worth it and floors are one of them. Doing it yourself offers such satisfaction. With the tavern maple I like handpicking the next piece. They are all so varied.
Gary O' said:
Nicely done. kid

Learned a bit about what kinda floors worked best when building our cabins
The ground was very unstable up there (pumice from Mt Mazama)
Laid treated 4x4s 4 feet OC
Crossed 'em with 2x6 SPF
Did all the other stuff Tyvek, screen, etc

You could run a D9 crawler over those floors, without any movement
Click to expand...
Maybe a silly question . Did you use the pumice loose for added drainage or add it to concrete as aggregate to make it more lightweight?
Crossed 2 x 6 ‘s 👍

Building the floors is usually the hardest part. When I built my greenhouse levelling the ground , digging below the frost line and adding a frame were the hardest part. Then wheelbarrowing a truck load of small gravel took a bit of patience.
 
Remy said:
I can't do anything with a car. But I wouldn't own a car or drive without AAA. That's who I call.
Click to expand...
The very best money you can spend is to have the AAA gold service card, which covers any vehicle that you happen to be driving, at any time in any place in the USA. When I was a cross border long distance expedite courier, based out of Toronto I bought BOTH the CAA and the AAA gold cards as a business expense. I was driving a 1992 Ford E 350 heavy duty cargo van with a 351 Windsor V8 engine. I eventually put over 600,000 MILES on it over the course of 8 years.

During all of that time, and that many miles, my van only broke down once on the road, in Winslow Arizona. Blew an upper rad hose. I had 2 spare used rad hoses in the van, so I changed the blown one for a still useable used one, and drove through to my destination in Lost Wages, Nevada. That run from Toronto to Las Vegas was a skid of computer parts for one of the casinos that just had to get there right away without getting lost . That drive is about 1600 kilometers one way, about 26 hours of non stop driving. I did it in about 36 hours with two 3 hour naps, plus fuel and meal stops. My commission ( 70 percent of the amount billed to the customer by my employer ) was just under $5500 CDN. JimB.
 
Last edited:
PeppermintPatty said:
Crossed 2 x 6 ‘s 👍
Click to expand...
Worked better than I'd hope for

zG9NA4G.jpg
 
That’s a nice looking floor. I was thinking, digging in the ground first type floor.
Some people get concrete slab floors but a concrete truck would have to make it up there where you live. A nice wooden floor has flex that concrete doesn’t have. More warmth too.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Some people get concrete slab floors but a concrete truck would have to make it up there where you live.
Click to expand...
Concrete won't hold up up there
It'll crack and eventually break up
Folks a few miles up the path tried to get a permit for a slab.
The county won't give 'em one
PeppermintPatty said:
A nice wooden floor has flex that concrete doesn’t have. More warmth too.
Click to expand...
Got that right
 
IMO, I think the old goat is on to something. A friend of mine’s son just dropped out of college after 1 semester. Instead he is at a vocational school where he is learning how to install, maintain and repair ventilation, heating and AC systems. He figures if you have to touch it then the work can’t be done online in some country where people are happy to work for $10 a day.

The vocational school program is two years and costs a lot less. So he won’t be leaving school with tens of thousands of dollars in loans he has to pay back.
 
did some big ceramic tile projects at a little less than 30 yo... murder on back and knees back THEN.

had sad, chipped bathroom sink and bad faucets. watched This Old House back in the ay when simpler home improvements/repairs were the thing. i went to HD and asked the guy... is replacing the sink as easy as it looks? was told YES. got bendy water lines to make water nook up easier. vanity (counter top) was sad, so while sink was out, i painted it... did a faux marble that came out really nice, if i do say so myself. had another bathroom with a sink so didn't have to hurry finishing the project.

put up a ceiling fan in my kitchen. with a light fixture already there, didn't have to deal with electricity except to make sure it was OFF before starting.

have put together more than one gas grill over the years. biggest problems have been getting the box open... i asked guys who put it in car to do that... and missing parts. i get a tad ocd and make sure i have every nut and bolt before starting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top